Nearly 100 black-headed gulls recently arrived in East Lake Park in southwest China's Guizhou Province, where the birds will spend the winter.

Many visitors dropping by to enjoy the picturesque late autumn scenery have been surprised to find flocks of black-headed gulls perched by the lake, hovering over the rippling water, or flying up in the sky.

"They are like our friends from afar, so we have to cherish them. I hope they can come every year," said local resident Ms. Diao.

In China, most black-headed gulls migrate for the winter, feeding on fish, shrimp and insects, although some do opt for summer migration, in which case they breed in northeast China in spring and migrate to the warmer south in autumn.

Panzhou City, where the park is located, has been continually advancing its new urbanization development in recent years, forming an upgraded ecological environment composed of four lakes and wetlands. The number of black-headed gulls wintering in East Lake Park has increased from dozens in the previous two years to nearly a hundred this year.

"I am so happy to see the gulls here. It means that our air has improved. Now that our natural and environmental ecology is getting better and better, we don't need to go far to see these birds. I hope all of us will cherish this hard-won beautiful environment," said local resident Ms. Liu.

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