Birding info of Gansu, China
Gansu is located in the west of China, the Yellow River passes through the southern part of the province. Covering 453,700 square kilometers of land territory, Gansu is a long, narrow province with 1,655 kilometers long and 530 kilometers wide.
The majority of its land is more than 1km above sea level. Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Inner Mongolia Plateau, and Loess Plateau, which shaped its various landforms and brought up different ecosystems such as gobi, desert, forest, grassland and wetland.
The biodiversity of Gansu Province is extremely rich. There are over 4,000 higher plants and 822 wild animals. It is estimated that there are 441 bird species in Gansu Province which 59 species are under national key protection. About 45% among all bird species are Palaearctic ones, and the Oriental species are dominant the south and southeast part of the province.
Due to far inland, the Gansu has a generally semi-arid to arid, continental climate, with warm summers and very cold winters. The capital city of Gansu Province is Lanzhou City which has a history over 2,000 years.
Some Important Birding Sites in Gansu
Some Important Birding Sites in Gansu
Lianhuashan Nature Reserve
Established in 1983, with an area of 11,691 hectares, Lianhuashan Nature Reserve is situated in south Gansu. The nature reserve is the water conservation zone of the Yao River which is an important branch of Yellow River and the holy land of Taoism and Buddhism as well. Lianhuashan where its forest coverage is 69.3%, contains rich biodiversity. The nature reserve is significant vegetation vertical band, spreading 745 kinds of seed plants that provide vast habitat types for birds. About 133 bird species have been recorded in this reserve, including Tibetan Snowcock, Blood Pheasant, Blue Eared-Pheasant, Severtzov's Grouse, Snow Pigeon, Himalayan Cuckoo, Lesser Cuckoo, Northern Goshawk, Rufous-vented Tit, Yellow-bellied Tit, Willow Tit, Buff-barred Warbler, Hume's Warbler, Chinese Leaf Warbler, Gansu Leaf Warbler, Sichuan Leaf Warbler, Yellow-streaked Warbler, Alpine Leaf Warbler, White-browed Tit-Warbler, Crested Tit-Warbler, Silver-throated Tit, Grey-hooded Fulvetta, Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush, Giant Laughingthrush, Pere David's Laughingthrush, Elliot's Laughingthrush, Przevalski's Nuthatch, Snowy-browed Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Chinese Thrush, White-backed Thrush, Siberian Rubythroat, Alpine Accentor, Maroon-backed Accentor, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Chinese White-browed Rosefinch, Three-banded Rosefinch, etc.
Gahai-Zecha Reserve
Located in the northeast border of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the reserve was established in 2003. Covering an area of 247,431 hectares, Gahai-Zecha National Nature Reserve is an important water conservation zone of the upper reaches of Yellow River. It contains two different parts, Gahai the plateau wetlands and Zecha the forest and alpine meadow area. Vast vegetation types provide birds excellent habitat. Including the rare species Pallas's Fish Eagle and Black-necked Crane, there are 214 bird species that have been recorded in this area. Other birds like Bar-headed Goose, Whooper Swan, Northern Shoveler, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Smew, Goosander, Black-necked Grebe, Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Wood Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern, Bearded Vulture, Black Vulture, Himalayan Griffon, Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, Upland Buzzard, Eurasian Hobby, Red-billed Chough, Shore Lark, Tibetan Lark, Crested Lark, Black Redstart, Hodgson's Redstart, Isabelline Wheatear, Robin Accentor, Black-winged Snowfinch, Rufous-necked Snowfinch, White-rumped Snowfinch, Tibetan Snowfinch, Rosy Pipit, Twite, etc.
Baishuijiang Nature Reserve
Established in 1963 and been listed as part of the world man and biosphere reserve network in 2000, the reserve is located in Wenxian county and Wudu county in south Gansu. With an area of 91,000 hectares, it is founded to protect giant pandas, dove trees and other rare species and the habitats they depend on. According to the survey from 1992 to 1995, Baishuijiang has recorded 275 bird species and subspecies, including 4 species of first-grade nation protection bird and 24 second-grade national protection bird species. Such as Golden Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Koklass Pheasant, Chinese Monel, Blue Eared-Pheasant, Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Crested Honey-buzzard, Golden Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Besra, Himalayan Owl, Speckled Piculet, Grey-capped Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Spotted Nutcracker, Yellow-bellied Tit, Coal Tit, Great Parrotbill, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Black-streaked Scimitar-Babbler, Barred Laughingthrush, White-throated Laughingthrush, Elliot's Laughingthrush, etc.
Lanzhou University
Lanzhou University is a major research university in Lanzhou. It provides programs for undergraduate, graduate students on four campuses—three in Lanzhou city centre and one in Yuzhong County, about 30 miles away from the main campus. Undergraduate students study at the Yuzhong campus. The Yuzhong campus also is a good birding site, there are some special birds like Przevalski's Partridge, Daurian Partridge, Hill Pigeon, Collared Dove, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Upland Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Grey-backed Shrike, Azure-winged Magpie, Pere David's Laughingthrush, Chestnut Thrush, Black Redstart, Pied Wheatear, Pale Rosefinch, Godlewski's Bunting, Meadow Bunting, etc.
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