No birds or ducks in China lakes and ponds

Family,
Talking with Brittany on the phone this morning reminded me about something I was going to write about but forgot. It's short.

If you look at the photo of us on the boat in the Beijing Hutong, you may notice that there are no ducks in the lake. They've all been eaten. Seeing a bird in Beijing and in Hong Kong is rare. I can count on one hand the birds I've seen in 12 days, except for one flock of doves flying at one point in Beijing, but that was it. No geese, ever. No pidgeons, no gulls at the sea shore. Nothing. I wrote earlier that there are a few feral dogs loose near Stanley Park - dogs that got loose from their masters - but they retreat into the forest when threatened. People eat dogs here, too. Of course, there are birds, and one hears them occasionally, but like I said, I've only seen a handful.

That is all.

Dad