CHINA IN WINTER TOUR REPORT 2024

20 January - 2 February 2024

by Hannu Jännes

This, our first tour to China since the lifting of the Covid-19 travel restrictions, proved a great, bird filled adventure amongst a diverse selection of habitats and a high number of very special birds. The tour began in the wintry Beijing region from where we travelled to the picturesque Wuyuan area, renowned for its Scaly-sided Mergansers, before exploring the huge wetland complex of Poyang Lake, where large numbers of rare cranes and wildfowl winter. Then a short visit to Nonggang close to the Vietnamese border before the tour reached its conclusion on the subtropical island of Hainan. Birding highlights included Relict and Saunders’s Gull plus Reed Parrotbill on the Gulf of Bohai; Güldenstädt’s Redstart, Plain Laughingthrush, Beijing Babbler and Siberian Accentor in the Beijing region; the rare Scaly-sided Merganser, the restricted-range Pied Falcon, the endemic Huet’s Fulvetta and Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler, Moustached Laughingthrush and Yellow-browed Bunting in Wuyuan; Siberian, Hooded and White-naped Cranes, Oriental Stork, Baer’s Pochard, Swan Goose, Brown Crake and Marsh Grassbird at lake Poyang; Nonggang Babbler, White-winged Magpie, Blue-rumped Pitta and Limestone Leaf Warbler in Nonggang; the endemic Hainan Leaf Warbler, Hainan Peacock-Pheasant, Hainan Partridge and Hainan Laughingthrush on Hainan. Thanks to the many bird feeding stations and photographic hides that were available along our route, the opportunities for bird photography on the tour were often excellent!

The tour began in Beijing, from where we travelled to the low-lying shores of the Gulf of Bohai near Tianjin. Our first destination was the recently established Relict Gull Park, which proved not to be open, but we managed to go around the locked gate to get close to the shoreline. The tide was at its highest at our arrival, and the gulls were far out at sea, but with the retreating tide the gulls came closer, and we eventually had good ‘scope views of small numbers of Relict, Saunders’s, Common (or Kamchatka), Mongolian (currently a form of Vega Gull) and Black-headed Gulls, and singletons of Black-tailed, Pallas’s and Glaucous Gull. In addition, we saw the only Common Shelducks, Common Goldeneyes and Eurasian Curlews of the trip, and had good views of our first Falcated Ducks. The nearby park held Daurian Redstarts, Silver-throated Bushtits, a single Naumann’s Thrush, and a small flock of the very cute Vinous-throated Parrotbills. After lunch in a local noodle bar, we moved further along the coast to visit a large area of frozen fishponds surrounded by vast reedbeds. Here we managed to connect with a small flock of very co-operative Reed Parrotbills, a Chinese endemic, plus Pallas’s Reed, Common Reed and Ochre-rumped Buntings.

The morning of our second day was spent driving into the high mountains west of Beijing for a one-night stay. The conditions were very wintery with temperature down to -10˚C and strong winds blasting through the mountain valleys. However, this didn’t seem to trouble the birds feeding on the Sea Buckthorn berries on the high pass near Lingshan Mountain, the highest peak at 2203 m asl of the region. The commonest bird was Red-throated Thrush, but we also had brilliant views of several Güldenstädt’s Redstarts and a few Plain Laughingthrushes and Beijing Babblers. Lower down in the valley we came across a flock of Hill Pigeons and obtained great views of Siberian Accentors and Godlewski’s Buntings.

The second day in the mountains proved even colder than the first, but we soldiered on through the cold, wind and snow from sunrise till lunch time, and had more views of the species seen the previous day, but also added Willow Tit (the form here is part of the ‘Songar’ group, sometimes treated as a distinct species) to the bird list. After a late lunch, we set off to Beijing, doing a detour to a forest area on route, which secured excellent views of the endemic Chinese Nuthatch.

Our morning in Beijing began with a two-hour stroll around a park close to our hotel, where we located a roost of eight Long-eared Owls, Daurian Jackdaws, Great Spotted and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, and the only Hawfinches and Marsh Tits of the tour. We then took a midday flight to Nanchang, which had experienced its heaviest snow fall for 32 years the day before! Luckily all the major roads had been cleared of snow by the time we arrived there, and our four-hour drive to Wuyuan proved uneventful.

The birding highlight of our two-night stay in Wuyuan in eastern Jiangxi was undoubtedly the exploration of a wide, fast flowing river where the rare, and little-known, Scaly-sided (or Chinese) Merganser winters in fair numbers. We even had a chance to visit a hide put up for visiting bird photographers and obtained close-up views of perhaps 15 birds and estimated that a total of 50 Mergansers were feeding in the one small stretch of river. Other good birds seen in the area included Mandarin Duck, Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler (a Chinese endemic) and, as a nice surprise, a responsive pair of Moustached Laughingthrush, always a difficult bird to connect with. A supporting cast of new species included Peregrine Falcon, Grey Treepie, Mountain, Black and Chestnut Bulbuls, Rufous-faced Warbler, Black-throated Bushtit, Masked and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, Dusky and Huet’s Fulvettas, Red-billed Starling, Red-flanked Bluetail, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Orange-bellied Leafbird, the stunning Fork-tailed Sunbird, Chinese Grosbeak and Yellow-browed Bunting. We also spent time on the roof top of a small hotel and enjoyed great views of a pair of cute Pied Falcons sitting on their favorite perch.

Next came a three-night visit to the huge Poyang Hu wetland complex, situated to the south of the great Yangtze River. A lot has changed here during the last three years as Chinese have been busy building new birdwatching facilities around this magnificent area. Our first port of call was the recently built Siberian Crane Centre, where we admired hundreds of very tame Siberian Cranes in beautiful late afternoon light. In addition to the amazing Siberian Crane show, many other birds are attracted to this site, and we enjoyed great views of many Swan Geese, Tundra Swans and various ducks. On route our sharp-eyed Chinese guide Steven spotted a Brown Crake in one of the roadside paddy fields, and a nearby reedbed held a flock of Chinese Penduline Tits. Next morning we birded the dyke, a very long seawall running along the Poyang Lake, and then revisited the crane center for a second look of the Siberian Cranes. Here we also enjoyed great views of Red-throated, Buff-bellied and Water Pipits, Oriental Skylarks, Eastern Yellow Wagtails and two forms, leucopsis and ocularis, of White Wagtail. Much of the afternoon was spent travelling to a new (for me) site for Baer’s Pochard, where we had good views of a total of 78 individuals of this rare duck. According to BirdLife International this species is apparently undergoing an extremely rapid population decline and is now considered critically endangered with a world population of 150-700 mature individuals! A short walk along the village road near the lake produced White-browed Laughingthrush, a new bird for us, before it was time to drive to the charming town of Wu Cheng for a two-night stay.

Since my last visit the birding facilities have improved dramatically in the Wu Cheng area as local government has build several massive observation platforms with big parking lots, toilets, permanent telescopes, live streaming screens etc. in the area. The birds are still spread around the huge wetland and mostly quite distant, but the facilities are good! As we had only one day in this vast area, it was going to be a rather hectic one! The first target, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, proved easy and offered good views, and the majestic White-naped Crane was also easy to find. The skulking Marsh Grassbird required a lot more work, but in the end, we obtained good views of two birds. Hooded Crane, which is surprisingly rare here, also required a lot more work, and it wasn’t until late afternoon that we managed to see them. First, we had good views of a couple in flight and later we located a group of three birds feeding in the fields. Other interesting birds seen during the day included our first Taiga Bean Geese, five Eurasian Bitterns in one small marsh, another Brown Crake, Sooty-headed Bulbuls, a photogenic Oriental Stork, a brief, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Zitting Cisticolas, two Bluethroats and three Chestnut-eared Buntings.

The next morning, we returned to Nanchang and took a flight to Nanning in Guangxi province in the far south of China. From Nanning it was a two-hour drive to the remote settlement of Nonggang with its spectacular ‘karst’ mountain scenery arriving in time for some initial birding. In birding circles the area is known for the Nonggang Babbler, a species that was described from here in 2008, and the feeding stations that attract both birds and bird photographers to the area. The first hide we visited was favored by a group of Black-throated Laughingthrushes, which soon came to eat mealworms the local hide keeper had put out for them, and we had great views and photo opportunities. Then we visited a hide, where the localized White-winged Magpies are sometimes visiting and spent the rest of the late afternoon there. The magpies never showed up, but we had a brilliant time with the Indochinese Green Magpie, Red Junglefowl, Puff-throated Bulbul, Buff-breasted Babbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Grey-throated Babbler, David’s Fulvetta, White-rumped Shama, White-tailed Robin and Small Niltava. For the night we drove the short distance to a comfortable guest house that has been built for the visiting birdwatchers.

The new day saw us at another hide, where we didn’t have to wait for too long for its star attraction, a magnificent Blue-rumped Pitta, to appear! Satisfied we moved on to another hide, famous for the visiting Nonggang Babblers, our main reason in visiting this remote area. Apparently, the babblers had become quite irregular in their visits of late, and we had to be there in good time to optimize our chances to see the mega. After an 1,5 hour wait the hide keeper ran down the hill to tell us that the babblers were on their way and started to mix his special mealworm pudding. Just as the first babbler appeared on the stage, a group of 35 students from Beijing arrived in the hide, and the hide keeper, instead of concentrating on the babblers, started to arrange seats for the newcomers! All this hassle was a bit of shock for us, but the hide keeper obviously knew what he was doing, and, after everyone was seated, he called the birds back and served us an incredible 10-minute show with half a dozen confiding Nonggang Babblers repeatedly visiting the food that was put out for them! After we connected with a group of White-winged Magpies flying around on a steep hillside, before visiting another hide, where we had great views of Chestnut-capped Babblers, plus Plain and Yellow-bellied Prinias. After lunch we had a short walk through nice forest habitat, where a Limestone Leaf Warbler appeared briefly, and we also saw Sultan Tits and Yellow-bellied Warblers. Our last hour in Nonggang was spent in one of the hides we had visited the previous day before heading back to Nanning stopping on route to watch some smart Crested Buntings. From Nanning we flew to Sanya in Hainan, where we arrived just before midnight and stayed at the up-market airport hotel for the night.

The next morning we drove from Sanya to Jianfengling (Hainan Tropical Rainforest Park), a beautiful area in the mountains, for a three-night stay. We began birding along the road and trail leading to Capitol Peak (1412 m asl), a popular tourist destination. To our surprise the forest here was very quiet, hardly any birdsong was audible, and it looked like finding some of the special birds the island is famous for would require a lot of hard work. The first quality bird we managed to locate was Rufous-checked Laughingthrush (of the endemic subspecies) and we also added Mountain Imperial Pigeon and Blue-bearded Bee-eater to our bird list. In the afternoon we visited one of the two recently built hides that are the only way to see the endemic Hainan Peacock-Pheasant well and had really great views of two different birds and glimpsed a third. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a sniff of the other endemic gamebird, Hainan Partridge, that sometimes visited the hide, during our four-hour session.

We spent the next day at various altitudes along the road leading to Capitol Peak searching for the island’s special birds and anything else of interest and found a brilliant pair of Hainan Leaf Warblers, Rufous-cheeked and Hainan (or Black-throated) Laughingthrush, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Chinese Barbet, a fine Collared Owlet, Red-headed Trogon, Bronzed Drongo, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, White-crowned Forktail, Plain Flowerpecker, Ashy Woodswallow and Chestnut-flanked White-eye.

The next morning, we were back in the hide, and, after a longish wait, saw a pair of gorgeous Hainan Partridges walk out from the dense forest and then spend a long time feeding in front of our hide! Also, the same two Peacock-Pheasants we had seen here earlier were around and entertained us for some time. In the afternoon we headed to another part of the Jianfengling area and followed the famous boardwalk through a beautiful mature forest seeing a pair of gorgeous Red-headed Trogons, our first White-browed Shrike-babblers (after many heard-only birds) and a brief male White-throated Rock Thrush. On the way back we stopped at the Tian Chi Lake (Heavenly Pool) to admire the beautiful mountain view and found a Long-billed Plover foraging along the shoreline with two Little Ringed Plovers. This was apparently the first record of the species for the island of Hainan! A last minute save after missing the species earlier in Wuyan!
Our last morning in Hainan began with a short stroll in the vicinity of our accommodation which produced a Crested Honey Buzzard, White-crowned Forktail and a very brief pair of Eye-browed Wren-Babblers. Then it was time to head for the lowlands and explore a couple of different areas of saltpans and fishponds. There were lots of birds around, and we saw several new species including White-breasted Waterhen, Black-winged Stilt, Temminck’s and Long-toed Stints, Common and Marsh Sandpipers, Cinnamon Bittern, Eastern Cattle and Intermediate Egrets, Brown Shrike, Oriental Reed Warbler and Richard’s Pipit. We also had time to enjoy a relaxed lunch in one of the beach restaurants before heading for the airport in Sanya, where it was time to say our goodbyes, and to thank everyone for their excellent company, which, together with all the wonderful birds and exciting places, combined to make such a memorable trip.

BIRD OF THE TRIP

1^st Nonggang Babbler

2^nd Hainan Peacock-Pheasant

3^rd Siberian Crane

4^th Yellow-billed Nuthatch & Scaly-sided Merganser

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED DURING THE TOUR

Species marked with the diamond symbol (◊) are either endemic to the country or local region or considered ‘special’ birds for some other reason (e.g., it is only seen on one or two Birdquest tours; it is difficult to see across all or most of its range; the local form is endemic or restricted-range and may in future be treated as a full species).

The species names and taxonomy used in the bird list follows Gill, F., Donsker, D., & Rasmussen, P.(Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v14.1) (this was the current version when the checklist for the tour report was created).

BIRDS

Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis

Greylag Goose Anser anser

Swan Goose◊Anser cygnoides

Taiga Bean Goose ◊ Anser fabalis

Tundra Bean Goose ◊ Anser serrirostris

Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons

Tundra Swan ◊ (Bewick’s S) Cygnus [columbianus] bewickii

Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna

Mandarin Duck◊ Aix galericulata

Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata

Gadwall Mareca strepera

Falcated Duck ◊ Mareca falcata The commonest duck in parts of the Poyang area.

Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope

Eastern Spot-billed Duck ◊ (Chinese S-b D) Anas zonorhyncha

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Pintail Anas acuta

Eurasian Teal Anas crecca

Common Pochard Aythya ferina

Baer’s Pochard ◊ Aythyabaeri A total of 78 birds at East Lake. Critically endangered.

Ferruginous Duck (F Pochard) AythyanyrocaSmall numbers were seen on two days in the Poyang area.

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula

Common Merganser (Goosander) Mergus merganser

Scaly-sided Merganser ◊ Mergus squamatus Around 50 birds with some brilliant close-up views near the village of Kengkou.

Hainan Partridge ◊ Arborophila ardens Endemic. Great views of a pair in Hainan.

Bar-backed Partridge ◊ Arborophila brunneopectus Heard only at Nonggang.

Common Pheasant (Ring-necked P) Phasianus colchicus

Hainan Peacock-Pheasant ◊ Polyplectron katsumatae Endemic. Great prolonged views of two individuals in Hainan. A new bird for the BirdQuest lifelist!

Chinese Bamboo Partridge ◊ Bambusicola thoracicus Endemic. Great views of a small flock at Wu Cheng. Heard elsewhere.

Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus A female showed well at Nonggang.

Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis

House Swift Apus nipalensis

Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis One at Nonggang.

Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) Columba livia

Hill Pigeon ◊ Columba rupestris A flock of 12 at Lingshan in Beijing.

Oriental Turtle Dove (Rufous T D) Streptopelia orientalis

Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis

Thick-billed Green Pigeon Treron curvirostra Heard only in Hainan.

Mountain Imperial Pigeon Ducula badia A few in Hainan.

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Eurasian Coot Fulica atra

Brown Crake ◊ Zapornia akool Two encounters with good views in the Poyang area.

White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus

Siberian Crane ◊ Leucogeranus leucogeranus Just amazing!

White-naped Crane ◊ Antigone vipio Twelve birds in total in the Wu Cheng area.

Common Crane Grus grus

Hooded Crane ◊ Grus monachaTricky bird on this itinerary. A total of five were seen.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva

Long-billed Plover ◊ Charadrius placidus One at the Tian Chi lake in Hainan. Apparently the first record for the island!

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata

Black-tailed Godwit (Eastern B-t G) Limosa [limosa] melanuroides

Ruff Calidris pugnax

Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta Several were noted in Hainan.

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Common on the saltpans in Hainan.

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Saunders’s Gull ◊ Chroicocephalus saundersiTwenty in the Gulf of Bohai.

Relict Gull ◊ Ichthyaetus relictusTen in the Gulf of Bohai.

Pallas’s Gull ◊ (Great Black-headed G) Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus One adult in the Gulf of Bohai.

Black-tailed Gull ◊ Larus crassirostris A single non-leader bird in the Gulf of Bohai.

Common Gull ◊ (Kamchatka G) Larus [canus] kamtschatschensis

Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus One adult bird in Tianjin.

Vega Gull ◊ (Mongolian G) Larus [vegae] mongolicus

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida Small numbers in the Poyang area.

Oriental Stork ◊ Ciconia boyciana Rather common in the Poyang area.

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

Eurasian Bittern (Great B) Botaurus stellaris Five birds were hiding in a small marsh near Wu Cheng.

Cinnamon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus One in the saltpans in Hainan.

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Locally very common.

Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus

Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Great Egret (Eastern G E) Ardea [alba] modesta

Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia One in Hainan on our last morning.

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus

Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus

Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela

Black Eagle Ictinaetus malaiensis

Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus Two in Hainan.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Eastern Marsh Harrier Circus spilonotus

Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus

Black Kite (Black-eared K) Milvus [migrans] lineatus

Eastern Buzzard (Japanese B) Buteo japonicus

Collared Owlet Taenioptynx brodiei Great views of one in Hainan. Also heard in several places.

Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides One was seen in Nonggang. Heard elsewhere.

Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus Heard only.

Long-eared Owl Asio otus A roost with eight birds in a Beijing park.

Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus

Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

White-throated Kingfisher (W-breasted K) Halcyon smyrnensis

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni One in Hainan.

Chinese Barbet ◊ Psilopogon faber Fairly common in the highlands of Hainan.

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Yungipicus canicapillus

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major

Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis One in Hainan.

Pied Falconet Microhierax melanoleucos Great views of two birds in the Wuyuan area.

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

Blue-rumped Pitta ◊ Hydrornis soror Excellent views of one at one of the hides in Nonggang.

Ashy Woodswallow Artamus fuscus

Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris

Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus speciosus

White-browed Shrike-babbler Pteruthius aeralatus

White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca

Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus

Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Only noted in the Hainan lowlands on our last day.

White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis

Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus Seen in the Hainan lowlands on our last day.

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach

Azure-winged Magpie (Asian A-w M) Cyanopica cyanus

Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythroryncha

White-winged Magpie ◊ Urocissa whiteheadi Two groups were seen in Nonggang.

Indochinese Green Magpie ◊ Cissa hypoleuca Great views at the feeders in Nonggang.

Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae

Oriental Magpie ◊ Pica serica

Daurian Jackdaw Coloeus dauuricus A couple of sightings in the Beijing-Tianjin area.

Carrion Crow (Oriental C) Corvus [corone] orientalis

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos

Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea

Coal Tit Periparus ater

Marsh Tit Poecile palustris

Willow Tit ◊ Poecile montanus Subspecies stoetzneri.

Japanese Tit (Eastern Great T) Parus minor

Chinese Penduline Tit ◊ Remiz consobrinus Great views in the Poyang area.

Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula

Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis

Puff-throated Bulbul Alophoixus pallidus

Chestnut Bulbul ◊ Hemixos castanonotus

Mountain Bulbul Ixos mcclellandii

Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus

Collared Finchbill ◊ Spizixos semitorques

Light-vented Bulbul ◊ (Chinese B) Pycnonotus sinensis

Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus

Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus aurigaster Ten or so in Wu Cheng.

Black-crested Bulbul Rubigula flaviventris One in Nonggang.

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Yellow-bellied Warbler Abroscopus superciliaris

Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis

Brown-flanked Bush Warbler Horornis fortipes

Silver-throated Bushtit ◊ Aegithalos glaucogularis

Black-throated Bushtit Aegithalos concinnus

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus Only noted in Hainan, where common.

Pallas’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus A handful of birds were noted.

Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus

Limestone Leaf Warbler ◊ Phylloscopus calciatilis One in the Nonggang area.

Hainan Leaf Warbler ◊ Phylloscopus hainanus Three, with great views, in the highlands of Hainan. Endemic.

Marsh Grassbird ◊ (Japanese Swamp W, J Marsh W) Helopsaltes pryeri Good views of two birds near Wu Cheng.

Zitting Cisticola (Double Zitting C) Cisticola [juncidis] tinnabulans

Rufescent Prinia Prinia rufescens One in Nonggang.

Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris

Plain Prinia Prinia inornata

Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius

Beijing Babbler ◊ Rhopophilus pekinensis Great views at Lingshan.

Vinous-throated Parrotbill ◊ Suthora webbiana Nice encounter in the Gulf of Bohai, heard elsewhere.

Reed Parrotbill ◊ Paradoxornis heudei Six birds in the reedbeds near Tianjin. Ssp heudei.

Indochinese Yuhina (Chestnut-collared Y) Staphida torqueola

Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus

Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata

Rufous-capped Babbler ◊ Cyanoderma ruficeps

Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis

Large Scimitar Babbler Erythrogenys hypoleucos heard only

Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler ◊ Erythrogenys swinhoei Endemic. Great views of a pair at Kengkou.

Grey-throated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps

Nonggang Babbler ◊ Stachyris nonggangensis Excellent views of a party of six birds in Nonggang.

Spot-necked Babbler ◊ Stachyris strialata

Dusky Fulvetta ◊ (Brown-capped F) Schoeniparus brunneus

Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli

Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler Napothera epilepidota Brief views of two in Hainan. In addition, two heard only birds there.

David’s Fulvetta ◊ Alcippe davidi Common in Nonggang.

Huet’s Fulvetta ◊ Alcippe hueti Common in the Wuyuan area and in Hainan. Endemic.

Chinese Hwamei ◊ Garrulax canorus Heard only.

Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush ◊ Garrulax castanotis Good views of the subspecies castanotis, which is endemic to Hainan.

Moustached Laughingthrush ◊ IanthocinclacineraceaReally nice views of one in the Kengkou area in Wuyuan. Ssp. cinereiceps.

Black-throated Laughingthrush Pterorhinus chinensis Great views at a hide in Nonggang.

Hainan (Black-throated) Laughingthrush Pterorhinus [chinensis] monachus Great views of a pair in the highlands of Hainan. This taxon is endemic to Hainan.

White-browed Laughingthrush ◊ Pterorhinus sannio A few seen with some excellent views in the Poyang area.

Masked Laughingthrush Pterorhinus perspicillatus

Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Pterorhinus pectoralis

Plain Laughingthrush ◊ Pterorhinus davidi Good views in the Lingshan area.

Yellow-billed Nuthatch ◊ Sitta solangiae Excellent views in the highlands of Hainan. Ssp chienfengensis.

Chinese Nuthatch ◊ Sitta villosa Three birds in the mountains west of Beijing.

Crested Myna ◊ Acridotheres cristatellus

Red-billed Starling ◊ Spodiopsar sericeus

White-cheeked Starling ◊ Spodiopsar cineraceus

Black-collared Starling Gracupica nigricollis

Common Starling (Eurasian S) Sturnus vulgaris

Chinese Blackbird ◊ (Mandarin B) Turdus mandarinus

Grey-backed Thrush ◊ Turdus hortulorum

Red-throated Thrush ◊ Turdus ruficollis Very common in the Sea Buckthorn in Lingshan mountain.

Naumann’s Thrush ◊ Turdus naumanni Only one sighting.

Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis

White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus

Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica

Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae

Hainan Blue Flycatcher ◊ Cyornis hainanus

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica

White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura

Siberian Rubythroat Calliope calliope

White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti

Rufous-tailed Robin ◊ Larvivora sibilans

Red-flanked Bluetail (Northern R-f B) Tarsiger cyanurus

Plumbeous Water Redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus

Güldenstädt’s Redstart (White-winged R) Phoenicurus erythrogastrus Surprisingly common in the mountains west of Beijing.

White-throated Rock Thrush Monticola gularis One male in Hainan.

Grey Bush Chat Saxicola ferreus

Amur Stonechat ◊ (Stejneger’s S) Saxicola stejnegeri

Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii

Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum minullum

Olive-backed Sunbird (Ornate S) Cinnyris jugularis

Fork-tailed Sunbird ◊ Aethopyga christinae Seen on mainland (ssp latouchii) and in Hainan (ssp christinae).

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata

White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata

Siberian Accentor ◊ Prunella montanella

Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Green-headed W) Motacilla [tschutschensis] taivana

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

White Wagtail ◊ (East Siberian W) Motacilla [alba] ocularis

White Wagtail (Amur W) Motacilla [alba] leucopsis

Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi Rather common around the saltpans in lowland Hainan.

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus

Buff-bellied Pipit (American P) Anthus rubescens

Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

Brambling ◊ Fringilla montifringilla

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes Four in a park in Beijing.

Chinese Grosbeak ◊ Eophona migratoria

Grey-capped Greenfinch ◊ (Oriental G) Chloris sinica

Common Redpoll Acanthis flammea Heard only in the mountains west of Beijing.

Crested Bunting Emberiza lathami

Godlewski’s Bunting Emberiza godlewskii

Chestnut-eared Bunting ◊ Emberiza fucata

Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla

Yellow-browed Bunting ◊ Emberiza chrysophrys Several encounters, with brilliant views, in the Wuyuan area.

Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala

Pallas’s Reed Bunting ◊ Emberiza pallasi A few birds in the reedbeds near Tianjin.

Ochre-rumped Bunting ◊ (Japanese Reed B) Emberiza yessoensis Two birds in the reedbeds near Tianjin.

Common Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus A few birds in the reedbeds near Tianjin.

MAMMALS

Siberian Weasel Mustela sibirica One in the Poyang area.

Eastern Roe Deer Capreolus pygargus Four in the mountains west of Beijing.

Indo-Pacific Finless Porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides Noted in two different sites in the Poyang area.

Maritime Striped Squirrel (Formosan S S) Tamiops maritimus One in the Wuyuan area.

Asian Red-cheeked Squirrel Dremomys rufigenis A few in Nonggang.