Truly wet and wild

Wild Duck Lake National Wetland Park in suburban Beijing's Yanqing district is an essential stopover for migrating birds on the East Asia-Australasian Flyway. [Photo provided to China Daily]

This network records not only daily data on bird numbers and species but also helps staffers ensure there aren't any people prowling the premises when there shouldn't be.

In October, experts concluded there were 295 bird species, including 53 that are nationally protected, a 62 percent increase over 2005. They include nearly 66 percent of all avian species found in Beijing.

The number of higher plant species grew from 357 to 472.

Fang observed the park's first white cranes－a national first-class protected species－in 2013. It was the first time the birds had been detected in Beijing.

Some birds rarely seen in the municipality, such as common starlings, have been found in the wetlands this year.

The deputy director of the park's administration office, Liu Xuemei, attributes this to the area's good ecological environment. The wetland's protection and restoration over the past decade has expanded birds' habitats.