Bulletin 312 - China #12 - Misc small songbirds

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 5.5" Japanese Tit (Parus minor) looks like a chickadee for sure, but he has a black stripe down the midline underneath.

Japanese Tit

The 4"  male Yellow-bellied Tit (Periparus venustulus) is endemic to SE China. It resembles a chickadee with a complete yellow breast and belly. 

Yellow-bellied Tit - male

The female is greenish and has a white throat.

Yellow-bellied Tit - female

The next 2 birds are in the bushtit family. The 4.5 " male Black-throated Tit (Aegithalos concinnus). He resembles our chickadees more then the drab bushtit.

Black-throated Tit - male

The 6" Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) looks like a long tailed chickadee.

Long-tailed Tit

The 4" Chinese Penduline Tit (Remiz consobrinus) is in a tiny family called penduline tits and there is only 1 species in the Americas, the Verdin. This photo is a drab female. The male is more brightly marked but I never saw him.

Chinese Penduline Tit - female

There are many Old World birds called babblers and they are in 7 different families! This is the 4.5" Rufous-capped Babbler (Stachyris ruficeps). It is the first bird I have photographed in the timaliidae family. All of the are in Asia. It is an olive green bird with a bright rufous cap.

Rufous-capped Babbler

The tiny 4" White-rumped Munia (Lonchura striata) is a brown and white bird popular as a pet. Other species of the lonchura genus are found as escapes in USA and Hawaii.

White-rumped Munia

The 5" Huet's Fulvetta (Alcippe hueti) is a brown bodied bird with gray head. He also has a bright white eye ring. It is the first member of this family I have seen or photographed.

Huet's Fulvetta

The 4.5" Brown-flanked Bush Warbler (Horornis fortipes) is a member of the small (32 species) cettia bush warbler family. They are all in east Asia and Pacific Islands to Fiji. The seem to be all drab brown and closely resemble our wrens. This is the only member of this family I have seen.

Brown-flanked Bush Warbler

And the final tiny bird is the 4" Zitting Cisiticola (Cisitcola juncidis), This is a small brown streaked bird that would be impossible to ID without the guide.

Zitting Cisticola

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

I have photos of 11 of the 64 species of chickadees and tits.

I have photos of 3 of the 13 species of bushtits.

I have photos of 2 of the 10 species of penduline tits

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 311 - China #11 - Gulls, tern, grebes

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 lumping and splitting of gulls makes them a difficult family of birds and the multiple plumages as they progress form juvenile to adult over 3 or 4 years is challenging so I always use a guide. 

The small 12" Saunder's Gull (Choriocephalus saundersi) is listed as vulnerable with a very small range in eastern China. It is a black-headed gull in breeding plumage. It also has a distinctive underwing pattern.

Saunder's Gull - breeding adult

The 23" Heuglin's Gull (Larus fuscus) is now lumped within Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Heuglin's Gull (lumped with Lesser Black-backed Gull)

The 24" Mongolian Gull (Larus vegae) is currently lumped in with Vega Gull which itself was split from Herring Gull

Mongolian Gull (lumped with Vega Gull)

The 19" Black-tailed Gull (Larus crassirostris) is a white-headed gull with a black tail tipped in white. It is endemic to east Asia.

Black-tailed Gull

 The winter 16" Black-headed Gull  (Choriocephalus ridibundus) has a black spot behind the eye, red and black bill and black tips to primary wing feathers.

Black-headed Gull - adult winter

I also saw the Relict Gull another rare East Asian species and in my excitement to get closer to the bird, I forgot to take a photo before approaching the flock and they flew away. Live and learn - ugh.

The only tern I photographed was the 11" Whiskered Tern (Childonias hybrida). It is a small gray tern with a black whisker behind the bill. It is visible on a larger photo.

Whiskered Tern

The winter 11" Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis) is mostly brown with a yellow eye. In summer he has a red throat and breast. We saw many of these cute birds in Poyang Lake area and I finally got some nice close-up photos.

Little Grebe - winter

The huge 19" Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus) has a black and white neck and white face and rufous behind the eye and chin. The bushy crest is just visible.

Great Crested Grebe - breeding

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

I have photos of 33 of the 101 species of gulls and terns.

I have photos of 11 of the 22 species of grebes.

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 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

Bulletin 308 - China #8 - Buntings and Sparrows

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 buntings in the Old World are in the same family with our New World sparrows. A few of them show up in North America as vagrants. In general, these birds appear to be more brightly colored than our sparrows.

The 6" Rustic Bunting (Emberiza rustica) is in the Sibley guide as the only one to appear regularly in North America. The male has a mostly black head with a crest and white stripe above the eye.

Rustic Bunting - male

The female has a dark brown face rather than black.

Rustic Bunting - female

The 6" Yellow-throated Bunting (Emberiza elegans) is also known as the Elegant Bunting. the male has a yellow and black face with a black crest.

Yellow-throated Bunting - male
AKA Elegant Bunting

The 5.5" Black-faced Bunting (Emberiza spodocephala) has a grey hood and black face in breeding plumage. They have yellow underparts, This one still has some brown on his face and is not completely molted.

Black-faced Bunting - male

The 6" Chestnut-eared Bunting (Emberiza fucata) is all brown with a chestnut patch on the side of the face.

Chestnut-eared Bunting

The 5" Little Bunting (Emberiza pusilla) has a chestnut face bordered behind with black.

Little Bunting

The male 6" Pallas's Reed Bunting (Emberiza pallasi) is black and white in breeding plumage. This one still is not fully molted as appears brownish.

Pallas's Reed Bunting - male

The last is the striking 7" Meadow Bunting (Emberiza cioides). This cooperative bird sat on a bare branch and sang continuously and allowed me to approach closely for a photo.

Meadow Bunting - male

Lastly I photographed 2 sparrows. The Old World Sparrows are in a different family, although they look the same as small brown birds. The 5.5" Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) is brown with a black throat and a black spot behind the ear.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow

The 5" Russet Sparrow (Passer rutilans) is redder but similar and he lacks the black ear spot.

Russet Sparrow - male

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

I have photos of 76 of the 187 species of New World sparrows and buntings.

I have photos of 3 of the 51 species of Old World sparrows.

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 307 - China #7 - waders and kingfishers

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.

We have 2 cranes in North America. However in the Birds of East Asia guide, they have 7 species of crane and I saw 3 of them.

The tallest of them is the 56" Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus). It is an all white crane with black wingtips, seen in flight. Thus it is similar to our Whooping Crane. And like our crane, this one is critically endangered. There were historically 2 populations breeding in the Siberian arctic. The western population wintered in Iran and India, but the India subgroup has been extirpated and there are estimated only 10 birds left wintering in Iran. So most of the world population of 2-3,000 birds are the eastern population and 95% of them winter in the huge Poyang Lake wetland area in China. This area is threatened with water level changes due to construction of the Three Gorges Dam. The International Crane center has successfully bred this crane in captivity.

Siberian Crane

And in flight.

Siberian Crane

The 46" Common Crane (Grus grus) is next in size. It is light gray with a black neck and head with a white lateral stripe down the neck. This one has a huge range all across Eurasia and is not in any danger with an estimated word wide population of 600,000.

Common Crane

The last is the 40" Hooded Crane (Grus monacha). It is a dark gray crane with a white neck. It is listed as vulnerable as the population is estimated at only 10,000 birds. They breed in southeastern Siberia and winter in China, Korea and Japan.

Hooded Crane

This next bird is an amazing example of bird recovery. The 23" Crested Ibis (Nipponia nippon) was thought to be extinct in early 1980s due to habitat loss and agricultural chemical use. Then a small remnant flock of 7 birds was found in a poor rural province in China where the people could not afford chemical use. From there with captive breeding it has rebounded to more than 500 birds and now is listed as endangered only. It is a gray ibis with a red face, and with pinkish hue in breeding plumage.

Crested Ibis

The 34" Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) is a white bird with a black bill.

Eurasian Spoonbill

The 28" Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) is a white heron with a yellow bill in winter. It is the bird behind in the photo.

Intermediate Egret (behind)

The 30" Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris) is a brown bittern with a streaked neck similar to our American Bittern. We saw about 6 of these birds in the Poyang Lake area. It is also known as the Great Bittern.

Eurasian Bittern

And another in his camouflage pose.

Eurasian Bittern

Kingfishers are much more common in the Old World. We have only 6 in the Americas of a total of 113 species worldwide. The 7" Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) has a blue head and back with reddish underparts. This one caught a minnow and as we watched, a Long-tailed Shrike chased him and caused him to drop his fish.

Common Kingfisher

The 11" White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) has a red head and underparts, with blue back and wings and white throat and breast and a bright red bill.

White-throated Kingfisher

Both these small kingfishers I had seen in Hong Kong previously, but this next one was a treat and we saw it at the last moment before the trip pended. It is the huge 17" Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris). It is dark blue and white with a bushy crest.

Crested Kingfisher

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

I have photos of 5 of the 15 species of cranes.

I have photos of 8 of the 35 species of ibises and spoonbills.

I have photos of 25 of the 66 species of herons, egrets and bitterns.

I have photos of 9 of the 113 species of kingfishers.

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