Conservation workers feed the domesticated bald cranes. Photo by Wang Ning
Conservation workers feed the domesticated bald cranes. Photo by Wang Ning
Yichun, China News Network, May 24 Title: Visiting the "Hometown of China's White-headed Crane": Nun Cranes are "shy" to build a nest of love on the head of the Millennium Tower
China News Network reporter Xie Peihua Jiang Hui
In The greenery of northern Xinjiang in May, Feng Ruisheng is working overtime to keep an eye on the crane eggs in the incubator in xinqing wetland park in Xinqing Town, Feng lin County, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province, the "hometown of China's white-headed cranes", and in a few days, the artificially hatched small white-headed cranes will break out of their shells.
Release artificially domesticated bald cranes. Photo by Wang Ning
Feng Ruisheng is a technician at the Xinqing White-headed Crane Nature Reserve Management Bureau in Heilongjiang Province, and 10 years ago, he came to Xinqing Wetland Park and began to work on the artificial domestication and incubation of white-headed cranes.
The bald crane is the flagship species of the forest swamp wetland, alias pot crane, Xuan crane, nun crane, is a national first-class protected bird, the world's endangered crane, the world's only more than 9,000 remaining. Covering an area of 4,490 hectares, Xinqing Wetland Park has the best preserved variety of typical wetland types in the Xiaoxing'anling Mountains, and is an important breeding habitat for bald cranes.
Strolling along the long bird watching boardwalk of Xinqing Wetland Park, wild ducks, mandarin ducks and other water birds leisurely forage and play on the water, and a few clear cranes are heard from the grass in the distance.
"It's the spawning and incubation period of the bald crane, which is generally deep in the wetland, and it's all about luck to see it." According to Wang Ruiliang, deputy manager of Yichun White-headed Crane Wetland Scenic Area Development Co., Ltd., the white-headed crane is petite, has a noble demeanor and a loyal temperament, but is very alert, timid and shy, and has extremely harsh requirements for habitat and reproduction conditions. In addition to the abundant food and elegant environment, it is also necessary to ensure that it is very quiet, often only the sound of cranes and the shadow of cranes. "Since 2007, more than 100 wild bald cranes have been observed in Xinqing Wetland Park, accounting for about 1% of the total number of bald cranes in the world."
"This kind of grass pier that is tens of centimeters or even 1 meter above the water surface is called Tatou, and the northeast is commonly known as 'Tatou Pier', which is formed by the root system of various moss grasses in the swamp after death and then decays and grows again, and repeats, and condenses with peat for many years, which is a sign of the swamp wetland." In the wetland mission hall of Xinqing Wetland Park, the docent told reporters that a tower with a diameter of about 60 centimeters takes thousands of years to form, so that large tower heads can be seen everywhere in Xinqing Wetland Park, and bald cranes often build nests on the tower to lay eggs and hatch.
There are more than 30 domesticated bald cranes in Xinqing Wetland Park. Photo by Wang Ning
"At the end of March every year, the bald crane migrates back from the wintering ground, the ice and snow in the wetland park have not completely melted, it is difficult for them to find food, we will feed it corn, millet, etc., and at the same time protect the bald crane through telescope observation, camera surveillance, and special patrols until it flies to the wintering ground in August and September." Wang Ruiliang said that since the discovery of the breeding population of the bald crane, the local government has invested a lot of manpower and material resources in the protection, publicity, management and construction of the protected area for the bald crane. In order to protect the injured bald crane and make it easy for tourists to see this beautiful bird, the White-headed Crane Breeding and Incubation Center has been set up in Xinqing Wetland Park, which has hatched 24 white-headed cranes, and the center currently has more than 30 domesticated white-headed cranes.
Wang Ruiliang said that Xinqing Wetland Park is also a research and practice education base for primary and secondary school students in Heilongjiang Province, and has received about 18,000 people for 24 sessions since 2018. Students can not only see the beautiful bald cranes in the base, but also establish the concept of protecting the ecology and loving the homeland from an early age. (End)