As temperatures gradually drop with the arrival of winter, Huanzidong National Wetland Park in Faku county, Shenyang sees many Siberian cranes stop for food and rest during their migration to warmer regions further south.

The Siberian crane, also called the white crane, is an endangered species that has the same level of protection as the Siberian tiger and the panda.

Currently, Huanzidong National Wetland Park has seen the arrival of over 400 Siberian cranes from cold and remote Siberia, according to Fang Enwu, a wetland observer from Shenyang. The peak number of Siberian cranes in the park is around 1,000, he claimed.

Siberian cranes at Huanzidong National Wetland Park in Faku county, Shenyang. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The Siberian cranes arrived in Huanzidong National Wetland Park on Oct 9. The birds have not been spotted hunting for food on farmland as they have in the past, owing to the park’s improved wetland ecosystem, said Zhou Haixiang, director of the Ecological Environment Research Department of Shenyang University of Technology.

Huanzidong National Wetland Park is on an important migratory corridor for birds in northeast Asia. In recent years, Huanzidong National Wetland Park has taken measures to improve the natural environment of the lake. The park invested over 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) on a project for wetland ecosystem restoration and protection.

It has now become an ideal habitat for migratory birds, and has seen a distinct increase in the number of wild animals over the past few years. Every spring and autumn, it welcomes around 60,000 birds in 160 categories, including about 2,000 white cranes, which land to recharge their batteries for between 90 and 100 days. The number of white cranes making stops in the park accounts for 70 percent of their entire global population.

Huanzidong National Wetland Park will continue in its efforts to restore the ecosystem of the park to provide a better place for migratory birds to rest, said Li Hong, director of the park’s management center.

Siberian cranes at Huanzidong National Wetland Park in Faku county, Shenyang. [Photo/Chinanews.com]