After the Long Island of sand martin in Yuanshi County, Hebei Province and China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) Community Conservation Area for sand martin at Shijiazhuang (CCAfa) welcomed back of around 2,000 sand martins, 17 black storks flew back to the Yuanshi section of Huai River.

Mr. Hong, the director of the CCAfa site said excitedly: "Last year there were 33. Because of the river repair this year, they all went to other places. Now they are back."

The black stork, a national first-class protected animal, has a graceful posture, agile activity, and solitude preference. It often moves alone or in pairs in shallow waters or marshes, and sometimes moves and flies in small groups. Because the black storks are alert and timid, when humans are still far away, they fly in the air, often making it difficult for humans to approach.

The black stork used to be a widely distributed and common large wading bird, but due to various reasons such as the reclamation of marsh wetlands, environmental pollution and deterioration, the number of black stork populations has been significantly reduced globally.

In order to protect the habitat of the black stork and avoid external damage, at the beginning of 2018, China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) formally established Community Conservation Area for black stork at Pingshan. Under the leadership of Gao Qiong, the director of the CCAfa site, the team of volunteers has gradually grown and carried out patrols in Huai River, Hutuo River and other places throughout the year to popularize the knowledge of protecting black storks.

Under the protection of the CBCGDF volunteers’ team and the Pingshan County Forestry Police, in 2019, the Hutuo River welcomed a group of 44 black storks, which was very rare and gratifying.

Gao Qiong said: "The black stork of The Yuanshi section of Huai River is back, we will shift our focus, we must organize volunteers, and under the leadership of the local government department, together with the relevant personnel, patrol regularly to take practical action to protect the black storks."

(Photo credit: CBCGDF volunteers)

Original Chinese article:

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/HQjM5a2v867U_PeZS0tkSQ

By / Yao Jiahui