Egrets enjoy the atmosphere of working agricultural machines in fields in SE China's Fujian

Egrets are seen gracefully playing, swooping, and soaring around an operating agricultural machine in the fields of Tiantou village, Jimei district of Xiamen city, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Chen Bo)

As dawn breaks over Tiantou village in the early morning, a captivating spectacle unfolds as over 100 egrets were seen flying, playing, and foraging around the humming agricultural machines in the village fields in Xiamen’s Jimei district, southeast China's Fujian Province. This enchanting scene beautifully captures the harmonious coexistence of nature and human production.

The egrets discovered in Tiantou village are identified as the Eastern cattle egret, a species of heron frequently observed in areas south of the Yangtze River. These particular egrets are a protected species in China that are celebrated for their ecological and scientific significance, and social value.