Saturday 17th May ...

Our last morning on Happy Island.

Much the same birds as yesterday plus Pin tailed Snipe etc. Above Top, Black browed Reed Warbler and bottom, Arctic Warbler.





Above Top - The staff ( and at the back a Luxmburger) wave us off ). Aren't they nice.

Centre - Ipin and Rutter are thinking 'Champion' with our Ferry Hostess....

Bottom - The fisherman at the mainland harbour seem pleased to see us. ( These people are pleased about everything!)

From here we went back to Magic wood and Big Wood. Both were quiet but we did manage Daurian Starling, 8 Brown Shrikes, 6 Red rumped Swallows 2 Black Drongos and 1 Grey streaked Flycatcher with 3 Brown Flycatchers.




In the Big Wood a massive heronry held 100+ Night Herons, a few Little Egrets and 2 Cattle Egrets, 2 Spotted Doves and 50+ White winged Black and Whiskered Terns.

We arrived back in Beidaihe at 6pm in time to check the ponds at the reservoirs. Here we had occularis Pied Wagtail, 1 Grey streaked Fly, 1 Black browed Reed Warbler and 10 Black winged Stilts...

Friday 16th May...

Top - Chinese Bulbul
Centre - Yellow bellied Tit. A souped up Coal Tit....
Bottom - Forest Wagtail. What a bird. Impossible to photograph as it walked around under dark evergreen trees...Fantastic.

Today was relatively quiet with most of the weeks migrants having cleared off due to the clear skies at night. When I say quiet, I mean Happy Island quiet, not Holy Island quiet...

Night Heron 1
Eyebrowed Thrush 3
Rufous bellied Woodpecker 1
Black naped Oriole 1
Blyth's Leaf Warbler 1
Red flanked Bluetail 1 still
Brown Flycatcher 1
Oriental Cuckoo 1
White throated Rock Thrush 1 pair
Brown Shrike 4+
Chestnut Bunting 1 male
Siberian Rubythroat 2 males
Jap Sparrowhawk 1
Yellow bellied Tit 2
Two barred Greenish 2
Greater Sandplover 1 the second of only 2 seen showed well.
Great Knot 60
Common Sandpiper 9
Kentish Plover 4
Red necked Stint 24
Lesser Sandplover 6
Oystercatcher 1
Whimbrel 3
Saunder's Gull 7 inc 1 adult
Gull billed Tern 2
Oriental Reed Warbler 1 the only one I aw all week
Arctic Warbler 2 only just starting to arrive now.
Forest Wagtail 1 another contender for best bird...


See what I mean. A dead day !

Thursday 15th May...

This morning I decided to spend a couple of hours with the ringers at the makeshift ringing station. There had been a good arrival of birds, particularly Sibe Blue Robins and Brown Shrikes, with about 12 and 40+ respectively.


Above - This Black Drongo perched out near the ringing station.


Above - Grey Nightjar. Larger than ours and very impressive. I was glad to pull this back after the lads saw it in the field yesterday.


Above - Lanceolated Warbler. Now there's a tale. The dutch ringer came back and reported that he had a 'Lancelot' warbler. I like it. That'll stick. Thats it in this picture. So after processing I took the bird to show the crew. A cracking little thing it was tiny. I released it onto the ground near cover to watch it run away. It ran about 4 feet then took flight. Everyone watched through their binoculars as it flew along the fence line next to the bushes. After about 50 yards a Brown Shrike, unseen by me, took off from some nearby sticks and flew, spotted flycatcher fashion, grabbed the hapless lancey and knocked it to the ground for breakfast! The crowd gasped with cries of 'oh no' just like in a cinema when theres a scary bit in a horror film. To make matters worse, a second shrike flew in to help pull the little bird to bits... I took some stick that day. I'm now branded a murderer, only steps behind Peter Sutcliffe...




Above three Rubythroats - Top, imm female, centre adult female and bottom my hand with a stonking belter of a male...ho ho ho...



Above - Me at 5am looking worse for wear with Brown Shrikes. Lancey killers.


Above - FS male Sibe Blue Robin. I was lucky to handle a few of these in various plumages.


Above - ADMc looks on a Radde's...


Above - Radde's and Dusky Warblers but which is which? Get your homework done for the autumn...



Above two - Brown Shrike. The Lancey was an apperitife, this one decided to have a go at Tom...


Above - Thick billed Warbler. One of my absolute highlights. I got to grope two of these.



Above - female Black faced Bunting.

Not bad eh, 4 lifers before breakfast...