Improved environment attracts more migratory birds to nature reserves

In east China's Anhui Province, near 70,000 migratory have gathered at Shengjin Lake National Nature Reserve, which covers 33,340 hectares.

Of those birds, there are some rare species under national protection, such as white cranes and little swans.

"There were only some 50,000 water birds at this time in previous years, but their population has topped 60,000 this year. At Shengjin Lake, we have spotted some migratory birds under national first-level protection, such as white-head cranes, oriental white storks and white cranes. There are also some birds under second-class national protection, including little swans, gray cranes and swan gooses," said Xu Wenbin, deputy director of the nature reserve.

The nature reserve has invested more than 30 million yuan ($4.7 million) to restore the wetland ecology by planting more than 276 hectares of aquatic plants for birds to forage and inhabit.

In the Make River forest area of northwest China's Qinghai Province, the Chinese gorals, which are rare to see, have been recently spotted twice.

The animal is under second-class national protection.

Make River forest is one of the widest and highest primitive forests at the source of the Dadu River, a branch of the Yangtze.