More than 11,000 raptors spotted on single day in Liaoning province

A new record for raptor monitoring was set at the Snake Island-Laotieshan National Nature Reserve in Northeast China's Liaoning province this autumn, with a single-day count of 11,175 raptors on Monday.

This number broke the previous record of 7,561 raptors spotted on Sept 22 last year, marking the first "10,000-raptor day" in the autumn raptor monitoring on the Chinese mainland.

Wang Xiaoping, deputy director of the reserve's management bureau, describes Laotieshan as the "first raptor-watching sanctuary on the Chinese mainland" due to its unique geographical conditions.

Prior to this 10,000-raptor day, Laotieshan had experienced three consecutive days of strong winds, which were unfavorable for raptor flight. On Monday, the weather cleared up with gentle winds and high visibility, providing excellent conditions for raptor migration.

Wang said the raptors recorded on Monday were mainly oriental honey buzzards, a predominant species among the migrating raptors passing through the area. Around the autumn equinox, raptors that rest and stopover at Laotieshan usually take flight again, continuing their southward migration toward East China's Shandong province.

Shi Yudie contributed to this story.