Bulletin 310 - China #10 - flycatchers, parrotbills and leaf warbler

I had an 8 day birding to trip in eastern China with a wonderful guide Lin Zhang based in Shanghai. He is perfectly fluent in English. We visited 5 different locales. His website is here. FYI making contact within China by email is a problem as the government blocks some email accounts coming in including gmail.  So I had to contact him using MS Outlook. His email is zhanglinas@hotmail.com.

The Old World flycatcher and chat family is a huge 300+ family of songbirds. The 13" Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) is navy blue with white spots on his head and upper body.

Blue Whistling Thrush

The 6" male Daurian Redstart (Phoenicurus auroreus) is black and white bird with rufous underparts.

Daurian Redstart - male

The male 7" White-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus) has rufous underparts, black breast, head and body with a white cap.

White-capped Redstart - male

The 5" male Plumbeous Water Redstart (Phoenicurus fulginosa) as his name suggests is found besides streams and ponds. He is blue-gray with a rufous tail.

Plumbeous Water Redstart - male

The female is duller and lacks the colorful tail.

Plumbeous Water Redstart - female

This 5" male Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus) just popped up for a single photo.

Siberian Stonechat - male

The last of this family of birds is the cute 5" Little Forktail (Enicurus scouleri). This little black and white bird with a forked tail is found along mountain streams.

Little Forktail

The parrotbills are songbirds in the sylviidae family which also includes the Wrentit in California and Oregon as the only New World species in this family. The 5" Vinous-throated Parrotbill (Paradoxornis webbianus) is a rufous headed bird with a long tail.

Vinous-throated Parrotbill

The 7" Reed Parrotbill (Paradoxornis heudei) has a gray head with a black stripe over the eye and rufous belly. The bill is distinctive and gives the name to these species.

Reed Parrotbill

The last bird is a member of the leaf warbler family. The 77 members of this family are very similar and the best ID is by voice. There is just one in North America, the Arctic Warbler in western Alaska. This is the 4" Pallas's Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus proregulus). It is a small green  backed bird with white underparts and striped face.

Pallas's Leaf Warbler

I have put the different bird families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 11 of the 324 species of old world flycatchers and chats

I have photos of 3 of the 70 species of parrotbills and allies

I have photos of 2 of the 77 species of leaf warblers

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2018 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 309 - China #9 - Raptors, Owl and Doves

I had an 8 day birding to trip in eastern China with a wonderful guide Lin Zhang based in Shanghai. He is perfectly fluent in English. We visited 5 different locales. His website is here. FYI making contact within China by email is a problem as the government blocks some email accounts coming in including gmail.  So I had to contact him using MS Outlook. His email is zhanglinas@hotmail.com.

The 18" Eastern Buzzard (Buteo japonicus) is a hawk of eastern Asia and was formerly considered as same species as Common Buzzard of Europe. it is brown with light wings underneath,.

Eastern Buzzard

The 18" Eastern Marsh Harrier (Circus spilonotus) hunts over marshlands. Like our Northern Harrier, the male is gray and the female is brown, so this bird is likely a female.

Eastern Marsh Harrier

The 14" Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus) is similar to our White-tailed Kite and was only split about a dozen years ago.

Black-shouldered Kite

 The 26" Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela) is a brown raptor ranging from India to China.

Crested Serpent Eagle

The 16" Crested Goshawk (Accipiter trivirgatus) is a resident bird in SE Asia, primarily Indonesia and the Philippines. It is a rare resident in eastern China, so to see this bird right beside the road and take a photo out of the car window was an amazing stroke of good luck. The guide had never seen this bird so close.

Crested Goshawk

The other amazing bird was the tiny 7" Pied Falconet (Microhierax melanoleucus). One of the birds perched everyday in a bare tree close to their nest. It is a black and white falcon and does have the characteristic black sideburns, like most falcons.

Pied Falconet

I saw 2 owls, but only got a photo of 1 species, the 9" Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides). It is a brown owl in the same genus as our pygmy owls and hence is diurnal and easily found.

Asian Barred Owlet

The 11" Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis) is a pinkish gray dove with white spots on black neck. As its name suggests, it is a resident of Asia, but has been introduced to Hawaii and North America. So it is always nice to see the bird in his native territory.

Spotted Dove

Lastly is the 13" Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis).  It has dark scalloped appearing wings and black barring on the neck.

Oriental Turtle Dove

I have the different bird families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 38 of the 254 species of hawks, eagles and kites.

I have photos of 13 of the 65 species of falcons.

I have photos of 29 of the 216 species of typical owls.

I have photos of 25 of the 332 species of pigeons and doves.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2018 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe