The Deskbound Birder: China Wetlands (Birdquest) Tour

Saturday 12 November 2016

China Wetlands (Birdquest) Tour - 12th November (Day 9)

After a wet night we started our birding just outside of Nancheng at Nanxinxiang looking for Brown Crake. The site was a wide and well vegetated channel and after a little tape playing we had excellent views of a pair of birds feeding along the waters edge.

Brown Crake - Nanxinxiang, Nancheng

We then headed north-east to the shores of Paying lake and the Nanjishan Wetland Reserve. On the way I spotted three Siberian Crane from the bus in fields to the north of Shanzizhou. After a hurried stop we had good views of two adults and a juvenile that were soon joined by another family party of two adult and a juvenile. Fantastic birds, rather primitive looking and with very large bills and small red face patches, the combination of which gave the bill a ‘stuck-on’ appearance.

Siberian Crane - Shanzizhou, Nancheng

Siberian Crane, the only shot I got of all six birds together - Shanzizhou, Nancheng

We then birded the wetlands around the Poyang Lake edge at Nanjishan Wetland Reserve. Poyang Lake is the largest freshwater lake in China the basin area measuring some 0.16 million square kilometres, although we didn’t see the actual lake! The birding was excellent with a high number of birds. Eurasian Bittern was incredibly abundant and we had excellent views of brids feeding by the roadside, in total we probably saw more than 50 birds. On the water we recorded Tundra Bean Goose and Taiga Bean Geese (of the race middendorffii) in high numbers, the Taiga distinct with their pale swan like necks and long sloping bill while the Tundra are short necked with dark brown feathering and short bill with a steep curved forehead. Other birds on the lakes included Swan Goose, Greylag Goose, Bewick’s Swan, Pochard, Spoonbill, Marsh Sandpiper, Whiskered Tern and Spotted Redshank. While in the vegetation we recorded Yellow Bittern, Purple Heron, Plain Prinia, Zitting Cisticola, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Penduline Tit and Black-faced Bunting. Lunch was at a small restaurant in a tourist trap town, the scene as we walked in was one of utter carnage with food spread everywhere and dogs under the table cleaning up – it was an experience.

Eurasian Bittern - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Oriental Skylark, a bit of a rubbish photograph of a song flighting birds but it shows two diagnostic features that help separate it from Eurasian Skylark, the buff trailing edge to the wing and the tail held closed when in song flight- Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Mixed Geese (Tundra Bean Goose, Taiga Bean Goose, Swan Goose, Greylag goose and Greater White-fronted Goose) - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Taiga (of race middendorffii) and Tundra Bean Goose, the Taiga are the rear row of birds and the Tundra the front row. The former are distinctive (even in this long range photograph) in their long swan like necks, long sloping foreheads and paler appearance - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Purple Heron (juvenile of race manilensis) - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Purple Heron (adult of race manilensis) - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Long-tailed Shrike - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

White-throated Kingfisher - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Red-throated Pipit - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Amur Falcon (female) - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Amur Falcon (male and juvenile) - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Amur Falcon (juvenile) - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Zitting Cisticola of race tinnabulans - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

Black-browed Reed Warbler - Nanjishan Wetland Reserve, Poyang Lake

We birded the lake from 10:00 until 16:00 and then headed the three to four hours to Wu Cheng National Reserve at Poyang Hu and checked into the Xinyue Hotel.

Life Birds;