An Oriental white stork forages at the Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve in Shanghai on Nov. 21, 2023. Xinhua
A flock of 22 Oriental white storks, an endangered species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and under China's highest level of protection, was spotted in Futian District on Friday.
Huang Qin, an ecological investigator, observed the birds flying from Hong Kong toward the Futian Checkpoint during an ecological conservation investigation at the Futian Mangrove Ecological Park. He quickly took out his camera to document the sighting and later identified the birds as Oriental white storks.
This is the second consecutive year that a flock of Oriental white storks has been spotted in Shenzhen during the migratory season, according to Chinese media reports. Last year, Dr. Xu Hualin, a senior engineer at the Guangdong Neilingding Futian National Nature Reserve Administration, documented 59 Oriental white storks in the reserve.
Zhang Gaofeng, deputy director of the Shenzhen Bird Watching Society, noted that Oriental white storks typically spend their winters around Poyang Lake in the Yangtze River Basin. However, similar sightings were reported during the last migratory season in Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Foshan in Guangdong Province.
Bird experts believe that severe droughts in the Yangtze River area in recent years, which have lowered water levels in Poyang Lake and Dongting Lake, have pushed Oriental white storks further south to the Pearl River Delta in search of food during winter.
On Nov. 24, the Poyang Lake Hydrology and Water Resources Monitoring Center issued a yellow drought alert, warning that water levels could drop further in coming weeks.
October to December is the peak season for migratory birds arriving at the wetland. The Oriental white stork has highly specific habitat requirements. Experts note that these birds thrive in wetlands with abundant food, plentiful water sources, and a well-preserved ecological environment.