One of the more surprising sights in Yunnan takes place every winter. From around November to March, large numbers of gulls migrate south from Siberia and Mongolia and settle in and around Kunming. The flocks number in the tens of thousands, and they gather on Dianchi Lake, along the Haigeng Dam on the lake's northern shore, and in the city's parks, including Green Lake in the middle of town.
Why Kunming
The birds come because Kunming has a mild winter. The city sits on a plateau at around 1,900 metres and enjoys what is often described as eternal spring, with frost rare and daytime temperatures pleasant even in January. For a bird flying from a frozen Siberian lake, that is reason enough. The migration has been recorded for decades, and it has become part of the city's identity - the gulls are protected, and harming them is treated seriously.
Watching and feeding
The classic experience is at Haigeng Dam, where the birds crowd the shoreline and fly in clouds around visitors. Vendors sell bags of bread or special gull food, and people hold pieces up so the birds take them out of the hand. It is loud, busy and chaotic, and on a winter weekend the crowds of people are almost as dense as the birds. Green Lake Park in the city centre offers the same thing on a smaller scale and is easier to reach if you are short of time.
Other birds and the wider lake
Dianchi is the largest lake in Yunnan and its shores and wetlands attract a much wider range of waterbirds than just the gulls: ducks, grebes, herons, egrets, cormorants, waders and the occasional rarer visitor. The lake has suffered serious pollution and ecological damage from the growth of Kunming, and its condition has been the subject of long-running restoration efforts, which is itself part of the story of the region. Birdwatching along the quieter shores, away from the main tourist points, is a good way to spend a morning.
Practical notes
Haigeng Dam is on the northern shore of Dianchi, easily reached by bus or taxi from central Kunming and close to the Yunnan Nationalities Village. The gull season runs from November to March, peaking in the middle of winter. Go early in the morning for the biggest concentrations of birds and the fewest people. Bring a jacket - Kunming days are mild in winter but mornings are cold - and if you are feeding the birds, use the food sold on site rather than bread, which is less good for them.
