In Dongying, Shandong, China, where the Yellow River runs eastward into the sea, a rare big bird - Oriental Stork – is turning the place from a stopover for migration where it used to stay only temporarily into a new home to be born and bred. In 2002, merely over 100 Oriental Storks were observed in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve. The following dozen years saw the numbers of their nests and chicks alike increasing constantly. As of 2021, the number of Oriental Storks bred in the Reserve has passed the 2000 mark, rendering the place the world’s largest breeding ground of Oriental Storks.
As the most complete wetland ecosystem in the warm temperate zone of China, this place is not only the new home to Oriental Storks, but also a wonderland favored by more and more wild flora and fauna: 1630 species of wild animals and 685 species of plants find home here; When the Reserve was first set up, the amount of bird species was 187, and now it has increased to 371; Every year, upwards of 6 million birds come here to breed and winter. The Reserve has turned into the “international airport” of birds.
In October this year, the Reserve witnessed another major event – the Yellow River Estuary National Park offcially enters the substansive implementation phase. What is the charm of this wonderland to win the favor of so many wild animals and plants in the past dozen years? The story between Zhu Shuyu, the “bird protector” of the Reserve, and the Oriental Storks may tell us the answer.