Poyang Lake Wetland Nature Reserve for Biodiversity Fauna and Flora Species Resource as Stork & Cranes

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Poyang Lake Nature Reserve, situated in northern Jiangxi privince, China. Poyang Lake, the largest fresh water lake in China, lies to the south of the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang Yangtze River, on the south shore of the Yangtze River. 29°05' - 29°15' N , 115°55'  –116°03' E ), from 12-18 m above sea level, covering a total area of about 390,000ha.  The lake has been well known as "a land of abundance" and is reputed as a "bright pearl" in the basin of the Changjiang River with its rich aquatic resources and flourishing crops in surrounding fertile lands, marshes, wet grassland and alluvial floodplains. The site has incredible diversity of both flora and fauna, about over 100,000 waterbirds including several endangered species, such as the Siberian, Hooded and Eurasian Cranes, Great Bustards, White Storks, Chinese Merganser, and theLesser White-fronted Goose. Up to 98% of the world population of the Siberian Crane winters in Poyang Lake Basin; other endangered species, such as White-naped Crane, Hooded Crane, Oriental White Stork, Black Stork, Spoonbill, Whistling Swan, Mandarin Duck, Great Bustard and Pelican and numerous waterbirds also use the lake as their main wintering ground. The site has a rich fish fauna that provide adequate food resource for waterbirds.
The Poyang Lake area enjoys a subtropical warm and wet climate with suffucuent sunshine, ample precipitation and long frost-free period. The average annual temperature varies from 16.7 to 17.7 degrees C The average annual rainfall is 1426mm (average yearly is 1,400 to 1,900 mm), with the highest amount of precipitation occurring from April to June (47.4% of annual rainfall).
In general,  there are 25 families of phytoplankton totalling almost 46 species, the dominant being green algae,37 families of aquatic vascular plant with 98 species, the dominant being sedge, Potamogeton malaianus and Vallisneria spiralis; 42 species of mollusca, the dominant being snail and mussel; 21 families of fish with 122 species, the dominant being Cyprinidae. In addition, there is a good supply of silver fish, a famous product of the area; insects 63 families 227 species. Spreading on the grassland along the banks are 74 species of 25 families of meadow and helophyte plants, the dominant being Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Polygonaceae and Compositae. Such abundant natural resources provide a welcoming habitat for birds, attracting tens of thousands of migratory birds to spend their winter there, thus turning the Poyang Lake into one of the world's most famous migratory birds sanctuaries.
Lake Poyang accommodates 332 kinds of birds, subordinate to 17 orders, 55 families. There are 124 species of waterfowls: 32 species of ducks (Anatidae) and 25 species of snipes (Scolopacidae). 10 of them are first class species on China’s list of protected species (“Red List”), amongst them the famous Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus) that is the symbol of Poyang Lake. Almost 95% of Siberian Cranes in the world spend their winter in Lake Poyang wetlands. Other rare and endangered species such as the Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana), the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides), White-naped Crane (Grus vipio), Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) and the Great Bustard (Otis tarda). 44 species are on the second national list of protected birds like the Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopica) the Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) and the White fronted goose (Anser albifrons).
Lake Poyang is known as “the world of white cranes” and “the kingdom of rare birds”, so in June, 1983, the People's Government of Jiangxi Province established the Migratory Birds Reserve in the western part of Poyang Lake where most of the migratory birds flock there for winter, and set up corresponding administrations. This Reserve, with Wucheng in Yongxiu County as its center, embraces nine seasonal lakes and marshes including: Dahuci, Banghu, Zhonghuci, Shahu, with a total area of 22,400 ha. There dwell in the Reserve 150 species of birds among which many are rare ones listed for global protection..

Birding sites:
1, Dahuchi (Big Lake Pool) with its Protecting Station, the central area of Poyang Lake, close to Wucheng Town, mainly for cranes such as: cranes, storks, Grus grus Common Crane, Grus vipio White-naped crane etc.
2, Zhonghuchi (Middle Lake Pool), mainly birdwatching birds as: Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus);
3, Shahu  (Sha Lake), Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus), Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus) , Duck, Wild Goose
4, Banghu (Bang Lake), almost all kinds of birds. And in Sixiahu are (Temple Lake area in Banghu, in Banghu Township) with white cranes birding there, Stork. best time to watch white cranes: 01-10Nov.
5, Shaoyanghu (Shaoyang Lake), birding white cranes, close to  Dahuchi area.
 

Some of Brids Namelist

PODICIPEDIFORMES
     Podicipedidae
      Little Grebe                Tachybaptus  ruficollis        R(Resident)
      Great Crested Grebe         Podiceps cristatus            

PELECANIFORMES
   Pelecanidae

       Dalmatian Pelican
          Pelecanus  philippensis       Winter    Ⅱ

   Phalacrocoracidae  
        
Cormorant          Phalacrocorax  carbo                Winter

CICONIIFORMES
  
Ardeidae

   Ciconiidae
      Oriental White Stork
       Ciconia boyciana      Win    
      Black Stork
                 C. nigra             Win    

   Threskiornithidae
    
 European Spoonbill      Platalea leucorodia     Win       Ⅱ
       Black-faced Spoonbill   
P. minor               Win       Ⅱ

ANSERIFORMES
    Anatidae

           Bean Goose
         A. fabalis          Win                     Ⅱ
          White-fronted Goose
       A. albifrons     Win                 
         
Whooper Swan            Cygnus cygnus      Win                  Ⅱ
           Whistling Swan
         C. columbianus        Win              
          Mandarin
               Aix galericulata            Win          Ⅱ
          Chinese Merganser   
   M. squamatus                 Win        Ⅰ

FALCONIFORMES
    
Accipitridae
       
Black-winged Kite         Elanus caeruleus                  Ⅱ
         Crested Lizard Hawk
       Aviced subcristatus               Ⅱ
          Black Kite
               Milvus migrans            Win     Ⅱ
          Goshawk
                 Accipiter gentilis                 Ⅱ
          Northern Sparrowhawk
       A. nisus                Win     Ⅱ
          Upland Buzzard         
Buteo hemilasius                   Ⅱ
          Buzzard
                 B. buteo                   Win    
          Golden Eagle
            Aquila chrysaetos          Win    
          Imperial Eagle
          A. heliaca                 Win    
          Spotted Eagle
           A. clanga                  Win     Ⅱ
          White-tailed Sea Eagle
     Haliaeetus albicilla    Win    
          Hen Harrier
              Circus cyaneus            Win    
          Pallid Harrier
         C. macrourus                Win    
          Pied Harrier
          C. melanoleucos              Win    
          Eastern Marsh Harrier
   C. aeruginosus             Win     Ⅱ
          Osprey
                 Pandion haliaetus           Win    

    Falconidae
      
Peregrine Falcon         Falco peregrinus       R           Ⅱ
        Hobby
                   F. subbuteo             R           Ⅱ
        Merlin
                 F. clumbarius            R           Ⅱ
        Red-footed Falcon
       F. vespertinus                      Ⅱ
        Kestrel
                F. tinnunculus           R           Ⅱ

GALLIFORMES
    
Phasianidae
    Turnicidae
    Gruidae

        Comman Crane
      Grus grus    Win   Ⅱ
        Hooded Crane     
G. monacha   Win   Ⅰ
        White-naped Crane  
G. vipio   Win   Ⅱ
        Siberian White Crane  
G. leucogeranus    Win     Ⅰ
        Sandhill Crane 
  G. canadensis Win   Ⅱ
   
Rallidae
        Swinhoe's Yellow Rail
     Cotruicops  noveboracensis     Win    Ⅱ
   Otidae
      
Great Bustard         Otis tarda    Win    

CHARADRIIFORMES
   Scolopacidae
     
Little Whimbrel    Numenius minutus    Win     Ⅱ

CUCULIFORMES
   
Cuculidae
      
Lesser Coucal     Centropus  bengalesis   Sum   

STRIGIFORMES
   
Tytonidae
         Grass Owl
     Tyto capensis    R       Ⅱ
    Strigidae

        Scops Owl
      Otus scops               Ⅱ
        Collared Scops-owl  
O. bakkamoena      Ⅱ
        Great Eagle-owl   
Bubo bubo            Ⅱ
         Barred Owlet
     G. cuculoides    Sum 
        Brown Hawk Owl
    Ninox scutulata       Ⅱ
        Long-eared Owl
     Asio otus            Ⅱ
        Short-eared Owl
     A. flammeus         Ⅱ

PASSERIFORMES
   
Pittidae
       Fairy Pitta
     Pitta brachyura    Sum   Ⅱ

Poyang Science Tour

All above for your reference and subject to our confirmation.

 


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