Migrant bird counts up at Dongting Lake

A rising number of migratory birds have been seen arriving for winter at East Dongting Lake in Yueyang, Hunan province, and environmental improvements at the lake are being credited for the increase, officials said.

This winter, about 170,000 migratory birds are expected to arrive at East Dongting Lake, a major part of Dongting Lake, compared with 100,000 to 120,000 seen during winters in the years leading up to 2014, said Zhang Hong, deputy head of administration for East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve.

There also has been an increase in the types of birds arriving at the 190,000 hectare reserve. Around 2002, some 200 varieties of birds wintered at the lake. The number increased to 345 last winter and had reached 348 as of Dec 10, he said.