Go to Lhasa for Watching the Birds in winter! Three Bird Watching Spots in Lhasa

Lhasa is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of Tibet and the holy land of Tibetan Buddhism, but also a haven for birds on the plateau in winter.

From November to March of the following year, a large number of black-necked cranes and bar-headed geese and other migratory birds come to the Lhasa River basin for wintering from the lakes and wetlands in northern Tibet. The wide waters, large tracts of vegetation, and abundant wetland resources have attracted a large number of birds to overwinter here. Lhasa has become a unique "bird paradise".

In order to organize bird watching tour, we has sorted out the three main bird watching places in Lhasa. When the birds dance against the snow-capped mountains, Tibet in winter is also ingenious and agile.

Are you ready for a winter trip to Tibet and dancing with the birds?

Bird Watching Tour in Tibet

Zongjiao Lukang: A paradise for bar-headed geese and red ducks

Behind the Potala Palace, there is a quiet place with clear water and forest, where ancient willows grow, and the blue waves are clear. This is the famous garden in Lhasa: Zongjiao Lukang.

Zongjiao Lukang is the most famous water area near the Potala Palace. All the photos of the Potala Palace reflecting in the water are taken from the direction of Zongjiao Lukang. In the winter, the reflection in the water turned into many bar-headed geese and red ducks.

The most common birds in Lhasa in winter are the red ducks and bar-headed geese. The number can be measured in "ten thousand". They rest on the wetland at night, and fly to Longwangtan in the morning before sunrise, when the sky is dark, and live here leisurely.

Here, birds and people live in harmony.

People and birds enjoy the happy time under the city of sunlight, adding a peaceful atmosphere to the majestic Potala Palace in front of them. Sitting here, watching people coming and going, birds flying around, I feel extremely free and pure in my heart. Here, people can get close to bar-headed geese and red ducks, and feel the good time of getting along with wild animals.

Bird Watching Tour in Tibet

Lalu Wetland: The world's highest and largest urban natural wetland

Lalu Wetland is the world's highest and largest urban natural wetland, and it is also the only urban inland peat swamp wetland in China, known as the "lung of Lhasa."

There are 37 families of higher plants in the wetland, 43 species of birds that live in the wetland all year round, and 152 species of aquatic wild animals. It is a rare species gene pool in the urban area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The humid climate and beautiful water plants attract a large number of wild birds such as red ducks, yellow ducks, Tibetan hairy sandgrouses, bar-headed geese, brown-headed gulls, hoopoes, larks, skylarks and other wild birds to spend the winter here. If you are luck, You can also see the black-necked crane, a national first-class protected animal.

In the Lalu wetland in winter, the water plants have withered and yellow, showing a sense of depression, but various migratory birds fly and play from it, which adds a lot of fun and vitality to the Lalu wetland.

The core area of the wetland is patrolled for 24 hours, and sightseeing and grazing are prohibited. Therefore, there are few people set foot here, except for scientific research personnel and rangers. Moreover, in order to protect the overwintering migratory birds, the Lalu wetland was closed to the public from November until May of the following year.

Bird Watching Tour in Tibet

Lin Zhou: The best place to watch black-necked cranes

Linzhou County is located in the northeastern part of Lhasa's urban area and belongs to Lhasa city. It is the "granary" of Lhasa, meaning "a place naturally formed" in Tibetan. The rivers here are crisscrossed and there are many reservoirs, which provide good conditions for irrigation of farmland.

Where is the easiest place to see black-necked cranes in Tibet in winter? It is undoubtedly Lin Zhou.

The black-necked crane is the only plateau crane in the world, a sacred bird in the hearts of the Tibetan people, and the latest crane to be discovered among the "Fifteen Cranes in the World". For hundreds of years, black-necked cranes have been the "sacred bird" in the hearts of local people.

On the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, living in the warm sunshine is so beautiful and wonderful. That is the warmth. Black-necked cranes accompany them day and night. Look at these simple people and call them like their relatives for a winter. 

The black-necked cranes that come to Linzhou County for wintering are mainly concentrated in Kazi Township and Chundui Township. In the shallow water area of Hutoushan Reservoir, there are more than a dozen species of waterfowl such as spot-billed ducks, red ducks, bar-headed geese, green-winged ducks, mallards, and common mergansers living in the same habitat with black-necked cranes.

From Lhasa to Lin Zhou to watch the birds, after driving over Najin Mountain, driving along the village road, passing the Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve in the middle reaches of the Yajiang River, you can see flocks of black-necked cranes flying high in the sky and bar-headed geese playing in the water. The scenes of frolicking and flying up and down, with different postures, are spectacular.

Linzhou County attaches great importance to the protection of migratory birds. Forest police protect them every day. They silently guard the wildlife in Linzhou County, making the ecological environment of Linzhou County better and better.

In addition to the above places, Mozhugongka and Dazi are also good places to watch birds. Imagine that under the white snow-capped mountains, a flock of birds began to dance, hovering freely under the blue sky and white clouds of the snow-covered plateau, which become a beautiful "flying landscape".

Because of the 16°C winter, the sunshine, the pure blue sky, and the local care for vegetation and animals, so many migratory birds choose to come to Lhasa for overwintering. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is known as the "Third Pole" of the earth. The extremely different climate and environment, and the rich and diverse biological species, are performing the magnificent wonders on this planet in this winter.

Bird Watching Tour in Tibet

The following tips for bird watching enthusiasts to remember:

1. Observation points: carefully observe the bird's shape, body color, flight modeand behavior characteristics, and listen to the bird's song.

2. Record the main points: use a notebook to record the time, location, weather, bird's name, number, behavior, etc.; at the same time,record the characteristics of the bird by writing, painting, photography, etc.

3. Bird watching equipment: the bird watching telescope should be8-10 times.

4. Bird watching clothing: Don't wear brightly colored clothes. Choose gray, black, blue, green, camouflage and other clothes that are similar to the natural environment. Wear light and comfortable shoes, and bring field supplies.

5. Bird watching behavior:
1) Don't make noise, please talk softly.
2) Don't feed food at will. Don't throw away garbage at will.
3) Don't use your finger to the bird's position.
4) Don't throw stones to disturb the birds. When wild birdsare in warning posture, please stay away.
5) Don’t chase the birds. They need rest and recuperation. Your chasing behavior may cause their death.
6) Don’t climb flowers and trees to facilitate observation or photography, destroying the habitat of birds.