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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Beidaihe and Beijing, China: 14-16+18th Sep 2012,

Author

Jesper Hornskov ® ***this draft 6 Oct 2012***  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

An at-a-glance list of 138 species of birds recorded.

Please note that the following list is best considered a work in progress. It should not be quoted without consulting the author.

Based on my own field notes, this brief write-up covers the birds noted at Beidaihe & Beijing by M Neale & myself during an add-on to a work visit to China’s capital – the add-on was planned to make the most of the time available, drawing on general experience garnered over the years & inspired in particular by three highly enjoyable visits in autumns 2011 & 2012:

a four-nights-away extension to the 2011 Oriental Bird Club Fundraiser to NE Tibet
(see http://www.netfugl.dk/trip_reports/asia/China_Beidaihe_Aug2011_JesperHornskov.pdf ),

a ‘Pied Harrier Quest’ over 12-19 Sep 2011
(see http://www.netfugl.dk/trip_reports/asia/China_Beidaihe_Sep2011_JesperHornskov.pdf ),

and a follow-up ‘Pied Harrier Quest’ over 2-8 Sep 2012
(see http://www.netfugl.dk/trip_reports/asia/China_Beidaihe_2-8Sep2012_JesperHornskov.pdf )

Beidaihe - rediscovered in 1985 and almost instantly recognised as THE place to enjoy a superb range of E Asian migrants - had been receiving some poor reviews over the last 3-4 years, but in 2011 some good news: the local mudflats had been fenced-off to create an 'Ecological Restoration Area', virtually eliminating disturbance! In terms of ease of access (<2 hours by train from Beijing, or 3 hours by car from Beijing airport) & opportunities to view waders, gulls and terns we were suddenly and unexpectedly back to World Class!

Back in Beijing it was only feasible to do a morning, and we opted for Botanical Gardens – a fairly safe bet except in mid-summer, and we were not disappointed!

We recorded 138 species of birds without any undue rushing about. Everything – the ease of the birdwatching, the outstanding food, and extremely comfortable & convenient accommodations - came together to produce a pleasant & enjoyable short break.

Anyone considering China as a birding destination is welcome to contact the author at:
Tel (fax on request) +86 10 8490 9562      / NEW MOBILE +86 139 1124 0659
E-mail   goodbirdmail(at)gmail.com  or  goodbirdmail(at)126.com

Enquiries concerning future Oriental Bird Club Fundraisers - to Yunnan, following an updated itinerary, or NE Tibet (our near-annual trips have been very popular) - can be made to Michael Edgecombe, OBC’s Promotion Officer, at mail(at)orientalbirdclub.org or directly to this author.

Species list:

In the species list the concept "bird-days" is used - it is the avian equivalent of man-hours, the day totals added up – it indicates relative abundance but does not consider the “problem” of lingering birds or, important in a non-scientific context such as a birding holiday abroad, how satisfying the encounters were. 25 bird-days for e.g. Spoon-billed Sandpiper could be one distant flock of migrating birds, gone in a flash, or one bird lingering for 25 days, offering the observers point-blank views anytime in that period…

Common Pheasant  Phasanius colchicus
6+ bird-days. Noted on three dates.
***The genuine, wild article… Cheng (1987) listed no fewer than 18 races for mainland China!

Common Shelduck  Tadorna tadorna
Eight on 15th.

Falcated Duck  Anas falcata
Four on 14th.

Mallard  Anas platyrhynchos
Seven bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Chinese Spotbill  Anas zonorhyncha 
36 bird-days. Noted on two dates – main event 32 at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Northern Pintail  Anas acuta
One male at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Common Teal  Anas crecca
Six bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Common Goldeneye  Bucephala clangula
2-3 female-types on the sea on 15th.

Little Grebe  Tachybaptus ruficollis  
Four bird-days. Noted on two dates.
***It was good to get views that allowed us to confirm that these birds had the white iris of ssp poggei, which also differs from the nominate in vocalizations…

Great Crested Grebe  Podiceps cristatus
Six bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Black-crowned Night Heron  Nycticorax nycticorax
20 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Striated Heron  Butorides striata
A juvenile was seen repeatedly on 15th.

Chinese Pond Heron  Ardeola bacchus
18 bird-days. Noted on three dates – nice fly-bys & ‘scope views of singletons perched up in willows…

Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea
21 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Purple Heron  Ardea purpurea
Four bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Great Egret   Ardeaalba
95+ bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Little Egret  Egretta garzetta
180+ bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Great Cormorant  Phalacrocorax carbo
54 bird-days. Noted on three dates – most were loafing birds but we did see a flock of 16 flying S with determination, high above the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Common Kestrel  Falco tinnunculus
 Nine bird-days. Noted on three dates.
***In addition, a Kestrel sp. at Great Wall on 15th.

Amur Falcon  Falco amurensis
Four bird-days. Noted on two dates: three juveniles (incl one in superb light which landed in a willow near where we had taken up position!) on 14th & a juvenile hunting over Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Eurasian Hobby  Falco subbuteo
72+ bird-days. Noted daily – morning counts of 31 on 15th & 33 on 16th…
***Patrols high and/or offshore for passing migrants, heading inland only when passerine migration dries up as the morning wears on.

Saker  Falco cherrug 
We were amazed to get long ‘scope views of a grounded 2nd+ c-y bird feeding as a Peregrine stood close by awaiting its turn…

Peregrine  Falco peregrinus
One 2nd+ c-y on 14th. See above! As it took off after finishing the Saker’s leftovers it flushed 11 Relict Gulls off the tideline…

Osprey  Pandion haliaetus
Four bird-days. Two singles on 15th, one hunting on 16th & one migr at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Oriental Honey Buzzard  Pernis ptilorhynchus
Five bird-days. Noted at Great Wall on 15th (good views of birds in both adult & juvenile plumage) & at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Eastern Marsh Harrier  Circus spilonotus 
Seven bird-days. Noted on three dates…

Pied Harrier  Circus melanoleucos
Eight bird-days. Noted on three dates – three were adult males passing through… very nice, but on balance it was the juvenile appearing out of the blue at Great Wall which made the greatest impression.

Japanese Sparrowhawk  Accipiter gularis
Singles on 15+16th – could have been the same individual on both dates: a juvenile male more concerned with getting some food than with heading S.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk  Accipiter nisus
Three bird-days – one female on 14th & two at Botanical Gardens.

Common Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus
Seven bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Black-winged Stilt  Himantopus himantopus
39 bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Pied Avocet  Recurvirosta avosetta
A flock of 15 on the tideline on 15th.

Grey-headed Lapwing  Vanellus cinereus
c750 bird-days. Noted daily – main event c500 on 15th, incl a particularly impressive, strung-out flock of 320 heading S.

Pacific Golden Plover  Pluvialis fulva
13 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Grey Plover  Vanellus squatarola
Two heading off S w/ three Pacific Golden Plovers on 16th…

Long-billed Plover  Charadrius placidus
One 1st c-y at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th… ‘eventually flying by and landing in good light close to us, allowing ‘scope views before heading off with some LRPs. It soon returned with just two of the LRPs’.

Little Ringed Plover  Charadrius dubius
17 bird-days. Noted on three dates, incl 14 at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Kentish Plover  Charadrius alexandrinus
153+ bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Pintail Snipe  Gallinago stenura
One on 14th.
***During autumns 1986-1990 recorded from 20 Aug – 16 Oct (JH pers. obs., Williams 2000).

Common Snipe  Gallinago gallinago 
21 bird-days. Noted on three dates – main event 14 on 15th.

Eastern Black-tailed Godwit  Limosa melanuroides 
Two on 15th, migr w/ one Spotted Redshank.

‘Siberian Bar-tailed Godwit  Limosa baueri^’
15 bird-days. Noted on three dates.
***^vide Inskipp et al (2011) split from ’Lapland’ Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica. Both Cheng (1987) & Zheng et al. (2005) lists only baueri from China. However, lapponica breeds E to the Taimyr peninsula and winters E to Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and coasts and islands of W Indian Ocean (BWP volIII, p476) and should be considered certainly in W China. NE Asian birds (anadyrensisvide Rasmussen & Anderton (2005)) differ from E-most ‘Lapland’ (separated as taimyrensisvide Rasmussen & Anderton (2005)) ‘mainly in much darker (barred) axillaries and upper tail coverts’: Rasmussen & Anderton (2005). In addition, back and upper rump dark brown, feathers tipped white; lower rump and upper tail coverts white, barred or spotted with black; under-wing coverts (and axillaries) brown with narrow white bars (BWP vol III, p481).

***N Moores (email 19 Sep 2012) commented: ‘without additional details, I would assume that the     Barwits you saw were menzbieri rather than baueri? While both subspp are known to be numerous on northward migration in the Yellow Sea, baueri undertakes the cross-Pacific route on southward migration. Therefore, while we do get very occasional baueri in autumn in the ROK (singletons that had oversummered in the Yellow Sea?) the vast majority are clearly menzbieri. As menzbieri show much white on the uppertail covers and other differences from baueri (size, underwing barring, migration strategy, and some differences in range) they seem often to be considered to be part of "western" Bar-tailed Godwit (more or less inseparable from taimyrensis?), and baueri (if it is to be split) as monotypic. ‘

‘Whimbrel  Numenius phaeopus^’
One on 15th.
***^vide Inskipp et al (2011) split into three species, incl Siberian Whimbrel Numenius variegatus & European Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus…

Eurasian Curlew  Numenius arquata
Three on 14th.

Far Eastern Curlew  Numenius madagascariensis
Nine bird-days. Seen well on three dates – of note was four heading off S at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Spotted Redshank  Tringa erythropus
Four bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Marsh Sandpiper  Tringa stagnatilis
One heard on 15th.

Common Greenshank  Tringa nebularia
21 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus
Three bird-days. Noted on two dates, incl at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Wood Sandpiper  Tringa glareola
24 bird-days. Noted only on 14th.

Common Sandpiper  Actitis hypoleucos
One on 15th.

Grey-tailed Tattler  Heteroscelus brevipes
A juvenile giving superb ‘scope views on 16th was pretty much the last bird we saw before heading back to Beijing: what a way to finish - TINGALING!

Great Knot  Calidris tenuirostris
26 bird-days. 6-11 noted daily over 14-16th.

Red-necked Stint  Calidris ruficollis
18 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Temminck’s Stint  Calidris temminckii
Two ‘scoped at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Dunlin  Calidris alpina
Perhaps the same individual on both 14+15th.

Oriental Pratincole  Glareola maldivarum
Three bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Black-tailed Gull  Larus crassirostris
Up to 75+ were noted daily over 14-16th.

‘Yellow-legged’ Gull  Larus (cachinnans) mongolicus
Several 1st c-y birds were identified.

Heuglin’s Gull  Larus (fuscus) heuglini ssp taimyrensis^
Three 1st c-y birds were identified on 15th.
***^taimyrensis was considered a synonym (of heuglini) by Dickinson (2003) who did not follow the trend of elevating Heuglin’s Gull to full species status.

***’Herring’ / ‘Large White-headed’ Gull
Up to 150+ seen daily over 14-16th.

Common Black-headed Gull  Larus ridibundus
Noted daily over 14-16th… main event 500+ roosting on 16th.

Relict Gull  Larus relictus
14 bird-days. 1st c-y birds were noted on two dates.

Gull-billed Tern  Sterna nilotica
Twop on 14th.

Caspian Tern  Sterna caspia
One on 15th.

White-winged Black Tern  Chlidonias leucopterus
25 heading S on 15th.

Oriental Turtle Dove  Streptopelia orientalis
64 bird-days. Noted on three dates – main event 35 on 16th.

Eurasian Collared Dove  Streptopelia decaocto
One on 16th.

Spotted Dove  Streptopelia chinensis
Eight bird-days. Noted daily – main event three at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Northern Hawk-Cuckoo  Cuculus hyperythrus
One adult seen well in flight through the canopy on 15th – it seemed to land but could not be relocated.

Black-capped Kingfisher  Halcyon pileata
Perhaps the same singleton daily over 14-16th – it eventually sat out nicely on 16th…

Common Kingfisher  Alcedo atthis
6+ bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Hoopoe  Upupa epops
One along the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Northern Wryneck  Jynx torquilla
A juvenile was seen briefly on 16th…

Rufous-bellied Woodpecker  Hypopicus hyperythrus
Four bird-days – our visit proved well timed: this attractive long-distance migrant was noted daily over 14-16th.

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker  Dendrocopos canicapillus
Two at Botanical Gardens on 18th – one ‘scoped at close range: mission accomplished, and the sun was barely up yet!

Great Spotted Woodpecker  Dendrocopos major
One male on 14th.

Grey-headed Woodpecker  Picus canus
One at Great Wall on 15th & four at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Ashy Minivet  Pericrocotus divaricatus
Two heard on 16th.

Brown Shrike  Lanius cristatus
20 bird-days. Noted daily over 14-16th.

Chinese Grey Shrike  Lanius sphenocercus 
We were blown away by protacted ‘scope views of one on 15th.

Black-naped Oriole  Oriolus chinensis
One dropped in on 15th – nice ‘scope views!

Black Drongo  Dicrurus macrocercus
15 bird-days. Noted on two dates – main event 14 at the river S of Beidaihe on 14th.

Eurasian Jay  Garrulus glandarius
Two at Great Wall on 15th.

Azure-winged Magpie  Cyanopica cyanus
30+ at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Red-billed Blue Magpie  Urocissa erythrorhyncha 
30+ bird-days. Noted daily – some superb encounters with this beautiful bird: WOW! and WOW again!!

Common Magpie  Pica pica
Common – not systematically recorded.

Large-billed Crow  Corvus macrorhynchos 
One at Great Wall on 15th & four at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

‘Eastern’ Great Tit  Parus minor 
18+ bird-days. Noted daily.

Yellow-bellied Tit  Parus venustulus
136+ at Botanical Gardens on 18th – we managed to find as many as 20 together, feeding in deciduous trees…

Marsh Tit  Parus palustris
Five at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Barn Swallow  Hirundo rustica
Modest numbers were seen daily.

Red-rumped Swallow  Cecropis daurica 
c10 on both 15+16th.

‘Silver-throated’ Tit  Aegithalos glaucicomans^ vinaceus
Four at Botanical Gardens on 18th.
***^IOC, following HBW, elevates the Long-tailed Tit taxa vinaceus & glaucogularis to full species status as ‘Silver-throated Bushtit’ Aegithalosglaucogularis - as recently as 2008, however, the notion of vinaceus as a possible split was met with groans of skepticism by group members.

Chinese Hill Warbler  Rhopophilus pekinensis 
One ‘scoped at close range on 14th… and two heard at Great Wall the next day.
***Let’s avoid the new-fangled, highly misleading ‘White-browed Chinese Warbler’ for this inquisitive endemic – I mean, we don’t refer to Sylvia borin as ‘Gaudy Warbler’… or do we?

Chinese Bulbul  Pycnonotus sinensis
17+ bird-days. Noted daily – main event 13+ at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Pere David’s Bush Warbler  Bradypterus davidi 
Singles on 15+16th.

Lanceolated Warbler  Locustella lanceolata
Three bird-days. Noted on two dates – BVD!

Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler  Locustella certhiola 
One showing well on 16th…

Thick-billed Warbler  Phragmaticola aedon 
Ten bird-days. Noted daily over 14-16th.

Oriental Great Reed Warbler  Acrocephalus orientalis
One ‘scoped on 16th.

Black-browed Reed Warbler  Acrocephalus bistrigiceps
17 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Dusky Warbler  Phylloscopus fuscatus
38 bird-days. Noted daily.

Radde’s Warbler  Phylloscopus schwarzi
Three bird-days. Noted on two dates… BVD!

Yellow-browed Warbler  Phylloscopus inornatus
84 bird-days. Noted daily.

Greenish Warbler  Phylloscopus trochiloides plumbeitarsus 
Five bird-days. Noted on three dates but getting views proved tricky…

Pere David’s Laughingthrush  Garrulax davidi
17+ bird-days. Noted at Great Wall & Botanical Gardens.

Vinous-throated Parrotbill  Paradoxornis webbianus 
48+ bird-days. Noted daily over 14-16th – this cheeky reed-stirrer was seen well on a number of occasions.

Chestnut-flanked White-eye  Zosterops erythropleurus
c185 bird-days. Noted daily – memorable views of a busy feeding party above us on 16th…

Chinese Nuthatch  Sitta villosa
Three at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

White-cheeked Starling  Sturnus cineraceus
Three bird-days. Noted on 15+16th.

Siberian Thrush  Zoothera sibirica
One seen briefly on 16th.

White’s Thrush  Zoothera aurea 
One seen well – incl underwing pattern! – on 16th.

Chinese Blackbird  Turdus mandarinus 
One heard at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Eyebrowed Thrush  Turdus obscurus
One on 15th.

Siberian Rubythroat  Luscinia calliope
Four bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Siberian Blue Robin  Luscinia cyane
Six bird-days. Noted daily over 14-16th.

‘Siberian’ Stonechat  Saxicola ‘torquatus’
92+ bird-days. Noted daily @ Beidaihe – main event 65+ on 16th…’even on quiter days there always seem to be a few of these charismatic birds around, flycatching out of a reed bed, hopping about on the sand, or attracting attention by landing atop a distant willow’.

***NOT elevated to full species status by e g Svensson et al. (2009), who treated ‘Eastern Stonechat’ as a subspecies group under ‘Common Stonechat’ and dealt with it in a separate account only ‘for practical reasons’.

Asian Brown Flycatcher  Muscicapa dauurica
Instructive views of a single bird on 15th.

Red-throated Flycatcher  Ficedula albicilla 
24 bird-days. Noted daily – ‘scope views of one or two birds…

Eurasian Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus
Common – not systematically recorded.

Eastern Yellow Wagtail  Motacilla tschutschensis 
383+ bird-days. Noted daily over 14-16th – main event 241 on 15th.

Grey Wagtail  Motacilla cinerea
Four bird-days. Noted on three dates, incl at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

White Wagtail  Motacilla alba 
199+ bird-days. Noted on three dates – main event 78+ on 16th.
***Only ssp leucopsis was identified.

Richard’s Pipit  Anthus richardi 
33 bird-days. Noted on three dates.

Olive-backed Pipit  Anthus hodgsoni
29 bird-days. Noted on three dates – main event 15 at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Pechora Pipit  Anthus gustavi
One flew NW on 16th.

Red-throated Pipit  Anthus cervinus
305 bird-days. Noted daily over 14-16th – main event 257 on 15th.

***During autumns 1986-1990 recorded from 5 Sep – 16 Oct; previous max count a still pretty impressive 97 on 20 Sep 2002 (JH pers. obs., Williams 2000).

Oriental Greenfinch  Carduelis sinica
Two at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Common Rosefinch  Carpodacus erythrinus
Two on both 15+16th – outstanding views as the birds stayed around…

Red Crossbill  Loxia curvirostra
One at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Chinese Grosbeak  Eophona migratoria
Six bird-days – five on 15th & one at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Eastern Rock Bunting  Emberiza godlewskii
Two at Great Wall on 15th.

Chestnut-eared Bunting  Emberiza fucata
A juvenile was ‘scoped as it sat up in reeds directly in front of us on 15th.

Little Bunting  Emberiza pusilla
Four bird-days. Noted on two dates.

Yellow-browed Bunting  Emberiza chrysophrys
17 bird-days. This Dreambird was noted daily over 14-16th – one of the three on 14th sat up in a willow, allowing ‘scope viewing.

Chestnut Bunting  Emberiza rutila
One adult male migr on 16th.

Black-faced Bunting  Emberiza spodocephala
Five bird-days. Noted on three dates, incl at Botanical Gardens on 18th.

Pallas’s Reed Bunting  Emberiza pallasi 
One on 15th – BVD!

 

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