The hatching season for oriental white storks at the Dulu River Provincial Nature Reserve in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province has come to its end, with hatchlings' flight feathers growing and preparing to leave their nests for flights.
As a globally endangered species and a migratory bird species under the first-class state protection in China, the oriental white stork is highly demanding for their habitat and breeding, making it an important indicator species for ambient ecological quality.
To improve the species' survival rate and reproductive success in wild environment, while also facilitating routine monitoring by reserve staff, local authorities have installed over 100 artificial nests throughout the reserve.
The chicks are becoming increasingly robust, with their plumage filling out as they approach fledging age. They have begun attempting short flights from their nests. Once they have built up sufficient strength and endurance, they will gradually leave their nests and embark on independent lives, adding new vitality and vibrancy to the wetland ecosystem.
Oriental white stork hatchlings in Heilongjiang nature reserve
The United States and Iran carried out fresh strikes on each other's targets, as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz escalated after the U.S. accused Iran of attacking commercial shipping and Iran said it was responding to recent U.S. "aggression".
Iranian state television reported early Sunday local time that several explosions were heard in the Sirik area of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran. It also said Qeshm Island and areas near Bandar Lengeh, both in southern Iran, had come under attack.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday afternoon U.S. time that American forces had launched a new round of strikes on multiple targets inside Iran. It said the operation came after Iranian forces launched an attack drone early Saturday that hit an oil tanker sailing near the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the U.S. strikes targeted 10 Iranian military sites in and around the strait, including surveillance facilities, communications systems, air defense positions, drone storage facilities and mine-laying equipment. It called the operation a direct response to what it described as Iran's continued actions against commercial shipping.
Shortly afterward, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its naval and air forces had used missiles and drones to strike eight key U.S. military facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
The IRGC said the strikes were a decisive response to recent U.S. "aggression," accusing the U.S. of repeatedly breaking its commitments and using the IRGC Navy's "interception of a violating vessel" as a pretext to attack five Iranian coastal outposts.
In a separate statement, the IRGC Navy said U.S. strikes on the Sirik area would not change Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz. It said Iran's warning shots at "violating" vessels were intended to remind ships to follow designated routes through the waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday also accused Iran of again violating the ceasefire agreement in a social media post.
The latest exchange of fire followed U.S. strikes on Iran on Friday, which CENTCOM said were launched in response to an Iranian drone attack on a commercial vessel passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. airstrikes, saying they violated a memorandum of understanding between the two sides and that Iran would defend its sovereignty and security under international law.
US, Iran trade strikes again as tensions flare around Hormuz
