• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Panjin Birding by the Old Fat Man (1 Viewer)

Oct 3

(Be tolerant please, for a little while. My keyboard is failing me fast at this point and among other things, the capital 'i' and the 'esc' keys aren't working)

Another trip over to the wetland reed beds nearby home yielded a lot of variety. i specifically had in mind getting a closeup of the Reed Parrotbill. Although i technically managed a this only slightly cropped closeup, they were staying hidden so not an unobstructed shot. Numbers were not as large as the other day being about ten birds. They have probably pretty well worked over that patch and moved on to another area of the reeds. The Common Coot were bathing along the shoreline and harassing the Little Grebe who are usually the ones bothering anybody in their general vicinity. A couple of Spot Billed Duck kept to themselves at the far end of the channel. The Zitting Cistola seem to be intermittently appearing in the reed beds at this point and instead of scattered into individual territories, gathering into flocks, probably indicating that they are migrant groups.

The surprise upon entering the area where the Parrotbill are so visible was what i think was a Least Weasel not breaking from cover until less than a meter away.

Moving on to another wetland area produced Black-headed Gull over the ponds. i had known all summer that there was movement in the cover of the reeds but was not able to see if it was only the Little Grebe & C. Coot. This time i did get one quick look at a Eastern Water Rail a first for me! it was running through a sort of tunnel along some matted down reeds. its large feet let it walk along the floating mat. i don't know if this was something that they deliberately keep open to hide in or if it was just taking advantage of something that occurs naturally.

The dry ground with open woods in the area produced Dusky Thrush & Olive Backed Pipit. Also spotted single Hoopoe & Great Spotted Woodpecker. A few Common Magpie & Azure Winged Magpie worked around the area, apparently arguing over whose territory it was.

On the way out some Chinese Bulbul were arguing with a large flock of E. Tree Sparrow over a particular area. i managed to catch a long range shot across a canal of two of them scolding each other.

At the end of the walk another large flock of E. T. Sparrow were being unusually vocal, even for them and as i walked close by the reason became apparent as a Eurasian Kestrel broke from the tree they were mobbing.

Panjin, Dawa County, Liaoning, CN, Liaoning, CN
Oct 3, 2017 11:15 AM - 2:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 kilometer(s)
Comments: wetland area w/reed beds
18 species

Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) 2
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 2
Brown-cheeked Rail (Rallus indicus) 1
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) 3
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 8
Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 2
Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 1
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) 4
Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) 4
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 3
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 8
Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) 20 not scattered in individual territories but gathered into flocks. Probable migrants
Reed Parrotbill (Paradoxornis heudei) 10
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica) 1
Dusky Thrush (Turdus eunomus) 6
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 9
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 220 mostly in two large flocks of 100+ about 1.5 km apart

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39542564
 

Attachments

  • Parrot Reedbill.jpg
    Parrot Reedbill.jpg
    228.5 KB · Views: 70
  • Common Coot.jpg
    Common Coot.jpg
    477.4 KB · Views: 69
  • Chinese Bulbul & E. Tree Sparrow discussion.jpg
    Chinese Bulbul & E. Tree Sparrow discussion.jpg
    72.7 KB · Views: 73
  • Eurasian Kestrel.jpg
    Eurasian Kestrel.jpg
    118.7 KB · Views: 75
Oct 14

Today's tour around the neighborhood parks produced some interesting finds.

The swarms of Pallas's Leaf Warbler that were found a couple of days ago had passed on south, leaving a few stragglers behind including one that cooperated long enough to get a decent picture. Not something that is easy to do with those little balls of energy that flit through the heavy cover. Replacing them were small flocks of Coal Tit. More elusive was a small group of Yellow-bellied Tit working the same pines as the Coal Tit. it wasn't until i got home and checked on the photos taken that i was able to determine for certain that i had indeed been seeing YBT. We are technically out of range for them but especially during migration we occasionally get an eruption as they pass through.

A few Chinese Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler and Tree Sparrow made a showing and i finished off the day with one Olive-backed Pipit and a couple of Hoopoe.

Panjin, Dawa County, Liaoning, CN, Liaoning, CN
Oct 14, 2017 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
9 species

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) 2
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) 2
Coal Tit (Periparus ater) 15
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 5
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 4
Pallas's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) 4
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 2
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 1
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 5

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39909619
 

Attachments

  • Pallas's Leaf Warbler.jpg
    Pallas's Leaf Warbler.jpg
    229.4 KB · Views: 64
  • Coal Tit (1).jpg
    Coal Tit (1).jpg
    342.5 KB · Views: 79
  • Coal Tit (2).jpg
    Coal Tit (2).jpg
    351.3 KB · Views: 66
  • Yellow-bellied Tit (1).jpg
    Yellow-bellied Tit (1).jpg
    160.7 KB · Views: 70
Last edited:
Other things

A few other non-birding things from today's outing. First of all, another 'impressionistic' photo, perhaps to be included when Mike and i publish our "What You Really See" field guide. The Yellow-bellied Tit were in dark shadow and it was a struggle to find that balance between fast shutter and gathering enough light. Next up was a hare making tracks after my terrier, LuLu scared it up. it also qualifies as an 'impressionistic' photo as i was taking a close-up shot of a dragonfly and hence had all the camera setting wrong with no time to make any changes. She is starting to show her age and only chased briefly, then settled for barking. And finally, LuLu in her cool weather jacket.
 

Attachments

  • Yellow-bellied Tit.jpg
    Yellow-bellied Tit.jpg
    228.8 KB · Views: 76
  • Fleeing Hare.jpg
    Fleeing Hare.jpg
    392.1 KB · Views: 76
  • LuLu.jpg
    LuLu.jpg
    296 KB · Views: 83
  • Dragonfly.jpg
    Dragonfly.jpg
    469.3 KB · Views: 64
Oct 17

Tried a different approach and picked a likely spot to observe and just waited. A half an hour and one tree produced some interesting birding and the best shots I have managed so far of a male Red-Flanked Bluetail. A very nicely colored male with his little harem of females decided I was no real threat and moved out of hiding in the foliage to feed. A single Yellow Browed Warbler, a half dozen Japanese Tit and a couple of Pallas's Leaf Warbler also flitted about the same tree and tolerated me being so close.

All was fine and I was enjoying the session when a local moved in close behind me to stare. He was back enough that he didn't disturb the birds too much so I just ignored it, but then he decided to be 'helpful' and started beating on the branches of the tree behind me to make the birds come out into the open. That of course brought an end to being tolerated by the birds and they all disappeared. I turned and glared at him and he just gave me a grin and wandered off.

When my helper was literally beating the bushes I had heard an odd sounding, loud, 'krack!' type call a couple of times and it registered as an odd Magpie call since they have quite a variety of calls. Immediately though my attention was caught by a Northern Hobby soaring almost immediately overhead, hunting dragonflies. It was a rather large NH and I had to check the photos later to assure myself that it was indeed a NH.

As I started to move back into the trees, after moving out enough to get an overhead shot of the Hobby, the 'Krak!' came again and three medium sized birds broke out of the nearby truck farm area adjacent to the adjoining village. Immediate impression was that of female Ring-necked Pheasant with their being common in the area. The coloration was about right, but the tail seemed a bit short and the overall size seemed a bit large. In addition, as they landed into tall cover about 250 meters away, I thought I saw legs too long for RNP. They quickly disappeared into the cover and although I moved around to a better look, I was unable to reacquire them. Later at home I puzzled through the field guides and decided on female Great Bustard which is a new tick for me.

All in all, not a bad outing for staying in one position for half and hour.
 

Attachments

  • Red-Flanked Bluetail (2).jpg
    Red-Flanked Bluetail (2).jpg
    302.3 KB · Views: 91
  • Red-Flanked Bluetail (9).jpg
    Red-Flanked Bluetail (9).jpg
    307 KB · Views: 80
  • Red-Flanked Bluetail (6).jpg
    Red-Flanked Bluetail (6).jpg
    345.8 KB · Views: 80
  • Pallas's Leaf Warbler.jpg
    Pallas's Leaf Warbler.jpg
    382.6 KB · Views: 73
  • Red-Flanked Bluetail (4).jpg
    Red-Flanked Bluetail (4).jpg
    365.4 KB · Views: 72
Nothern Hobby pics

Some of the Northern Hobby pics from the 17th. Unfortunately the shutter speed should have been higher and the shots where he caught a dragonfly and ate it in flight came out blurred.
 

Attachments

  • Northern Hobby (1).jpg
    Northern Hobby (1).jpg
    67.7 KB · Views: 86
  • Northern Hobby (2).jpg
    Northern Hobby (2).jpg
    195.3 KB · Views: 81
  • Northern Hobby.jpg
    Northern Hobby.jpg
    196.9 KB · Views: 87
Great Bustard is a Mega bird! They might probably winter in the area, hope you can get some good views in the coming days.

I'm hoping they will stick around for awhile, Dev. They are probably migrants but so far the weather has been mild, not even any frost so far. It is highly variable here, but overall Panjin does have a reputation for mild winters and often even Hoopoe will stick around through the winter. At any rate, I will be watching closely for any photo opportunities. There are a lot of Ring-necked Pheasant in the patch where I saw them, but the cover is heavy enough that even they are difficult to actually see even when you can commonly hear them crowing. Guess I need to train the terrier to be a pointer! 3:)

Returned to the area yesterday and though rather quiet, I was overflown by a flock of 25-30 Brambling and spotted a few more Yellow-bellied Tit.
 
Thanks Paul, I reviewed all my shots, went through the field guides and even ran it by the ID forum, turns out your correct. Good for me as that gives me another lifer tic.
 
OCT 24, 2017 Yingkou Wetland Park

Since nothing else was occupying the time on Tuesday and since there had always been a reason that I couldn't make it to the Yingkou Wetland Park all this month I decided that it was time to try even if later in the migration than I would have wanted. It is just over an hour and a half each way by the city bus, but at least it is only 5 RMB each way and an additional 1 RMB for the local bus or 20 RMB by taxi.

I walk in along the edge of the wetland area and as usual for there I was greeted by the Common Magpie and a few Coal Tit. Unfortunately the smog started moving in as I arrived making seeing conditions rather poor. I was able to make out a few Common Greenshank, Black-winged Stilt & Little Grebe in the ponds in the wetland area. One very nice Grey Heron sailed by close enough to give some decent shots despite the smog.

Arriving at the Liao River estuary the tidal mud flats were fully exposed all the way out to the channel but there were only a few birds to be seen. The least I have ever seen there. Some 20 or so Saunder's Gull were widely scattered and mostly grounded feeding off the mud and all to be seen for the approximately one kilometer stretch surveyed. One Whimbrel and four Far Eastern Curlew were probing the mud. Surprisingly, nothing else to be seen.

The moat around the old fort yielded one more Little Grebe but the adjacent park which usually teems with warbler and such was totally quiet. The small ponds in the surrounding wetland did yield a lone Little Egret fishing. Nothing else except a Eurasian Kestrel that sat preening on top of a cell tower.

We did finally have our first light frost that morning but it has immediately warmed up again. However, the AQI of 214 was enough to keep me inside yesterday and today.
 

Attachments

  • Grey Heron.jpg
    Grey Heron.jpg
    308 KB · Views: 68
  • Grey Heron (3).jpg
    Grey Heron (3).jpg
    175.2 KB · Views: 65
  • Saunder's Gull.jpg
    Saunder's Gull.jpg
    190.1 KB · Views: 69
  • Saunder's Gull (1).jpg
    Saunder's Gull (1).jpg
    321.9 KB · Views: 65
  • Saunder's Gull (3).jpg
    Saunder's Gull (3).jpg
    262.7 KB · Views: 64
More pics from Yingkou

A few more pics from the 24th including the two perfectly placed stones that caused me to spend time puzzling over "What kind of duck is that and what is it doing just sitting there on the mud?". Take a half dozen steps to the side and, Oh, it's not a duck!
 

Attachments

  • Far Eastern Curlew.jpg
    Far Eastern Curlew.jpg
    333.3 KB · Views: 60
  • Little Egret.jpg
    Little Egret.jpg
    201.5 KB · Views: 72
  • Not a duck.jpg
    Not a duck.jpg
    152.1 KB · Views: 78
A few more pics from the 24th including the two perfectly placed stones that caused me to spend time puzzling over "What kind of duck is that and what is it doing just sitting there on the mud?". Take a half dozen steps to the side and, Oh, it's not a duck!

Done that over and over and its not going to stop. On a comical note, i give them names too Stick bird, mud bird and rock bird too.
 
Nov-7, 2017

Howling winds and leaden skies giving poor lighting for photography have kept me in other than short walks for the dog for the last week. A couple of days ago the reported 'Force 7' wind was enough to actually knock her down, so even she has not wanted to stray far.

Today was unseasonably warm and the predicted wind did not develop, so we went further afield. I did not take the camera since the skies were still heavily overcast and lighting dim. As it turned out a brief break in the clouds allowed the sun through briefly brightly illuminating a large flock of brilliantly colored Yellow-bellied Tit feeding on the ground under some pines and at close range! They are usually much more elusive so I was upbraiding myself for not having brought the camera.

The rest was the normal of Japanese Tit, Coal Tit a pair of Grey-headed Woodpecker, four Hoopoe about 25 Azure-winged Magpie, two Chinese Bulbul and the usual 50 or so Tree Sparrow. The only thing missing were the pair of Great Spotted Woodpecker that I know are in the area and a few Common Magpie.

I've been wondering if the migration has been as slow for everybody else since the China forum has been so quiet for the last week+.
 
Hi Owen,

October is almost the end of the passerine migration with few late birds showing up to first or second week. I have been tied down due to the house furnishing work and also completing formalities for the new ride, so haven't got a chance to do much birding this season, only couple of outings in the last 3 months.
This sunday, was very productive with 8 species of buntings excluding the Reed Buntings but this also means a strong sign of Winter.

To spice up your birding life, there are some photos going around the Wechat groups. It's a Female Snowy Owl at the Liaohe Estuary close to your place. Red-crowned Cranes are also present.
 
I agree! A Snowy in Liaoning is certainly note worthy. I had a place in Dalian chosen for one to appear some random November but it never arrived.
 
Hi Owen,

To spice up your birding life, there are some photos going around the Wechat groups. It's a Female Snowy Owl at the Liaohe Estuary close to your place. Red-crowned Cranes are also present.

Hmmm... I'll have to consider another trip. i know where there is a captive breeding program near there for RCC, but have yet to record a tic for a wild sighting. The Liaohu Estuary would be the more general vicinity of the Yingkou Wetlands Park, which I tried a week ago and found rather empty. I have an idea that it might be on the other side of the river and a little upstream from where I was at. An area that I considered trying that day. This is the only social media that I do at all, so thanks for relaying the reports Dev.
 
Nov-8, 2017

A nice outing yesterday, but cut short when I was recalled by my wife who couldn't find her keys to get back in the apartment. Of course she found them in one of pockets inside a pocket just as I arrived back home. 8-P

The main attraction was the two flocks of 20+ each Azure-winged Magpie. They are always abundant here, but that is the largest grouping I have seen yet. They were initially close enough together to have a few individuals exchanging back and forth. One group decided I was an interesting distraction and started following along noisily alerting any and all to my presence.

A general presence of Coal Tit, Japanese Tit and Yellow-bellied Tit was scattered all through the park that I was in.

The habit of scanning the Sparrow flocks with the bins turned up a few isolated Brambling foraging with them. Somewhat unusual in that they normally appear in large flocks.

Hoopoe seem to be recovering well from the population drop precipitated by the harsh winter last season. This year is the opposite so far with it staying more like early October.

I got a mild scolding last night when I mistakenly forgot the rule on the Gallery forum was three uploads in one day and since it rolled over midnight, I thought it reset the counter for me. Actually three in 24 hours and for an international forum it doesn't even make sense for me to think that it would matter that it was midnight for me. Does anybody really know what time it is? 3:)

Panjin, Dawa County, Liaoning, CN, Liaoning, CN
Nov 8, 2017 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 kilometer(s)
10 species

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops) 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 2
Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) 40 Two large flocks of 20+ separated by aprox. 0.5 kilometers
Coal Tit (Periparus ater) 5
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 10
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 10
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 5
Pallas's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus) 1
Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) 4
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 30

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40373556
 

Attachments

  • Azure-winged Magpie.jpg
    Azure-winged Magpie.jpg
    188.4 KB · Views: 37
  • Japanese Tit.jpg
    Japanese Tit.jpg
    71.2 KB · Views: 48
  • Yellow-bellied Tit.jpg
    Yellow-bellied Tit.jpg
    180.6 KB · Views: 32
  • Brambling.jpg
    Brambling.jpg
    113 KB · Views: 33
Nov-9, 2017

Rainy today so no chance of a trip back to the Liaohu estuary. My wife has tomorrow all planned out already, so maybe Saturday. It is not expensive as I can catch the #30 bus about a kilometer from home and it runs all the way for 5RMB, it is about 50 kilometers though, so the round trip with the birding chews up most of a day.

Made a quick outing for the dog's walk just before it started raining to the same area as yesterday and the abundance of interesting sightings yesterday changed to just two Tree Sparrows and one Hoopoe.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 2 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top