[china guy]

Here's some pics from our chilly Crane watching at the Dashanbao Nature Reserve in Northern Yunnan - well it wasn't so cold during the midday when the sun was shining - but those frosty mornings and clear-sky evenings made an ear-lobe or two tingle!!!!!
Thankfully after gloomy posts of hunting that have recently peculated through the China threads - we can happily report on a conservation story from this reserve - one which leads towards protection and a local population realizing that live birds can be a potential money earner. All this has come about because a local lady, Chen Guanghui - has taken on the task of feeding wintering Black-necked Cranes. And even though the practice of feeding wild bird populations can be a questionable one - with issues involving possible habituation to human contact - it seems that any activity that's proactive in maintaining population numbers of any bird is far preferable to the usual gauntlet of net and gun that many migrants suffer during their passage through China. Indeed winter populations of the rare Cranes at this reserve have built up in number and have exceeded the 1000 mark.
On top of the feeding - Chen Guanghui - has started to build up a little eco-industry on the backs of the birds - with a guesthouse that's built just over the road from a complex of viewing hides - which are the very first we've ever seen in China.
This place is a very long day's ride from Chengdu (well at least if there's not a landslide on the motorway - as on our trip - which which meant 2 day's driving). We did it in combo with the Sichuan Hill Partridge site - Laojunshan - which is situated just on the Sichuan/Yunnan border.
The place, which is located around the 3,000m mark, is a photographer's dream land - that is if the sun is shining. On our last day we woke up in the clouds and could barely see a hand in front of our noses.
Other birds are waterfowl and raptors - but nothing too spectacular - still early on in season for many ducks. There was also a single Common Crane present.
Pics are of Cranes - the Crane Lady - and her Crane Empire complete with hides and guesthouse.

[rockfowl]

Well done Sid, it can get a bit depressing at times... the latest post definately in the feel-good camp, some lovely, evocative images once again!

[temmie]

@ Mike: I tried to PM you, but your inbox is full.

[MKinHK]

Not any more. Look forward to hearing from you Temmie

Cheers
Mike

[Gretchen]

Sid, great to hear about and see pics of your crane watching! It was surely cheery news. What does someone feed cranes by the way?

Went out for a chilly but sunny afternoon (3-5 pm), probably around 0 Celsius, but blessedly little wind. Didn't see any cranes, as I had hoped to, and not too much else either. But there was a late curlew and a green sand (I think, a little distant) - the latter seemed "frozen in place", hopefully not literally but he didn't seem to move. Wonder how late he is? Hopefully he knows where to head south.

Most interesting birds were buntings in the grasses on the sandflats. There were maybe 4-6 up high near the seed heads eating, but even so were quite tricky to see with the movement of the grasses. I mostly saw some almost blindingly white breast (well, in the low angle sunlight), and white malar stripes (maybe black beneath the beak? maybe black on head?). With the few glimpses I got, there are still a lot of bunting possibilites, but I have two questions, don't know if anyone has thoughts on:

1) Are buntings other than Pallas' Reed and Common Reed likely to be up in the marsh grass like that?
2) Do buntings hang out in mixed groups? (I'm really not sure all the ones I saw were the same.)
Oh and one related question, do other birds (buntings?) hang out with tree sparrows? I mean if I identify one in a group as tree sparrow, can I be sure they all are? (I didn't see a tree sparrow in that bunting group, but saw some elsewhere in the marsh.)

One other mystery. I thought I saw a large brown winged bird flying away from me low over the marsh. I thought it could be a hawk or owl, but I don't think it landed in a tree (seemed to disappear behind the grasses), and didn't reappear. I don't know if that brings to mind any possibilities or if the id is wide open.

Little egret flock was down to 6 brave (hopefully not foolish) birds fluffed up and looking cold. A few little grebes still around. A lot of ponds were frozen over and I saw only distant views of a half dozen ducks.

PS Also meant to ask - do buntings go into non-breeding plumage before or after migration? (Or perhaps it depends on the species?)

[china guy]

What does someone feed cranes by the way?

When encountering a hungry Crane - a pocket full of corn or chopped potatoes may help you make a new bird-friend!!!!!!

[rockfowl]

Originally Posted by Gretchen

Sid, great to hear about and see pics of your crane watching! It was surely cheery news. What does someone feed cranes by the way?

Went out for a chilly but sunny afternoon (3-5 pm), probably around 0 Celsius, but blessedly little wind. Didn't see any cranes, as I had hoped to, and not too much else either. But there was a late curlew and a green sand (I think, a little distant) - the latter seemed "frozen in place", hopefully not literally but he didn't seem to move. Wonder how late he is? Hopefully he knows where to head south.

Most interesting birds were buntings in the grasses on the sandflats. There were maybe 4-6 up high near the seed heads eating, but even so were quite tricky to see with the movement of the grasses. I mostly saw some almost blindingly white breast (well, in the low angle sunlight), and white malar stripes (maybe black beneath the beak? maybe black on head?). With the few glimpses I got, there are still a lot of bunting possibilites, but I have two questions, don't know if anyone has thoughts on:

1) Are buntings other than Pallas' Reed and Common Reed likely to be up in the marsh grass like that?

Yes, mostly Pallas's and Japanese Reed, Common Reed is the species least encountered

2) Do buntings hang out in mixed groups? (I'm really not sure all the ones I saw were the same.)

Yes

Oh and one related question, do other birds (buntings?) hang out with tree sparrows? I mean if I identify one in a group as tree sparrow, can I be sure they all are? (I didn't see a tree sparrow in that bunting group, but saw some elsewhere in the marsh.)

Yes they do form mixed feeding flocks, often with Rustic, Little and Yellow-throated, especially in areas like the reservoir edge

One other mystery. I thought I saw a large brown winged bird flying away from me low over the marsh. I thought it could be a hawk or owl, but I don't think it landed in a tree (seemed to disappear behind the grasses), and didn't reappear. I don't know if that brings to mind any possibilities or if the id is wide open.

Probably a Short-eared Owl, a good area for them and the right time of year!

Little egret flock was down to 6 brave (hopefully not foolish) birds fluffed up and looking cold. A few little grebes still around. A lot of ponds were frozen over and I saw only distant views of a half dozen ducks.

PS Also meant to ask - do buntings go into non-breeding plumage before or after migration? (Or perhaps it depends on the species?)

Both, not necessarily species dependant

If this makes sense

[Dong Bei]

No auks here in the winter. I think it must be the shallow sea or the lack of fish in the area. I haven't seen any loons/divers in the area also which has always surprised me a little. There are plenty of Mergansers, Goldeneye, Grebes, and other diving ducks who do find something to eat here through the winter. It could also be just here in my area and I don't have other people here to swap info or share observations with. I rarely get out the other areas of the ocean here on the peninsula.

I did get out birding yesterday for about an hour in one of my favorite areas but was turned back by the cold after a while. I managed a nice photo of Elegant/Yellow-throated Bunting and Siberian Accentor side by side showing how the two could be confused in a quick glance.
Bird list from yesterday:

Ring-necked Pheasant
Japanese Quail
Little Grebe
Upland Buzzard
Azure-winged Magpie
Black-billed Magpie
Eastern Great Tit
Chinese Bulbul
Vinous-throated Parrotbill
Naumann's Thrush
Dusky Thrush
Daurian Redstart
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Siberian Accentor
Brambling
Oriental Greenfinch
Meadow Bunting
Rustic Bunting
Elegant Bunting
Common Reed Bunting

Tom

[rockfowl]

Interesting pic Tom!

[MKinHK]

That bunting looks a little too interested in the Sibe Accentor for complete peace of mind . . .

[xiaoming]

Originally Posted by Dong Bei

No auks here in the winter. I think it must be the shallow sea or the lack of fish in the area. I haven't seen any loons/divers in the area also which has always surprised me a little. Tom

Hi tom,

If you are interested in Loons, Murrelets and Sea Cormorants......., I suggest you vist Shichengliedao islands, not far from dalian.

Li Ming

[MKinHK]

Thanks Xiaoming

which species occur?

Mike

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by rockfowl

If this makes sense

Mark, yes - quite clear. Just wish we could get those buntings to be a bit more organized about molting - it gives me about double the number of possible plumages to consider. Nice to think the other might have been SEO - maybe a better view next time.

Sid, glad you don't have to keep a pocket full of invertebrates to make friends with cranes (really I guess I had no idea what they ate ).

Tom, fascinating picture and good sightings considering the cold. Especially impressed about the quail - they're not easy to see, are they?

[Dong Bei]

Xiaoming, I was on those islands last June as part of a WWF Black-faced Spoonbill count. It's an amazing place! Saw Pelagic Cormorant there but I would imagine there is more ocean birds there now in the winter.

Gretchen, Japanese Quail are the little guys that fly up after you nearly step on them in short grass.

[mcaribou]

Originally Posted by MKinHK

Thanks Xiaoming

which species occur?

Mike

usually Pelagic and Japanese Cormorant,White-winged Scoter,Black-throated Loon,Long-tailed Duck.
U can contact Bai Qingquan in Dandong for more info.I guess he also joined in WWF's BFS trip this spring.
Hope to see Pacific Loon if I'm free to do a seawatch in Lianyungang this winter,and maybe Yellow-billed again.

[mcaribou]

Originally Posted by Dong Bei

Xiaoming, I was on those islands last June as part of a WWF Black-faced Spoonbill count. It's an amazing place! Saw Pelagic Cormorant there but I would imagine there is more ocean birds there now in the winter.

Gretchen, Japanese Quail are the little guys that fly up after you nearly step on them in short grass.

Dongbei,what petrel/shearwater did u see in June?I'm thinking of chumming in Lianyungang this summer to see if there're others besides Swinhoe's Stormpetrel and Streaked Shearwater.
Very interesting to know there have been so many BFS in HK.My first record of BFS passing by Shanghai area was on 31 Oct and 1 Nov.
Then one juv was found within a flock of ES in Nanjing on 14 Nov,and I saw two BFS flew by with one ES in Shanghai on 15 Nov.

[china guy]

Sid, glad you don't have to keep a pocket full of invertebrates to make friends with cranes (really I guess I had no idea what they ate ).

Cranes are omnivorous - so pocket full of grubs and amphibians or even the odd mouse would also go down a treat. One of the interesting observations at Crane feeding areas were lots of small holes in the grassland - which at first we took as the work of some rodent - but latter found out were made by the cranes in their efforts to dig out a goody or two, which, listed as part of their diet, could well have been a rodent. Other birds we saw hunting in the grass, after a voles and mice - were Kestrels, a Hen Harrier, Grey Heron and interestingly a Purple Heron (that must have froze its butt during the nighttime frosts)
And the Cranes at Dashanbao aren't just Black-necked, although they make up the vast majority of birds - you can see a Common Crane in the pic - and last winter they had a Demoiselle.
A good Crane resource is the Crane Foundation - here's their page on the Black-necked Crane
http://www.savingcranes.org/blackneckedcrane.html
An interesting fact given here is that the Black-necked, because of its remote habitat, was the last Crane to be discovered - in 1876.

[Dong Bei]

mcaribou and others,

Yes, I know Bai Qingquan in Dandong quite well and have been in contact with himmany times. Dandong gets a much greater variety of ducks and sea birds than where I am. The river between China and N. Korea there is excellent around this time of year.

Didn't sea any Petrel or Shearwater there in June.

Tom

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by Gretchen

Most interesting birds were buntings in the grasses on the sandflats. There were maybe 4-6 up high near the seed heads eating, but even so were quite tricky to see with the movement of the grasses. I mostly saw some almost blindingly white breast (well, in the low angle sunlight), and white malar stripes (maybe black beneath the beak? maybe black on head?). With the few glimpses I got, there are still a lot of bunting possibilites, ...

A little more on this. I relistened to my notes, and noted one of the buntings sort of shaking (almost shivering?) its tail. That was interesting - don't know if it was typical.

I got a little bit of audio to accompany the buntings. I tried Xeno-canto, but didn't succeed in finding all the birds I wanted, nor in finding many calls (mostly songs there). So I'm attaching the same recording in noise reduced and original versions, if anyone has interest and thinks anything sounds familiar...

[MKinHK]

Terrific shot of the cranes against a chilly winter sky - great stuff!

Cheers
Mike

[china guy]

Cheers Mike - actually up on the plateau, at heights around 3,000m, blue winter skies can also give off some solar radiation - as long as you haven't got a wind you actually get a feeling of warmth. The cold only really sets in during the night when clear skies means a big freeze.
While down here in the Sichuan basin - at a measly elevation of 500m, it's the usual winter grey day after grey day - no warmth at all.
Winter holidays in Sichuan - go high!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mcaribou]

2 Sandhill Crane,70+ Lapland Longspur,72 Common Starling and 1 Upland Buzzard in Yancheng on 24/25.
Zhang Lin from Poyang Lake

[MKinHK]

Wow! 2 Sandhill and 72 Lapland Longspur one of either of those would cheer up our winter in Hong Kong.


actually this week has been pretty good - first HK records of Northern House Martin and first Dark-throated Thrush - and then 3 of each in total! - The downside I didn't see any of them.

Cheers
Mike

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by mcaribou

2 Sandhill Crane

I was thinking Sandhill Crane sounded unusual. Is this sort of rare or really rare? It's interesting they weren't traveling with any other cranes... (mcaribou have you been seeing cranes or maybe they don't pass over your areas?)

[Gretchen]

I finally got out this afternoon for a little time before it was dark (5:00!). It was a sunny and foggy day - odd weather - and warmish mid 40 degrees. Low sun angle did produce lots of glare and not quite ideal viewing. I went to the reservoir and saw a few interesting things:

• first Great Tit in ages - I honestly am not sure I can tell from Coal Tit, so I have to keep working on this: it's challenging since they don't stay still too long.
  
• a few groups of Elegant Buntings - they remind me of the the White Throated Sparrows at home going through the leaf litter on the ground; these guys with their little squeaks too really did sound like mice.
  
• still maybe 3 Little Egrets or so - not in a group, all individuals in different places, some flying between ponds; hope they're going to make it south!
  
• a group of 4 distant smallish waders - coloring reminded me of Green Sandpipers (very dark backs), but it seems strange they would be in a group (and late for any waders I guess?)
  
• a little flock (7) of small dark ducks - they actually blended in and I didn't see them well at all, but they had fairly slender and dark heads and were dabblers - maybe Falcated ducks??
  
• three woodpecker species! - had very good view of a Grey-headed Woodpecker, eating sumac berries, which I had no idea they would do, but have just read elsewhere that some woodpeckers do like sumac
  
• had a very brief view of a small woodpecker, which I can't quite identify, in part because it was quickly chased off by a Great Spotted; the little one had a noticeably short and pointy beak, a definitely not white belly (I'm not clear if it was striped or not), a white L shape over and behind the eye, (no red I could see), and I thought a fairly dark back. As I understand, Grey-capped and Japanese Pygmy are both possible here, but I'm a little stuck in that darkest backed (Grey-capped Pygmy) also has the longest bill! Next time I'll get a better look at the color on the face. If anyone has any other thoughts on this, I'm grateful for them...
  
• most surprisingly, I saw an Oriental Stork! Seems quite late? (I've not seen any cranes but assumed both storks and cranes had passed by by now.) It stood by itself in the water, moving a little, but I never really saw it fishing.