This is a combined trip report for three trips to Chongming, Hengsha & Nanhui.
11 Jan, Right after a successful hunt at Yancheng, i was back to my local patch. Chongming is not only my favorite wintering spot in Shanghai every year several thousands of water fowl winter there. During my last two visits in 2011 & 12, the ducks are amass. Keeping that in mind me, my recent acquaintance from Yancheng, Roger and good old fella Mark Maddock headed towards the duck ponds in the research area. Kevin missed the trip as his travel agent gave a wrong travel date. Usual passerine activity in the berry trees next to the dirt road. We ticked Rustic, Black-faced n Elegant buntings. Soon there is a good flock of Pallas’s Reed Buntings down the road. I picked up my first “Chestnut-eared Bunting” and then it was all Chestnut-eared’s down the road till we hit the research ponds.
First lifer in my local patch
Waterfowl was in “OK” no’s. No Goldeneye this time, Mallards, Spot-billed Ducks n few Common Pochards. A lonely Bean Goose was odd man out among the ducks. When i drove back to the boardwalk i saw a walkway with reeds on both sides, my intuition told me to look there. Within 10 meters in the reeds, there were massive no of Chinese Penduline Tits, soon followed by a good flock of Reed Parrotbills, my first ever close contact with them. We did spend more time than expected at this place.
Chinese Penduline Tit
Master of the reeds
We then returned to the boardwalk to face extreme disappointment as there were no sign of waterfowl in near proximity. Lot of activity going around the reserve area, on a first impression it looked like Land reclamation but Lily helped to translate the message on the board n it sounds like a conservation activity to control the growth of the “grass” and improve the habitat for the welfare of wetland birds, sounds interesting.
Elegant Spotted Redshank
Brunch Time
That’s said, lot’s of trucks going in and out of the reserve, the guard post in the south west corner n eastern side are down. That helped me to drive the car around the reserve and we had the Cranes in our local patch itself. About 50-80 Cranes, a mixed flock of Common and Hooded Cranes in several flocks where feeding in the farm in the southwest corner. With Showers were turned to pouring rain and the light was already long gone, we decided to end the day with a refreshing curry dinner @ Tsui Wah.
Sedge of Hoods
Take-off
Birders n Transit
Roger n Mark in the “Reed Valley”
Patrol for waterfowl?
Mark&Roger pursuing a mystery Pipit
Our ride for the weekend
2nd trip was on 18 Jan, Kevin was totally gripped by the no of Chestnut-eared Buntings and decided to redo the trip. We hit the board walk first by coming through the south-west entrance, as usual Hooded n Common Cranes were in the far corner of the fields. The resident party of Reed Parrotbills were very vocal in the board walk. The morning session got fired up when a Peregrine Falcon tried to take down a humongous Mongolian Gull, sending the Gull screaming for its life. Soon an Osprey joined the board walk and put lot of efforts for its morning breakfast and took 2 failed attempts before nailing a fish on the third dive, which already gave us ample time to break the shutters.
Curious?
We had four raptors at the board walk within a span of 15 mins. Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Common Kestrel which is pretty good for a Shanghai winter.
01 Feb, Me and Kevin returned to Hengsha after Kevin had a successful run in Hengsha with a Water Pipit, possible Temminck’s Cormorant and atleast a dozen Red-throated Divers. Getting to Hengsha is fun. By public transport, ferries leave every one hour from Wusong Pier. In 2011, i paid 45rmb one way. By car, go to Changxing island and hop on to the car ferry to Hengsha. 45rmb for car driver(both ways) + 5rmb for additional person one way. I would say Hengsha is an underdog birding site in Shanghai. Very rural place compared to the city at a shouting distance but lot of land has been reclaimed compared to my previous visit and the new sea wall road goes atleast 10kms south wards. We found a very confiding Kestrel which is probably by second raptor encounter after the Pied Falconets in Wuyuan.
Is that close enough?
Kevin drove to the place where he saw the Water Pipit and indeed it was there. We were trying to ID the larks which were feeding in the dry grass that was the time when a Common Kestrel dive bombed to catch one of the larks, unfortunately it din’t catch one. Soon it was joined by another Kestrel, they soured together for a while before disappearing. Two Great Bitterns were perched up on a crab net in the open, looks like spring is already there.
Bouquet time
Fishing time?
When we reached the old sea wall, lot of cars have been walked and atleast dozen people were burning the reeds. Kevin stepped out to talk to them and find out why they are burning the reeds. As i expected, couple of togs told him it’s for the Chinese New year. Chinese people burn fake currencies to commemorate the dead ones in their family but i haven’t heard or seen any one going out of the city and burn a natural habitat. When people saw me taking photos of them, almost all of them escaped from the scene except two.
Nothing to do? Go to Hengsha and burn the reeds
We also found 8 Greater scaups(female) among a flock of Tufted ducks, as it was opposite light, it was hard to pick up a male.We then returned to the airport spot of Nanhui and saw the Swans still out there. With Kevin and myself had little sleep the previous night, we decided to call off the day.
Find me out
Species List :
Black-faced Bunting
Rustic Bunting
Pallas’s Reed Bunting
Chestnut-eared Bunting
Elegant Bunting
Olive-backed Pipit
Richard’s Pipit
Water Pipit
Buff-bellied Pipit
Azure-winged Magpie
Black-billed Magpie
Dusky Thrush
Naumann’s Thrush
Long-tailed Shrike
Chinese Bulbul
Spotted Dove
Oriental Turtle Dove
Daurian Redstart
Reed Parrotbill
Vinous-throated Parrotbill
Plain Prinia
Short-toed Skylark
Eurasian/Oriental Skylark
Red-flanked Bluetail
Common Starling
White-cheeked Starling
Crested Myna
Great Tit
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Osprey
Eastern Marsh Harrier
Peregrine Falcon
Common Buzzard
Common Kestrel
Little Egret
Great Egret
Grey Heron
Great Cormorant
Spot-billed Duck
Mallard
Eurasian Teal
Common Pochard
Greater Scaup
Tufted Duck
Common Merganser
Common Moorhen
Common Coot
White-breasted Waterhen
Slaty-breasted Rail
Swan Goose
Bean Goose
Bewick’s/Whooper Swan
Little Grebe
Great-crested Grebe
Common Crane
Hooded Crane
Great Bittern
Black-crowned Night Heron
Common Greenshank
Common Sandpiper
Spotted Redshank
Kentish Plover
Mongolian Gull
Vega Gull
Slaty-backed Gull
Black-taiked Gull
White Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
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