Hulun Lake is one of the premier birdwatching destinations in northern China. The combination of open water, extensive reed beds, shallow margins, and surrounding grassland creates a diversity of habitats that supports an extraordinary list of species. During the breeding season (late May to July), the lake supports large colonies of great white pelican, Dalmatian pelican, black-headed gull, common tern, and multiple species of grebe. The reed beds hold bitterns, bearded reedlings, and several warbler species.
Migration periods (April to May, and September to October) are the most spectacular. Whooper swans arrive in large numbers in March and April, and the autumn passage brings waves of Eurasian cranes — a mixture of common, white-naped, and Siberian cranes — that rest on the lake before continuing south. Bar-headed geese, pallas's rosefinches, and a variety of raptors including rough-legged buzzards and Eurasian marsh harriers are regular migrants. A good position on the northern or eastern shore during autumn migration can yield 50+ species in a single day. Bring optics and plenty of time.