On October 22, a reporter spoke with officials from the Jiangxi Poyang Lake Nanji Wetland National Nature Reserve Administration in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, regarding their recent wintering waterbird survey. The reserve recently conducted its second synchronized survey for the 2024-2025 wintering season, leading to the remarkable count of nearly 40,000 wintering waterbirds.
The survey recorded a total of 32 species across 10 families of wintering waterbirds. Notably, the count included significant numbers of species such as Bean Geese, Baikal Teal, White-fronted Geese, Grey Herons, and Eurasian Spoonbills. Among the highlights were sightings of three first-class protected species: the Oriental Stork, as well as 2,299 second-class protected Eurasian Spoonbills, 3,666 White-fronted Geese, 498 Lesser White-fronted Geese, 75 Grey Cranes, and 29 bean geese. Compared to the first synchronized survey of the 2024-2025 season, there was an increase in the overall number of waterbirds observed. Additionally, eight first-class protected Milu deer were spotted in the Shentang Lake area of the reserve.
In an interesting development, on October 21, staff members conducting regular patrols in the lake area observed four critically endangered White Cranes in the midsection of East Lake. This marks the first sighting of White Cranes in the reserve this fall.
Last year, the staff recorded their first sighting of White Cranes in the reserve on November 7. “This year, the ‘advance team’ of White Cranes arrived earlier than in previous years. We expect more White Cranes to arrive at the Nanji Wetland Reserve by early November,” an official stated. “We are actively conducting monitoring efforts to support the migration of wintering birds.”
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