Sai City Lake Migratory Bird Reserve

Sai City Lake Migratory Bird Reserve

“Picking chrysanthemums beneath the eastern hedge, I glimpse the southern mountains in the distance” — this timeless line comes from Tao Yuanming, a renowned pastoral poet of the Jin Dynasty.

Sai City Lake in Jiujiang County, historically known as Hanwen Lake, has been documented since the Jin Dynasty. Every winter, large numbers of migratory birds come here to rest, which is how it got its name. It is located in the northwest of Jiujiang County, Jiangxi Province, on the southern bank of the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The lake area is connected to the Yangtze via an artificial sluice, covering 4,500 hectares. It lies between latitude 29°37′–29°42′ and longitude 115°44′–115°54′, 5 km from downtown Jiujiang, 48 km from Mount Lu, 10 km from Lushan Railway Station, 0.5 km from the Yangtze River, and enjoys convenient transportation and a superior geographical location. On November 20, 2000, the Sai City Lake Winter Migratory Bird Reserve was officially established with the approval of the Jiujiang County People's Government.

Sai City Lake boasts abundant aquatic plants, along with numerous fish and freshwater organisms — all favorite foods of migratory birds. Each winter, influenced by the cold waves from Siberia, the first flocks of migratory birds arrive with the wind. Various species gradually flock in around mid-November, and by January of the following year, winter migratory birds gather in large numbers, forming three main clusters near the Sai City Lake sluice, Xuehu (Snow Lake), and Chenggang. By mid-March, as warm, moist air pushes northward, the birds begin migrating in groups back north to breeding grounds in the Heilongjiang Basin and Siberia.

Recent surveys of winter migratory birds indicate that the Sai City Lake Winter Migratory Bird Reserve is home to five species of Class I nationally protected birds: the Siberian crane, white-naped crane, white stork, black stork, and scaly-sided merganser. There are also 25 species of Class II nationally protected birds, including the tundra swan, Eurasian spoonbill, greater white-fronted goose, and red-crowned crane, as well as 47 species under provincial key protection. From November 2003 to January 2004, a survey of winter migratory birds around Poyang Lake found over 7,000 Class I and II protected birds, including 99 Siberian cranes (2% of the known global population), 71 white-naped cranes (40% of the Poyang Lake population), 6,050 tundra swans (50% of the Poyang Lake population and 20% of the national population), 1,320 greater white-fronted geese (3% of the Poyang Lake population), and 4,500 bean geese (listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, making up 25% of the Poyang Lake population). Meanwhile, the populations of provincially protected birds such as wild geese and ducks are even more substantial. It’s clear that Sai City Lake is truly a paradise for birds.

The Sai City Lake wetland has received significant attention and care from higher authorities, ensuring its effective protection. The Jiujiang County Government and Forestry Bureau have developed a detailed conservation plan to preserve the wetland’s original state, halting any projects that would encroach upon it. Enforcement has also been strengthened, with strict crackdowns on illegal hunting and bird poaching within the wetland, thus effectively safeguarding the Sai City Lake wetland.