Earlier this year I visited Yeyahu or wild duck lake northwest Beijing, with bird expert and blogger Terry Townshend

. It was surprising to discover that This area of Beijing actually boarders the Inner Mongolia Plateau Transition Zone and is at an elevation of 479m above sea level. Making it noticeably colder than urban Beijing.It was a chilly 3 degrees with a biting wind. But luckily Terry was on hand with a thermos of coffee and some instant noodles. In just a few hours of birdwatching we spotted 70 different species of bird including some rare migratory species such as the oriental Plover. Here are some of the photos from the trip: