Dalian (Jinshitan) Birding Reports (2 Viewers)

Super sharp image of Kentish Plover!

Dave Beeke
British Columbia, Canada

Sea-farming Ponds April 11, 2011

Had a bit of time after work today, nice that the sun stays out longer.

No Pheasant :eek!:
Ruddy Shelduck
Gadwall
Falcated Duck
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Northern Shoveler
Garganey
Eurasian Teal
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Peregrine Falcon -- got video of it hunting this time.
Little-ringed Lover
Kentish Plover
Bar-tailed Godwit (FOS)
Eurasian Curlew (FOS)
Far-eastern Curlew
Dunlin
Black-tailed Gull
Mongolian Gull
Common Gull
Oriental Turtle Dove
Siberian Stonechat (FOS)
White Wagtail

the rest

Also from today. Got an area shot of the main river channel at low tide. Peregrine video is loading and taking a while so will post link later.

Here's the link to the hunting Peregrine from today.
http://www.birdforum.tv/action/viewvideo/2716/

Sea-farming ponds April 12, 2011

Quick ride through.

The usual ducks and no new shorebirds

Pacific Swift (FOS)
Barn Swallow (FOS)

April 13, 2011

Sea-farming ponds:

Pheasant
Ruddy Shelduck
Falcated Duck
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Garganey
Eurasian Teal
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Eurasian Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Little-ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Dunlin
Black-tailed Gull
Mongolian Gull
Vinous-throated Parrotbill
Olive-backed Pipit (FOS)
White Wagtail
Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting

Country Club: Good numbers of birds today. Good practice for the real show.

Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Little Egret (FOS)
Grey Heron
Hoopoe
Great-spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Varied Tit (second record at Country Club = group of 6)
Chinese Bulbul
Yellow-browed Warbler (FOS)
Vinous-throated Parrotbill
White-cheeked Starling
Dusky Thrush
Naumann's Thrush
Siberian Stonechat
White Wagtail
Olive-backed Pipit (FOS)
Brambling
Greenfinch
Hawfinch
Yellow-throated Bunting
Black-faced Bunting

April 13, 2011

the last ones.

6 Varied Tits... wow!

Peregrines returning to harass wildfowl

Tom: It is quite normal for Peregrines to make a pass giving the duck the impression they have left the area when in reality they are gaining height nearby preparing to re-enter the kill zone with a high-speed stoop onto the birds. I have seen this activity many times at Yeyahu where it is quite often successful.
Best Wishes,
Brian.

Dong Bei said:

Dark, foggy, and cold today. Watched two separate Peregrine Falcons go for ducks today and miss. The first chased a female mallard for a bit before diving at some others on the ground. Never seen mallards move that fast before. The other went for some Little Grebes who immediately dove. Little Grebes have the ability to come back up with only their eyes above the water and they kept doing that as the Peregrine circled and circled really close to the water waiting for another chance. I've never seen a Peregrine wait around like that, usually they take one shot and then are gone. The interesting thing is that two Spot-billed Ducks were about 20 feet away and couldn't have cared less. Think they knew it needed more speed to get them? After the whole thing was over, I realized I could have videod the whole thing. Anyway, here's the list:

Pheasant
Ruddy Shelduck
Gadwall
Falcated Duck
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Northern Shoveler
Garganey
Eurasian Teal
Common Goldeneye
Red-breasted Merganser
Little Grebe
Peregrine Falcon
Kentish Plover -- close to 100
Far Eastern Curlew (FOS)
Mongolian Gull
Black-tailed Gull
White Wagtail
Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting
Pallas's Reed Bunting

Click to expand...

Sea-farming Ponds and Country Club April 15, 2011

List from both places:

Pheasant
Ruddy Shelduck
Falcated Duck
Mallard
Spot-billed
Garganey
Eurasian Teal
Little Egret
Great Egret
Grey Plover
Kentish Plover
Black-tailed Gull
Common Gull
Common Kingfisher (FOS)
Hoopoe
Great Tit
Barn Swallow
Chinese Hill Warbler
Chinese Bulbul
Yellow-browed Warbler
White-cheeked Starling
Dusky Thrush
Naumann`s Thrush
White Wagtail
Olive-backed Pipit
Brambling
Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting
Yellow-throated Bunting (only 1)
Pallas`s Reed Bunting

Tom,

Keep meaning to say that the pics you posted on the 13th were really great! Very nice shots of the warblers - a tough bird to photograph. Just had enough internet to look at your recent videos too. The peregrine and other bird (wigeon? grebe?) are interesting. As you say, it's interesting he seemed to ignore the ducks in the foreground.

Country Club and Sea-farming Ponds April 19+20, 2011

Country Club yesterday. Not a lot happening other than more Grey Wagtails than I have ever seen in one location.

Eurasian Kestrel
Common Kingfisher
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow (FOS)
Chinese Bulbul
White-cheeked Starling
Dusky x Naumann's Thrush
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Olive-backed Pipit
Brambling
Greenfinch

Sea-farming ponds (mudflats only) not the main duck area

Mallard
Common Goldeneye
Little Egret
Eurasian Kestrel
Little-ringed Plover
Kentish Plover -- really putting on the weight now. I keep thinking they are lesser or greater sand plovers when I first arrive.
Bar-tailed Godwit
Whimbrel -- 17
Common Greenshank (FOS)
Black-tailed Gull
Common Gull
White Wagtail

Country Club April 22, 2011

Cool temp.

Pheasant - 2
Mallard - 5
Green Sandpiper - 4 (FOS)
Common Kingfisher - 4
Great Spotted Woodpecker - 2
Carrion Crow - 1 flyby
Great Tit
Barn Swallow - 10
Chinese Bulbul - 2
Yellow-browed Warbler - only 2
Vinous-throated Parrotbill - 15
White-cheeked Starling - 5
Dusky Thrush - 30
Naumann's Thrush - 2
Red-flanked Bluetail - 4 females
Siberian Stonechat - 1 female
White Wagtail - 5
Grey Wagtail - 2
Olive-backed Pipit - 25
Brambling - 10
Greenfinch - 25
Black-faced Bunting - 10

My, you really have flocks of Dusky Thrushes - do they stay all summer, or are some of these passing through?

I'm also curious about the number of kingfishers and how big an area they were seen in - does this represent two pairs do you think? Or were these all fairly spread out? I thought they were territorial and so wouldn't be likely to see more than two in a certain size area.

See you have a number of Olive Backed Pipits too! I'm not sure I've seen one - will have to try harder on those.

Not heaps of warblers for you yet - perhaps you have just seen the earliest arrivals and not the main body yet? We have had some little warblers around on campus but I haven't been able to stop and pursue them through the willow leaves and flowers which hide them perfectly.

Gretchen,

You are right, this year there have been more Dusy Thrushes than usual. They are just passing through and some of them not yet into breeding plumage.

The Kingfisher area is quite small, just one long canal. There are usually a few pair all summer there constantly trying to defend some kind of territory.

Check large areas of grass for Olive-backed Pipit. They are hard to notice sometimes but will fly up to a near tree (usually in the lower branches) and wait for you to walk past before dropping down and feeding again.

Very few warblers so far. We are usually a week or so behind most other places of the same latitude (ex: Beijing) Trees are just beginning to change.

Now is the time to be planning your next few weekend trips!

Tom

Sea-farming Ponds April 23, 2011

3 hours (5:15-8:15 am) Things are picking up.

Common Pheasant
Ruddy Shelduck
Falcated Duck
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Eurasian Teal
Little Grebe
Grey Heron
Eurasian Kestrel
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Grey-faced Buzzard (FOS)
Peregrine Falcon
Common Coot (FOS)
Little-ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Common Greenshank
Marsh Sandpiper (FOS)
Green Sandpiper
Black-headed Gull (FOS)
Black-tailed Gull
Common Gull
Oriental Turtle Dove
Common Kingfisher
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Great Tit
Chinese Penduline Tit (FOS)
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Chinese Bulbul
Yellow-browed Warbler
Vinous-throated Parrotbill
Dusky Thrush
Siberian Stonechat
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Olive-backed Pipit
Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting
Black-faced Bunting
Pallas's Reed Bunting
Common Reed Bunting (FOS)

Is this not a Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf Warbler

Dong Bei said:

I love this week of May. Next week should also have some goodies.

Click to expand...

Just joined BirdForum & have been trawling through some of Dong Bei's excellent Liaoning images and one, posted on 16 May last year (2010) looks morre like a Pale-legged/Sakhalin Leaf than an Arctic Warbler to me.

Have you any more images of this bird Dong Bei?

Love the Dalian postings...

Sea-farming Ponds April 24, 2011

2 hours today. Also had what I think was a Lanceolated Warbler right in our complex on the way out and a first of the season Straited Heron fly over the road earlier in the day.

Pheasant
Ruddy Shelduck
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Falcated Duck
Eurasian Teal
Common Goldeneye
Little Grebe
Little Egret
Eurasian Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
Common Coot
Little-ringed Plover
Kentish Plover
Whimbrel
Common Redshank (FOS)
Common Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Black-tailed Gull
Common Gull
Black-headed Gull
Common Kingfisher
Chinese Penduline Tit
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
White Wagtail
Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting

Warbler question

Firethroat and others,

Here are two more shots of the warbler in question from last May.

Country Club April 26, 2001

Excellent day for migrants today. The south wind stopped and it clouded over just before I arrived and I spent 1.5 hours there just before drizzle started around 7pm. It started on an interesting note - on the way I slammed on the breaks and turned my motorbike off while it was still in gear and not completely stopped causing me to almost vault over the handlebars when I spotted what would have been Jinshitan's first large eagle-like bird with plenty of red on it. Once comfortably back on my seat, I noticed a string attached to the bottom of it! Apparently someone decided to fly a kite over a patch of mixed scrub and forest! I looked around sheepishly to see who would be laughing but it was just me and the kite. The string went down into the woods, maybe it was stuck on a tree? Either way, it was right in the spot where all the buzzards hang out in the winter so a very relevant location. I was just reminding myself to not hurry to the birding site but to be alert on the way as anything can turn up almost anywhere heading into May!

At the Country Club I was completely overwhelmed with birds. I did a lot of birding with my binoculars and not my camera. If you have ever birded with me you know that it a rare occurence. the lighting was horrible and I tried hard to really survey the area for species instead of concentrate on photography. It's so easy to miss things during migration. One that I missed was a very rusty coloured warbler (bigger than Dusky and Radde's and more red) that popped into the reeds while I was photographing a Stubtail. I never relocated it and I think it would have been a life bird for me. There are several that fit the decription that I don't have yet.

The amount of warblers today were too much for one person! I concentrated on other things after finding some of the more common ones. Hardly any of them were calling except Yellow-browed. I heard Pallas's as I was leaving but for the most part, they were all silent.

Here is the list:

Striated Heron (FOS)
Peregrine Falcon (on the way, shortly before the new Kite species)
Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper (FOS)
Common Kingfisher
Eurasian Wryneck (FOS)
Great Tit
Coal Tit
Chinese Penduline Tit
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Chinese Bulbul
Asian Stubtail -- 10 (FOS)
Pallas's Leaf Warbler (FOS)
Arctic Warbler (FOS)
Yellow-browed Warbler
Eastern Crowned Warbler (FOS)
Vinous-throated Parrotbill
White-cheeked Starling
Dusky Thrush
Naumann's Thrush
Grey-backed Thrush -- 5 (FOS)
Red-flanked Bluetail
Siberian Stonechat
Grey Wagtail
White Wagtail
Olive-backed Pipit
Brambling
Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting
Tristram's Bunting beautiful males (FOS)
Little Bunting
Yellow-browed Bunting beautiful males (FOS)
Black-faced Bunting
Pallas's Reed Bunting -- not normally at the Country Club