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 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

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.