Wild Beijing 北京自然

Dalian

A short trip to Dalian over the Spring Festival holiday was simply brilliant. I nipped over with Spike Millington and met up with Dalian-based Canadian, Tom Beeke. Tom is a top man – he met us at the airport, arranged our hotel and took us to all the best spots in the area. His enthusiasm and knowledge of the local birds made for a thoroughly enjoyable trip. Highlights included finding a Pallas’s Gull (Great Black-headed Gull) in exactly the same spot where one was found last winter, 3 wing-tagged Mongolian Gulls, good numbers of both Pallas’s and Long-tailed Rosefinch, 9 Oriental White Storks, 4 Varied Tits (stunners) and an unusual winter record of Yellow-browed Bunting.

The trip started at Jinzhou dump for gulls. There is a small landfill site here and, although on arrival the gull numbers were quite low, they steadily built throughout the day. The vast majority were Mongolian Gulls (Larus mongolicus) with c230 individuals. Also present were Vega Gulls, Heuglin’s Gull (tamyrensis?), a few Common and Black-headed Gulls plus at least one Slaty-backed (a first winter) and a probable first winter Glaucous-winged Gull. Other species on the estuary included Mallard, Spot-billed Duck, White-tailed Eagle (at least 5 individuals) and 9 Oriental White Storks. However, the highlight was finding an adult Pallas’s (Great Black-headed Gull) that flew into the estuary in the mid-afternoon. A brilliant and unmistakable bird.

Andreas Buchheim had asked me to look out for wing-tagged mongolicus and it wasn’t long before I found three – “AB56”, “AF50” and “AF63”. The ringing data shows that two were ringed at a colony in Lake Baikal (almost 2,000km away) and the third was ringed at Khokh Nuur in Mongolia (almost 1,300km from Dalian). It’s always great to see ringed or tagged birds and find out a bit about their history. Tom will now look out for more this winter.

On the second day we decided to visit the southernmost point of the peninsula at Laotieshan (about an hour and a half from Dalian). Tom had never visited in winter, so it was a bit of an unknown quantity. We might see lots of birds or nothing at all. On the way we jammed in on a flock of Bohemian Waxwings at Lushun – Tom’s first record in the Dalian area. On arrival at Laotieshan, the habitat around the point looked brilliant for migration and Tom recalled his ‘big day’ here in October last year – thousands of raptors and huge numbers of passerines passing through with Tom the only birder! In mid-winter, as expected, it was a bit quieter but, nevertheless, we did see some good birds. A nice male Long-tailed Rosefinch was a good start and a Chinese Hill Warbler checked us out while Tom lured it in with a remarkable imitation of its call. A roving tit flock in a small wood produced Tom’s second record of Yellow-bellied Tit among the Coal and Great Tits and Siberian Accentors and Yellow-throated Buntings appeared at regular intervals. A few Naumann’s Thrushes added a splash of colour and a single Hawfinch was the first of 27 we were to see that day (including a single flock of 26). After a lunch of delicious dumplings, the afternoon started brilliantly when a trail we took just north of the peninsula produced 4 Pallas’s Rosefinches – a key target bird – and a few metres further along we enjoyed a nice male Yellow-browed Bunting – an unusual winter record. A Peregrine and a Kestrel provided the raptor interest and we encountered more Long-tailed Rosefinches, Siberian Accentors, Meadow and Yellow-throated Buntings.

Our final day was spent on Tom’s local patch at Jinshitan and we visited several sites including a reservoir, the country park, the small fishing harbour and, best of all, the golf club. The first site of the day – the reservoir – produced both Pallas’s and Long-tailed Rosefinches, a brief Goshawk, Yellow-throated, Pallas’s Reed, Meadow and Rustic Buntings plus Coal Tit, Siberian Accentor, Japanese Quail and a beautiful male Hen Harrier. The country park and the fishing harbour were both quiet but on the way to lunch we enjoyed a very cooperative Rough-legged Buzzard that we originally thought might be an Upland due to the large whitish patch on the upperwing. Post-lunch we visited the golf course and it was here, in a lovely little wooded valley, that we encountered another target bird – Varied Tit. These birds are stunners and we enjoyed very good and prolonged views of 2 of these little gems in a mixed tit flock. Wow! A Treecreeper struggled to gain our attention, even though it’s a difficult bird to see in the Beijing area, and the supporting cast here included Chinese Hill Warblers, Pallas’s and Long-tailed Rosefinches and more Siberian Accentors. Two more Varied Tits were seen briefly alongside the road (definitely different birds due to their blotchy plumage) and a walk around the more open parts of the course produced more Long-tailed Rosefinches, several of which posed nicely for photographs before we reluctantly headed off to the airport for the flight home.

Big thanks to Tom for making all the arrangements and accompanying us on a brilliant trip.

Already making plans to revisit in migration season – the peninsula at Laotieshan looks simply awesome for migrants.

2011-02-09 Long-tailed Rosefinch male — Long-tailed Rosefinch (male), Jinshitan, Dalian

2011-02-09 Long-tailed Rosefinch — Long-tailed Rosefinch (female), Jinshitan, Dalian

2011-02-09 Varied Tit — Varied Tit, Jinshitan Golf Course, Dalian

2011-02-09 Varied Tit2 — Varied Tit, Jinshitan Golf Course, Jinshitan, Dalian - one of 4 seen at this site.

2011-02-07 Oriental White Stork with gulls — Oriental White Stork with prey, being pursued by gulls, Jinzhou dump, Dalian

2011-02-09 Chinese Hill Warbler — Chinese Hill Warbler, Laotieshan

2011-02-09 Siberian Accentor — Siberian Accentor, Jinshitan, Dalian

2011-02-07 Pallas's Gull — Rubbish record shot of the Pallas's Gull

2011-02-07 Guys at Jinzhou — Birding at Jinzhou dump (oh, the glamour...)

Unidentified Gulls

Always learning. And I never seem to have enough knowledge to identify all the birds I see…! Here are a few images of ‘unidentified gulls’ seen at Choshi. I have a good idea on some of them but there remain niggling doubts. On others, I am less sure. Have a look and let me know if you can help..!

2011-01-27 unidentified gull1 — Bird 1: Unfortunately only this one image. I am thinking it must be a Vega Gull but that underwing looks incredibly pale and the black on the wing-tip suggests thayeri?

2011-01-27 unidentified gull2 — Bird 2: this bird has a primary pattern that fits thayeri and the mantle is paler than the nearby Vega Gulls. But that head looks too 'fierce'.

2011-01-27 unidentified gull2-2 — Bird 2: The same bird. Note dark eye and pale mantle. Hmm...

2011-01-27 unidentified gull4 — Bird 3: Clearly a 1st winter (2nd calendar year) Common Gull-type but is it henei, kamtschatschensis or even a Mew Gull?

2011-01-27 unidentified gull4-2 — Bird 3: Same bird. Note short bi-coloured bill.

2011-01-27 unidentified gull5 — Bird 4: A 1st winter (2nd calendar year) bird. Note smallish, rounded head and generally pale plumage.

Vega Gulls

Vega Gull (Larus vegae) is the most common large white-headed gull at Choshi in winter. I saw several hundred and below are some images in various plumages with some personal comments. Although Vega Gull is considered a separate species by some, others consider it a subspecies of American Herring Gull or Herring Gull. I can see why.

Vega Gull head — A very 'clean' headed bird, recalling

Vega Gull head2 — A more typical winter head pattern with thin streaking on the head and thicker, more blotchy streaking on the neck.

Vega Gull in flight — Black on wing-tip varies but most have black on p10-p5 with some including black markings on p4.

Vega Gull in flight2 — Another typical bird with black p10-p5

Vega Gull in flight3 — Black reaches p4 on this bird. Darkish eye.

Vega Gull 2cy in flight — 2 cal yr bird showing dark secondary bar. Pale panel on inner primaries reaching outer secondaries.

Vega Gull 2cy flying — 2 cal yr. Beginning to gain some grey scapulars. Tail pattern typical.

Vega Gull hooded — A very striking and exceptionally 'hooded' bird. Note the fleshy pink legs.

Feeding Vega Gulls (with Black-tailed Gull bottom left). Note variation in wing-tip pattern. The flying bird has typically 'raspberry-pink' legs.

Slaty-backed Gulls

Given the recent putative Slaty-backed Gull in London, I paid close attention to the Slaty-backed Gulls in Choshi. I saw around 45 examples of what I identified as Slaty-backed and photographed several. As with most gulls, this species is variable and, although there are a suite of features (eg pale eye, dark ‘intermedius LBBG-coloured’ mantle, shortish raspberry pink legs, pale yellow bill etc) that distinguish a typical Slaty-backed, there appear to be many examples with one or more of these features lacking. Below is a selection of my images of Slaty-backed Gulls with some associated personal comments. I am in no way qualified to comment on the London bird, except to say that if I saw it at Choshi I wouldn’t have hesitated to identify it as a Slaty-backed.

Please contact me if you spot any inaccuracies in my commentary or have any additional comments.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed1 — The first Slaty-backed Gull I saw. This individual has a relatively bright bill

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed2 in flight — No2: looks dark-eyed but in the field the iris was pale-ish, albeit heavily speckled

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed3 — No3: a typical individual with a pale eye, dark (Lesser Black-backed-coloured) mantle and strong bright pink legs

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed3 in flight — No3 in flight: same bird as above. Mantle appears lighter at the different angle.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed4 in flight — No4: from below

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed5 — No5: from above. The mantles of some birds look relatively pale in strong light. Note no mirror on p9.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed6 in flight — No5: Same bird.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed6 in flight4 — No5: close up of head and underwing pattern. Eye is speckled and could appear dark at distance.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed7 in flight2 — No6: a dark bird with heavy head streaking. 'String of pearls' obvious.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed8 in flight — No7: an immature bird but note very pale underwing in strong light.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed8 in flight3 — No7: Same as above. Note how the underwing looks darker in different light.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed9 — No8: the legs appear relatively pale and thin (taken in strong light)

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed10 in flight2 — No9: eye appears dark. mirrors on p10 and p9.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed10 in flight5 — No9: Same individual as above. Eye looks paler in strong light.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed11 standing2 — No10: Eye looks dark on this individual. Bill pale yellow with slightly brighter tip.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed11 in flight2 — No11: 'String of pearls' clear on this bird. Heavy streaking on the head.

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed14 landing — No12: A typical individual in terms of mantle colour, pale eye, primary pattern and leg colour.

2011-01-26 Slaty-backed15 with Vega2 — No12: same individual as above next to a Vega Gull (with Black-tailed Gull behind) for comparison.

2011-01-26 Slaty-backed16 in flight — No13: Pale eye, dark mantle and relatively heavy head streaking.

2011-01-26 Slaty-backed15 in flight — No13: Same bird as above. Note no mirror on p9.

2011-01-27 Slaty-backed17 on ground — No14: Typical. Pale yellow bill, sturdy bright pink legs.

2011-01-27 Slaty-backed17 in flight — No14: same bird as above in flight. 'String of pearls evident, large mirror on p10 with smaller mirror on p9.

2011-01-27 Slaty-backed18 in flight3 — No15: Note no mirror on p9.

Gulling

Gulls… They say that, as a birder, you either love them or hate them. Well, I am definitely in the ‘love’ category, even though I find the large white-headed gull complex an identification challenge.

Living in Beijing, a very dry and land-locked metropolis, sightings of any gulls near to home are few and far between. So the opportunity to visit Choshi, just east of Tokyo, was too good to miss.

This port, situated on the edge of the vast Pacific Ocean, is home to hundreds of fishing boats and I saw huge catches of yellow-fin tuna, mackerel, sardines and some larger species, including what looked like swordfish. The sheer quantity of fish, and its associated waste and by-catch, means that there is plenty of food for gulls and, during winter, they are attracted here in their thousands. The most common gull by far is the Black-tailed Gull, an east Asian endemic, closely followed by Vega (a Herring Gull lookalike) and Black-headed Gulls (ssp sibiricus). Among these are reasonable numbers of Slaty-backed Gulls with a few Glaucous-winged, Glaucous, Common (ssp kamtschatschensis) and the odd Mongolian Gull (Larus cachinnans mongolicus) mixed in. During my visit I also saw a Ring-billed Gull (the first Japanese record of this American species was as recent as 2002).

Access is easy and free – I had no problem at all walking around with binoculars and a camera and the great thing for photography is that you are generally looking north from the harbour towards the water, meaning that the winter sun is mostly with you.

If you are interested in gulls, this is as close to heaven as it gets. However, Choshi is not just about gulls – many more sought after species can be seen well here. The local Black Kites (ssp lineatus or ‘Black-eared Kite’) also enjoy the bounty provided by the fishing boats and there are good numbers of Temminck’s and Pelagic Cormorants plus Black-necked and Slavonian Grebes just offshore. A single Harlequin Duck near the lighthouse at Cape Inubo was a nice addition to my visit and Dusky Thrushes were common in suitable habitat. Around Cape Inubo there were also Blue Rock Thrushes, Japanese White-eyes, Bull-headed Shrikes and a single Brown Thrush.

I will follow this general post with some detailed posts about specific species but, in the meantime, I am posting a selection of images to give you a feel for the place.

Getting there: Choshi is within easy reach from Tokyo and Narita airport and a day-trip from either is very doable. Catch any train from Narita Airport to Narita and change for the hourly local service to Choshi, which takes around 90 minutes (cost cGBP10). The staff at the airport are incredibly helpful and will point you in the right direction and give you advice on purchasing a ticket. Once at Choshi, it is a 5-10 mins walk to the north to reach the river Tome, from where you can walk east along the whole length of the harbour for 3-4 km (the whole stretch is good for gulls). Further along the coast to the south-east lies a famous lighthouse at Cap Inubo. It would probably take 2-3 hours to walk to this point from the station, so a taxi is a good option if you want to explore this area (but beware, taxis in Japan are expensive – it cost me almost GBP 20 pounds for the 10-minute journey from Choshi town centre to the lighthouse). I found only one hotel in Choshi where the staff spoke any english – the Choshi Plaza (half way from the station to the river on the right hand side) – which, at GBP50 per night, is reasonable value in Japan.

Best areas: there are boats all along the harbour wall running from just east of the Tome bridge to the sea, with three fish markets interspersed. The best area for viewing gulls depends on the activity in the harbour and which boats are offloading their catch but, about half-way along, there are a couple of good areas of sea wall parallel to the road which are good places to scan – hundreds of gulls rest here and there are good numbers all day.

2011-01-27 Sardine boat at Choshi — A sardine boat returning to Choshi port after a night on the seas

2011-01-25 Choshi port — Fishermen warming themselves around a fire at Choshi port

2011-01-27 yellowfin tuna — Yellow-fin Tuna on sale, most of which will be destined for Tokyo sushi

2011-01-26 sardines — A fresh catch of sardines, Choshi

2011-01-25 Black-tailed Gull — Adult Black-tailed Gull, Choshi, Japan

2011-01-27 Vega Gull — Adult Vega Gull, Choshi, Japan

2011-01-25 Slaty-backed Gull — Slaty-backed Gull, Choshi, Japan.

2011-01-24 Glaucous-winged Gull — Adult Glaucous-winged Gull

2011-01-27 Glaucous Gull — First winter Glaucous Gull, Choshi, Japan. Note the dark-tipped pale bill

2011-01-25 Black-headed Gull ssp sibiricus — Black-headed Gull ssp sibiricus

2011-01-25 Common Gull — Common Gull ssp kamtschatschensis

2011-01-27 Black-eared Kite — Black-eared Kites are common scavengers around the port

2011-01-25 Dusky Thrush — Dusky Thrushes are common at Choshi in suitable habitat

2011-01-27 Pelagic Cormorant — Pelagic Cormorants are fairly common at Choshi

2011-01-26 Temminck's Cormorant — Hundreds of Temminck's and Great Cormorants can be seen along the sea wall at Choshi. This one is a Great.

2011-01-25 Black-necked Grebe3 — Black-necked Grebes are common winter visitors to Choshi

Owl eats Owl

On Saturday I accompanied visiting Swedish birder, Anders Magnusson, to Wild Duck Lake (Ma Chang/Yeyahu Nature Reserve) for a day’s birding. Thankfully the forecast strong winds were absent as we were dropped off at Ma Chang at 0730 in -12 degrees C. My ‘michelin man’ outfit including ‘man tights’ (and they are very manly, honest), thermal underwear, 4 layers of t-shirts and fleece plus a long, down-filled coat, two pairs of gloves, woolly hat and thermal snow boots meant I was snug as a bug with only my nose really feeling the cold.

A few Common Cranes were a good start, including one that seemed to completely retract its legs when flying (either that or it had no legs at all – unlikely given that it had obviously been able to take off). Soon we were enjoying a ringtail Hen Harrier and over 200 Bean Geese. A scan of the reservoir revealed a small patch of open water near the far bank, on which swam 20-30 more Bean Geese and around 10 Goosander. Asian Short-toed Larks and Lapland Buntings occasionally flew overhead and, as we began the walk towards Yeyahu a Peregrine engaged in a (unsuccessful) hunt for a feral pigeon. Shortly afterwards, an immature White-tailed Eagle appeared from the west and spooked a flock of around 250 Ruddy Shelducks that were standing on the far side of the ice. Nice.

We worked our way across the open area, enjoying 2 Upland Buzzards (one of which flew alongside a Hen Harrier and looked absolutely huge in comparison) and Pallas’s Reed Buntings seemed to be in every shrub. We flushed a few Common Skylarks as they fed on the ground and, as we approached Yeyahu, 2 male Hen Harriers (one adult and one sub-adult) quartered the reeds. Here we also heard and saw briefly the first of two Chinese Hill Warblers. After a welcome coffee stop (which tasted soooo good) we pushed on towards the lake and, in an area of only a few square metres, we flushed 16 Japanese Quail which scattered in different directions (clearly a deliberate strategy to confuse predators). The reedbed held good numbers of Pallas’s Reed Buntings and, after a bit of work, we managed to identify a single ‘tik’-ing Rustic Bunting in amongst them and then, after a bit of persistence, were treated to good but brief views of the second Chinese Hill Warbler after we heard it calling several times. A fly-by Saker was a bonus.

By now it was 11am and, as is usual at this site, suddenly the wind got up, making the temperature feel another 5-10 degrees colder (wind chill was probably around -20 to -25). At the lake, the brief search for Chinese Penduline Tit proved fruitless, probably due to the fresh wind, but we did see one of the eastern races of Common Reed Bunting (with distinctly pale mantle stripes compared with the nominate race). After scrutinising it for a while (ruling out Japanese Reed Bunting) we headed north to the lookout tower, choosing the more sheltered side of the trees. Here we discovered a fresh eagle owl kill – of another owl (probably a Short-eared Owl but comments welcome on the feathers below). There were owl feathers covering an area of a couple of square metres with a huge pellet alongside. The site was within 100 metres of where we saw an Eagle Owl in December, so this is probably evidence of the same bird wintering here.

A bit further along Anders spotted a Siberian Accentor (a new bird for him) and, on close examination, there proved to be 2 birds foraging in the lee of the bank. Nice. Before we entered the open area towards the tower we flushed a Grey-headed Woodpecker which flew a long way and out of sight and stumbled across a small flock of Meadow Buntings which showed very well for a few minutes before disappearing over the bank. The walk to the tower produced another 4 Japanese Quails. A scan of the open area from the tower did not produce the hoped for Great Bustard (one was reported two weeks ago) and, given the cold wind, we did not stay up there very long – just long enough to take a couple of images of the ice fishermen. Clearly they are now more confident about the ice thickness given they are driving their vehicles onto the lake…

The walk back to the entrance to the reserve was uneventful and we were met by our driver who took us to the bus station for the journey back to Beijing. A thoroughly enjoyable day out!

2011-01-22 Hen Harrier — Hen Harrier at Yeyahu, 22 January 2011

2011-01-22 The kill scene — The scene of the Eagle Owl kill

2011-01-22 Eagle Owl pellet — Eagle Owl pellet

2011-01-22 Owl feather — One of the victim's (primary?) feathers - Short-eared Owl?

2011-01-22 Ice Fishing — Ice fishing at Yeyahu

2011-01-22 Ice Fishing2 — Ice fishing - a cold and lonely pursuit!

Ritan Park

A walk in my local green space – Ritan Park – at lunchtime was surprisingly productive with at least 14 Chinese Grosbeaks, 40+ White-cheeked Starlings, 6 Spotted Doves, 6 Naumann’s Thrushes, a single Black-throated Thrush and one very washed-out Yellow-bellied Tit. Temperatures still well below freezing (-10 today) but beautifully sunny. Brian Jones visited Yeyahu (Wild Duck Lake) following a reported Great Bustard earlier in the week but no sign today (and his water bottle froze!).

Planning a visit to Wild Duck Lake next weekend and also a 3-4 day trip to Dalian in Feb to look at the gulls.. watch this space.

2011-01-16 Chinese Grosbeak — Chinese Grosbeak, Ritan Park, 16 January 2011

Ice fishing

A few images from my most recent visit to Ma Chang/Yeyahu (Wild Duck Lake) just before Christmas. The reservoir is well and truly frozen over now and the locals are taking advantage to engage in a spot of ice-fishing.

2010-12-18 Ice fishing close — Ice fishing

Brian Jones recalled an incident last year when he saw a White-tailed Eagle catch a Ruddy Shelduck on the same reservoir, only to see one of the locals race onto the ice and steal the prey before the eagle could take off with its quarry. Not sure what Ruddy Shelducks taste like but that eagle must have been seriously peeved!

Here are a couple more images of the juvenile Upland Buzzard that proved so confiding. I am hoping to get out there again in the next couple of weeks – will be interesting to see if it is still around.

2010-12-18 Upland Buzzard mountains — Juvenile Upland Buzzard, Yeyahu, 18 December 2010

2010-12-18 Upland Buzzard mountain2 — Juvenile Upland Buzzard, Yeyahu, 18 December 2010

2010-12-18 Upland Buzzard mountain 3 — Upland Buzzard, Yeyahu, 18 December 2010. Note the white flashes on the upperwing.

and one of the Japanese Quails.. trying to capture on film one of these birds as it darts away low and fast is a skill I have yet to master..!

2010-12-18 Japanese Quail — Typical view of a Japanese Quail...

Thailand

Just back from Christmas and New Year in Thailand. In between the sightseeing, hitting the markets and the Thai cooking course (yes, really), I managed a bit of birding. Highlight has to be the Hornbills at Khao Yai.

We enjoyed two full days in Khao Yai and, with an expert guide, Komuel (who, incidentally was mauled by a tiger about 15 years ago and sports nasty scars on his arm to prove it), I was keen to explore the less-visited parts of the forest park to look for birds, in particular Hornbills. There are four species of Hornbill in Khao Yai – Great, Wreathed, Oriental Pied and Brown – and we started early to try to catch their early morning feeding frenzy. Hornbills tend to favour large, mature, fruiting trees and the trail we followed took in several of these hulks that looked several hundred years old judging by their girth. It wasn’t long before we were enjoying good views of Oriental Pied Hornbill and then, shortly afterwards, a pair of Wreathed. All were in the treetops feeding with unexpected dexterity, seemingly despite their enormous bills. As the track wound deeper into the forest we flushed one, then a second, Siamese Fireback and a pitta sp shot across the path and disappeared before we had a chance to identify it. A little further on we heard an astonishing “whooosh—-whoosh” as two Great Hornbills flew over our heads through the canopy and landed in a tree a short distance away. The sound of these birds’ wings was simply awesome – and as they passed overhead casting shadows over us, there was a distinct prehistoric feeling in the air. It was almost as if we had been transported back in time to the age of the pterodactyls. We reached a small clearing from where we could see the birds feeding and, after a few seconds, I couldn’t believe my luck when one flew straight over our heads. I grabbed the camera and reeled off about 10 shots as it laboured to the other side of the clearing. Wow! This bird was then followed by a second, then a third, then a fourth bird, and we watched in awe as these magnificent birds meandered from tree to tree. As they disappeared deeper into the forest, we continued our walk and we enjoyed views of 2 Red Junglefowl, Red-headed Trogon, Greater Flameback, Scaly-breasted Partridge, Hill Myna, White-bellied Yuhina, Asian House Martin and White-crested Laughingthrush. We also encountered fresh elephant tracks, bear scratches on the bark of a tree, Pig-tailed Macaques, Gibbons and Giant Black Squirrels.

However, it is the Great Hornbills that will remain strongest in the memory – smashing birds.

2010-12-30 Great Hornbill in flight — Great Hornbill, Khao Yai National Park, Thailand, 30 December 2010

2010-12-30 Great Hornbill in flight2 — Great Hornbill, Khao Yai, Thailand, 30 December 2010

2010-12-30 Great Hornbill in flight3 — Great Hornbill, Khao Yai, Thailand, 30 December 2010

2010-12-30 Great Hornbill in flight6 — Great Hornbill across a clearing in the canopy, Khao Yai, Thailand, 30 December 2010

2010-12-29 Pig-tailed Macaque mother and baby2 — Pig-tailed Macaque, mother and baby, Khao Yai, Thailand, 29 December 2010

2010-12-29 Pig-tailed Macaque baby5 — Baby Pig-tailed Macaque

2010-12-29 Pig-tailed Macaque4 — Adult Pig-tailed Macaque, Khao Yai, Thailand, 29 December 2010

Yeyahu again

On Saturday I teamed up with Brian Jones and Spike Millington for a day at Yeyahu (Wild Duck Lake).

It was a stunning day – sunny, relatively mild (only about -3 degrees C) and with very little wind. We started at Ma Chang, a flat, almost desert-like area adjacent to the reservoir and walked around 7-8 km across the grassland, the edge of the lake and along the small stands of trees on the eastern side. It was a good raptor day with an immature White-tailed Eagle, 3-4 Upland Buzzards (including one stunningly confiding juvenile), a single adult Rough-legged Buzzard, a japonicus Common Buzzard, 2 Hen Harriers, a single Saker, a Kestrel and monstrous Eagle Owl. The supporting cast included an impressive group of Common Cranes (I counted 360, which was probably conservative, but Brian and Spike estimated over 400), including one Hooded Crane in their midst. Also seen were 12 Japanese Quails, 300-350 Pallas’s Reed Buntings, Yellow-throated Bunting, 15-20 Chinese Penduline Tits, up to 3 Chinese Grey Shrikes, at least 150 Lapland Buntings, many Asian Short-toed Larks, Skylarks and the odd Little Bunting.