A flock of oriental white storks pictured at a wetland in Zhangjiang village, Lushunkou, in Dalian, North China's Liaoning province, on Feb 11. The white stork is a protected bird and there are currently thought to be less than 3,000 left in the world. Due to an improved local environment and additional protection measures for wild birds, a large number of oriental white storks have visited this wetland each winter over the past nine years. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]