Irruption of Northern Long-tailed Tits into Beijing

I have quite a bit of catching up to do with blog posts.  There is a lot happening, which is good, and I’ll do my best to write some posts over the next few days.  First up is a short note about the ongoing irruption of Northern long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus 北长尾山雀 Běi cháng wěi shān què) into Beijing.

The first group of these charming birds was seen at the ChaoBai River on 10 October (Terry Townshend and Paul Holt) and, since then, they have been recorded at most birding sites, including many urban parks and even in residential compounds. Known by locals as ‘glutinous rice balls’, they have a high cute factor and are proving popular with birders and photographers alike.

At the same time there has been a noticeable, but on a smaller scale, irruption of Coal Tits (Periparus ater 煤山雀 Méi shānquè), usually scarce in lowland Beijing, and some record counts of Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes 锡嘴雀 Xī zuǐ què), including an impressive 247 at the ChaoBai River on 23 October (Paul Holt).  Some record counts of Eurasian Siskin (Carduelis spinus 黄雀 Huáng què), with 347 recorded at Lingshan earlier this week (Paul Holt and Terry Townshend), notable numbers of Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea 白腰朱顶雀 Bái yāo zhū dǐng què) and a smattering of Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra 红交嘴雀 Hóng jiāo zuǐ què) have added to the ‘northern feel’.

The reason for irruptions such as these are poorly understood but likely to relate to food availability in the usual range further north.  

The movements seen in Beijing are clearly not unique.  Nial Moores in Republic of Korea reported on Facebook:

“Substantial movement of white headed long-tailed tits this winter into inner border region of South Korea too. Much more numerous than in last 5 winters or so. We also have big movements of coal tit at least locally (as locally in part of japan it seems) ; Red crossbills started to move in mid Oct(irruption in Japan too it seems); and eurasian bullfinches started about a week ago. Some treecreepers perhaps moving this winter too?”

The latter two species – Eurasian Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula 红腹灰雀 Hóng fù huī què) and Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris 旋木雀 Xuán mù què) are both rare in Beijing, especially the former with fewer than half a dozen records and none since January 2020.  Could this be the year we see another?  And what else could be on the cards – possibly Varied Tit (Poecile varius 杂色山雀 Zá sè shān què) or even the previously unrecorded Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator 松雀 Sōng què)?  Time will tell!  Whatever happens, it promises to be an exciting winter of birding in the capital. 

 

Title image: one of a group of at least six Northern long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus 北长尾山雀 Běi cháng wěi shān què) on the wooded slopes of Lingshan, Beijing’s highest mountain in Mentougou District, on 31st October.

 

Things that go “quack” in the night

In the last few days, during the heavy rain in Beijing, two separate contacts have been in touch to ask about ‘ducks’ that have suddenly appeared around their residences.  

One said:

“a group of ducks has been quacking for hours in a small lush and green, wooded area in front of our building in Chaoyang, near the park. Did they get stuck here perhaps? What do you make of it? Maybe they are geese. I can’t see them, they are loud!”

I was intrigued… but then the same contact sent me a short recording:

Ahah! The sound is certainly similar to ducks but actually the creatures responsible are not ducks or geese at all – they are Boreal Digging Frogs (Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā) and, if you are out and about in Beijing right now, especially near any ‘wild’ areas with standing water, you are likely to hear them.

The Boreal Digging Frog has an interesting life cycle and is an explosive breeder.  It spends most of its time underground in burrows and emerges after the heavy summer monsoon rains to breed in temporary pools.  They breed fast, as they need to complete the breeding cycle before the pools dry up, so time is of the essence!  They will ‘sing’ persistently, even all through the night, when they first emerge and eggs will be laid within a few hours.  After a few days, the tadpoles will hatch and they will need to mature quickly in order to fully develop and find refuge in burrows before the pools dry up later in the summer.

The eggs of the Boreal Digging Frogs (Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā).

The tadpoles of the Boreal Digging Frog (Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā).

 

Here is a recording I took just last week by the Wenyu River.  It’s hard to miss them!

So the lesson is: not everything that ‘quacks’ is a duck!

For more about the amphibians of Beijing, see this dedicated page.

 

Header image: a Boreal Digging Frog (Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā) ‘singing’, 11 June 2016 (Xing Chao)

Ambassadors for Nature is One Year Old!

The Ambassadors for Nature initiative is one year old!  To celebrate, H.E. Dr Ann Derwin, Ambassador of Ireland to China, hosted a seminar to commemorate the occasion.

Speakers included 王小平 Dr. Wang Xiaoping, Deputy Director General of Beijing Forest and Parks Bureau, 钱时雨 Qian Shiyu from the Urban Biodiversity team at ShanShui Conservation Center, Chris Liu, a grade 10 student from the Western Academy of Beijing and Irish artist Niamh Cunningham.  

H.E. Dr. Ann Derwin, Ambassador of Ireland to China, speaking at the opening of the one year anniversary event.

We heard how the initiative has expanded from 14 original members to 32 today, all of whom have signed up to the Pledge for Nature at ambassadorial level, and about the individual actions at embassies in Beijing, including:

  • The Irish embassy allocating a wild area with an area greater than 10% and, in spring, it was awash with colour and a haven for pollinators.
  • France initiating a ‘green embassy’ initiative looking at reducing emissions and supporting biodiversity to align with the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Global Biodiversity Framework
  • The New Zealand embassy piloting ultraviolet patterns on glass windows to help reduce bird collisions
  • The Swedish embassy’s elimination of pesticide and herbicide use
  • Indonesia’s planting of the embassy grounds using only native species
  • The US embassy’s creation of a wildlife pond and planting of native trees and replacing of traditional vehicles with electric vehicles
  • UNDP holding capacity building events for staff and making and erecting bird boxes and insect hotels
  • Belgian embassy hosting a seminar for embassy gardeners to help share best practice 
  • …and many more!

The participants also heard about efforts to ‘export’ the initiative to the diplomatic network beyond Beijing, with efforts underway in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Dr. Wang Xiaoping thanked the embassies for contributing to Beijing’s biodiversity and briefed about the new guidelines for the management of parks in Beijing, in particular the recommendation that 10% of the area of parks in urban Beijing should be left ‘wild’ with minimal management, with the target figure increasing to 20% for suburban parks.  This was all part of the vision to make Beijing “a capital of biodiversity”.

Dr. Wang Xiaoping, Deputy Director General of the Beijing Forest and Parks Bureau (which manages 71% of Beijing’s landmass) briefed on the city’s efforts to make Beijing “a capital of biodiversity”.

Chris Liu, a grade 10 student at the Western Academy of Beijing, spoke about how the school had adopted the Pledge for Nature and had teams of students leading on various aspects of implementation, including ‘rewilding’ an area around their ‘duck lake’, monitoring wildlife using infrared cameras and photographing and identifying plants and insects using an APP called “Seek”, designing insect hotels and erecting swift boxes.

Chris Liu gave an overview of actions to support biodiversity at the Western Academy of Beijing

Qian Shiyu of ShanShui Conservation Center, who arrived straight from a pollinator survey in the Botanical Gardens, briefed about the ‘audits’ of embassy grounds undertaken at the German and Danish embassies and how the team was working with the embassies to implement the recommendations.

Qian Shiyu from the urban biodiversity team at ShanShui Conservation Center

Irish artist, Niamh Cunningham, presented samples of her work promoting nature through art, including ‘tree stories’, short videos produced by members of the public about special trees.

Niamh Cunningham gave a thought-provoking presentation on the power of art to promote nature

During the discussion, attention focused on how to build on the year’s achievements, including the potential for an annual award to recognise and highlight extraordinary efforts, a series of interviews with ambassadors to explore why biodiversity is important to them and to learn more about individual embassies’ activities, the potential to design a short leaflet with the pledge for nature that could be translated into multiple languages to help spread the word, and the importance of involving diplomatic children in embassy initiatives.

It was wonderful to receive a written message of support from Clare Fearnley, former NZ Ambassador to China, who was the driving force behind the establishment of the Ambassadors for Nature and who did so much in the early days to build the momentum.

With the enthusiasm and energy from the embassies, there is no doubt that year two promises to be an exciting journey!

Thank you so much to Dr. Ann Derwin, Ambassador of Ireland to China, and her brilliant team especially Fergus Scott, for hosting the event, to the Beijing Municipal Government and ShanShui Conservation Center for their incredible support, to WAB for the excellent collaboration and to all the embassies for fabulous work throughout the last 12 months.   

Japanese Scops Owl

After more than ten years of birding in Beijing, there aren’t many resident species that have eluded me.  Japanese Scops Owl  Otus semitorques (北领角鸮 Běi lǐng jiǎo xiāo), until very recently, was one.  The species is a bit of an enigma in the capital. It apparently formerly bred in the Botanical Gardens but, in recent years, records have been few and far between, mostly from the mountains of Mentougou District.  On 30 January 2022 one was photographed at Lingshan and, in summer that year, Lou Fangzhou and friends observed one hunting insects from the road at the same site.  A few days later, during a visit to Lingshan, I saw a large scops owl sp. briefly hunting moths on the road before flying into woodland never to be seen again and, although I couldn’t 100% confirm the identity, I was confident that the bird I had seen was this species.  I was curious to try to find out more about the status of this species at Lingshan, so I decided to try a bio-acoustic survey.

Given Japanese Scops Owl is likely a resident in Beijing, I suspected that it may sing in early spring, as with other resident owls.  In March I set up a recorder in a location close to the summer 2022 sightings to try to record its song and potentially other vocalisations.  The recorder was in place for a month but on analysing the files I was a little disappointed not to record any song of the Japanese Scops Owl.  I recorded Eagle Owl Bubo bubo 雕鸮 Diāo xiāo and Himalayan (Chinese Tawny) Owl Strix aluco 灰林鸮 Huī lín xiāo but the only possible Japanese Scops Owl vocalisations were a few faint two- to four-note descending calls that resembled a recording of this species from Japan on Xeno-canto.  An example is below.

Listen to the similar recording on Xeno-canto from Japan by Miyagi Kunitaro.

Was I recording too early?  Was the recorder in the right location?  The next opportunity I had to visit Lingshan was in early May, so I tried again with a recorder in a similar location, fitted with fresh batteries that would last around 2-3 weeks.  On retrieving the recorder in late May I was delighted to find multiple recordings of Japanese Scops Owl.

There was a recording similar to the four-note call recorded in March, including a reply:

Then there was a recording of the low-pitched, rather repetitive and progressively louder song:

Shortly after, another recording of the song with other call-types:

Finally, just a few minutes later, even better was a recording of the song, followed by some excitement calls – could this have been courtship or even mating?

Wonderful!  

All of these recordings were on the same night – between 2300 on 9 May and 0100 on 10 May – and there were no recordings of the song on any other night during the recording period,  7 -23 May.  Maybe this species sings most frequently in April, the month during which I did no recording? Or maybe they sing only infrequently?  With Eagle Owl Bubo bubo 雕鸮 Diāo xiāo and Himalayan (Chinese Tawny) Owl Strix aluco 灰林鸮 Huī lín xiāo in the vicinity, is it possible that the presence of these larger owls, and potential predators, discourage the smaller Japanese Scops Owl from singing?  

The 2022 sightings and 2023 recordings of Japanese Scops Owl represent the revelation of another secret held by Beijing’s highest mountain, following the recent discoveries of (likely) breeding Grey-winged Blackbird Turdus boulboul 灰翅鸫 Huī chì dōng, ‘Gansu’ Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus albocoeruleus 红胁蓝尾鸲 Hóng xié lán wěi qú and Greenish-type Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides 暗绿柳莺 Àn lǜ liǔ yīng.  And since my recordings, an additional breeding pair was discovered at Xiaolongmen, also in Mentougou District.  

I am looking forward to visiting Lingshan this summer to try to catch a glimpse of this secretive owl and the experience has encouraged me to try more nocturnal bio-acoustic surveys around Beijing. What other secrets may be held by China’s capital?

With thanks to Andrew Farnsworth of Cornell Lab of Ornithology for help with processing these recordings.

Featured image: spectogram of the Japanese Scops Owl song and excitement calls at Lingshan on 9 May 2023.

Ambassadors for Nature visit Miyun Reservoir

On Friday 28th April the Irish Embassy in Beijing arranged the first Ambassadors for Nature field trip.  Hosted by the Miyun District Foreign Affairs Bureau, the group of Ambassadors and senior diplomats visited the QingShui River, one of the rivers that drains into Miyun Reservoir, Beijing’s most important drinking water source and a hotspot for migratory waterbirds.  

As well as a two-hour bird walk guided by local experts – Zhang Dehuai of the Miyun Reservoir Forest and Parks Bureau and local bird photographer 安妮 “Annie”, the group enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant, two expert presentations and a discussion on how the international community can share good practice in support of the local government’s efforts.

We totalled 26 species during the bird walk – see below for a full list – with the undoubted highlight being the sighting of two Oriental Scops Owls (Otus sunia 红角鸮 Hóng jiǎo xiāo) roosting close to the path.  This species is a summer visitor to Beijing and it’s likely that this pair has recently arrived in the capital after spending the winter in S China or SE Asia.

A pair of Oriental Scops Owls roosting close to the path was a definite highlight.

The first presentation was by Zhang, including a short video of the rich biodiversity of Miyun Reservoir and a summary of the actions being taken to monitor and improve the habitat for water birds, especially cranes.

A lecture by Miyun Forest and Parks Bureau about efforts to manage the area for wildlife

The second was by Tan Lingdi, leader of the urban conservation programme at ShanShui Conservation Center, who spoke about the recent ‘wildlife audit’ of the German Embassy compound and the recommendations developed to help make the compound more friendly for wildlife.

Tan Lingdi from ShanShui Conservation Center presented the results of a ‘wildlife audit’ of the German Embassy compound.

During the discussion there was a commitment from the diplomats to identify and share good practice to help inform the actions of the Miyun local government and great demand for ShanShui to conduct similar ‘wildlife audits’ of other embassies in Beijing.  The next such audit will take place on Friday 5 May at the Danish Embassy.

Huge thanks to Ambassador Ann Derwin, Ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to China and her team, especially Fergus Scott and Li Meng, for the arrangements, to the Miyun Foreign Affairs Bureau for hosting, to Zhang and Annie for guiding the bird walk, to Tan Lingdi of ShanShui Conservation Center and to all the ambassadors for senior diplomats for participating.  

List of bird species seen during the bird walk:

COMMON PHEASANT Phasianus colchicus 雉雞 Zhì jī 
MALLARD Anas platyrhynchos 綠頭鴨 Lǜ tóu yā 
CHINESE SPOT-BILLED DUCK Anas zonorhyncha 斑嘴鴨 Bān zuǐ yā 
GREY HERON Ardea cinerea 苍鹭 Cāng lù 
LITTLE EGRET Egretta garzetta 白鹭 Báilù 
LONG-BILLED PLOVER Charadrius placidus 长嘴剑鴴 Cháng zuǐ jiàn héng 
GREEN SANDPIPER Tringa ochropus 白腰草鹬 Bái yāo cǎo yù 
ORIENTAL SCOPS OWL Otus sunia 红角鸮 Hóng jué xiāo 
COMMON KINGFISHER Alcedo atthis 普通翠鸟 Pǔtōng cuì niǎo 
GREY-CAPPED PYGMY WOODPECKER Dendrocopos canicapillus 星头啄木鸟 Xīng tóu zhuómùniǎo 
GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos major 大斑啄木鸟 Dà bān zhuómùniǎo 
GREY-HEADED WOODPECKER Picus canus 灰头绿啄木鸟 Huī tóu lǜ zhuómùniǎo 
ORIENTAL MAGPIE Pica serica 喜鹊 Xǐquè 
LARGE-BILLED CROW Corvus macrorhynchos 大嘴乌鸦 Dà zuǐ wūyā 
LIGHT-VENTED BULBUL Pycnonotus sinensis 白头鹎 Báitóu bēi 
MANCHURIAN BUSH WARBLER Cettia canturians 远东树莺 Yuǎndōng shù yīng 
YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER Phylloscopus inornatus 黄眉柳莺 Huángméiliǔ yīng 
PLAIN LAUGHINGTHRUSH Pterorhinus davidi 山噪鹛 Shān zào méi 
VINOUS-THROATED PARROTBILL Sinosuthora webbianus 棕头鸦雀 Zōng tóu yā què 
White-eye sp 
EURASIAN TREE SPARROW Passer montanus 树麻雀 Shù máquè 
GREY WAGTAIL Motacilla cinerea 灰鹡鸰 Huī jí líng 
WHITE WAGTAIL Motacilla alba 白鹡鸰 Bái jí líng 
LITTLE BUNTING Emberiza pusilla 小鹀 Xiǎo wú 
YELLOW-THROATED BUNTING Emberiza elegans 黄喉鹀 Huáng hóu wú 

GRAND TOTAL 26 species

 

The Ambassadors for Nature is an informal network of ambassadors in Beijing committed to managing their diplomatic green spaces in a way that is consistent with the new Global Biodiversity Framework agreed by more than 190 countries at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022 under China’s presidency.  See this dedicated page for more details.

Title image: the Ambassadors for Nature group at the Qingshui River, including ambassadors and senior diplomats from Ireland, Denmark, Japan, Latvia, United Nations and United States of America.

Soundscape of Tiaozini coastal wetland

Although the week at Tiaozini involved a packed schedule, I did manage to steal away for an hour to the mudflats for the incoming tide.  Watching a flock of Great Knot with Eurasian Curlew, Oystercatcher and Saunders’s Gulls overhead as the sun dropped behind me was a memorable experience.  I attempted to capture at least some of the magic by recording a soundscape.  Put on your headphones and transport yourself to the Yellow Sea coast!

Promoting China’s coastal wetlands

I am just back from a week of filming at Tiaozini, Jiangsu Province, with Chinese national television (CCTV4) for a special programme about the importance of coastal wetlands.  This part of the Yellow Sea coast is a critical stopover for millions of migratory shorebirds along what is known as the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), one of nine major migratory flyways in the world.

These incredible birds migrate from as far south as Australia and New Zealand to breeding grounds as far north as the Arctic Circle. They are shared by 22 countries and, with that, comes a shared responsibility to protect them and the places they need.   

In recent years there has been an incredible turnaround in the prospects for China’s coastal wetlands.   In the last few decades, possibly as much as 50% of China’s coastal wetlands have been lost and, just a few years ago, scientists were worried that the Yellow Sea could become an ‘epicentre of extinction’.  Then, in 2018, there was a sudden change in policy when the State Council issued a ban on further reclamation of coastal wetlands and committed to protect the remaining important sites.  As a first step, Tiaozini was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2019 in recognition of its global importance to migratory birds. Phase II of the serial World Heritage nomination, involving more than ten additional coastal wetland sites, is now underway.  A short video summarising the turnaround is called “Saving a Flyway”.

Although the future of migratory shorebirds along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway is far from secure, and there are many additional and growing threats such as climate change, pollution and invasive spartina, the greatest immediate threat to the Flyway has been removed. 

During my visit, it was clear that there have been some remarkable developments in terms of managing the site for migratory birds.  A dedicated high tide roost has been designated through the renting – by the local government – of a former aquaculture pond.  The water level is managed specifically for birds and, during my visit, it hosted thousands of birds of many different species, from large gulls, spoonbills, godwits, avocets, sandpipers and several different species of duck, including both dabbling and diving ducks.  The large Saunders’s Gull (Chroicocephalus saundersi 黑嘴鸥 Hēi zuǐ ōu) colony, numbering almost 3,000 pairs, is now protected and monitored 24/7 and a dedicated research facility has been set up close by, hosting teams from Beijing Forestry University, Fudan University and Nanjing University.  The research includes benthos surveys to understand the health of the mudflats and bird population monitoring.  The visitor centre – dominated by Spoon-billed Sandpiper-themed infrastructure including a Spoony Cafe, Spoon-billed Sandpiper-shaped benches and Spoony-themed people carriers – hosts students from schools in the local area, from across Jiangsu Province and from further afield (there were at least three schools visiting on the first day I was there).  The overwhelming feeling about the future of migratory shorebirds is now filled with optimism – such a contrast from when I first visited the area in 2010.

The view of the mudflats from the sea wall, now complete with visitor information about the special local species that can be found.
‘Spoony’ is everywhere at Tiaozini. Even the benches are Spoon-billed Sandpiper-themed.
Almost every weekday, schools from the local area and further afield visit to learn about this special place.

Of course, the growing threats of climate change, pollution and spartina are very real and will require a lot of hard work and dedication to address but, just for a moment, it was good to take in and celebrate a moment of optimism! 

It was wonderful to meet so many people – from the managers to academics to local staff – passionate about protecting the intertidal mudflats and doing everything they can to facilitate safe passage for these extreme endurance athletes.

I am not a natural in front of the TV cameras but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to host a special programme about biodiversity that will reach tens of millions of people when it is broadcast in June!

Winter dawn chorus from Lingshan

I have tended to think that the dawn chorus is predominantly a spring/summer feature.  So it was a nice surprise at Lingshan in February to record a wonderful winter dawn chorus involving both resident and winter visiting birds.  Considering the temperature was around -8 degs C at the time, I didn’t expect such activity!  You will hear the incredibly talented vocalist, the Beijing Babbler (Rhopophilus pekinensis 山鹛 Shān méi), as well as Godlewski’s Bunting (Emberiza godlewskii 戈氏岩鹀 Gē shì yán wú), Red-throated Thrush (Turdus ruficollis 赤颈鸫 Chì jǐng dōng), Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos 大嘴乌鸦 Dà zuǐ wūyā), Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus 雉鸡 Zhì jī) and more!

Put on your headphones and enjoy 10 minutes of soundscape from the wooded hills of Beijing’s highest mountain.

Pledge for Nature expands to schools

Last week I was invited to the Western Academy of Beijing for the latest in a series of engagements on biodiversity.  The visit was my third to the school in the last few weeks, following a lecture on Beijing’s wildlife and a field trip to the Wenyu River.  

Since my last visit, the students have made incredible progress.  They’ve taken the “Pledge for Nature” agreed by ambassadors in Beijing as part of the “Ambassadors for Nature” initiative and adapted it to their school.  

WAB students signing the “Pledge for Nature”

And already they have identified an area of the campus to “re-wild”, built ten special nest boxes for the Beijing Swift, to be erected this week ahead of the birds’ arrival in mid-April, set up infrared cameras around campus to monitor nocturnal wildlife and are designing insect hotels.

This sign, designed by students and teachers using recycled wood, has been erected adjacent to the area of campus that will be allowed to “rewild”.

All of these efforts are designed to align the campus with the new UN Global Biodiversity Framework agreed by more than 190 countries in December in Montreal.  They are also part of a broader effort to make the school sustainable, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The students and teachers at WAB are a joy to work with and their actions are a shining example of what’s possible!

Huge thanks to the team at WAB, especially Marta Smith, Stephen Taylor, Pim Arora and Ian Slate.

 

Autumn 2022 nocturnal migration in Beijing

At the end of last week we processed the final nocturnal audio files from autumn 2022, recorded on the roof of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Beijing.  This completed the third season of nocturnal recordings from this city centre location.  

Key findings:

  • 34,460 calls recorded in autumn 2022 (remarkably similar to the 34,713 in autumn 2021)
  • At least 67 species recorded, bringing to total number of species recorded over three seasons to 99
  • The most common species recorded was again Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni 树鹨 Shù liù) with 12,689 calls (versus 12,411 in autumn 2021)
  • The top ten most frequent calls
    • 1. Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 树鹨 Shù liù    12,689
    • 2. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica 金腰燕 Jīn yāo yàn 4,447
    • 3. Flycatcher sp. Muscicapidae sp. 鹟科 Wēng kē  2,279
    • 4. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 夜鹭 Yè lù 2,152
    • 5. Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus 普通朱雀 Pǔtōng zhūquè 2,135
    • 6. Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis 云雀 Yúnquè 1,349
    • 7. Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla 小鹀 Xiǎo wú 1,172
    • 8. Goose sp. (most likely Bean Goose) Anser sp. 雁 Yàn 1,086
    • 9. Brambling Fringilla montifringilla 燕雀 Yànquè 1,068
    • 10. Bunting sp. Emberiza sp. 鹀科 Wú kē 944

More detailed analysis will appear as it is available at this page.