This is a classic scene from the Tibetan Plateau, where open grassy plains, sprinkled with bright yellow flowers, extend to a towering horizon of snowy peaks. In the foreground lies a Tibetan Yak herders favored form of modern transport: the motorcycle, while his characteristic "chuba" coat lies abandoned on top. The photo was taken at one of the Tibetan Plateau birding hotspots, Flower Lake, near the bustling Tibetan town of Ruo Er Gai in Sichuan province. While the lake plays host to shorebirds, gulls, terns, and waterfowl, the open marshes and grasses around ring with the sound of Redshank, and larks display high over the plains. These include the widespread Oriental Skylarks and Horned Larks, and also one of the brutes among larks, the giant Tibetan Lark, one of the World's largest and heaviest. Not far from here such treats as White-rumped Snowfinches hang around pika colonies, and White-browed Tits inhabit the shallow valleys, while the telephone poles make convenient perching posts for hulking Upland Buzzards. The lake is also home to one of the most elegant birds of the Plateau: the regal Black-necked Crane.