While other stork gardens like Lang Giang in Bac Giang province and Lap Thach in Vinh Phuc province are owned by individuals and facing difficulties in preservation, the stork island in Chi Lang Nam district, Hai Duong province is strictly protected by the local government and residents.
A few decades ago, the first storks and night herons migrated to this island. As Chi Lang Nam is uninhabited, many people went there to hunt storks. The local government then banned stork hunting and instituted measures to preserve the birds.
Since then, the number of birds has soared. In the winter, the island is home to hundreds of thousands of storks and night herons, according to a local official.
The best time to visit Chi Lang Nam stork island is in the early morning or late afternoon. At these times, visitors will see the “shift change” between storks and night herons. Night herons return to the island in the morning after a working night while storks leave the island in the morning to search for food.
It is very interesting that the “shift change” is very bustling but in strict order. Storks and night herons on this island never fight each other for food. They protect the island together against mice and owls.
Though the island is not far from gardens of local people and many people have tried to “invite” the birds to their gardens, storks and night herons only live on the island.