CHINA 7TH - 20TH MAY 2007

OUR inaugural tour to the migration hotspots of Beidaihe and Happy Island was a huge success with a superb selection and great numbers of birds present. We missed a few species, as they like us were experiencing some strange weather patterns this year resulting in either early or late arrivals of expected species and with so many of the birds there being migratory, it was inevitable that some would be missing. However, a total of 198 species speaks for itself and included the first record of Fairy Pitta for twelve years that was found by Neil at The Reservoir during an exciting fall of birds. Two Brown Hawk Owls included a very showy bird on Happy Island. Huge numbers of Brown Shrikes, Yellow-browed, Dusky and Pallas’s Warblers were present with good numbers of Red-throated, Yellow-rumped and Asian Brown Flycatchers also present, but we also found a pair of Elisae’s and a few Dark-sided and Grey-streaked Flycatchers too. Other warblers included Manchurian Bush, Spotted Bush, Pallas’s Grasshopper, Lanceolated, White-browed Chinese, Blyth’s Leaf, Oriental and Black-browed Reed, Thick-billed, Asian Stubtail, Yellow-streaked, Hume’s Leaf, Pale-legged Leaf and Two-barred Greenish and a good selection of thrushes included Eye-browed, Siberian, Grey-backed, Dusky, White’s, White-throated and Blue Rock Thrushes and Chinese Song Thrush. Siberian Blue Robins were seen on an almost daily basis and in good numbers, while at least three stunning male Siberian Rubythroat were absolute gems and a wide variety of buntings included Godlewski’s, Japanese Reed, Pallas’s, Chestnut, Chestnut –eared, Little, Black-faced, Yellow-breasted, Yellow-browed, Tristram’s and Siberian Meadow Buntings. Richards, Red-throated and Blyth’s Pipits all showed well, while raptors included several Amur Falcons, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Upland Buzzard, Pied and Eastern Marsh Harriers and widespread European Hobbies. Thirty six species of shorebird included Grey-tailed Tattler, large numbers of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Great Knots, Far Eastern Curlews, Grey-headed Lapwings, Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers, Pacific Golden Plover, Broad-billed Sandpiper and beautifully marked Dunlin of the race sakhalina and Red-necked, Temminck’s and Long-toed Stints all alongside each other, but sadly no Asian Dowitchers due to the persistently low tides. Black-tailed, Relict, Vega and Heuglin’s Gulls loafed on the beaches, while other notable species included Yellow and Von Schrenck’s Bitterns, Baillon’s Crake, Daurian Redstart, Indian and Oriental Cuckoos, Vinous Parrotbill, Plain Laughing Thrush, Red-flanked Bluetail, Rufous-tailed Robin, Chinese Nuthatch and Pacific Swift. The whole tour was a great experience and offers a wonderful opportunity to get to grips with the identification challenges posed by the wide range of species on display. We won’t be travelling in 2008, but will be returning with a longer, improved itinerary for May 2009