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Shanghai Perambulations (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Frogfish
- Start date
Preface and Day 1 of 'Mongolian Owls @ minus 50C' is up here :
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3170135#post3170135
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3170135#post3170135
Day 2 of 'Mongolian Owls @ minus 50C' and the first pics are up (including Northern Hawk Owl).
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=299706
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=299706
Day 3 of 'Mongolian Owls @ minus 50C' and pics are up (including a hunting Northern Hawk Owl).
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=299706
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=299706
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Day 4 of 'Mongolian Owls @ minus 50C' and pics of some of the Rosefinches are up.
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3172259#post3172259
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3172259#post3172259
peterlindenburg
New member
Dear fellow birders,
I am a dutch birder. On April 30th and May 1st I plan to go birdwatching after a scientific conference in a hotel at Dishui Lake, Shanghai. Do you have any advice for me? Or even better, would someone be willing to join me and show me around? Of course I am willing to pay for any expenses.
I am keen on seeing as many species as possible, like photographing and would be very happy to find a spoon-billed sandpiper, but I also read about beautiful pheasant species close to Shanghai.
I reckon Dishui Lake is a rather good location for birdwatching in some spare hours during the conference. Are there reed parrotbills close by?
Best regards and thanks for any reaction.
Peter Lindenburg, Leiden, the Netherlands, https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterlindenburg/
I am a dutch birder. On April 30th and May 1st I plan to go birdwatching after a scientific conference in a hotel at Dishui Lake, Shanghai. Do you have any advice for me? Or even better, would someone be willing to join me and show me around? Of course I am willing to pay for any expenses.
I am keen on seeing as many species as possible, like photographing and would be very happy to find a spoon-billed sandpiper, but I also read about beautiful pheasant species close to Shanghai.
I reckon Dishui Lake is a rather good location for birdwatching in some spare hours during the conference. Are there reed parrotbills close by?
Best regards and thanks for any reaction.
Peter Lindenburg, Leiden, the Netherlands, https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterlindenburg/
I've answered that Q in the other thread too Peter.
Hi Peter,
DiShui lake is man-made and the excess of concrete and steep sides doesn't make it a very good birding lake except for ducks/geese/coots. We usually just take a quick peak and move on to the better sites.
Far better is the coast which is very close by. However destruction of the habitat (absolutely massive reed beds interspersed by shallow pools and lakes, and of course some exposed coastline at low tide) by construction of what looks like will be even more industrial parks, has led to a decline in the quality of the birding. It is however still by far the best place to go in that area.
You will need a car to get out there though, the Holiday Inn on the coast (being the sole building on the whole 20-30kms of coastline road) and the 'starting point' and more especially you need motor transport to get around to the best locations once there. Check Google maps and follow DiShui Lake out to the coast - you'll see the Holiday Inn marked. Note that at weekends there are *lots* of tourists around the Holiday Inn area.
The Reed Parrotbills are still there but more difficult to find now that their habitat has been desecrated. Read through this thread over the past year (especially April - May), and others on Shanghai in this forum, to get a much better understanding of what you may see there.
Spoon-billed sandpiper sites in this region either don't exist or are very very well kept secrets ! There was a survey that saw them on Xiao Yang Shan (and probably also Chongming Island) but without a car and knowing the site your chances of seeing them <1%.
Good luck and if you need further advice please don't hesitate to post again.
Hi Peter,
DiShui lake is man-made and the excess of concrete and steep sides doesn't make it a very good birding lake except for ducks/geese/coots. We usually just take a quick peak and move on to the better sites.
Far better is the coast which is very close by. However destruction of the habitat (absolutely massive reed beds interspersed by shallow pools and lakes, and of course some exposed coastline at low tide) by construction of what looks like will be even more industrial parks, has led to a decline in the quality of the birding. It is however still by far the best place to go in that area.
You will need a car to get out there though, the Holiday Inn on the coast (being the sole building on the whole 20-30kms of coastline road) and the 'starting point' and more especially you need motor transport to get around to the best locations once there. Check Google maps and follow DiShui Lake out to the coast - you'll see the Holiday Inn marked. Note that at weekends there are *lots* of tourists around the Holiday Inn area.
The Reed Parrotbills are still there but more difficult to find now that their habitat has been desecrated. Read through this thread over the past year (especially April - May), and others on Shanghai in this forum, to get a much better understanding of what you may see there.
Spoon-billed sandpiper sites in this region either don't exist or are very very well kept secrets ! There was a survey that saw them on Xiao Yang Shan (and probably also Chongming Island) but without a car and knowing the site your chances of seeing them <1%.
Good luck and if you need further advice please don't hesitate to post again.
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Shanghai Perambulations won't be getting many Shanghai updates in future, I'm sorry to say. More than likely just links to other China Trip Reports.
The damage and continued deterioration, caused by the Shanghai Govt. to my favourite sites at Xiao Yang Shan, Nanhui & Hengsha Island are soul destroying and very disheartening. Though I've had great fun over the past couple of years with Mark & Dev. visiting these sites. I have ticked / photographed over 300 species in the Shanghai (extended) region and am really only missing the rarities. Maybe I'm turning into a twitcher.
The upside is the savings in petrol and mileage on my odometer will go to more China trips like the fantastic, recently completed, Owling trip in Inner Mongolia.
I'm also now going to concentrate my efforts (and put my money into) exciting landscape photography locations (that include lots of birds missing from my China list) around China (inc. Tibet) & Nepal, planning a safari in South Africa (where we have friends) and Botswana, hiking around Patagonia, Peru, Chile and Bolivia and maybe trips to Alaska/Antartica. As well as visiting long-desired locations in Iceland, Turkey, Norway etc. in Europe. I'm sure there are some exciting Asian destinations I'm missing and will try to visit too
That lot should keep me busy for the next 10-15 years, which is about how long I've got left before age restricts me to cruise liner trips I reckon ! Now I just need to convince the wife to sell the house
The damage and continued deterioration, caused by the Shanghai Govt. to my favourite sites at Xiao Yang Shan, Nanhui & Hengsha Island are soul destroying and very disheartening. Though I've had great fun over the past couple of years with Mark & Dev. visiting these sites. I have ticked / photographed over 300 species in the Shanghai (extended) region and am really only missing the rarities. Maybe I'm turning into a twitcher.
The upside is the savings in petrol and mileage on my odometer will go to more China trips like the fantastic, recently completed, Owling trip in Inner Mongolia.
I'm also now going to concentrate my efforts (and put my money into) exciting landscape photography locations (that include lots of birds missing from my China list) around China (inc. Tibet) & Nepal, planning a safari in South Africa (where we have friends) and Botswana, hiking around Patagonia, Peru, Chile and Bolivia and maybe trips to Alaska/Antartica. As well as visiting long-desired locations in Iceland, Turkey, Norway etc. in Europe. I'm sure there are some exciting Asian destinations I'm missing and will try to visit too
That lot should keep me busy for the next 10-15 years, which is about how long I've got left before age restricts me to cruise liner trips I reckon ! Now I just need to convince the wife to sell the house
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Thanks Gus ! :t:
Yes they will keep coming as I plan to add full pdf versions to a forthcoming blog.
Kevin, I understand about the deep discouragement you feel with the local habitats. I wonder if you have kept habitat pictures over time and might be able to write something that would reveal this heartache to a larger audience....
Anyway, glad you have plans to keep active in birding. Your pictures and stories are really enjoyable.
Anyway, glad you have plans to keep active in birding. Your pictures and stories are really enjoyable.
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
One more blow to the expat birding community of Shanghai :-(
We'll still have our trips to further afield mate :t:
Two great birds from walking the dog with my wife around the compound : Japanese Thrush (M) and a shy Rufous-tailed Robin. Guess Spring migration is well under way with the warmer weather (hit 24C here yesterday) we're having ! The Kingfishers are not back yet .. fingers hoping they reappear for the 4th year in succession. Last week there was a superb male Daurian Redstart in my garden.
Cypselurus92
Well-known member
Just got back from a trip to Australia! Good to hear that you've all been more or less active recently- I heard about the blow to Nanhui recently, not a great welcoming-back note..
On the brighter hand, apparently the Bund is rife with good gulls: apart from Heuglin's (Lesser Black-backed), Mongolian, and Vega (Siberian Herring), there are also apparently some Common Gulls, at least 3 Slaty-backed, and the immature Glaucous-winged that's been hanging around lately- anybody here seen that one yet?
On the brighter hand, apparently the Bund is rife with good gulls: apart from Heuglin's (Lesser Black-backed), Mongolian, and Vega (Siberian Herring), there are also apparently some Common Gulls, at least 3 Slaty-backed, and the immature Glaucous-winged that's been hanging around lately- anybody here seen that one yet?
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
Hi Larry,
I was there yesterday morning. The Glaucous-winged was just resting on the exposed mudflat which i initially thought as a juvenile Slaty-backed. Later in the afternoon,a SHWBS member who came to see the Gull told me it was indeed a Glaucous-winged. Also, a good no of Black-headed Gulls in breeding plumage, no Common Gulls though.
Nanhui is far worse than what it was in December.
I was there yesterday morning. The Glaucous-winged was just resting on the exposed mudflat which i initially thought as a juvenile Slaty-backed. Later in the afternoon,a SHWBS member who came to see the Gull told me it was indeed a Glaucous-winged. Also, a good no of Black-headed Gulls in breeding plumage, no Common Gulls though.
Nanhui is far worse than what it was in December.
Attachments
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
Seriously there is no hope for China, the government are full of platitudes to placate followed by unremitting development of habitat. :storm:
Walking the dog with my wife around the compound again yesterday and was delighted to see The Kingfishers are back ! 4th year in succession, they'll fish the small stream here for a month or so before heading off to local breeding grounds.
My wife had her first ever look at one, just 7m away, thru the bins and was absolutely delighted, they do look even better in real life than my photos
I also had a gorgeous Hwamei, almost certainly an escapee but never less a lovely bird singing it's heart out. Would escapees still breed in the wild (if they could find a mate) in Shanghai ?
Anyone I'm off to add some Middle Eastern and European birds to my list in June. Wife's bought me a ticket to Iceland via Abu Dhabi (she is also going but will be taking her mother on a Med. cruise) so I've a few days in AD and then 3 weeks touring Iceland ... Puffin breeding season !! Anyone any experience / tips of either locale ?
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Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
I've been to Iceland but in November, so much of what I could suggest probably wouldn't apply to June. Plus it wasn't a birding trip, but I do remember getting the @#$% scared out of me by a ptarmigan at a lava cave somewhere near Reykjavik, so getting out into the interior could be "fun."
Re some non-birding activities:
- They have something they call "super-jeeps" which they literally drive up onto glaciers. That was pretty cool.
- The blue lagoon is a "hot springs" near Reykjavik where people swim. But it's really the cooling pond for a geothermal power plant. My friend and I (both chemical engineers) thought that was pretty gross. We didn't partake.
- I thought the tour of Gullfoss, Geysir, and the place where the tectonic plates are coming apart was neat. Scenic as well as geologically interesting.
- People who took the tour riding Icelandic horses were not impressed. We didn't do that. That was they day we went super-jeeping.
Re some non-birding activities:
- They have something they call "super-jeeps" which they literally drive up onto glaciers. That was pretty cool.
- The blue lagoon is a "hot springs" near Reykjavik where people swim. But it's really the cooling pond for a geothermal power plant. My friend and I (both chemical engineers) thought that was pretty gross. We didn't partake.
- I thought the tour of Gullfoss, Geysir, and the place where the tectonic plates are coming apart was neat. Scenic as well as geologically interesting.
- People who took the tour riding Icelandic horses were not impressed. We didn't do that. That was they day we went super-jeeping.
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