Photo by Zhang Yimin

Recently, Meishan Bay has welcomed a group of special guests – Great Crested Grebe, the key protected bird in Zhejiang Province.

With the advancement of ecological management in the Meishan Bay water area, it has become an important resting place and wintering place for birds, including Little Egret, Common Coot, Eastern Spot-billed Duck and other birds, showing an ecological picture of “ten thousand birds flying”.

“Since 2019, we have monitored that the number of migratory birds wintering here has been increasing every year. At present, there are more than 17000, which arrive at Meishan Bay in early November and leave before the Qingming Festival at the end of March of the following year." Chen Zhen, deputy director of Meishan Economic Development Center, said.

Why do tens of thousands of migratory birds choose Meishan Bay? The ecological management of Meishan Bay has stabilized the water quality in the water area and provides a good space for the survival of fishes. There are a large number of algae and planktonic organisms in the water body, which provide bait for the fish, and the fish provides bait for the birds. From the point of view of food chain, the transmission of food energy from layer to layer will eventually lead to the increase of birds in the Meishan Bay sea area. (Reporter: Fan Xiaolei, Peng Yali, Intern: Cao Yiqian)