Date: 12-May-2015
Time: 13:30 – 15:10 (20 min break in between)
Location: Appartment complex on outskirts of Shenyang, incl. park area
The first few days after arrival in Shenyang (the 9th) I didn’t have any opportunity to see other birds than Three sparrow, Barn Swallow, Common Magpie and Azure-Winged Magpie. The birds that are the most common and noticeable around the apartment of my in-laws.
The first day I heard or saw something else than these birds, we went to a family’s residence in a walled apartment complex on the outskirts of Shenyang, between the centre of the city and the Dongling park area. I had been there before on previous trips but all in July and I didn’t see anything more than Three sparrow, Barn Swallow and Common Magpie until now. 12 May was a rainy day. At arrival some faint whistle higher up in a three caught my attention. It was impossible to get a good view, I just noted it was a small warbler. After making the best sound recording I could, I looked around for more green and immediately found more of probably the same species, but they kept on avoiding my field of view for a perfect view. I did make better recordings however. I later identified them to be all Yellow-Browed Warblers. After saying hi to the family, everybody was just resting, so I decided to go out for another hour or so to explore more of the surroundings, which I never did before.
I found a little park attached to the residence, with some stone edged ponds and thick bushes around a 5m high mount/ridge. On the other side of the wall there were higher threes and some rough grassy parts. The first birds I heard were Common Kingfishers. At the same time I noticed a heron flying away from the park. Probably a Grey Heron, but I cannot be sure because of the bad light that day. Slowly progressing through this area I had many calls were I couldn’t see the birds and I missed to make a recording. Other times I saw flashes of a bunting and a flycatcher without any possible ID. But I was lucky to have a good view of my first male Tristram’s bunting. Other ID’s were a Spotted Dove and Pheasant, both recorded over the wall, which I later found out was military property. Some calls were possibly Japanese bunting. I chased after a thrush-like call for a considerable amount if time but I didn’t find the bird. I do have a bad recording of it, 4 sec in the attached mp3. You probably have to listen to it with earpieces or headphones to hear it clearest. Maybe someone has a clue what it is?
Afterwards I tried some more recordings of the YB warblers. You can find all YB warbler recordings for that day in these places:
http://china.observado.org/waarneming/view/102099486 (first observation, faint)
http://china.observado.org/waarneming/view/102099485
http://china.observado.org/waarneming/view/102768313
Species list (excl. possible):
L = Lifer, C = New to China list, T = New to Trip list, P = New Patch addition
1 Common Pheasant - Phasianus colchicus P, T
2 Spotted Dove - Spilopelia chinensis P, T
3 Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis P, T
4 Eurasian Magpie - Pica pica
5 Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica
6 Yellow-browed Warbler - Phylloscopus inornatus L, T
7 Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus
8 Tristram's Bunting - Emberiza tristrami L, T
Life list: 335 (+2)
China list: 67 (+2)
Trip list: 9 (+5)
Patch list : 8 (+5)