This was a birding tour organised by Sunbird/Wings, so we were just clients  in a group from the USA and UK. As such, this limited the opportunities to take photographs of the birds and wildlife we saw, although I had several lovely opportunities to concentrate on taking photos, while the group continued birding close by,  especially at the Minjiang Estuary. It was amazing to see how modern China is developing, but also having the opportunity to see China off the beaten track of most tourists.

Itinerary:

20th Dec. 2009  Shanghai (Pudong Ramada Hotel),  to Shanghai Zoo, then Shanghai domestic airport for flight to Fuzhou, Changle.

21st Dec. 2009  Minjiang Estuary – boat to Shanyutan Island.

22nd Dec. 2009  Wenwu Beach Nr Changle then flight to Hangzhou.

23rd Dec. 2009  Hangzhou Botanical Gardens, Drove to Xiaoqi near Wuyuan, then drove to Wuyuan, Jiangxi Provence.

24th Dec. 2009  Wuyuan drove to Le An River near Kengkou, then dorve to Le An River at Rencuanpu, later to Yue Laingwan to a woodland.

25th Dec. 2009  Drove back to Xiaqi near Wuyuan, on to Luotian Cun, and finally to Yonggxiu.

26th Dec. 2009  All day at Poyang Hu NNR. Drove to Wucheng where we got a boat to Bang Hu, Sha Hu, Briefly to Dahuchi.

27th Dec. “009  Morning at Poyang Hu NNR. Drove to Wucheng where we got a boat on Ganjiang (as yesterday) to Zhong Hu Chi. Got snowed off.

28th Dec. 2009  Drove to Wucheng & Da Hu Chi, then to Nanchang Airport where we flew to Shanghai, then drove to Nantong over Sutong Bridge.

29th Dec. 2009  Drove from Nantong to Xinyanggang village near Yancheng NNR. Birded around the reserve all day.

30th Dec. 2009  Birded around Yancheng NNR: Guest House garden, Sheyang Salt Works pools, then to Xinyanggang Reed Farm.

31st Dec. 2009  Birded around Yancheng NNR: Guest house to Crane Farm, then south to Yang Kpo fishing port with numerous stops en route, then to Nantong.

1st Jan. 2010  Drove to Shanghai. Birded in Gongqing forest park & transferred to airport hotel. Went on the Maglev train (a thrilling experience) & visited The Bund.

2nd Jan. 2009  Birded for a couple of hours in front of Pudong Ramada Hotel with Paul before catchin our flight home.

Our list:

Chinese Bamboo Partridge (1 heard), Japanese Quali 3, Common Pheasant 35, Tundra Swan  9185, Swan Goose 4130, Tundra Bean Goose 1550, Taiga Bean Goose 1, Greater White-fronted Goose frontalis 172, Lesser White-fronted Goose 90, Greylag Goose rubirostris 3, Common Shelduck 45, Mandarin Duck 8, Gadwall 9, Falcated Duck 2590, Eurasian Wigeon 1700, Mallard 20, Chinese Spot-billed Duck 411, Shoveler 26, Pintail 402, Baikal Teal 2, Teal 353, Pochard 686, Tufted Duck 50, Goldeneye 4, Smew 62, Red-brested Merganser 1, Scaly-sided Merganser 2m5f, Goosander orientalis 153, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker 3, Great Spotted Woodpecker cabanisi 3, Grey-headed Woodpecker guerini / sobrinus 3, Great Barbet virens 7, Hoopoe 19, Kingfisher bengalensis 15, White-throated Kingfisher fokiensis 7, Pied Kingfisher insignis 11, Asian Barred Owlet whiteleyi 2, Short-eared Owl 1, Rock Pigeon 183, Oriental Turle Dove orientalis 297, Spotted Dove chinensis 176, Siberian Crane 632, White-naped Crane 113, Sandhill Crane 2, Common Crane 524, Hooded Crane 68, Red-crowned Crane 34, Water Rail indicus 1, Brown Crake coccineipes 7, White-breasted Waterhen chinensis 6, Moorhen 76, Coot 212, Snipe 15, Black-tailed Godwit malanuroides 2, Eurasian Curlew 290, Spotted Redshank 1091, Marsh Sandpiper 2, Greenshank 66, Green Sandpiper 6, Common Sandpiper 6, Sanderling 500, Spoon-billed Sandpiper 8, Dunlin sakhalind 2530,  Pied Avocet 1365, Grey Plover 25, Long-billed Plover 6, Kentish Plover nihonensis 602, Lesser Sand Plover mongolicus 1, Northern Lapwing 200, Black-tailed Gull 3, Mew Gull kamtschatschensis 1, Heuglin’s Gull 30, Vega Gull 14, Mongolian Gull 1430, Pallas’s Gull 1, Black-headed Gull 3800, Saunders’s Gull 25, Caspian Tern 1, Osprey 1, Black-shouldered Kite 2,  Eastern Marsh Harrier 11, Hen Harrier 6, Crested Goshawk indicus 2, Sparrowhawk nisosimilis 1, Goshawk schvedowi 1, Eastern Buzzard 5, Black Eagle malaiensis 2,  Pied Falconet 3, Upland Buzzard 1, Kestrel 6, Peregrine Falcon 8, Little Grebe poggei 590, Great Crested Grebe 31, Black-necked Grebe 5, Great Cormorant 181, Little Egret 583, Grey Heron 478, Great Egret 86, Cattle Egret 10, Chinese Pond Heron 4, Pacific Reef Heron 1, Black-crowned Night Heron 134, Great Bittern 20, Eurasiain Spoonbill 5180, Black-faced Spoonbill 2,  Oriental Stork 2077, Orange-bellied Leafbird 7, Bull-headed Shrike 1f., Long-tailed Shrike schach 154, Chinese Grey Shrike 1, Red-billed Blue Magpie 22, Azure-winged Magpie 74, Eurasian Magpie serica 476,  Grey-chinned Minivet 2, Brown Dipper pallasii 2 or 3, Grey-backed Thrush 1f., Chinese Blackbird 185, Pale Thrush 12, Naumann’s Thrush 7, Dusky Thrush 54, Intermediate Naumann’s/Dusky Thrush 5, White’s Thrush aurea 4, Siberian Rubythroat (heard), Bluethroat 1, Himalayan Bluetail 7, Oriental Magpie Robin prosthoppellus 11, Daurian Redstart auroreus 32, Plumbeous Water Redstart 6, White-crowned Forktail sinensis 6, Common Stonechat stejnegeri 3, Red-billed Starling 1420, White-cheeked Starling 190, Black-collared Starling 8, Crested Myna cristatellus 200, Chinese Penduline Tit 3, Yellow-bellied Tit 9, Cinereus Tit commixtus 37, Black-throated Tit 20, Collared Finchbill semitorques 33, Light-vented Bulbul 285, Chestnut Bulbul 8, Black Bulbul 8, Zitting Cisticola 4, Yellow-bellied Prinia sonitens 2, Plain Prinia extensicauda 16, Japanese White-eye simplex 5, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler 1, Dusky Warbler 2, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler 12, Yellow-browed Warbler 2, Masked Laughingthrush 12, Hwamei 2, Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler 1, Spotted Wren Babbler 2, Rufous-capped Babbler 3, Sooty-headed bulbul 2, Red-rumped Swallow 1, Manchurian Bush Warbler 1, Grey-cheeked Fulvetta 10, Grey-headed Parrotbill 10, Vinous-throated Parrotbill 217, Reed Parrotbill 12, Eurasian Skylark 6, Oriental Skylark 1, Tree Sparrrow 785, White Wagtail leucopsis 40, White Wagtail ocularis 4,  Eastern Yellow Wagtail tschutschensis 1, Yellow Wagtail taivana 2,  Yellow Wagtail ssp. not determined 6, Grey Wagtail 1, Richards Pipit 12, Olive-backed Pipit 37, Red-throated Pipit 1, Water Pipit 2, Buff-bellied Pipit japonicus 6, White-rumped Munia 33, Scaly-breasted Munia 22, Brambling 14, Grey-capped Greenfinch 195, Yellow-billed Grosbeak 81, Meadow Bunting 1m., Tristram’s Bunting 2, Chestnut-eared Bunting 3, Little Bunting 7, Yellow-browed Bunting 14, Rustic Bunting 7, Yellow-throated Bunting 11, Black-faced Bunting spodocephala 23, Black-faced Bunting 2, Pallas’s Bunting 6, Reed Bunting 2.

Chinese Water Deer 1, Red-bellied Squirrel (Pallas’s Squirrel) 21, Brown Rat 1, Yangtze Finless Porpoise 2, Racoon Dog 2, Bat sp. 1, Tolai Hare 1 Siberian Weasel 2.

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