Wuyuan

We drove through the rural Wuyuan countryside to a quiet little village alongside a river and walked across some fields where both White-browed and Masked Laughingthrushes were present. Moving on to a secluded little valley we birded beside a patch a Bamboo for a few hours, and almost immediately a Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler began calling from the densely vegetated slope above us. It took quite a while but eventually we had decent and tickable views of a pair as they repeatedly circled us, crossing the path nearby on numerous occasions and alighting briefly on one or two favoured perches. Then a cracking male Fork-tailed Sunbird flew in and perched nearby, whilst several flocks of David’s Fulvettas passed by, and amidst one such flock a Grey-headed Parrotbill made the first of two appearances here this morning. 

Fork-tailed Sunbird

Other birds seen included Chinese Pond-heron, Grey-headed Lapwing, Crested Serpent-eagle, Dollarbird and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush. By mid-morning it was really quite hot so we retraced our route to the river and after a bit of a search found a Long-billed Plover on a shingle bank. 

Long-billed Plover

Our next stop was beside another river to view some distant Blue-throated Bee-eaters before arriving at a patch of tall woodland beside another village where in no time at all we were watching numerous Courtois’s Laughingthrushes in the canopy above us. There were maybe 50 or so birds present, many of which seemed to be nest-building high overhead or moving around the wood in roving flocks. At one stage several birds came quite low and began feeding on a bare trunk allowing incredibly great views. Hardly any western birders have made the pilgrimage to see this very rare species since it’s rediscovery in 2000, really quite a shame as it is a stunningly beautiful bird. 

Courtois's Laughingthrush

Courtois's Laughingthrush

The same patch of woodland also held Great Spotted and Grey-capped Woodpeckers, Chinese Blackbird, Ashy Drongo and Grey Treepie as well. Leaving here we headed to a restaurant for a fine lunch, stopping to see a Brown Crake catch a mouse in some roadside ricefields (!) and whilst it was being prepared we walked up to the roof and had very close views of a pair of Pied Falconets which were nesting in a hole in a large tree nearby. 

Pied Falconet

We watched the birds catching dragonflies and butterflies and bringing their catch to the hole. It really was quite a show and so great to be able to watch these birds more or less at eye-level as they perched in the surrounding treetops. The afternoon session commenced alongside a river where a Brown-breasted Bulbul was perched on a telegraph wire. As we watched this a Chinese Hwamei began singing and was lured onto the same wires giving superb views in the scope, and a Crested Kingfisher also flew by and landed. Then amidst an area of rice fields where a couple of Russet Sparrows and several Red-billed Starlings were present, and at the next site just along the road a short distance an Asian Barred Owlet gave brief views. We ended the day back at the Courtois’s Laughingthrush wood where we enjoyed seconds of these great birds, along with a Grey-headed Woodpecker, Japanese Grosbeak and some flyover White-throated Needletails.

Wuyishan to Wuyuan

After a night of heavy rain it didn’t look too promising for our chances of reaching Huangang Shan this morning, however the weather cleared up and we began our drive back up the mountain.  Our only stop on the way up produced Yellow-bellied and Yellow-cheeked Tits, as well as a flock of Black-chinned Yuhinas and Red-billed Leiothrix. On arrival at the summit we were greeted by clearing skies and a rolling mist that would occasionally obscure the wonderful view but compared to yesterday it was so much better. 

Buff-throated Warbler

Brown Bush-warbler

Brown-chested Jungle-Flycatcher

Blunt-winged Warbler

As soon as we arrived a couple of Buff-throated Warblers were found and this proved to be a common species up here, along with Brown Bush-warbler and Rosy Pipit. Several Siberian Stonechats were also seen, along with a colony of Asian House-martins, a brief Siberian Rubythroat, and several Yellow-bellied Bush-warblers. We searched the whole summit for Upland Pipit without any success, but did find Common Rosefinch, Daurian Redstart, Verditer Flycatcher and a rather unexpected Blunt-winged Warbler which seemed to be on territory and reacted very well to a little tape luring. Sadly by late morning we had to leave and return to the hotel in readiness for our departure, but along the way down we picked up Bianchi’s Warbler and our sighting of Brown-chested Jungle-flycatcher was very unexpected, although not by our local guide! The rest of the afternoon was spent driving across the rainy lowlands to Wuyuan.

Huangang Shan

Wuyishan

We left the hotel at 4.30am and drove up the mountainous road to towards the summit of Huangang Shan. The day dawned clear and promised to be full of birds, and began promisingly with several new species and some nice mixed flocks. A female Cabot’s Tragopan with four chicks crossed the road in front of us was a good way to begin, and was followed by a couple Barred Cuckoo-doves flying by, and an extremely cooperative Pygmy Wren-babbler giving point-blank views. 

Pygmy Wren-babbler/Pygmy Cupwing

Higher up the mountain a Buffy Laughingthrush was watched singing in a tree, Fujian Fulvetta showed well, and then a pair of Blyth’s Shrike-babblers (now split from White-browed Shrike-babbler) were seen feeding beside the bank right next to the road, plus two male Small Niltavas were perched on the same branch singing at each other! 

Fujian Fulvetta

Blyth's Shrike-babbler (female)

Blyth's Shrike Babbler (male)

Lots of other birds were seen on the drive up including Yellow-cheeked Tit, Collared Finchbill, Hartert’s and Kloss’s Leaf-warblers, White-spectacled and Chestnut-crowned Warblers, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Red-billed Leiothrix, Black-chinned Yuhina and Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush. Unfortunately the weather deteriorated rapidly and by the time we had reached the summit was pretty bad with dense mist, high wind and visibility down to just a few metres hampering our attempts at some of the goodies present here. Yet several Brown Bush-warblers were seen at very close quarters and a Yellow-bellied Bush-warbler was lured in as well, but a singing White-browed Shortwing failed to reveal itself. So we headed back down but couldn’t escape the rain until much later in the day. During a break in the weather we walked a few kilometres but the pattern for the rest of the day was a lot of legwork for little reward. Yet a flock of Indochinese Yuhinas was very nice and a fine Spotted Wren-babbler performed very well around its damp gulley. The lower down the mountain we got the better the weather, but bird activity was very low although we still had Spotted Forktail, a pair of Red-billed Blue Magpies, Mountain Bulbul and a Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler. We walked the last few kilometres back to the hotel seeing a close Pallas’s Warbler, and after much perseverance found a Brown Dipper feeding on the fast flowing stream, and we ended the day with the endemic Yellow-bellied Tit.

Wuyishan

Cabot's Tragopan

No apologies for posting some more pics of my bird of the trip - just in front of Chinese Crested Tern, but more of that in later posts!

Wuyishan

It took most of the morning to reach the mountains of Wuyishan but it was definitely worth the wait as we left the lowlands behind and began to climb higher. A lake beside the narrow road held a few Chinese Spot-billed Ducks, and the nearby area held David’s Fulvetta ( a recent split from Grey-cheeked Fulvetta), Collared Finchbill and Crested Bunting. Whilst at the edge of a small village we saw a pair of Chinese Blackbirds and heard the distinctive song as well. But we didn’t do anymore birding as time was pressing and we wanted to get to the hotel in the National Park for lunch, and with a little time spare afterwards most of us walked up the road which turned out to be a good move. First of all we had Yellow-cheeked Tit, followed by a Rufous-faced and Chestnut-crowned warbler side-by-side on the same branch, and then nice views of Sulphur-breasted Warbler zipping around the forest beside the road. A Hartert’s Warbler ( a recent split from the Blyth’s Leaf-warbler complex) began calling and pretty soon we had decent views of this smart little sprite. 

Hartert's Leaf-warbler

 Further along a flock of Black-chinned Yuhinas and Red-billed Leiothrix appeared briefly before the minibus caught us up and we drove high up into the mountains. No sooned had we passed the Fujian/Jiangxi border than a female Cabot’s Tragopan ran across the bumpy track in front of us. At the next moment a male tragopan flew down from the slope above us and alighted right in front of us for a few moments before scurrying into the forest. Moving ever upwards we came across a mixed flock with Black-chinned Yuhinas, White-bellied Erpornis, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Kloss’s Leaf-warbler (formerly in the White-tailed Leaf-warbler complex), and a White-backed Woodpecker appeared as well which was a bonus. In the distance we heard White-necklaced Partridge, but that would have to wait for another day. A few kilometres more and a female Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush was the first of several to be seen this afternoon, and a colony of nesting Asian House-martins also held a Fork-tailed Swift as well. A short distance further on and we had Fujian Fulvetta (split from Grey-hooded/Streak-throated complex), several singing White-spectacled Warblers, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, and a brief Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler. For a grand finale we definitely were not expecting, as we drove back down in the early evening sunshine we were extremely fortunate to spot a fine male Cabot's Tragopan feeding on fresh buds in a small tree just below the road. So we could look down on him and admire its intricately beautiful plumage and over the next half an hour he fed totally unconcerned by our presence. 

Cabot's Tragopan

 As cameras clicked  and many superlatives were exchanged this much-wanted species carried on feeding, and on several occasions moved around the branches and clambered into a different tree – all the time with the sun shining on him. What a treat and with smiles all round we drove slowly back down to the hotel for a celebratory beer or two!

More Migrant Mania at Rudong, SE China

Just ten minutes away from the hotel is the new Magic Wood, a small patch of woodland and scrub a little larger than a football field  day and we were excited about returning there. This morning we paid an early visit and turned up a number of excellent birds, in fact many more birds were present than yesterday evenings visit. A Red-billed Starling posed nicely on top of the temple as we arrived but we didn’t dally as we were eager to see what goodies lay in wait for us. Upon arrival it seemed to be raining birds, when Lesser Cuckoo, Asian Koel, a couple of Hair-crested Drongos, and flocks of phylloscs literally dropped out of the sky. The first of at least 3 Rufous-tailed Robins present demanded our attention, and then Two-barred and Pallas's Warblers appeared amongst roving flocks of Yellow-browed, Claudia's and Eastern Crowned Warblers.  

Rufous-tailed Robin

Rufous-tailed Robin

 At least two male Siberian Blue Robins were found and skulked in typical fashion, whilst Siberian and Pale Thrushes, Radde’s Warbler, and both Tristram’s and Meadow Buntings were also new out in the small grassy area. Both Mugimaki and Yellow-rumped Flycatchers showed well, flocks of Yellow-billed Grosbeaks flew over, and the Northern Boobok flew around the area repeatedly looking for a birder-free zone to roost! Moving on to the other forest there appeared to be smaller numbers of flycatchers present although Narcissus and some Asian Brown and Grey-streaked Flycatchers were still around. We even had a brief view of an elusive Elisae's Flycatcher which promptly disappeared, but an impressive Blue-and-white Flycatcher was seen by everyone, as was a Forest Wagtail. More Rufous-tailed Robins, Siberian, Eye-browed and Pale Thrushes, a male Siberian Rubythroat, Dusky Warbler and Japanese Grosbeak were all seen as well. 

Blue-and-white Flycatcher

 There were also loads of  Pale-legged Leaf-warblers around and an estimate of 100+ was made from both sites visited so far today. So with time running out we drove to the coast and donned our wellington boots again and marched out onto the tidal flats getting our first Great Knot and Far-eastern Curlews of the tour amongst hordes of all the usual waders and a flyby Black-capped Kingfisher as well. We even ignored the dozen or so Saunder’s Gulls flying overhead repeatedly! With the tide racing in towards us we walked briskly back to shore and then headed over to the hotel to pack and have lunch. A quick two hour journey was a lot less than expected and we ended up at the airport with several hours to spare for the flight to Nanchang and the next stage of our adventure.

SE China Day 2

Early this morning we headed towards Magic Forest and birded along the tree-lined road, which had attracted a large fall of mainly warblers and flycatchers overnight. Indeed everywhere we looked Asian Brown and Grey-streaked Flycatchers were flitting amongst the green canopy, with smaller numbers of Mugimaki and surprisingly several Narcissus Flycatchers as well. 

Narcissus Flycatcher

 A Dark-sided Flycatcher was a welcome find a little later, and we also picked out our first Claudia's Warbler amongst the more numerous Eastern Crowned and Yellow-browed Warblers, as well as several Oriental Turtle-doves and Olive-backed Pipits as well. A Manchurian Bush-warbler was singing from an exposed perch and we enjoyed several minutes of fine views. A few Eye-browed Thrushes perched up nicely for us. but a Pale Thrush was only present briefly. 

Eastern Crowned Warbler

Manchurian (Korean) Bush-warbler

 As the day warmed up we headed back for breakfast before driving out to the coast where we donned our recently purchased kaki-coloured wellington boots and walked out onto the mudflats where we had an hour to find Spoon-billed Sandpiper before the high tide covered the exposed mud. 

Looking for Waders!

The mudflats were teeming with shorebirds and we began with Grey and Pacific Golden Plovers, summer-plumaged Greater Sandplover and Curlew Sandpipers along with many fine Dunlin as well. Overhead, majestic Saunder’s Gulls passed close by and we scoped a few which landed nearby. But our attention was drawn to the hundreds of lovely Red-necked Stints who were feeding avidly but were also very skittish as the tide approached rapidly. Rather frustratingly Menxiu found a roosting spoonie which refused to show its all-important bill before suddenly flying off, leaving us all a little downhearted. So we headed back along the coast, finding Broad-billed Sandpiper and a flock of 6 Black-faced and single Eurasian Spoonbill, and plenty more shorebirds but still no spoonies. So our next port of call was at the high-tide roost where we walked out onto the mudflat and waited for quite some time in the hot sun. Eventually  hundreds of birds descended after being disturbed by a passing digger and we set about the tricky task of nailing a spoonie in the suddenly increasing heat haze. A few near misses followed when a bird was found only to disappear before everyone could get on it but eventually we had a superb breeding-plumaged Spoon-billed Sandpiper in the scope and we could enjoy the moment at last. Then another was found, and another and before we knew it at least 5 individuals were found – all in various stages of plumage. What a bird this is and despite its incredible rarity value it is also a stunner! 

Spoon-billed Sandpiper

Spoon-billed Sandpiper

 But there was plenty else to keep us occupied with both Greater and Lesser Sandplovers standing out from the hordes of stints and Dunlin. It was a decent photo opportunity and we spent the rest of the morning admiring the commotion and activity at relatively close quarters. 

After lunch and a short siesta we headed back to the Magic Forest area in high spirits as Menxiu had just received a phone call with the hot news that his friend was watching a male Japanese Paradise-flycatcher right at that moment and as we were only ten minutes away we dived over to the spot with fingers crossed. Surely it would move on before we arrived, as anyone knows its madness to chase other people’s birds during spring migration right? How wrong can you be and as we pulled up Menxiu’s friend pointed into the canopy above us and wham! Can you believe a stunning long-tailed vision of beauty was looking down at us! What a bird and one to set our pulses racing for sure and it certainly warranted an intensive grilling and suitably lengthy period of observation. 

Japanese Paradise-flycatcher

 But there had obviously been another minor fall this afternoon as this section of forest was teeming with even more birds than this morning. So we set off along the road and soon notched up our first Grey-capped Woodpecker, Swinhoe’s and Ashy Minivets, Chestnut Buntings, Eurasian Wryneck, Eastern Great Tit, Dusky, Arctic and Pale-legged Leaf-warblers, Black-naped Oriole and Azure-winged Magpie along with the other phylloscs and flycatchers seen earlier. Some nearby fishponds were then checked for any lingering dowitchers, but we only found lots of  Long-toed Stints and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers amongst the regular waders. But close Saunder’s Gulls were nice, although a few White-cheeked and Daurian Starlings and Pallas’s Reed Buntings were even better! Then we found a Pechora Pipit, whilst Black-browed and Oriental Reed-warblers, Reed Parrotbill and Common Rosefinch were also found. As if things couldn't get any better we checked out the 'new' Magic Forest, a small area of isolated trees and scrub and immediately had eyeball popping views of a Rufous-tailed Robin perched out in the open a foot above the ground where it remained for 20 mins or so! With a flock of Japanese White-eyes and an excellent Northern Boobook staring down at us we found it hard to tear ourselves away in the gathering gloom.

Saunder's Gull

Saunder's Gull

Daurian Starling

Northern Boobook

 

SE China Tour Day 1

 Apologies for no recent posts, but The Great Fire Wall of China prevented any posts whilst on tour.

Following a morning arrival at Shanghai Airport the group met up after some had flown from UK and others had spent a day or two before the tour started in the city. We then headed the short distance to the coast and stopped along the road which transects a huge reedbed. In no time at all the first of our two key target species appeared, when a pair of superb Reed Parrotbills appeared, although frustratingly didn’t linger. But we didn’t have to worry as over the course of the next hour we were treated to repeated views of several birds darting around the reeds, and on a couple of occasions they appeared alongside the road right next to us. The other key bird here is Marsh Grassbird and initially all we had were rather distant views of individuals song flighting high in the air before plummeting down to an invisible perch in the dense reeds. Again our patience was rewarded with decent scope views when one bird remained on top of a reed stem for quite some time and began singing. 

Reed Parrotbill

There were lots of other birds here with an Amur Falcon and Japanese Sparrowhawk flying by, Chinese Pond-heron, Purple Heron, at least 7 Great Bitterns flying around and a couple of Pacific Swifts. Our scrutiny of the area also revealed a Manchurian (Korean) Bush-warbler skulking alongside the road, several Oriental Reed-warblers, Vinous-throated Parrotbills nest-building, brief Siberian Rubythroat and a few Black-faced Buntings. 

Great Bittern

 Leaving here we drove along the coast road and found a small party of roosting waders on the rocks which turned out to be 7 Terek Sandpipers, a couple of Common Greenshanks and 2 Grey-tailed Tattlers. Just inland are numerous fish ponds and marshes which were teeming with shorebirds, with Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Long-toed Stints particularly numerous. Our first wader session to look at these beauties also resulted in Marsh, Common and Wood Sandpipers, Kentish Plover, Black-winged Stilts and Common Redshank. Some movement on the scrub-covered bank led us to the first of two fine Pechora Pipits and Derek spotted a distant Red-throated Pipit as well.  Further along this road we enjoyed incredible views of all these waders again, along with a flock of breeding-plumaged Red-necked Stints, Pied Avocet, probable Swinhoe’s Snipe and Eastern Black-tailed Godwit as well, along with two races of Eastern Yellow Wagtail and a very bright Citrine Wagtail. Best of all was the Little Curlew we scoped in a ploughed field some distance from the road which was associating with some Common Whimbrels showing the size and structure differences nicely, and a few Oriental Pratincoles flying around were only a minor distraction! 

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Long-toed Stint & Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Long-toed Stint & Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Swinhoe's Snipe

After a huge lunch at a nearby restaurant we headed back to the coastal road and checked out a small wooded area which held a couple of Eastern Crowned Warblers before spending the rest of the day at a more wooded area where a gaggle of Chinese photographers pointed the way to a superb Narcissus Flycatcher. This area was very good and also held Long-tailed Shrike, several Mugimaki and Asian Brown Flycatchers,  Yellow-browed and Pale-legged Leaf-warblers and just before we left a Chinese Grosbeak flew in and landed above us. What a first day! All that remained was the tedious drive to Rudong, some 4 hours away and a late supper.

SE China

With migration in full swing along the south-east China coast there have been a number of good records in the last few days. Several smart Spoon-billed Sandpipers in full breeding dress have been sighted, along with Nordmann's Greenshank and Asiatic Dowitcher. A few Black-faced Spoonbills are still lingering in the estuaries and migrants such as Pechora Pipit, Yellow-browed Bunting and Pleske's Grasshopper Warbler have been seen. A few rarities at Magic Forest near Rudong have included Japanese Robin and Japanese Paradise Flycatcher as well! My hope is that this area provides a far better experience and nicer environment than Beidaihe - time will tell. At the Min Jiang Estuary a few Chinese Crested Terns are appearing intermittently as well....... There are 7 of us in all travelling to Shanghai (a perfect sized group!) and I really hope the good run of migrants continue and fingers crossed for the spoonies......