Shanghai Perambulations (1 Viewer)

[Frogfish]

Firstly note that we can add Yellow Browed Warbler to last week's list (thanks Rockfowl) !

A run down to the usual XYS and Nan Hui with Dev. produced a shocking lack of raptors (zero) seen and was also otherwise very quiet on XYS, this was made up for big time over in Nan Hui with some lifers for yours truly and a possible for Dev.

Exciting time spent on the wading pool meant little time elsewhere in Nan Hui so species numbers could actually have been higher this week.

Pics to come shortly.

60 species.

Arctic Warbler
Asian Brown Flycatcher (numerous)
Bar Tailed Godwit (5-6 Nan Hui)
Barn Swallow
BCN Heron
Blackbird
Black Faced Bunting (numerous)
Black Necked Stilt (2 XYS)
Blue & White Flycatchers (6 XYS & 1 in Nan Hui)
Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler (1 - I'm assuming the same one that has been there for the past 4 weeks)
Chinese Bulbul
Chinese Pond Heron (9 - all bar one on XYS)
Common Greenshank
Common Kingfisher (1 - XYS)
Common Sandpiper
Common Snipe
Crested Myna
Dunlin
Eastern Crowned Warbler
Elegant Bunting
Eyebrowed Thrush (1 - M - Nan Hui)
Greater Sand Plover
Grey Plover (1 Nan Hui)
Grey Streaked Flycatcher (1 - XYS)
Grey Wagtail (Taiga - 1 - XYS)
Gull (spp) (Nan Hui)
Intermediate Egret (in the absence of evidence to prove Chinese)(1 - Nan Hui)
Japanese Thrush (pair - Nan Hui)
Japanese White Eye (1 - XYS)
Kentish Plover
Lesser Sand Plover
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Ringed Plover
Long Tailed Shrike
Long Toed Stint (1 - Nan Hui)
Magpie Robins (pair - in my garden as I climbed into my car, a tick for my 'home patch') !
Manchurian Bush Warbler (numerous, now in Nan Hui as well as everywhere on XYS)
Marsh Sandpiper
Meadow Bunting
Narcissus Flycatcher (2 x both M on XYS)
Olive Backed Pipit (1 - XYS)
Pale Legged Leaf Warbler (1 - XYS)
Pale Thrush (1 - Nan Hui)
Pallas' Leaf Warbler (1 - XYS)
Reed Parrotbills (pair in Nan Hui)
Red Billed Starling (2 - XYS)
Red Necked Stint
Rustic Bunting (numerous)
Siberian Stonechat (M&F - in XYS, didn't check the Nan Hui site)
Skylark (spp.)
Temminck's Stint (I think only 1 in Nan Hui - Dev ?).
Terek Sandpiper (3-4 Nan Hui)
Tree Sparrow
Tristram's Bunting
Varied Tits (3 XYS)
Vinous Throated Parrotbills
Whimbrel (3-4 Nan Hui)
White Wagtail (leucopsis & ocularis)
Wood Sandpiper

 

[Frogfish]

Thanks Jeff & John !

 

[thirudevaram]

Yellow-browed bunting(XYS)
Dusky Warbler(XYS)
Eastern Yellow Wagtail(M. t. tschutschensis)(XYS)
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper(Nanhui)

This will add to our list Kevin. I counted upto 4 Temminck's Stint near the fish ponds. Later 2 joined the Dunlins in the mudflat. So, we had 6 of them.

It was good to see the Reed parrotbills at the same place eventhough the habitat was changed.

 

[Frogfish]

Thanks for reminding me Dev. !

Some of our waders.

#1 Sharp Tailed Sandpiper

#2 Wood Sandpiper

#3 Black Winged Stilt

#4 Little Ringed Plover

#5 Red Necked Stint

 

[thirudevaram]

Nice batch Kevin.Your results are exemplary, the birds are far away for my tiny lens to grab a decent shot. My only salvageable shots are the Eastern Crowned Warbler. Will post it soon.

 

[Frogfish]

My solo run down to the usual XYS and Nan Hui sites was surprisingly quiet - has migration finished so soon :0

It was however certainly a day for warblers and flycatchers, they dominated the numbers list.

On XYS I put stage 1 of my new 'camo plan' into operation however due to being perched on a little ledge (Dev & I had tried this out the week before for an hour, and had a Kingfisher land and digest a fish about 2 metres from us - well with the MFD of our lenses) ! Pity he wasn't there this week though.

There was a surprise appearance though. I was perched on a ledge with a 'camo blanket' over me trying to get better shots of the Narcissus Flycatcher - those came out so so but something else went past me and landed maybe 10 metres away, couldn't see it though, however 10 mins later it came out again and this time I could see it clearly, a bat !

It landed about 3 metres away but underneath the ledge I was on, so again I couldn't see it, then on it's 3rd and last flight it landed not 2 metres from me on the stone ledge - too close for the 500mm to focus so I had to edge a further couple of metres or so away, right to the very edge of the ledge just to get it in focus ||

So cute, but I was a little worried, it may have just been disturbed from it's roost and be looking for a new one, it may perhaps have just been hot (it swooped down and drank from the pool below me) and was trying to cool down ... or it could be rabid, typified by slow flight (well slower than bats normally fly that is !) and disorientated perhaps. Hope it wasn't the later

I have been trying to ID it but although I have a great source (http://www.bio.bris.ac.uk/research/bats/China bats/) but it doesn't look like any of those ca. 50+ species that live in China and I've opened every one of those links ! Can anyone confirm the species ?

This however gave me little time in Nan Hui despite the quick dash over there to check out the wading pool (very few birds as the tide has half in), the Reed Parrotbill site (no sign of them) and the Magic Car Park (success) !! So species numbers could actually have been much higher this week.

My final stop of the day was at the Magic Car Park for the last hour before the light disappeared, as is my wont. Though, being later than usual this week, I had only 30 mins to play with - and that cost me a shot of my new lifer

I saw a warbler very active in a small bush, but having seen so many warblers that day (and my mind dull after being up since 04.00 in the morning |=)| ) I didn't give it much thought just slowly raising the bins to confirm a usual suspect - however what I got instead was a full bright yellow belly flash and no supercilium !! Could it be the Golden Spectacled Warbler that some Chinese togs had seen here within the last 2 weeks ? Surely it would have continued migration by now ?

The only other person around was a young Chinese guy sitting in a locally made car and with a shortish lens, I asked him if he had seen a warbler with a strong yellow belly and he said "this one ? " and showed me an excellent shot of the Golden Spectacled Warbler taken 30 mins before I arrived !

New lifer confirmed I hung around until the moon was high and the sun a long distant memory but the little 'precious' was not going to come out to play again that evening. Still, a happy drive home.

More pics to come shortly.

Magpie - can someone confirm this is just the usual Eurasian Magpie ? It looked larger and the colouring different. Here :
http://frogfish.smugmug.com/Category/Bird-shots-for-ID/i-64GWtrx/0/S/_DSC1940-S.jpg

Also the wader attached ? Another Red Necked Stint ?

Is the raptor a Japanese Sparrowhawk or Besra as suggested by a Chinese birder on XYS ?

37 species.

Arctic Warbler
Asian Brown Flycatcher (numerous)
Black Tailed Godwit (2 Nan Hui)
Barn Swallow
BCN Heron
Blackbird
Black Faced Bunting (numerous)
Blue & White Flycatchers (2 XYS)
Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler (1 - I'm assuming the same one that has been there for the past 4 weeks)
Chinese Bulbul
Chinese Pond Heron (3 - XYS)
Crested Myna
Eastern Crowned Warbler
Golden Spectacled Warbler
Grey Streaked Flycatcher (numerous - XYS)
Kentish Plover
Little Egret
Little Ringed Plover
Long Tailed Shrike
Manchurian Bush Warbler (numerous, now in Nan Hui as well as everywhere on XYS)
Marsh Sandpiper
Narcissus Flycatcher (3 x M and 1 x F, all on XYS)
Olive Backed Pipit (2 - XYS)
Pale Legged Leaf Warbler (XYS)
Pale Thrush (2 - XYS)
Pallas' Leaf Warbler (XYS)
Red Necked Stint
Rustic Bunting (numerous)
Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper
Skylark (spp.)
Japanese Sparrowhawk or Besra (1 - XYS)
Tree Sparrow
Tristram's Bunting
Vinous Throated Parrotbills
White Wagtail (1 x leucopsis)
Wood Sandpiper
Yellow Browed Warbler

and The Bat.

 

[MKinHK]

Great pix of the bat Kevin - but I can't help with the ID I'm afraid.

Your sparrowhawk looks like Japanese to me and your stint is indeed Red-necked.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Gretchen]

Hi Kevin, if someone doesn't offer up an idea, you could post it on this sub-forum - I don't know if people there know a lot about Asian bats, but its worth a try. They should be able to help with family at least.

 

[Frogfish]

Great pix of the bat Kevin - but I can't help with the ID I'm afraid.

Your sparrowhawk looks like Japanese to me and your stint is indeed Red-necked.

Cheers
Mike

THanks Mike !

Thank you Gretchen - I didn't realise there was a bat forum on BF so I've put a post on there too.

A guy on another forum suggested this, I think he may be right !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Serotine_bat

 

[thirudevaram]

Fantastic shots of the bat Kevin. Finally, a Japanese Sparrowhawk ended the raptor drought.

 

[Frogfish]

Fantastic shots of the bat Kevin. Finally, a Japanese Sparrowhawk ended the raptor drought.

Ha ha - it did. Thanks Dev.

 

[Frogfish]

Mark & I attacked the usual haunts (after a near 1.5 hour motorway traffic jam) - this turned into a Red Letter Day for me

66-68 species.

Arctic Warbler
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Barn Swallow
BCN Heron
Black Billed Magpie (one)
Black Capped Kingfisher (x2)
Black Crowned Night Heron
Black Drongo (3 seen my Mark)
Black Faced Bunting
Black Naped Oriole (1 x female & Mark also saw 1 x male)
Blackbird
Blue & White Flycatcher (female)
Blue Rock Thrush
Brown Shrike (ca. 10)
Brown-breasted Flycatcher (TBC)
Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler (1 - I'm assuming the same one that has been there for the past 5 weeks)
Chesnut Bunting
Chinese Bulbul
Chinese Grosbeak
Chinese Pond Heron
Common Pheasant (one male)
Crested Myna
Dark Sided Flycatcher
Dollarbirds (x2)
Eastern Crowned Warbler
Eye-Browed Thrush (ca. 30)
Great Crested Grebe
Great Egret
Great Spotted Woodpecker (assumed)
Great Tit
Grey Heron
Grey Streaked Flycatcher
Grey Wagtail
Japanese Paradise Flycatcher (one adult male)
Japanese White-eye
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Little Ringed Plover
Long Tailed Shrike
Manchurian Bush Warbler
Mugimaki Flycatcher (males & females)
Narcissus Flycatcher
Olive Backed Pipit
Oriental Reed Warbler
Pale Thrush
Pallas' Leaf Warbler
Peregrine Falcon (assumed)
Plain Prinia
Red Rumped Swallow
Reed Parrotbills (x2)
Richard's Pipit (x1)
Rufous Faced Warbler (X1)
Seicercus Warbler (1 seen my Mark)
Siberian Blue Robin (2x male)
Siskin
Skylark (Eurasian)
Skylark (Oriental)
Spotted Dove
Striated Heron (x1)
Tree Sparrow
Tristram's Bunting
Vinous Throated Parrotbills
White Throated Rock Thrush (male & female)
White Wagtail
Woodcock (2)
Yellow Browed Warbler
Yellow Rumped Flycatcher (one male)
Zitting Cisticola

We've also got one Chat and one Flycatcher that need IDing !

Have I forgotten anything Mark - apart from that other warbler I can't remember the name of at this time in the morning ?!

 

[MKinHK]

A tremendous day - so much for migration being over!

 

[McMadd]

I had a seicercus warbler. The flycatcher late on looks for all the world like Brown-breasted Flycatcher. I didn't see any Rustic Buntings yesterday. I also had a male Black-naped Oriole while you were shooting the paradise fly...

 

[Frogfish]

I had a seicercus warbler. The flycatcher late on looks for all the world like Brown-breasted Flycatcher. I didn't see any Rustic Buntings yesterday. I also had a male Black-naped Oriole while you were shooting the paradise fly...

You're right, I copy pasted the list from the week before and forgot to delete the Rustics. All amended ! Anything on the Chat (or was it a Start) you mentioned you had seen ? I could hardly keep up !

 

[MKinHK]

well lets see the pics of this flycatcher and chat then . . .

 

[McMadd]

well lets see the pics of this flycatcher and chat then . . .

Hi Mike

'chat' was just a female Sibe Stonechat and I chucked a couple of my shots of the flycatcher on the general China Observations thread here http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2725591&postcount=690

cheers
MM

 

[Frogfish]

Here you go Mike. Mark has already added pics of the FC to the China Observations thread too. Want to confirm the warbler ID whilst you are at it ?

 

[MKinHK]

Congratulations on the flycatcher Kevin - looks good for Brown-breasted to me.

The warbler looks interesting. My best guess would be Hume's Leaf butt would defer to those with more experience.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Frogfish]

Thanks again Mike. Interestingly named bird : Hume's Leaf Butt

And for your delectation : Japanese Paradise Flycatcher (M). OK not the greatest shots but I was still very pleased to get them !