On Saturday I visited Wild Duck Lake (Ma Chang and Yeyahu) with Jesper Hornskov, Hui Ying (James) and his friend ‘Leila’. We enjoyed another fantastic spring day and recorded some excellent species including 31 Oriental Plovers, single Short-toed and Greater Spotted Eagles and some spectacular views of Baikal Teal. But the star of the show for me was a White Wagtail of the subspecies ‘personata‘ which spent some time around the yurts to the west of Ma Chang. As far as I am aware, this is the first record of this subspecies in Beijing and, indeed, anywhere in north-east China. According to Alstrom and Mild (authors of “Pipits and Wagtails”) the ‘personata’ subspecies breeds in Central Asia from the Russian Altay, Kuznetsk Ala Tau and Western Sayan Mountains, southwest through east & south Kazakhstan, the Tian Shan Mountains, west Mongolia, northwest and western Xinjiang, parts of northwest Kashmir, north Pakistan, Afghanistan, northern Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is a rare vagrant to Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Bahrain, N Burma & Hong Kong.
The subspecies of White Wagtail we usually see in Beijing are ‘leucopsis‘ and ‘ocularis‘. Some recent images of males of these subspecies are below for comparison.
As well as the wagtail there were plenty of other birds to enjoy all day: the flocks of Greater Short-toed Larks, the small party of Relict Gulls, the Oriental Plovers (which unfortunately flew off strongly north before we saw them on the ground), the fantastic late afternoon display of Baikal Teal (easily my best ever views), the first Oriental Pratincoles of the year, displaying Eastern Marsh Harriers, the newly arrived Chinese Penduline Tits, the list goes on. Fantastic birding….
A big thanks to Hui Ying, Leila and Jesper for their company – a thoroughly enjoyable day!
Full species list (courtesy of Jesper):
Common Pheasant Phasanius colchicus – nine
Swan Goose Anser cygnoides – two
Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus – nine
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea – 63
Gadwall Anas strepera – 200
Falcated Duck Anas falcate – 70
Eurasian Wigeon Anas Penelope – three
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos – 100+
Chinese Spotbill Anas zonorhyncha – 13+
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata – six
Garganey Anas querquedula – one male
Baikal Teal Anas Formosa – 85+ (at most 100)
Common Teal Anas crecca – 20
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina – one pair
Common Pochard Aythya ferina – five
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca – two in flight over River at YYH
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula – four
Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula – three
Smew Mergellus albellus – 11+
Goosander Mergus merganser – six
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis – 20+
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus – 38+
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia – seven (one strictly speaking a Spoonbill sp, heading off W determinedly over the the main body of water, and six migr right by us)
Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris – 4+
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea – one
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea – three
Great Egret Ardea alba – two
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo – three
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus – three (incl two on ground in newly ploughed ‘field’)
Osprey Pandion haliaetus – one at Machang (& possibly the same again at YYH, carrying a freshly caught fish & mobbed by two 2nd c-y mongolicus)
Black Kite Milvus migrans lineatus – two
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus – one ‘soared up, turned to hover a couple of times, then ->N 15h01
Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus – 11+
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus – three
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo japonicus – 7+ (incl at least one not migr)
Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga – one 3rd+ c-y migr at 11h30
***Eagle sp – one ‘coming down’ 17h15 at YYH (probably Greater Spotted, but Eastern Imp ‘not eliminated’)
Common Coot Fulica atra – 90
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus – 40+
Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus – 35+
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius – c10
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus – 35+
Oriental Plover Charadrius veredus – 31 flew off (of their own volition!) before we found them on the ground but decent views in flight as they passed @ overhead after a few turns orientating.
Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii – three
Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum – four
‘Yellow-legged’ Gull Larus (cachinnans) mongolicus – eight (single adult & 3rd c-y, and six 2nd c-y)
Common Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus – 170+
Relict Gull Larus relictus – c5 on main body of water ‘disappeared’
Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis – one
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto – 6+
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis – six
Hoopoe Upupa epops – one
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major – two
Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus – one
Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus – ten
Common Magpie Pica pica – too many
Carrion Crow Corvus corone – one
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos – one
Eastern Great Tit Parus minor – one
Marsh Tit Parus palustris – one w/ nest material at YYH
Chinese Penduline Tit Remiz (pendulinus) consobrinus – ten
Sand Martin Riparia riparia – one at YYH
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica – 20
Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla – 230+
Asian Short-toed Lark Calandrella cheleensis – eight
Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis – ten
Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis – one heard
Chinese Hill Warbler Rhopophilus pekinensis – three at YYH
Vinous-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis webbianus – 30+
White-cheeked Starling Sturnus cineraceus – 15
Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis – one female-type ‘scoped
Red-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis – 2+ (‘scope views of a yawning, confiding bird)
Naumann’s Thrush Turdus naumanni – 4+ en route S of Badaling
Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus – four
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus – lots
Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola – one male
White Wagtail Motacilla alba – 10+ (incl 2+ ocularis, three baicalensis & one personata – last of particular interest*: seen repeatedly on ground at Yurts & photographed)
Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens japonicus – 22+
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta blakistoni – 8+
Oriental Greenfinch Carduelis sinica – one (+ one en route N of Badaling)
Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla – three
Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans – one male
Pallas’s Reed Bunting Emberiza pallasi – 55+ (many superb looks…)
Mammals
Hare sp – one ‘scoped (should be Tolai Hare but ears looked short, @ length of head only)