CHANGSHA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- The number of migratory birds wintering at China's second-largest fresh water lake is up nearly 20 percent on last year, a survey has found.

　　More than 120,000 migratory birds were observed on Dongting Lake in central China's Hunan Province between Jan. 11 and 16.

　　With the help of forestry professionals, volunteers and NGOs, the survey was carried out at 15 spots on the lake, according to the Hunan Provincial Department of Forestry.

　　Spread over the central-lower Yangtze Plain, Dongting Lake is an ideal habitat for winter birds, though authorities warned in November that the birds might struggle to find food as water levels had risen due to the worst winter floods in a decade.