To address the critical lack of monitoring data on hydrological processes and landscape changes within sub-lake groups of large floodplain wetlands and to explore the relationship between their water recession processes and associated landscape dynamics, this study focused on nine dish-shaped lakes in the Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve as a case study. By integrating remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and spatiotemporal analysis, we investigated the influence of the water recession process in these lakes on the structural characteristics of overwintering waterbird habitats, examining three key factors: natural precipitation, anthropogenic regulation, and lake topography. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Satellite remote sensing technology enables the synchronous monitoring of water surface area and landscape composition across numerous lakes, effectively resolving the data scarcity issue for sub-lakes in large floodplain wetlands. (2) The impact of natural precipitation on the water recession process occurs primarily before the dish-shaped lakes become hydrologically disconnected from the main lake body, determining the timing of sandbar exposure. In contrast, the effects of anthropogenic regulation and lake topography manifest after this disconnection. Human regulation slows the recession process compared to natural conditions, while lake topography governs water retention capacity and the potential for water level control. (3) Both floods and droughts significantly reduce the availability of foraging habitats for overwintering waterbirds. However, as extreme hydrological events typically conclude by autumn, they do not affect the foraging habitat area in winter. During periods of abnormal precipitation, landscapes in naturally receding lakes exhibit greater fluctuation than those in artificially regulated lakes. Extreme flood events have a more pronounced impact on the landscape of topographically low-lying lakes, whereas extreme droughts exert a stronger influence on higher-elevation lakes. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for the conservation of overwintering waterbirds in Poyang Lake and support the implementation of targeted wetland management strategies, such as the "one lake, one policy" approach.