Rare gulls, coal miners share a place in the sun

YINCHUAN-On the edge of the vast Maowusu Desert in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, salt lakes dot the sandy expanse.

The lakes were formed by clean industrial water discharged from nearby collieries owned by Ningxia Coal Industry Group, a subsidiary of State-owned China Energy.

However, in recent years the lakes near Lingwu have become a haven for migratory relict gulls from early April to late August.

The black-headed, red-beaked birds were discovered in the 1970s and recognized as a new species. In 2000, they were placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. China gives the gulls class one protection for wild animals.

In Ningxia, the rare birds were first seen in 2016.

The gulls love to rest on the islets that dot the lakes. The breeding season is underway and some chicks have already hatched. To protect their offspring, the adult gulls cover their nests most of the time.