Xining, August 12 (Xinhua) -- At 6 a.m., the sky was just white with fish belly, and the crisp birdsong broke through the tranquility of the Onsai Grand Canyon, and Qi Kai raised his camera and pressed the shutter at the top of a branch not far away. With 5 years of experience in bird watching, he quickly identified the bird being photographed as a black short-legged grebe.
This is a black short-legged quail photographed inside the Grand Canyon of Angsai (photographed on August 6). (Photo by Qi Kai, Xinhua News Agency)
"The record of the black short-legged grebe is the first time in the Grand Canyon of Angsai and even in Qinghai Province." Qin Xuan, head of the national park team of the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center, said: "The altitude of the main habitat of the black short-legged quail will basically not exceed 3,000 meters, and this time it appears in the Onsai Grand Canyon with an average altitude of 4,000 meters, which shows that the ecological environment at the source of the Lancang River is continuing to improve." ”
Angsai Township, Zaduo County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, belongs to the headwaters of the Lancang River. Recently, 22 nature observation teams from inside and outside Qinghai Province, a total of 60 nature observation enthusiasts gathered here to carry out nature observation and ecological background investigation activities. During the event, the participating teams recorded a total of 16 species of mammals, 81 species of birds, 2 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 218 species of plants, of which 11 teams recorded images of snow leopard activities.
The participating team "Plateau Leopard Hunting Team" is composed of Qi Kai, Li Zihao and Liu Guozheng, although they are all bird observation enthusiasts, but the purpose of the trip is to find snow leopards.
This is a snow leopard photographed in the Grand Canyon of Angsai on August 6. (Photo by Yao Muyang, Xinhua News Agency)
Kung Fu pays off. Under the guidance of local herdsmen guides, the "Highland Leopard Hunting Team" recorded the snow leopard on the first day of the nature observation tour of the Angsai Grand Canyon. "The guide told me firmly that there were several alpine vultures circling here, indicating that there were animal carcasses here, and it was possible that the snow leopards ate the leftovers, and if they were lucky, the snow leopards should still be near the prey." Liu Guozheng said excitedly: "I raised my telescope to search for the place where the alpine vultures were circling, and found a white dot next to the pale yellow rock, and then I took a picture with my camera, zoomed in, and I didn't expect it to be a snow leopard." ”
Immediately, the news of the discovery of the snow leopard spread to the participating teams through the herdsmen's guide, and the natural observation enthusiasts were both excited and jealous. "In the morning, I didn't see any felines, let alone snow leopards. You see this is the only beast I've photographed, the weasel. Weng Yating, a nature observation enthusiast from Shanghai, picked up a camera and showed off his "achievements."
Because of its presence in felines such as snow leopards, golden leopards, ocelots, lynxes, and rabbits, the Onsay Grand Canyon is known as the "Big Cat Valley" by ecologists and local herders.
The "Big Cat Valley" contains a variety of ecosystems such as alpine coniferous forests, alpine meadows and alpine bare rocks. Long-term research conducted by Peking University and the Shanshui Nature Conservation Center shows that 85 snow leopards and 12 golden leopards have been recorded, in addition to the distribution of carnivores such as Tibetan brown bears, wolves, and lynxes, which is one of the areas with the largest number of large carnivores in Sanjiangyuan.
This is a Tibetan fox photographed in the Grand Canyon of Angsai (photographed on August 6). (Photo by Zhang Ge, Xinhua News Agency)
"The observation of nature helped us feel the authenticity and integrity of Sanjiangyuan National Park, and the feeling of activity far exceeded expectations." Ma Jiangnan, a nature observation enthusiast from Guangdong, said. Many of the participants in the Nature Observation Festival said that they will look for opportunities to come to the "Big Cat Valley" again for natural experience and observation in the future.
Sun Lijun, deputy director of the Sanjiangyuan National Park Administration, said: "At present, there are about 150 snow leopards found in the national park, the ecological chain is very complete, and the biodiversity has been greatly restored. He told reporters that the herdsmen's guides in the "Big Cat Valley" are a major feature of the franchise of lancang jiangyuan park. Nature observation enthusiasts eat and live with their guides and experience the real life of herders in the national park.
This is a musk shoot in the Grand Canyon of Angsai (taken on August 6). (Photo by Zhang Ge, Xinhua News Agency)
"Letting the masses become the main body of ecological protection and play an active role in ecological protection is a major highlight of the national park." Sun Lijun said that from the establishment of the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in the early 20th century to the formal establishment of the Sanjiangyuan National Park in 2021, in the past 20 years, the people of all ethnic groups in the Sanjiangyuan area have blended with the mountains and rivers, coexisted with the forest, and coexisted with grass and trees, allowing them to participate in sharing the fruits of ecological protection, which is the best plan for ecological protection in the Sanjiangyuan area.