On Sunday, I visited Miyun Reservoir, north-east of Beijing city. After a murky start, the weather just got better and better and the views of the mountains by mid-morning were spectacular. The birding was pretty good, too.
Highlights:
– a single immature SIBERIAN CRANE (with 17 White-naped and 9 Common Cranes)
– Short-toed Eagle
– Osprey
– Saker
– A late afternoon movement of at least 13 Eastern Marsh Harriers all heading northwest.
– 19 Spoonbills (17 were definite Eurasian)
– 21 Oriental Pratincoles
– Black Stork
Some images from the day:
Full Species List:
Japanese Quail – 1
Common Pheasant – 9
Bean Goose – 8
Whooper Swan – 2
Ruddy Shelduck – 101
Gadwall – 12
Falcated Duck – 2
Mallard – 8
Spot-billed Duck – 10
Shoveler – 4
Garganey – 28
Eurasian Teal – 162
Common Pochard – 6
Ferruginous Duck – 10 (in a single flock)
Little Grebe – 8
Great Crested Grebe – 18
Black Stork – 1
Eurasian Spoonbill/Spoonbill sp – 19 (17 confirmed as Eurasian, 2 sleeping)
Night Heron – 1
Grey Heron – 11
Great Egret – 3
Little Egret – 18
Kestrel – 1
Saker – a pale individual (see photo). The head pattern, lack of barring underneath and wing shape are all typical Saker. Made one pass before heading west.
Osprey – 1
Short-toed Eagle – 1 (over the reservoir, flushing everything – even the cranes – and then continued north)
Eastern Marsh Harrier – at least 13 passed through mid- to late afternoon, all on a north-westerly heading.
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – 2
Common (Eastern) Buzzard – 1
Upland Buzzard – 1
Coot – 35
Siberian Crane – 1 immature remaining, loosely associating with the White-naped and Common Cranes
White-naped Crane – 17
Common Crane – 9
Black-winged Stilt – 10
Grey-headed Lapwing – 1
Northern Lapwing – 51
Plover sp (Pacific Golden or Oriental) – one high north
Little Ringed Plover – 4
Eurasian Curlew – 1
Green Sandpiper – 2
Temminck’s Stint – 2
Oriental Pratincole – 21 flew through west in one noisy flock
Mongolian Gull – 6 (2 adults and 4 2cy)
Black-headed Gull – 58
Oriental Turtle Dove – 6
Collared Dove – 4
Common Kingfisher – 2
Hoopoe – 2
Grey-headed Woodpecker – 2
Azure-winged Magpie – 31
Red-billed Blue Magpie – 1
Common Magpie – too many
Corvid sp – 2 circled very high (probably Carrion Crow)
Chinese Penduline Tit – 1 heard
Barn Swallow – 38
Red-rumped Swallow – 2
Skylark – 2
Zitting Cisticola – 1
Chinese Bulbul – 2
White-cheeked Starling – 12
Red-throated Thrush – 12
Tree Sparrow – lots
White Wagtail – 6 (4 ocularis and 2 leucopsis)
Buff-bellied Pipit – 14
Little Bunting – 18
Yellow-throated Bunting – 1
Pallas’s Reed Bunting – 2
Absolutely brilliant pics! All i saw in Beijing was pollution and had a wrong impression! Congrats on the Snake-Lord.
Cheers Dev. Beijing is schizophrenic – one moment it can be horrible, polluted and grey, the next brilliantly clear skies and beautiful views of the mountains.. so you should visit again!