Shanghai, and then pushed farther south into southern China. Fortunately, I was
able to hire a Chinese birding guide, Zhang Lin, who knows that region extremely
well and is an expert in finding Spoon-billed Sandpipers.

Ever since I birded Attu in the 80's, I have always wanted to see more of those
tantalizing Far Eastern birds that rarely visit Aleutian or North American
shores. In particular, I wanted to see many of the shorebirds (i.e. Little
Curlew, Far Eastern Curlew, Great Knot, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, etc) that have
been recorded in North America.

At last, I was on my way. On April, 21, 2011, I had my first full day of birding
the famous shorebirding mecca of Yankou/Rudong. We began our overcast morning in
the rather extensive Yahkou Wetlands. There are plenty of ponds, shrubby areas,
and large reedbeds there.

Our first good bird, was male BLUETHROAT. Although we didn't have long frontal
views of the Bluethroat, I did briefly see the bright blue and orange breast
pattern and the bright rufous patches on the tail.

Next up was a SIBERIAN STONECHAT, and then a flock of CHINESE PENDULINE TITs. A
couple of CHINESE POND HERONs flew over, and there were also LITTLE EGRETS,
EASTERN GREAT EGRETs, BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT HERON, and a GREY HERON.

We saw some PALLAS'S REED BUNTINGs that included spring plumaged males that
looked quite different from the birds that I had seen in the winter.
BLACK-FACED BUNTINGs were quite common here. In the fresh water ponds, we saw
BLACK-WINGED STILT, GREEN SANDPIPER, COMMON SANDPIPER, SPOTTED REDSHANKs (at
least 80 in a wide spectrum of plumages), MARSH SANDPIPER - 200, COMMON
GREENSHANK - 15, SHARP-TAILED SANDPIPER - 50 (wonderful to see them in full
breeding plumage), a couple of LONG-TOED STINTs, EURASIAN TEAL, EURASIAN
WIGEON, GARGANEY, EASTERN SPOT-BILLED DUCK, C. MOORHEN, LITTLE GREBE, N.
SHOVELER, COMMON SNIPE, and a rare ASIAN DOWITCHER in alternate plumage, C.
PHEASANT, GREY-HEADED LAPWING (very flashy), LITTLE RINGED PLOVER, WOOD
SANDPIPER - 50, COMMON KINGFISHER, ZITTING CISTICOLA, PLAIN PRINIA, WHITE
WAGTAIL, RED-THROATED PIPT, FALCATED DUCK, CHINESE BULBUL, VINOUS-THROATED
PARROTBILL, and REED PARROTBILL (fluffy headed, and very cute and cuddly
looking).

Within the nearby Yangkou Magic Woods, we saw CHINESE BLACKBIRD, EYEBROWED
THRUSH, PALE THRUSH, GREY-BACKED THRUSH, RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL, MERLIN,
OLIVE-BACKED PIPIT, YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER, and EASTERN CROWNED WARBLER.

On the roof of the temple on the sea wall, we saw both WHITE-CHEEKED STARLING
and RED-BILLED STARLINGs. About an hour before high tide, we were up on the
Yangkou/Rudong Sea Wall. From here, we saw SAUNDER'S GULLs - 100 (mostly in
breeding plumage), COMMON TERN, LITTLE TERN, GULL-BILLED TERN, FAR EASTERN
OYSTERCATCHER - 4 (great looking birds), EURASIAN CURLEW, FAR EASTERN CURLEW
(has impossibly long beaks), DUNLIN - 1060, RED-NECKED STINT - 740, GREY PLOVER
- 150, KENTISH PLOVER - 300 (with it's rusty crown, it looks much different that
our Snowy Plover), GREAT KNOT -15 (the first bird that I gazed on was in full
alternate plumage), BAR-TAILED GODWITs, TEREK SANDPIPER - 20 (very active in
chasing down food), RUDDY TURNSTONE -3 , LESSER SANDPLOVER (aka Mongolian
Plover)-100, and GREATER SAND PLOVER (taller and blonder headed than the Lesser
Sands)- 20.

We spent quite a bit of time on the flats on the land side of the sea wall and
scoped through large flocks of shore birds. There was a singing EURASIAN
SKYLARK, and we began noticing calling flocks of LITTLE CURLEWs flying over. One
flock landed in front of us, and afforded us with some great views. To my eyes,
the Little Curlew looks rather like a cross between a Whimbrel and an Upland
Sandpiper.

Later, Zhang Lin found our first SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER of the day. We ended up
seeing at least five different "Spooners", and all of them were in pale basic
plumage. Spooners associate with Red-necked Stints and stand out as much paler
peeps compared to the fully alternate plumaged Red Necks. We saw spooners on the
dry flats as well as feeding in the surf.

On the morning of April 22nd, the weather became sunny but breezy.Later, we were
joined by Raimo, a Finnish birder. In the Magic Woods. we saw singing MANCHURIAN
BUSH WARBLER (subspecies of KOREAN BUSH WARBLER), EASTERN CROWNED WARBLER, ASIAN
STUBTAIL, the boldly striped-headed TRISTRAM'S BUNTING, BLUE & WHITE FLYCATHER
(beautiful male), JAPANESE WHITE EYE flock (many feeding upside down for
extended periods), elegant looking LONG-TAILED SHRIKE, a flock of EURASIAN
SISKIN, TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER, several cryptic EURASIAN WRYNECKs, and the
first provincial record of a cooperative SULPHUR-BELLIED WARBLER.

Another sweep through the Yangkou Wetlands, netted us new birds such as EASTERN
BLACK-TAILED GODWITs, BAILLION'S CRAKE, RICHARD'S PIPIT, INTERMEDIATE HERON, and
EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL. The ASIAN DOWITCHER was still present, and we could see
ORIENTAL PRANTICOLES flying around like dark terns in the distance. A MEADOW
BUNTING was near the sea wall.

On the Rudong Flats, we scanned through the impressive shore bird flocks, and
found several more Spooners, RED KNOT, and a very pale winter plumaged
NORDMANN'S GREENSHANK (another highly endangered species). The Nordmann's was so
white looking in the afternoon sunlight,that it was easy to spot with the
unaided eye from almost a hundred meters away.

>From the sea wall, we finally were able to view a SPOON-BILLED SANDPIPER
(nicknamed "Spooner")in full breeding plumage. The "Spooner" in alternate
plumage has the same basic rufous plumage pattern of a Red-necked Stint, but our
scope views confirmed that it had that unique spoon shaped bill. We tallied at
least seven Spooners for the day, and we felt privileged to have seen this
critically endangered species that may only have a couple of hundred breeding
pairs remaining in existence.

On a sunny April 23rd, we drove over the muddy, rutted roads to the Pudong
Grassland which is mostly a sod farm surrounded by an hideous land fill.
Fortunately, the birds don't seem to mind the surrounding dump and seem to like
the "grassland". Some of the birds present here included RICHARD'S &
RED-THROATED PIPITs, a taivana (Green-headed) EASTERN YELLOW WAGTAIL, one fully
alternate plumaged PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER, LITTLE CURLEWs, LITTLE BUNTING,
ORIENTAL PRANTICOLE (great views of one of the ground),EASTERN CATTLE EGRET (in
buff- plumaged breeding finery) and a couple of CHESTNUT-EARED BUNTINGs.

In the late morning, we entered Binhai. Binhai is another excellent coastal
site, and we quickly found displaying ORIENTAL SKYLARKs on the short grass. We
had one skylark at point blank range singing on the ground with it's crest
raised. It then launched into it's "skylarking" display flight, and slowly
returned to earth.


In the extensive reedbeds of Binhai, we saw displaying MARSH GRASSBIRDs (aka
Japanese Swamp Warbler),and heard both Oriental and Black-browed Reed Warblers.
Along the fresh water lagoons, we saw OSPREY, PURPLE HERON, GREAT CRESTED GREBE,
TEMMINCK'S STINT, LONG-TOED STINT, WHIMBREL (white-rumped variegatus race),
heard many and saw one flying EURASIAN (GREAT) BITTERN, CITRINE WAGTAIL, SAND
MARTIN, RED-RUMPED SWALLOW, BARN SWALLOW, and an unexpected female GREY BUSH
CHAT.

Our biggest thrill here was viewing a mixed flock of EURASIAN SPOONBILLs -4 and
BLACK-FACED SPOONBILLs - 10 (endangered). There were some nice breeding plumaged
adults in this flock as well.

In the late afternoon, we birded the Binhai Sea Wall, and found a male
CHESTNUT-EARED BUNTING, CHINESE EGRET (rare endemic), PECHORA PIPIT, a female
COMMON REED BUNTING, a beautiful male RED-FLANKED BLUETAIL (only male I've
seen), SPOTTED DOVE, SIBERIAN STONECHATs, and flushed a couple of JAPANESE
QUAIL.

We ended the day with another unexpected surprise. We were quite pleased to find
an out of range GREY-HEADED CANARY FLYCATCHER.

On my final trip day,Zhang Lin and I were teamed up UK birder Peter Salmon and
his Swedish wife Karen. In southern China's Hangzhou Botanical Gardens, we
birded on a warm sunny morning on the extensive grounds. First bird up was a
BROWN CRAKE climbing over rocks on the shore of a pond. Later, we saw a very
petite BLACK-THROATED TIT, HIMALAYAN BLACK BULBUL (the color pattern reminds me
of our White-headed Woodpecker), CHESTNUT BULBUL, CRESTED GOSHAWK (one adult on
a nest and the other flying around), singing BROWNISH-FLANKED BUSH WARBLERs,
COLLARED FINCHBILL, SPECKLED PICULET, HAIRY-CRESTED DRONGO, a pair of model thin
SWINHOE'S MINIVETs building a nest, a pair of lovely YELLOW-RUMPED FLYCATCHERs,
BLUE & WHITE FLYCATCHER, ARCTIC WARBLER, PALE-LEGGED LEAF WARBLER, TRISTRAM'S
BUNTING - 30, and very cooperative pair of CHINESE BAMBOO PARTIDGEs. On the
heard only list, were GREY TREEPIE and ASIAN BARRED OWLET. My life mammal there
was PALLAS'S SQUIRREL (has short ears and legs).

After another hour drive, we were in wetland area known as Beihu (North Lake).
Here we saw a flamboyant breeding plumaged PHEASANT-TAILED JACANA and a colorful
BLACK-CAPPED KINGFISHER. I had my best views of CHINESE POND HERON and PURPLE
HERON here too. We keyed out PIN-TAILED SNIPE and probably had SWINHOE'S SNIPE
as well. However, sorting out snipe in East Asia is very challenging.

While I ended the trip with over fifty lifers, it was the quality of the birds
here that made this trip so special. After all, it was my dream to see all the
East Asian shorebirds, and I literally experienced the best shorebirding I've
ever had in my life. In just one day, I saw over 30 species of shore birds, and
that included the Big Three (the three rarest East Asian shore birds:
Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank, and Asian Dowitcher). In
addition, I saw many very special range restricted species, several lifer
widespread Palearctic birds, and I immensely enjoyed birding the East Asian
Australasian Flyway during spring migration.

Gina Sheridan
Qingdao, China