Jingxin Wetlands: Rice Fields on a Migration Route

Jingxin lies in the lower Tumen River landscape near Hunchun. A regional wetland report describes a mosaic of rivers, lakes, marshes, farmland and settlements. Each part has its own seasonal pattern: rice fields are planted and harvested, marshes hold water and vegetation, and rivers connect local habitats to a larger watershed.

Migratory birds use the region as a stopover during seasonal journeys. The lower Tumen is one part of a network that reaches beyond any single wetland or administrative boundary. At Jingxin, a field, a marsh and a river may sit close together, but they offer different conditions to birds and people through the year.

Researchers placed 16 automatic recorders across degraded wetland, farmland and forest and sampled two migration periods: 16 October to 15 December 2022, then 19 February to 28 April 2023. They split five-minute recordings into ten-second clips; a ResNet50 model classified about 2.45 million clips, and acoustic indices helped compare habitats and times of day.

The study found strong migratory sound in the 1–2 kilohertz band, where geese and ducks were prominent vocal groups. The recorders let researchers compare sound across many days and habitat types. Their measurements describe patterns of acoustic activity, giving migration a measurable presence even when no observer is watching a field at that moment.

Among the study’s sampled sites, farmland showed the strongest recorded migratory-bird activity. Researchers linked this pattern to the interval between autumn harvest and spring planting: fields were managed less intensively, and leftover rice grains and crop residues remained available. For geese and other migrants, a harvested field could become a temporary feeding place.

The study also describes wetland degradation and disturbance from grazing. Its findings point to a seasonal connection between agriculture and bird use: the condition of a field after harvest can affect what food is available during migration, while marshes remain essential parts of the wider habitat mosaic.

A 2026 report by China’s National Forestry and Grassland Administration describes Jingxin residents who patrol for migratory birds while continuing to farm. It also records a rice-growing pilot in Jiushaping Village that began in 2014. The account places wildlife work and crop production in the same working landscape.

The acoustic study follows sound across selected sites; patrols rely on people who know the fields and wetlands through everyday use. Rice planting, harvest, remaining grain and seasonal movement form a shared calendar. Jingxin’s wetland story is visible in water and marsh, but it is also audible in field recordings and present in the routines of people living along the migration route.