Subject: [Tweeters] Birding Adventure in Korea & Beijing Part 2 (long)
Date: Feb 26 08:52:21 2011
From: Gina Sheridan - gsherida8502 at yahoo.com


Tweets,

Our arrival at sunrise Februay 18, 20110 (at Guanting Reservoir (known as Wild
Duck Lake to birders) was a bone chilling -10C. However, conditions were clear
and calm.

My first lifer of the day was A CHINESE GREY SHRIKE that was singing (much like
our Northern Shrikes do at this time of the year) and it afforded us amazing
views. After that, we enjoyed a small flock of PALLAS'S REED BUNTINGs (a couple
were exhibiting some adult male plumage). Meanwhile, a female HEN HARRIER
cruised low of the wetland, and a PEREGRINE FALCON briefly landed on the frozen
lake.

One of the more unexpected events of the day was the hundreds of COMMON CRANEs
that were around the lake. It was like the Crane Festival of Othello, but these
cranes were from a different continent. The cranes were on the ice, the frozen
wetland, and the maize stubble fields. Good luck smiled on us and we saw one
rare HOODED CRANE within the flocks of Commons.

Good numbers of TUNDRA BEAN GEESE were present and at least 400 RUDDY SHELDUCKs
added bright color (orange ducks!) to the shoreline. Since the shelducks were on
the distant shore, we hiked about kilometer over the frozen lake for better
views. As we closed in on the flock, we detected MALLARDs and about twenty
BAIKAL TEAL. An adult WHITE-TAILED EAGLE would sometimes flush all the
waterfowl, and six CARRION CROWs provided an uneasy escort to the eagle.

Over the nearby brushy steppe, EURASIAN SKYLARKs and ASIAN
SHORT-TOED LARKs called, sang (the short toes at least), and flew overhead.
Another good bird in the area was a soaring UPLAND BUZZARD.

In the early afternoon, we hiked up the Great Wall in Badaling. It was
stunningly beautiful sunny day, and I was able to shed my heavy winter coat.
Birds seen from the Wall included PERE DAVID's (aka PLAIN) LAUGHING THRUSH which
is rather like a California Thrasher, CHINESE NUTHATCH at point blank views,
CHINESE HILL WARBLER (strikes my North American eyes as a counterpart to our
Wrentit), SONGAR TIT (incredible views of this tougher species), SIBERIAN
ACCENTOR (wonderful scope views), MARSH TIT, ORIENTAL GREENFINCH (male singing
on exposed perch in full sunlight), RED-THROATED THRUSH feeding at the base of
the wall, the well-named LARGE-BILLED CROWs, groups of VINOUS-THROATED
PARROTBILLs feeding in the mountainside underbrush, BRAMBLING flocks flying
over the wall, and an EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK that panicked one of the Brambling
flocks. It was truly the perfect way to experience the Great Wall first hand and
to see some life birds as well.

On February 19, 2011, our guide Jesper H., UK birder Terry Townshend, and Danish
birder Anders M., and I arrived at Bai He (White River) at Huairou, China. It
was another clear cold (-10C) morning and the damp chill from the rushing river
made it feel even colder. However, we quickly found MEADOW BUNTING, GODLEWSKI'S
(EASTERN ROCK) BUNTING, and LITTLE BUNTING in a weedy lot. BLUE HILL
PIGEONs flew around and landed nearby for our viewing pleasure. As we walked
upstream, we saw the dynamic CRESTED KINGFISHER, SIBERIAN ACCENTORs, PALLAS'S
REED BUNTINGs, RED-BILLED BLUE MAGPIEs, GREY-CAPPED PYGMY WOODPECKER, EASTERN
GREAT TIT, LONG-TAILED TIT, and BRAMBLING. Failing to find the target
Ibisbill, we reversed course and worked downstream from the bridge. Having our
tea time by the bridge, we were treated to sights of GRAY-HEADED WOODPECKER,
EURASIAN KESTREL, EASTERN BUZZARD (a beautiful buffy colored individual), a
pair of HAWFINCHes, GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER, SMEW, EASTERN SPOTBILLED DUCK,
MALLARD, and GOOSANDER,
(Common Merganser). The life mammal of the day for me was a PERE DAVID'S ROCK
SQUIRREL (Sciurotamias davidianus). with it's dark pelage and frosty gray tail.

After some nail biting moments of wondering whether the Ibisbills were still
present after the recent road construction, Jesper heard one call. It was long
before we beheld three IBISBILLs flying down the river and landing on sandbars
right in front of our vantage point. There birds have long red decurved bills,
pinkish legs, and an artistically elegant mix of grey back, white undersides,
and black markings.

Later, we saw a NORTHERN GOSHAWK, GOLDEN EAGLE, RED-THROATED THRUSH,
BLACK-THROATED THRUSH, and NAUMANN'S THRUSH. On our return to Beijing, I
requested that make a stop at the 2008 Olympic Village. As a result, I was able
to obtain a photo of us four birders in front of the famous "Birdnest" track and
field stadium and it's unique architecture. En route, we saw CRESTED MYNAs,
WHITE-CHEEKED STARLINGs, and a large roost of DAURIAN JACKDAWs.

On my final day (2/20/11) in Beijing, Anders, Jesper and I visited the Beijing
Botanical Gardens. The morning was overcast, but not quite as cold as the two
previous days.

In the Botanical Gardens, we had crippling scope views of full adult male
BLACK-THROATED THRUSH, RED-THROATED THRUSH, and NAUMANN'S THRUSH (which looks a
thrush with a sunset painted on it ), EURASIAN SPARROWHAWK (with the rich rufous
color that comes up onto its cheeks) and only my second DUSKY THRUSH. A pair of
CHINESE BLACKBIRDs were apparently early arrivals. GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER and
ORIENTAL TURTLE DOVE were present as well.

My life mammal on this day was an EURASIAN RED SQUIRREL (Sciurus vulgaris) that
is the black color morph with white underparts and huge ear tufts. We did an
arduous climb up a steep trail for some eight kilometers and I found myself
stripping out of two layers of long underwear, and carrying an overweighted day
pack for good measure. This was one of those cases where our valiant effort
failed to bear any fruit. We dipped on the target Pallas's "Rosefinch and Pine
Bunting. We did have fleeting glimpses ofTristram's Bunting flying back and
forth over the trail a couple of times, but the dense Oriental Arborvitae woods
prevented us from having any sort of countable views of the birds.

Between Korea and Beijing, China, I came away with strong images of places,
people, birds, and few mammals. Skeletal buildings in DMZ, a frozen lake on the
steppe that was ringed with Common Cranes, the Great Wall under a crystal blue
sky, the Forbidden City in the early morning light, flashy propaganda in
Tian'anmen Square, a Siberian Weasel frolicking along the trail, Steller's Sea
Eagles standing on the river ice, Ibisbills perched on a snow covered sandbar,
Red-billed Blue Magpies in the Temple of Heaven, weird Monk Vultures and
beautiful cranes in the Iron Triangle Battlefield, the bleak frozen border
with North Korea, my host family enjoying a Korean dinner, fireworks exploding
in all directions on Lantern Day, and my life list with 48 more ticks.

As an addendum, I spent a couple of hours in Zhong Shan Park, Qingdao,
China (2/24/2011) and found two more lifers : several flocks of CHINESE
GROSBEAKs and a small flock of EURASIAN SISKINs (including one very attractive
full adult male). Those were a couple of target species that I had missed on my
trip, so it was nice to pick them up.

All for now,

Gina Sheridan
Qingdao, China