mjgrunwell
Well-known member
Hello and welcome to a new thread focused on bird migration around Shanghai. In this thread I will always try to give precise and accurate information of sightings and areas so that others can be encouraged to join me in looking for coastal migrants.
After two years based in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, I am now living and working in Shanghai. So far I have explored two green areas of the city and made three trips to the far end of metro line 16 to explore the area known as Nanhui.
See the attached maps
Dishui lake is the last stop on line 16. It takes exactly one hour to travel the 12 stages from Yang Long Road station. It takes 45 minutes to walk clockwise round to the eastern shore of the lake then head due east out to the sea wall. There is a free electric bus that will save the walk round the lake, the walk out to the seawall is another 35 minutes but you are walking surrounded by a vast expanse of phragmite reed-bed.
I first visited on Monday 17th August when it was hot and sunny. My visit on Sunday 23rd August was a complete washout. Yesterday, Saturday 29th August I walked to the seawall but then met a very friendly local photographer who drove me around for the rest of the day.
I discovered that the large area of water inland of the seawall is the site for wintering BF spoonbill known as Dongtan wetland. I was also shown the bushes near the Holiday Inn hotel (marked on attached map) which hold migrants at passage times and brown-eared bulbul in winter. The small car park here is the “Magic Parking Lot”
I hope to be able to get out to Yangshan Island this autumn as I am sure this is the key site for migrants anywhere close to the city.
Like other visitors to the area I was profoundly shocked by the severity and scale of environmental damage both recent, current and planned. I was told that the few remaining square kilometres of reedbed were all to be removed and the wetland where the spoonbill winter had been given a two year reprieve when it too will be filled to create rice paddies. I was told that this was because there is a minimum percentage of agricultural land required in the area and because so much farming land is now urban development in order to keep up an artificial quota pristine reedbed will be destroyed. Utterly crazy and deeply soul-destroying.
The situation off-shore is even worse, an area of 90 square kilometres of mudflats is being enclosed in order to be reclaimed. I struggle to comprehend the sheer stupidity and barbarity of this ecological vandalism.
Anyway, back to birding; I spent most of my first and third visit looking at shorebirds and accumulated an impressive list of 25 species of wader. I discovered that there is no visible migration of passerines in mid August and only a little at the end of August with no warblers yet moving through. On my wet visit on 23 August I spent some time trudging around the Shanghai Binhai forest park, no migrants but plenty of egrets.
Combined bird list for Dishui lake and NanHui coastline, 17 and 29 August 2015 includes 23 August when rained-off.
The names and order as used by Brazil, Birds of East Asia
Eastern Spot-billed duck 1 on the big lake at Dongtan
Little grebe, few
GC grebe, 5+ on Dongtan
Yellow bittern, several seen flying over the reeds near Dishui on 17 Aug, one seen on 29 Aug
Schrenck’s bittern One seen well flying over the shoreline saltmarsh, about 1 km south of the Holiday Inn. Only my second-ever record, the first being one in very similar circumstances at Yangkou in early October.
BC Night Heron, common overhead as dusk approaches
Chinese Pond Heron, particularly common at SB forest park
Eastern cattle egret, common at SB forest park and around Dongtan
Grey Heron, 5+ seen on 17 Aug, 20+ on 29 Aug
GW egret, 1 on coast on 29 Aug
Intermediate egret, 5+ on coast on 29 Aug
Little egret, hundreds along the coast
(CT) Dalmatian pelican, One adult at great distance in the middle of Dishui lake, 2.30 pm, 17 August, it then flew around for 5 minutes before heading off north. Diagnostic wing pattern noted in flight. My first sighting of this species since a few in Deep Bay, Hong Kong way back in 1988. (The Chinese tick status is because my Chinese list is since 01 August 2013)
Eurasian Kestrel, a few seen along the coast.
Moorhen, fairly common at SB forest park
BW Stilt, few noted on 17 Aug
Lesser sand plover, a common shoreline species, many in strong colours on 17 Aug, all much plainer on 29 Aug. Splitting into races will have to wait until next spring.
Common snipe, one at the sewall on 17 Aug. Several distant flying Snipe sp.
Eastern black-tailed godwit, a fairly common bird here, 50+ on 29 Aug
Bar-tailed godwit, 4+ on 29 Aug
Whimbrel, the commonest of the curlew at this time, several flocks seen. 50+ on 17 Aug, 30+ on 29 Aug
Eurasian curlew, 5 on 29 Aug
Common redshank, fairly common shoreline species
Spotted redshank, only a few seen on 29 Aug, much commoner on 17 Aug
Marsh sandpiper, uncommon, a few seen on both dates
Common Greenshank, 20+ on 17 Aug, 10+ on 29 Aug
Green sandpiper, a few seen on 17 Aug
Wood sandpiper, surprisingly common on the shoreline for a fresh water species.
Grey-tailed tattler, a species with an identity crisis; it really wants to be a green sandpiper and lurk in grassy areas near the sea wall. Always close to the upper shoreline. 4 on 17 August, one on 29 Aug
Terek sandpiper, much commoner on 29 Aug, 50+
Common sand, always a few around
Ruddy turnstone, one on 29 Aug
Great Knot, a remarkably odd bird, for a European birder it has a very strange jizz which reminds one of several other species but just ends up confusing you until you realize that it is just a great knot. 20+ on 17 Aug but none seen on 29 Aug. I wonder if they are bit like red knot in England and first move through rather early?
Red-necked stint, commoner on 17 Aug when many still showing strong colour
Temminck’stint a few inland on 17 Aug
Long-toed stint One in a muddy pool below the seawall on 29 Aug.
Sharp-tailed sand, at least 3 on 29 Aug. Not a bird I am very familiar with, need more practice.
Dunlin, plenty around but not yet common
Broad-billed sandpiper, a few seen on both dates. Close views of grey adult and browner juvenile on 29 Aug.
Oriental pratincole, I had this species in early September at Poyang Hu, at least 10 birds drifting through on 29 Aug. Maybe late Aug/early Sep is peak passage time?
Black-tailed gull, 8 birds seen well on 17 Aug only, the first years remind me of sooty gull.
(CT) Little tern One seen on 17 Aug
Gull-billed tern, 20+ on 17 Aug, common on 29 Aug, 100+
Whiskered tern, none seen on 17 Aug, large flocks on 29 Aug, 100+
White-winged tern, 40+ on 17 Aug, very common on 29 Aug, 300+
Red turtle dove, I seen in SB forest park on 23 Aug, 2 pairs along seawall on 29 Aug
Spotted dove, common in SF Forest park
Cuckoo sp a young bird in the reeds on 17 Aug, at least two seen, probably lesser, on 29 Aug.
Pacific swift, 4+ along seawall on 29 Aug
Common kingfisher, few at Dongtan
Black-winged cuckoo-shrike, one male on 29 Aug on walk out to seawall
Brown Shrike, fairly common, not sure if these are local breeders or migrants
LT Shrike, common
Sand martin, aware of the possibility of Pale martin, spent time looking at some obligingly close birds, all looked good for Sand to me, 30+
Barn swallow, by far the commonest aerial feeder, hundreds on 29 Aug
Plain prinia, common in the reeds
Chinese bulbul, common at SF forest park
Crested myna, fairly common
Blackbird, few in SB forest park
Tree sparrow, by far the commonest resident bird
Eastern yellow wagtail, 10+ birds on 29 Aug all looking very dark and probably young “eastern”, need much more study on this.
White wagtail, all seen were Amur, leucopsis, 10+
Chinese grosbeak, 10+ in SF forest park
No buntings, warblers or flycatchers yet, roll on Autumn!
After two years based in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, I am now living and working in Shanghai. So far I have explored two green areas of the city and made three trips to the far end of metro line 16 to explore the area known as Nanhui.
See the attached maps
Dishui lake is the last stop on line 16. It takes exactly one hour to travel the 12 stages from Yang Long Road station. It takes 45 minutes to walk clockwise round to the eastern shore of the lake then head due east out to the sea wall. There is a free electric bus that will save the walk round the lake, the walk out to the seawall is another 35 minutes but you are walking surrounded by a vast expanse of phragmite reed-bed.
I first visited on Monday 17th August when it was hot and sunny. My visit on Sunday 23rd August was a complete washout. Yesterday, Saturday 29th August I walked to the seawall but then met a very friendly local photographer who drove me around for the rest of the day.
I discovered that the large area of water inland of the seawall is the site for wintering BF spoonbill known as Dongtan wetland. I was also shown the bushes near the Holiday Inn hotel (marked on attached map) which hold migrants at passage times and brown-eared bulbul in winter. The small car park here is the “Magic Parking Lot”
I hope to be able to get out to Yangshan Island this autumn as I am sure this is the key site for migrants anywhere close to the city.
Like other visitors to the area I was profoundly shocked by the severity and scale of environmental damage both recent, current and planned. I was told that the few remaining square kilometres of reedbed were all to be removed and the wetland where the spoonbill winter had been given a two year reprieve when it too will be filled to create rice paddies. I was told that this was because there is a minimum percentage of agricultural land required in the area and because so much farming land is now urban development in order to keep up an artificial quota pristine reedbed will be destroyed. Utterly crazy and deeply soul-destroying.
The situation off-shore is even worse, an area of 90 square kilometres of mudflats is being enclosed in order to be reclaimed. I struggle to comprehend the sheer stupidity and barbarity of this ecological vandalism.
Anyway, back to birding; I spent most of my first and third visit looking at shorebirds and accumulated an impressive list of 25 species of wader. I discovered that there is no visible migration of passerines in mid August and only a little at the end of August with no warblers yet moving through. On my wet visit on 23 August I spent some time trudging around the Shanghai Binhai forest park, no migrants but plenty of egrets.
Combined bird list for Dishui lake and NanHui coastline, 17 and 29 August 2015 includes 23 August when rained-off.
The names and order as used by Brazil, Birds of East Asia
Eastern Spot-billed duck 1 on the big lake at Dongtan
Little grebe, few
GC grebe, 5+ on Dongtan
Yellow bittern, several seen flying over the reeds near Dishui on 17 Aug, one seen on 29 Aug
Schrenck’s bittern One seen well flying over the shoreline saltmarsh, about 1 km south of the Holiday Inn. Only my second-ever record, the first being one in very similar circumstances at Yangkou in early October.
BC Night Heron, common overhead as dusk approaches
Chinese Pond Heron, particularly common at SB forest park
Eastern cattle egret, common at SB forest park and around Dongtan
Grey Heron, 5+ seen on 17 Aug, 20+ on 29 Aug
GW egret, 1 on coast on 29 Aug
Intermediate egret, 5+ on coast on 29 Aug
Little egret, hundreds along the coast
(CT) Dalmatian pelican, One adult at great distance in the middle of Dishui lake, 2.30 pm, 17 August, it then flew around for 5 minutes before heading off north. Diagnostic wing pattern noted in flight. My first sighting of this species since a few in Deep Bay, Hong Kong way back in 1988. (The Chinese tick status is because my Chinese list is since 01 August 2013)
Eurasian Kestrel, a few seen along the coast.
Moorhen, fairly common at SB forest park
BW Stilt, few noted on 17 Aug
Lesser sand plover, a common shoreline species, many in strong colours on 17 Aug, all much plainer on 29 Aug. Splitting into races will have to wait until next spring.
Common snipe, one at the sewall on 17 Aug. Several distant flying Snipe sp.
Eastern black-tailed godwit, a fairly common bird here, 50+ on 29 Aug
Bar-tailed godwit, 4+ on 29 Aug
Whimbrel, the commonest of the curlew at this time, several flocks seen. 50+ on 17 Aug, 30+ on 29 Aug
Eurasian curlew, 5 on 29 Aug
Common redshank, fairly common shoreline species
Spotted redshank, only a few seen on 29 Aug, much commoner on 17 Aug
Marsh sandpiper, uncommon, a few seen on both dates
Common Greenshank, 20+ on 17 Aug, 10+ on 29 Aug
Green sandpiper, a few seen on 17 Aug
Wood sandpiper, surprisingly common on the shoreline for a fresh water species.
Grey-tailed tattler, a species with an identity crisis; it really wants to be a green sandpiper and lurk in grassy areas near the sea wall. Always close to the upper shoreline. 4 on 17 August, one on 29 Aug
Terek sandpiper, much commoner on 29 Aug, 50+
Common sand, always a few around
Ruddy turnstone, one on 29 Aug
Great Knot, a remarkably odd bird, for a European birder it has a very strange jizz which reminds one of several other species but just ends up confusing you until you realize that it is just a great knot. 20+ on 17 Aug but none seen on 29 Aug. I wonder if they are bit like red knot in England and first move through rather early?
Red-necked stint, commoner on 17 Aug when many still showing strong colour
Temminck’stint a few inland on 17 Aug
Long-toed stint One in a muddy pool below the seawall on 29 Aug.
Sharp-tailed sand, at least 3 on 29 Aug. Not a bird I am very familiar with, need more practice.
Dunlin, plenty around but not yet common
Broad-billed sandpiper, a few seen on both dates. Close views of grey adult and browner juvenile on 29 Aug.
Oriental pratincole, I had this species in early September at Poyang Hu, at least 10 birds drifting through on 29 Aug. Maybe late Aug/early Sep is peak passage time?
Black-tailed gull, 8 birds seen well on 17 Aug only, the first years remind me of sooty gull.
(CT) Little tern One seen on 17 Aug
Gull-billed tern, 20+ on 17 Aug, common on 29 Aug, 100+
Whiskered tern, none seen on 17 Aug, large flocks on 29 Aug, 100+
White-winged tern, 40+ on 17 Aug, very common on 29 Aug, 300+
Red turtle dove, I seen in SB forest park on 23 Aug, 2 pairs along seawall on 29 Aug
Spotted dove, common in SF Forest park
Cuckoo sp a young bird in the reeds on 17 Aug, at least two seen, probably lesser, on 29 Aug.
Pacific swift, 4+ along seawall on 29 Aug
Common kingfisher, few at Dongtan
Black-winged cuckoo-shrike, one male on 29 Aug on walk out to seawall
Brown Shrike, fairly common, not sure if these are local breeders or migrants
LT Shrike, common
Sand martin, aware of the possibility of Pale martin, spent time looking at some obligingly close birds, all looked good for Sand to me, 30+
Barn swallow, by far the commonest aerial feeder, hundreds on 29 Aug
Plain prinia, common in the reeds
Chinese bulbul, common at SF forest park
Crested myna, fairly common
Blackbird, few in SB forest park
Tree sparrow, by far the commonest resident bird
Eastern yellow wagtail, 10+ birds on 29 Aug all looking very dark and probably young “eastern”, need much more study on this.
White wagtail, all seen were Amur, leucopsis, 10+
Chinese grosbeak, 10+ in SF forest park
No buntings, warblers or flycatchers yet, roll on Autumn!