Asif and others. Here is a few thoughts about Lushun which included Laotieshan.
Lushun:
I have been to Lushun 4-5 times in the last 5 years or so. It is about 2 hours from my house. Because I have two young children, I am often restricted from making trips that far away. My impressions of Lushun is that it will probably become very popular with birders in the future. Looking at a map, you can see why.
I have usually gone right to the main lighthouse that is right on the point of the peninsula where the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Bay meet. On some days you can see the line that stretches out to sea where the two bodies of water join. There are some short walking trails around the lighthouse and generally good views of the area from there as well. I think this is what people mean when they say Laotieshan. I have gone looking for Laotieshan a few times and every time I have ended up at the lighthouse so that must be it.
On the road back from the lighthouse parking lot (there is only one road out and back) is a small dirt road on the right. The turn off is about 1 km from the lighthouse parking lot going back to Lushun on the right. It looks like any side road for agricultural vehicles/animals only. About 200 metres up that road is a decent size man made reservoir that has gradual sloping layers of concrete blocks that make up its edges. The reservoir is in the middle of some farmer’s overgrown field. I have sat on the side of it and watched almost every species of bunting in northeast China come there for a drink in a few hours. With the Buntings were thrushes, finches, siskins, parrotbills, wagtails, minivets, and even a winter wren. This particular day was in November. In early Oct. I think you could watch almost every warbler in north-east china mixed in with a few rubythroats, flycatchers, white-eyes, etc. There are usually some raptors about in the area as well.
I have heard of a new boardwalk along a river that is also located in Laotieshan. I have never seen it but heard glowing reports from non-birders who said there were birds everywhere.
Snake Island, just off the coast has something like 1 snake for every square metre. The BBC wildlife documentary “Wild China” did a fantastic job there in recording exactly what happens. The snakes are Pallas’s Pit Vipers and feed twice a year on migrating birds. Because of the amount of migrants that pass through there, they climb up nearly every branch of every tree and leave just enough room for a tired bird to land. The rest of the year they lay dormant. I have tried to go there a few times but there is little hope. There is always some construction, or military activity, or other excuse. I think for enough money, a person could probably get permission to check it out by boat. There used to be public tours by boat if I heard right.
Clearly Lushun (which is the entire area and the city there) needs to be explored more and probably has amazing stuff. I‘ve heard that there was a banding station there but that could or not be true. Until a few years ago, foreigners were not allowed to be in the area because of a large naval base that is quite near. I was stopped once on the side of the road by a plain dressed policeman who had been tipped off about a foreigner with binoculars! I was also with another group that had their cameras checked to see exactly what they were taking pictures of.
Tom