Siberian seagulls fly above the water at Golden Beach scenic area in Qidong. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

A group of Siberian seagulls descended onto the golden mudflats at the misty Golden Beach scenic area on Nov 25, marking the start of the best bird-watching season in Qidong, Nantong.

After November, the wetlands in Yuantuojiao and Golden Beach scenic areas in the city usually become a bustling haven for migratory birds such as black-tailed gulls, Siberian seagulls, and spoon-billed sandpipers.

Black-faced spoonbills, a rare and endangered species, rest in the wetlands of Qidong. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

The wetlands along the city's stretch of the Yangtze River (known as the Qilongsha Wetlands) have also become lively with mostly geese and ducks, among which the spot-billed duck is the most active.

Qidong is located in the middle of the East Asia-Australasia flyway and serves as an important stopover along the migration routes of Asia-Pacific migratory birds.

White spoonbills fly over the sky of Qidong. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

The riverside beaches, coastal intertidal mudflats, artificial wetlands, forests, and farmland provide abundant food such as fish and benthic animals as well as habitats for migratory and overwintering birds.

According to data from the Qidong Biodiversity Fixed Observation Project, to date, 178 bird species have been spotted in the wetlands of Yuantuojiao, Golden Beach, Qilongsha, and the cooling pond at Datang Power Plant, accounting for over 60 percent of the total bird species in Nantong.