A new birder’s birding day—XiaoMing in China (1 Viewer)

[xiaoming]

A new birder’s birding day—XiaoMing in China

To tell the truth, I first watched birds in April 1st 2005, but I see nothing at that time. Until last September I came to Beijing, I began to keep my list. And now the number is only 150. So I’m also a new birder. As a graduate student I don’t have enough time and money to watch birding here and there. My stories may not much exciting and colorful, however, I want to share them with you all the same.

Ps: please forgive my English; it’s not my native language; whereas welcoming to point out any mistakes of my English.

 

[xiaoming]

An afternoon in the Summer Palace, Beijing
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=110383

 

[xiaoming]

April 5, this was Tomb-sweeping Day(Qing Ming Jie) holiday—the day people go to the graveyard do some sweeping work for the memory of the dead. I went back home in Tanggu, Tianjin.
Some birder told me that he found some Bohemian Waxwings in a park not far from my home. When I get the park I heard many Light-vented BulBuls singling—these birds used to live in south China, but now for some climate reasons them distribute more and more north. Go on, there was some special song in the willows. It just looked like a dwindled Long-tailed Shrike http://www.wwfchina.org/birdgallery/showpic.shtm?id=48943. That was my new lifer bird —Chinese Penduline Tit http://www.wwfchina.org/birdgallery/showpic.shtm?id=45249 . The park is not big, however, 2 hour later I have not seen the Waxwings. But find some others: Hawfinchs – also my new lifer; Pallas’s Leaf Warblers—They came from South China; Goldcrests -as I know, it’s the first record of this bird in Tanggu in recent years.
Yesterday, when I go shopping, some friend called me “a man is selling Hawfinchs ”. I immediately dialed 110 (in china, Emergency Number is 110, not 999 or 911) and told the police this thing.

Don’t ever buy any wild animals and their products. When the buying stops, the killing can too.

 

[citrinella]

Yesterday, when I go shopping, some friend called me “a man is selling Hawfinchs ”. I immediately dialed 110 (in china, Emergency Number is 110, not 999 or 911) and told the police this thing.

Don’t ever buy any wild animals and their products. When the buying stops, the killing can too.

Ni hao Xiaoming,

What is the legal position regarding selling birds in China ? Keeping cage birds is very popular, so there must be a legal trade. I often see traders in the market or on the street. How do I know if it is legal or not legal ?

Come to think of it, I have often pointed my camera at these birds and no-one has ever tried to stop me - which probably means they are selling them legally.

It is very depressing to see so many beautiful birds in cages. It surprises me too how many are e.g. Australian - cockatoos and budgerigars.

Mike.

 

[xiaoming]

Hi Mike
Selling birds itself is legal, but selling wild birds(catch them from field places), especially the birds on the list of wild animals of priority protection, is not legal.
Hawfinch is not on the list of wild animals of priority protection of china, but on the list of wild animals of priority protection of Beijing, so if someone sell them in Beijing, he should be amerced. In tianjin, I don't know, even if he won't be amerced, the Hawfinch should be released.
In fact, besides some parrots and munias, almost all of the birds sold in the market are wild.
I think the government disregards this thing for several reasons:
1. GDP is premier. Environment is not important
2. Many people take this earning their lives. As a developing country, China don't have enough Job Opporunity. Birds or Human, it's a question.
3. As your said, "Keeping cage birds is very popular"
So unless you catch Cranes or Crested Ibis, nobody care. But if you call the police, they have to care it.
Li Ming

 

[citrinella]

Thanks Li Ming,

In another message you asked for correction to your English. Nothing wrong with your English ... you have just taught me a new word : "amerced".

Mike

 

[xiaoming]

April 13,2008

Last month, I decided to go to Ye Ya Hu Lake (Wild Duck Lake), but the heavy fog caused serious traffic jam. It’s a find day yesterday, I went to there with XiaoYu and YunLiFei. We set out at 6:00, one and a half later we got there, finding DongDongShuai and DianDianLvCha had already stayed there for half hour. They told us they saw several White Spoonbills here, but were flushed by a fisherman.
A Northern Lapwing flied from the bush, and someone wanted to catch it. That was Peregrine Falcon, but then he failed. We were attracted by the songs from sky. Hundreds of Swan Gooses and Bean Gooses travelled to the North, in flight forming “V”(pic 1 photo by XiaoYu). There were some ducks in the lake: a Mandarin Duck, 2×Spot-billed Ducks, 26×Smews, 17×Shovellers, 100×Common Teals and 100×Mallards.
LvCha saw some white spots in the sky, which were White Spoonbills—they came back. 1,2,……, we totally sew 18 Spoonbills(pic 2 Photo by XiaoYu). We tried to approach these Spoonbills, on the way seeing some other birds: Common Kingfishers, Green Sandpipers, Vinous-throated Parrotbills and a Great Tit. Spoonbills employed Grey Herons as their sentinels. Herons stood on a high place, when we were near them, they all flew away. In the reeds, Pallas’s reed Buntings fled from here to there. Japanese Quails and Common Pheasants were flushed by us.
This day was for raptors. Besides Peregrine Falcon we saw other 9 raptors. 3×Ospreys(pic 3 photo by DongDongShuai), 2×Eastern Marsh-Harriers, 3×Northern Harriers, 3×Common Kestrels, 3×Eurasian Sparrowhwawks, a Pied Harrier, a common Buzzard , a Golden Eagle and a Saker Falcon. One of Ospreys caught a prey, and stood on the other side of the lake eating it. We just droved there , however, the osprey discovered us and flew.
We went on to find some other birds. Little Ringed Plovers and Black winged Stilts were good models(pic4 and 5 photo by XiaoYu). Barn Swallows and Red-rumped Swallows wanted to get some mud to build their houses. Water Pipit and Buff-bellied Pipit were a little difficult to separate for me. Grey-capped Greenfinch just sang in the tree, but I can’t find it.
Add what other five birder saw, we recorded 51 birds.

 

[xiaoming]

Add one to YeYa Lake

DongDongShuai see his photoes taken in YeYa Lake and find antoher bird---Greater White-fronted Goose.
Thank Mark, Harold Stiver and HouseCrow for their help to ID it.


http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=111730

 

[deborah4]

Excellent photos Li Ming - love the Spoonbill!

 

[xiaoming]

Spoonbill is a very beautiful bird. I want to see Black-faced Spoonbills much. They are winter birds in South China and breed in Korea Peninsula and little in NE China.
I think they may travel through Beijing. But the latest record of Black-faced Spoonbill in Beijing is 1924.

 

[rockfowl]

Li,

Very occasionally Black-faced Spoonbill turns up along the coast south of Beidaihe during the main spring migration in May, not every year but perhaps on the increase. Closer to home, have you visited the Summer Palace during early May, this can be a fantastic area for migrant birds and regularly has good falls. Birds of Prey often move along the mountain backdrop in a northerly wind and often come across the main lake. The lakes themselves often hold some surprise finds. Also, I hope you have been up to see the rather fabulous and easily accessible Ibisbills, Long-billed Plovers etc north of the Capital?

Best regards

Mark - For some Beidaihe images see my site www.smandrews.com

 

[xiaoming]

Hi Mark:
Thank you for your tips. I just what to know when to go to BeiDaiHe is better. you know May 1st is a Labor' day holiday in China, so I think many visitors there. I wonder to know which time is better--April 26 or May 10?
I went to ShiDu Canyon early this year and found several Long-billed Plovers, but when I went to BaiHe Canyon to find Ibisbills, I got a bad lucky and found nothing.
I see your website--so many beautiful photoes. I move to Beijing for graduate study in last september, so i havn't went to summer palace in May.

Best wishes
Li Ming

 

[rockfowl]

Hi Li,

I know what you mean about Labour day and Busy! Beidaihe would be better on May 1Oth as the migration is much better and you can pretty much guarantee that you will see a good variety of species. I'm bringing a group out on the 4th May and will be based in Beidaihe from the 6th. I will be going up to the Ibisbill area on the 5th so I hope that I will again see these incredible birds. Do try and visit the Summer Palace in the meantime, try and get there early in the morning (I think the gates open at 06.00) and you will see plenty of birds and not too many people!

Best

Mark

 

[xiaoming]

Hi Mark:
Thank you.
Where do you find Ibisbill in BeiJing? BaiHe(White River) Canyon or some other good place?
Li Ming

 

[rockfowl]

Li,

Bai He River were I think there are still at least five birds? We had a pair with chicks here last year and despite the ease at which you can watch the site, they can be surprisingly elusive! It's probably the easiest place in the world to see them well at the moment

Mark

 

[xiaoming]

No raptors but plant

The weather of last weekend(April 19-20) was much awful for birding. We went to see raptors migration in Saturday. Early in the morning, I arrived at BaiWangShan Mountain and got together with some friends. It was cloudy and had no wind, so we didn’t see many raptors but a Common Buzzard and two Sparrowhawks. Some sing birds just sang around us: Great Tit, Marsh Tit, Long-billed Tit, White-browed Chinese Warb and Plain Laughingthrush. Not much birds to see, so I begun to see some plants: Broussonetia papyifera and Cotinus coggygria was flowering. (pic 1&2). Euphorbia lunulata is very interesting, (pic 3) whose Chinese name means “the eyes of cat (Mao Yan Cao)”.Caragana lebellei (pic4) has a bird-like Chinese name—“pheasant” (Jin ji).

 

[xiaoming]

Yuan Ming Yuan

In the afternoon, we went to Yuan Ming Yuan (pic 1 Ruin). Two escaped Black Swans chose here as their new house, and they even begun to hatch their eggs. Many visitors stood around them, watching these interesting birds. Mandarin Ducks live the males only(pic 2), the females were in tree-hole. Little Egret came, but Mallards became fewer than winter(in that time the number was about 300) . All of the park was covered by Orychophrapmus violaceus.(pic3), a purple flower. Astragalus scaberrimus(pic 4) and Rehmannia glutinosa(pic 5) are all traditional Chinese medicine.

 

[xiaoming]

Ya Lu Jiang River Birding April 26

Ya Lu Jiang River Birding April 26
Last weekend, we went to DanDong, LiaoNing Province, where Ya Lu Jiang River runs into the sea. The east side of Ya Lu Jiang is North Korea. That is a much good place for watching waders. Many waders came from New Zealand and Australia through DanDong going to Siberian.
After 13-hour trip by train, we arrived at DanDong at Saturday morning. Then we took a taxi to DongGang. After having delicious seafood, we got to JingGuanDaDao Road, which is along the Ya Lu Jiang River. So many waders there (pic 2, waders flying in the sky, sorry for the low quality, the mountains belong to North Korea). We see three bird flocks, and the total number was about 60000(we can’t identify some of them, because they flied to the other side). Most of them were Bar-tailed Godwits (20000). There were also some other birds: Eastern Curlews(200), Eurasian Curlews(200), Common Shelducks(200), Northern Shovelers(200), Black-headed Gulls(150), Saunders’s Gull(150), Dunlin(100), Kentish Plovers(100), Grey Plovers(50), Spotted Redshanks(50), Common Redshank(50), Whimbrels(30), Little Tern(30),Little Ringed Plovers(20), Great Knots(10), Lesser Sand Plovers(10), Black-tailed Gulls(10), Garganeys(10), Red Knots(2), Mew gulls(2). The star bird this day was Nordmann’s Greenshanks that is very rare in China. With the help of local bird watcher Hong Sun, we found three and he found thirteen Nordamnn’s Greenshanks. We also found two Pied Avocets, which is very common in China but rare in DanDong.
Some of the Coastal Shoal is becoming to Land (pic3). What a pity.

 

[Quercus]

There is a radio programme in the UK (on BBC Radio 4) that is following the spring migration around the world. One of the species they are following is the bar tailed godwits from Australia/New Zealand to Alaska. Last week's report was from where you were!

There is a web site... i'll try to find the link for you.

 

[Quercus]

www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/worldonthemove