Jennifer Leung – Wild Beijing 北京自然

GREY PHALAROPE in Beijing!

Phalaropes are rare in Beijing. So when one flew in from the north and landed on the water just a few hundred metres from our watchpoint at Miyun Reservoir on Friday, Paul and I were pretty excited. Our first instinct was that it would probably be the more regular (but still rare) Red-necked Phalarope. However, as soon as we trained our telescopes onto the newly-arrived, and clearly tired, bird we suspected it was the much rarer GREY PHALAROPE (or RED PHALAROPE, Phalaropus fulicarius, 灰瓣蹼鷸). A closer view was required. So we slowly made our way towards the west from where we would have a closer view.

The best way to distinguish these two similar species in non-breeding plumage is the structure of the bill. On Red-necked it is long, fine and pointed, on Grey more robust and relatively blunt. For juveniles, there is also an important additional difference in moult timings. Juvenile Red-necked Phalaropes tends to retain their darker juvenile plumage into late autumn (well into October). Juvenile Grey Phalaropes moults earlier, often showing the typically grey mantle feathers by late August/September.

As can be seen in the photos and video below, the Miyun bird has quite an advanced moult with few retained juvenile scapulars and mantle feathers. It also showed a beautiful peachy wash to the neck, another good feature of juvenile Grey Phalarope.

Record images taken with iPhone and Swarovski ATX95.

Unfortunately, as we moved towards what would have been an even better viewing position, the bird vanished and despite extensive searching, it wasn’t seen again for the rest of the day. It was present for just one hour (from 1035-1140). After putting out the news, three birders from the city (Jennifer Leung, “Yu Yan” and Zhuang Weimin) came to Miyun to try to see it but unfortunately left without seeing this rare visitor. Despite missing the phalarope, there was plenty on offer to keep them entertained.

The phalarope – representing the second record for Beijing of this species (with fewer than 10 records in all of China!) – was the icing on the cake of a fantastic day at Miyun. The habitat there right now is the best I have ever seen – a relatively low water level offering superb habitat for shorebirds and – due to the very high water levels in the spring – very little maize cultivation near to the shore, meaning that most of the fields around the reservoir are full of wild vegetation – perfect for migrating buntings, pipits, rubythroats and who knows what else!?

Full list of species below. Big thanks to Paul Holt for taking extensive notes.

Weather

A reasonable day – until the early evening when there was a heavy thunderstorm. Cool in the early morning – 15˚C when we left Sanlitun in urban Beijing at 05h05 but just 9˚C when we reached Hou Ba Jia Zhuang at 06h20. The day’s peak was probably about 26˚C there. Reasonable long-range visibility – perhaps about 10 kilometres in the very early morning though this gradually reduced during the morning. There was a light northerly breeze in the early morning this switching around to a south-south-west by about 09h30. This wind gradually stiffened during the day. The skies darkened quite suddenly around 16h15 & it wasn’t long before we became aware of an approaching thunderstorm. It started to rain just as we were leaving at 17h00 & continued to do so, on & off & sometimes quite heavily, until we arrived back at about 19h00.

We recorded 91 species.

Hou Ba Jia Zhuang, Miyun Reservoir (40°30.3’N., 117°01.1’E.). 75 metres (06h20-17h00)

Taiga Bean Goose 8, a family party of tree (two adults & a juvenile) & another family party of five (two adults & three juveniles). An early date for so many.

Tundra Bean Goose 1. It was presumably the bird that’s now been present at this site for three weeks or so.

Greater White-fronted Goose 1 adult. An early date. Previous autumn reports of 1-6 (& once 31) birds span the period 1 October – 8 November while single reports in mid-June, August & September are thought to possibly relate to escapes.

Ruddy Shelduck 2

Gadwall 19

Falcated Duck 51

Eurasian Wigeon 1

Mallard 320

Eastern Spot-billed Duck 20

Northern Shoveler 2

Garganey 1

Baikal Teal 8

Eurasian Teal 135

Common Pheasant 17

Little Grebe 65

Great Crested Grebe 82

Black-necked Grebe 1 adult-winter (with bleached & extremely worn upperparts)

Black Stork 3 juveniles flew high to the west

Grey Heron 11

Great Egret 6

Little Egret 49

Osprey 1 adult

Short-toed Snake Eagle 3. At one stage all three were visible in the air together.

Japanese Sparrowhawk 2 separate juveniles flew south

Eurasian Sparrowhawk 11, all juveniles, flew south

Eastern Marsh Harrier 3

Hen Harrier 1 juvenile. Interestingly another ringtail was seen over the Wangjinglou raptor watch point today (per Jennifer Leung – though at least one other Hen Harrier had been seen there a few days previously this autumn). Although there are four reports, all from Wild Duck Lake, involving five birds in August – ‘present’ on 4/8/2009 (韩冬, 天天, 东方云雀, Mogan(音)(美)和他的妈妈 via BirdTalker); one on 14/8/2010 (Brian Ivon Jones via BirdTalker); one on 27/8/2005 [ZLi in 2006 CBR] and two on 27/8/2006 (天台, lidove, Tim via BirdTalker) and 28 reports totalling 55 bird-days in September most of these reports are believed, by the author, to be erroneous. Genuine autumn passage probably doesn’t commence until the end of September and peaks in the second half of October and first week of November. The two highest autumn counts were both in late October 2007 and involved 17 (13 ringtails and four adult males) at a pre-roost gathering at Miyun reservoir in the early evening of the 19/10/2007 (PH pers. obs.) and, just over one week later, 19 that were counted at Wild Duck Lake during 27-28/10/2007 (高校观鸟赛总记录 via BirdTalker).

Pied Harrier 4, three juveniles & an adult male

Black Kite 3, two juveniles & an adult

Eastern Buzzard 1. Totally absent in summer, autumn migration starts in early September. The average first date between 2003-2012 is the 13 September and there are reports of single birds in three of the last ten years during the first week of that month with the earliest being the 3^rd September 2005 when one was ‘present’ at Wild Duck Lake [科目, 田竹, 舒晓楠, bmlee, cccp, midway, 王沁一家及福建鸟友青竹瘦. via BirdTalker). There’s typically a marked influx during the second half of that month with a pronounced peak between the 29^th September and 14 October (a 16 day period that accounts for 70% of the total autumn bird-days) before declining to the end of October.

Brown-cheeked Rail 1 was heard. Previous early autumn Beijing records include- one at Shahe Reservoir, Changping on 19/9/2004 [LHY in 2004 CBR], four at Zhongguocanaoguanliz, Shunyi on 28/9/2008 (birdslover via BirdTalker) & one at Shahe reservoir on 19/8/2010 (Jan-Erik Nilsén)

Eurasian Coot 190

Pied Avocet 1

Grey-headed Lapwing 1

Pacific Golden Plover 23

Grey Plover 2

Common Snipe 15

Black-tailed Godwit 20 juveniles

Spotted Redshank 50. All of those seen well (30+ birds) were juveniles.

Common Greenshank 4 juveniles

Wood Sandpiper 4

Red-necked Stint 1

Temminck’s Stint 5

Curlew Sandpiper 5 juveniles

Ruff 1 juvenile male

GREY PHALAROPE 1 juvenile moulting to first-winter. Video recorded. The previous Beijing record was one that was photographed at Shahe reservoir, Changping on the 12 November 2010 (Guan Xiangyu et al.).

Black-headed Gull 140

Mongolian Gull 4, an adult & three juveniles

Common Tern 1 juvenile

Oriental Turtle Dove 1

Eurasian Collared Dove 2 together

Spotted Dove 2 together

Pacific Swift 1 flew south

Common Kingfisher 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker 2

Common Kestrel 5

Amur Falcon 6

Eurasian Hobby 2

Saker Falcon 2 separate juveniles flew purposefully south. The first at 07h40, the second at 12h47.

Peregrine Falcon 2, including a juvenile peregrinator or ‘Shaheen’

Brown Shrike 1

Chinese Grey Shrike 2

Red-billed Blue Magpie 4

Eurasian Magpie 25

Yellow-bellied Tit 2

Japanese Tit 6

Chinese Penduline Tit 1 was heard

Eurasian Skylark 8. A fairly typical first autumn date.

Light-vented Bulbul 1

Sand Martin 3

Barn Swallow 350, including perhaps as many as 10 saturata

Red-rumped Swallow 400

Dusky Warbler 5

Radde’s Warbler 5

Yellow-browed Warbler 5

Oriental Reed Warbler 1

Black-browed Reed Warbler 10

Baikal (David’s) Bush Warbler 1

Lanceolated Warbler 3, one seen & the other two only heard

Zitting Cisticola 4

Plain Laughingthrush 1 heard

Chinese Hill Babbler 2

white-eye sp. 1 was heard

White-cheeked Starling 1

Common Starling 1. Perhaps the second earliest autumn Beijing record? Jan-Erik Nilsen, saw one at Miyun on the 17 Sept. 2012 and this is the earliest ever autumn record from the Capital just pre-dating one at Wild Duck Lake (WDL) on either 23rd or 24th 2010 (report is unclear on exactly which date) by Brian Jones. These are the only two September reports that I know of for Beijing and they’re not followed until four at WDL on either 3rd or 4 October (2010) but it’s the middle of that month before Common Starling becomes anything like regular. Autumn passage peaks in the second half of October. Two at WDL on the 6 Nov (2011) is the latest autumn report from Beijing (& the only record from that month).

Bluethroat 5

Siberian Rubythroat 7

Taiga Flycatcher 1

Daurian Redstart 1

Stejneger’s Stonechat 20

Eurasian Tree Sparrow 50

Eastern Yellow Wagtail 50, including 15 macronyx & one taivana

Grey Wagtail 3

White Wagtail 30, including 13 leucopsis & 15 ocularis

Richard’s Pipit 23

Blyth’s Pipit 3

Olive-backed Pipit 60

Red-throated Pipit 8

Brambling 1 was heard. Possibly the earliest ever autumn record from Beijing.. On the Hebei coast the first birds of the autumn are typically encountered in the last week of September but there appears to be just one previous Beijing record from that month, a single bird in Chaoyang Park on 23/9/2010 (Jan-Erik Nilsén). Autumn migration probably peaks in late October/early November.

Common Rosefinch 26

Meadow Bunting 2

Chestnut-eared Bunting 1

Little Bunting 75

Pallas’s Reed Bunting 15

Mammals

Tolai Hare 1

First for Beijing: SLENDER-BILLED GULL

Monday and Tuesday were awful in Beijing with rain, wind and relatively chilly temperatures for the time of year. So it was with relief and a sense of expectation that Wednesday dawned clear, sunny and with expansive blue skies…. Any bad weather during the migration season can cause birds to make unscheduled stops and often the first good day after rainy weather can be very productive for birders.

And so, on Wednesday morning, after a ‘birdy’ few minutes on his local patch that included finding an Eye-browed Thrush, Paul Holt knew there had been a ‘fall’ of migrants and immediately abandoned his tiny area of urban scrub for potentially more productive sites.. He was rewarded with an exceptional find – a first for Beijing no less – in the shape of an adult SLENDER-BILLED GULL (细嘴鸥, Chroicocephalus genei) at Miyun Reservoir.

The nearest known breeding grounds of this gull are in Kazakhstan, 3-4,000 kilometres to the west. And so, as one might expect, it’s a rare bird in China, with the possible exception of Xinjiang Province in the far north-west where it appears to be fairly regular since the first record there in 2008. There are a handful of records from Hong Kong and also from well-watched Hebei coast around Beidaihe/Happy Island but elsewhere in China it’s very rare.

After Paul put out the news on the Birding Beijing WeChat group, I decided to make the trip and, along with Jennifer Leung, I was on site by 1600. Fortunately, we saw it immediately. Later in the afternoon it came close enough for me to take some record photos and a short video using my iPhone and Swarovski ATX95 set-up.

Adult SLENDER-BILLED GULL, Miyun Reservoir, 3 September 2014. The first record for Beijing. — Adult SLENDER-BILLED GULL with Black-headed Gull, Miyun Reservoir, 3 September 2014. The first record for Beijing.

This gull turned up at exactly the same spot as the recent LESSER FRIGATEBIRD (see previous post).

Miyun Reservoir is simply stunning on a clear, blue-sky day... — Miyun Reservoir is simply stunning on a clear, blue-sky day…

Given there are so few birders in Beijing and no site is well-watched, who knows what would be seen if this site was covered on a regular basis?! There is so much opportunity for discovery, and some of the sites are stunningly beautiful, which is what makes birding in Beijing so brilliant…!

Shorebirding at Nanpu, 13-15 August 2014

This week I visited Nanpu with Jennifer Leung and Ben Wielstra. This site, on the Hebei coast just 2.5 hours from Beijing, offers world class shorebirding. With tens of thousands of waders, thousands of marsh terns and some rare East Asian specialities such as RELICT and SAUNDERS’S GULLS and ASIAN DOWITCHER, this site is hard to beat. Throw in some visible migration and the passerine migrant magnet of the tiny “Magic Wood” and it’s a wonderful place to spend a few days birding.

Here is a sample of just how many birds are on show here at this time of the year…

One of the most abundant shorebirds is the SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER which can be found on the settling pools, the banks of tidal creeks and on the mudflats themselves. Of the 1000s seen over the visit, we saw only two juveniles. This one is an adult.

Adult SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER, Nanpu, 14 August 2014

The spectacle of 1000s of waders arriving at the mudflats, as the mud becomes exposed on the falling tide, is superb… I counted 834 GREAT KNOT on the 14th and, at a different site, over 700 on 15th.. including a couple of colour-flagged birds with individual engravings.

Here is a short video of some of the GREAT KNOT shortly after they arrived at the first exposed mud. The sharp-eyed will notice one of the birds is colour-flagged with a combination of black over white on the upper right leg.

One of the GREAT KNOT sported a yellow flag with the letters “UWE”. On return to Beijing I reported it to the Aussie shorebirders and, within minutes, I had received a reply with the individual history of this bird. Our sighting was the first of this individual outside Australia…

Banding of “UWE”

06/03/2011 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (-18.00, 122.37) Australia 06313620 (UWE) Aged 2+

Resighting UWE

03/10/2011 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (17.00, 122.00) Australia Chris Hassell & Clare Morton

12/10/2011 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (17.00, 122.00) Australia Chris Hassell & Clare Morton

13/10/2011 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (17.00, 122.00) Australia Chris Hassell & Clare Morton

01/11/2011 Minton’s Straight (-17.98, 122.35) Australia Chris Hassell & Clare Morton

16/12/2011 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (17.00, 122.00) Australia Chris Hassell

18/12/2011 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (17.00, 122.00) Australia Chris Hassell

19/02/2013 Boiler Point, Roebuck Bay, Broome (17.00, 122.00) Australia Chris Hassell

20/12/2013 Minton’s Straight (-17.98, 122.35) Australia Chris Hassell

14/08/2014 Nan Pu, Bohai Bay (39.04, 118.36) China (mainland) Terry Townshend, Jennifer Leung & Ben Wielstra

Among the large numbers of GREAT KNOT were some RED KNOT and this photo shows the two species together, allowing a direct comparison. Note the size difference plus the difference in underpart markings, bill length and shape.

Great Knot with Red Knot, Nanpu, 15 August 2014

One of Nanpu’s specialities is the RELICT GULL. Although it’s primarily a wintering location, a few non-breeders remain all year round and it’s possible to see this species at any time of the year. Right now, the breeding birds are returning to the coast, along with a few first year juveniles. We saw at least three of this year’s young amongst more than 100 of these beautiful gulls. Here is an adult just beginning to moult out of breeding plumage:

Although Nanpu is primarily a shorebird site, its location on the east China coast means it is also an excellent place to witness visible migration. Even though our visit was in mid-August, we witnessed a nice passage of RICHARD’S PIPITS and YELLOW WAGTAILS and the “Magic Wood” – a tiny patch of trees and shrubs in the middle of the vast open area of ponds – hosted at least 8 EASTERN CROWNED and 6 ARCTIC WARBLERS as well as YELLOW-RUMPED, ASIAN BROWN, GREY-STREAKED and DARK-SIDED FLYCATCHERS. I can only imagine what this newly discovered ‘oasis’ will be like in September and October.

A nice surprise was this adult male DAURIAN STARLING, a scarce passage migrant in the Beijing/Hebei area.

And an even bigger surprise was an unseasonal PALLAS’S SANDGROUSE that flew backwards and forwards just inland from the sea wall and settled on some rough ground between some ‘nodding donkeys’. Bizarre.

All in all it was a brilliant few days. The full species list is below. Big thanks to Jennifer and Ben for their great company… itching to get back already!

Jennifer scanning waders at Nanpu. — Jennifer scanning waders on one of the pools at Nanpu.

Ben watching GREAT KNOT from the bridge at Nanpu

Species List

Common Pheasant – 1 juvenile near the seawall on 15th

Common Shelduck – 1 juvenile on 14th

Spot-billed Duck – 6

Little Grebe – 3 on the pond at the sea wall by the police building

Black-crowned Night Heron – 4 in “Magic Wood” on 14th

Chinese Pond Heron – 1 in flight on 13th and 1 on 15th

Grey Heron – 6

Little Egret – 14

Chinese Egret – 2 on 14th near the bridge where the tidal channel runs into the sea and one on 15th

Great Cormorant – 287 flew in to roost on the ponds at 1745 on 14th

Common Kestrel – 2 (both females)

Amur Falcon – 2 (both adult females)

Black-winged Stilt – not counted but 1000s

Pied Avocet – not counted but 1000s

Grey Plover – 27 on 15th

Little Ringed Plover – c75

Kentish Plover – c500

Lesser Sand Plover – 1 in summer plumage from the bridge at the seawall

Greater Sand Plover – 2 adults in winter plumage on the ponds

Asian Dowitcher – at least 15, including 5 feeding on the falling tide on 15th

Black-tailed Godwit – c700 on 14th

Bar-tailed Godwit – c80

Whimbrel – 23

Eurasian Curlew – 14

Far Eastern Curlew – 29

Spotted Redshank – not counted but estimate of several hundred

Common Redshank – much less common than Spotted bt still 50+

Marsh Sandpiper – 1000s

Common Greenshank – 18

Green Sandpiper – 2

Wood Sandpiper –

Grey-tailed Tattler – 3

Terek Sandpiper – 8

Common Sandpiper – 16

Ruddy Turnstone – 14

Great Knot – 832 counted on 14th from the bridge. 700+ counted on morning of 15th from east of the oil terminal causeway…

Red Knot – at least 30 in total

Red-necked Stint – c40 (never found a substantial concentration of stints)

Temminck’s Stint – 1

Long-toed Stint – 5

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper – 1000s

Curlew Sandpiper – 20

Dunlin – 8

Broad-billed Sandpiper – 3

Ruff – 1 ad male

Red-necked Phalarope – 1 adult (male?)

Black-tailed Gull – 160

Mongolian Gull – 2 adults

Relict Gull – 105 counted on 14th

Black-headed Gull – c300-400

Saunders’s Gull – 6

Common Tern –

Little Tern – 38

Gull-billed Tern – 18

White-winged Tern – 1000s

Pallas’s Sandgrouse – 1 flew back and forth over the marshy area adjacent to the sea wall (viewed from the dirt track). Landed on the rough ground amongst the ‘nodding donkeys’ but not seen on the deck.

Oriental Turtle Dove – 3 around Nanpu

Spotted Dove – 1 in Nanpu

Pacific Swift – 11 flew west along the sea wall on 15th

Common Kingfisher – 1 heard at “Magic Wood”

Brown Shrike – 17 along the roadside

Black Drongo – 1 at the “ice cream” village

Azure-winged Magpie – 4 around Nanpu

Common Magpie – 12 along the roadside

Sand Martin – 12 along the seawall on 15th

Barn Swallow – 1000s

Red-rumped Swallow – 46 counted but many more present

Zitting Cisticola – 6 along the sea wall on 15th

Chinese Bulbul – 3

Thick-billed Warbler – 2 (one in “Magic Wood” on 14th and one along the seawall on 15th)

Arctic Warbler – at least 6 in “Magic Wood” on 14th

Eastern Crowned Warbler – at least 8 in “Magic Wood” on 14th

Reed Parrotbill – 6

White-eye sp – one migrated along the sea wall, seen from the bridge, on 14th

Daurian Starling – one adult male along the roadside with White-cheeked Starlings on 14th

White-cheeked Starling – 8

Dark-sided Flycatcher – 1 adult and 1 juvenile probably this species at “Magic Wood”

Grey-streaked Flycatcher – 1 adult at “Magic Wood”

Asian Brown Flycatcher – 1 adult at “Magic Wood”

Yellow-rumped Flycatcher – an adult male and an adult female at “Magic Wood” on 15th

Tree Sparrow – not counted but numerous

Yellow Wagtail – 12 on 14th and 15 on 15th

Grey Wagtail – 2 by the sea wall seen from the bridge on 14th

White Wagtail – 2

Richard’s Pipit – 28 on 14th from the bridge and 41 on 15th from the dirt track – all migrating

Blyth’s Pipit – 2 possibly this species migrating (a call similar to Richard’s plus an extra “chip”)

Yellow-breasted Bunting – two possibly this species (yellowish buntings) migrating on 14th

Juvenile BAER’S POCHARD?

On 26-27 July I visited the BAER’S POCHARD breeding site in Hebei Province with visiting British birders, Mike Hoit and Andrew Whitehouse, plus Beijing-based Paul Holt and Jennifer Leung. Mike and Andrew had just arrived in China ahead of a trip to Qinghai and, with a couple of days spare, were keen to see BAER’S POCHARD. I had warned them in advance that they are difficult to see in July – the birds are much more secretive once they begin breeding and, in summer, the vegetation is higher. Nevertheless, I was also keen to visit the site to see whether we could find proof of breeding. In addition to the BAER’s, the lake offers superb general birding and is probably the best place in the world to see SCHRENCK’S BITTERN, another difficult world bird. Late July is actually a good time to see the latter, usually secretive, species as the parents make constant flights to collect food for their young.

After the long drive in 35 degrees Celsius heat, we headed straight for the most reliable spot – a series of lotus ponds with areas of open water that, from my previous visits, appear to be a favourite ‘loafing’ location for both BAER’S POCHARD and FERRUGINOUS DUCK.

We were in luck. Almost immediately a stunning male SCHRENCK’S BITTERN made a fly-by at eye level in the lovely late afternoon light and, on one of the lotus pools, was a female BAER’S POCHARD. Result!

Male SCHRENCK'S BITTERN. The Baer's Pochard breeding site in Hebei must be the most reliable place to see this difficult-to-see world bird. This photo from July 2012. — Male SCHRENCK’S BITTERN. The Baer’s Pochard breeding site in Hebei must be the most reliable place to see this difficult-to-see world bird. This photo from July 2012.

Female BAER'S POCHARD, Hebei Province, 27 July 2014 — Female BAER’S POCHARD, Hebei Province, 27 July 2014

Female BAER'S POCHARD stretching her wings. — Female BAER’S POCHARD stretching her wings.

After checking out different sites around the lake and enjoying good views of 2 male BAER’S on the open water, we returned to the original spot and, this time, a different BAER’S POCHARD was present. With pale tips to the scapulars and spiky tail feathers, we believed it was a juvenile. I took some video – see below. Clearly, as a ‘Critically Endangered’ species, proof of breeding is significant. And although breeding is likely to have occurred, this would be the first confirmed breeding at this site since 2012. I therefore welcome comments from any ‘aythya‘ experts who might be able to confirm that this is indeed a juvenile BAER’S.

A few volunteers from the Beijing Birdwatching Society have been making occasional visits to this site this spring and summer to survey the BAER’S POCHARDS and so, together, we are slowly building up a picture of the status of this very rare duck. We still lack some basic information such as when they arrive in spring and when they leave in autumn. Given the site freezes over in winter, it’s very likely they move on but there is at least one photo of a BAER’S POCHARD from this site in January, so it’s possible that some remain if there are open patches of water.

The site is becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination. With vast lotus pools and shallow water at the northern end, it’s attracting swimmers, fishermen and general tourists who like to pick and take home a lotus flower or two. And, although it has status as a Provincial Level Nature Reserve, there are apparently plans for ‘development’. Several sets of plans have been drawn up, including proposals for a “water sports” centre, hovercrafts and an artificial ‘beach’. Thankfully, for the time being, none of these proposals have been given the go-ahead. However, the fact that the management is apparently resisting a proposal for the site to be added to the list of important wetlands (which would mean tighter restrictions on development) is a sign that commercial development of this site is clearly a possibility. Gathering data on the importance of this site for BAER’S POCHARD and other birds and wildlife will be critical in order to make the best case possible against commercial development, or at least to persuade the authorities to retain the most important part of the site as a properly-managed nature reserve. Watch this space.

CHIFFCHAFF – new for Beijing (or not)

Beijing doesn’t have a rarities committee and the most recent municipality bird list was published in 2011. So keeping a handle on the birds recorded in the capital requires a combination of finding birds oneself, building as many links as possible with local birders and monitoring the websites that showcase the work of the burgeoning local community of bird photographers.

It was the latter that revealed the presence of what we initially thought was Beijing’s first CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺). Early in the new year, friend Li Xiaomai spotted some images of a CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺), taken in the Olympic Forest Park, on the www.birdnet.cn website and alerted local birders. The photographer was apparently waiting for the appearance of a WINTER WREN (鹪鹩) when a “warbler” popped into view and he, opportunistically, reeled off some photos and posted them on the Beijing section of the website. Little did he know that he had snapped a major rarity!

With a new smartphone “chat group” recently set up in Beijing to share bird sightings, news of the presence of this CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺) spread fast and, the next morning, there was a massive (by Beijing standards) “twitch” for the bird involving 8 birders, both ex-pat and Chinese.

After hearing the bird call once early morning from a dense reedbed, there was no sign for the next few hours in an extensive search of the ‘wetland’ area, in which it was reported to be feeding the previous day. Reluctantly, I decided to leave as I had lots to do, and I began to make my way out of the park to the metro station with friend, Jennifer Leung. On the way out, almost at the end of the reedbed area, I spotted a small bird feeding low down on the edge of the reeds. It looked promising and, quickly lifting my binoculars, I could see that it was the CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺). Jennifer watched it as I called and messaged the other birders on site, who had by now dispersed over a wide area. I then settled down to observe and photograph the bird as it fed, very obligingly, along the base of a small reedbed just a couple of metres away.

2014-01-07 tristis Chiffchaff — CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺, Phylloscopus collybita tristis), Olympic Forest Park, Beijing, 7 January 2014.

COMMON CHIFFCHAFF ssp tristis, Olympic Forest Park, Beijing, 6 January 2014. At the time, thought to be the first record for the capital. — CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺, Phylloscopus collybita tristis), Olympic Forest Park. The first documented record for Beijing.

Although slightly blurred, this photo shows the greenish/yellow tinge under the shoulder.

Fortunately, two local birders Zhu Lei and Que Pinjia were on the scene quickly and secured excellent views but, disappointingly, the bird soon disappeared into a dense reedbed before the others arrived. It was seen briefly later in the afternoon and has been seen on several days since.

As expected for a vagrant CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺) in eastern China, the bird was of the ‘tristis‘ subspecies. The greyish brown plumage, jet-black legs and bill and the high-pitched and slightly down-slurred call were all typical of this race, considered by some to be a full species.

At the time we all thought that this bird was the first CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺) to be recorded in Beijing. It does not appear on the municipality list by Liu Yang from 2011 and there are no reports on the Birdtalker database. However, it has since come to light that one was seen in February 2008 at Baiwangshan (in the northwest of the city) by respected local birder, Wen Chen. So the Olympic Forest Park bird is the second record for the capital.

With thanks to Paul Holt, here is a short summary of the status of CHIFFCHAFF (叽喳柳莺) in China:

“Chiffchaff wasn’t an unexpected addition to the Beijing list as there are at least three reports from coastal Hebei (one on Happy Island on 14 May 2002; one at Lighthouse Point, Beidaihe during 16-19 May 2006 & one in the Lotus Hills, Beidaihe on 10 May 2007). Despite the timing of the Hebei records (May – when there are lots of birders in the Happy Island-Beidaihe area), winter has always been thought to be the most likely time this species would turn up in Beijing.

There’s at least one winter record from Yancheng NNR in coastal Jiangsu Province and seven (?) records from Hong Kong (including one recently in “Long Valley”). This form of Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita tristis, winters in India & it’s sometimes split as Siberian Chiffchaff P. tristis. In China it’s restricted to breeding in the Altai Mountains of northern Xinjiang Province (north-west China) but is a locally common passage migrant through much of at least the western part of that province. Elsewhere it occurs as a fairly common migrant in western Qinghai where Jesper Hornskov (in an unpublished report on the Birds recorded at Golmud, Qinghai Province, China, 1980-1994) recorded 256 bird-days – just one spring record (23 March 1994) but fairly common between 25 September and 21 November, plus a late straggler on the 18 December 1990. Numbers varied year on year with 132 bird-days & a high count of 10 on the 3 November in 1991 compared to just 68 bird-days and a high count of eight on the 3 October in 1993.

There’s a record from Shandong Province in the new checklist and Common Chiffchaff has apparently also been recorded in Liaoning Province (it was included in Bai Qingquan’s unpublished List of the Birds of Liaoning, Jan. 2012), Henan Province (as it was included in an unpublished List of the Birds of Dongzhai NNR, Luoshan provided by researcher Du Zhiyong on 4 January 2010), Shaanxi Province (one at Yangxian on the 15 Dec 2003 [Phil Heath] was the first, and possibly still the only provincial record), another was photographed at Yandong Lake, Wuhan on 4 December 2009 (Zhang Shuyong in China Bird Watch 71, p32) – the first record for Hubei Province. There’s a short article on this occurrence in the same issue. The Jiangsu record is of one that was seen at Yancheng NNR by Mark Beaman & a BirdQuest group sometime in the 1990s.”

Beijing Birders Meet-up

In Beijing we are blessed with a small, but excellent, group of active birders. There is a growing band of locals, including friends Zhu Lei, Lei Ming, Zhang Shen, Chen Liang, Fu Jianping and more… plus some ex-pat birders from the UK, Ireland, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong (should we count Jennifer as an ex-pat?!), South Africa, Sweden and the US.

Although we have been sharing sightings and corresponding on email for some time, many of us had never met, so on Saturday we arranged a meet-up in central Beijing over the traditional birders’ diet of beer and pizza. Guest appearances by Dalian-based Tom Beeke (complete with ice-hockey kit) and Shanghai-based Craig Brelsford added a bit of “Greater China” spice.

It was very cool to put faces to names, catch up with friends old and new, and speculate over the next addition to the Beijing list.

Thanks to Jennifer Leung for the photos below.

From left to right: Paul Holt, Colm Moore (front), Terry Townhsend and Tom Beeke. — From left to right: Paul Holt (UK), Colm Moore (front, representing Ireland), Terry Townshend (UK) and Tom Beeke (Canada, making a special guest appearance from Dalian).

From left to right: Andrew Morrissey (South Africa), Zhu Lei (China), Chen Liang (China), Steve Bale (UK), Per Alstrom (Sweden), Jan-Erik Nilsen. — Clockwise from left to right: Andrew Morrissey (South Africa), Zhu Lei (China), Paul Holt (UK), Chen Liang (China), Steve Bale (UK), Per Alström (Sweden), Jan-Erik Nilsen (Sweden) and (the right side of) Craig Brelsford (US).

Seeing Double

On Friday I visited Ma Chang with Global Times journalist Jiang Yuxia (writing an article about birding in Beijing) and Jennifer Leung. After a few days of cold and windy weather, the forecast was for a change in the wind from a cold northerly to a light southerly and for temperatures to soar from the recent chilly highs of 10-12 degrees Celsius to over 20 degrees C.

After a 0500 start we reached Ma Chang at around 0630. It was a stunning morning with good visibility, clear skies and almost no wind, disguising the -2 early morning temperature. Along the entrance track we encountered Jesper Hornskov with a couple of clients. They were watching a party of Bohemian Waxwings feeding on the buds of some large trees – a nice start to the day. At Ma Chang, as expected at this time of year, we soon spotted a group of ORIENTAL PLOVERS and a count revealed over 60 birds present – a fantastic total.

Oriental Plover, Ma Chang. The flock now exceeds 60 birds. — Oriental Plover, Ma Chang. Getting bored of these yet?? The flock now exceeds 60 birds.

We moved on to the spit and settled in alongside the local fishing folk for a little visible migration.

Yuxia speaks to the local fishermen about life at Ma Chang... — Yuxia speaks to the local fishermen about life at Ma Chang…

A few Buff-bellied and Water Pipits, with the odd White Wagtail, flew overhead and a couple of tightly packed flocks of Greater Short-toed Larks wheeled around the remnants of last year’s maize stubble. A Black (eared) Kite lumbered past and two female Eastern Marsh Harriers caused havoc among the flocks of Eurasian Teal.

With not much happening we decided to move on and, after a short stop at a flooded field to admire two stunning BAIKAL TEAL, we headed to the ‘island’ to the north of the desert area to look for duck… Jesper and his clients were already in situ and, although quite distant, it was clear that there were lots of duck present. Two relatively close (but distant to photograph!) Red-breasted Mergansers represented bird species number 299 for me in Beijing… result!

Red-breasted Mergansers, Ma Chang. A scarce bird in the capital. Looks as if this pair has had a quarrel…

With the duck distant, I knew that moving to the location from where I had seen the Baer’s Pochard last Sunday would again be a good vantage point. We headed to the spot and, sure enough, we were treated to stunning views of a large mixed raft of duck with the sun behind us and no wind… perfect, and very unusual, conditions at Wild Duck Lake.

We quickly found a drake BAER’S and, almost immediately, spotted another drake. There were two!

The two BAER'S POCHARDS at Ma Chang on Friday — The two BAER’S POCHARDS at Ma Chang on Friday. With Ferruginous Duck, Gadwall and Common Pochard.

As on Sunday with the single drake, the two Baer’s were consorting with Ferruginous Duck and both were seen displaying… fabulous! It was from here that we also enjoyed some stunning views of Falcated Duck (including one very unusually marked male which sported a yellow mark on its lower cheek), Tufted Duck, Common Pochard, Smew, Shoveler, Gadwall, Mallard, Common Teal, Spot-billed Duck, Coot and Little and Great Crested Grebes. It was a great morning’s birding!

The gang at Ma Chang after seeing the two Baer's Pochards... — The gang at Ma Chang after seeing the two Baer’s Pochards…

A short time later, a couple of Black Kites appeared and, as our eyes began to be distracted from the duck to the skies, it wasn’t long before I spotted an aquila eagle some distance away… My instinct was that it was probably a Greater Spotted Eagle, the most common aquila eagle at this site at this time of year. However, as it soared, Jesper immediately suspected it was an IMPERIAL EAGLE… and he was right!

It circled distantly and was soon joined by a second, but smaller, eagle.. This second bird had a notably square tail, pale markings on the upperwing coverts and mantle and, as it turned, it was even possible to glimpse the ‘landing lights’… wow.. A BOOTED EAGLE! Two very good eagle records for Beijing in the same scope view!

Both appeared to drift away and were lost from view without allowing me to capture any photographic record. However, fortunately, the Imperial soon re-appeared, this time closer, and I grabbed the camera to capture a few record images before it drifted into the mountains to the north. The bulging secondaries, typical of immature Imperial Eagle, can be seen very well, as well as the pale markings on the under- and upperwing. The ‘jizz’ was slightly different to Greater Spotted, too. A useful lesson for me (I have only ever seen one Eastern Imperial Eagle before).

Immature Eastern Imperial Eagle, Ma Chang.

Unfortunately the BOOTED EAGLE didn’t return but maybe it will linger in the area.. it’s a fabulous Beijing record with only a handful of previous sightings in eastern China. It also represented my 300th species in Beijing [NB Stop Press: Booted Eagle seen at Miyun Reservoir on Saturday by Jan-Erik Nilsen – the same bird?] It’s hard for me to see new birds in the capital now, so to see two new species in one day was pretty special..

The infamous NW Wild Duck Lake wind suddenly got up at around 1130 and Jesper and his clients decided to head off to check Yeyahu NR. We decided to stay and enjoy the Baer’s Pochards a little longer. We gave it another hour or so before calling it a day and heading back to Beijing.. another cracking day at this world class site.

Full Species List (71 species):

Common Pheasant – 2
Swan Goose – 14
Bean Goose – 12
Ruddy Shelduck – 36
Gadwall – 30
Falcated Duck – 100+
Eurasian Wigeon – 10
Mallard – 32
Spot-billed Duck – 8
Shoveler – 12
Garganey – 2
Baikal Teal – 2
Eurasian Teal – 87
Common Pochard – 78
Baer’s Pochard – 2 drakes
Ferruginous Duck – 18
Tufted Duck – 15
Common Goldeneye – 6
Smew – 20
Goosander – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 2
Little Grebe – 13
Great Crested Grebe – 14
Great Bittern – 2
Grey Heron – 8
Little Egret – 1
Great Cormorant –
Eurasian Kestrel – 1
Osprey – 3
Black-eared Kite – 3
Eastern Marsh Harrier – 5
Eurasian Sparrowhawk – 1
(Common) Eastern Buzzard – 2
Eastern Imperial Eagle – 1 immature
Booted Eagle – 1
Coot – 39
Common Crane – 70+
Black-winged Stilt – 14
Grey-headed Lapwing – 3
Northern Lapwing – 48
Little Ringed Plover – 18
Kentish Plover – 35
Oriental Plover – 62
Common Gull – 4
Mongolian Gull – 7
Black-headed Gull – 27
Oriental Turtle Dove – 3
Collared Dove – 2
Fork-tailed Swift – 3
Common Kingfisher – 1
Hoopoe – 10
Grey-headed Woodpecker – 2
Chinese Grey Shrike – 1
Azure-winged Magpie – 6
Red-billed Blue Magpie – 2
Common Magpie – lots
Daurian Jackdaw – c85
Carrion Crow – 2
Large-billed Crow – 2
Bohemian Waxwing – 11
Barn Swallow – 3
Red-rumped Swallow – 1
Greater Short-toed Lark – 110
Asian Short-toed Lark – 2
Eurasian Skylark – 2
White-cheeked Starling – 2
Tree Sparrow – lots
White Wagtail – 12 (11 leucopsis, 2 ocularis)
Buff-bellied Pipit – 18
Water Pipit – 6
Pallas’s Bunting – 12

Güldenstädt’s Redstart

Guldenstadt's Redstart (male), Lingshan. — Guldenstadt’s Redstart (male), Lingshan.

Güldenstädt’s Redstart (Phoenicurus erythrogastrus), also sometimes known as White-winged Redstart, is the world’s largest redstart. It breeds at high altitudes from 3,600–5,200 m in alpine meadows and rock-fields, moving to slightly lower altitudes in winter. Apparently, the northernmost population, in the mountains around Lake Baikal, migrate furthest and sometimes reach northeastern China.

I had heard that this bird occasionally showed up in Beijing in winter. However, I wasn’t aware of any regular sites and so it wasn’t really on my radar.

However, during the visit to the Mentougou District to see the BROWN ACCENTOR last week, I realised that we were relatively close to Lingshan, a mountain (Beijing’s highest peak) near the border with Hebei Province. I had heard about this site but never visited. We decided to take the opportunity to have a quick look and, although we didn’t have much time – only an hour at the top – I was very pleased we did. The road to the peak was a little treacherous, but passable, and as the landscape opened up as we neared the top it was obvious that the area had potential. This potential was realised almost immediately when we spotted some redstarts atop some berry bushes by the side of the road. Although superficially looking similar to the common Daurian Redstart, it would be highly unlikely to find Daurian Redstarts at the top of a mountain in winter…and these birds looked BIG! We got out of the car to investigate and, as soon as one of the males flew, showing a huge white wing patch, it was clear that this was a different redstart sp – Güldenstädt’s Redstart – a high altitude specialist. Wow. There were many birds present and we counted at least 17, a mixture of males and females. We think this is a record Beijing count. We enjoyed these birds for a good 30 minutes, and also saw several Black- and Red-throated Thrushes sharing the same shrubs, before reluctantly leaving for the journey back to Beijing.

The males are spectacular in flight, displaying an eye-catching white panel in the wings (hence the alternative name "White-winged Redstart"). — The males are spectacular in flight, displaying an eye-catching white panel in the wings (hence the alternative name “White-winged Redstart”).

My report of these birds to Beijing birders caused something of a stir and, on Saturday, I returned to the spot with Per Alström and Jennifer Leung and we were joined by Swedish birder, Anders Magnussen, who had driven from Tainjin (!) and three cars full of Beijing birders led by Zhu Lei.

A sociable visit to a cold Lingshan on Saturday to see the Guldenstadt's Redstarts. — A sociable visit to a cold Lingshan on Saturday to see the Guldenstadt’s Redstarts.

This second visit, with more time to explore the area and more pairs of eyes, proved even more productive with an astonishing 28+ redstarts counted (Anders, who arrived before us, estimated at least 40) plus at least 60 PALLAS’S ROSEFINCHES, a single BOHEMIAN WAXWING and at least 50 dark-throated thrushes (mostly Red-throated).

We also enjoyed good views of Songar Tit, 3 Cinereous Vultures and an Upland Buzzard. We dipped on the hoped for ASIAN ROSY FINCH, 200 of which were seen at this location a few winters ago.. but that didn’t detract from a very productive day. My thanks to Per, Jennifer, Anders, Zhu Lei and friends for their good company!

Pallas’s Rosefinch

The Pallas’s Rosefinch (Carpodacus roseus) is a difficult bird to see anywhere. Although it has quite a large range, its breeding grounds – the mountains of eastern Russia and northern Mongolia – are relatively inaccessible and remote. And the wintering sites (northern China, Japan, Korea) are not necessarily reliable on a year by year basis.

Beijing in winter has traditionally been one of the best places to see this species but, in recent years, the numbers wintering around the Chinese capital appear to have declined for unknown reasons (possibly due to milder winters).

This winter, the coldest in China for over 20 years and with above average snowfall in northern China, has bucked the trend and there are good numbers of Pallas’s Rosefinch wintering in the hills around the capital, providing a good opportunity to get to grips with this species. Singles and small groups have been reported from a number of locations around Beijing, including the Olympic Forest Park, Badaling Great Wall and Shisanling. However, it is the ridge above the Botanical Gardens in the northwest of the city that has proved to be a real hotspot this winter. Jesper Hornskov walks this area frequently and he first reported sightings of this bird from October with numbers gradually building to a high count of over 70 in January.

On Sunday I visited the Botanical Gardens with Beijing-based Per Alström, Jennifer Leung and visiting Dutch birder, Ben Wielstra. After birding through the gardens, and completing the steep ascent to the ridge, we rested for a short coffee break during which we were fortunate to encounter two stunning male Pallas’s Rosefinches – the target bird of our walk. After enjoying spectacular views we walked a 2-3km stretch of the ridge before returning via the same route. Although it’s difficult to make an accurate assessment of the number of birds present, we left with the view that we had seen over 40 birds along that particular 2-3 km stretch, including at least 3 adult males.

Adult males are difficult to beat.. they are resplendent in their raspberry-coloured plumage, silvery-white bills and steely-black legs. Females and immatures are much drabber, often displaying streaky brownish plumage with a hint of orange or pink and a pinkish rump.

If you are in Beijing over the next few weeks I can thoroughly recommend a visit to the Botanical Gardens to see these birds. But be quick – they are likely to head back north sometime in mid- to late-March and who knows when they will next be so accessible in the Chinese capital?

Full species list from the walk below. My thanks go to Per, Jennifer and Ben for their excellent company.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk – 2

Northern Goshawk – 1

Eastern Buzzard – 1 seen twice over the ridge

Oriental Turtle Dove – 3

Spotted Dove – 1

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker – 2

Great Spotted Woodpecker – 1

Grey-headed Woodpecker – 2

Azure-winged Magpie – 35+

Red-billed Blue Magpie – 5

Common Magpie – 13

Carrion Crow – 2

Large-billed Crow – 12

Great (Japanese) Tit – 6

Yellow-bellied Tit – 28

Marsh Tit – 4

Silver-throated Tit – 2 in the gardens late afternoon

Chinese Hill Babbler – 4 on the way down (after going most of the day without seeing any)

Chinese Bulbul – 1 heard

Pere David’s Laughingthrush – 12

Vinous-throated Parrotbill – 2 groups of 15+ each

Goldcrest – 6

Chinese Nuthatch – 1

Crested Myna – 1

White-cheeked Starling – 1

Red-throated Thrush – 1

Naumann’s Thrush – 11

Tree Sparrow – many in the gardens

Siberian Accentor – 6, including 2 seen exceptionally well around the noodle place

Brambling – over 1,000, often wheeling around in large flocks

Oriental Greenfinch – 7

Siskin – 5 (PA only)

Pallas’s Rosefinch – at least 40 (3 adult males and the remainder females or immature males). The first two (both adult males) showed exceptionally well.

Hawfinch – 2

Godlewski’s Bunting – 5

Tristram’s Bunting – 3

Yellow-throated Bunting – 4

Mammals

Red Squirrel – 5

Pere David’s Rock Squirrel – 1

Beijing Raptor Rescue Centre

A few weeks ago, after delivering a lecture at Beijing Birdwatching Society, I met one of the volunteers “Zhang Crane” from the Beijing Raptor Rescue Centre. She invited me to visit and, a few days later, I made the short journey across town with Jennifer Leung to take a look.

We were immediately impressed. The facilities were very modern, the staff clearly committed and passionate about birds and the ‘patients’ in their care were looking well.

A selection of leather hoods used by the centre — A selection of leather hoods and gloves used by the centre

The Beijing Raptor Rescue Centre was set up in 2001 and, since then, it has treated 3,500 birds of 33 species. Of those, 52% have been released back into the wild (this figure is increasing over time as treatment becomes more advanced). Most have been picked up in the suburbs of Beijing; young birds, recently fledged, victims of illegal nets and birds found for sale in the bird markets of Beijing form the bulk of the patients.

We were shown around by Tong Guo Liang (English name Gavin Tang), one of the 4 full-time staff who, together with a host of volunteers, run the centre 365/24/7. He told us about the case of a Eurasian Kestrel, currently in care, that was brought in with a broken wing. After an operation to implant a pin, painstaking care and strength-building activities in an outside aviary, the staff were confident this bird would be released back into the wild.. a heartwarming case.

We were given a tour of the facilities and shown some of the other patients. A female Amur Falcon and a Eurasian Hobby looked a bit out of place on a chilly winter day but were clearly doing well. Others included a Long-eared Owl, Peregrine, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Japanese and Eurasian Sparrowhawks and a magnificent Golden Eagle. Each cage had a board on the door indicating the species and the amount of food it required each day…

This sign reveals the occupant is an Amur Falcon taken into care in November 2012 and requiring 2 chicks a day.

The Golden Eagle had been brought in by a Beijinger who had been travelling back by car from Inner Mongolia. He had seen a local guy selling the eagle by the side of the road. Heartbroken to see this magnificent raptor in such a state, he bought it, thinking that he would simply release it in a suitable area. After a failed attempt to release it – the bird couldn’t fly – he took it to the raptor rescue centre on his return to Beijing. Examination revealed that it had a hole in one of its wings and infected feet. It took three attempts to heal the hole in the wing but now, after 6 months at the centre, it seems to be improving and the chances of it being released back into the wild were given as 50/50.

The Golden Eagle rescued from a roadside seller in Inner Mongolia

The centre is part-funded by IFAW – the International Fund for Animal Welfare – and is based at Beijing Normal University in the northwest of the city. They welcome visitors, and of course, donations!