Spectacle of birds flying over tidal bore spotted on Qiantang River

Photographers tracking the stunning Qiantang tidal bore in east China's Zhejiang Province this year have not only captured spectacular footages of the natural phenomenon, but also seized the presence of migratory birds in their viewfinders.

Every year around the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept 17 this year, the Qiantang River in Zhejiang presents visitors with one of the world's three most spectacular tidal bores, alongside the Amazon River and the Ganges. Full of expectation, tourists from across China gather along the riverside, seeking to experience the marvelous natural scene in-person.

This year, the breathtaking river spectacle in Haining City was enhanced by several birds flying off or chasing the tidal bore of the Qiantang River at low altitude as it surged.

"I grew up by the Qiantang River and have been photographing tides for more than 20 years. I have used my camera to record the changes on both sides of the river. The diversity and quantity of migratory bird species along the river are progressively expanding. The river is becoming more and more attractive to migratory birds and I feel very proud," said Ding Kuai, a photography enthusiast.

Researchers have also closely monitoring the population and well-being of these bird species with binoculars and cameras and kept documenting them.

"Due to Haining City's position on a significant migratory bird pathway and the superior ecological environment of the Qiantang River with abundant fish resources, a substantial number of migratory birds every year choose to have feasts there during the migration season. The increasing number of bird species recorded comes from Haining City's escalating focus on biodiversity conservation efforts as well as the observation by a group of photography enthusiasts in the city," explained Wei Huiyu, assistant researcher of the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences (NIES) of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

According to the the latest bird monitoring findings released by Haining City, a total of 185 bird species have been recorded there so far.

Spectacle of birds flying over tidal bore spotted on Qiantang River

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday slashed interest rates by 50 basis points amid cooling inflation and a weakening labor market, marking the first rate cut in over four years.

"The Committee has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent, and judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance," the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the central bank's policy-setting body, said in a statement.

"In light of the progress on inflation and the balance of risks, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/2 percentage point to 4-3/4 to 5 percent," the FOMC said.

This signals the start of an easing cycle. Starting from March 2022, the Fed had raised rates consecutively for 11 times to combat inflation not seen in forty years, pushing the target range for the federal funds rate up to between 5.25 percent and 5.5 percent, the highest level in over two decades.

After maintaining rates at the high level for over a year, the Fed's tight monetary policy faced pressure to pivot due to the easing of inflationary pressures, signs of weakening in the job market, and slowing economic growth.

U.S. Fed slashes rates by 50 basis points, first rate cut in four years