Following on from my 48 hours in Morocco last month, I had a business trip to Beijing. Having got the 3 days business out of the way, I took 2 days out to travel by train and bus to Beideihe arriving mid afternoon Thursday. Having been dropped at a hotel with a similar name to the one I wanted I spent £30 on the sort of room you sleep with your clothes on.....
Still, I did get to walk around the local headland, the saltflats, reservoir and pools, and willow scrub area.
It was obvious that very few migrants about, and had to work hard at finding birds, but I could imagine how good it could be - still managed a few Sibes which were good value, and has whetted the appetite to come back again at peak time. In total about 70 sp, of which 19 were lifers.
Spot-billed Duck, Baer's Pochard, Black-tailed Gull, Vega Gull, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Rufous Turtle Dove, Spotted Dove, Azure-winged Magpie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Citrine Wagtail, Red-flanked Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, Pallas's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas's Reed Bunting, Meadow Bunting, etc, etc.
Most strange watching 2 SHort-eared Owls flying over the Forbidden City in central Beijing, a place that has 2/3rds of the population of the UK.
.