The Deskbound Birder: Red-billed Blue Magpie

Showing posts with label Red-billed Blue Magpie. Show all posts

Monday, 30 April 2018

South-east China - 30th April (Day 10)

We awoke once again to thick fog at the summit of Emeifeng but today without the wind or the rain which was somewhat of a relief. While packing bags Andy D was doing a little birding around the grounds of the accommodation and located a singing Hartert’s Leaf-warbler which eventually showed moderately well from the balcony of our rooms albeit that It was difficult to make out any colour in the foggy conditions. Andy D then found a singing White-spectacled Warbler just outside of our rooms which also showed well albeit in the fog. We loaded the bags onto the bus and headed down hill checking for Cabot’s Tragopan as we went. Being a holiday for the Chinese there were far more cars on the road and after a brief search we decided to have breakfast and get on the road towards Wuyuan, a drive of around eight hours.

Our accommodation in the fog clad Emeifeng Mountain

Song of Hartert's Leaf-warbler - Emeifeng Mountain

Hartert's Leaf-warbler showing near constant oscillating nature of song

Song of White-spectacled Warbler - Emeifeng Mountain

We arrived in Wuyuan at 15:30 and immediately visited a site for Blue-crowned Laughingthrush to the north of Wuyuan and just off the road to Qiukou at Meitian Zhou. We approached the site through small arable fields of rape, rocket, chilli and tobacco to a small island linked to the ‘mainland’ by a footbridge. Unfortunately, due to the recent heavy rains the footbridge was partly flooded and the last 50m or so was impassable so we viewed the island from the end of the bridge. Very quickly we picked up a small group of five Blue-crowned Laughingthrush feeding high up in the trees and while the views were a little distant we enjoyed reasonable views of these very rare laughingthrush. Blue-crowned Laughingthrush is Critically Endangered currently being known only from around Wuyuan, close to R Le’an, here stands of tall trees which are required for nesting remain. The total number of birds in this area is estimated to be 250–280 individuals.

Blue-crowned Laughingthrush - Meitian Zhou, Wuyuan

Swollen backwater of the Duanshen River - Meitian Zhou, Wuyuan

Watching Blue-crowned Laughingthrush in mature trees across the river

Graffiti on the underpass at Meitian Zhou reflected local scenes where Blue-crowned Laughingthrush featured heavily

We birded the general area for a short while seeing Brown-rumped Minivet, Grey-capped Woodpecker, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Plain-capped Jay and Masked Laughingthrush. We finished the day with a drive to the village of Xiao Qi which I had last visited on 11th November 2016 and headed to the top of one of the local restaurants. Here, we enjoyed views of up to five Pied Falconet showing very well and eating various butterflies and dragonflies. We ordered some beers and enjoyed the views from the roof and these fantastic little birds before heading to our hotel in Wuyuan.

Chinese Blackbird - Wuyuan

Red-billed Blue Magpie - Wuyuan

Masked Laughingthrush - Wuyuan

Oriental Turtle-dove - Wuyuan

Pied Falconet - Xiao Qi

The crew at Xiao Qi, from left to right, Andy D, myself, Martin, Volkert, Ian, Barry and Andy B

Links to Other Days of the Trip (Click to View)
Day 1 and 2 – International flight and Dongtai.
Day 3 - Dongtai.
Day 4 – Dongtai and Magic Wood.
Day 5 - Nanhui then fly to Fuzhou.
Day 6 - Shanutan Island and Fuzhou Forest Park.
Day 7 - Fuzhou Forest Park then Emeifeng Mountain.
Day 8 - Emeifeng Mountain.
Day 9 - Emeifeng Mountain.
Day 11 - Wuyuan.
Day 12 – Drive Wuyuan to Dongzhai.
Day 13 - Dongzhai.
Day 14 – Dongzhai then fly Wuhan to Korlor.
Day 15 – Taklamakan Desert.
Day 16 – Taklamakan Desert then Urumqi.
Day 17 and 18 – Nanshan in the Tien Shan Mountains then fly Beijing. International flight.

Thursday, 26 April 2018

South-east China - 26th April (Day 6)

Today was our only scheduled attempt for Chinese Crested Tern on Shanyutan Island to the north or Changle. Chinese Crested Tern is thought to have a total population of fewer than 100 birds. For many years it was only known from a few specimens collected prior to 1937, and a small number of, mainly unconfirmed, records from China, Thailand and Indonesia. However, in the Summer of 2000 eight adults and four chicks were found within a Greater Crested Tern colony on Matsu Island, Taiwan, and subsequently the species has been found breeding in very small numbers on Jiushan Island and Wuzhishan Island, Zhejiang province, China. Since its rediscovery this is a species I have wanted to see and so today there was much to play for.

We were up a little earlier than accustomed and driving through the streets of Changle to meet our boatman at 06:00. We than headed through Changle and parked before walking through the shrimp pools and arable land towards the island that I had last birded on 17th November 2016. During the walk to the boat we recorded Yellow-bellied Prinia, Eastern Yellow Wagtail of the subspecies tavania, Wood Sandpiper, seven Long-toed Stint, Oriental Reed-warbler, 17 Chinese Egret, 40 Black-faced Spoonbill, Chinese Pond Heron and Spotted Redshank. The ‘boat trip’ lasted around two minutes as the boat man took us across a narrow reed lined channel of no more than ten metres - a bit of an anticlimax after donning brand new life-jackets and supposedly paying $100. We arrived on the island a couple of hours before high tide and spent our time sifting through the large wader roost and scanning to sea. Species present included Swinhoe’s (White-faced) Plover, Kentish Plover, Greater Sandplover, Lesser Sandplover, Curlew Sandpiper, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint and large numbers of Dunlin and Sanderling. Oher species included Greater Crested Tern, Whiskered Tern, Common Tern, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Band-tailed Gull, Arctic Herring (Mongolian) Gull and Osprey. As the tide began to fall once again the waders began to spread out over the mudflats and Tang-Jun indicated that this was the best time for the Chinese Crested Tern, we wandered closer to the falling water, a Little Curlew flew by and landed on the mud giving us great views. As the tide was just about at its lowest extent Greater Crested Tern began to drop onto the distant mud, first a pair and then two by two the numbers built to 34 and then suddenly a pair of paler birds dropped in and there they were, a pair of stunning Chinese Crested Tern. Noticeably paler above than the Greater Crested Tern and with a distinctive orange-yellow bill with a broad black tip. We walked closer across the mud getting fairly good views without wanting to press the birds. It had taken us five hours to see the birds but it was well worth it. Fantastic birds.

We headed back to the bus birding on the way, and then headed back to our hotel to wash off the mud from Shanyutan Island and loaded the bus. After lunch we headed to Fuzhou Forest Park, 1.40 hours from Changle and on the northern edge of Fuzhou. After taking golf buggies into the park we birded a steep trail for three hours at the end of the day, the main target being Collared Partridge. It was fairly slow going but we recorded Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Grey Treepie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Grey-headed (Huet’s) Fulvetta, Chestnut Bulbul and Black Bulbul. Descending in the near dark close to the main road we heard Collared Partridge and Grey Nightjar.