Hengshui Lake lies south of Hengshui city, in a shallow depression on the plain. It is the largest freshwater wetland in the region, with open water, reed beds and islands, and it holds birds through the winter when the surrounding fields are dry and cold. The lake is a national nature reserve and a stopover on migration routes between north China and the south.
Hengshui Lake is 75 square kilometres of water on the North China Plain and a staging point on a major migration route. Its winter counts include 120 Baer's pochards seen together in January 2025 and more than 60 wintering species.