Having been regarded as a “myth” for decades, the only critically endangered tern in East Asia, the Chinese Crested Tern (中华凤头燕鸥 Thalasseus bernsteini), has recently been discovered breeding on a few islands in China and Korea. Although knowledge of this bird has increased based on various research and conservation efforts, it still takes a bit to find it in the field—proper season and location are always necessary.
In the past three years, from late August to October, a flock of Chinese Crested Terns has been observed continuously staying at the harbor of Qingdao, the famous port city in Eastern China. Since it will likely be a stable post-breeding stopover, I made a blitz twitch with my friend Shuangqi this September.
The first impression
We arrived at Qingdao Railway Station at noon, rented a car, and drove directly to Hongdao Fishing Port (红岛渔港). Here is a place where the Chinese Crested Terns usually stay. It took about half an hour to drive. We were pretty lucky that we found them as soon as we arrived. About ten Chinese Crested Terns perched on steel scaffolds in a local fisherman’s pond, mixing with many more Black-headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus). We had a good view with the telescopes but did not find the proper way to get closer. It seemed that the surroundings of the terns were privately owned, and we would have to pay the owner to enter it.
The heat haze blurred the view through the scope and camera as the temperature went up. We then moved to the region west of Jiaozhou Bay, near the Dagu estuary. It should be an excellent place for waterbirds, especially for the waders. We aimed for the Chinese Egret (Tringa brevipes) and Gray-tailed Tattler (Tringa brevipes), which were the lifers of Shuangqi. However, we seemed to ignore the fact that the tide was too high that day.
We arrived there after another half an hour and tried hard to find a parking place. We then walked about half an hour along the west coast of the bay, under the sun’s blazing. Unfortunately, the tide was pretty high then, and we could barely see any beach. The only waders were some Whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus) and Common Greenshanks (Tringa nebularia). All egrets were Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta). It is said that Chinese Egret may resemble Little in non-breeding plumage, but we checked every individual carefully with the scope and confirmed no brevipes. For other birds, if you do not count sparrows and magpies, only various gulls appear here.
Sunset with terns
After the disappointing experience in the Dagu estuary, we returned to the port of Chinese Crested Tern to appreciate them at dusk. We arrived there about quarter to five p.m.
Most of the Chinese Crested Terns were no longer on the scaffold. They became actively flying around but never very close to the port. It became a bit unreal to me when I saw the Chinese Crested Terns fly in front of the city, especially the buildings under construction. My grandfather was born in Qingdao, and I regularly visited the town and port. How could a critically endangered species that breeds on remote, uninhabited islands end up spending autumn in my familiar city, becoming so well adapted to its artificial environment?
We stayed there for about one hour. Watching the terns foraging above the sea and flying over the tower in the sunset was breathtaking. I was never so addicted to a tern species ever to watch them for such a long time. Black-headed and Black-tailed Gulls were also there, and they could be tame and stay close to us.
Why did we make a second day?
The second day, however, was slightly dull. In Qingdao, autumn is not a great season for passerine migrants since many pass here only in spring and take a different route after breeding. It is still okay for the waders on the muddy beach, but we were not very interested in them, as there was nothing special about them. Thus, we spent the days in two city parks for the forest migrants.
We departed around 5 a.m. for Zhongshan Park, which is said to be great for migrants in spring. After one and a half hours, we walked upon the hills. We found three Black-naped Orioles (Oriolus chinensis), two Asian Brown Flycatchers (Muscicapa dauurica), and some familiar residents. Despite some forests looking quite promising for migrants with a complex undergrowth structure, only Azure-winged Magpies, one of the most common birds, were found there. We returned to the hotel early and went back to sleep without hesitation.
After lunch, we drove to Tangdao Bay and spent the afternoon there. Except for a few more Asian Brown Flycatchers, we did not see any migrant passerines, and the waders were almost the same as yesterday: Whimbrels and Greenshanks, with two additional Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris). It’s probably not a proper time for birding! We learned a lesson: If you want to visit Qingdao in autumn for the Chinese Crested Tern, do not include the second day in your itinerary.
eBird Trip report: https://ebird.org/tripreport/272185
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