birding...

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach ©Alister Benn http://www.availablelightimages.com

Jiangsu covers an area of 100,000 square kilometers and has a long coast line. Eighty to ninety percent of the province is made up of plainland, making Jiangsu the most low lying and flat province of China. In the south of Jiangsu lies the Changjiang Delta, and to the north there is huge Jianghuai plain. Yuntai Mountain in the northeast is its highest peak, with an altitude of just 625 meters. In the south there are a lot of small rivers which creating a so-called 'water net', with the large Changjiang River running through them all.

Jiangsu's long coast line attracts vast numbers of water birds, especially during migration times. There are several Natural Reserves in Yancheng city, which mainly aim to protect endangered Red-crowned Crane. According to data, 448 species of birds have been recorded in Jiangsu Province.

Nanjing, as the capital city of Jiangsu province, lies across the Changjiang River, making it an excellent strategic position. The Changjiang River is the distributional limit of many species of birds, both of winter visitors, summer migrants and even resident birds, thus making Nanjing a very good place to see birds of both north and south distribution, let alone those wider ranging species.

The two main and most famous mountains in Nanjing are Purple Mountain and Laoshan Mountain. Purple Mountain is to the east of the city and has more than 130 species of birds recorded so far. Laoshan Mountain, located to the west of the city, runs from northeast to southwest across Jiangpu district and covers an area of around 6 million square kilometers. Over 150 species of birds have been recorded in the Laoshan area, including the fabulous Fairy Pitta, Black Bulbul, Blue Whistling Thrush, Asian Paradise Flycatcher and Black Baza, etc. Also, there are a great number of small hills and lakes, providing a suitable environment for many different birds.

Because ornithology and birdwatching in Nanjing is such a recent phenomenon, fewer than 300 species of birds have been recorded, including such gems as Brown Hawk Owl, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Long-toed Stint, Long-billed Plover, Black Baza, Northern Goshawk, Imperial Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Chinese Egret, Black Bittern, Fairy Pitta, Trogons, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Blue-and-white Flycatcher, Black Bulbul, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Common Rosefinch, etc. But along with the rapid growth of birdwatching as a pastime, the number of birds recorded is sure to be increased quickly in the next few years, as this is much richer in birdlife than has so far been documented.