Birding in Beijing

Last year I visited Beijing on late autumn (http://birds.kz/v2blogentry.php?l=ru&a=20151203000501), when there actually was uncharacteristic for Beijing cold and snowly winter. This year I was in Beijing in July, not the best time for birding neither. It was hot almost all the time, thus high humidity, the sun in a haze, whether from a smog, whether from humidity all the time. At the end of my stay it was rainy, but sultry weather still didn't fall down for some reasons.
Since the purpose of visit was not birdwatching, my birding was only casual. The most part of time I spent in Shunyi district on the northeast suburb of Beijing, near the airport. Nearby, there was a park where I made morning excursions every day from July 4 to July 16, most often from 7 to 9 o'clock. The park was cultivated, but there wasn't much visitors. On the one hand it is good, birds are not much disturbed, on the other side the birds are not got used to people and not allow as close, as in parks in the center of Beijing. The most part of park was covered with landings of the willow, there was a wood from high poplars, lakes were overgrown with typha and reed, and lotuses was just blossoming. Unfortunately, abundance of birds wasn't observed, neither on total, nor on a specific variety. During each excursion I saw 16-20 species, but generally every day the same ones, with a total of 32 species for the park. I expected much more, of course. And it was clear that there is nothing much to expect from the park, but it had lakes there…
Eurasian Tree Sparrow was the most met bird. They were everywhere, near human constructions and in the most remote corners of park. Sparrows were so numerous that sometimes other birds of similar size were difficult to notice. Other most numerous and noticeable birds were Eurasian Magpie and Azure-winged Magpie. Barn Swallow and Red-rumped Swallow were met almost daily, Light-vented Bulbul, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Oriental Greenfinch (my lifer), White Wagtail, 2 times I saw a couples of White-cheeked Starling (lifer), and once - Yellow-billed Grosbeak. Constantly voices of Common Cuckoo and Indian Cuckoo. Sometimes, it was possible to hear 3 voices of Indian Cuckoo (lifer) from one point and at the same time. And its voice isn't similar to the Commun at all. Woodpeckers are not seldom – Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker and Grey-capped Woodpecker. Rock Pigeon flew by high in the sky only. Spotted Dove once. In one place couple times I saw Black Drongo. I have seen Crested Myna on autumn, but could not take a photo of this bird. So I hoped to do it this time. But I couldn't even see them, for a while. And next to the last day evening I found them not in the park, but close to the supermarket. Next morning I went there with my camera, found it again, but it didn't turn out to take a picture since the bird sat down in krone of a very tall poplar where I couldn't even see it.
As per water and close to water birds almost every day I saw Eurasian Moorhen, Chinese Pond-Heron (lifer), Yellow Bittern (lifer), Eastern Spot-billed Duck. Several times I saw Common Kingfisher. Oriental Reed-Warbler (lifer) was always singing in one place. I tried unsuccessfully to allure with the voice one Ruddy-breasted Crake (lifer), but then I found the bird by chance and took a picture without alluring. Little Grebes were seen, and it is another white eyed subspecies, which some consider as a separate species. One time Green Sandpiper and Little Egret, few times single Black-crowned Night-Heron were seen. The most interesting observation for me was a flight of 13 Swan Goose (lifer). Normally that goose should not be met on summer in Beijing, it nests a little to the North. One local birdwatcher told me that there are some Swan Goose groups which freely fly on parks of Beijing and it is not considered as a wild species. But why? It "hang out" on parks, but there is nobody who keeps them or wing clipping. As per me, they are normal wild birds. Only the status which isn't nesting, but aestivating.
Well, there are not much of birds, and at least, I would be happy if managed to photograph them good. Unfortunately it was impossible. First, bad lighting almost all the time. Secondly, birds are very timid. For example, Indian Pond Heron could be photographed in India very closely. Local similar Chinese Pond-Heron did not allow to approach closer than 80 meters. Therefore when we went to excursion to Temple of Heaven (on July 6th) with a green park around, I hoped very much to shoot already seen birds better and to add new species to my Trip Report. There were a lot of Azure-winged Magpie, and really not timid. But they have stayed on well mowed grass lawns, and never sat well on the trees. But I managed to shoot well Red-billed Blue-Magpie. The bird was fed together with Eurasian Magpie and at my approach the last commons are scattered, and Red-Billed let me approach very close. Later, on the photo I noticed that bird’s one wing lied incorrectly. Perhaps, because of a trauma it couldn't fly for a while and during this time the bird got used to trust people finally. Also Common Swift which flew near the temple and Large-billed Crow were added to the Trip Report. And one lifer – Chinese Blackbird. It was considered as one same species with our Eurasian Blackbird. But distinctions are quite important, therefore it is probably appropriate to see it as a separate species. Its beak is dark, unreasonably big, and the song doesn't even bear a faint resemblance to the song of our thrush.
Still I hoped for new species in the Botanical garden. But we wasn't lucky with weather because it started to rain at our arrival (on July 12), and it didn't stop raining all day long. So birds were visible a bit, only Japanese Tit was added to the Trip-Report.
Then we went on excursion to the Great Wall to the district of Badaling (on July 10). But such number of tourists there that it was very bad for birding. The only new species – one female of Daurian Redstart (lifer) well posed for photos.
At our crossing the bridge through the river Wenyu in the city, I saw a pack of different herons at the window. Therefore I went one of the next days (on July 13) there. Globally there were Black-crowned Night-Heron, not less than 10, mostly young birds. From other herons already seen before one Chinese Pond-Heron and a couple of Little Egret. From the new – 3 Eastern Great Egret (lifer). Still Long-billed Plover was added to the Trip Report, not less than 10 also and mostly young ones. And at leaving, in coastal park I saw one Brown Shrike.
In 2 weeks I didn't see any bird of prey. There were kestrels, buzzards, and hawks in the winter. And this time, none of them. Also suprising was the absence of sylviidae. I thought I will know better local leaf and reed warblers, but there was none. And my Trip Report does not contains them not because I couldn't identify them, but because I really saw and heared none of them. Only Oriental Reed-Warbler.
Here is all my birding in Beijing. The total of species is 42 species, with 11 lifers. It seems not so much, but if we consider that it was not a bird trip, that only few places were visited, and it was during bad season, so it is not so few actually.