Rudong,Nanjing,Wuyuan

I was planning to visit a friend in Shanghai in July 2009.I wanted to do some birding while I was there but understood it was not easy to get to some of the more remote places if you do not speak the language and know your way around.So, I looked on the web for a bird guide.The one which stood out was Zhang Lin from Shanghai Birder.His website looks comprehensive and professional and is full of useful information.After some correspondence I decided to book Zhang Lin for 5 days: a day trip to see the shore birds at Rudong, a day trip to the hills in Nanjing and a three day trip to Wuyuan – a 7 hour bus trip South West of Shanghai.

If you are thinking of going out with a guide around Shanghai you cannot do better than Zhang Lin.He is a first class birder.He has extremely sharp eyes and is among the best I have come across for spotting and hearing the birds.He also knows where and when to find them.More than that he is reliable, trustworthy and well organised.A good thing to know when you are going out into the remote parts of China as a woman (or man) alone and transferring money to a complete stranger on the understanding he WILL turn up at the appointed place and time!Well, Zhang Lin was always there when he said he would be.He made the journies very easy for me picking me up from where I was staying in taxis or hire cars.All the travel and accommodation arrangements were extremely smooth and well organised.Food was provided as part of the price and we ate in a number of very good small local cafes and restaurants on the way.I felt completely safe and well looked after throughout the trip.Also, Zhang Lin is extremely hard working.If you are up for it he will bird with you from dawn until dusk and then be prepared to travel and do some night birding as well.You certainly get good value for your money!

And we saw some great birds.In all I saw 135 species in the 5 days 54 of which were lifers for me.I also experienced rural China eating in small local cafes and staying in local guesthouses which was a real privilage (although Zhang Lin offered me the option of staying in a more Western-style hotel).

So, do not hesitate to book Zhang Lin if you are in or around Shanghai.I am sure you will have a great experience.



		SHANGHAI BIRDING EXPERIENCE 27-31 JULY 2009 (Rudong ,Nanjing,Wuyuan) Participants: Sue Walsh & Zhang Lin Rudong,Nanjing,Wuyuan I was planning to visit a friend in Shanghai in July 2009.I wanted to do some birding while I was there but understood it was not easy to get to some of the more remote places if you do not speak the language and know your way around.So, I looked on the web for a bird guide.The one which stood out was Zhang Lin from Shanghai Birder.His website looks comprehensive and professional and is full of useful information.After some correspondence I decided to book Zhang Lin for 5 days: a day trip to see the shore birds at Rudong, a day trip to the hills in Nanjing and a three day trip to Wuyuan – a 7 hour bus trip South West of Shanghai. If you are thinking of going out with a guide around Shanghai you cannot do better than Zhang Lin.He is a first class birder.He has extremely sharp eyes and is among the best I have come across for spotting and hearing the birds.He also knows where and when to find them.More than that he is reliable, trustworthy and well organised.A good thing to know when you are going out into the remote parts of China as a woman (or man) alone and transferring money to a complete stranger on the understanding he WILL turn up at the appointed place and time!Well, Zhang Lin was always there when he said he would be.He made the journies very easy for me picking me up from where I was staying in taxis or hire cars.All the travel and accommodation arrangements were extremely smooth and well organised.Food was provided as part of the price and we ate in a number of very good small local cafes and restaurants on the way.I felt completely safe and well looked after throughout the trip.Also, Zhang Lin is extremely hard working.If you are up for it he will bird with you from dawn until dusk and then be prepared to travel and do some night birding as well.You certainly get good value for your money! And we saw some great birds.In all I saw 135 species in the 5 days 54 of which were lifers for me.I also experienced rural China eating in small local cafes and staying in local guesthouses which was a real privilage (although Zhang Lin offered me the option of staying in a more Western-style hotel). So, do not hesitate to book Zhang Lin if you are in or around Shanghai.I am sure you will have a great experience.

top		So, where did we go and what did we see?This will not be a full account – just some of the highlights to give you a flavour.In particular I will only mention birds the first time we saw them on the trip – not where we saw them again in other locations. For the day in Rudong I was picked up by Zhang Lin at dawn.We drove for some distance across the Yangtze River stopping for a delicious breakfast of dumplings at a village roadside café.Looking out the window of the car we spotted Crested Myna, Little Egret, Chinese Pond Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Long-tailed Shrike and Azure-winged Magpie.We arrived at a wetland area with ponds and reeds.There we saw Black Drongo, Eurasian Cuckoo, Common Kingfisher, Lesser Coucal, Light-vented Bulbul, Eastern Cattle Egret, Zitting Cisticola, Little Grebe, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Grey-headed Lapwing, Chinese Blackbird, Reed Parrotbill, Yellow Bittern (my favourite), Yellow-billed Grosbeak, Red Collared Dove, Red-billed and White-cheeked Starling, Red-rumped and Barn Swallow, Common Tern, Oriental Reed Warbler, Plain Prinia and White-winged Black and Whiskered Tern. We then drove to some farmland where we saw Oriental Turtle and Spotted Dove, Collared Finchbill, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Korean Bush Warbler, and a Siberian Weasel – very exciting. After some lunch we went onto the coast – the main purpose of our visit.As we drove there we stopped and saw Little Tern, Meadow Bunting, Ring-necked Pheasant and Saunders Gull.We arrived at the shore just in time for the rising tide.What we did then was walk out onto the mud flats and sit on a sand hill as the tide came in and 25,000 waders came and settled around us.AMAZING!We saw: Eastern Curlew, Lesser and Greater Sand Plover, Great and Red Knot, Dunlin, Bar- and Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Kentish Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint – and Zhang Lin’s keen eyes managed to pick out just a few Broad-billed and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, a single Grey-tailed Tattler and Gull-billed Tern and – just arrived - several Nordmann’s Greenshank.Other bonuses were Intermediate Egret and Hoopoe and overhead flew a Kestrel, and a Pied Harrier.
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