Gaoyou Lake is now in transit by a thousand falcons

Nowadays, it is the peak period of migratory bird migration, and a batch of northern visitors borrow from the north to pass through Yangzhou, and Yangzhou's "air traffic" is particularly lively. In the past few days, Gaoyou Lake Beach has ushered in a group of "uninvited guests" - red-footed falcons, with thousands of them. Wan Changnian, president of the Wildlife and Bird Photography Branch of the Yangzhou Photography Association, said that counting this year, the "Thousand Falcon Transit" has been staged here for 4 consecutive years, and "the ecology of Gaoyou Lake is getting better and better." ”

This bird of prey prefers to migrate in pairs

In autumn, the beach of Gaoyou Lake, the water indigo flowers are red, which is the time when the red-footed falcon migrates through Gaoyou. At this time of year, bird photography enthusiasts such as Wan Changnian and Qian Zhihua come here to have a "meeting" with the red-footed falcon; this year is no exception.

"In fact, due to the rain and low temperatures, this year's red-footed falcons only stayed in the beach of Gaoyou Lake for two days." Wan Changnian said that the red-footed falcon army had migrated to the south, but there was still a considerable number.

The red-footed falcon, a national grade II protected wild animal, is also the longest migratory bird of prey, reaching 13,000-16,000 kilometers in one way. This bird of prey, most notably, has a pair of red feet.

Although birds of prey, the red-footed falcon prefers to migrate in pairs. After all, their physique is small, and their "combat effectiveness" is not too high, so that large troops can migrate together to protect the safety of the group to the greatest extent.

Why have you been "stopping" at Gaoyou Lake Beach for many years

The grand scene of the large-scale red-footed falcon "stopping" at the lake beach of Gaoyou Lake has also attracted bird friends from all over the country to come here to "fight birds" (bird photography, commonly known as "fighting birds"), and some travel agencies even take the "red-footed falcon of prey on the shore of Gaoyou Lake" as a highlight for external promotion.

Why do red-footed falcons "love" Gaoyou Lake Beach? Qian Zhihua said that in autumn, the Beach of Gaoyou Lake is still full of life, overgrown with weeds, and in the grass, there is an insect called Bean Dan (the larvae of the bean moth), which is fat and large, and is a delicacy that the red-footed falcon likes to catch.

"On the beach of Gaoyou Lake, there is a weed called the water indigo, and now this season is in full bloom, and it is a red and red, and it is especially beautiful to shoot the red-footed falcon." Wan Changnian said, "Now many birds will stop at Gaoyou Lake to forage during migration every year, and there will be flocks of winter migratory birds wintering in Gaoyou Lake in winter, which are witnesses to the good ecology of Gaoyou Lake." ”

October is the best time to see birds of prey

Yangzhou in October is the peak period of raptor migration and the best season to watch raptors. There are many types of birds of prey that pass through Yangzhou, such as crested hummingbirds, Japanese pine sparrowhawks, pine sparrowhawks, goshawks, kestrels, swallow falcons, red-footed falcons, gray-faced eagles, snake eagles, etc.

The red-footed falcon, whose main food is insects, is an important agricultural forestry bird. "The red-footed falcon appears on the beach of Gaoyou Lake every year, indicating that they have used this place as a stopover on the way to migration." Wan Changnian said that the annual "beautiful encounter" with the red-footed falcon has made many bird friends look forward to it.

Correspondent Wan Changnian Qian Zhihua Reporter Xiang Jiafu