Jeff Hopkins
Just another...observer
Nice, Mark. Think you can send one to Wuhu in a few weeks?
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18 months in Shanghai: March 2012 - August 2013 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter McMadd
- Start date
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Naumann's
Inspired by Mike's (MKinHK) description of his Naumann's Thrush today I've quickly processed this best shot of four a bird allowed up here in SHA in an out of town park last Sunday...
Hopefully get that and the previous Sunday's trips written up before 2013 is upon us...let's see...
McM
Inspired by Mike's (MKinHK) description of his Naumann's Thrush today I've quickly processed this best shot of four a bird allowed up here in SHA in an out of town park last Sunday...
Hopefully get that and the previous Sunday's trips written up before 2013 is upon us...let's see...
McM
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Catching up...
Lawks!
Here we are, first day of 2013 spent birding with heaps of pictures to process and I'm still owing the thread three trips from last month!
Out of necessity, they'll have to be short on words as work (work, work) is hectic and the schedule of birding for January and February...if it all comes off...will only serve to leave me further adrift from this diary/blog thingy...
So...
Sunday 16th December Nanhui and Dishui Lake with Jocko for an early morning blast
Sunday 23rd December Dishui Lake, Nanhui and Haiwan Forest Park with Kevin for a full day
Sunday 30th December Binjiang Forest Park with Dev for most of the day
Tuesday 1st January Dongtan NR on Chongming Island with Dev and Lily
reports to follow...
Lawks!
Here we are, first day of 2013 spent birding with heaps of pictures to process and I'm still owing the thread three trips from last month!
Out of necessity, they'll have to be short on words as work (work, work) is hectic and the schedule of birding for January and February...if it all comes off...will only serve to leave me further adrift from this diary/blog thingy...
So...
Sunday 16th December Nanhui and Dishui Lake with Jocko for an early morning blast
Sunday 23rd December Dishui Lake, Nanhui and Haiwan Forest Park with Kevin for a full day
Sunday 30th December Binjiang Forest Park with Dev for most of the day
Tuesday 1st January Dongtan NR on Chongming Island with Dev and Lily
reports to follow...
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
JH & MM do a Nanhui Hit & Run
Sunday 16th December saw me at the usual rendezvous bright and early for Jocko to pick me up and zoom us down to Nanhui where we worked our way N along the seawall stopping as we felt it necessary.
It was relatively quiet but good numbers of ducks were about on both freshwater and the sea. Two redhead Smew were new for my China list. One Hoopoe was a nice splash of fun and colour. A Peregrine having fun dive-bombing the Spot-billed Duck flocks on the sea was good value. Seven Black-faced Spoonbill were well appreciated...always a treat to see. A fly through Bittern equally a “crowd” pleaser.
Full list here
http://birdtalker.net/birdtalker/report/reportview.asp?id=35871
We decided to stop off at Dishui Lake as we exited as I'd noticed some black blobs on the water. Good that we did as the blobs resolved into a flock of 300+ waterfowl most of which were Falcated Duck. Nice! Coot were also present in good numbers with lesser numbers of Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Little, Great-crested and Black-necked Grebes.
Final goodies of the day were five Buff-bellied Pipits on roadside grass as we waited for the traffic lights to change to green in this ghost city in the, rapidly shrinking, marshes!
Sunday 16th December saw me at the usual rendezvous bright and early for Jocko to pick me up and zoom us down to Nanhui where we worked our way N along the seawall stopping as we felt it necessary.
It was relatively quiet but good numbers of ducks were about on both freshwater and the sea. Two redhead Smew were new for my China list. One Hoopoe was a nice splash of fun and colour. A Peregrine having fun dive-bombing the Spot-billed Duck flocks on the sea was good value. Seven Black-faced Spoonbill were well appreciated...always a treat to see. A fly through Bittern equally a “crowd” pleaser.
Full list here
http://birdtalker.net/birdtalker/report/reportview.asp?id=35871
We decided to stop off at Dishui Lake as we exited as I'd noticed some black blobs on the water. Good that we did as the blobs resolved into a flock of 300+ waterfowl most of which were Falcated Duck. Nice! Coot were also present in good numbers with lesser numbers of Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Little, Great-crested and Black-necked Grebes.
Final goodies of the day were five Buff-bellied Pipits on roadside grass as we waited for the traffic lights to change to green in this ghost city in the, rapidly shrinking, marshes!
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
N-n-n-Nanhui with an afternoon of Haiwan
Sunday 23rd December saw me head west on Metro number n-n-n-9 to Qibao to meet Kevin for our customary, high velocity whizz south out of the city.
We began at Dishui in the hope we'd refind the previous Sunday's “Falcated Flock”. First stop saw us enjoying three Hoopoe feeding on short grass beside the lake which delayed our discovery of a close-in Black-necked Grebe a little. Small flocks of White-cheeked Starling were also present in the area. Again, good numbers of Coot and Great-crested Grebe on the water.
Moving on to Nanhui reedbeds, we followed the same route as the previous Sunday's outing with Jocko...North, stopping as we felt the need. Smaller numbers of the expected ducks, a Kingfisher, single Snipe and Greenshank were good “padders” but the high point was when we took one of the numerous small tracks inland through the reeds. Quickly we came upon a flock of c.50 Pallas's Buntings moving north themselves, crossing the road in 1's, 2's and severals but being reluctant to pose for our cameras. Driving on and turning around in the hope of catching the bunts by surprise it was ourselves who were somewhat surprised as a small deer stepped up onto the road form the reeds, looked up, stared at us and then turned tails swiftly back the way it came...one out of focus shot our soul evidence!
Continuing inland the intent was to skirt the north edge of the golf club and then drop south into Binhai Forest Park to see what we could see. A wrong turn brought us onto a tree-lined track that served up a small, mixed flock of Olive-backed Pipits, Chinese Grosbeak, Elegant Bunting and Daurian Redstart. The road barred we retreated and found an alternate route to the forest park. It was quiet but a nice enough drive of discovery.
Now it was time to head to Haiwan Forest Park. So we did just that. Immediately upon arrival it was apparent thrushes were there in good numbers and predominately Dusky ones. Paying our entrance fees we wandered for two or three hours with very little disturbance from other, non-birding folk. Nice!
Daurain Redstart, many Red-flanked Bluetails, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Turtle Doves were all seen several times. A feeding party of Yellow-bellied Tit were fun if difficult to get clean shots at. Better was the group of Black-throated Tit that crossed the path in front of us later in the afternoon. At least one Vinous-throated Parrotbill accompanied them.
Brambling became ever more common and our final tally was an in-flight flock of c.100 birds! Making our way out of the park we came across one Naumann's Thrush prepared to sit still for a short time.
Day over, it was back to the city and the excitement of the morrow...the day before Christmas...in the office for some of us...hence the tardiness of these write-ups!
Sunday 23rd December saw me head west on Metro number n-n-n-9 to Qibao to meet Kevin for our customary, high velocity whizz south out of the city.
We began at Dishui in the hope we'd refind the previous Sunday's “Falcated Flock”. First stop saw us enjoying three Hoopoe feeding on short grass beside the lake which delayed our discovery of a close-in Black-necked Grebe a little. Small flocks of White-cheeked Starling were also present in the area. Again, good numbers of Coot and Great-crested Grebe on the water.
Moving on to Nanhui reedbeds, we followed the same route as the previous Sunday's outing with Jocko...North, stopping as we felt the need. Smaller numbers of the expected ducks, a Kingfisher, single Snipe and Greenshank were good “padders” but the high point was when we took one of the numerous small tracks inland through the reeds. Quickly we came upon a flock of c.50 Pallas's Buntings moving north themselves, crossing the road in 1's, 2's and severals but being reluctant to pose for our cameras. Driving on and turning around in the hope of catching the bunts by surprise it was ourselves who were somewhat surprised as a small deer stepped up onto the road form the reeds, looked up, stared at us and then turned tails swiftly back the way it came...one out of focus shot our soul evidence!
Continuing inland the intent was to skirt the north edge of the golf club and then drop south into Binhai Forest Park to see what we could see. A wrong turn brought us onto a tree-lined track that served up a small, mixed flock of Olive-backed Pipits, Chinese Grosbeak, Elegant Bunting and Daurian Redstart. The road barred we retreated and found an alternate route to the forest park. It was quiet but a nice enough drive of discovery.
Now it was time to head to Haiwan Forest Park. So we did just that. Immediately upon arrival it was apparent thrushes were there in good numbers and predominately Dusky ones. Paying our entrance fees we wandered for two or three hours with very little disturbance from other, non-birding folk. Nice!
Daurain Redstart, many Red-flanked Bluetails, Black-faced Bunting, Oriental Turtle Doves were all seen several times. A feeding party of Yellow-bellied Tit were fun if difficult to get clean shots at. Better was the group of Black-throated Tit that crossed the path in front of us later in the afternoon. At least one Vinous-throated Parrotbill accompanied them.
Brambling became ever more common and our final tally was an in-flight flock of c.100 birds! Making our way out of the park we came across one Naumann's Thrush prepared to sit still for a short time.
Day over, it was back to the city and the excitement of the morrow...the day before Christmas...in the office for some of us...hence the tardiness of these write-ups!
Attachments
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
Black-throated Tit, huh. I'm yet to catch up that species for Shanghai. You were in that park in a wrong time of the year. Guess what you will get in autumn/spring? Few hundreds of honey buzzards n amur falcons.
Don't tell me that Dev !!! I've been looking all over for those Amurs - surely they'll pass back through there on their way North again ? Or maybe if I remember correctly their migration path is actually a loop ?
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
You are my man. Let's get some buzzard and amurs next autumn. Here are the record shots of a female honey buzzard and an amur. A local birder counted 250+ amurs & 100+ honey buzzards in 4 hours.
You are right about their return migration, they may not take the same path while returning. Let's hope some wil take the same.
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Sunday 30th December...Binjiang Forest Park
I think I was in the office on Saturday...I know Dev and I chatted by text...
However it happened...I found myself up at the crack of dawn on Sunday 30th and hitting the metro east towards the end of Line 6 (Gangcheng Road station) avec said Devaram gentleman...
Once there we hailed a taxi and journeyed the last few km to the park entrance...paid our fees while looking at the assembled flock of starlings, thrushes and bulbuls gathered around berry trees just inside...
What followed was a long morning and early afternoon of wandering the paths around the park in almost total solitude...that in itself a luxury in this megacity...
Keeping things brief as I attempt to catch myself up before this weekends upcoming journey west for...well...that's for another post...we saw many thrushes, buntings, tits (...) and..eventually...Hawfinches...
Pictures speak lotsa words so...
I think I was in the office on Saturday...I know Dev and I chatted by text...
However it happened...I found myself up at the crack of dawn on Sunday 30th and hitting the metro east towards the end of Line 6 (Gangcheng Road station) avec said Devaram gentleman...
Once there we hailed a taxi and journeyed the last few km to the park entrance...paid our fees while looking at the assembled flock of starlings, thrushes and bulbuls gathered around berry trees just inside...
What followed was a long morning and early afternoon of wandering the paths around the park in almost total solitude...that in itself a luxury in this megacity...
Keeping things brief as I attempt to catch myself up before this weekends upcoming journey west for...well...that's for another post...we saw many thrushes, buntings, tits (...) and..eventually...Hawfinches...
Pictures speak lotsa words so...
Attachments
Last edited:
