Chengdu, 2 Feb (Xinhua) -- Every winter, little swans, herons, and migratory birds fly to Chengdu, southwest China, which is known as the "park city," like "old friends," to meet with citizens and friends. Chengdu has a permanent population of more than 21 million and an economic output of more than 2 trillion yuan, but "flocks of birds" are common in the city's parks, lakes and riverside wetlands, which is due to the protection of urban wetlands.
On July 14, 2023, sports enthusiasts run in Jincheng Lake Park in Chengdu High-tech Zone. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Xi Today is the 28th World Wetlands Day, and the reporter saw a team of nearly 20 primary school students in Jincheng Lake Park early in the morning, who were holding binoculars and cameras to watch birds with great interest.
Teacher, I saw so many birds' nests! "Teacher, what I saw was a black water chicken! It's not bony chickens, they have different heads! The children were so excited that they flipped through the "Urban Bird Watching Handbook" in their hands to compare it with the birds they saw, and rushed to tell the teacher what they had found.
Although 9-year-old Tu Yiyang is young, he is an "old member" of a junior bird-watching club in Chengdu, he picked up a single-lens reflex camera, "clicked" and pressed the shutter continuously, and after filming, he taught reporters in detail to distinguish willow warblers and herons.
We want to take them to experience first-hand what a migratory bird is. Ai Ruo, the teacher, told reporters that understanding the important knowledge of migratory birds' reproduction and habitat protection can strengthen children's understanding and love for wetland protection.
A large number of birds and wetland knowledge are also widely disseminated on the occasion of World Wetlands Day. "What color is a swallow? Children think about it, is it black and white? So why do we sing 'Little Swallow Wears Flower Clothes'? At the new library of Chengdu High-tech Zone, Luo Chengjun, a professional lecturer at the Chengdu Shared Natural Environment Education Center, gave a lecture and asked questions, attracting children to think seriously and answer enthusiastically.
Citizens run on the Tianfu Greenway in Chengdu on July 16, 2023. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Xu Bingjie The warm climate of the Chengdu Plain is an ideal shelter for migratory birds in winter. It is understood that four of the world's nine major migratory bird flyways pass through China, and Chengdu is located at the intersection of the two flyways of East Asia-Australasia and Central Asia-South Asia.
The arrival of migratory birds depends not only on the seasons, but also on the need for suitable habitats. The Chengdu Plain belongs to the Minjiang River Basin, Chengdu is rich in wetlands and water resources, and there are many environments suitable for winter migratory birds in the city. The relevant person in charge of Chengdu Park City Construction Administration said.
Recently, the results of the synchronous survey of wintering waterbirds in the Sichuan Basin were released, and a total of 78,593 waterbirds were recorded, with a total of 74 species, including 17 species of national first-class and second-class key protected wild animals such as Baer's Pochard, Chinese merganser, black-necked crane, and painted ibis, and a total of 94 species of waterbirds were recorded, accounting for 55 of the number of waterbird species in Sichuan62%。
A total of 43 critically endangered Chinese mergansers were recorded in various regions, a record high! Shen You, president of the Chengdu Bird Watching Association, said excitedly, "Birds are an important part of the natural ecosystem and play a very important role in maintaining the balance and stability of the ecosystem. The wintering migratory birds 'check in' Chengdu wetland is a vivid portrayal of Chengdu's ecological environment. ”
A set of data also bears witness to these changes: in 2016, there were 466 species of birds in Chengdu, in 2021 there were 516 species, and by 2023, a total of 566 species of birds have been observed and recorded in Chengdu, accounting for 39 of the national total17%。