Wetland reserves across China are alive with birds this autumn as migratory species take advantage of these natural oases to start refueling for journeys to their southern winter breeding grounds.

The country has gained hard-won achievement in ecological restoration of wetlands which posts significant increase of the endangered migratory birds inhabiting, foraging and making stopovers here en route to the warmer south for the winter.
World Migratory Bird Day is celebrated twice a year on the second Saturday of May and the second Saturday of October to spotlight the importance of migratory birds conservation.
Rare black storks were captured in the cameras of shutterbugs at a wetland park in Xiaoyi City of north China's Shanxi Province.
The rare bird falls under the state first-class protection. Known for its alertness, black storks prefer to feed in marshes and wetlands and are hailed as the "giant panda of birds."
In addition, thousands of migratory birds Anser erythropus, for a stop-over before heading further south for winter migration, have also arrived recently in Chaohu Lake, the largest lake in east China's Anhui Province and one of the five largest freshwater lakes in China.
The migratory birds leisurely play and forage on the water surface, presenting a magnificent scene.
This is also the first large-scale group of migratory birds to arrive at Chaohu Lake this year. The migration season for these birds will continue until March of the following year.
During the golden autumn, a large number of migratory birds have also arrived at the Tarim River, which is the most concentrated area of populus euphratica in the Tarim River Basin in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
In recent years, local efforts have been implemented to protect the populus euphratica in the Tarim River Basin, providing a favorable habitat for migratory birds.