More Magic Migration Mania...!

A quiet morning in Temple Wood and Magic Wood after the excitement of the previous few days and the only new birds noted were Red Collared Dove, Asian Koel, Taiga Flycatcher, Ashy Minivet, Black-naped Oriole, Hair-crested Drongo, Radde’s Warbler, Richard’s Pipit and Chestnut Bunting, but it was a shame that a Thick-billed Warbler was only seen by one person. Other birds seen in and around the woods included Grey-headed Lapwing, another Northern Boobook, a flock of Eye-browed Thrushes, a flyby Siberian, Dusky and Pale Thrushes, Chinese Blackbird, an unidentified cuckoo species, many Chinese Grosbeaks, Japanese White-eyes, flocks of Asian Azure-winged Magpies, and another Asian Stubtail.

Asian Stubtail

Chinese Grosbeak

A distant Dusky Thrush

Heading over to Yangkou mudflats before lunch we decided not to walk out and scan the waders, but instead waited along the seawall where a Japanese Sparrowhawk flew over. There were lots of waders present with the pick of the bunch being a few Far Eastern Curlews being a good addition to our list. We then drove inland a short distance and walked out to some lagoons where many shorebirds were roosting. Amazingly, Steven spotted another Spoon-billed Sandpiper, again in fine breeding dress and roosting with some Red-necked Stints and Terek Sandpipers, but too far for a photo. We spent the next couple of hours checking several pools and scoping big numbers of shorebirds with some Broad-billed Sandpipers, possibly a couple of hundred Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, lots of Long-toed Stints and many others present. 

Lots of shorebirds were present

Kentish Plover

Long-toed Stint

Long-toed Stint

Red-necked Stint

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

It was fun scoping all these shorebirds

Flocks of shorebirds flew around us

There were so many waders in the pools all around us...

Curlew Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

The spectacle really was quite something and with no pressure to find a Spoonie we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Whilst scanning the shorebirds an Oriental Pratincole, Pacific Golden Plover, Eurasian Hobby and an Amur Falcon flew over, whilst 10+ Pechora Pipits were found. Sadly, only a couple of people managed to get on an Asian Buff-bellied Pipit in Steven’s scope. There was also some more nice views of an obliging Reed Parrotbill.

Reed Parrotbill

Returning to Temple Wood in the late afternoon produced much the same as the morning’s session with slow birding. However, a Blue Rock Thrush was new and Hadyn found a fine male Yellow-rumped Flycatcher. 

Common Tern (Tibetana race)

Saunders's Gull

Common Tern and Saunders's Gull

Whiskered Tern

A small congregation of terns at the dam held 2 Whiskered, a cracking White-winged and lots of Common (Tibetana race) Terns along with a Saunders’s Gull, and with the late evening sunshine and the birds flying close below our vantage point, it certainly was a nice sighting.