Water birds winter at the Beijing Wild Duck Lake Wetland in March. (Photo: Xinhua)

HOHHOT, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- Droves of migratory birds have recently arrived at a national nature reserve in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

This year, more than 10,000 migratory birds have made a stopover at the Tumuji National Nature Reserve, before heading to the warm southern regions to see out the winter, according to administrators at the nature reserve.

More than 600 white cranes under first-class state protection in China and 1,600 grey cranes listed under second-class state protection have been spotted in the area.

Thanks to a series of supporting policies rolled out by the local government over the past few years, the Tumuji National Nature Reserve has seen significant improvement in its environment.

Efforts include greater protection of migratory birds, returning cultivated land to forests and wetlands, enhancing inspection and patrol and employing more forest rangers.