In recent years, more and more migratory birds have chosen to overwinter in Jiangsu due to the province’s continuous improvement of the ecological environment.
Guan Haoyu, a photography enthusiast, took photos at the Junshan Mountain in Nantong and was pleasantly surprised to find that among the bird groups, there were nine red billed sparrows, a national second level protected wild animal.
“This bird is about the same size as a sparrow, but its male and female are heterochromatic. The basic pattern is red and black, and the female bird is grayish yellow,” said Guan Haoyu, Vice Chairman of Nantong Bird Enthusiast Photography Association.
Red billed sparrow, inhabiting the forests of the cold temperate coniferous zone, is common in northeastern China and occasionally appears in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
In 2013, three to four red billed sparrows appeared near the Yangtze River Park in Nantong, but they were later invisible in the following ten years. The re-apperance of at least nine red billed sparrows this time excited bird enthusiasts in Nantong to attract them to the mountain in the hope of capturing their tracks.
“The population of this red billed sparrow may have increased in number, increasing the probability of its activity range. The further improvement of the environment in Nantong is also one of the reasons that can attract it to stay here,” said Guan.
The East Taihu Lake Wetland Park in Suzhou recently welcomed the first batch of wintering migratory birds this year. On the surface of the water, tens of thousands of migratory birds such as ribbed ducks and white bone tops migrate here, playing and frolicking in groups on the surface of the water. Sometimes they dive into the water to search for food, and sometimes they poke their heads out of the water and flutter their wings to fly.
“This year, we have observed a relatively large population of waterbirds in Suzhou, such as ribbed ducks with white bone tops, which have exceeded 20000. In addition, we have also observed a national first-class protected animal, the blue headed diving duck, and a national second-class protected animal, the little swan and mandarin duck. It is expected that these migratory birds will reach a peak in December, when more than 100 thousand waterbirds may overwinter in Suzhou,” said Zhou Minjun, an observer of National Wetland Ecological Positioning Station in the Taihu Lake Lake Basin.
In recent years, Suzhou has actively carried out wetland restoration and construction through measures such as planting aquatic floating islands, constructing ecological cofferdams, and regulating water levels. According to latest statistics, Suzhou has recorded 404 species of wild birds.
