Inspired by Twitter users who were asking about the identity of birds seen locally this spring, and a forthcoming article in the South China Morning Post, I’ve put together a list of ten birds to look out for in the capital this Spring. It’s by no means an exhaustive list – in fact, I could have picked a different ten for every day of the week! However, it is illustrative of the variety and diversity of the birds that are, right now, either passing through the capital on their way from wintering grounds as far away as southern Africa and Australia, to more northerly breeding grounds in north China, Mongolia and Russia, or raising a family right here in Beijing.
The scale of the migration happening around us right now is hard to comprehend. Millions of birds of hundreds of different species will be flying over Beijing in the next few weeks, most of which will pass undetected at night as we sleep. A few will stop over in one of the many parks, wetlands, rivers, forests or even small green spaces in residential areas to rest and refuel, offering us a privileged opportunity to observe them. Knowing a little about these birds, and the journeys they are making will, I hope, help us to better appreciate these birds and the places they need to survive on these marathon journeys.
You can download the “Ten Birds to look out for this Spring” as a PDF.
Feel free to add a comment about your favourite birds seen this spring!
Hi Terry, I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but this article in Sixth Tone about the lost of the Long-eared Owl in Beijing is interesting: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1003954/beijing-urbanizes%2C-and-a-much-loved-bird-vanishes-from-the-city
Thank you, Gretchen! I had known the article was in process but hadn’t seen the final version. Thanks for flagging it! Terry