JINAN: As autumn descends upon the Yellow River Delta in east China's Shandong Province, the air resonates with the calls of migratory birds and the excited chatter of birdwatchers.
Vast wetlands stretching to the horizon have become a vibrant stage of avian life. This year, the Shandong Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve witnessed a rare spectacle – over a dozen Dalmatian pelicans, among the world's largest freshwater birds, soaring across the skies.
Bird enthusiasts, their eyes alight with excitement, eagerly shared their sightings on social media, documenting this extraordinary migration.
The reserve, located in Dongying City, serves as a critical stopover for millions of migratory birds along the East Asian-Australasian and West Pacific flyways. It has earned the nickname "international airport for birds", a testament to its importance in global avian migration.
In 2024, the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China were inscribed on the World Heritage List through Phase I (2019) and Phase II (2024). The Dongying Yellow River Delta bird habitat serves as a key component of this designation. Months later, a viral video showcasing the "bird wave" swept Chinese social media, turning birdwatching in the reserve into a must-do activity during autumn and winter.
"This year's National Day holiday brought a surge of visitors to the reserve. Cars with out-of-town license plates lined the roads, while birdwatchers armed with cameras and binoculars arrived before dawn for the perfect shot," said Guo Jiansan, head of Dongying's wildlife protection association. "The birdwatching fever has put local conservation efforts in the global spotlight," Guo added.
On the tidal flats of the Yellow River Delta, the "red carpet" of glasswort, a resilient plant that thrives in saline soil, has reached its peak viewing season. Birds rest and forage among the crimson foliage – a testament to the delta's improving ecological health.
This hardy plant not only reduces soil salinity and improves fertility but also provides nutrients for benthic organisms, said Liu Jing, deputy director of the reserve's management committee.
The Yellow River Delta faces severe soil salinization and contains fragile ecosystems. Over the past three years, the reserve has implemented a water replenishment project – releasing over 520 million cubic meters of fresh water. Efforts to remove invasive cordgrass and restore native plants have led to the recovery of more than 3,466ha of glasswort and seagrass beds, with freshwater wetlands now covering over 20,000ha.
The reserve has also built a 920ha living oyster reef. "We've introduced juvenile oysters to stabilise the coastline, protect against erosion and enrich the coastal ecosystem," said Guo Haili, head of the ocean development and fisheries bureau in Hekou District of Dongying.
Today, the reserve boasts a natural vegetation coverage rate of 55.1% – making it the largest new wetland vegetation area along China's coast. Over 1,633 wildlife species and 685 plant species have been recorded, including more than 200 migratory bird species that breed, stop over or winter there.
This ecological revival is also boosting economic growth. In November and December last year, the Yellow River Delta ecological tourism zone received 86,700 visitors, a 43.5% increase year on year, generating 4.27 million yuan (RM2.53mil) in tourism revenue – up 64.7%.
"This year, we've launched three new birdwatching routes, a series of bird-themed cultural products, and multiple birdwatching service stations to improve the experience for bird enthusiasts," said Liu Yang, head of the city's tourism development promotion center's publicity and promotion department. — Xinhua
