Recently, tens of thousands of wild ducks, egrets and other waterbirds have settled in the Yarkand River in Shache County, Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang.
According to locals, the number of migratory birds this year has increased from thousands last year to tens of thousands.
Shache County is located in the northern foothills of the Kunlun Mountains, in the south of the Pamir Plateau, in the middle and upper reaches of the Yarkand River alluvial fan plain between the Taklimakan Desert and the Buguri Desert.
It is generally believed that the route of birds crossing the desert is inseparable from oases and rivers. It has been confirmed that the Tarim River, Hotan River, Yarkand River, Cheerchen River, Ili River and Kaidu River are all important passages and stations for bird migration.
The gathering of a large number of birds can prove that the local ecological protection measures have been continued for many years. At the same time, it also benefits from the protection of the original Populus euphratica forest around the Yarkand River in Shache County, which provides a better habitat for migratory birds to stay.
Yang Tao, Lv Wei, Ai Li Mujiang
Responsible editor: [Yu Xiao]