As a birder and conservationist, there is nothing more disheartening than discovering illegal mist nets with entangled birds struggling for their lives. It’s something I have experienced many times in Beijing and, although the authorities will now respond quickly to reports of illegal poaching, at least in the capital, it is clear that the practice remains widespread.
In fact, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of migratory birds are illegally killed or captured in China every year using mist nets. Some are trapped for ‘exotic’ food and some are taken for the cage bird trade. Many more thousands are killed as bycatch in nets set up to ‘protect’ crops, including shellfisheries and coastal fisheries.
Based on publicly available information about illegal hunting convictions involving birds from 2014 to 2020 (China Judgements Online [裁判文书网]), among 3,298 cases which specified the tools used, 1,795 (54%) involved mist nets. These cases were widely distributed, involving 230 prefectures (68% of 336 prefectures in China) with a high concentration in prefectures of eastern China’s provinces. The cases involved more than 1.6 million birds being killed, including some endangered species that have already been heavily impacted by illegal hunting, such as the Yellow-breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola 黄胸鹀 Huáng xiōng wú), a species classified by the IUCN Red List as critically endangered (Kamp et al. 2015). And of course those cases that are discovered, reported and result in a conviction are likely to represent a tiny fraction of the total number of birds killed.
Last September, at the World Coastal Forum in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, I was invited to participate in a panel discussion with prosecutors from China’s coastal provinces to discuss how prosecutors can play their part in protecting coastal wetlands. Towards the end of the session, I was asked what is the single biggest thing that prosecutors can do to help migratory birds. I had no hesitation in responding by saying “control the production and sale of mist nets”. I did not expect what happened next.
Participating in a panel discussion with Chinese prosecutors at the World Coastal Forum in Jiangsu Province, September 2023.
A few days after the World Coastal Forum, I was contacted and invited to submit a background note on mist nets, including some recommendations. With thanks to Dan Liang at Princeton University, who has studied the impact of mist nets at razor clam farms on migratory shorebirds (see this paper), and experts at BirdLife International, a short note was submitted to the prosecutors. Within a few weeks, we heard that the prosecutors were engaged and were exploring what could be done. Quickly, it was revealed that e-commerce platforms, such as Alibaba’s Taobao (similar to the online sales platform, Amazon, familiar to most in the West), had been told to add clear warnings to anyone looking to buy mist nets, that using them to trap wild birds was illegal.
A search for mist nets on Taobao now *should* return a strong message about the illegality of trapping wild birds and animals.
Then came news that the Chief Prosecutor’s office had circulated a note to all provincial prosecutors instructing them to take action to control the production, sale and use of mist nets.
At the end of 2023, the Chief Prosecutor’s office listed tackling mist nets as one of the priority issues in their annual summary and forward look to 2024 (in Chinese) and we have been told that more action will be forthcoming this year.
We understand that one of the actions they are examining is the setting of a standard for ‘anti-bird’ nets, in terms of the thickness of the cord and mesh size. Such a standard would ensure nets used to protect the legitimate interests of farmers would do so without being lethal to birds. And by banning the unlicensed production, public sale and use of nets that do not meet the standard, the supply and availability of nets used by poachers would be much reduced. This seems like a sensible approach.
The work by prosecutors, although still in its early stages, is a hugely welcome step and it is clear that the issue is now firmly on their agenda. As one of the legal officials said, controlling mist nets is a “low-hanging fruit” for prosecutors on biodiversity – it is relatively simple to enact and at low cost, with a huge benefit to wild birds. Controlling mist nets is also squarely in line with the goals of the new Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed by more than 190 countries under China’s presidency of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
I am almost daring to dream that, one day, the scourge of mist nets used to trap wild birds will be consigned to history in China.
Header image: an illegal mist net, with a caged Yellow-breasted Bunting used to attract birds towards the nets, in coastal Hebei Province (Terry Townshend)
In wildlife conservation, good news can be likened to a critically endangered species – rarely encountered and with ever-decreasing frequency. With that in mind, it is heartening to begin 2024 with some good news.
Readers of Wild Beijing will know about the recent positive turnaround in policy in the Yellow Sea. From a potential ‘epicentre of extinction’ caused by rampant land reclamation, the State Council ban on further coastal wetland reclamation and subsequent nomination of some of the most important remaining wetlands as a serial World Heritage Site was a significant milestone (watch this short video – “Saving a Flyway” – for a synopsis of the story).
However, despite this notable progress, there is still a long way to go to secure the future of the millions of migratory waterbirds that use the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and the most important sites on which they depend. One such site that has been under serious threat is Lianyungang in Jiangsu Province.
Lianyungang is important. Surveys by local scientists and volunteers have showed that perhaps the entire global population of the Asian Dowitcher (Limnodromus semipalmatus 半蹼鹬 Bàn pǔ yù), a species classified as “Near Threatened” by the IUCN and a Class II State Protected Species in China, relies on this site during migration stopover, in addition to significant numbers of other endangered species including Nordmann’s Greenshank (endangered and a Class I protected species in China), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (critically endangered and a Class I protected species in China), Far Eastern Curlew and Great Knot (both endangered and a
Class II protected species in China).
Despite the importance of Lianyungang to these species, the site was under threat from a major development project, the so called “Blue Bay Project”, described misleadingly as an ‘ecological restoration project’. Under the proposed project, plans were to convert 1870 ha of natural intertidal mudflat into artificial sandy beaches and tourist facilities. Although the project would have undoubtedly made the area more attractive for many humans and increased property prices, it would have significantly degraded the natural functions of the coastal wetland and severely reduced the quality of the habitat for the migratory waterbirds that depend on it.
The development at Lianyungang appeared to go against both the ban on further commercial-related reclamation announced by the Chinese government in 2018 and the legal protection for Class I and Class II protected species in China. However, it should be noted that the project was given local approval before the ban came into effect, hence the ‘muddying of the waters’, so to speak.
Fortunately, under changes to environmental protection legislation, it is now possible for approved NGOs to file public interest litigation cases where development plans could have a serious negative effect on biodiversity and habitats. In this case, Chinese environmental NGO, “Friends of Nature”, with the support of local NGO “Spoon-billed Sandpiper in China”, stepped up and took the developers to court. The case has been ongoing for several years and the initial verdict has been eagerly awaited by all concerned with nature conservation in China. It was seen as a key test of the new legal framework designed to protect China’s most important natural heritage.
In January 2024, the Nanjing City Intermediate People’s court in Jiangsu Province finally issued a ‘judgement in the first instance’. The judgement has three key elements.
First, it halts the so-called Blue Bay development project at Lianyungang, until it receives explicit legal approval.
Second, it holds that the initial environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the project omitted the impact on birds and that the EIA provider should be held jointly liable with the construction company.
Third, however, the judgement went on to say that the evidence presented failed to prove that the already-built semi-circular dyke had caused ecological damage, or risked ecological damage, and the judge rejected Friends of Nature’s claim for removal of the development, for ecological restoration, compensation for damages and an apology.
So, what does this mean?
From talking with legal experts, it is clear that this is a significant, but not final, judgement. Under Chinese law, if either the plaintiff or defendant does not agree with the court’s “judgement in the first instance”, they can appeal, in which case a “judgement of second instance” will be made at a higher court. If both the plaintiff and the defendant agree to the first judgement, then the first instance judgement becomes final.
In an article posted on WeChat on 19 January (in Chinese), Friends of Nature reported this court judgement as a “temporary victory”, and that the risk remains of this project destroying the feeding grounds of waterbirds. The construction project has not been permanently halted, and the developer has not been fined accordingly for destroying the waterbirds’ habitat. Friends of Nature remains worried that this project may end up being an abandoned construction, with no one responsible for the subsequent restoration.
We understand that Friends of Nature will be filing an appeal to push for a permanent halt to the construction of the Blue Bay project and to promote the restoration of the damaged waterbird feeding grounds so that this important site will be protected in a more stringent, sustainable and effective manner.
At the same time, we have heard that the (powerful) Central Environmental Protection Inspectorate has ordered the project to be rectified, and the project area has been included in the Ecological Protection Redlines and the List of Important Habitats for Terrestrial Wildlife issued by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. This makes it hard to see how the project could now be granted the “legal approval” required by the court in order for the developers to be allowed to proceed.
There is no doubt that, although Lianyungang is not yet secure, the local court’s verdict has given the site a chance. We will be keeping everything crossed that the higher court, should this case be appealed, upholds that the development is illegal and requires the developer and/or local government to restore the site to its original condition – it is the only outcome that would be consistent with the Global Biodiversity Framework and China’s domestic biodiversity goals.
As we head into a new year, it’s traditionally a good time to reflect on the previous 12 months. After three difficult years of pandemic restrictions, 2023 was a welcome return to at least some kind of normality in China, with the borders opening up and physical meetings again being possible. I have been incredibly fortunate to be involved in some exciting and innovative projects and to work with some of the best people I’ve ever met. I haven’t been very efficient at updating the blog part of the website this year, so here are a few selected highlights from 2023.
First, the nocturnal bird migration study in partnership with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Peking University. Spring 2023 was the fourth consecutive season of recording nocturnal bird sounds from the rooftop of AIIB’s headquarters in Beijing. In total, we recorded more than 83,000 calls from at least 111 species, all from just one building.
Spectograms of the some of the species recorded at night from the roof of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
A draft scientific paper, led by Peking University, has been submitted to a journal for consideration and, in late November, Liu Shuangqi presented the results to the British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) conference. This is the first study of its kind in East Asia and, as well as helping to raise public awareness of the ‘invisible miracle’ that happens over our heads as Beijing’s residents sleep at night (thanks to media articles in China and even in The Economist), it has demonstrated the diversity of birds passing over the capital and, importantly, the diversity of their habitat requirements. It was instructive that the top three species recorded by volume were Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 树鹨 Shù liù (woodland species), Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis 云雀 Yúnquè (grassland species) and Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 夜鹭 Yè lù (wetland species). This illustrates that if Beijing is to fulfil its role in the flyway – to secure safe passage of migratory birds – it must provide a balance of natural habitats to help these extraordinary travellers to cross what is, to them, a hostile urban environment. Encouragingly, at the summer 2022 workshop in AIIB to present the initial results, the Beijing municipal government recognised the value of scrub and grassland habitats (until recently classified as ‘waste land’) and committed to integrate the findings of the nocturnal migration project into the way they manage green spaces in Beijing. Given that the Beijing Municipal Forest and Parks Bureau manages 71% of Beijing’s land, that is a big step. The last few decades have seen a heavy emphasis on tree-planting in the capital, often at the expense of scrub and grassland, driven by the use of ‘tree-cover’ as the overriding measure of the quality of the environment. In most cases, when trees are planted, it has usually involved single species monocultures, all the same age and in straight lines, with undergrowth and fallen leaves removed to keep the trees ‘tidy’, resulting in very little biodiversity. We very much hope that this is a turning point towards a more balanced and qualitative approach to habitat management. It’s going to take time to see significant change but, as the capital city of the country that presided over agreement by more than 190 countries on the new Global Biodiversity Framework under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, it would be fitting if Beijing led the way towards aligning the city with biodiversity goals by integrating the needs of migratory birds into urban planning.
We are planning to continue monitoring nocturnal bird migration from AIIB’s roof and have received tremendous support from Cornell Lab (Andrew Farnsworth and Benjamin van Doren) to help with automated detections and identifications, which will make processing the recordings more efficient (thus far, all processing has been done manually). Once we have the automated processing working effectively, we plan to explore the potential for schools to deploy recorders on their campuses as a way to expand the monitoring of migratory birds.. and potentially even set up competitions, for example to see which school records the most Olive-backed Pipits in a season. Huge thanks go to my partners at Peking University, especially Professor Hua Fangyuan and Liu Shuangqi, to AIIB staff for their invaluable support, especially Sir Danny Alexander, Alberto Ninio, Tian Hua, Yan Bo and Li Zeyu, and to the Beijing Municipal government, especially Wang Xiaoping, for the wonderful cooperation and positive response to the findings.
Second, the Ambassadors for Nature initiative has gone from strength to strength. Launched in July 2022 by Clare Fearnley, the former New Zealand Ambassador to China, with 14 founding members, as of 31 December there are 35 ambassadors signed up to support the “pledge for nature”, committing to manage their diplomatic green spaces in a more friendly way for nature. Events this year have been hosted by the Irish, Swiss, Belgian and Slovenian Ambassadors focusing on migratory birds, pollinators and guidance for embassy gardeners, with a field trip to Miyun Reservoir hosted by the Beijing Municipal government.
The Ambassadors for Nature group at the Qingshui River, Miyun District, May 2023.
In addition to encouraging actions – such as planting native pollinator-friendly species, keeping areas wild, reducing and eliminating the use of pesticides, monitoring wildlife and erecting insect hotels, bird and bat boxes to support biodiversity in diplomatic green spaces – the initiative has been a great way to get biodiversity onto the agenda of senior foreign policy officials and to promote international cooperation. For example, thanks to Bruno Angelet, the new Belgian Ambassador, there are plans for a new international cooperation project to study the Beijing Swift involving Chinese, European (Belgian, UK and Swedish) and African (Namibian) scientists, with political support from the Beijing Municipal government and the relevant embassies. And it was thanks to this network of ambassadors that I was honoured to go birding with US Ambassador Nicholas Burns and his wife, Libby, to Shahe Reservoir in Beijing. Following that, Ambassador Burns invited me to a reception at his residence in honour of visiting California governor, Gavin Newsom. I briefed Governor Newsom on the incredible story of one particular migratory bird that connects China and the US (Alaska) – the Bar-tailed Godwit – and discussed the potential for a three-way ‘(Inter)National Park’ involving New Zealand, Yellow Sea of China and Alaska to celebrate this incredible bird as a way of celebrating biodiversity and building bridges. I believe Gavin has high political ambitions, so maybe it planted a seed!
California Governor Gavin Newsom at a reception at the US Embassy in Beijing at the end of his visit to China in October 2023.
The Ambassadors for Nature initiative has also provided opportunities to engage on biodiversity with visiting ministers from a range of participating countries, including the New Zealand Foreign Minister and the Canadian Environment Minister.
With the visiting Canadian Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, at Shahe Reservoir
In addition, building on the success of the Ambassadors for Nature initiative in Beijing, I understand that the New Zealand ministry of foreign affairs is considering the idea of encouraging ALL of its embassies overseas commit to the ‘pledge for nature‘. And the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in the Republic of Korea is planning to begin a similar initiative with foreign embassies in Seoul.
At the same time, several schools have adopted the ‘pledge for nature‘ and are applying it to their campuses. It has been wonderful to work with students and teachers, including at the Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), where different groups of students have led on implementing each aspect of the pledge. Helping nature is infectious!
This group of students at the Western Academy of Beijing has taken responsibility for identifying a suitable area to leave wild and to monitor changes in the wildlife, especially insects, for comparison with the remainder of the campus.
Third, I’ve been part of a small group pushing for the control of the sale of mist nets. Despite strengthened wildlife protection laws, improved law enforcement and greater public awareness, mist nets remain one of the biggest killers of migratory birds in China (and SE Asia). Even in Beijing, poachers still operate. In the capital, these criminals target mainly Siberian Rubythroat and Bluethroat for the cagebird trade but data from prosecutors show that mist nets have been used in many large-scale trapping efforts, both for the cagebird trade and for exotic food, all across China. Twice this year I have personally encountered poachers using nets to trap migratory birds in Shunyi District. The map below, produced by Gu Xuan, shows the locations where poachers have been apprehended in Beijing in 2023 alone.
A map showing the locations where poachers have been caught in Beijing in 2023 (Gu Xuan).
The good news is that there is determination to tackle this illegal activity and there is a lot going on behind the scenes that I hope to be able to talk about in a future post. Needless to say, action is starting and, today, if you search for mist nets on e-commerce platforms, a warning appears that it is illegal to capture wild birds, and this is just the start.
At the same time, it is likely that the UN Convention on Migratory Species will promote tackling the illegal killing of birds, including with nets, at its next meeting in February 2024, so I am optimistic that further progress will be made this year both in China and internationally.
Fourth, over the last few years it has been the privilege of my life to work with ShanShui Conservation Center to help set up the “Valley of the Cats” project in Qinghai Province on the Tibetan Plateau. This is the community-based conservation and wildlife-tourism project, working with a village of Tibetan yak herder families. The herder families host visitors in their homes and guide them to look for the special wildlife they have in the area, including snow leopard, wolf, lynx etc. Many visitors remark on what a privilege it is to experience authentic Tibetan hospitality, as well as having the opportunity to see the elusive snow leopard. At the end of 2023, the project is close to passing the milestone of 4 million RMB (GBP 440,000) of revenue, 100% of which has stayed in the community. The project was showcased at the 2nd National Parks forum in Xining in August 2023 as an example of sustainable tourism and a way to bring income into local communities to reward them for their stewardship of important and fragile landscapes, and has won a host of national awards. In late August 2023, following the National Parks Forum, with ShanShui Conservation Center I visited two other (spectacular) villages that are interested in setting up similar initiatives.
A glacier at 5,000m asl near Diqing, Qinghai Province
One of the spectacular valleys in Diqing at 4,900m asl.
There is no doubt that the Valley of the Cats model, focusing on low volume and community-led tourism, can help to bring income to relatively poor communities while protecting fragile ecosystems. However, it is not a model that will work everywhere. In my view, three conditions are required for success: first, the presence of sought after wildlife (to create demand); second, a robust and established community structure that is able to handle decision-making and deal authoritatively with any issues that arise; and third, a supportive local government (essential in China). It will take time to establish similar projects in other villages but the high interest from other communities reflects the potential of this approach to engage and support communities inside China’s national parks. ShanShui Conservation Center, powered by a terrific group of enthusiastic and dedicated young people, is doing brilliant work and I cannot praise them enough for the contribution this NGO is making to conservation in China.
It was during the September visit to Qinghai that we were fortunate to enjoy a stunning encounter with a female snow leopard next to the track.. Alerted by the alarm calls of several marmots as we were driving, we stopped to check whether there was a predator in the vicinity. Looking at the directions faced by the calling marmots, and triangulating their lines of sight, we were able to spot the big cat as she stalked one of the rodents. When just a few metres away, she made a dash but the marmot disappeared down its burrow in a cloud of dust in the nick of time. The video below (low resolution for ease of uploading) was taken just after the failed hunt using my iPhone attached to my Swarovski ATX95 scope.
Watching a snow leopard from the track in the Valley of the Cats, August 2023
Special thanks to Shi Xiangying, Zhao Xiang, Yuqiu (Iris), Jun Yi (Audrey) and Qiuni for their hard work and for a wonderful trip in August.
Fifth, after my brush with TV in 2019 when I enjoyed the incredible experience of filming with Ray Mears as part of his Wild China series, I seem to have somehow become a (somewhat reluctant!) TV presenter in China. In April I spent a week at Tiaozini, Dongtan, Jiangsu Province, with CCTV4 making a documentary to highlight the importance of coastal wetlands and migratory birds. Tiaozini is at the heart of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and is a vital stopover for millions of migratory shorebirds – natural heritage that is shared by 22 countries from New Zealand in the south to Arctic Russia and Alaska in the north. The programme aired in June on prime time TV. And September saw the launch of National Geographic/CICC’s “Road to Carbon Neutrality”, a two-part documentary series. The two episodes, hosted by China-based photojournalist Sean Gallagher and me respectively, focus on nationwide efforts to reduce China’s carbon emissions in order to meet the twin goals of peaking emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero by 2060. Filmed in 2022, navigating all manner of pandemic-related restrictions, the documentary has been shown in more than 50 countries worldwide. And in November I appeared in an episode of UK explorer, Ash Dykes’ series “The Great Wall with Ash Dykes”, speaking with Ash about the wildlife of the Great Wall around Beijing. Later that month I was invited to the studio of CCTV’s international channel, CGTN, to film a talk on the importance of biodiversity and what people can do to help. That aired in early December. It is encouraging to see the growing media interest in biodiversity in China and, although I am not a natural in front of the camera, I am happy to do anything that will help to advance the interests of nature.
Filming in Tiaozini about the importance of coastal wetlands and migratory birds, April 2023
Finally, at the end of the year, I was able to spend Christmas with my family in Norfolk for the first time since 2019. It was a wonderful chance to spend time with my elderly parents and to catch up on some of the incredible wildlife experiences in north Norfolk, especially the spectacular flights of Pink-footed Geese at Holkham.
This year, I was keen to record the awesome sound of the geese and the 22-min soundscape below starts with the wakening of the local Eurasian Wrens and Blackbirds before the Pink-footed Geese begin to lift, passing over in groups, their calls slowly growing in intensity. At 07m50s the local Jackdaws leave their roost and, towards the end, the calls and song of Goldfinches tinkle as the last of the geese leave the roost. Best enjoyed with headphones! Thanks to Holkham Nature Reserve manager, Jake Fiennes, for tips on where best to record the geese.
As if that experience wasn’t incredible enough, for a few days before Christmas, rare nacreous (“mother of pearl”) clouds were visible, providing a stunning backdrop as the geese returned to their roost at dusk…
Pink-footed Geese returning to Holkham National Nature Reserve just after sunset against a backdrop of nacreous ‘mother of pearl’ clouds.
A lone Eurasian Curlew going to roost at dusk as nacreous clouds light up the evening sky.
It was a fitting end to 2023, a reminder of the breathtaking beauty of nature and why I do what I do.
As we begin 2024, I would like to acknowledge the brilliant, and growing, group of conservationists in China who are doing wonderful work to celebrate and protect the special wildlife we have all around us, and the places it needs. It is an ongoing privilege to support what you do!
Finally finally, some of you may have noticed that Birding Beijing has evolved into Wild Beijing. This reflects the broadening interest and coverage of the website. As well as the branding, the web address has also changed from birdingbeijing.com to wildbeijing.org. There will be an automatic redirect for a few months but, in due course, only wildbeijing.org will be accessible, so please update any bookmarks. Subscriptions for alerts about new posts have been automatically transferred to the new site.
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and nature-filled 2024!
Watercolour of an (Amur) Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis, 豹猫, Bàomāo), January 2024. This small cat (around 50% bigger than the average house cat) is native to Beijing and can be found in the mountains and in some wetlands where there is lots of cover. As an ambush hunter it needs scrub and grassland, both habitats that have decreased significantly in lowland Beijing due to development and tree-planting. Primarily nocturnal, sightings during daylight hours are rare. This small painting is in celebration of an incredible sighting in Tongzhou District in December 2023. More details here.
Title image: a Beijing Swift (Apus apus pekinensis 北京雨燕 Běijīng yǔyàn) flying through a rainbow, Wenyu River, June 2023.
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.
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!
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.
After more than ten years of birding in Beijing, there aren’t many resident species that have eluded me. Japanese Scops OwlOtus 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) OwlStrix 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.
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) OwlStrix 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 BlackbirdTurdus boulboul 灰翅鸫 Huī chì dōng, ‘Gansu’ BluetailTarsiger cyanurusalbocoeruleus 红胁蓝尾鸲 Hóng xié lán wěi qú and Greenish-type WarblerPhylloscopus 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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
