On the afternoon of November 1, the CCTV News channel reported on migratory birds flying southward in the program named “2025 Bird Migration of Birds”. About 13 minutes were earmarked for the Fuzhou Minjiang River Estuary Wetlands, and focused on introducing how ecological environment improved to invite rare bird species to dwell.

Thanks to continuous improvement in the environment in recent years, the Minjiang River Estuary Wetlands is now not only an important stopover site in the East Asia-West Australia bird migration zone, but also a comfortable place where many rare bird species choose to dwell. Monitoring data shows that the conservation zone is home to more than 10,000 birds in over 100 species. Among them, shorebirds occupy the largest proportion. More than 100 black-faced spoonbills, a bird species under first-grade state protection and a global endangered species, have been spotted in the wetlands.

A black-faced spoonbill dubbed as “Y74” and wearing a special label is particularly appealing. Since its maiden appearance in November 2020, it has showed up for many consecutive winters. It once stayed up to 20 months, the longest duration of dwelling for black-faced spoonbills since records began. It is an arresting fact that monitoring staff recently found 10-plus sub-adult black-faced spoonbills rest for a prolonged period over casuarina trees, and carry twigs to build nests.

Apart from black-faced spoonbills, many other rare and precious bird species such as red-crowned cranes, white cranes, yellow billed storks and spoon-billed sandpipers have been discovered in succession in Fuzhou and even other places of Fujian Province. An increasing number of migratory birds are shifting their role from “rare visitors” to “frequent callers” in Fujian thanks to the improving natural conservation system. (Chen Jian)