Beidaihe, China - Awaiting the Birds of Heaven (1 Viewer)

[FXM]

It doesn't surprise me as we knew the conditions seemed just right and that late 'window' seems to be a significant one. The good thing is that they came. The prospects for today should also be very very good with the remaining Sibes still on their way down (wonder how many more will actually pass through?) plus loads of Commons and Hoodeds and who knows what else. Maybe 'the' Sandhill and a Demoiselle?

Would have loved one more week to see the job through but I shouldn't be greedy as I was incredibly fortunate to see what I did. Unforgettable. Good luck with the cranes today and please send my regards to the 'team' especially Scooby and Snatch.

Plus I've still got Great Bustard to come back and look for.

Once again thanks for everything.

Frank

P.S. Journey to Beijing on bus took three and half hours and was full but comfortable and extremely convenient dropping me off at Terminal 2 to connect with courtesy bus to my hotel. I still prefer the train however. Breakfast excellent.

 

[rockfowl]

Very poor visibility with a varying westerly wind meant despite a long day looking, nothing really happened, apart from a flock of Baikal Teal :t:. The only Cranes today were four Common Cranes, a pair with two juveniles going North!! Confusion in the mist....

We await tomorrow with baited breath!

 

[Paul Higson]

Please keep posting your sightings - looking forward to a full report for this year ( and maybe previous years?)

Sorely tempted to be there next year.

Cheers,

Paul

 

[FXM]

Back home in Beverley. It'll all happen at the sandflats tomorrow.

Frank

 

[rockfowl]

Back home in Beverley. It'll all happen at the sandflats tomorrow.

Frank

Sadly No! South Westerly winds and Pollution meant once again very poor visibility down to a few hundred metres and no Cranes, at least visible ones anyway.
Had to make do with an influx of Pallas's Reed and singing Yellow-throated and Rustic Buntings instead.
Hoping for a change in the winds tomorrow..

M

 

[citrinella]

Xiaoming and Team,

...

We haven't identified the Falcon yet despite a good observation and photographs, bit of a Mystery!

Mark

Have you posted these somewhere ?

Mike.

 

[rockfowl]

Have you posted these somewhere ?

Mike.

No, it appears to be a babylonicus Barbary Falcon which is slightly out of range! Will research further when we get back next week.

Another dreadful day visibility wise, down to at most 200 metres. We may have heard Common Cranes but saw nothing, strange acoustics in these conditions. The only highlight was a group of 51 Bean Geese that suddenly appeared out of the 'Mist' , and then disappeared almost as quickly!

Hoping for a miracle tomorrow :smoke:

M

 

[xiaoming]

Why not a Peregrine Falcon?
The painting of "A Field Guide to the Birds of China" is not good enough. I only have a glance of you photo, it looks lika a White color phase Peregrine Falcon for me, which(the white color phase) is very common in East China, but don't appear in the book's paintings.

I think you can post your photo on the forum, maybe someone can give a advice.

Li Ming

 

[username]

Mark/johnboy............when is you guys back in blighty? Pretty soon i guess.......remind John that the 'Frankie Boyle' concert we is goin to is this Monday [17thNov]...he may ave forgotten....!
ps....the only frickin cranes i've seen lately are the JCB type metal ones....not quite the same are they?...All de best......sounds like you've had great time out there.....you always do...you swines...[jealous]!! Laters.....

 

[rockfowl]

Li Ming,

There is a combination of features that rules out a pure Peregrine and at the time we were also not happy with the structure of the bird in question. It would be too easy to class this bird as one of the paler races of Peregrine (there is no pale phase, you are confusing with Gyr) but the bird in question is an immature. Thin moustachial, defined rusty nape block, rich buff fringes to the greater coverts and mantle, unmarked upper chest with narrow defined bars on buff ground along the flanks are not really Peregrine features, The very pale underwing coverts and flight feathers also do not match Peregrine. With all due respect, we are pretty experienced Raptor observers and are not daft enough to trust anything illustrated in the Bird's of China or are in any rush to confirm this just yet. Have a look at the OBC site and look up Barbary Falcon of the race babylonicus then compare with various Peregrine races - note the hooded effect and thick moustachial on Peregrine and the underpart pattern and underwing flight shots, you may be surprised, range wise or not!
Have shown the same images to Jesper, he was rather surprised too but you cannot judge images on a 2 inch screen.
Hope you enjoyed the Merlin, a nice lifer I think!

M

 

[rockfowl]

Frankie Boyle - He hasn't forgotten

 

[FXM]

Having looked around at a few photos Red-naped Shaheen Falco pelegrinoides babylonicus, as Mark suggests, would appear to be a strong contender but with 19 Peregrine subspecies accepted by the Handbook of the Birds of the World, not to mention other possibilities, once again Mark is quite correct that care needs to be taken in order to reach a satisfactory conclusion. F. p. babylonicus described by P.L. Sclater in 1861, is found in eastern Iran along the Hindu Kush and Tian Shan to Mongolian Altai ranges. It is paler than pelegrinoides, and somewhat similar to a small, pale Lanner Falcon. It is smaller than Peregrine Falcon; males weigh 330–400 g, while females weigh 513–765 g.

What became of the cranes I wonder? Maybe they 'snook' through.

Frank

 

[xiaoming]

Mark:

I feel I asked a stupid question. Thank you for your patient explanation.

Li Ming

 

[FXM]

I hope you got the miracle you were after.

Any news of crane numbers down at Poyang Lake? Or of any further north for that matter? My latest news on the two tagged juvenile Siberian Cranes still puts them 200 miles north of Beidaihe somewhere on the Bohai coastline. Assuming their parents are with them that would suggest there could still be numbers of Sibes on their way south. Maybe there'll be a very late surge.

Keep looking skywards.

Frank

 

[rockfowl]

Mark:

I feel I asked a stupid question. Thank you for your patient explanation.

Li Ming

No Problem

 

[rockfowl]

Frank,

Got a sore neck from staring into the 'foggy abyss'! No Cranes and a deserted Sandflats!
The rest of the birds are still to the North and aren't in a rush to move despite a slight but cold N-Easterly today. Visibility still poor so I guess that's what they're waiting for and perhaps cold toes!
Looks like they've beaten us....again! Still, can't complain though the data/percentages for Siberian don't look too promising at present.
They haven't 'snook' by, the staging posts to the south haven't recorded any either!
Risky business this predicting game!

Just dicovered that whilst I was counting flying Baikal teal, Sniper and Mike had another Great Bustard down the highway..ouch!

M

 

[FXM]

If that hurt Mark imagine how my wounds feel! I missed all five records (involving 28 birds I think).

The Cranes. Attempting to predict and then discovering you got it right, albeit occasionally, is a nice feeling. On the other hand getting it wrong, for whatever reason, does make it interesting even if it hurts. There's still plenty to discover within the World of Birds.

The answer is never the answer. What's really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be seeking. I've never seen anybody really find the answer... they think they have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom. The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer.

We'll be back.

Frank

 

[rockfowl]

You been on that Sprite again Frank?

You don't half talk some ***p

There's always tomorrow :eek!:

 

[FXM]

Had my first at 0530hrs this morning. Have not stopped since. Just been to the fridge and opened another one. Hic! Bubbles! Fizz! Please help.

 

[FXM]

If you're still enduring those Siberian winds always remember:

When the stiff wind blows
The flag don't wiggle.

Frank.