Monday, 24th May
Beijing, The Summer Palace
Another gloriously sunny day tempted me out.
Once I had managed to escape the thousands of people that were swarming around the east side of the Summer Palace, things started looking up.
Two male Mandarins (350) flew in, had a look around, and flew out again.
Dozens of Swifts 351 (Beijing ssp) entertained near one of the temples (they seemed to be nesting in the roof).
A singing Oriental Reed Warbler (352) flew from the reed bed on to the lower branch of a tall tree to continue his recital.
An Indian Cuckoo (353) did something Indian Cuckoos don't do very often. It broke cover. The fact that the song stopped (in the area it had flown from) and started again in the area it flew to is good enough for me to count it. After all, if "beyond reasonable doubt" can send someone to prison, I don't feel too bad adding a bird to the 365-challenge list with the same burden of proof.
Two Oriental Honey Buzzards (354) flew high, east. Thank goodness for long lenses and computer-editing, because I could make out none of the details through my binoculars.
And then something amazing happened.
I saw a bird that I had never seen before. A bird that does not appear in any book (that I've seen), and a bird that I can find no photo of.
Now, I know that the odds of finding a new species for science in downtown Beijing are a bit on the high side (Nonggang Babbler, discovered on a mountain in Guangxi a couple of years ago, was amazing enough), but one can always dream.
I won't add it to the list just yet of course... species new to science tend to take quite a bit of time to gain acceptance. But I will put down a marker... just in case.. Here, then, is Apus jessicae...
or Jessica's Swift (named after my eldest daughter who has always hated birding ;-).
I'm looking forward to hearing what her mates at Manchester University say ;-)