Transfer from Beidaihe to Old Peak via Qinglong River
22nd May - no bre-breakfast jaunt today but an early departure for the journey NW via Qinghuangdao to the nearest mountain area which is known in birding circles as Old Peak, and is located in the Zushan Scenic Area. On the map this does not seem too far away but access was towards the end, via a series of winding dirt roads, passing through tiny remote villages, although the initial route took us through a series of often very long road tunnels. I was amazed at how the Sat Nav in our minibus seemed to know every single track and dirt road, and although its constant beeping and pinging could be a little irritating, it did us proud. A target bird for this section of the trip was the iconic Ibisbill. One location for this species has apparently already been spoiled by ‘tidying up’ of the stream which they used to frequent, so none was seen on last year’s trip. There was new ‘gen’ this year so we were trying to get to Old Peak via the new location. In one village, the road was very narrow so we had to stop to let a small van pass from the opposite direction. As it drew level it stopped and a conversation ensued between the driver and our driver and Kevin. The van promptly turned around and we followed it – unaware of what was going on. As it turned out, the van driver took us to the exact spot by the river [the Qinglong] where two Ibisbill were feeding. He must have realized we were European birders and was keen to show us the spot. What a guy! We also had good views of a Striated Heron, and Black Stork, and an Amur Falcon perched on telephone wires. After having our fill of the Ibises feeding in the rocky stream and flying, another chat ensued and the van driver then directed us to another stream where, after a false alarm in the form of a Little Ringed Plover, we found the next target bird, the Long-billed Plover, an upland stream breeder. What a good start, thanks to our Chinese friend with an obvious interest in wildlife. After many xièxie [“thank you”, pronounced very approximately “shieyshe” with the last ‘e’ being open as in ‘bet’], we continued on our bumpy way and after many hairpins we arrived at the ornate entry gate to the Zushan Scenic Area. We met with the other BirdFinders group who were on their way out, so after Kevin had obtained our permit, we birded with them near the entrance. We soon had Silver-throated Bushtit [split from Long-tailed Tit], Yellow-bellied Tit, Hair-crested Drongo, and a brief flight view of 2 White’s Thrush. In addition, after much patience, we had reasonable views of a Blunt-winged Warbler which was singing in roadside trees, plus Eastern Crowned Warbler. Nearby scrub had quite a number of calling Manchurian Bush Warblers but none would play ball and come in to view. Bush Warblers are notoriously skulky. This little session near the gate also gave us our only record of Eurasian Jay. Godlewski’s and Meadow Buntings were also evident. We then continued on uphill towards the hotel. En route we had a picnic lunch halfway up the mountain road, and [with a slight hiccup of ‘losing Matt and Mike for a short while] we eventually all arrived at the hotel.
A quick freshen up and we were out walking in the cool mountain air. Grey-faced Buzzard was the first raptor, and in trees by the hotel we had Oriental Greenfinch, and Daurian Redstart, and also Great Spotted Woodpecker and a few other ‘common species. The day was rounded off with another excellent evening meal, this time in the separate restaurant in the ‘resort’ which was a collection of small hotels.
A quick freshen up and we were out walking in the cool mountain air. Grey-faced Buzzard was the first raptor, and in trees by the hotel we had Oriental Greenfinch, and Daurian Redstart, and also Great Spotted Woodpecker and a few other ‘common species. The day was rounded off with another excellent evening meal, this time in the separate restaurant in the ‘resort’ which was a collection of small hotels.