Dalian (Jinshitan) Birding Reports (5 Viewers)

Sept. 17, 2014

Had a few hours to run up to the ridge and see what was going on. Happy Pied Harrier Day!

The Little Owl is from the day before.

Jinshitan Ridge Migration Viewpoint, CN-21
17-Sep-2014 09:30 - 12:00
Protocol: Stationary
22 species

Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 16
Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos) 12
Chinese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter soloensis) 1
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 16
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 3
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 2
White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) 3
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 3
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 19
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 4
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 170
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 6
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 2
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 50
Eyebrowed Thrush (Turdus obscurus) 2
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 3
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 12
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 9
Buff-bellied Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 6
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 3

Jinshitan Ridge Sept. 18, 2014

Early morning hours. Much more passerine movement early morning than any other time of the day.

Jinshitan Ridge Migration Viewpoint, CN-21
18-Sep-2014 05:00 - 09:30
Protocol: Stationary
38 species

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 5
Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 39
Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos) 1
Chinese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter soloensis) 1
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 25
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 4
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 3
Black Kite (Black-eared) (Milvus migrans lineatus/formosanus) 3
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) 1
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 7
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 2
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 280
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 150
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 2
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 2
Chinese Penduline-Tit (Remiz consobrinus) 3
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 2
Radde's Warbler (Phylloscopus schwarzi) 1
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 4
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 2
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 200
Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) 2
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) 4
Grey-backed Thrush (Turdus hortulorum) 1
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 15
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi) 13
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 12
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 9
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 11
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 14
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 1

September 20, 2014

Well, I sprained my ankle on a field trip Friday afternoon.....don't ask how:-C
This put off my early Saturday morning ridge expedition.....I did head out to the wetlands in a car Saturday morning and sat on a rock beside the road with a good vantage of the surrounding area. This is what I saw in the 2 hours I was there. A Schrenck's Bittern flew off as the car arrived to pick me up so was my consolation prize - another adult male too!

Jinshitan Sea-farming Ponds, CN-21
20-Sep-2014 09:30 - 11:30
Protocol: Stationary
34 species

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 11
Schrenck's Bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) 1
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 5
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 10
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 6
Eastern Marsh-Harrier (Circus spilonotus) 1
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 3
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 2
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 1
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) 1
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) 1
Temminck's Stint (Calidris temminckii) 2
Dunlin (Calidris alpina) 1
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 200
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 4
Mew Gull (Larus canus) 2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 8
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 7
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 5
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 7
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 8
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 3
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 450
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 325
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 1
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 4
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 2
Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) 1
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 145
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 18
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi) 2
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 1
Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides) 3

Belated Pied Harrier Day Tom and sorry about your ankle. Very bad timing when the season is jus kicking in. Your list is growing up on me.

Jinshitan Sea-farming Ponds Sept. 22, 2014

A late afternoon visit to the ponds with my mom. Lots around now as we head into peak migration time.

Jinshitan Sea-farming Ponds, CN-21
22-Sep-2014 15:00 - 17:30
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 kilometer(s)
56 species

Gadwall (Anas strepera) 3
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 20
Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) 4
Garganey (Anas querquedula) 5
Eurasian/American Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 12
Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 5
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 4
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 35
Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) 2
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 8
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 14
Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes) 7
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 15
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 1
Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla) 1
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) 17 almost all juv.
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) 14
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) 1
Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) 1
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) 3
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) 5 Snipe Sp.
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 150
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 10
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 4
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 3
Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris) 2
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 9
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 1 Juv. Cuckoo Sp.
Little Owl (Athene noctua) 1
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 2
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 15
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 2
Chinese Grey Shrike (Lanius sphenocercus) 1
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 20
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 50
Chinese Penduline-Tit (Remiz consobrinus) 3
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 12
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 4
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 15
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris) 1
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) 30
Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) 2
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 2
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 8
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi) 2
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 4
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 12
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 1
Chestnut-eared Bunting (Emberiza fucata) 1
Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) 9
Chestnut Bunting (Emberiza rutila) 1
Pallas's Reed Bunting (Emberiza pallasi) 4
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 40

Country Club, CN-21
23-Sep-2014 11:00 - 12:30
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 kilometer(s)
20 species

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 1
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) 1
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 2
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker (Dendrocopos hyperythrus) 2
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 10
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 8
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 1
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 20
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 25
Dark-sided Flycatcher (Muscicapa sibirica) 2
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris) 1
Siberian Rubythroat (Calliope calliope) 1
Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) 2
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 2
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 1
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

Jinshitan Ridge Sept. 25, 2014

Early morning outing. Fantastic numbers of some of the species for the area. I had a moment where I thought the one Buzzard below was wing-tagged. See the white spot on the upper wing? I was suddenly recalling large raptors being tagged this way that I've seen in North America. I took more photos than you would believe before seeing that it was just some abnormal white spot?
Numbers at Laotieshan dwarf these numbers but I was very pleased with my little mountain area here. I'm off to Loatieshan for two days with my daughter and parents next Tuesday. Migration in full swing here!

Jinshitan Ridge Migration Viewpoint, CN-21
25-Sep-2014 05:00 - 09:00
Protocol: Stationary
35 species (+1 other taxa)

Taiga/Tundra Bean-Goose (Anser fabalis/serrirostris) 12
Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 1
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 1
Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 47
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 8
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 21
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 1
Black Kite (Black-eared) (Milvus migrans lineatus/formosanus) 5
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) 2 Snipe Sp. flying high over the ridge
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 36
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) 1 seen well hunting along access road before dawn
White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 6
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 2
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 73
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 400
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 25
Varied Tit (Poecile varius) 2
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 4
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 2
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 4
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 2
Radde's Warbler (Phylloscopus schwarzi) 1
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 3
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 1
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 104
Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) 2
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 6
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi) 2
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 23
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 119
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 30
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) 263
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 47

Oriental Honey Buzzards Sept. 25, 2014

I will leave the aging and sexing of the individuals below to someone else...too much going on here at the moment. The ridge is very photo friendly for these guys!

Great Needletail!

Let me take a bite at the OHB challenge.
1st - Adult male
2nd - Adult male
3rd - Dark morph adult female
4th -2cy male
5th - adult female.

Jinshitan Sea-farming Ponds Sept. 27, 2014

Family visit mid-afternoon.

Jinshitan Sea-farming Ponds, CN-21
27-Sep-2014 14:00 - 16:00
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
43 species

Gadwall (Anas strepera) 1
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 40
Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) 20
Garganey (Anas querquedula) 2
Eurasian/American Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 10
Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) 1
Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 1
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 2
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 40
Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) 1
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 25
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 50
Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes) 4
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 15
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) 15
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) 7
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) 1
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 200
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 20
Mew Gull (Larus canus) 2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 5
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) 1
Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris) 4
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 1
Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) 1
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 2
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 1
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 1
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 25
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 2
Chinese Penduline-Tit (Remiz consobrinus) 1
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 6
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 2
Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) 1
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) 2
Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) 4
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 20
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 1
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 4
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) 30
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

Nice flight photos. Especially like the one of the Hill pigeons - shows some handsome markings.

Glad that your ankle doesn't seem to be slowing you down too much.

Sept. 29 Jinshitan Ridge and Sea-farming Ponds

I keep my trusty transportable birding chair on top of the ridge and needed to retrieve it prior to heading to Laotieshan so quickly scrambled up there last Monday afternoon. While up there I saw some good birds including a Red-collared Dove. I then headed back down and had a quick 30 minute visit at the ponds on the way home. Both quick reports below:

Jinshitan Ridge Migration Viewpoint, CN-21
29-Sep-2014 16:00 - 16:20
Protocol: Stationary
5 species (+1 other taxa)

Taiga/Tundra Bean-Goose (Anser fabalis/serrirostris) 6
Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 12
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 4
Red Collared-Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica) 1
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 1
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 2



Jinshitan Sea-farming Ponds, CN-21
29-Sep-2014 17:00 - 17:30
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 kilometer(s)
36 species

Gadwall (Anas strepera) 2
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 20
Garganey (Anas querquedula) 1
Eurasian/American Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca) 15
Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 5
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 2
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) 45
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 25
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 55
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 25
Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) 15
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) 10
Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) 1
Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) 1
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 100
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 5
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 5
Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris) 2
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 4
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 1
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 15
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 10
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 350
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 200
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 4
Chinese Penduline-Tit (Remiz consobrinus) 6
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 10
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 2
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 20
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) 4
Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis) 2
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 5
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 1
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) 20
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 10

Laotieshan Sept. 30, 2014

My parents, daughter, and I left Jinshitan at 4:30 am and arrived at Laotieshan around 6. We dropped off some of our bags and went straight to the visible migration watch area arriving around 6:15. Stephen and his wife joined us there as well. The forecast had been for a strong wind and cooler temps and we had both for much of the day. We left the watch area around 8:30 and did some of the trails before heading to the lighthouse platform. After a few hours there we went to visit with Mr. Sun at the banding station. He didn't have the nets up due to the weather but we still had a good time chatting with him, arranging future visits in October, and doing some birding around the grounds there. A male Watercock flew up from one of the ponds that usually has nets around it and Kites and Buzzards spiraled overhead.

After this we headed to the hotel to register with the police station (which took close to 2 hours!). It should be noted that I've stayed at the same hotel around 10 times and have only registered twice. If going there, be prepared for this possibility. My mom and my daughter then stayed at the hotel while my dad and I headed back to the visible migration watch area and did approx 2 hours more birding before dark. While waiting for the bus at the bottom of the hill we remarked that this must be the most birdy of all bus stations in the country! We added 3 more species to the day's list while waiting for the bus.

I did add two lifers that day, both having been seen there multiple times before by Terry and/or Paul - Great Bittern and Eurasian Woodcock. Great Bittern is scarce anywhere in southern Liaoning so must migrate more along the Beidaihe route. In fact, I believe Laotieshan might be the only place it's been seen in southern Liaoning. Eurasian Woodcock is very possible most years during this time along one of the trails there. I also might have had a third lifer when a small quail flushed near the path from a damp area of tall grass along some forest edge. It was Japanese Quail sized but didn't bolt up like they usually do and appeared to be more uniformly yellow/gold/tan coloured overall on its upper wing. I thought I saw tiny legs and feet dangling from it as it took off. I've never seen Yellow-legged Buttonquail but it has been seen there several times before. Without a photo or a better look, I can't record for certain what it was. Stephen also had a mystery the next morning when he saw a small crake/rail that he flushed twice from scrub. He described a Swinhoes Rail perfectly minus the white upperwing patches. A quick text with Paul last night revealed that both sexes and juveniles and adults all show the obvious upperwing white marks much like Common Redshank ruling out what he saw. Yet another Laotieshan mystery! Laotieshan birding during migration time sure has some spectacular moments.

The "lower" raptor numbers on this day reflect the extreme north wind that happened for most of the day.

The hornet photo was of one of many very large wasp/hornets seen. I do not recall seeing them there before. Very large.

The photos below do not always match which of the two days they were seen.

Laotieshan, CN-21
30-Sep-2014 06:30 - 14:30
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
51 species (+2 other taxa)

Taiga/Tundra Bean-Goose (Anser fabalis/serrirostris) 7
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 10
Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 1
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 4
Streaked Shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas) 60
Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) 1
Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 55
Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) 3
Grey-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus) 13
Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos) 1
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 31
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 34
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 1
Black Kite (Black-eared) (Milvus migrans lineatus/formosanus) 58
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) 33
Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) 1
Eurasian Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) 2
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 150
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 50
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 32
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 3
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 2
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 2
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 3
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 120
Black-naped Oriole (Oriolus chinensis) 1
Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) 1
Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) 1
Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) 1
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 800
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 650
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 17
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 15
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 9
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 8
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 1
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 350
Siberian Rubythroat (Calliope calliope) 1
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) 4
Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) 34
White-cheeked Starling (Sturnus cineraceus) 61
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 23
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 7
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 10
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 2
Yellow-browed Bunting (Emberiza chrysophrys) 1
Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) 1
Yellow-throated Bunting (Emberiza elegans) 1
Chestnut Bunting (Emberiza rutila) 11
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) 4
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 34
passerine sp. (Passeriformes sp.) 260 almost all Buntings and presumably many Black-faced

Laoteishan Oct. 1, 2014

This day promised to be better than yesterday. The strongest cold front of the fall that had involved the two previous days changed to a slight south wind. It has generally been established that a southwest wind is best for raptors making the crossing from Laotieshan. We arrived at the visible migration watch area at 5 am and stayed there for roughly 3.5 hours before covering some trails on the way to the platform by the lighthouse. The bulk of raptor migration started at around 10 am and was still going when we left for our boat trip around 1:15 pm. It is always a struggle deciding where to go at Laotieshan when you have only 2 days. We had not been seeing shearwater or porpoise that morning from the lighthouse (on the previous day we had seen plenty of both) but still decided to have a look. We were on the boat for 2 hours and basically saw nothing (2 very distant Streaked Shearwater) but it was still a nice day to be out. If we had stayed up at the lighthouse we would have expanded on our Eastern Buzzard, Oriental Honey Buzzard, and Grey-faced Buzzard numbers. We should have also spent more time watching the sea during the day of strong wind but one cannot accomplish all that one desires there in two days....

Laotieshan, CN-21
01-Oct-2014 05:00 - 14:00
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
61 species (+2 other taxa)

Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 1
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 2
Great Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) 5
Schrenck's Bittern (Ixobrychus eurhythmus) 1
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) 1
Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 271
Greater Spotted Eagle (Clanga clanga) 1
Grey-faced Buzzard (Butastur indicus) 136
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 15
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 71
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 11
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) 154
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 3
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 650
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 15 mongolian or vega
Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris) 3
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 21
Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) 1
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 3
Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) 20
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 5
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) 9
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 860
Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus) 2
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 82
Skylark (Alauda arvensis) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 650
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 2300
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 260
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 9
Light-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus sinensis) 6
Brown-eared Bulbul (Hypsipetes amaurotis) 1
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 10
Radde's Warbler (Phylloscopus schwarzi) 4
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 8
Thick-billed Warbler (Iduna aedon) 1
Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) 2
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 3
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 10
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 1455
Japanese White-eye (Zosterops japonicus) 8
Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) 1
Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius) 1 late record
Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) 9
Scaly Thrush (Zoothera dauma) 1
Grey-backed Thrush (Turdus hortulorum) 4
Eyebrowed Thrush (Turdus obscurus) 2
Dusky/Naumann's Thrush (Turdus naumanni/eunomus) 1
Crested Myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) 2
White-cheeked Starling (Sturnus cineraceus) 7
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 9
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 6
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 4
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 2
Tristram's Bunting (Emberiza tristrami) 1
Chestnut-eared Bunting (Emberiza fucata) 2
Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) 3
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) 4
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 15
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 23
Yellow-billed Grosbeak (Eophona migratoria) 3
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 45
passerine sp. (Passeriformes sp.) 150 mostly unidentified flyover buntings

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pics

5 Bitterns in a single frame???? I'm @ loss of words here.

Dev, Laotieshan is a special place

Are Eurasian/Great Bitterns uncommon by you as well? Cheers for sexing and aging the Honey Buzzards on the previous page also!

Tom

Jinshitan Ridge October 3, 2014

Early morning visit this morning.

Jinshitan Ridge Migration Viewpoint, CN-21
03-Oct-2014 05:15 - 09:15
Protocol: Stationary
30 species (+2 other taxa)

Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) 13
Japanese Sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis) 3
Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) 11
Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) 5
Black Kite (Black-eared) (Milvus migrans lineatus/formosanus) 16
Hill Pigeon (Columba rupestris) 1
Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 13
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) 1
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 1
Ashy Minivet (Pericrocotus divaricatus) 52
Common Magpie (Pica pica) 25
Skylark (Alauda arvensis) 9
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 100
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 67
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 6
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 9
Chinese Penduline-Tit (Remiz consobrinus) 1
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 2
Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis) 3
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 130
Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla) 2
Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) 3
Dusky/Naumann's Thrush (Turdus naumanni/eunomus) 3
Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 1
Richard's Pipit (Anthus richardi) 2
Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) 141
Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus) 16
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens) 6
Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 3
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 12
passerine sp. (Passeriformes sp.) 122 flyover bunting species

October 3, 2014 Mountain near the Sea-farming Ponds

Family outing from mid morning to early afternoon. A nice hiking trail along a coastal area that passes through several different kinds of habitat.

Random sightings in Jinshitan, CN-21
03-Oct-2014 10:00 - 13:00
Protocol: Traveling
3.0 kilometer(s)
24 species

Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 4
Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes) 2
Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) 5
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 20
Mew Gull (Larus canus) 2
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 4
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) 1
Skylark (Alauda arvensis) 2
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) 15
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica) 30
Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) 1
Japanese Tit (Parus minor) 55 large flock
Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus) 1
Radde's Warbler (Phylloscopus schwarzi) 1
Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) 5
Arctic Warbler (Phylloscopus borealis) 2
Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana) 10
Chestnut-flanked White-eye (Zosterops erythropleurus) 25
Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris) 1
White/Pied Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 3
Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) 3
Oriental Greenfinch (Chloris sinica) 5
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 2