After days of anticipation near the Binbei Bridge on the Songhua River in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Yang Wei captured the long-awaited return of migratory Oriental white storks on Thursday.

"It's miraculous that the birds returned almost as scheduled each year," said the 51-year-old photographer. "It is my springtime rendezvous with them and theirs with Harbin, worth every moment."

A total of 17 Oriental white storks were recorded dancing gracefully in the sky or wandering elegantly along the river bank.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the Oriental white stork as critically endangered, with only about 9,000 remaining.

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