NEARLY 10,000 birds were seen flying over Shenzhen Bay at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, drawing people doing morning exercises at the coastal park to watch and take photographs, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported.

The birds were identified as phalacrocorax carbo, according to Zhang Gaofeng, deputy secretary general of Shenzhen Bird Watching Society. The flock that appeared Sunday was a collective search for food, Zhang said.

Zhang also said that phalacrocorax carbo is a rarely seen species that inhabits Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. The birds mainly catch food by diving into water.

It took almost one minute for the flock to fly over a public square at Shenzhen Bay with the formation constantly changing.

Some residents who have been jogging in that park for years said it was the first time they had seen such a massive flock of birds.

Each year, around 10,000 phalacrocorax carbos migrate to Shenzhen to spend the winter. The birds normally fly to Shenzhen between October and November and return to the north the next April or May.

Zhang said bird watching is a kind of leisure activity that combines tourism, fitness, scientific research and environmental education and that he highly encourages residents to take part in bird-watching activities organized by the society and other organizations on weekends.

However, he also reminded residents not to harm or disturb the birds while watching them. Feeding or shouting at the birds is not allowed.

The forest and urban management authorities in Shenzhen released the top 10 locations for bird watching in March. The spots include Shenzhen Bay Park, the Neilingding Futian natural reserve area, OCT Wetland Park, Wutong Mountain, Bijia Hill Park, Honghu Park, Zhongshan Park, Yuanshan Mountain, Futian Mangrove Ecological Park and the agricultural science center in Dapeng. (Zhang Qian)