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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

China 2010 (5 Viewers)

Almost forgot, here are a few dodgy photos for the "1000 in China" challenge.

Apologies for the quality (or lack of) but low-light, rain, and more rain was the order of the Jiangxi trip.

388 Ashy Drongo Wuyuan, Jiangxi province
389 Pied Kingfisher Wuyuan, Jiangxi province
390 Grey Treepie Wuyuan, Jiangxi province
391 Eurasian Jay Wuyuan, Jiangxi province
392 Hwamei Wuyuan, Jiangxi province
 

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Wuyuan is also famous in the birding world for wintering Scaly-sided Mergansers and breeding Swinhoe's Minivet.

I found two pairs of the latter at one of the Courtois's sites.

393 Swinhoe's Minivet Wuyuan, Jiangxi province
 

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Well done on the hat-trick Shi Jin, what an amazing trip!

I think you made the right call going for the bins and not the camera for a lifer!

Andrew
 
Thursday, 3rd May, 2012; Wenyu River, Chaoyang district, Beijing

Cycled down to the paddies for a couple of hours in the late afternoon:

1 Taiga Flycatcher
c20 1st winter Daurian Jackdaws (not seen an adult for several weeks).
c40 Wood Sandpipers
3 Green Sandpipers
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Little Ringed Plover
1 Temminck's Stint (photo)
sev. Little Buntings
c20 "Eastern" Yellow Wagtail
1 "Western" Yellow Wagtail
2 Eastern Great White Egrets
1 Little Egret
1 Rustic Bunting
sev. Little Buntings
sev. Common Snipe
c20 Teals
few Mallard
1 Chinese Pond Heron

394 "Western" Yellow Wagtail
 

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2.45pm to 4.30pm, Sunday, 6th May, 2012; Wenyu River, Chaoyang district, Beijing

Cycled to the paddies:

Remarkable congregation of c350 Wood Sandpipers (a few shown in shot below)
sev. Common Snipes
2 Little Ringed Plovers
sev. Green Sandpipers
2 Common Sandpipers
1 Chinese Pond Heron
a few Little Buntings
1 Chestnut-eared Bunting
1 Tristram's Bunting (photo)
1 Red-throated Pipit (3 photos)
sev. White-cheeked Starlings
sev. Eastern Yellow Wagtails
 

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394 "Western" Yellow Wagtail
Interesting one, Shi Jin. This seems to be one of the biggest ID headaches in East Asia (although cryptic ID is definitely not my strength!). Both Western Motacilla flava thunbergi ('plexa') (aka Grey-headed) and Eastern M tschutschensis macronyx (aka Manchurian) are regular migrants in eastern China and you must see plenty of both, but how do you identify them in the field (eg, Alström et al 2003 concluded that they're not safely separable)?
 
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8am to 10am, Monday, 7th May, 2012; Wenyu River, Chaoyang district, Beijing

Cycled to the paddies:

The c350 Wood Sandpipers I saw yesterday afternoon on the east bank of the Wenyu river had all departed.

8 Common Sandpipers
3 Green Sandpipers
2 Little Ringed Plovers
1 Greenshank
sev. Common Snipes

c20 Eastern Yellow Wagtails ... To answer Richard's above-point; Brazil's (East Asia fieldguide) 2008, shows that Eastern and Western should be separable. Even so, only about 10 per cent of the yellow wagtails I see, are contentenders for Western (thunbergi), and only a few of those show the full-suite of characteristics that take it beyond reasonable doubt (see Brazil 2008). For comparison, a pic of a typical Eastern I took this morning appears below (maronyx ssp aka Manchurian). One thing is for sure, there is huge degree of overlap between the species (if indeed they are species) and sub-species.

c10 Taiga Flycatcher
2 Pallas's Reed Buntings
2 Black-faced Buntings
c10 Little Buntings
1 Chinese Penduline Tit
5 Eastern Cattle Egrets (flew through, heading north) - photo
1 Amur Falcon
3 Richards's Pipits - flew through
2 Olive-backed Pipits
2 great white egrets
1 Hoopoe
3 Rufous Turtle Doves
1 Chinese Pond Heron
1 Baillon's Crake (took off from dangerously close to my boot, and flew 15 yards into the paddy).
1 Grey Wagtail (photo)
1 pipit sp (photo) Leaning towards Blyth's on basis of vocalisations, size, structure, posture, bill, median-covert markings... but it's been a long time since I've seen one, so need to research)

395 Grey Wagtail
 

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Hey Shi Jin, I haven't said congrats yet on the great hat trick! Very impressive - especially with all the elements working against you.

I like your last pipit picture in the previous series especially - a great pose on the leaf.

I've just been staring at yellow wags (very good numbers out today!) and trying to decide... of course my biggest problem is seeing them well when they move so constantly.
 
Thanks Gretchen

It's a good time to be out and about in these parts. (I hope that you can manage to get to Beidaihe or Nandaihe this week.)

I still haven't quite got over seeing the c350 Wood Sandpipers yesterday.

That's the beauty of it... At this time of year, you never know just what you might see.

Cheers.


Shi Jin
 
It's a good time to be out and about in these parts. (I hope that you can manage to get to Beidaihe or Nandaihe this week.)

I still haven't quite got over seeing the c350 Wood Sandpipers yesterday.

A quick trip down to the sandflats today to show a friend who had never watched birds much what shore birds were like. Not a lot of birds, but we saw whimbrels, golden plovers, sandpipers, egrets, and she was most delighted with the yellow wagtails (as well as the sandpiper) - which are quite delightful. Surely nothing like the spectacle you saw! (The point is I'd have to be there every day to have any likelihood of something like that ;) )
 
6.20am to 8.20am, Tuesday, 8th May, 2012; Wenyu River, Chaoyang district, Beijing

Cycled down to the Wenyu paddyfields:

c80 yellow wagatails (half too far to say more than that; but other half were Eastern): At least three races present: most were Manchurian; but at least 1 Green-headed Wagtail Montacilla (tschutschensis) taivana; and one that looked like an "Alaskan" Montacilla (tschutschensis) tschutschensis. Photos of the two rarer races appear below.

1 Wood Sandpiper
5 Green Sandpipers
8 Common Sandpipers
2 Black-winged Stilts
1 Little Ringed Plover with:
1 Ringed Plover Extremely distant. This is a rare bird in NE China (only the second I've found here). ssp tundrae
c10 Taiga Flycatchers
c20 Yellow-browed Warblers
sev. Black-faced Buntings
a few Little Buntings
c15 Olive-backed Pipits
1 male Mandarin Duck flew south along the Wenyu River
c20 Richard's Pipits
1 Bluethroat (photo)
1 Eastern Buzzard
1 Night Heron
2 Little Egrets
3 Great White Egrets
1 Red-throated Pipit (photo)
c20 White-cheeked Starlings
1 Chinese Pond Heron

4 terrapins sp sun-bathing (photo)
 

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Your terrapins look like Red-eared Sliders - an alien species from the Mississippi Basin and spread globally through the pet trade.

I have them on my patch too.

Cheers
Mike
 
Just got a message from Mr Yu telling me that the Pied Falconets now have three adorable chicks.

Mr Yu will pick you up from the airport (Huangshan is by far the closest, but also Hangzhou is doable); as well as showing you the Pied Falconets he will also take you to the Courtois's Laughingthrush reserve; show you Swinhoe's Minivet; and give you a shot at Elliot's Pheasant. He will also arrange for you to stay at the Pied Falconet place.

His number is +86 13767390001

Please note however, I have not used Mr Yu's services (I bumped into him after finding the birds myself), so I can't vouch for him.

Also note that he doesn't speak a word of English.

What I can say is that he comes across as a genuine and likeable chap.

Also, please note that everything I know about Wuyuan and its birds is on here.

I don't mind answering BF messages about Wuyuan (as long as the odd "please" and "thank you" is used), but there's not a lot more I am able to add.

Best regards.


Shi Jin
 
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Monday, 14th May, 2012; Wenyu River, Chaoyang district, Beijing

The full summer-plumaged Pacific Golden Plover among the flock of 8 that graced the north bank of the Wenyu River would, on most other days, run-away with the "bird of the day" prize. Not least because the species wasn't one of the 365 I photographed in 2010 (in fact, these are the first Pacific Golden Plovers I've seen for a few years; and my first sighting in Beijing).

But the sighting was eclipsed by something that remains a mystery.

The attached photo is of a very interesting snipe.

It looks to me like it might - JUST MIGHT - be a Latham's (note, though, the myriad of caveats; the biggest of which is that I've never seen one before).

This was not just a stocky, pot-bellied, stout-billed, pale-faced snipe, it was strikingly large.

But, then again, so is Swinhoe's.

At the risk of clutching at some particularly brittle straws, let me just add that there is some circumstantial evidence in favour of the first-mentioned species, in that it was seen on Latham's Day, the very date (May 14th) that Brian Ivon Jones photographed Latham's in the very same place 3 years ago.

Brian's photo of the bird standing next to a Common Snipe appears here.

http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?p=5&Bird_ID=1180&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

Same bird here:

http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?p=4&Bird_ID=1180&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

I would be delighted to hear from anyone who has an opinion on the snipe I (very poorly) photographed.

Cheers


Shi JIn


Other birds of note:

c20 Richard's Pipits
1 Forest Wagtail
c30 Wood Sandpipers
1 Chestnut Bunting
several Fan-tailed Warblers

397 Pacific Golden Plover
398 Chestnut Bunting
 

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Saturday 19th May "Happy Island", Hebei province

I first came to Happy Island in 1994.

In those days, there was a real chance that the tide would be "wrong" and that the boat would struggle to dock here on what was one of the wildest places in this part of the country.

But at least you knew where you were.

These days, "Happy Island" is suffering a crisis of identity.

Is it a bird sanctuary? A golf resort? A retreat for high-ranking party officials? A day-trippers paradise? A construction site? Or soon-to-be the site of China's largest off-shore windfarm?

windfarm report here: http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2012-01/14/content_14446298.htm

The crisis of identity is very much reflected in Happy Island's name.

Or, to be precise, its three "official" names.

To confuse things further, "Happy Island" (Kuaile Dao in Chinese) is not one of them.

The three names are Puti Dao (Dao = island) Shijiu Tuo (Tuo - island), and Bodhi Island.

Remarkably, despite the confusion, and despite the incredible development on the island ("Buddhist" temples and a soon-to-be-completed ring-road accounting for a large part of the investment), the area that would be attractive to a passing bird remains large and inviting.

I arrived on the island at about 3pm, and quickly made for the Temple woods.

The site of some incredible birds over the years, Temple woods had decided to take a breather.

The wind had been southerly all day, and the sky was clear, so presumably just about everything on the move had decided to keep going, in a northerly direction.

In fact, my local patch by the Wenyu River in Beijing would have been far more productive...

After two hours of walking and seeing bugger all, I lamented that Unhappy Island was a more-fitting 5th name for it (Earlier that day I had re-christened the "Magic Wood" near the embarkation point to "Unhappy Island" as the "Tragic Wood" because of the destruction there and the dearth of birds)

But most clouds tend to have a silver lining...

30 mins before dark - as I was supping a pint of Boddingtons on the roof terrace - I heard the unmistakable notes of a flock of Little Whimbrel.

Putting my glass down, and lifting up my field glasses, I watched the magical site of c30 of them passing overhead.

Things weren't that bad I mused.

I poured myself another pint of Bodds and sat back to watch the Sun's golden orb melt into the distant clouds that hovered above the horizon.

What would tomorrow bring, I wondered.


Shi Jin
 
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Thanks for explaining the mysterious names of that place ... it's always confusing to me. It is not just birders but most expats I know who blithely rename all those points of special interest to them, with names which have no connection to what locals call them - it's a kind of coping strategy I suppose for dealing with strange languages. (Yes, it's a pet peeve of mine!)

Looking forward to better news of "the next day"!

PS Hadn't heard about the development there - do local planners seem to have any sense of the natural significance of the place?
 
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Richard, yes I made sure I took a few pints over on the boat.

Gretchen, I believe that the name of Kuaile Dao (Happy Island) was given to it by the Laoting (the county town nearby) government many years ago, when they had juristiction over it. Administratively, Laoting county reports to Tangshan city, whose government some time back decided to take direct control of the island. The name-change to Puti Dao signified the change of "ownership". The locals continue to refer to it by its long-standing name of Shijiu Tuo. And I'll continue to use "Happy Island" (for reasons that will become clear later).

Sunday 20th May "Happy Island", Hebei province


Out at 5am, hoping that there had been a fall of migrants that would fill yesterday's bare bushes.

By 7am, I had seen... a Brown Flycatcher, a Dusky Warbler, and 3 Red-billed Starlings.

Later, a pleasant round-island walk produced little in the way of birds (a Black-faced Bunting, 2 Eastern Marsh Harriers, several Fan-tailed Warblers, 5 Black-winged Stilts, 4 Brown Shrikes).

But at least it was getting cloudier, and the wind had changed direction from S to ESE, and was picking up strength.

We were scheduled to leave the island at 3pm, and so I decided to skip lunch.

Then at 1.30pm birds began to appear:

In 30 minutes I saw 3 Siberian, 2 Grey-streaked, 1 Taiga, 1 Yellow-rumped, and 3 Brown Flycatchers; 1 Swinhoe's Robin; 1 Daurian Starling; a Claudia's Warbler, 2 Pale-legged Leaf Warblers; 1 "arctic" warbler sp (apparently there are three species that could be seen here); 2 Pallas's Warblers and...

...one of the most incredible surprises that has hopped into my binocular-vision. I was focusing on a drinking pool, through some tangled undergrowth, where a Swinhoe's Robin had been bathing only moments before.

And there it was!

I found myself expelling a tersely-spoken expletive as I realised that I was watching a full-on male Narcissus Flycatcher (Elisa's gaudy cousin).

After drinking this in for 30 seconds, I suddenly remembered that my camera was on the floor next to where I was sitting.

Finding the bird in the viewfinder through a dense tangle of undergrowth proved to be mission impossible. What's more, it wasn't there when I swapped back to my bins.

I looked at my watch, I had 10 minutes before I had to head back to the boat.

A search of the area revealed not a sight nor sound of one of the most astonishing birds I've ever seen.

Happy Island!
 
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