{"id":7509,"date":"2013-02-19T09:21:10","date_gmt":"2013-02-19T00:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=7509"},"modified":"2013-02-24T16:52:57","modified_gmt":"2013-02-24T07:52:57","slug":"greetings-from-dalian-liaoning-province-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/?p=7509","title":{"rendered":"Greetings from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greetings from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China!<\/strong><\/p>\n

My name is Tom Beeke and I have lived in Dalian (right across the Yellow Sea from the Korean Peninsula) for the past 9 years.\u00a0 I have always been an outdoors person and began to take an interest in birds soon after I arrived in China.\u00a0 While bird photography is becoming more popular in China, birders are few and far between.\u00a0 I know of only 3 birders in the entire province of more than 20 million people!\u00a0 I have only once met another person looking at birds in the field \u2013 a photographer taking photos of Oriental Stork<\/strong> at the Jinzhou Bay dump site.<\/p>\n

I am blessed to have the patch for birding that I do.\u00a0 Up until now I have recorded 311 species in southern Liaoning and there are many more that are very possible and will come with more time.\u00a0 Life on the bottom of a huge peninsula means that there is always something happening.\u00a0 Migration is incredible to observe here and winter can also turn up some surprises with some birds hesitant to make the water crossing south to Shandong Province.\u00a0 In introducing several of the area that I bird, I must start with Laotieshan.<\/p>\n

 
\nLaotieshan:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The area directly at the end of the peninsula is called Laotieshan.\u00a0 Foreigners have only recently been given permission to visit this area because there is a large naval port nearby.\u00a0 Birding at Laotieshan in spring or fall is simply fantastic.\u00a0 During the spring it is the first land that birds come to after crossing the Bo Hai Bay and during the fall the peninsular landscape funnels birds to the tip where huge numbers can be seen.\u00a0 Raptors are particularly visible during fall migration as huge numbers gather and use Laotieshan as a jumping off point.\u00a0 The area is very accessible and remains very under birded.\u00a0 Below are some of the highlights recorded there in the last few years but the area still undoubtedly holds more amazing records.\u00a0 Most of the highlights below are courtesy of Paul Holt and Terry Townshend, both who have been active there in the last few years.\u00a0 Many of these are new Chinese records.<\/p>\n

-1605 Streaked Shearwater<\/strong> past the point during a 4.5 hour sea watch.<\/p>\n

-1181 Crested Honey Buzzards<\/strong> on September 23, 2012<\/p>\n

-446 Japanese Sparrowhawk<\/strong> on September 6, 2012<\/p>\n

-16, 000 Black-tailed gulls<\/strong> and 5000 Mongolian Gulls<\/strong> on September 18, 2012<\/p>\n

-10 380 Ashy Minivets<\/strong> on September 21, 2012<\/p>\n

-1134 White Wagtails<\/strong> on September 11, 2012<\/p>\n

-98 Pechora Pipits<\/strong> on September 12, 2012<\/p>\n

-3490 Eastern Buzzards<\/strong> on October 12, 2011<\/p>\n

-1830 Amur Falcons<\/strong> on October 10, 2011<\/p>\n

-4500 estimated Japanese White-eyes<\/strong> per day in early October.<\/p>\n

-700\u00a0 Black-faced Buntings<\/strong> on October 8, 2011<\/p>\n

Laotieshan often puts new meaning to the phrase \u201ca slow day\u201d.\u00a0 The area simply is pumping with birds, particularly in the fall.\u00a0 During spring migration, the birding is also excellent but the numbers aren\u2019t nearly as high as they are in the fall.\u00a0 During the spring, such specialties as Yellow-legged Buttonquail<\/strong>, Japanese Grosbeak<\/strong> (hard to see in China), Saker Falcon<\/strong>, White-throated Needletail<\/strong>, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker<\/strong>, Northern House Martin<\/strong>, and Hume\u2019s Warbler<\/strong> have all been seen there in addition to all of the other east Asian migrants.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Looking inland from the point at Laotieshan. All the raptors come down this ridge.<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Looking south to the point at Laotieshan.<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Banding station at Laotieshan.<\/center><\/p>\n

 
\nJinshitan:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the district of Dalian where I live.\u00a0 In China, it is one of a few areas with National Holiday Resort status.\u00a0 Jinshitan consists of a small community of people, forested mountains, wetlands, rocky coastal areas, coastal mudflat, and several nice beaches.\u00a0It is, in itself, and small peninsula that sticks out into the Yellow Sea.\u00a0I mainly bird this area because of its proximity to my house and I often only have 1 hour or so to bird after work.\u00a0 The area is undergoing rapid growth and expansion (as is almost every area in China) to my dismay.\u00a0 I often bird a series of tidal sea-farming ponds located in a small bay with a main fresh water river channel running through it.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Jinshitan rocky coast<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Jinshitan sea farming ponds<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Jinshitan<\/center><\/p>\n

I have seen 300 species right in the Jinshitan area over the years.\u00a0 Major highlights in Jinshitan have been Baer\u2019s Pochard<\/strong> and Cotton Pygmy Goose<\/strong>.\u00a0 Highlights for Korean birders would be the locally common Chinese Hill Warblers<\/strong> (I can whistle their call and bring them right in to my feet), Marsh Grassbirds<\/strong>, etc. The Jinshitan area also has incredible moments during migration. \u00a0Perhaps the peak dates in spring for most species seen in a day would be the last few days of April and the first few of May.\u00a0 During the fall I have began to climb a small mountain and sit there for the entire morning simply watching raptors and passerines moving around me.\u00a0 Jinshitan would get many of the species that Loatieshan has but in far less abundance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Baer’s Pochard<\/strong> Aythya baeri<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ferruginous Duck<\/strong> Aythya nyroca<\/em>, Baer’s Pochard<\/strong> Aythya baeri<\/em>, Tufted Duck<\/strong> Aythya fuligula<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Cotton Pygmy Goose<\/strong> Nettapus coromandelianus<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Cotton Pygmy Goose<\/strong> Nettapus coromandelianus<\/em> and Little Grebe<\/strong> Tachybaptus ruficollis poggei<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Chinese Hill Warbler<\/strong> Rhopophilus pekinensis<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Chinese Hill Warbler<\/strong> Rhopophilus pekinensis<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Chinese Hill Warbler<\/strong> Rhopophilus pekinensis<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/a>Marsh Grassbird<\/strong> Megalurus pryeri<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

 
\nWafangdian:<\/strong><\/p>\n

This site consists of a huge area of rice fields that attracts Cranes, Storks, Swans, etc.. during the winter.\u00a0 The area is about 1 hour from my house and I often visit it around Christmas and the months following.\u00a0 Up to 300 Common Cranes<\/strong> winter here and there are usually a few Hooded Cranes<\/strong> mixed in as well.\u00a0 Around 10 Oriental Stork<\/strong> are usually seen there every year with one exception where I counted over 50 one day last winter.\u00a0 Whooper Swans<\/strong>, large numbers of Common Pochard<\/strong> and Ruddy Shelduck<\/strong>, and other ducks can be seen in a large river there until the entire area completely freezes in around early January.\u00a0 This is a regular wintering area of Japanese Reed Bunting<\/strong> with over 50 counted in one afternoon in one small field there last year.\u00a0 One surprise last winter in that area was over 100 Pine Bunting<\/strong>.\u00a0 Like many other areas, the Wafangdian rice fields are also incredibly under birded.<\/p>\n

 
\n Yellow Sea Coast:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The coast line on the east side of the peninsula has been completely opened up within the last 3 years by way of a coastal road connecting Dalian to Dandong (Chinese border city with North Korea).\u00a0 This new road follows the coast the entire way and is therefore very convenient for bird-watching.\u00a0 The coast here has lots and lots of mudflat where almost every east Asian shorebird species can be seen annually.\u00a0 A minimum of 3 Spoon-billed Sandpipers <\/strong>were reported from the Dandong area last spring.\u00a0 Nordmann\u2019s Greenshank<\/strong> is uncommon but regular in groups of 30 or more near Dandong as well.\u00a0 Asian Dowitcher<\/strong>, Broad-billed Sandpiper<\/strong>, Little Curlew<\/strong>, Red Knot<\/strong>, Far Eastern Oystercatcher<\/strong>, and Grey-tailed Tattler<\/strong> are all uncommon but can be seen along this coast.\u00a0 Many flagged Godwits from Australia have been observed here during migration time and reported to the very pleased authorities there!\u00a0 Large numbers of Godwits<\/strong>, Dunlin<\/strong>, Red-necked Stints<\/strong>, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper<\/strong>,\u00a0etc. can be seen out on the mudflats during both spring and fall.\u00a0 Black-faced Spoonbill<\/strong> breed on a small island off the coast from the city of Zhuanghe which is roughly half way between Dalian and Dandong.\u00a0 Thousands of gulls, Pelagic<\/strong> and Great Cormorants<\/strong>, and egrets use the many islands along this coast to breed as well.\u00a0 Nearly 100 Chinese Egrets<\/strong> were counted from Dalian to Zhuanghe (about a 1.5 hour drive) feeding in the coastal areas.\u00a0 It is also near the Zhuanghe City Port where Paul Holt discovered over 1000 Relict Gulls<\/strong> wintering last year.\u00a0 I was at the site in early Feb. 2013 and again recorded around 800 Relict Gulls<\/strong> feeding on the mudflat there.\u00a0 Long-tailed Duck<\/strong> are also a good regular winter species there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Birding from the Great Wall in Dandong. North Korea in the background.<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Birders sheltering from the wind along the Yellow Sea coast.<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Mudflat at Zhuanghe where Black-faced Spoonbill feed each day during the nesting season.<\/center><\/p>\n

 
\nJinzhou Bay Dump:<\/strong><\/p>\n

As is the case with many dump sites around the world, this area attracts gulls.\u00a0 Several thousand can be seen there during the winter.\u00a0 They are mostly Mongolian Gulls<\/strong> but others do mix in.\u00a0 I have recorded 10 gull species there in one day several years ago.\u00a0 There is a Pallas\u2019s Gull<\/strong> that has wintered there in each of the past 3 years.\u00a0 I saw my only record of Little Gull<\/strong> there in mid March.\u00a0 In addition to the gulls, White-tailed Sea Eagles<\/strong> keep watch over a large group of Ruddy Shelduck<\/strong>, Spot-billed Duck<\/strong>, and Mallards<\/strong> that feed where a sewage channel empties into the ocean at the same location.\u00a0 You can image the smell when everything is not frozen there!\u00a0 The ocean freezes as far as can be seen there each year and the Eagles often sit out on the ice feeding on sick ducks\/gulls, garbage, and whatever else they can find.\u00a0 Oriental Storks<\/strong> also winter there in small numbers in some years.\u00a0 The entire area there is certainly a destination for anyone who is interested in East Asian gulls.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Jinzhou Bay Dump gull flocks.<\/center><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n Jinzhou Bay<\/center><\/p>\n

I have a thread about my observations on the China section of birdforum at http:\/\/www.birdforum.net\/showthread.php?t=165968<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is a Liaoning trip report by Terry Townshend and Spike Millington:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.birdskorea.org\/Birds\/PDFs\/Downloads\/Laotieshan-Trip-Report-2011-05-21.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Also here:
\nhttp:\/\/birdingbeijing.com\/2012\/07\/02\/liaoning-trip-report-from-may-2012\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/birdingbeijing.com\/2012\/02\/06\/trip-report-from-liaoning-province-china-in-winter\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/birdingbeijing.com\/2012\/11\/04\/laotieshan-autumn-2012-report\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/birdingbeijing.com\/2011\/11\/13\/laotieshan-the-trip-report\/<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/birdingbeijing.com\/2011\/02\/11\/dalian\/<\/a><\/p>\n

There is much more to share about the Dalian area but a lot of it has already been put to print (over 30 pages on birdforum) at the web address above.<\/p>\n

I can be reached at thbeeke@yahoo.ca<\/a> for more information.<\/p>\n

Tom Beeke<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greetings from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China! My name is Tom Beeke and I have lived in Dalian (right across the Yellow Sea from the Korean Peninsula) for the past 9 years.\u00a0 I have always been an outdoors person and began … read more<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[516,314],"class_list":["post-7509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conservation","tag-chinese-hill-warbler","tag-cotton-pygmy-goose"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7509"}],"version-history":[{"count":41,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7602,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7509\/revisions\/7602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.birdskoreablog.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}