Hengshui Lake Attracts Thousands of Migratory Birds for Play
Migratory birds gather in flocks on the surface of Hengshui Lake. Photo by Chen Kang for Xinhua News Agency.
Xinhua News Agency, Shijiazhuang, February 28 (Xinhua reporters Feng Weijian, Wang Min) According to Xinhua News Agency, it was learned from the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve that recently, a large number of migratory birds have settled in Hengshui Lake after migrating from southern regions, totaling several thousand individuals. Among these birds, waterfowl are the most numerous, including dabbling ducks, gray ducks and wild geese, with approximately 20,000 dabbling ducks.
The Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve, with a total area of 163.65 square kilometers, including 75 square kilometers of water area, is the only wetland ecosystem with intact wetlands, water areas, mudflats, meadows and forests in the North China Plain, and is a densely concentrated convergence zone for migratory birds' north-south migration routes. Hengshui Lake not only has broad water surfaces, but also farmland and forests, providing numerous birds with good habitats and abundant food sources.
Migratory birds fly above Hengshui Lake. Photo by Chen Kang for Xinhua News Agency.
‘About 80 species of birds spend the winter in Hengshui Lake, including gray cranes, which are classified as national level two key protection species, and the global critically endangered species, blue-headed duck.’ said Li Hongkai, engineer of the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve. ‘Part of the migratory birds will start migrating north from Hengshui Lake in early March, and the birds remaining in Hengshui Lake will breed after mid-March.’
Li Hongkai stated that the globally critically endangered blue-headed duck has high requirements for the ecological environment of its breeding ground, and is considered a key species for judging the quality of the regional environment. Its presence indicates that the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve has become an important area for global bird protection.
As the ecological protection and restoration of Hengshui Lake are strengthened, the ecological environment of Hengshui Lake continues to improve, and the number of birds coming to Hengshui Lake increases year by year. Currently, 324 species of birds have been recorded, including 8 national level one key protection species and 49 national level two key protection species.
