BirdForum

In the Chinese lunar calendar, 20 Jan 2010 is Dahan, literally The Coldest Period in a year. A very strong cold front has just passed the area of Rizhao, south Shandong. Before this, all the pelagic trips in Qingdao region (to the north of Rizhao) have been cancelled due to unusually heavy icing all around Qingdao, and the one to Chenniushan Island, Lianyungang (to the south of Rizhao) on 2 Jan ended in a nightmare—30 years cold winter!

Our trip to Cheniushan Island on 28 Feb 2009...

mcaribou

when the total solar eclipse happened this morning in Shanghai,birds in Century Park really went to rest in the darkness.And rain dropped.
After several minutes it became brighter and birds came out,singing and feeding.Azure-winged Magpie,Red-billed Starling and Blackbird gathered in a big flock.And the steady rain became drizzle.

mcaribou

Inspired by more and more findings of loons especially Yellow-billed Loon in South Korea,I have tried several times

to organise our birder friends from Jiangsu Wild Bird Society to explore the offshore islands at Lianyungang,between

Jiangsu and Shandong Province.

Finally there were enough birders to join to share the cost of boat rental.Comparing with the snowy and windy day on

27th Feb,on 28th Feb it was so good-just a little cloudy,a...

mcaribou

According to Shanghai Waterbirds by Yuan Xiao and Cai Youming,Scaly-sided Merganser Mergus squamatus is said to be only recorded in Shanghai in Birds Recorded from or Known to Occur in the Shanghai Area by Sowerby A.de C. published in 1943.In recent years,there're some Russian researchers doing satellite tracking on this species.The data shows that in migration they pass the Shanghai area.In November,there were some records from Zhejiang Province,including three females in a reservoir at the south...

mcaribou

A high tide again on 20 Sep.We drove there,had lunch,prepared to go down to the mudflat in the afternoon.But the

weather was becoming worse and worse,then heavy rain and thunderstorm came!Nothing to do in the restaurant,we

decided to stay in the car on the seawall.A lightning hit the mudflat.Wow!Beautiful!
We talked about jokingly how it felt to be hit by it when birding there.Then it went better.Rain stopped.We dressed

up and be ready to go.Just...

mcaribou