Common cranes at one of the protected areas on Poyang Lake in Duchang County, east China's Jiangxi Province, Oct. 18, 2018.(Xinhua)

Poyang Lake welcomes their new guests this month--a group of migratory birds, which arrive five days earlier than last year.

NANCHANG, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The first group of migratory birds have arrived for wintering at Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake in the eastern province of Jiangxi.

Staff of the Administration of Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve on Monday spotted 27 wild geese when patrolling the lake region in Duchang County, a major stop on the wintering birds' journey to Poyang.

Migrant birds at Duchang wetland of Poyang Lake, east China's Jiangxi Province, Nov. 9, 2018.(Xinhua)

The first arrival, which marked the coming of the winter season for migratory birds at the lake, was five days earlier than that of last year, according to monitoring records.

Dubbed a "paradise for migratory birds," Poyang Lake is an important wintering area for waterbirds in Asia. ■