Zhalong Nature Reserve

Zhalong covers around two thousand square kilometres of reed marsh and shallow water on the Songnen plain, a Ramsar site and one of the most significant breeding areas anywhere for the red-crowned crane, a bird of which only a few thousand survive worldwide and which carries deep symbolic weight in Chinese and Japanese culture. Several hundred use the reserve, alongside white-naped and demoiselle cranes and large numbers of other waterbirds. A captive-breeding and release programme operates, and released birds are flown daily for visitors, which is how most people see cranes here. The wild birds are harder to find in the reed beds and need patience, a scope and quiet.

What you actually see

• The red-crowned cranes - the reserve's flagship species, wild and captive-bred.
• The daily flights - released birds flown on a schedule for visitors.
• The reed marsh - vast beds of phragmites across the plain.
• The other waterbirds - herons, egrets, ducks and other crane species.

When to go

May to September for breeding activity and green marsh; migration periods bring the largest numbers. Winter is severely cold and most birds have left. The flight displays run several times daily in season.

Honest expectations

The crane flights are of captive-bred birds performing on schedule, not wild behaviour, which some visitors find disappointing. Wild cranes are distant and need optics. Boardwalk access is limited and the reserve is mostly closed to visitors.

Nearby

Qiqihar lies northwest; Harbin is southeast.