Rare and Unusual Flamingos, a Rare Sight in China, I Saw 6 of Them Here
In recent years, it is often seen in WeChat with friends taking photos during trips to Yuncheng Salt Lake, those stunning photos make me quite envious. However, the distance is too far, and there is no suitable opportunity to experience the scenery in person, but I have always missed it.
Actually, there are salt lakes in the province of Yuncheng, but because of my tendency to prioritize the outside over the inside, I have never been there. I mostly plan my travel destinations outside the province.
The reason for the trip to Yuncheng was thanks to my classmate’s good intentions. He learned from the internet that Yuncheng had recently increased its ecological protection, and that rare national protected animals such as flamingos had appeared in the salt lake. For him, who loves travel and photography, this was a rare opportunity, so he invited me to go together. I wanted to experience the scenery of the salt lake, and it was a matter of just saying it, so we had a spontaneous trip.
Internally, the salt lakes in the world are only two, besides the distant Israeli Dead Sea, the other is Yuncheng Salt Lake with an area of 130 square kilometers, the deepest about 6 meters. It is a very important salt producing area in our country. In the long history, especially during the feudal era, the salt tax revenue of the local area reached one-eighth of the national total. This alone shows the indispensable role of the salt lake at that time. After learning these knowledge, I was very ashamed of my ignorance. Fortunately, it finally came!
The shore is still equipped with salt-making facilities, and workers are busy working hard...
Looking out, all around is a vast expanse of white, as if in a snowy wilderness.
If you don't explain it, you would probably think you are taking a snow scene just seeing this gentleman walking. In fact, this white thing is mineral salt, also known as magnesium. The endless salt pools are dazzlingly white. Like snow, it gives me a completely new experience.
The salt lake gave me the same initial impression as ordinary lakes, with waves rippling on the surface, which was different from the photos I saw in the Tea Lake. There, tourists walked barefoot on the mirror-like lake, and the scenery was beautiful because of the reflection.
However, I mainly came for the flamingos. This is the picture I was most looking forward to. I had heard that there were flamingos, but I didn't know what they looked like or their life habits. I came to the location where the flamingos were active, and I patiently waited for their appearance, hoping not to be disappointed.
After about half an hour, I suddenly saw a line of flying shadows in the distance, but not very clear, and when I got closer, wow, it’s really flamingos! Because of the flamingos’ fiery red wings, I could confirm it.
Holding my breath and not making any noise, I was afraid of disturbing the flamingos, and they were very cooperative. One by one, they gracefully landed on the lake surface...
Flamingos are large water birds, with bright red feathers, and when they spread their wings, they look like beautiful red umbrellas supporting them on the lake.
It is said that flamingos have only recently appeared in Yuncheng Salt Lake. Because they adapt to living in warm tropical salt lake waters, they are extremely rare in China. There have been reports that they have appeared in Beijing, Xi'an, Xinjiang, and Hebei, with a few as few as 3, and sometimes just a single bird. Fortunately, our luck was very good, and we saw 6 of them on our first visit, and they were clustered together. This saved me the trouble of waiting patiently for them to appear.
I felt that flamingos should be social animals because even when they were feeding in the water, they were in the vicinity of the team, and when they encountered a situation, they flew and rested together, which was very spectacular. The beautiful flying posture made me excitedly press the shutter to capture this wonderful moment.
Yuncheng Salt Lake has a maximum of 8 flamingos, which is the largest population of flamingos in China. I am satisfied, and I am not greedy. These 6 flamingos are enough for me to be delighted and intoxicated.
I am a wanderer of time and years, and I thank you for reading patiently, and I look forward to your attention and reviews.
