The lake's main attraction Khetsuu Khad, an enormous rock sticking out of the water that attracts migratory cormorants. The birds arrive in April and hatch their young in large nests built on the rock. When the chicks hatch, their squawking is constant and deafening. The aura created by the white cliffs, shrill birds, and waves hitting the rocks in windy conditions – not to mention the prevailing smell of guano – makes you feel as if you’ve arrived at the ocean.
By mid-September the cormorants are off, migrating back to their wintering grounds in southern China.