JESPER HORNSKOV & JAN KIEL 

  As an add-on to a business visit to Tianjian, JK travelled up to Beidaihe by train. The journey takes c3 hours as it does from Beijing; alternatively Beidaihe can be reached conveniently from both cities by car or public express bus also in c3 hours, and we believe our list would recommend a similar adventure to anyone visiting N China under similar circumstances...

  On 1 Dec, JK having arrived late the previous evening, we set out by car at daybreak to cover areas to the S of Beidaihe, doing some 220 kms in total, birding river mouths and similar habitat likely to hold gulls and wildfowl, as well as wooded areas and scrub-lined canals for buntings etc.

  On 2 Dec we visited scrub-covered hillsides at the Great Wall near Shanhaiguan before JK departed on the 13h30 train, enjoying prolonged sessions with several N China birds, incl. Pere David's Laughingthrush, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Chinese Hill Warbler, and the exquisite Godlewski's, Meadow & Yellow-throated Buntings.

  The weather was pleasant throughout, calm or very nearly so, with extensive hoarfrost in the morning of 1st but above freezing throughout 2nd, somewhat foggy along the coast early on both days but with visibilty improving later and not hampering our efforts, and with temperatures rising to 9C at least on 2^nd, enabling us to pocket hat and gloves as we enjoyed a couple of out-of-the-back-of-the-car bisquits and coffee sessions (during one of which an Upland Buzzard appeared over wintry fields near the coast).

Jesper Hornskov

Bei Ling 3 Qu no. 1

Apartment 3-402

Beidaihe 066100

Hebei Province

Phone/fax  +86 335 403 4587

E-mail:  goodbird@heinfo.net

Species list:

Great Cormorant  Phalacrocorax carbo
  One immature at Laomigou on 1^st.

Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea
  Four at Laomigou & two at Large Wood on 1^st.

Ruddy Shelduck  Tadorna ferruginea
  Eight at Dapuhe bridge on 1^st.

Common Shelduck  T. tadorna
  120 at Qilihai, 33 at Laomigou & three near Small Wood on 1^st.

Eurasian Wigeon  Anas penelope
  A female at Qilihai & three females at Laomigou on 1^st.

Mallard  A. platyrhynchos
  50 at Laomigou on 1^st.

Yellow-nibbed Duck  A. zonorhyncha
  45 at Laomigou on 1^st.

Northern Shoveler  A. clypeata
  Three at Laomigou on 1^st.

Long-tailed Duck  Clangula hyemalis
  Four males at Qilihai on 1^st.

Common Goldeneye  Bucephala clangula
  30 at Yanghe bridge, 30 at Qilihai & 128 at Laomigou on 1^st.

Goosander  Mergus merganser
  16 at Laomigou on 1^st.

Hen Harrier  Circus cyaneus
  An adult male at Laomigou & one ringtail at Small Wood on 1^st.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk  Accipiter nisus
  A female at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Upland Buzzard  Buteo hemilasius
  One at Laomigou on 1^st.

Eurasian Kestrel  Falco tinnunculus
  Singletons S of Qilihai & at Large Wood on 1^st.

Common Pheasant  Phasianus colchicus
  An adult male at Great Wall on 2^nd. here in its native range!

Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus
  A 1^st cy bird at Laomigou on 1^st.

Common Crane  Grus grus
  6+ heard near Large Wood on 1^st.

Eurasian Curlew  Numenius arquata
  15 at Yang He bridge, 182 at Qilihai, 32 at Laomigou & heard at Small Wood on 1^st.   

Relict Gull  Larus relictus
  A 1^st cy bird at Laomigou on 1^st performed well.

Black-headed Gull  L. ridibundus
  500+ at Yanghe bridge & 265 at Laomigou on 1^st.

Black-tailed Gull  L. crassirostris
  An adult at Laomigou on 1^st.

Common Gull  L. canus heinei & L. c. kamtschatschensis
  50+ (incl 5+ kamtschatschensis & 1+ heinei, all 1^st cy) at Yang He bridge, 20 at Dapuhe bridge, 20 at Qilihai & 250 (of various ages) at Laomigou on 1^st.

Vega Gull  L. vegae vegae & L. v. birulai
  15 at Yanghe bridge, ten at Dapuhe bridge, ten at Qilihai & c40 (incl. one adult vegae) on 1^st.

Yellow-legged Gull  L. cachinnans 
  One 1^st cy bird at Laomigou on 1^st.

Heuglin's Gull  L. heuglini taimyrensis
  Ten 1^st cy birds at Yanghe bridge, ten at Qilihai & eight at Laomigou on 1^st.

Collared Dove  Streptopelia decaocto
  Two at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Oriental Turtle Dove  S. orientalis
  Four S of Yanghe & one at Large Wood on 1^st.

Little Owl  Athene noctua
  One perched on a wire S of Laomigou on 1^st.

Hoopoe  Upupa epops
  Two S of Laomigou on 1^st.

Grey-headed Woodpecker  Picus canus
  Two at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Great Spotted Woodpecker  Dendrocopus major
  One at Large Wood on 1^st & three at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Asian Short-toed Lark  Calandrella (rufescens) cheleensis
  36 at Laomigou & c50 flying to roost over Large Wood on 1^st.

Eurasian Skylark  Alauda  arvensis
  28 at Laomigou & five at Large Wood on 1^st.

White Wagtail  M. alba baicalensis
  One at Laomigou on 1^st.

Chinese Bulbul  Pycnonotus sinensis
  Four in orchards S of Qilihai on 1^st.

Siberian Accentor  Prunella montanella
  Four at Large Wood on 1^st & 14 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Naumann's Thrush  Turdus naumanni
  Two in orchards S of Qilihai on 1^st & two at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Chinese Hill Warbler  Rhopophilus pekinensis
  28 at Great Wall on 2^nd included a number seen at very close range.

Pallas Leaf Warbler  Phylloscopus proregulus
  One bird seen at a glimpse at great wall on 2^nd by JK, most probably was of this species.

Goldcrest  Regulus regulus
  Three at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Vinous-throated Parrotbill  Paradoxornis webbianus
  Heard at Large Wood on 1^st & 15 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Pere David's Laughingthrush  Garrulax davidi
  24 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Marsh Tit  Parus palustris
  Eight at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Great Tit  P. major minor
  14 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Eurasian Jay  Garrulus glandarius
  Three at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Red-billed Blue Magpie  Urocissa erythrorhyncha
  23 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Common Magpie  Pica pica
  Common.

Large-billed Crow  Corvus macrorhynchos
  Four at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Tree Sparrow  Passer montanus
  Common - encountered on several occasions.

Chaffinch  Fringilla coelebs
  Two females at Great Wall on 2^nd. Not recorded annually in Hebei Province.

Brambling  F. montifringilla
  Three at Laomigou & 1+ at Large Wood on 1^st; three at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Eurasian Siskin  Carduelis spinus
  One at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Pallas's Rosefinch  Carpodacus roseus
  Prolonged views of an exquisite adult male w/ one female/immature at Large Wood on 1^st.

Lapland Bunting  Calcarius lapponicus
  Four at Laomigou & two at Large Wood on 1^st.

Godlewski's Bunting  Emberiza godlewskii
  Ten at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Meadow Bunting  E. cioides
  27 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Yellow-throated Bunting  E. elegans
  Two (one male, one female) at Large Wood on 1^st & 14 at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Rustic Bunting  E. rustica
  Four at Large Wood on 1^st.

Little Bunting  E. pusilla
  Six in orchards S of Qilihai, nine in Small Wood & 15 at Large Wood on 1^st; two at Great Wall on 2^nd.

Pallas's Reed Bunting  E. pallasi
  Eight seen well at Laomigou & 40 at Large Wood on 1^st.