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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

China 2010 (1 Viewer)

Nice list, Shi Jin, the birds not the songs. Wood sandpiper is a deliberate omission to see if people are really paying attention?

The list for the Wenyu paddies must be up to 200 by now. As far as I know, Schrenk's, Chinese Thrush and of course Ringed Plover are all new. And you need to boot that Little Owl a bit further down the track :)

I'm missing the old patch, great to see it getting good coverage !
 
Great to hear from you Spike

Yes it's certainly a great place. Long may it continue to escape the attention of Beijing's city planners.

I intoduced Terry Townshend to the place last week and as a "thank you" he immediately gripped me off with Yellow-legged Buttonquail (by the riding stables).

He was also the inspiration for my first twitch in China. His website has the details: http://birdingbeijing.com/2012/06/01/aaaarrrggghhhhhh/ (btw he tips his hat in your and Brian's direction for putting the place on the birding map).

Thanks for spotting that I didn't include Wood Sandpiper. The c350 there on 6th May are one of my all-time Wenyu highlights. I also missed Pallas's Warbler. Throw in the mystery crake I recorded (still trying to work out what species the call belongs to), and the list gets up to 108 - a significant number in that my namesake was one of the 108 characters in Outlaws of the Marsh (aka The Water Margin), a Chinese classic.

Talking of outlaws of the marsh, here's a link to a patch-related story that you may find interesting http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=161061&page=14

Cheers Spike


Shi Jin

btw

Here are a few other species I've seen there over the past three years that may be of interest to you:

Long-tailed Minivet (15th October 2009)
Falcated Duck
Bewick's Swan (on the river)
Swan Goose (5 flying south on 15th October 2009)
White's Thrush
Water Pipit
Red-crested Pochard
Smew
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
Wren
Red-throated Thrush
Dusky Thrush
Naumann's Thrush
Siberian Meadow Bunting
Rook
Pintail
Pochard
Gadwall


I remembered that I took snaps of the two 15th October 2009 highlights:

405 Long-tailed Minivet 15th October 2009 Wenyu River, Beijing
406 Swan Goose 15th October 2009 Wenyu River, Beijing
 

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  • 15 Oct 2009, Wenyu patch, Beijing, Swan Geese, Anser cygnoides, flying south.jpg
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Locustella davidi suschkini

The question that crossed my mind was, what's the difference between the nominate davidi (which breeds in China) and the suschkini sub-species, which breeds arosss a wide area of Russia, to the north and north-east of Mongolia.
Here's Kennerley & Pearson 2010 (Reed and Bush Warblers)...
B. d. suschkini (Siberia from Russian Altai to region of Lake Baikal) Supercilium is marginally paler and distinctly greyer than in nominate davidi, also slightly longer and more conspicuous, particularly behind the eye. Ear-coverts are tinged greyer and this sometimes extends as a diffuse greyish collar across the nape. The forehead and crown are warm chestnut-brown with faint narrow darker tips producing a scaly effect. Upperparts, including the fringes to the wing-coverts and edges to the primaries and secondaries, are warm olive-brown, slightly paler and less rich than in the nominate form. The breast and belly are slightly greyer than in the nominate form and the dull buffy-grey flanks less bright. Spotting is variable, but tends to form a diffuse charcoal-grey gorget across the upper breast.
In winter, the upperparts are slightly more drab, dull earth-brown and quite different from the dull reddish brown which nominate davidi retains. In addition, greater differences in the underpart colour and patterning become apparent. The lower throat and breast usually develop a paler greyish brown wash, and spotting becomes light and indistinct.
 
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Thanks for those Richard

I must get a copy of the reed and bush warbler book the next time I'm in Norfolk.

And Swinhoe's Owlet! What a great name for a smashing bird.

Do you know if orientalis (nw China), ludlowi (Himalayas), and impasta (wc China) are retained under Little Owl? Or is it more complicated than that?

Cheers.


Shi Jin
 
I must get a copy of the reed and bush warbler book the next time I'm in Norfolk.
It's a great book - you won't regret it, except for the extra 2kg that it'll add to your baggage...

Do you know if orientalis (nw China), ludlowi (Himalayas), and impasta (wc China) are retained under Little Owl? Or is it more complicated than that?
Athene plumipes would be monotypic. It was noted as a possible split in König & Weick 2008 (Owls of the World): "Toes more densely covered with plumes rather than bristles. ...Perhaps specifically distinct."

I was pleased to see one at Xianghai, Jilin last year - but I admit that I didn't get great views of the toe feathering. ;)
 
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Thanks Richard

I also saw my first in Xianghai, Jilin (June 2003).

I am attaching a snap of it that seems to show the feature you refer to.

Take a bow, Swinhoe's Owlet;)

Which means, of course, I need to go west in China to see a Little Owl.

Cheers.


Shi Jin
 

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Thanks Richard

I've been following this meme with interest.

So much so that a member of The BBBC will fly to Norfolk next week, with a view to discussing the taxonomy of thunbergi with the author of the recent paper on the subject of western/eastern wagtails.

Watch this space.

Or, if you're up that way and fancy a a pint of Norfolk's finest, let me know ;-)

Best regards.


Shi Jin
 
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What a lovely summer in Norfolk.

Now back this side of The Wall so to speak.

First proper trip out was to the Wenyu river yesterday.

Went out with TT and PA. As well as great company, another benefit of being out with them is that they found lots of good birds... Alas, I didn't connect with the Garganey (PA) or Wryneck (TT).

Here are the highlights (of what I managed to see):

c50 Great White and Little Egrets (majority Great)
c15 Great Cormorants (Most I've see at the Wenyu)
2 high flocks of Oriental Honey Buzzards (several in each flock)
1 sparrowhawk sp
3 Grey-headed Lapwing
c20 Green Sandpiper
few Wood Sandpiper
few Spotted Redshank
sev Greenshank
1 Marsh Sandpiper
1 Common Sandpiper
1 Black-headed Gull (first for the patch this year)
1 Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
2 Brown Shrike
few Black-naped Oriole
1 Black Drongo
sev Siberian Stonechat
1 Richard's Pipit
1 Taiga Flycatcher (saw 15 two days before on a 60km cycle-ride by the river; and also 1 White's Thrush)
1 Olive-backed Pipit
a few grey/brown warblers diving into cover

And....

Wait for it....

A possible first for Beijing (research thus far has yielded no record).

It was found on the Shunyi side of the river by PA.

Then, much to my delight, I watched it fly over to the Chaoyang side, where TT and I photographed it.

I've posted a couple of my shots on to my website http://www.chinesecurrents.com/wild_water_china.html

It's good to be back.

Shi Jin

Talking of great finds, TT's superb website is well worth a visit if you are interested in the birds of China.

http://birdingbeijing.com/
 
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Back from a 875km (543.7 miles), 6 days, and 1 bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder cycling trip to Xanadu.

Details here: http://www.chinesecurrents.com/xanadu.html

Kindly note that this was not a birding trip, although I did manage to see a "new" bird (a covey of 15 Daurian Partridge exploded from the grass next to the road as I cycled past).

Perhaps of interest to people who followed the 365 photo challenge, is this link that contains all of the reports and photos of all the 365 species that were photographed (in less than 6 months):

http://www.chinesecurrents.com/wild_side.html

Best regards

Shi Jin

Beijing
 
IMPORTANT

Every year in China, COUNTLESS numbers of WILD BIRDS are TRAPPED in nets (put there by unscrupulous people who make make money from selling them as cage birds or as food).

HELP to put a STOP to the shameful practice NOW!

HOW?

LOOK at the link below (it's regularly updated)
TELL people what is happening;
WRITE about it on your Blog;
PASS ON the photos on the link below to others (all photos on this link have a Creative Commons licence);
PASS ON this link to others

http://www.chinesecurrents.com/baohuniaolei.html
 
Wenyu River, Tongzhou, Beijing

Bewick's Swan and "Whistling" Swan.

The latter is, I am told, the first record for China.

"Whistling" Swan breeds in Chukotka (far eastern Siberia). All but a few winter in North America (has been recorded in Japan apparently).

I found it on the 25th November. It was joined by the Bewick's up to 4 days later. Both were still there yesterday.

Photos are here:

http://www.chinesecurrents.com/wild_water_china.html
 
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