Panjin Wetland Park March 22
I took a 6 km hike around the east end of the Panjin Wetland Park and although activity is still somewhat subdued, I did find a nice variety.
As to be expected there, I was greeted by
Mongolian Gull fishing in the lake, but in reduced numbers from the last time I was here. A few
Vega Gull were scattered about along with a small number of somewhat oddly patterned gull that continued as unidentified despite some really good photos.
A fairly dense patch of bushes and trees that always seems to have something of interest didn't fail with a few
Black Faced Bunting briefly showing themselves amidst a flock of
Tree Sparrow. This is the only location that I have even occasionally found BFB and always in small numbers.
Further along, where the pathway goes under the second railroad bridge is another productive patch of cover. Some
Red-flanked Bluetail were rapidly moving about and I got a very quick look through the binoculars at a flycatcher looking bird with very distinct eye ring, no eye stripe and a grey hood and a yellowish looking breast. It was in dark shade so maybe a washed out female Red-flanked. A small group of
Long-tailed Tit was also in this patch.
This is where I noticed that the battery indicator was showing a low battery. As it turns out, the freshly charged Canon battery was still sitting on the charger back home. This was one of the after market batteries that I already knew were getting weak. I have two of them and normally only venture out with both of them or the one genuine Canon as it will last for a thousand shots or so and the other two together don't do that well. From there on I saved the battery, carrying it in my pocket to keep it warmer.
A
Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in the area and a
Gray-Headed Woodpecker was using the echo chamber under the railroad viaduct to amplify it's cries. They can get pretty loud normally but with the amplification I thought it was a more distant eagle at first! It's calls elicited a call from a
Ring-Necked Pheasant which was in the reeds on the other side of the flood barrier.
Around the North side of the lake I found a group of
Oriental Magpie foraging through the recently burnt reeds. Meanwhile out on the lake were a few
Common Coot, Tufted Duck & Eastern Spot-Billed Duck along with scattered
Great Crested Grebe. A small group of
Black-Headed Gull were staying apart from the larger Mongolians.
Just as I was finishing up I was glad that I had been saving the almost dead battery as I got some good shots of a group of
Daurian Redstart. Several males were trying to impress one female who was ignoring their efforts.
While watching them, a small flock of
White Wagtail went directly over me and landed nearby. Again another group of males chasing a female.
A final look out over the lake showed some
Falcated Duck and one Merganser looking individual popping up and down but never showing the body with only the head and neck showing. It photo bombed the FD in a pic that I took at long distance to verify at home they were FD. Through the bins I was very suspicious of it being a Red-Breasted Merganser, but too far away to say one way or the other for sure.
Panjin Wetland Park, Liaoning, CN
Mar 22, 2019 11:30 AM - 2:45 PM
Protocol: Traveling
5.0 kilometer(s)
17 species
Falcated Duck (Mareca falcata) 25
Eastern Spot-billed Duck (Anas zonorhyncha) 12
Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) 4
Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 1
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) 15
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra) 1
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) 10
Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) 20
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) 40
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) 1
Gray-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus) 1
Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) 8
Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) 4
Red-flanked Bluetail (Tarsiger cyanurus) 10
Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) 4
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 5
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 200
View this checklist online at
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S54115468
