China News Service, Harbin, March 27 (reporter Zhou Rui, Han Lin, Yin Ye, Wang Nina) On March 27, a large number of migratory birds returned north to the Zhenbaodao Wetland National Nature Reserve (hereinafter referred to as the "Reserve") located in Hulin City, Heilongjiang Province. , the staff of the reserve are building "artificial nests" for the Oriental white storks that are about to return in large numbers, so that they can "live and work peacefully" in this reserve.
More than 20 Oriental white storks flew to Zhenbaodao Wetland National Nature Reserve. Photo by Han Lin
In late March, migratory birds began to fly to the reserve, with tens of thousands of them arriving every day. Among them were many national rare birds, such as Oriental white storks, red-crowned cranes, white-naped cranes and other large migratory birds.
"This year's migratory birds have returned about two days earlier than in previous years. As of the 25th, we have monitored 9 red-crowned cranes, two white-naped cranes, and more than 20 oriental white storks. Now, we are maintaining the artificial attraction nests of the oriental white storks to create artificial nests for the oriental white storks. Storks live and breed here, creating a good environment." said Wan Fuqiang, chief of the Regulations and Publicity Section of the Heilongjiang Zhenbaodao Wetland National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau.
After mid-March, staff built nests in the reserve for the newly returned Oriental white storks. The Oriental White Stork is a nationally protected bird. Because it likes to build nests in treetops, there are few trees suitable for nesting in wetlands and poor branch stability, making it very difficult for the Oriental White Stork to successfully build a nest.
The Oriental white storks that flew back to the protected area settled in artificial nests. Photo by Han Lin
In order to help rare birds breed effectively, staff have strengthened the frequency of dynamic monitoring of migratory birds to find out the number and habitat patterns of Oriental white storks, and seize the time to inspect and maintain artificial nests built according to the observed regional points.
The staff of the reserve are building an "artificial nest" for the Oriental white stork. Photo by Han Lin
Early on the morning of the 27th, the staff selected a spot to imitate the characteristics of the Oriental White Stork's wild nest, using high wooden frames to build a "tree-imitation" basic frame about 5 meters high, and placed iron nest baskets on the frame to ensure the safety of the artificial bird's nest. Stability and security.
"So far, there have been more than 70 artificial attraction nests in the reserve. We have built 30 more, and now there are more than 100. Last year, 20 pairs of Oriental white storks successfully settled in. It is predicted that the number of Oriental white storks settling in the artificial nests this year will be higher than last year. "More." said Jiang Feng, Regulation and Education Section, Heilongjiang Zhenbaodao Wetland National Nature Reserve Administration Bureau. (over)