Egrets come looking for food in Beijing lake

Anyone visiting Beijing’s Garden Expo, now in progress, have a chance to see an unusual sight -- some egrets that are stopping over in the Garden Expo Lake.

Around six of the lovely birds arrived at the Expo Lake several days ago and some have been spotted foraging for food in the shallow water, while others can be seen strolling about the wetland area.

Egrets having a leisure time at Beijing’s Garden Expo Lake.

Egrets scouting around for food on the Garden Expo Lake.

One of the maintenance staff members who was mowing the lawn near the lake, explained to some visitors near the shore, “It isn’t unusual even to see a flock of egrets catching some fish in the lake,” while another said the waterfowl have arrived at the lake in droves since the expo opened. Some of them were unfamiliar to visitors.

Lian Guozhao, the deputy director of the Beijing Garden Expo organizing committee, said that the park certainly welcomes more of these feathered friends and that he had seen a wide variety of animals calling the park home, for example, some magpies making their nests in nearby trees and frogs and crickets offering a happy chirping melody in the evening.

The 267-hectare Garden Expo Lake is one of the main water sights at the Garden Expo and is considered an ideal attraction for tourists, by providing a world of harmony between humans and nature.

And, there is a musical fountain with shows on the lake to offer tourists another delight, especially during the Dragon Boat Festival. It has China’s largest water curtain, 180 meters in length and 60 meters in width, with the fountains reaching a height of 108 meters.