On a trip to Dandong, China with friends, we visited the eastern terminus of the
Great Wall, spent the night in a Manchu village in the mountains, and visited
North Korea on May Day. It was a very interesting trip, but with some long
drives and rather unsettling shuttle trips between Dalien and Dandong. Birding
we did the sea wall at the worst possible time (i.e. low tide), but I picked up
three lifers for the trip anyway. We managed to just barely make it into North
Korea for a life country, and collected souvenir rocks on the N. Korean side of
a boundary fence.

First of all (4/29/11), we had to take a five hour drive from Dalian to Dandong.
This entailed using shady "grey market" shuttle drivers that pack in passengers
like sardines, change license plates to avoid paying toll fees, and make strange
transactions in traffic. After a rather nerve racking, night drive, we did
eventually arrive safely in Dandong.

On Saturday (4/30/11) we visited the Hushan Great Wall, which is on the
palisades above the Yalu River. Birds here included:

Black-faced Bunting (singing)
Meadow Bunting (singing)
E. Crowned Warbler (singing)
Yellow-browed Warbler (good numbers and singing)
Two-barred Greenish Warbler
Pallas's Leaf Warbler
Eurasian Jay
Brown-eared Bulbul
Hoopoe
Brambling
C. Pheasant
Amur Falcon (distant view)
Barn Swallow
E. Great Tit
possible Dusky Warbler but my view wasn't sufficient

After a long drive (200 km), we arrived in a Manchu farming village (called Hu
Tang Gou). Along a large stream, I saw my lifer RUFOUS-TAILED ROBIN that flew
into a streamside bush. Other birds present included more phyllo warblers,
ORIENTAL GREENFINCH, COMMON SANDPIPER, AMUR FALCON (male), WHITE WAGTAIL, and
MEADOW BUNTING. The weather was heavily overcast and lighting was poor, but I
did have a very good view (albeit brief) of the Rufous-tailed Robin.

That night, there were severe, but brief thunderstorms, and we slept on
traditional Manchu clay beds which were heated. Accommodations were rather
Spartan, but clean.

The next morning (5/1/11), I tried to relocate the robin, but couldn't. We
looked in vain for Hazel Hen too, but I had no idea where the good sites were.
We did see the caudatus (white-headed) race of Long-tailed Tit though.

Later, we hiked up to the waterfalls on Jiu Qutian Shui. Indeed, the habitat was
perfect for dippers, and we had crippling views of a pair of
BROWN DIPPERs (lifer) that were collecting nesting material. Which viewing
Dippers above the waterfall, there was a thunderous crash of cascading ice that
had accumulated around the waterfall during the winter. Actually, I thought that
we were going to be caught in a flash flood that would sweep us to our doom, but
the ice fall only resulted in a small wave lapping over the boardwalk.

Aside from the excitement of the ice fall and the Brown Dippers, we saw EASTERN
CROWNED WARBLERs in the woods too. Driving out, we saw a flock of EURASIAN
SISKIN and a loudly singing male BLUE & WHITE FLYCATCHER.

Back in Dandong, we took a North Korean river boat tour, and exchanged friendly
waves with North Korean, May Day celebrators along the Yalu River. From all
appearances, the Yalu River seems to be time barrier as well as political
boundary. On the Dandong (Chinese) side of the river, there are bright colorful
lights, heavy traffic, and modern skyscrapers. On the North Korean side, the
buildings are no more than three stories high and we saw only one vehicle (an
army truck with soldiers in it).

Unlike the Chinese side, the Korean side is undeveloped and appears to have much
more extensive bird habitat. BTW, my North Korean life list stands at two
species (i.e. Black-headed Gull and Peregrine Falcon).

In mid afternoon, we snatched rocks from the North Korean side of border fence
(one section only had one fenceline instead of the more typical border double
fences). and went out the Yalu Wetland Park and sea wall.

The Dandong Birding Club president was a very nice gentleman who generously
allowed us the use of his car, but he wasn't an experienced birder. He did like
to photograph the birds though.

Since we arrived at low tide, shorebirds were strewn out and mostly distant.
Some of the species that we saw included TEREK SANDPIPER, RED-NECKED STINT, E.
BLACK-TAILED GODWIT, both EURO & FAR EASTERN CURLEWs, C. Greenshank, C.
REDSHANK, RUDDY TURNSTONE, GREAT KNOT (large flock), RED KNOT, DUNLIN,
GREY PLOVER, KENTISH PLOVER, LESSER SAND PLOVER, SAUNDER'S GULL, COMMON TERN,
and a possible Nordmann's Greenshank. Although I was frantically searching for
my lifer Broad-billed Sandpipers, I experienced no joy with that.

As we were leaving, we saw a polaris race male PALLAS'S REED BUNTING and a
TWO-BARRED GREENISH WARBLER along the sea wall. We didn't have time to look long
for passerines though.

We finished up the evening with a dinner at a North Korean restaurant in
Dandong. Although dog was featured as one of the entrees, we assiduously avoided
that option! Fortunately, the food overall was pretty good, and the North Korean
waitresses not only served food, but performed musical numbers as well.

On the final morning (5/2/11), I birded Jinjiang Park in Dandong. Of course,
there were a million people there. However, there were some birds too. Lots of
phyllo warblers, GREY-BACKED THRUSH, and a YELLOW-RUMPED FLYCATCHER. Best of
all, my lifer ASHY MINIVET came in the form of a flock of twenty birds. I had
outstanding views of these graceful birds.

Later, I called a local Dandong birder, Bai Qingguan, and we met and talked
about local birds. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to really bird with
him on this trip, but I hope that I can do so in the near future.

Addendum: Today (5/6/11), I struck birder's gold in Qingdao's Zhong Shan Park. I
had the most definitive SWINHOE'S SNIPE that I guess that I will ever have
outside of of actually having it in hand. The snipe was along my favorite pond
that I call the Border Pond. Initially, it weakly flushed silently and dropped
back down only five meters further away. I had a good view of it on the
shoreline, and it's long, bright, reddish tail was something that caught my eye.
When I flushed it a second time, it remained silent again and flew maybe twenty
meters, before dropping down.

In the park's Magic Ravine, I found a pair (male and female) TAIGA FLYCATCHER
that was a lifer. In addition, there was a colorful female CHESTNUT BUNTING
(lifer) that was quite tame.
There was a male YELLOW-RUMPED FLYCATCHER, at least two PALE-LEGGED LEAF
WARBLERs, and stunning and totally unexpected lifer CHESTNUT-CROWNED WARBLER
(beauty!).

I easily tracked and watched the CHESTNUT-CROWNED WARBLER for over half an hour.
According to my field guide, this bird was really out of it's range, and I don't
know whether Shandong Province has ever had a record of this specie.

In the Golden Triangle of the park, I saw COMMON KINGFISHER, COMMON SANDPIPER,
and CHINESE POND HERON on a small productive pond. A DUSKY WARBLER made a vocal,
but brief appearance. Finally, a RADDE'S WARBLER sat in on top of a bush and
then moved to a small tree for thirty seconds at time, and I had wonderful
views.

Other birds in the park included CHINESE GROSBEAK, CHINESE BLACKBIRD, CRESTED
MYNA, AZURE-WINGED JAY, JAPANESE WHITE-EYE, HOOPOE, and COMMON SWIFT.

It was truly a brilliant day!


Yours in China,

Gina Sheridan
Qingdao, China