Beidaihe^ China: East Asian hotspot Paul I. Holt, Graham P. Catley and David Tipling

China has come a long way since 1958 when 'Sparrows [probably meaning any passerine], rats, bugs and flies' were proscribed as pests and a war declared on them. The extermination of a reputed 800,000 birds over three days in Beijing alone was apparently then followed by a plague of insects (Boswall 1986). After years of isolation and intellectual stagnation during the Cultural Revolution, China opened its doors to organised foreign tour groups in the late 1970s and to individual travellers from 1979 onwards. Whilst these initial 'pion­ eering' travellers included only a handful of birdwatchers, news of the country's ornithological riches soon spread and others were quick to follow. With a national avifauna in excess of 1,200 species, the People's Republic offers vast scope for study. Many of the species are endemic or nearly so, a majority are poorly known and a few possess an almost mythical draw for European birders. Sadly, all too many of the endemic forms are either rare or endangered. Initially, most of the recent visits by birders were via Hong Kong, and concentrated on China's mountainous southern and western regions. Inevitably, however, attention has shifted towards the coastal migration sites. Migration at one such, Beidaihe in Hebei Province, in Northeast China, had been studied and documented by a Danish scientist during the Second World War (Hemmingsen 1951; Hemmingsen & Guildal 1968). It became the focus of renewed interest after a 1985 Cambridge University expedition (Williams et al. 1986). Beidaihe, a holiday resort on the Gulf of Bohai at the northern end of the Yellow Sea (39°47'N, 119°27'E) has risen quickly to become China's best-known and most-visited birding venue. The area's geography, with the juxtaposition of an inland range of hills, a narrowing coastal plain and a roughly north-south oriented shoreline, effectively combine to funnel migrants through a bottleneck. This, together with the wide variety (for China) of habitats immediately around the town, makes Beidaihe an excellent place to study migrants. Lying less than 280 km east of Beijing, and connected to it by a direct rail link, Beidaihe (pronounced Bay-die-her) has all the essential tourist infrastructure: a good- quality hotel, a bank and a number of excellent restaurants serving a variety of tasty, if not always identifiable, dishes. Last spring, the busiest to date, saw over 150 foreign birders staying at Beidaihe at any one time, including British, Irish, Swedish, Finnish, Belgian, German, American and Japanese disciples. A perusal of the region's bird-list demonstrates the town's attractions. With only 11 resident Plates 11-24 were all taken at Beidaihe, China, in April/May 1993. G. P. Catley: 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 23. David Tipling: 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24. The inclusion of these colour plates has been subsidised by sponsorship from 'Sunbirder', the birdwatching package-holiday branch of SUNBIRD. For details of 'Sunbirder' trips to Beidaihe in April-May or September-October, write to Sunbird, PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 IDF.

94 [Brit. Birds 88: 94-103, February 1995] 11. Female Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus.

12 & 13. Above, Radde's Warbler Phylbscopus schwarzi; below, Dusky Warbler P. fuscatus. 14. Asian Brown Flycatcher 15. Grey-streaked Flycatcher 16. Siberian Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica. M. griseisticta. M. sibirica.

17 & 18. First-summer male and female Siberian Blue Robins Luscinia cyane. 19. Below, male Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrvsophrvs. 20. Little Curlew Numenius minutus.

21 & 22. Above, Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi; below, female Siberian Thrush Zoothera sibirica. 23 & 24. Male Siberian Rubythroats Luscinia calliope, lower bird for sale in market. British Birds, vol. 88, no. 2, February 1995 99 bird species out of a regional list of over 407, most birders obviously concentrate on Beidaihe's more regular migrants. Virtually all of the Far Eastern vagrants to the Western Palearctic occur. Many, such as Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum, Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis, Pacific Swift Apus pacificus and Siberian Accentor Prunella montanella, can be common at the right season. Indeed, the Beidaihe list boasts approximately 40% of the species on the British & Irish List. Thus, the region is now firmly established as the best place in the world to watch and study many of these Eastern Palearctic specialities. A testament to the region's attractiveness to seekers of European vagrants lies in the fact that the most frequently used field guide is not The Birds of China (Meyer de Schauensee 1984), but Lewington et al. (1991, A Field Guide to the Rare Birds of Britain and Europe). Numerous identification articles have already featured photographs taken at Beidaihe. In British Birds, these have recently included Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi (81: 452-463); Blyth's Pipit A. godkwskii (87: 136-142) and Radde's Phylhscopus schwarzi and Dusky Warblers P. fuscatus (87: 436-441). The 14 photographs included here present portraits of 12 species that a birdwatcher spending the first two weeks of May in Beidaihe could fully expect to see, several of them repeatedly. Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus (plate 11) is a very common late-spring migrant, usually first appearing in late April, with passage reaching a peak in mid to late May. Daily counts in excess of 150 are not uncommon. Females reach a peak perhaps a week later than males, and a few pairs remain to breed. Return passage is usually obvious from late July and reaches a peak towards the end of August; few are noted after the start of October. In spring at least, the nominate subspecies easily predominates, though these birds probably include both cristatus and the quite similar confusus. 'Individuals with the characters of lucionensis, with a pale grey forehead and concolorous supercilia which gradually merge into the grey-brown rear crown, are not uncommon from mid to late May, and apparently form a high proportion of those oversummering. Radde's and Dusky Warblers (plates 12 & 13) are common during spring and autumn. Note the supercilium difference highlighted by Lars Svensson (Brit. Birds 87: 626-627). Dusky usually predominates numerically in spring; passage generally starts in mid April and lasts into early June. In spring, Radde's has a more concentrated migration period: the first are often not noted until the start of May, and passage is frequently over within that month. Numbers of both species generally reach a peak around the middle of May, when day-totals in excess of 50 are not exceptional. Both species are very vocal, and migrants frequently sing. With practice, we find their respective calls readily distinguishable (contra Bradshaw Brit. Birds 87: 436-441). The autumn passages of both species are more protracted: many are on the move by mid August, though both reach their peaks around the last week of September or the first week of October. Radde's is rare after the third week of October but Dusky has occurred into November. Including two new members of the Pallas's Leaf Warbler P. proregulus complex—the recently described Chinese Leaf Warbler P. sichuanensis (Alstrom et al. 1992) and the recently split Lemon-ramped Warbler P. chloronotus (see Alstrom & Olsson 1990)—there are records of 14 species of Phylhscopus at or near Beidaihe. Yellow-browed Warbler P. inomatus inomatus is often abundant, 100 Beidaihe, China: East Asian hotspot and from mid April onwards is usually the most common grounded migrant. Pallas's Leaf Warbler is an earlier spring migrant, though records can continue throughout May. The other species, in descending order of abundance, are: Greenish P. trochiloides plumbeitarsus, Arctic P. borealis, Eastern Crowned P. coronatus, Blyth's Leaf P. reguloides and Pale-legged P. tenellipes (but see Martens 1988 for a suggestion, based on vocalisation studies, that the last of these should be split into two species, both of which could potentially occur at Beidaihe).* There are also single records of Buff-throated Warbler P. subaffinis and of the (essentially Chinese) form of Yellow-browed Warbler P. inornatus mandellii, which some authorities have treated as a subspecies of Hume's Yellow-browed Warbler P. (inornatus) humei. Blytii's Leaf Warblers probably breed on Old Peak (Lao Ling), a mountain approximately three hours' drive north of Beidaihe. This represents a significant range extension to that given by Cheng (1987). Yellow- streaked Warbler P. armandii also breeds on Old Peak, and tiiere are a few recent records around Beidaihe itself, but its true status is still poorly known. There are 18 species of bunting on the Beidaihe list, of which only three— Meadow Emberiza cioides, Yellow-throated E. elegans and Eastern Rock Buntings E. godlewskii—breed at, or near, the town. Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus, Pine Bunting E. leucocephalos and Rustic Bunting E. rustica are essentially winter visitors to northern China (though Pine has a disjunct population, the race E. I. fronto, which breeds in Qinghai Province, North-central China); Lapland and Pine are both noteworthy at Beidaihe after the end of March, Rustic after mid April. Rustics occasionally return in the last few days of September, the other two rarely before mid October. Pallas's Reed Bunting E. pallasi is another common migrant and winter visitor in the Beidaihe area. Two spring passage periods are sometimes discernible, the first in late March, the second in mid to late April. This latter passage may well involve those which have wintered farther south in China. This species becomes rare after the third week of May, returning by mid September and usually reaching a peak in mid October. Those at Beidaihe are apparently E. p. polaris, the subspecies most likely to straggle to Europe. Besides frequently giving the usual, surprisingly loud, disyllabic 'tche-ulp' call notes like those of Tree Sparrow Passer montanus, these birds also occasionally give the Blyth's Pipit-like note described by Alstrom & Olsson (1994) and tentatively assigned by them only to the nominate subspecies. Yellow-browed Bunting E. chrysophrys (plate 19) is one of the least common, and one of the latest spring buntings. It typically appears in the last week of April, reaches a peak during the first ten days of May and is rare after the end of the third week. It appears to be much scarcer in autumn, with records spanning the period from early September to mid October. In spring, bunting peak-migration periods occur in roughly the following order: Lapland, Pine and Rustic during March; Pallas's Reed, Little E. pusilla and Black- faced E. spodocephala in April; and Yellow-breasted E. aureola, Chestnut-eared E. fucata, Yellow-browed, Tristram's E. tristrami and Chestnut E. rutila, in roughly that order, during May.

*These (and several other relevant Phylloscopus warblers) are included on the LP disc C90 25475 006, Birds of the Soviet Union: a sound guide. Passeriformes: leaf warblers and Hippolais warblers. British Birds, vol. 88, no. 2, February 1995 101

Asian Brown Muscicapa dauurica, Grey-streaked M. griseisticta and Siberian Flycatchers M. sibirica (plates 14-16) were all amongst the 'Future Palearctic passerine vagrants to Britain' predicted by D. I. M. Wallace (Brit. Birds 73: 388- 397). Out of the trio, only Asian Brown has so far made it and, along with another Beidaihe regular—Mugimaki Flycatcher Ficedula mugimaki—it managed to reach only Category Dl, and has not yet been admitted onto the official British & Irish List (see Brit. Birds 87: 247-252). Of our three portrait species, Asian Brown is the earliest and by far the most common, usually followed by Grey-streaked. In spring, all are late migrants, usually being confined to May and early June. All three species are slightly more common in autumn, with the latest records often around the start of October. Beidaihe's most common flycatcher is undoubtedly Red-breasted F. parva. As expected, all those observed so far have resembled the eastern subspecies F. p. albicilh, whose distinct plumage and bare-part differences, as well as reported differences in songs (though further study has been called for) and also in calls (PIH pers. obs.), have suggested to some that this form may warrant full specific status. The form albicilh. breeds in the Western Palearctic (Cramp & Perrins 1993) and must be an excellent candidate for occurring in Britain, where it may receive a warmer reception by the BOURC than have Asian Brown and Mugimaki. One of the scarcest of the 11 species of flycatcher on the Beidaihe list is Narcissus F. narcissina; it is proving to be just about annual, in mid May. So far, all records have been referable to the rare and apparently endangered Chinese population elisae, another form that probably represents a distinct species (Alstrom et al. in prep.). Pechora Pipit Anthus gustavi (plate 21) is an uncommon biannual migrant at Beidaihe. Most occur in May, when up to seven have been seen on a couple of occasions during the second week. They reappear from early September to late October. In keeping with the majority of British vagrants, most of those on passage are silent and difficult to observe. A few spring individuals have been seen song-flighting over apparently ideal breeding habitat, but earlier suspicions of possible breeding (Williams et al. 1986) have not been confirmed since. Richard's A. novaeseelandiae (A. richardi of many recent authors) and Olive- backed A. hodgsoni are by far the most common pipits. Buff-bellied A. rubescens japonicus and Water Pipit A. spinoktta blakistoni apparently both winter commonly in south China, and at least the former is a common spring migrant through Beidaihe, though the relative status of these two recently separated forms is still unclear. Red-throated A. cervinus and Blyth's A. godkwskii ate both more regular, and more conspicuous than Pechora. Blyth's, no longer the enigma that it was only a few years ago, is proving to be a regular and not uncommon late-spring migrant. Its passage period is completely overlapped by that of Richard's, though it may reach a peak a little earlier, in the first half of May. Its status in autumn is still poorly known. Siberian Thrush Zoothera sibirica (plate 22) is one of 12 thrushes on the regional list; it is also one of the most sought-after. Like Pechora Pipit, it is often very difficult to observe on its Siberian breeding grounds and, wintering primarily in Malaya and the Greater Sundas, is seldom encountered by European birders. Although still scarce and notoriously elusive, Siberian Thrush is a regular biannual (late spring and early to mid autumn) migrant at Beidaihe. Most records are of 102 Beidaihe, China: East Asian hotspot singles. This is another species that may breed on Old Peak just to the north of Beidaihe, along with two other regional specialities, Grey-sided Thrush Turdus feae and Chinese Song Thrush T. mupinensis. Dusky Thrush T. eunomus is the most regular thrush and both eunomus and naumanni subspecies, plus a large number of intermediates, occur. The latter race may overwinter; it is certainly the earliest and usually slightly the more common of the two forms in spring. Staying with Turdidae, Siberian Rubythroat Luscinia calliope (plate 23), now with only one accepted British and only four other recent Western Palearctic records, is another much-sought-after passerine. It is not difficult to observe in its wintering areas in Thailand or northern India, but falls of over 80 migrants in a day are enthralling. No doubt the bird-trappers responsible for catching individuals such as that in plate 24 are equally excited by the regular falls of migrants at Beidaihe. Technically, it is illegal to trap or shoot wild birds in China, but, sadly, this law is poorly enforced. Siberian Blue Robin Luscinia cyane (plates 17 & 18) is a common late-spring (May) and early-autumn (mid August to late September) migrant. The spring migration of males starts and reaches its peak about one week earlier than that of females. First-summer males (as in plate 17) are readily distinguishable, and form a significant proportion of those in spring. This species probably breeds nearby, and has recently even been found and suspected of breeding farther south, at Panquengou reserve, Shanxi Province (about 37°50'N, 112°E). Another frequent component of such arrivals, Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus, was featured in a photographic article last year (Brit. Birds 87: 33-35, plates 7-11). Passerines are far from being the only ornithological attractions Beidaihe has to offer. The town is the best place in the world to see a number of diurnal migrants. Cranes have featured strongly, and a number of organised 'Cranewatch expeditions' have been mounted (see Williams et al 1992). Startling numbers are involved, and few observations can create the adrenalin rush produced by a 'crane wave'. Autumn is generally the better season for these birds, and, of the six species on record, White-naped Grus vipio is usually the earliest, followed by Common Crane G. grus, which easily predominates. Hooded G. monacha, Red-crowned G. japonensis, Siberian G. kucogeranus and, occasionally, Demoiselle Anthropoides virgo bring up the rear. At least one recent seasonal total has exceeded 5,800 individuals. Equally impressive movements include those of Oriental White Storks Ciconia boyciana, Bean Geese Anser fabalis and a variety of raptors. Pied Harriers Circus melanoleucos easily predominate in autumn, and over 14,000 were counted in 1986 (Williams et al. 1992). Other raptors of particular interest to European birders include Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus (with at least one recent West Palearctic record, see page 30 and plate 2) and Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus of the distinctive eastern form amurensis, now usually treated as a separate species, Amur Falcon F. amurensis (with at least two recent reports from the Western Palearctic). Ducks have included regular sightings of rare and little-known species, such as Baer's Pochard Aythya baeri and Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata. As elsewhere over most of its range, Baikal Teal Anas formosa has declined alarmingly and appears to survive at Beidaihe only as a scarce biannual (primarily early March and early to mid September) migrant. British Birds, vol. 88, no. 2, February 1995 103

No fewer than 58 species of shorebirds have been reported in the Beidaihe area. This compares favourably even with well-studied specialist shorebird sites such as Hong Kong (see Tipper 1993). Common migrants include Oriental Pratincole, Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva, Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus, Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, Red-necked Stint C. ruficollis, Sharp- tailed Sandpiper C. acuminata, Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura, Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus, Far Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis, Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelus brevipes and Little Curlew Numenius minutus (plate 20). Little Curlew can be a fairly common migrant in spring, with flocks of up to 240 during the short, mid-April to early-May, passage period. They are usually in single-species flocks, but occasionally mix with Whirnbrels N. phaeopus. As is the case with Pacific Golden Plovers and Oriental Pratincoles, the majority of those observed are flying over. Shorebirds are amongst the earliest autumn migrants at Beidaihe, numbers of many species reaching their peaks around the end of July or by mid August. Most of the relatively few autumn records of Little Curlew, however, have occurred in September, particularly the second half of that month.

Acknowledgments Dr Martin D. Williams promptly provided numerous useful comments on a first draft of this article and we are grateful to him for his help.

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Paul I. Holt, New Laund Farm, Greenhead Lane, Pence, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 9DU Graham P. Cathy, 13 West Acridge, Barton-on-Humber, North Lincolnshire DN18 5AJ David Tipling, 99 Noah's Ark, Kemsing Park, Kemsing, Sevenoaks, Kent TNI5 6PD