Tens of thousands of migratory birds arrived at Horqin National Nature Reserve more than 10 days earlier than in previous years

　　China News Service, Xing'an League, March 22 (Reporter Zhang Wei) The reporter learned from the Horqin National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the 22nd that as the weather gets warmer, tens of thousands of migratory birds returning from the north have arrived in the reserve in recent days. Returned north more than 10 days earlier than previous years.

　　Migratory birds forage, play and circle in the Horqin National Nature Reserve, bringing unlimited vitality to the early spring.

On March 19, tens of thousands of migratory birds spread their wings and circled in the Horqin National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia. Photo by Wang Haoyu

　　After multiple days of continuous monitoring of transects and sample points by staff of the Horqin National Nature Reserve Administration, 30,000 national first-level protected birds such as Oriental white storks, white cranes, blue-headed pochards, great bustards, and geese and ducks have been recorded. There is only one left. Among them, the Oriental white stork, a national first-level protected bird, has nested here for three consecutive years, and its number has increased from 1 pair at the beginning to 5 pairs.

　　"In order to ensure the successful nesting and breeding of Oriental white storks, the reserve has strengthened patrol management around wetlands and artificially attracted nests to avoid interference from human factors and make every effort to protect the migration of migratory birds." Horqin National Nature Reserve Administration Scientific Research Gao Wenhua, chief of the monitoring department, said.

On March 19, the Oriental white stork, a national first-level protected bird, rested in the wetland of Horqin National Nature Reserve. Photo by Zhao Bin

　　Every migratory bird season, the reserve management will increase publicity and management efforts, increase the frequency of patrols, and send dedicated personnel to guard key areas and areas where key birds migrate to provide safety guarantees for the birds to stay and replenish.

　　It is understood that a total of 190,277 birds of 65 species were monitored in Horqin National Nature Reserve in 2023, 9.5 times the number five years ago. Among them, a total of 284 Oriental white storks, a national first-level protected bird, were monitored. (over)