[AndrewHeath]

Originally Posted by MKinHK

I also have some wonderful memories of Black Vulture so can thoroughly empathise with your superb finish!

As an American I can't bear to call that magnificent bird a black vulture. We've got our own version in the Americas, you see, and it's a slightly different beast:

                 ABV           EBV
Max Length       75cm          120cm
Max Wingspan     167cm         310cm
Max Weight       2.75kg        14kg
src: Wikipedia

So yeah, I'll stick with Monk or Cinereous lest I diminish its majesty!

[Jeff hopkins]

I've seen some (on this forum to be specific) who've suggested that we call all American vultures "condors" to distinguish from the Eurasian species.

Personally I like it for most of our species, e.g. "black condor" or "king condor", but to my ear it doesn't work for "turkey condor"

[McMadd]

Originally Posted by Jeff hopkins

I've seen some (on this forum to be specific) who've suggested that we call all American vultures "condors" to distinguish from the Eurasian species.

Personally I like it for most of our species, e.g. "black condor" or "king condor", but to my ear it doesn't work for "turkey condor"

I thought Americans called their "condors" "buzzards"? I'm confussed again ;D

McM (heading West...but not in the terminal sense even though it's via a terminal or two...

[AndrewHeath]

Date: 2013-02-23

Area: HunHe river bend, south of Shenyang University of Technology
地区：浑河河曲，从沈阳工业大学往南走

Weather: -5C, hazy

Location Sightings (0745):
1,500+ x Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
10 x Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
1 x Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
2 x Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
20 x Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
30 x Carrion Crow (Corvus corone)
20 x Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
1 x Naumann's Thrush (Turdus naumanni)

Comments:
See the crappy cellphone photo below... the endless ruddy shelducks... like something out of a Hitchcock film. I could hear them several hundred meters before I got to the bluff overlooking the riverbend. They carpeted the water all the way up and down the river as far as the eye could see. The 1,500+ count is conservative. That's an order of magnitude more than I usually see in this area. I think it's fair to say the Spring Migration has begun, Tom!

[Dong Bei]

Andrew,

Good to see open water! There's a small chance I will be in Shenyang all of next weekend, but not for birding. Bring on Spring......

Tom

[MKinHK]

Wow - 1500 Ruddy Shelduck! I'm becoing less and less convinced that Shenyang sucks

Cheers
Mike

[AndrewHeath]

Been too busy working to do any birding in China, but I do have some news to share:

I heard back from Prof. Zhou Haixiang* of Shenyang Science & Engineering University's Ecological Research Department （沈阳理工大学生态研究室主任 周海翔） that the Siberian Cranes have already been resting at Huanzidong Wetlands （獾子洞湿地） for 2 weeks.

This weekend he will visit the site with some graduate students. Also, next Tuesday and Wednesday (26th + 27th) a delegation of experts will visit from Beijing. Furthermore, next Wednesday is the Siberian Crane Festival.

I regret that work prevents me from partaking in the above, but I will be out there the following weekend - probably on the 30th. Professor Zhou believes that the cranes will still be present at that time, but I will call again late next week to confirm since it is a bit of a drive!

* - thanks to Tom in Dalian for providing me with his contact information