This
trip combines birding at some
historically important sites around
Beijing with visits to the Great Wall
and the migration hotspots of Beidaihe
and Happy Island. Beidaihe is difficult to describe to those who
haven’t been there, and it is by no
means a typical birding destination.
This resort east of Beijing, set up for
wealthy jet-set Beijingren and
communist party officials, comprises a
series of hotels with private gardens
along the Gulf of Bohai at the northern
edge of the Yellow Sea. At first glance,
it may seem like a place that most
birders would try to avoid, but the
birding during migration is just
fantastic. The limited habitat forces
tired migrants into low scrub where you
can enjoy them at close range. Birds
that are normally very shy skulkers on
their breeding and wintering grounds are
remarkably tame and easy to see. Birders
who have struggled for a glimpse of
Siberian Thrush on the top of Doi
Inthanon in Thailand won’t believe
their eyes when this prize is too close
to digiscope. A little further south,
Happy Island is another of Eastern
China’s top migration spots. Birding
here at dawn is an incredible
experience, and a massive fallout could
prove to be the highlight of the tour.
Day
1: Beijing. You arrive in Beijing, where you will be transferred to our hotel.
Day 2: Beijing to
Beidaihe. We will travel by train to a city just north of
Beidaihe, where we’ll transfer to
vans for the short drive to our
destination. After checking into the
hotel near the seashore, we will
bird the nearby gardens, then hit
Lighthouse Point to see if a migrant
fallout has occurred. Right before
dusk we will shoot up to the
Friendship Hotel to search for
Siberian Blue Robin.
Days 3-4: Beidaihe.
Flexibility is the key to birding here,
and we’ll change plans at the drop of a
hat depending on what birds are in town.
We’ll check out a number of well-known
migrant traps searching for the latest
windfalls. We’ll divide our time between
the beach, forest fragments, irrigation
projects, and stunted coastal scrub.
Birding here can be intense, and while
there are not that many species, the sheer
number of birds is truly impressive.
Day 5: The Great Wall. Not
only is the Great Wall perfect for an
unforgettable dab of far-eastern culture,
it’s also the longest canopy walkway in
the world (and the only one visible from
space)! From this lofty vantage point,
we’ll find Rock Bunting, Gray-headed
Woodpecker, and the Chinese endemic Pere
David’s Laughingthrush.
Day 6: Magic Wood to
Happy Island. We will start the morning with a
quick visit to a patch of scrub
half-an-hour south of Beidaihe. Continuing south for a couple of hours we’ll arrive
at a bit of woodland so full of sexy birds
that it has been renamed the “magic
wood”. It can be hard to comprehend how
so many birds can be packed into such a
tiny area. Here we’ll share the
memorable experience of scoping up
striking Mugimaki and Yellow-rumped
Flycatchers while White-throated
Rock-Thrushes are teed up right beside our
heads. In the early afternoon we will
catch the ferry over to Happy Island,
check into the hotel and immediately hit
another famous migrant trap, Temple Wood,
just a few minutes from the hotel.
Days 7-8: Happy
Island. Our objective here will be to cover each habitat a
number of times, mopping up the migrants
as we go. The more intrepid birder might
opt for of a lot of walking, but hanging
around the woods near the hotel can be
just as rewarding. With a little luck, we
could have a large fallout, one of those
rare times when you can’t go anywhere
without feeling like you’re wading
through Siberian Rubythroats, Siberian
Blue Robins, Siberian Thrushes, and
others. Even without a major fallout, we
should still see at least a few
individuals of most target species,
including stunners like Japanese Grosbeak
and the loud Large Hawk-Cuckoo.
Day 9: Magic Wood and
return to Beijing. We will leave Happy Island early, in order to spend
most of our final full morning in the
Magic Wood across the bay. Before lunch we
begin our drive back to Beijing. After
arrival we may have a bit of time for
sightseeing around nearby Tianemen Square.
We finish the tour with a fantastic
farewell dinner in one of Beijing’s
many, many great noodle houses.
Day 10: Beijing.
You depart on morning flights or continue
on to our Sichuan and Tibet tour for an
even greater China experience.
One-day
pre-tour culture and birding extension
We highly recommend arriving a day early in case of
flight delays, so we offer this superb day
trip to keep you busy. In the morning
we’ll visit the world-famous Summer
Palace, which at first seems a bit too
chaotic and over-hyped for the sensible
birder. However, only 100 yards away from
the crowds, we’ll find fascinating small
buildings and good birding that contrast
starkly with the circus on the lake.
It’s amazing how quickly we will escape
the crowds and begin enjoying some of the
local avian treasures, like well-dressed
Blue Magpies, Siberian Accentors, and
adorable Vinous-throated Parrotbills.
We’ll spend the afternoon in the
Forbidden City. As we wander through the
maze of superb Chinese architecture, there
are a few birds to be seen, such as the
amazing Azure-winged Magpie, and maybe
even some migrants.
Tour
info:
DIFFICULTY:
Very easy with no hard walks.
CLIMATE:
Cold in the mornings, pleasant in the
middle of the day
ACCOMMODATION: Mostly very good. Happy Island has shared bathrooms
and spartan double rooms, but great
birding and food more than make up for the
minor inconvenience.
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