2018 was my 10th birding year in my life. We have been to many places, many countries in these 10 years but I can never forget my first ever birding trip is going Fujian for the
Chinese Crested Tern with Koel when we both were very young and now he is Joyce’s husband already! We planned to go to Yunnan this Christmas at first, where I could meet my 1000th lifer before the end of 2018, but sadly we couldn’t visit due to my family issue. No matter, a short trip was found to be doable at the last moment, then we visited Fujian, again.
Our targets this time were very specific, the two major targets which we both missed last time -
Elliot’s Pheasant and
Blyth’s Kingfisher - the two specialists in Southeast China. Thanks to the guiding by
Xao Xe 小謝, we could tick both at the first out of three birding days. And we were able to see two more lifers too -
Koklass Pheasant and
Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler! Thank you so much!
Though time was short, there were some dips too like Spotted Elachura, Grey-headed and Short-tailed Parrotbill, Pale-headed Woodpecker etc etc... Leave to next time.
10-years is a stage. My first stage in my birder’s life has ended and we shall get well prepared for the second stage - to achieve better, and explore further.
----- Our birding hearts will go on -----
Ellot's Pheasant - one of the most beautiful birds we saw in 2018
Itinerary
For anyone who aims to find the Elliot’s or Blyth’s, Xao Xe is recommended and his contact is 13859130775 or yyqdga through WeChat. He can also arrange traffic between Sanming North and Xia Fang Xiang. Two out of five days trip were used in traffic, so only 3 full birding days were available.
25 Dec
Train G6508 from HK West Kowloon to Shenzhen North at 11:50
Train D2322 from Shenzhen North to Sanming North 三明北 from 13:06-19:11
Arrived Xia Fang Xiang 夏坊乡 at around 22:00
first time to take high speed railway from HK, just around 15 mins from West Kowloon to Shenzhen North!
high speed railway with crested ibis
need a lunch in 6 hours train!
our dinner at first night
Xao Xe's house:
26.4981988, 117.0028627
26 Dec
Full day birding in Xia Fang Xiang 夏坊乡,
the Elliot’s feeding station and the Blyth’s King’s stream, also around Xao Xe’s house
a peaceful scene outside Xao Xe's house
an Elliot's hide set up by Xao Xe
bamboo forest in early morning, feel of horror movie?
until an Elliot's came! an iPhone photo
27 Dec
Full day birding in Xia Fang Xiang 夏坊乡, transited to Tai Ling 泰寧 at around 21:00
scene of Xia Fang Xiang
this is a hide for Silver Pheasant and White-necklaced Partridge but sadly both not showing that day. Another horror movie scene?
bamboo forest sometimes can be beautiful or hopeful
a snowy flowering trees attract many Fork-tailed Sunbird
birding business can generate great economic income to the poor
and so Xia Fang Xiang is a good demonstration site
also a birdbirdbird in hostel
28 Dec
Full day birding in Emeifung 峨嵋峰, back to Sanming at around 20:00
we went up Emeifung mainly for Koklass Pheasant and other SE China forest birds in early morning, but sadly the weather was not good - rainy and foggy, only the Koklass and Elliot's were seen
bamboo forest again dominates in Emeifung, we found a family of Koklass around here (1 male and 3 females):
27.0310597, 117.0658020
bamboo forest - perfect place for Koklass to hide!
dogs in Emeifung
no doubt that our guide Xao Xe has good eyes, always found something we could never notice....
like fresh feces of pheasant - probably Silver Pheasant, but we could not see any.. sigh..
Emeifung
another peaceful town with domestic ducks and ducks, cute Plumbeous Water Redstart and two Black-winged Kite flying low!
security checks after every highway exits because of African swine fever
dinner time after 2 hours drive to Sanming
the duck, but the texture was quite hard...
of course a can of beer to celebrate the Elliot's!
29 Dec
Train D2297 from Sanming North to Shenzhen North from 08:16-14:16
Train G6527 from Shenzhen North to HK West Kowloon at 14:54
again a lunch was needed for 6 hours train to Shenzhen North, so I tried something new!
the ingredients in the lunch box
cooking in the rail...
done! though the taste was not really nice but acceptable
and time to back to West Kowloon
Trip list
Taxonomy following HBW:
Elliot's Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti
- 1 male and 3 females in Xia Fang Xiang; 4 males and 2 females in Emeifung
male Elliot's Pheasant - a beautiful lifer
male Elliot's Pheasant - long tail
male Elliot's Pheasant
male Elliot's Pheasant
a group of Elliot's!
Elliot's Pheasant - the glossy copper!
a pair of Elliot's Pheasant
Elliot's Pheasant - we waited for two hours for these beauties!
female Elliot's Pheasant
female Elliot's Pheasant
female Elliot's Pheasant
female Elliot's Pheasant
male Elliot's Pheasant - bamboo forest is this species's favorite habitat
Elliot's Pheasant - you will never expect to see Elliot's rainbow in dull green!
the Elliot's Pheasant in Emeifung were far less friendlier
Koklass Pheasant Pucrasia macrolopha darwini
- 2 males and 3 females in Emeifung
the first view of our first Koklass Pheasant - it's big!
Koklass Pheasant - male in fog
Koklass Pheasant a piar
Koklass Pheasant
hiding chicken when no fog..... can you find that?
even male can be well camouflaged
female Koklass Pheasant in fog - don't ask me how to spot this in a moving car.....
Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
- 3 flushed in Xia Fang Xiang
Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus
- 1 in Xia Fang Xiang
Little Egret Egretta garzetta
- 1 in Xia Fang Xiang
Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides whiteleyi
- 1 in flight in Emeifung
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus vociferus
- 2 in Emeifung
Japanese Buzzard Buteo japonicus japonicus
- 1 in Emeifung
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis bengalensis
- 2 in Xia Fang Xiang
Common Kingfisher - a kingfisher was found immediately on the branch where the Blyth's Kingfisher was seen one day before... but, this was a Common Kingfisher
Blyth's Kingfisher Alcedo hercules
- 2 in Xia Fang Xiang, probably a pair
Blyth's Kingfisher - when we returned, we saw another kingfisher on the same branch - the Blyth's! You can see the size difference
Blyth's Kingfisher
Blyth's Kingfisher - size is larger! Also bigger head and different head pattern
a fatty female Blyth's Kingfisher
Great Barbet Psilopogon virens virens
- heard only in Xia Fang Xiang
Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis sinensis
- heard only in Xia Fang Xiang
Grey-capped Woodpecker Picoides canicapillus kaleensis
- 4 in Xia Fang Xiang
Grey-capped Woodpecker - the head.......
Grey-backed Woodpecker
Grey-backed Woodpecker - the commonest woodpecker in this trip
Grey-backed Woodpecker - small and cute
White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca tyrannulus
- 1 in Emeifung
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach schach
Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythroryncha erythroryncha
Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea seorsa
Japanese Tit Parus minor artatus
Japanese Tit - prepared for a bath
Japanese Tit
angry tit
Yellow-cheeked Tit Machlolophus spolonotus rex
Yellow-cheeked Tit in fog
Chestnut Bulbul Hemixos castanonotus canipennis
Mountain Bulbul Ixos mcclellandii holtii
Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus leucocephalus
a real Black Bulbul
Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques semitorques
Collared Finchbill - common but cute
Collared Finchbill
Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis sinensis
Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus
Pallas's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus
Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis fulvifacies
Rufous-faced Warbler - another common species but rare in HK
Rufous-faced Warbler - a failed hovering shot
Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler Horornis fortipes davidianus
many Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler were calling but only a few could be seen
Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus concinnus
Indochinese Yuhina Yuhina torqueola
Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus simplex
Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler Erythrogenys swinhoei swinhoei
- 1 in Xia Fang Xiang; 1 heard in Emeifung
Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler - we didn't expect this until I played its call randomly, then a curious bird was responding
Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler call with Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler
another call of Grey-sided Scimitar-babbler with White-crowned Forktail
Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis stridulus
- 1 in Xia Fang Xiang
Rufous-capped Babbler Cyanoderma ruficeps davidi
- heard only
Huet's Fulvetta Alcippe hueti hueti
Chinese Hwamei Garrulax canorus canorus
- 1 in Emeifung, probably 2
Masked Laughingthrush Garrulax perspicillatus
White's Thrush Zoothera aurea aurea
- 2 flushed in Emeifung
Turdus sp.
- heard only
Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus
male Red-flanked Bluetail
Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus
Slaty-backed Forktail - very common in mainland but rare in HK
White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti sinensis
White-crowned Forktail - my first time to take photos of this common species
White-crowned Forktail
White-crowned Forktail
White-crowned Forktail - a fatty ball
White-crowned Forktail - a very vocal bird
call of White-crowned Forktail
Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus bacatus
- 1 in Emeifung
Blue Whistling-thrush Myophonus caeruleus caeruleus
Blue Whistling-thrush - a shiny blue!
Plumbeous Water Redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus fuliginosus
- 1 male and 1 female in Emeifung
female Plumbeous Water Redstart by iPhone
Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus leucopterus
Fork-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga latouchii
White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata swinhoei
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus saturatus
Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni hodgsoni
White Wagtail Motacilla alba leucopsis
Brambling Fringilla montifringilla
- a flock in Emeifung
a flock of Brambling
Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala spodocephala
Tristram's Bunting Emberiza tristrami
- 1 male in Xia Fang Xiang
Emberiza sp.
- heard only
Checklist 1:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50955020
Checklist 2:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50984817
Checklist 3:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50981888
Checklist 4:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50981764
Checklist 5:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50984562
Checklist 6:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S51012223
Finally, also thanks to Wendy, Soso and Wong Yueng for this successful trip!
