How Beautiful is Qingshan Lake in Lin'an? National Treasure Ducks Have Arrived
Qianjiang Evening News · Xiaohewenxinwen reporter Huang Weifen photography Xu Weinan
In good weather, Hangzhou Lin'an Qingshan Lake National Forest Park, with mountains embracing and water adjacent, is already a "" (a lake face of "" - literally 'like a piece of glazed jade').
However, compared to the beautiful scenery, a more beautiful news recently appeared here – the first appearance of the national treasure Chinese khaki duck.
Chinese khaki ducks are ancient relic species that have survived since the third period of the Ice Age. They have already existed for over a million years. Not only are they one of the 15 most endangered bird species in the world, but they are also ranked alongside the South China tiger, Yunnan golden monkey, and giant panda, often referred to as "aquatic pandas".
Besides their preciousness, Chinese khaki ducks are also loved by bird watchers for their looks – they are photogenic.
Their beaks and legs, feet are red, the beak is narrow and pointed, with a sharp tip.
The black fish-scale patterns on the upper shoulder feathers are the most distinctive feature of the Chinese khaki duck.
Female ducks have brown-gray heads, dark and gray, with brown irises; male ducks have black heads and backs, with white plumage on the lower back, waist and tail coverts, with a long plume extending from the crown, forming a double crown.
In 2015, Lin'an Tiemei Creek was the first to monitor Chinese khaki ducks, and subsequently, they were detected in Changhua Creek and Fen Shui Jiang for several years.
Although Lin'an's Tiemei Creek has always had stable wintering records of Chinese khaki ducks, the appearance of this species in the national forest park of Qingshan Lake, which is the largest artificial wetland in Lin'an, is the first time.
Today (March 3rd), Hangzhou Lin'an District Forestry Bureau Forest Resource Management Chief Expert Xu Weinan told reporters that detecting this Chinese khaki duck was quite lucky. "In fact, Zhejiang Province has always had dozens of teams conducting surveys in reservoirs and rivers where Chinese khaki ducks might appear." However, domestically, only about ten places have been monitored.
A few days ago, Xu Weinan and his colleagues from the forestry bureau were investigating the wildlife situation in the Qingshan Lake area. A pair of ducks on the lake attracted their attention.
Could it be a Chinese khaki duck? A group of people quickly took out binoculars to observe, and they saw one of them was a Chinese khaki duck.
Xu Weinan quickly took a photo.
It's not 'easy to spot' Chinese khaki ducks even at Tiemei Creek.
Xu Weinan told Xiaohewenxinwen reporter that Chinese khaki ducks are rare winter migrants, staying in Lin'an from November to the following March for resting and foraging, and wintering. "It's not every time we go out to take pictures of them, they usually appear in pairs or small groups, and the largest number I've seen is 9 together."
Chinese khaki ducks are quick-witted and will immediately fly away when they detect people moving from a distance. They have very strict requirements for their habitat – especially water quality, only clean rivers and reservoirs with abundant food and little human activity will choose to live.
The appearance of Chinese khaki ducks in Qingshan Lake, the largest artificial wetland in Lin'an, is a best affirmation of the local ecological environment.
Xiaohewenxinwen reporter learned that the diverse plant communities of Qingshan Lake's barren fields and grasslands, as well as the surrounding forest, provided animals with abundant food and nesting and predator avoidance.
According to long-term monitoring, there are 220 species of wild plants and birds living in Qingshan Lake, including 220 species of birds, including 26 species listed as national level key protected birds: White Crane, Oriental White Stork, Chinese Khaki Duck; second and third level key protected birds: Tufted Cormorant, White Stork, Swan, Little Egret, Red Hawk; 34 species listed in Zhejiang Province's key protected bird list; other common species include: Green Wing Duck, House Sparrow, Magpie, Heron, Japanese Sparrow, Pearl-Necked Green Pigeon etc.
