Chinese Flyway Activities
To encourage students to explore nature near their homes, Beijing Brooks Education Center, our project partners in China, developed an essay and photography activity for students living near our project sites in eastern China. Through class field trips, the students visit nature reserves near their homes to learn about cranes and wetlands. During these trips the students take pictures of the wetlands, birds or each other, and when they return to their classrooms they write about their experiences. Following are three essays from students in Northeast China and links to view examples of the student photographs.
Student Photos 
Click on the reserve names below to view student photos from each region posted on the Chinese Three White Cranes website (click on the thumbnail images to view larger versions of the images).
Naoli River Nature Reserve
Momoge Nature Reserve
Xianghai Nature Reserve
Keerqin nature Reserve
Poyang Lake Nature Reserve
Student Essays
Early in the morning, we came to Dazhan by bus. The watch tower is very high. Teacher Cui said: "This tower is too high, girls shouldn’t climb up." Although I didn’t go up, I see a bird's nest under the tower. The nest, with a cover, was round and good looking. There are people fishing along the riverside, a small boat on the water. I watched the flowing of water, it is like a beautiful large mirror. Dazhan is so beautiful! It is hard to walk on the road. Holes are one by one. Some classmates are walking on the roads, some are traveling by bus. On the way, we saw horses, cattle, sheep, and so many animals. After a while, we arrived at Wulabende. We climb the tower. I didn’t climb up the first two times. On the third time, I made it finally. I looked down from the tower, there was a green land, very beautiful. Watching in the tower, I feel like in a dream.
by Wu Qiuyu
Naoli River Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang Province
June 10, 2007
We saw the most beautiful grassland along the road that I had ever seen. There are various grasses, as well as various flowers. They are very beautiful, blue, yellow flowers… so pretty. The green grassland looked like it was wearing beautiful clothing. The flowers are patterns on the new clothing of the ground. We also saw cattle with yellow, black-white, and yellow-white, and some sheep with snow white fur. Then, can you guess what we have seen? We saw a group of brown horses! They are so beautiful! It is the first time for us to see horses. We were surprised. I love this beautiful large wetland.
by
Yin Xiao Shuang
Naoli River Nature Reserve, Heilongjiang Province
June 10, 2007
The happy summer holiday is full of interest. My long awaited day was finally coming. We would go to the aviary to join the student wetland photo activities. It is exciting.
When we arrived at the aviary, Mr. Gao explained to us how to use a camera. Activities beginning, Teacher Shan lead us on a tour. We saw so many beautiful birds. There are elegant swans, beautiful peacocks, parrots and Red-crowned Cranes. The cranes have a red patch on the tops of their heads, white, smooth beautiful feathers, only black on their wing tips and tail, a long and pointed beak like sharp scissors, and two straight legs.
Some cranes run rapidly, and fly up. Immediately, they fly from the reed pond to the green lawn. Some others are tired, stopping on the riverside, standing with one leg, head buried in their wings, lovely. When thirsty, they drank the clear lake water, scissors-like mouth opening and closing, shake their white feathers sometimes. They look like a blooming white lotus flower, don't they? We photographed all the beautiful postures.
After we looked around, there were some questions that we had. Uncle Lin Bao Qing, who works for the reseve, came. Ok, we can ask Uncle Lin our question. He could help us solve it. "Uncle Lin, how many cranes are there in the world?" I asked. Lin said,"There are 15 kinds of crane, and six kinds in Xianghai." Hum! It made us surprised and proud. "Uncle Lin, what should we do to protect Red-crowned Cranes and other birds?" "You can start with some minor issues, such as, protecting birds with friends, do not destroy the forest and wetlands, you can also use the pen to write about your hometown, make others protect the birds."
Uncles & aunts and brother & sisters, let us love birds, love nature, love our beautiful homeland! This is a sincere appeal of the Chinese students. In order to protect Red-crowned Cranes, protect wetlands, protect the survival of our homeland! Let’s do it!
by Zhang Yue
Xianghai Nature Reserve, Jilin Province