Record number of migrating birds spotted in wetlands in N China

HOHHOT, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Chinese wildlife experts have spotted a record number of migrating birds this month, including white swans in the wetlands of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and rare cranes in northeast China's Jilin Province, as the birds make stopovers en route to Siberia.

Since mid-March, more than 20,000 white swans have been spotted in the wetlands and thawing lakes in the cities of Baotou, Wuhai, Chifeng, making for a beautiful spring landscape on the grasslands, said Miao Chunlin, an engineer at the monitoring station in the Nanhai Wetlands, Wuhai City.

"The number of migrating birds making stopovers in Inner Mongolia has been increasing. Last year, there was over 10,000 swans. They usually leave here for Siberia in the middle of April," he said.

Organizations under the Inner Mongolia Center for Fauna and Flora have reinforced their patrols of the wetlands and set up hot-lines for citizens to report injured animals.

The region's forestry and commerce authorities have vowed to step up their campaigns against poaching and trade in wildlife this spring.

Some local restaurants have bought wild birds from illegal peddlers and served them, said Miao.

Also this month, in Jilin, more than 100,000 migrating birds, mainly Red-Crowned and Hoary Hair cranes, have been spotted in the wetlands of the Tumen River, near China's border with Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Chinese wetlands monitoring staff said the number was a sharp increase from previous years.