Recently, more than a thousand herons have settled and breeding offspring at the 56km Heron Breeding Site on the Hongze Lake Embankment in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province. The woods are densely packed with bird nests, and many herons are hovering above the woods. The ecology provides them with a suitable habitat.
Heron nests layered on the tree, like stars. In each nest, there is a great egret or night heron sitting in the nest and hatching eggs. Overlooking from the air, the heron, the embankment and the clear lake contrast with each other, like a colorful ink painting. With the sound of wailing, the herds of egrets either rest on the branches or play a game, adding vitality to Hongze Lake. This group of herons includes the Great Egret, the Medium Egret, the Little Egret, the Night Egret, and the Beef Heron. In mid-March each year, it is the season for heron breeding. The entire incubation period is about one month. It is expected that there will be chicks in the middle and early April. It is understood that heron bird is one of the important biological species in the wetland ecosystem, and it is also a kind of indicator animal for environmental quality assessment, so it is also called "environmental monitoring bird".
(Material provided by Huai'an, reporter Ge Yong reports from Nanjing, Jiangsu)
Editor-in-chief: [Li Yuxin]