Avian guardian: 'Bird buffet' is ready for the 'guest masses' in Hunan

Recently, Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan Province has entered the peak period of winter bird migration. The latest data shows that the current number of wintering birds in the eastern Dongting Lake has reached 100,000, with a total of 41 species recorded.

Thousands of wild ducks congregate in the waters of Caisang Lake within the eastern Dongting Lake, leisurely basking in the sun every day. Xiong Gaofeng, a longtime patrol officer stationed at Caisang Lake, has observed 19 species of wild ducks, with the falcated ducks being the main force in this area.

Xiong said: "Now you can see birds here every day, and the water quality of Caisang Lake is getting better, attracting more and more birds. We have already entered the peak period of bird migration, and when the temperature drops further, more migratory birds will arrive."

In the waters of the eastern Dongting Lake, just a dyke away from Caisang Lake, various kinds of migratory birds are gathered in groups, gather in their own territories, undisturbed, to find their favorite foods. This year, the Junshan District of Yueyang City, integrated nearly 20,000 hectares of water in the Caisang Lake area of East Dongting Lake, revitalizing water resources, and establishing an intelligent fishery supervision system. Through measures such as meteorology, underwater sensing, and fish passage construction, staff of the district are monitoring real-time water dissolved oxygen levels, distribution of aquatic organisms, and establishing an underwater ecosystem, providing a natural feeding ground for wintering migratory birds.

An employee of the Junshan Ecological Fisheries Group in Hunan said they use the quantity of plankton to assess whether there is enough fish food in the water, which in turn estimates the size of the fish. This is important as fish are part of the diet for some migratory birds. Adequate food supply results in a large influx of birds, which is beneficial for their breeding and migration.

This year, Yueyang City also took a series of measures including building water conservation facilities and restoring submerged vegetation in the Dongting Lake basin, improving the overall water retention capacity and expanding wintering bird habitats. According to the latest data, it is anticipated that the population of wintering birds in the eastern Dongting Lake will peak at the end of December, with the overall number exceeding 300,000.

(Cover image via CFP)