In recent days, black-faced spoonbills have been flocking to the Futian Mangrove Wetland in Shenzhen. The black-faced spoonbill is a first-class protected species in China and 107 have arrived in the wetland.

The Futian Mangrove Wetlands, a national nature reserve, is the only one in an urban area and an important wintering site on the East Asia-Australasia Flyway. As Shenzhen's ecological environment improves, greater numbers of migratory birds have been making it their winter home.

"Generally from August to September, plovers, such as black-tailed sandpipers and red-legged sandpipers, will arrive first, followed by cormorants and black-faced spoonbills. By November, basically all the birds have arrived and they rest in the reserve for the next year's migration," said Ye Xiao, a staff member from the protected area management department.

Shenzhen is located in the middle of the East Asia-Australasia Flyway, the largest migration route in the world. Covering 22 countries from the Arctic Circle in the north to Australia and New Zealand in the south and Bangladesh in the west, nearly 50 million waterbirds of about 250 species migrate along the route every year. Shenzhen is like an "intermediate station" on the route, where some waterbirds stop to overwinter when they fly to Shenzhen, while others choose to rest for a while and then continue their migration. Every year, the entire Shenzhen Bay welcomes 40,000 to 50,000 migrating waterfowl.

"Adequate food and good habitat attract large numbers of migratory birds. We spotted six black-faced spoonbills just a few days ago, monitored by a 4K HD panoramic camera. They were standing on mangroves and feeding on the mudflats, sometimes grooming their feathers and sometimes burying their bills between them to rest," Ye said.

The protected area management department has restored the ecology of the fish pond by regulating the water level and controlling the growth of plants around the pond for migratory birds to roost there.

According to Ye, previously, some fish ponds were small, deep and had relatively homogeneous habitats. To allow migratory birds to winter, they have opened up the embankment of the small fish ponds and laid out deep waterways around them, thus forming a large area for the birds.

(Cover image via VCG)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com)