Every October, Kunming, Yunnan will welcome a group of "guests". These "guests" will leave completely in March of the following year. This process has never been interrupted since 1985 when I came to Kunming.
These special guests are seagulls . On November 12, 1985, more than 9,000 seagulls appeared in Dianchi Lake in Kunming. They were scattered on both sides of Kunming Panlongjiang and extended to Dianchi Lake . For a time, a large number of people stopped and watched, and were all attracted by these agile elves.
These seagulls have beautiful voices, most of their feathers are snow-white, a small amount is mixed with gray feathers, and the soles of their feet are flesh-colored. Each one is more than 30 cm long, flying constantly on the lake, elegant without losing its dynamic feeling.
At that time, many people were curious about seagulls because they had never seen these birds, and they suddenly appeared in large numbers. There was a big commotion in Kunming, and people who had seen seagulls rush around and informed their relatives and friends everywhere. It can be said that everyone in Kunming City was dispatched at that time just to see these foreign seagulls.
In fact, it is very difficult for these seagulls to come to Kunming. They were originally migratory birds staying in the cold Sibria region, and as the temperatures dropped, they had to find new habitats.
Natural choice
They go south, cross mountains and ridges, and fly 80-100 kilometers every day. In the middle, you will encounter storms and thunderstorms. Facing various hunting and experiencing these obstacles just to find a place to settle down.
Siberia Baikal winter
just keeps flying, keeps flying. Two months later, they have already flew about 6,000 kilometers ( Siberian Baikal Lake is 3,176 kilometers away from Kunming in a straight line, but the flight path of migratory birds is not straight. They will fly along the terrain, and it will take about 5,000-6,000 kilometers to reach Kunming ).
The pioneer in the seagull team may be tired and want to lead the flight team to take a break before setting off. But when I stopped, I couldn't move my wings anymore. They found themselves in a place with warm sunshine and warm water, which was simply a paradise for seagulls.
And the average winter temperature in Kunming is around 10℃. At this temperature, seagulls can survive very comfortably.
There are also gifts from nature here, and the water of Kunming Dianchi Lake provides seagulls with a lot of food. They can hunt on the surface of water without restraint. Without the water of Dianchi Lake, it is impossible to keep seagulls.
These lucky seagulls not only found a suitable habitat, but also received the care of humans.
Human care for seagulls
Out of love for seagulls, people at that time spent five cents on breakfast every day. Many people save this five cents to buy bread and feed seagulls.
Feed seagulls
And seagulls also stayed for half a year during this nap.
After the seagull left, many people were worried about gains and losses, and they looked forward to the seagull coming again next year. I was also afraid that they wouldn't come, and my heart was empty.
The second year, the seagull arrived as scheduled. People's hearts hanging in their hearts finally let go. In this way, the seagulls came to Kunming for 37 years, never stopping. In the first twenty years, the number has continued to grow every year. These seagulls who have been to Kunming may be hyping how good Kunming is, and other seagulls have followed them to Kunming after hearing about it.
Until the last decade, the number of seagulls coming to Kunming has stabilized. Every year, more than 40,000 seagulls spend the winter in Kunming.
If you want such an effect, it is not enough to rely on birds to promote themselves. After Haiou came to Kunming continuously, the Kunming Municipal Government established complete protection measures for them. Feeding points are set up in many places, and the behavior of hurting seagulls is severely punished.
There was once a incident where tourists caught seagulls, causing seagulls to be injured and died. After investigation, Kunming police went to the Northeast thousands of kilometers away to impose administrative penalties on the perpetrator . This is done just to protect the seagulls from being damaged.
Unfortunately, seagulls do not breed in Kunming. May-July every year is their breeding season. At that time, seagulls have returned to their hometown Siberia .
Also, as monogamous birds, seagulls are not as dedicated to their winter habitats as they treat their feelings.
In 2015, a three-year survey was conducted. Randomly select targets in the seagull and place GPS point system on it. The survey found that their winter activity trajectory was not fixed.
These seagulls will travel to Erhai Lake in Dali within a week before returning to Kunming, or go abroad to Myanmar to check it out. If you find that Kunming is better, then return to Kunming.
Sometimes, they will stay somewhere else. Overall, it is still active in Yunnan, and this is their best choice for winter.
It’s mid-November soon. This is the best season for watching seagulls. Call your relatives and friends to watch seagulls together.
Warm reminder: you can prepare to bring a small umbrella, because there are many seagulls and their digestive system is well developed. metabolizes very quickly. To avoid flying all over the sky, preparing an umbrella is a safe choice.
