2016 Spring migration blessed by Fairy Godmother

2016 Spring migration was once again short but filled with lot more excitement and lot of new birds. It started with a singing Bluethroat at Nanhui, followed by the red-listed Yellow-breasted Bunting with atleast half a dozen male at XiaoYangshan, a staggering count of 15 mature individuals of Chinese Egrets also at XiaoYangshan. Around mid of May, the variety and the no’s started to slow down marking the tail end of the migration. With that in mind, i escaped to Fujian province along with Roger n Kevin to score some chickens. While i was chasing the chickens, a text from Russell saying “Fairy Pitta” in Nanhui. That totally brought me to knees as it was one of the bogey bird for me. Having missed it in Shanghai couple of years back and a sweaty day at the Laoshan forest farm in Nanjing, doesn’t brought me any closer to the bird. I consoled myself that a later trip to Dongzhai to see the Fairy Pitta in its nesting ground.

While i was hiding in my home from the hot and humid weather of Shanghai, a pep talk with Terry boosted my morale as he rightly pointed out that it’s the prime time for the Groppers and Reed Warblers. The youngsters Russell and Kevin P are much more delighted to get some views of the bonkers skulkers. We started at Nanhui with a male Rufous morph Amur Paradise Flycatcher. We had a flock of Terns, which both me and Russell had doubts about Black-naped Tern but both of us couldn’t get good look at it. With summer knocking at our face, the Reed beds have turned into a highway for Bitterns and Cuckoos. The newly planted conifer trees has been fruitful for time being. Just like any other passerine, Black Drongo’s seems to favour them too.

Juvenile Black Drongo

A clean looking Chinese Bulbul

Cuckoo- Cuckoo (Eurasian)

We did our regular stroll by walking the entire stretch of microforest, which nicely yielded a Tiger Shrike, one more male Amur Paradise Flycatcher and lots of Arctic Type Warblers and female Japanese Paradise Flycatchers. The presence of the Arctic type Warblers made me curious as most of them have gone through by second week of May. There was a brief gap and suddenly they have appeared again. I had some doubts whether they could be Kamchatka Warblers, on playing their song, majority of the warblers immediately jumped out of the undergrowth and were so excited about the song but none of them sang back.

Kamchataka – sounds very exotic

Female Japanese Paradise Flycatcher

Black-winged Cuckooshrike

We still haven’t got to our target skulkers, while i was skulking among the undergrowth to find a glimpse of the Grasshopper Warbler, i stumbled upon something which i have been missing all these years. A single “Fairy Pitta” skulking on the leaf litter, jumped on a small branch, just one meter above the ground giving me a sighting of a lifetime. It’s Adrenaline time, i never thought the bird was still hanging around. I immediately pulled the boys together and after sometime of dillydallying, everyone got some bonkers view of the Fairy Pitta. Well, i got a shot too.

Fairy Godmother

Our quest continued for the Groppers but without any luck. We picked up a mega mixed flock of Whiskered and White-winged Tern towards the Luchaogang town.

White-winged Tern in non-breeding plumage

Whiskered Tern in breeding plumage

White-winged Tern moulting to breeding plumage

Flutterby of the day award goes to Eastern Pale clouded Yellow. They were extremely active and never rested, when it did for a second, i managed to grab a shot.

Eastern Pale Clouded Yellow

The below mystery moth was seen all around across three provinces during our trip to Fujian. No definite ID yet but it was good to know that it was a moth as it rested for a while.

Species List :