“Giant Pandas of Birds” Spotted in Urban River of Dongying

大众网记者 王丽臻 于文豪 东营报道

Recently at the Guangli River along Lushan Road in Dongying, a citizen captured a wonderful scene: oriental white storks, known as "giant pandas of birds", appeared in the urban river. Sharing the shallow wetland with egrets, black-winged stilts and wild ducks, these rare birds staged a lovely encounter between wildlife and the city against the backdrop of high-rise buildings.

The winding Guangli River flows gently, with reeds growing thickly on river shoals and interwoven water plants. Two oriental white storks stood in shallow water. Their black-and-white plumage and long scarlet legs stood out. They paced slowly and dipped their heads to search for food. Nearby, wild ducks swam freely, egrets stayed quietly in grass, and black-winged stilts, nicknamed "red-legged ladies", walked lightly across the mudflat. Various waterbirds lived in harmony here.

Running through downtown Dongying, the Guangli River serves as a key urban ecological corridor. For years, Dongying has carried out comprehensive river management and wetland restoration projects to improve water quality, rehabilitate shoal vegetation and build waterside habitats for birds to rest and feed. The urban river has become a "rest stop" for migratory birds.

As a Class I protected wild animal in China, the oriental white stork has strict requirements on habitats and water quality. Its arrival in the city is direct evidence of the improving ecology of the Guangli River. More and more rare birds now stop over here.

The city nestles amid wetlands and residents live amid scenery. Flocks of birds along the river witness Dongying's solid progress in ecological protection. With clean water, green riverbanks and visiting birds, this wetland city keeps attracting more wildlife to settle down.