Weather

The weather was very stabile with little variation compared to the wandering cyclones characteristic of Western Europe. On 7^th there was some light rain in the morning and no wind. In the evening the sun appeared. Day three and on the 9^th, the weather was also cloudy, but during the rest of our stay it was warm. Almost every day the wind was from Southwest and moderate.

Itinerary

5^th and 6^th. Finally airborne and on our way to China. Due to a strike in Denmark we had to fly from Stockholm instead. The days before our trip some redirected planes to Beijing from Stockholm were cancelled so we were a bit worried. On our day of departure, everything works according to plan. During the journey from Scania to Stockholm there were few birds but we saw an elk, a fox and some roe deers instead.
   After a calm, but very short night we landed in Beijing after 7,5 h. The weather was warm and nice although it was only 7 am. The first bird to be observed was Tree Sparrow. Some Blue-winged Magpies and Red-rumped Swallows are also among the first birds. Ahead of us we had what should prove to be a whole day of travelling to the island, Happy Island. The chauffeur slides between cars, buses, lorries and small Chinese tractors and moments of possible accidents were frequent.
   A pleasant lunch consisting of eight courses and costing 20 yuan per person including beer is ordered along the road in one of many restaurants. In the afternoon we arrived to the harbour where the boat should bring us out to the island. During the hour we had to wait on the pier we were surrounded of Chinese people. They were close but not disturbingly so. The first wader-ticks were noted: e.g. Lesser Sand Plover, Red-necked Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Great Knot.
   Finally we arrived on the island and our quarter for the next fortnight is a house of stone next to an old Buddhist temple. Dinner was served and after ticking observed species in the list, the generator stoped at 9:50 p.m. and the lights were out. This day Bo had his 40^th birthday and we were singing and cheering to celebrate him.

7^th. Early morning, the clock was 5 am. In daylight the island looks rather nice, although situated in a mudflat area. Large green areas and lines of bushes makes the island suitable for birdwatchers as well as for birds. The weather is changing from light rain in the morning to bright sunlight in the afternoon. The first breakfast consisted of eggs and sweet bread. Potatoes were served at lunch and something that reminds of French fries is among the courses at dinner. Per-Anders says that the cooking has improved a lot since he was here the last time. Maybe the chef has attended some course.
   The day is of course spent on birdwatching, but a roundtrip is also on the schedule so that we got a feeling of the shape of the island. I (Gunilla) headed "home" at 5 p.m. and Stonechats were sitting on every grass straw on the way back. Good species of the day were Amur Falcon, Grey-headed Lapwing, Indian Cuckoo, White-throated Rock Thrush, Eye-browed Thrush, Siberian Thrush, Tristram’s Bunting and Japanese Reed Bunting.

8^th. The weather was hot and sunny all day. That resulted in fewer birds, but some ticks were noted anyway, e.g. Pale Thrush. The presence of the sun make several of us believing in hot water in the showers, since we have heard that sun-driven heaters have been installed. I don’t think they had been properly installed, though, since the water was everything but hot. In the afternoon many of us were resting. The sun made the group, normally hardworking, a bit tired. Per-Anders tried to cure his whooping cough according to old methods of nature, i.e. drinking whisky and smoking the bacteria out of his lungs! The highlight of the day was a White’s Thrush. During the afternoon a Yellow-bellied Tit was observed just outside our house. Grey-headed Lapwing and White-cheeked Starling were also noted, but the species of the day was a Grey Bushchat in a ditch next to the temple.

9^th. Again a nice morning. Calm, cloudy and a lot of birds. This day we only had the time to watch birds in the grove behind the temple, except Stefan who took a long walk to look for waders. He was awarded with great views of Shelduck but also had some suspected Relict Gulls at a long distance. Good bird of the day were Swinhoe’s Snipe and Yellow-throated Sparrow.
   The afternoon turned out to be very good. Bo mounted his net behind the temple and he caught some nice birds. Everybody fetched their cameras and the party could begin. Bo showed Grey-backed Thrush, Siberian Blue Robin and finally a White-throated Rock Thrush, a stunning male. All were happy and we all celebrated the moment with coffee and cognac. However the mood of Thomas was decreasing rapidly since he got a problem with his camera. After trying virtually everything he put it away. I picked it up and merely touched it and behold, it worked again.
   After the twitching in the evening we paid a quick visit to the "disco". In the same house we were staying in, the Chinese had arranged with spotlights, coloured disco lamps and a TV-video-set with Karaoke. The party was on until 10 p.m. when the generator was shut off and the electricity with it. Calm descended over the birdwatchers and the island.

10^th. A day with too good weather and few birds. People were less happy and some even tries to read a bit of emergency literature. The afternoon was spent on wader-watching. It was a long walk and it was blowing hard. The mud was also constantly reminding us of the situation. Since I thought the distance to the waders was too long I was looking for shells and things along the coastline. The dinner was very good and so far it had become better and better for each day. Now, Per-Anders was certain that the chef had taken cooking lessons. Although cloudy from time to time, all had red faces. Many ticks also made some of the men afraid that the "ticking-whisky" will not last for the whole trip. Birds of the day were Manchurian Bush Warbler and Pale-legged Leaf Warbler.

11^th. I tried to sleep longer this morning but it didn’t worked out. Thomas came running to fetch me telling me that there was a Black-necked Oriole and a Hair-crested Drongo in the grove. Since this type of birds appeal to me and are among my favourites (category colourful/odd birds) I hurried up. Just before lunch a big group of birders had arrived. It was a group of 30 birders travelling with SunBirds. After lunch a Brown Hawk-owl had been found which excited all of the birders. In the bush next to it a Rufous-bellied Woodpecker was sitting, unaware of the presence of the owl, it seemed. We who were staying on the island for a longer period thought that the island was crowded so we went for waders. Among other things we saw large numbers of Asiatic Dowitchers and Great Knots. Stefan and Hans-Åke stayed a bit longer than the rest of us and they saw a strange wader. Arriving a bit late for dinner they told us what they had seen. They were not 100% sure, but after consulting books and also talking to the Finnish group they were convinced that it was a Nordmann’s Greenshank they had seen (popularly called guttifer in our group). We were all happy for the two finders but we also hoped that it would stay, so that we also should have a chance to see the bird. Other highlights of the day were Oriental Pratincole, Relict Gulls, Pallas’s and Japanese Reed Bunting.

12^th. A sunny but very windy morning. SunBirds was back after a night on the mainland, so the grove was loaded with people. Few birds and a lot of sun, so I took a rest, sunbathing and reading during the afternoon. Hans-Åke found a Chinese Leaf-warbler right in front of me and I was sent away to fetch the rest. After lunch the Belgian group said goodbye and left the island. They were going to Beidahe next. The afternoon was spent looking for a Grey-sided Thrush, which was observed by a few persons only, but no luck and the highlight of the day was the warbler together with the trip’s only Little Cuckoo.

13^th. This was the hottest morning so far. At lunchtime Stefan's watch, which can tell you practically everything (except the time), shows 28.5°C in the shadow and normal atmospheric pressure. The Finnish group had put up nets behind the temple and Bo and Benny had a net in the ditch. It caused no problems since few birders were left on the island. Since I am a bit less "serious" with my birdwatching I spent the rest of the day resting, reading and sunbathing. Hans-Åke, Stefan and Per-Anders had been around the island looking for and finding new birds. Away from the others I managed to find Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Daurian Redstart and Kingfisher, i.e. birds of my taste. The others also noted Watercock, Yellow-legged Buttonquail, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Chinese Thrush, Blyth’s Leaf and Eastern Crowned Warbler and Daurian Jackdaw. The Fins found and photographed a warbler reminding of a Dusky Warbler but yellow underneath. Stefan also got a glimpse of the bird that still is unidentified.

14^th. People were getting a bit stressed at this point. Over half time and still many bird species left to be recorded. On this trip the weather has been too good. Later we got to know that this spring has been unusually hot and sunny for large areas in China. A lot of birds have probably just migrated over our heads. Everybody were out of their beds at 5 am and behold, gold was coming from the skies. Rufous-tailed Robin in the ditch, Brown Flycatchers, Siberian Rubythroats, Black-capped Kingfisher and a Dollarbird. Everything literally just fell down from the skies. At breakfast the Finnish group told us that they had an early morning among the waders and had good views of a Nordmann’s Greenshank. Of course, these men had to try their luck and so we all went down to look for guttifer at the worst time of the day: low tide, the sun in our eyes and heat turbulence. I gave up first and walked back to the shore after gliding around in the mud without so much as of a sight of neither the very distant water nor any birds. The men gave up a bit later and admitted that it was a rather stupid idea and that a new search would be better in the afternoon, when the tide would be high and the light conditions better. Although two searches undertaken that day, no guttifer was sighted by our group, but a Schrenck’s Little Bittern was a redeemer for that long walk. Cognac and whisky for the men and martini for the lady at the obligatory ticking and then quickly to bed before the lights went out.

15^th. The day started like the previous. I arrived a little later than the others did and I had again seen Blue Rock Thrush, Eyebrowed Thrush and Brown Flycatchers. After breakfast we were heading through the dense bushes towards the harbour. For the first time in nine days, we were leaving the island. When the boat had been jerked off the mud and out into the river we were all set. However, the engine was broken and while the Chinese were trying to fix the boat, we were eating our lunch to save time. The problem was bigger than first believed and the time was flying away. Meanwhile, the Chinese were collecting reed and built a bonfire to get in contact with the mainland! Unsuccessful as they were, they started to gather even more reed so we left the boat and would try again next day. A bit disappointed we headed back for our home and refreshments. The star turn of the day was a male Chinese Goshawk seen well when soaring over the grove.

16^th. Again a warm and sunny morning and few birds. This was the last day on the island for the Finnish group. Thomas and Per-Anders headed for waders early in the morning. They were lucky, and back at breakfast they told about a sighting of a Nordmann’s Greenshank. After an early lunch we left the island together with the Finnish group. A new boat was hired and this time everything worked. On the pier ashore a minibus was waiting for us. The bus got crowded very quickly as not only we were going with it, but also the drivers wife, kids, the boss from the island, his wife… Well away from the harbour, we stopped at several rice ponds and looked for waders, terns and herons. It paid off with a Long-toed Stint among other things. After a couple of hours and back in the harbour the old boat, now mended, was waiting for us. To get to it, we had to pass a couple of other boats. Stefan was having some problems and finally he fell with the scope, camera and everything. Some smaller injuries but the equipment was ok, so everything was ok. Back on the island in time for dinner.

17^th. Birthday again. The day was spent on searching in the bushes and looking for waders. The island has changed shape during the last days. More leaves on the trees and bushes, and more mosquitoes. Thomas and I tried to get a shower before dinner this day since it had been a hot day. No water. Instead just drying the sweat with the towel and putting on new clothes and hurrying to the dinner. Thomas’s birthday was celebrated with Chinese vodka. It is not very good but it was consumed together with the food. The food was very good, though.

18^th. New morning and it was warm and windy. Today there were a lot of birds. It was also the hottest day of the trip. 33°C in the shadow. Many nice birds were observed, among them Yellow Bittern, Black Brent, Ruddy Crake, Swinhoe’s Snipe, Black-capped Kingfisher, Pechora Pipit, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Mugimaki Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Tit, White-cheeked Starling and many other nice birds. After an intense day of birdwatching and some discussion with the Chinese there was again water in the showers, and a cool shower after this hot day was really refreshing. Since this was the last day on the island Thomas bought a new bottle of Chinese vodka. Dinner consisted of 8 dishes!

19^th. The last day on the island. This was very frustrating since it was a very good morning. Stefan found a thrush, which was unknown to us all. It showed to be a new species for the island and, in fact, the Palearctic fauna region. It was an Orange-headed Thrush, a stunning male, which later on was netted and photographed. A lot of other good species this day, e.g. White-breasted Waterhen, Spotted Bush, Blunt-winged Reed and Chinese Leaf Warbler, made the day one of the best. An early lunch was served before we left. The chef had really done it this time and we got a lot of good food. We left the island and well ashore we entered the minibus that would take us to Beijing.

20^th. Getting up at the same time as usual. Departure to Badaling for birding a few hours in the morning, that produced e.g. Stub-tailed and Manchurian Bush Warbler, Yellow-streaked Warbler, Père David’s Laughingthrush, Blue magpie, Meadow and Eastern Rock Bunting. The rest of the day was devoted to culture. We first made a visit to the Great Wall, to walk historical land. It was hard to imagine the enormous effort that it has taken to construct the monument, before you have visited the place. Prior to a visit on the Gate of Heavenly Peace and the Tiananmen Square, we had some pancakes made by a woman in a very hectic road crossing. However, they were very tasty and we recommend them. On the way to the Forbidden City, we saw a man, probably on the way to the illegal bird market. On his carrier he had a cage holding two Mongolian Larks. In the evening we visited the most famous restaurant in Beijing and had Beijing duck. Culinary and perfect ends of a very successful travel rich in species.

21^st. Departure day. Getting up early to be in time at the airport. Direct flight to Copenhagen took 9 ½ hours. A very pleasing journey had come to an end, and you woke up in Copenhagen with a jerk, windy, drizzle and only 10° C.

Gunilla Larsson

This page was last updated on 30-jul-1998.

If you have any question on this report or this site please contact Stefan Cherrug

The page has had visitors since 22^nd July 1998