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Advice needed for Birding In China: Shanghai Beijing Xi'an Chengdu Nanjing Hangzhou (1 Viewer)

a1424344454

New member
Hey all,

My boyfriend is very much into bird-watching. He is going to visit China in August. I am not a birder (although he wishes); but as someone who actually speaks Chinese, I would like to help him out in finding some interesting birds. After all, I am the host.

Here are the cities that we are planning to visit: Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Hangzhou. We will spend about 3-5 days in each place. Because I am not a birder, we are not planning to spend huge amount of time birding. But I would love to know, say, two or three nice places in each city (?) that worth checking out for a few hours, and hopefully my boyfriend will be satisfied.

I don't drive; and except for Shanghai, I know very little about other cities. So if you can also kindly point out what transportation would work, that would be fabulous. (Of course neither of us want to be bankrupt - one of us just graduated, the other still in college - so we would prefer public transporation much more than taxi.)

So far I only know and plan to go to:
Shanghai Zoo in Shanghai
Summer Palace, Old Summer Palace, Tantan in Beijing; maybe Fragrent Hills
Panda Base in Sichuan

I will also take hotel/tour recommendations. I am still researching very hard...

I am totally up for meeting another birder and going together (not longer than half a day though, because I will get really bored). We will of course share gas or anything. My boyfriend and I both speak English, and I speak Chinese (but I prefer to go out with someone who actually speaks English, because asking me to translate bird names from Chinese to English won't be a very effective thing).

Thank you so much!!! I hope this discussion would be beneficial for future visitors to China as well.

Links for information:
http://sichuanbirds.blogspot.com/
http://www.shanghaibirdingtour.com/
http://www.shwbs.org/swb/index.php
http://orientalbirdimages.org/
http://www.shwbs.org/swb/index.php
 
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Hello there..

I recommend the Olympic Forest Park (southern section) in Beijing. There is a metro station at the southern entrance. It's a great place to see some waterbirds (e.g. Yellow Bittern, Oriental Reed Warbler, Moorhen, Herons and Egrets). You can get anywhere on the Metro in Beijing for 2 Yuan per journey.

The Botanical Gardens are also very good (and you can walk up to the hills at the back of the garden, too). This can also be reached by a combination of metro and bus/taxi.

If I am around on the dates you are here, I would be happy to meet up for a few hours. Send me a PM if you are interested.

Best wishes and good luck,

Terry

www.birdingbeijing.wordpress.com
 
My birding in Shanghai has been limited to the Zoo, to Century Park in Pudong, and to Gongqing Forest Park. All are good but crowded - get there early.

I've also birded the Botanical Gardens in Hangzhou which was very birdy and if you head up some of the trails up the mountain, you can get away from the crowds.
 
The Botanical Garden is not good at this time. We only record 15 species this morning.
Hello there..

I recommend the Olympic Forest Park (southern section) in Beijing. There is a metro station at the southern entrance. It's a great place to see some waterbirds (e.g. Yellow Bittern, Oriental Reed Warbler, Moorhen, Herons and Egrets). You can get anywhere on the Metro in Beijing for 2 Yuan per journey.

The Botanical Gardens are also very good (and you can walk up to the hills at the back of the garden, too). This can also be reached by a combination of metro and bus/taxi.

If I am around on the dates you are here, I would be happy to meet up for a few hours. Send me a PM if you are interested.

Best wishes and good luck,

Terry

www.birdingbeijing.wordpress.com
 
Hi there - with Panda base Sichuan - I assume you're talking about the Panda Breeding Center in Chengdu. This is a decent bird watching destination in Chengdu - species in august will include - Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Red-billed Leiothrix, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Rufous-faced Warbler, Chinese Grosbeak - there's also a heronary - with Black-crowned Night Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret and Little Egret. In the past there used to be Forest Wagtail and Chinese Bamboo Partridge - but it seems overzealous gardening, where native plants have been replaced with nature unfriendly alien species, the use of pesticides and herbicides and yet more construction where green is replaced by concrete grey have made these species more difficult to find (read how many signs at this place talk about protecting ecosystems - and then see how much habitat, has been trashed to plant sterile areas of pretty flowers and lawn grass).

Remember there's also another Panda center at Bifengxia - about 2.5hours bus ride taking a bus to Ya'an from Xinanmen Bus Station. Here the bird watching - inside a deep gorge - is of a whole different class - 4 species of Forktail, 2 species of Minla, Moustached Laugher and Hwamei, Chinese Blue Flycatcher, Mountain Bulbul, Grey Treepie, Grey-headed and Ashy-throated Parrotbill and Dusky Fulvetta are among the birds to be found in this area.

Chengdu itself holds many interesting sites - Long-billed Plover is pretty easy to find at certain river locations during August and Chinese Grosbeak can be present in places with larger trees. August will see passage birds staring to fall in the grounds of Sichuan university and other parkland sites where natural vegetation has been allowed to survive - a chance to have fun trying to work out the ID of some of our warblers and always the hope of finding interesting Flycatcher or Robin species.
 
My favourite spot in Chengdu is Du Fu's Cottage, which has wonderful large trees and still had lots of quiet corners hen I was last there a few years ago. In addition to the birds that Sid mentioned from the Panda Centre Tiger Shrike and Chinese Blackbird are also breeding species.

Its also a nice place for a non-birder with tea rooms and lots of cultural things especially about the poet Du Fu.

Cheers
Mike
 
Yes Mike - Dufu Park, close to the very center of Chengdu, is also a nice and convenient birding stop. In the old days, when I lived in the city, I liked to bird this site - but then the ticket price was hiked up to a whopping 60RMB - so last year my one visit, with a group of British birders, was the first for an awful long time!!!!!!! Unfortunately the park again has suffered the usual signs of modern Chinese park management - and some of those out of the way, "neglected", natural scrubby, insect rich corners - that were especially good during passage with Warblers and Flycatchers - have been tidied up into areas deemed more "suitable" for Mr and Mrs Ordinary Tourist. And of course, like all other famous landmarks, that tourist stream has exploded into vast deluge of visitors - which means that week days are best for Dufu. But the big trees still remain - and I'm sure many tour groups still enjoy this stop - which is usually billed, among other species, as a Chinese Grosbeak site.

Another site with big trees and plenty of Grosbeaks is the Botanical Gardens (last time I was there only 2RMB ticket) - which is quite close to the Panda Center. A couple of species I've picked up here during the summer are Asian Paradise Flycatcher and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher. Much bigger and less famous that Dufu - weekday visits will be a little more peaceful here.

A new site on the Chengdu birding map is Qinglong Lake - just to the East of the city - popular with local birders this is the site for Pheasant-tailed Jacana
 
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The Botanical Garden is not good at this time. We only record 15 species this morning.

I agree that it is not the best time of year. But the hills behind the gardens should still be good for specialities such as Plain (Pere David's) Laughingthrush and Chinese Hill Warbler (and Chinese Nuthatch should be possible in the gardens themselves, too). So it is still worth a visit if interested in these particular species. It is also a nice place for non-birders to enjoy, too.
 
Thank you all for your inputs! I am sorry that I didn't get back to this post. I have been quite busy with the trip and planning :( I wish I could use more of your suggestions but traveling is very much unpredictable as always...
 
From Xi'an it is possible to do a day trip to Yangxian to see a very rare and spectacular bird Crested Ibis, which was thaought to be globally exctinct in the wild until rediscovered in that area. It was a long day trip for us on public transport, but maybe in a taxi it wouldn't take up the whole day. The birds can be seen along the river bed to the west of town for free, or you could hire an expensive guide in town. There are also plenty of other good birds in the river valley around Yangxian.
 
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