Hengshui Lake in Hebei Attracts Thousands of Migratory Birds
Migratory birds gather in flocks on the surface of Hengshui Lake. Photo courtesy of Xinhua News Agency (Chen Kang).
Xinhua News Agency, Shijiazhuang, February 28 ( reporters Feng Weijian, Wang Min) Reporters from Hebei Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve reported that recently, a large number of migratory birds from the south have taken residence in Hengshui Lake, totaling several thousand individuals. Among these birds, waterfowl are the most numerous, including dabbling ducks, gray ducks, and swan geese, with approximately 20,000 dabbling ducks.
According to Yuan Bo, the responsible person of the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve Management Committee, Hengshui Lake has a total area of 163.65 square kilometers, with 75 square kilometers of water area, making it the only area in the North China Plain that maintains a complete wetland ecosystem of marshes, water bodies, tidal flats, meadows, and forests, and is also a dense convergence zone for migratory birds’ north-south migration routes. Hengshui Lake has wide water surfaces and farmland and forests, providing numerous birds with good habitats and abundant food sources.
Migratory birds fly over Hengshui Lake. Photo courtesy of Xinhua News Agency (Chen Kang).
“Approximately 80 species of birds spend the winter in Hengshui Lake, including gray crane, which is a national level second-level protected species, and the globally critically endangered blue-headed duck.” Li Hongkai, an engineer at the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve, said that part of the migratory birds will migrate north from Hengshui Lake in early March, and after mid-March, the remaining birds will breed in Hengshui Lake.
Li Hongkai stated that the globally critically endangered blue-headed duck has very high requirements for the ecological environment of its breeding grounds, and is considered an indicator species for judging the quality of the regional environment. Its appearance indicates that the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve has become a globally important area for bird protection.
As the environmental protection and ecological restoration efforts around Hengshui Lake intensify, the ecological environment of Hengshui Lake continues to improve, and the number of birds visiting Hengshui Lake increases year by year. Currently, 324 species of birds have been recorded, with 8 species listed as national level first-level protected species and 49 species listed as national level second-level protected species.
