Summer wetland bird watching in Majiawan Wetland Park, Chaoyang District, Beijing is the time

In May, I wrote an article briefly introducing bird watching in Majiawan Wetland Park, Chaoyang District, Beijing. Starting from May, I will go to Majiawan Wetland Park to do bird watching basically every week. , I persisted sporadically for two months, and slowly gained some insights into Majiawan Wetland Park, which I would like to briefly share with you.

I won’t go into details about the basic introduction of Majiawan Wetland Park, just read my previous sharing.

Majiawan Wetland Park is very large, but I think the prime area for bird watching is concentrated in the small area of ????the wetland reed marsh. This small area is a typical wetland reed habitat and is rich in wild bird resources. Now is the best time to spot summer migratory birds.

From May to the end of June, I used this small wetland as a bird watching area, and recorded a total of 48 species, 14 orders, and 29 families.

Today I will talk about several common wild birds that have been observed in Majiawan Wetland Park in the past two months. If there are any mistakes, please correct me. The information comes from every time I watch birds. After that, I made a summary of the birding notes I made and the information I searched.

Greater Rhododendron

Greater Rhododendron is an iconic bird in the wetlands in summer. There was a saying that "summer arrives when the cuckoo crows." Their breeding season is from May to July. The great cuckoo does not have its own fixed nest and never builds its own nests or hatches eggs. Instead, it lays its eggs in brown-headed crows, gray magpies, northern redstarts, etc. In the nests of birds, these birds incubate their eggs. It is a typical "parasitic" bird.

Some British scholars have found that a female giant cuckoo can lay up to 25 eggs in one breeding season. Of course, there will only be one in each host's nest.

Black water chicken

Although the black water chicken has the word "chicken" in its name, its body shape is more like a duck. In fact, it has little to do with chickens or ducks. It is a medium-sized wading bird belonging to the order Craneformes. Like other wading birds, they also like to live near water sources, such as lakes, wetlands, swamps, ponds, etc. It is best to have shelter on the water surface so that they can immediately find a shelter to hide when they encounter danger.

Black water chickens are not only good at swimming, but also good at diving. Once they feel that danger is approaching, they will dive into the water. At this time, the black water chickens will only expose their nostrils to the water for breathing. Their body parts are hidden in the water until they feel safe, and then they emerge again. In addition, black water chickens are not very fond of flying and will only spread their wings in critical situations. They generally do not fly long distances. When flying, they fly slowly and not very high. They often fly close to the water surface and fall into the water surface or aquatic plants after not flying very far.

The black water chicken has a wide distribution range, almost all over the world except Australia and Oceania.

Oriental Great Reed Warbler

The Oriental Great Reed Warbler mainly lives in reed marshes and often hides in the reed marshes to sing. It likes to play hide and seek with people, so that you can only hear its sound. Nowhere to be seen. In order to make the sound spread farther, it will occasionally jump above the reeds for you to see. Compared with other warblers in the reed marshes, the Oriental Great Reed Warbler is quite generous, because it can always be seen lying on the top of the reeds or even on the willow trees above the reeds singing hard.

The Oriental Great Reed Warbler is very hardworking. It has to fly to its breeding ground every summer and start weaving cup-shaped nests with dead grass in the reeds. Each nest lays about 3 to 6 eggs. Once the Oriental Great Reed Warbler becomes If the nest is parasitized by a giant cuckoo, it will lose all its children.

In late summer and early autumn, the Oriental Great Reed Warbler begins to migrate south again, eventually flying to Southeast Asia to overwinter.

Yellow reed grunt

Yellow reed pallet is a medium-sized wading bird. They mostly move to the northern breeding grounds in April and May, and migrate away from the breeding grounds in late September and early October. Inhabits open waters rich in waterside plants in plains and low hills.

It especially likes to inhabit small and medium-sized lakes, reservoirs, ponds and swamps with both open water and large expanses of emergent plants such as reeds and cattails. Sometimes they also inhabit and move in paddy fields, swamps and nearby grass and shrubs near bushes or groves.

When hunting, the yellow reed platinum often stands on reeds. Its classic action is to use its feet to grab the reed pole or cattail leaf, shrink its neck and stare at the water, waiting for its prey. When it finds the target, its neck will It springs open quickly like a spring, catching unwary prey in its mouth in an instant.

Cattle Egret

Cattle Egret, as the name suggests, likes to stand on the back of cattle. The relationship between Cattle Egret and buffalo is mutually beneficial, which is very interesting. Cattle egrets perch on the backs of buffaloes and prey on parasites and insects that fly out when the buffaloes move around. At the same time, the cattle egret also serves as a guard for the buffalo, warning of danger. In addition to the back of cattle, it will also stand on the back of other suitable large mammals, such as horses, mules, etc.

The cattle egret is the only heron that does not eat fish but feeds mainly on insects. It also preys on spiders, eels, leeches, frogs and other small animals.

Cattle egrets are widely distributed in China, but the chances of seeing them on the backs of cattle are rare, especially in Beijing.

Common Kingfisher

When you hear a sharp metallic whistle near a lake or river, in order to find the owner of the sound, you should carefully check the water surface or the surrounding shrubs. . The feathers of kingfishers are much brighter than other birds, but their whereabouts are always leaked by their calls. Then, a bird is seen passing by like a missile, its wings flapping and whirring in the wind. They fly so fast, like a radar wave directed at the willow forest by the pond; and they are so beautiful, your retinas seem to feel the burning of this bright figure.

Few birds fly as straight as the common kingfisher, and none combine as brilliant a color with a miniscule stature. This is a petite bird: similar in size to a purple-winged starling, with a short tail, but a disproportionately large head, and a protruding beak like a dagger. The beak is too big for a bird.

If you get close enough, you can see their sapphire and turquoise-like upper bodies, perfectly set off by their white throats, rust-red cheeks, and chest and abdomen. , reflecting the bits of light from the river below.

Common kingfishers spend their entire lives closely connected to water, digging deep holes in sandy river banks to build their nests. Every day the parents catch hundreds of fish to feed the hungry chicks. The accumulated fish bones and food residues emit a burst of smell, which is not commensurate with their handsome appearance.

----------Excerpt from "Birdsong Season", Yilin Publishing House

Simon Barnes, a famous birdwatcher and wildlife columnist Recording his bird watching experience:

"How much skill is required to observe birds? How much knowledge? How much scientific background? No, not at all. The birds are right there, chirping happily and greeting each other. It's easy to spot. Birding is life, and what an ordinary birdwatcher sees is life.

Someone once asked me, how often should I birdwatch? Birding is a state of life, not a specific activity. Birding is not limited to location, equipment and certain purposes like fishing. It is about life. It’s also about life. ”

To capture the perfect moment of bird watching, what is really needed is the desire to observe, not the specific bird watching skills, but the habit of observing things.

The first thing an ordinary birdwatcher pursues is pleasure and unexpected surprises. Such surprises will lead us to explore the world of birds and gain a deeper understanding.

Attached: A simple guide to bird watching in Majiawan Wetland Park, Chaoyang District, Beijing