Number of birds by Qinghai Lake rises to 140,000

　　BEIJING, Oct. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- A recent survey shows that the population of birds by the Qinghai Lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has increased to 140,000, according to the Administration of the Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve.

　　With the improvement of the ecological environment and the advent of winter, the number of birds around the lake is expected to continue to rise.

　　Whooper swans swim at Qinghai Lake near Xining, capital of northwest China‘s Qinghai Province Oct. 6, 2009. Whooper swans arrived at the lake to live through the winter weeks earlier than past years. (Xinhua/Ge Yuxiu)

　　The Qinghai Lake Nature Reserve in Qinghai Province, topping China‘s eight bird reserves, attracts an estimated 100,000 migrant birds for hibernation every year with its large area of wetland and abundant food resources.

　　Wu Yonglin, an official of the administration, said that his staff members have carried out a five-day survey around the lake and inspected 24 bird-monitoring stations.

　　He added that 270 whooper swans arrived by the lake ten days earlier than in previous years, and that by the end of this year, 4,000 swans are projected to have been there.

　　From 2005 to 2008, the water level of the Qinghai Lake rose by 50 cm, and the water surface area increased by 132 sq km. All this helps dilute the salinity of the lake water, thus providing conditions for birds‘ inhabitation.

　　Moreover, the protective measures taken by the administration have contributed to the increase in the population of birds by the lake.