Longgan Lake National Nature Reserve in Hubei province recorded a peak of more than 145,000 birds in the area over the winter. The average number of birds was more than 140,000 — the most since the reserve was built.

  More protected animals have been found in the Longgan Lake area thanks to ecological protection efforts.

  The reserve is home to 105 hooded cranes and 13 Siberian white cranes — the highest number for both Level 1 state protected cranes so far this decade. The tundra swan, a Class 2 protected species, also broke a record in the reserve, with more than 60,000 counted over the winter.

  (Source: chinadaily.com.cn)