◆Photo and text by Bruce Connolly

　　Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan Province is known as the city of Eternal Spring? Although located close to tropical countries such as Burma, Laos and Vietnam, Kunming has a temperate climate. Its altitude, 1890 metres above sea level, leads to summers that are rarely hot. Its southerly location and clear skies also create winters that are rarely cold. Kunming is an ideal winter destination. Although evenings can be chilly daytime temperatures of up to 22 deg. centigrade are common.

　　Due to the long distance many visitors fly to the city, but not all travel in modern aircraft! Each winter thousands of Siberian seagulls descend on the city. Driven south by the extreme cold gripping Russia they migrate across northern Asia to the relative warmth of this sublime city.

　　The birds, with a distinctive black spot behind their eyes, originally wintered around the shores of Dianchi, the great lake stretching south from Kunming and sheltered by the Western Hills(xishan). Today, although they still sleep there they make their daytime home the beautiful city centre Green Lake Park (cuihu gongyuan). Why? Because of food! The citizens of Kunming have adopted the birds. Around the lake many traders sell freshly baked miniature loaves of bread - locals and tourists buy large quantities.After sunrise the birds arrive for their breakfast and start flying in clockwise formations watching for food to be thrown up to them. Then they rest or sleep on the tiled roofs of the park's many pavilions before taking off again in search of lunch. This colourful performance goes on until sunset.

　　When the ice starts to melt on Siberia's lakes the birds know it is time to go home. How do they know? That is one of the wonders of nature.