In late March 2024, Seven-Star River was still near the end of winter. A State Forestry Administration report described ice about 20 centimetres thick, with only a narrow strip of river open along the shore. More than ten thousand migratory birds had already arrived; roughly 10–15 pairs of wild red-crowned cranes nest in the 20,000-hectare reserve. The reserve began as a reed-protection area in 1991 and became a national nature reserve in 2000. Its spring scene is shaped by small patches of open water where birds can feed and rest while the marsh remains frozen.
From the journal
Baoqing Wetlands: Seven-Star River in spring, Yanwo Island in autumn
Late-winter open water at Seven-Star River and autumn bird gatherings at Yanwo Island reveal two different moments in Baoqing’s wetland year.
In the same city · Shuangyashan ↗Seven-Star River and the reserve frame
Yanwo Island as a destination
Yanwo Island’s wetland season has a different rhythm. A Heilongjiang report from October 2022 described tens of thousands of southbound waterbirds gathering and feeding there before continuing toward wintering grounds; the account expected them to leave by mid-November. The county’s 2026 profile identifies Seven-Star River, Yanwo Island and Changlin Island as national wetland nature reserves and calls Seven-Star River the “home of the Chinese spoonbill.” Read together, the dated observations show two moments in a larger annual cycle: early spring arrival at open water and autumn staging before migration south.