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China observations (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Gretchen
- Start date
mcaribou
Migration coming
No pix of hatchlings.They were seen far from the seawall.I walked down the seawall to try to get a pic of the hatchling of Oystercatcher.But once the adults came over to warn me,hatchlings crouched.I took pix of adults and then left to reduce my disturb.
While Oystercatcher walked around nervously,they often crossed the territery of two Kentish Plover one of which was lying there maybe hatching eggs.The plovers did broken-wing display and chased Oystercather away again and again.
While Oystercatcher walked around nervously,they often crossed the territery of two Kentish Plover one of which was lying there maybe hatching eggs.The plovers did broken-wing display and chased Oystercather away again and again.
chrisuwsnyc2010
New member
They breed at Minjiang Estuary.
Terry Townshend
Regular vagrant
Elisa's Flycatcher
This week, with visiting US birder, Gina Sheridan, I found Elisa's Flycatcher at the second attempt at Wu Ling Shan, Hebei Province. Also at least 2 singing Large-billed Leaf Warblers (recorded) plus the usual cast list of phylloscs (Claudia's Leaf, Hume's, Chinese Leaf, Yellow-streaked), White-bellied Redstart, Lesser, Large and prob Northern Hawk Cuckoos, Oriental Cuckoo, Rosy Pipit, Grey-sided Thrush, Chinese Song Thrush, Siberian Blue Robin etc. A nice bonus was a pair of Plumbeous Redstarts on the way out of the reserve.
One Grey-sided Thrush was coming down to collect food in an area of freshly disturbed earth only a few metres from the hotel!
Wu Ling Shan is a very nice site and it's especially good to swap the muggy heat of Beijing for the lovely fresh temperatures on the mountains.
This week, with visiting US birder, Gina Sheridan, I found Elisa's Flycatcher at the second attempt at Wu Ling Shan, Hebei Province. Also at least 2 singing Large-billed Leaf Warblers (recorded) plus the usual cast list of phylloscs (Claudia's Leaf, Hume's, Chinese Leaf, Yellow-streaked), White-bellied Redstart, Lesser, Large and prob Northern Hawk Cuckoos, Oriental Cuckoo, Rosy Pipit, Grey-sided Thrush, Chinese Song Thrush, Siberian Blue Robin etc. A nice bonus was a pair of Plumbeous Redstarts on the way out of the reserve.
One Grey-sided Thrush was coming down to collect food in an area of freshly disturbed earth only a few metres from the hotel!
Wu Ling Shan is a very nice site and it's especially good to swap the muggy heat of Beijing for the lovely fresh temperatures on the mountains.
Attachments
Terry Townshend
Regular vagrant
Thanks Mike and Gretchen. About the redstart - I believe it is an adult male. It was singing and seemed very territorial. I did see a couple of very brown individuals, which I assume were females or juveniles (one brown bird had a bluish breast and was singing, so probably a first summer male). It's a very common bird at Wu Ling Shan. There seemed to be one singing every few metres along the roads. But seeing them is a different matter - they are skulkers!
Terry Townshend
Regular vagrant
For any birders in Beijing, I saw an adult male Cinnamon Bittern this evening in the Olympic Forest Park. It was in the large reedbed in the west of the southern section near the refreshments kiosk (just north of the "underwater corridor"). I don't know how frequently this species is seen in Beijing but I understand it is an unusual sighting.
Thanks for sharing the news Terry! I had hoped to go have a look on my way through this week, but time did not permit. Anyway, keep sharing the news, it's always helpful to know....
First day with sunshine and blue skies (and more than 100 meters visibility!) in the last week, so I had to run out to the sandflats at the end of the day! Just beautiful!
News on the "reservoir" front: the front (literally) of the park has been renovated - newer hotel, wildflower gardens and otherwise not much changed. You are again welcomed to roam the whole front acre or so (1/2 hectare or 6 mu). At the second gate, there are guards and "national secrets" within and no entrance - I doubt it will be better in a few weeks, but always try...
Anyway, enjoyed a pair of kingfishers on the stream, alternating perching and diving. Across the street at the sandflats the tide was extremely high, and there were lots of birds (as well as lots of people enjoying the first outdoors type weather in a while). I'm not very good at large numbers but would think at least 6 dozen Little and Great Egrets were spread across the area. I was really pleased to see more than a half dozen Grey Herons, which I rarely see, as well as several Pond Herons flying about.
Distantly I saw Black-Winged Stilts, and I believe a flock of Whimbrel roosting, while a group of 3 perhaps Curlews (?) flew over head with a clear tooting sound; also a handful of Greenshanks I think, and a few smaller peeps here and there which I certainly couldn't see well enough to figure out. (And of course some gulls...
)
Anyway, nice to see quite a few birds enjoying the "preserved" area - and taking into account the high grass and my modest optics there was quite a lot more for better birders than I to see.
News on the "reservoir" front: the front (literally) of the park has been renovated - newer hotel, wildflower gardens and otherwise not much changed. You are again welcomed to roam the whole front acre or so (1/2 hectare or 6 mu). At the second gate, there are guards and "national secrets" within and no entrance - I doubt it will be better in a few weeks, but always try...
Anyway, enjoyed a pair of kingfishers on the stream, alternating perching and diving. Across the street at the sandflats the tide was extremely high, and there were lots of birds (as well as lots of people enjoying the first outdoors type weather in a while). I'm not very good at large numbers but would think at least 6 dozen Little and Great Egrets were spread across the area. I was really pleased to see more than a half dozen Grey Herons, which I rarely see, as well as several Pond Herons flying about.
Distantly I saw Black-Winged Stilts, and I believe a flock of Whimbrel roosting, while a group of 3 perhaps Curlews (?) flew over head with a clear tooting sound; also a handful of Greenshanks I think, and a few smaller peeps here and there which I certainly couldn't see well enough to figure out. (And of course some gulls...
)Anyway, nice to see quite a few birds enjoying the "preserved" area - and taking into account the high grass and my modest optics there was quite a lot more for better birders than I to see.
MKinHK
Mike Kilburn
Sounds like a nice outing Gretchen, and good to hear there is some access to the reservoir area again.
We're getting returning waders in HK already, and the first Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Arctic Warbler or Eastern Crowned Warbler will be found any day now, so there should be lots to look out for round your neck of the woods.
I seem to remember Pied Harrier and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher are among the early migrants.
Cheers
Mike
We're getting returning waders in HK already, and the first Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Arctic Warbler or Eastern Crowned Warbler will be found any day now, so there should be lots to look out for round your neck of the woods.
I seem to remember Pied Harrier and Yellow-rumped Flycatcher are among the early migrants.
Cheers
Mike
Terry Townshend
Regular vagrant
Hi Gretchen,
I know what you mean about visibility! Can't wait for the autumn weather to help clear away the mist and smog from Beijing.. we've had very few days of clear weather in the last few weeks.
Waders should be coming through in good numbers now, including juveniles. I saw a my first ever Asian Dowitcher - a juvenile at Nanpu, near Tangshan - at the beginning of August.
The next couple of months should be excellent and I'll be getting out and about as much as I can...
Terry
I know what you mean about visibility! Can't wait for the autumn weather to help clear away the mist and smog from Beijing.. we've had very few days of clear weather in the last few weeks.
Waders should be coming through in good numbers now, including juveniles. I saw a my first ever Asian Dowitcher - a juvenile at Nanpu, near Tangshan - at the beginning of August.
The next couple of months should be excellent and I'll be getting out and about as much as I can...
Terry
mcaribou
Migration coming
Waders are in frequent movement:
Today in Rudong there were much less Red-necked Stint while much more Broad-billed Sandpiper incl. juv than last weekend when the typhoon came.
Tried hard but couldnt find any Spooner.Not sure if the Spooner moved away with the Red-necked Stint.
If yes,it might mean that the two adult Spooner we saw last weekend(the earliest autumn record since 2008) have another stop-over site somewhere further south.Without the typhoon,it may intend to go directly to there rather than stop at Rudong.While the 'normal' Spooner which usually arrives in Rudong in mid-Aug hasnt arrived yet.
Today in Rudong there were much less Red-necked Stint while much more Broad-billed Sandpiper incl. juv than last weekend when the typhoon came.
Tried hard but couldnt find any Spooner.Not sure if the Spooner moved away with the Red-necked Stint.
If yes,it might mean that the two adult Spooner we saw last weekend(the earliest autumn record since 2008) have another stop-over site somewhere further south.Without the typhoon,it may intend to go directly to there rather than stop at Rudong.While the 'normal' Spooner which usually arrives in Rudong in mid-Aug hasnt arrived yet.
Thanks for the reminder that it is wader time of year! I confess I'm in denial that we are that far through the summer, but the birds have finished their northern "work" and are returning south... I should be finishing things too! Will make efforts to get back out as possible in the next week.
