This summer, the Dongting Lake wetlands in Hunan province are thriving with terns and egrets, rare birds that had once vanished but now roost in the wetlands again due to the improving ecology.

In Baini Lake of Xiangyin county, Yueyang, whiskered terns dart among lotus leaves and nest joyfully, turning the area into their breeding paradise.

In Fenghuang township, egrets skim the water for fish and shrimp, or dance gracefully among dikes and reeds, sometimes flying in flocks, sometimes resting like snowflakes.

Yang Che contributed to this story.