Laotieshan Autumn 2012 report

Paul Holt has just finished his report from Laotieshan this autumn, covering the period 5-26 September.  For a few of those days, towards the end, he was joined by Per Alström and me, but he generously credited us a joint authors.  The full report can be downloaded here: Birding in Liaoning 5-26 Sept. 2012 (Holt, Townshend & Alstrom) but, for the busy reader, highlights included:

Five new species for Liaoning:

• 14 bird-days with up to 11 Short-tailed Shearwaters being noted on four dates between 12-19 September;

• seven bird-days for skuas/jaegers between 12-18 September – most were unidentified but a Long-tailed Jaeger was identified on the 12th as was a single Pomarine on the 18th;

• a Swinhoe’s Minivet on the 14 September;

• a Chestnut-cheeked Starling on 6 September.

High counts included:

• 3,274 bird-days for Streaked Shearwater with a count of 1,605 during the 4.5 hour sea watch off the point at Laotie Shan, Lushun on the 13 September possibly being a Chinese record;

• 4,313 bird-days of Oriental Honey-buzzard with 1,181 south on the 23 September;

• 938 bird-days of Japanese Sparrowhawk with 446 (possibly a Chinese record) south on the 6 September;

• 16,000 Black-tailed Gulls and 5,000 Mongolian Gulls west off the point on the 18 September (possibly both Chinese records);

• 20,959 bird-days of Ashy Minivet with 10,380 on the 21 September (a Chinese record);

• 270 bird-days for Black-naped Oriole with 72 on the 6th & 62 on the 9 September;

• 20,600 bird-days for Barn Swallow with 7,500 south on 14 September;

• 56 bird-days for Asian House Martin with 37 south on 6 September;

• 90 Forest Wagtails south on 11 September;

• 3,160 bird-days for White Wagtail with 1,134 on the 11 September;

• 196 bird-days for Pechora Pipit with exactly half this number, 98 birds, on the 12 September possibly being a Chinese record

Local rarities included:

• single adult Black-legged Kittiwakes on the 12th & 18 September

• one juvenile Pallas’s Gull during a seawatch on the 18 September – perhaps only the sixth record for Liaoning;

• 1 Spotted Nutcracker on the 24 September;

I suspect that, with irruption species such as Varied Tit, ‘Northern’ Great Tit, Rosefinches etc on the move this autumn, October might have been exciting, too…   but there have been no birders there to find out!