China observations (1 Viewer)

[MKinHK]

Some good new birds Gretchen - I always enjoy seeing Chinese Grosbeaks, and dipped on a Naumann's Thrush in Hong Kong a few months ago, but remember seeing them at Beidaihe and in Beijing long ago.

Chongming seems to be really delivering this winter Nick - some very good birds - and the parrotbills are one of the best.

It's very good to hear that there are still some Baer's Pochards being seen in China - They've been absent from Hong Kong for several years now, and there neve seems to be good news from their breeding grounds in NE China - very much in the same boat as Streaked Reed Warbler and Jankowski's Bunting.

Cheers
Mike

 

[mcaribou]

Some Wuhan birders went to the lake again and saw 131 Baer's Pochard.
I'll see if I'm free this spring to join in a Beijing birders' survey on Jankowski's Bunting.

 

[jlhammar]

Nick,

excellent to get Sandhill C at Chongming Dao. Any news if it is still there, anyone?

Btw, I noticed they have built some kind of Nature Center out there. How do you get around it and get access to the areas where you can see cranes, waders etc?

Had Whooper Swan today at Nanhai, pretty good bird this far south east. Also four oriental storks.

Also, does anyone know where to get/post hot Shanghai bird info?

Cheers,
jocko

 

[ChinaBirds]

Hi jocko,
Am sure it will still be there, see my thread in 2011 Members Lists, it looks quite happy amongst the other cranes.

At the Nature Centre (see picture in same thread) you have to pay RMB80 (£8) then you can walk around where you like. For the cranes you need to catch one of the golf type carts down the road (the one you turn off to entert the car park) next to the Nature Centre right down to the sea wall. Then it can be a long walk right along the sea wall. In the morning the cranes seem to be in the fields behind the sea wall, in the afternoon in the salt water marsh. As you can see from my thread we were able to organise a car with an official and attack the sea wall from a different road thanks to Cai's piece of detective work. But you will need to be able to speak Chinese to doi that I am afraid! In that same area there is a board walk out to the sea but it was locked when we were there!

Cheers
Nick

 

[Gretchen]

Which tit?

Surprisingly, I think I saw the first tit on campus today! I somehow seem to often miss this "common" bird, but... today I heard and saw him. I'm trying to figure out how to match what I saw with the choices. These were some of the key features:

• dark black cap

• 
  solid black throat - very clean line across throat (no black line running towards tail which all (?) great tits have)

• white stripe down the back of it's head - almost coronal, but started far back

• plain belly, not very white but not very colorful

• white on cheeks was wide at back of head and ran into the back (no clear demarcation of end of white)

• I didn't see any wing bar - really looked

• had a very high quiet whistling sort of call

I couldn't see beak well...

Is it probably a coal tit?

 

[Dong Bei]

Yes a Coal Tit. Good description!

 

[mcaribou]

Nick,

excellent to get Sandhill C at Chongming Dao. Any news if it is still there, anyone?

Btw, I noticed they have built some kind of Nature Center out there. How do you get around it and get access to the areas where you can see cranes, waders etc?

Had Whooper Swan today at Nanhai, pretty good bird this far south east. Also four oriental storks.

Also, does anyone know where to get/post hot Shanghai bird info?

Cheers,
jocko

Hi Jocko
Is it u who met Peter and Karin in Nanhui?
Cranes leave as late as late March.So the Sandhill should be still there.
We're in Yancheng today.Besides Red-crowned Crane,two Sandhill also present.
Sadly,we saw two dead Pere David's Deer

 

[Gretchen]

Yes a Coal Tit. Good description!

Thanks Tom. It's the first that's stuck in one place to get a really good look at, and the first I've ever been able to identify, so very pleasing!

(Hey we have snow finally! I don't know if you're part of the 9 province drought but we've hardly had a snowflake all winter, so this is nice - both to look at, and the farmers will be happy too.)

 

[Terry Townshend]

Of interest to any Beijing-based birders, there is currently a flock of Waxwings in Ritan Park (north of Guanghua Lu). This morning there were at least 35 Bohemian and a single Japanese Waxwing in the flock in the west/south-west of the park.

 

[xiaoming]

Of interest to any Beijing-based birders, there is currently a flock of Waxwings in Ritan Park (north of Guanghua Lu). This morning there were at least 35 Bohemian and a single Japanese Waxwing in the flock in the west/south-west of the park.

I also saw two flocks in Botanical Garden last Sunday.

 

[Terry Townshend]

Hello there..

In the company of Jesper Hornskov and visiting birders - Swede, Anders Magnusson and American Gina Sheridan - I visited the Ibisbill site at Huairou, north of Beijing, on Saturday. We saw 3 Ibisbills plus a good supporting cast of at least 3 Golden Eagles, 2 Crested Kingfishers, Mandarin (Jesper only) and a good selection of Buntings (Godlewski's, Pallas's Reed, Little, Yellow-throated and Meadow).

It's great that the Ibisbills continue to cope with the increased development at this site. Reports of their imminent demise seem to have been greatly exaggerated!

 

[MKinHK]

Good news indeed!

Mike

Hello there..

In the company of Jesper Hornskov and visiting birders - Swede, Anders Magnusson and American Gina Sheridan - I visited the Ibisbill site at Huairou, north of Beijing, on Saturday. We saw 3 Ibisbills plus a good supporting cast of at least 3 Golden Eagles, 2 Crested Kingfishers, Mandarin (Jesper only) and a good selection of Buntings (Godlewski's, Pallas's Reed, Little, Yellow-throated and Meadow).

It's great that the Ibisbills continue to cope with the increased development at this site. Reports of their imminent demise seem to have been greatly exaggerated!

 

[Terry Townshend]

The large flock of Bohemian Waxwings was still in Ritan Park, Beijing, today. At least 20 birds and maybe more. There were also 3 White-throated Laughingthrushes (certainly escapes) which have tempted out Beijing's bird photographers... much to the bemusement of the locals..!

Also, singing Oriental Greenfinches and Spotted Doves, a few Naumann's Thrushes, half a dozen Chinese Grosbeaks, two Crested Mynas and a Marsh Tit.

 

[xiaoming]

The large flock of Bohemian Waxwings was still in Ritan Park, Beijing, today. At least 20 birds and maybe more. There were also 3 White-throated Laughingthrushes (certainly escapes) which have tempted out Beijing's bird photographers... much to the bemusement of the locals..!

Also, singing Oriental Greenfinches and Spotted Doves, a few Naumann's Thrushes, half a dozen Chinese Grosbeaks, two Crested Mynas and a Marsh Tit.

A Tree-Creeper in RiTan this weekend.

 

[Gretchen]

Interesting - I didn't know there were usually birds of interest at Ritan. Two nice reports!

 

[mcaribou]

early spring migrants coming--yesterday in Yancheng,one White-winged Tern,one Grey-headed Lapwing.Almost all the geese had left,but cranes/gulls/stork/spoonbills were still there with similar numbers with the ones in last week.
Last week in Poyang Lake,over 1,000 Siberian Crane stayed together.A few Grey-headed Lapwing were displaying.

 

[firstreesjohn]

Japanese Waxwings at the Summer Palace Beijing

Terry has posted the most thoroughly gripping photos of these, having been alerted by Jesper to their location.

Possibly the 'fragrant flower' situation in Beijing has constrained his internet access.

See: http://birdingbeijing.wordpress.com/

 

[Terry Townshend]

Terry has posted the most thoroughly gripping photos of these, having been alerted by Jesper to their location.

Possibly the 'fragrant flower' situation in Beijing has constrained his internet access.

See: http://birdingbeijing.wordpress.com/

Thanks John! Couldn't resist going back today in the beautiful light. Attaching a few more images. There are 120+ Waxwings at the Summer Palace, including a good number of Japanese.

 

[cwpbirder]

Terry, good to hear the Ibisbills are still present, after I missed them with Jesper at the end of our Happy Is trip in Sept. Excellent Japanese Waxwings photos....

 

[MKinHK]

If your last posting was a dinosaur Terry there's no question - it would be a Griplodocus!

Wonderful photos - especially of the mixed flock in flight!

Cheers
Mike