Bird Island is also known as Xiaoxi Hill or Egg Island because birds' eggs can be found almost anywhere. From east to west, the island is 1,500 meters long. The island's slope is not very steep. Sands and stones cover the ground. Main plants found on the island include goosefeet, wheatgrass, Oxyrropis jalcata, Polygonum sibiricum, wormwood and Annual Bluegrass. On the southwest part of the island are some flowing springs that sustain the birds.

During the mating season, the island is quite another scene. Visitors should not go too near the island lest the birds get frightened. But with a telescope one or two hundred meters away, one can see more than ten thousand bird nests built on the tadpole-shaped small island. (The eastern part of the island is bigger and shaped like a head, and the slim and long western part is like a tail, hence its tadpole shape.) Such density is incredible. The birds peacefully live and reproduce on this sunny, dry and abundant island with very few natural enemies. As a result, many dub the island as a "paradise for birds".

The island is also an important venue for experts to research the plateau birds. Geese, ducks, cranes and gulls migrate from the south to settle on the island between March and April each year. Between May and June, eggs and then small birds can be found almost everywhere, forming a jubilant and busy scene. From July to August, flocks of birds fly in the sky and swim in the lake. By the end of September, the birds began to migrate back to the south again.

The Qinghai Lake natural reserve is located at the conjunction of Gangcha, Gonghe and Haiyan counties. The best time to admire the famous local giant swan is from November to February in the next year, but the best season to watch other birds is from May to July.