HOHHOT, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Droves of migratory birds have made stopovers at wetlands in the Ulan Buh Desert, the eighth-largest desert in China, as they begin their journey southward to get through the winter.

More than 3,000 migratory birds such as white swans have arrived at a lake in Dengkou County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to the county's forest public security bureau.

The Ulan Buh Desert covers a total area of 1 million hectares, with nearly one-third of its area in Dengkou. With more than 160 natural lakes, the county is an important habitat for migratory birds in Inner Mongolia.

Ma Xuexian, a forest police officer in Dengkou County, said they have reinforced patrols around key water areas and nature reserves to prevent human activities from interfering with the birds, in hopes that the place would become a long-term habitat for the rare birds.

With the improvement of the local ecological environment, every year, hundreds of thousands of migratory birds have made Dengkou a migratory station, and the species of migratory birds have increased from more than 30 in 2005 to over 110 at present.

"The birds usually stay here for about a week and then fly south. The migration is expected to last until the end of November," said Ma.

The desert region is located on one of the three migration routes for migratory birds that pass through Inner Mongolia. Enditem