Shandong Province

Shandong is a coastal province in East China covering an area of 157,100 km² (60,700 square miles). Home to nearly 102 million inhabitants, Shandong is the world’s sixth-most populous subnational entity, and China’s second-most populous province. The capital is Jinan with over nine million inhabitants, although the largest city is Linyi with more than eleven million people. Other coastal cities include Qingdao, Weihai, and Yantai.  The province is on the eastern edge of the North China Plain and in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, and extends out to sea as the Shandong Peninsula. Shandong borders the Bohai Sea to the north, Hebei to the northwest, Henan to the west, Jiangsu to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the northeast, east and southeast. It shares a short border with Anhui between Henan and Jiangsu. The northwestern, western, and southwestern parts of the province are all part of the vast North China Plain. The province’s centre is more mountainous, with Mount Tai being the most prominent. The east of the province is the hilly Shandong Peninsula extending into the sea; Miaodao Archipaelago to the north of Shandong Peninsula is the border of Bohai Sea (west) and Yellow Sea (east). The highest peak of Shandong is Jade Emperor Peak, with a height of 5,069 feet, which is also the highest peak in the Mount Tai Ranges.

Grand Canal – ©Rolfmueller CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Yellow River passes through Shandong’s western areas, entering the sea on Shandong’s northern coast. In Shandong, it flows on a levee, higher than the surrounding land, and dividing western Shandong into the Hai He watershed in the north and the Huai River watershed in the south. The Grand Canal of China enters Shandong from the northwest and leaves in the southwest. Weishan Lake is the largest lake in the province. The province has about 3,000 kilometres of coastline. Shandong Peninsula has a rocky coastline with cliffs, bays, and islands; Laizhou Bay, the southernmost of the 3 bays of the Bohai Sea, borders the northern coast between Dongying and Penglai; Jiaozhou Bay, which is much smaller, is surrounded by Qingdao. The Miaodao Islands extends northwards from the northernmost coast of the peninsula, separating the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea.

©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Shandong has a temperate climate: humid continental, bordering humid subtropical in the south. Generally, summers are hot (typical max 35 °C) and rainy, except for eastern parts of Jiaodong Peninsula (typical max 28 °C) and Mount Tai (typical max 20 °C), while winters are cold and dry. Average temperatures are −9 to 1 °C in January and 18 to 28 °C in July. Annual precipitation is 22 to 37 inches, the vast majority of which occurs during summer, due to monsoonal influences.

Shandong ranks first among the provinces in the production of a variety of products, including cotton, wheat, and garlic as well as precious minerals such as gold and diamonds, and has the biggest sapphire deposits in the world. Other important crops include sorghum and maize. There are extensive petroleum deposits as well, especially the Shengli Oil Field in the Dongying area in the Yellow River delta. Shandong also produces bromine from underground wells and salt from seawater. It is also the largest agricultural exporter in China. The production of wine is the second largest industry after agriculture.

Birding Shandong

The province has nearly 300 offshore islands, and numerous rivers and lakes and about 3,000 km² of mudflats. There are many different habitats including mountainous areas, hilly areas and plains, but the majority is plain which takes about 65% of the total provincial territory. It has major deciduous broadleaf and conifer forests. Because Shandong is located in a warm temperate zone and coastal area, and there are a variety of habitats for different bird species, so is an excellent place for birds to live and stay. Moreover, the province is on a major migration route, so it is one of the most important places for migratory birds to drop in to feed, spend winter and breed. Almost 500 bird species have been recorded, of which only about 50 are residents and over 300 are either over-wintering or migrating birds. Making Shandong Province is an ideal place for bird-watching or migratory birds’ study.

Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel Hydrobates monorhis – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Located in Yellow River Estuary along the shore of the Bohai Sea and formed by the sediment brought by the Yellow River, Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve is the largest delta, and also the biggest, the most complete and the youngest wetland in China. 270 species of birds have been recorded in the reserve, which include many sought-after species. Some top targets are: Brown-cheeked Rail, Black-tailed Gull, Yellow Bittern, Chinese Pond Heron, Azure-winged Magpie, Chinese Penduline Tit, Zitting Cisticola, Light-vented Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, White-cheeked Starling, Oriental Greenfinch, Meadow Bunting, Yellow-throated Bunting, Pallas’s Reed Bunting and Black-faced Bunting.

Black-tailed Gull Larus crassirostris – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Also known as Changshan Islands, Changdao Nature Reserve is located in the Bohai Strait between the Shangdong Peninsula and Liaotong Peninsula. As a crucial gateway for north-south migratory birds in east China, the reserve enjoys extremely abundant bird numbers with as many as 1 million migratory birds flying over here each year. About 280 bird species have been recorded in the reserve. Top targets include: Streaked Shearwater, Chinese Egret, Pelagic Cormorant, Japanese Cormorant, Grey-faced Buzzard, Black-tailed Gull, Yellow-bellied Tit, Light-vented Bulbul and Blue Rock Thrush.

Streaked Shearwater Calonectris leucomelas – ©Bird-Photo-Tours ASIA

Located in Southeastern Shandong and the seashore of Yellow Sea, Rizhao Coastal Wetland has recorded more than 250 kinds of birds. Another bird island has been found in Qianshan Island which is within this area. On the bird island, some rare birds have been discovered such as Swinhoe’s Storm Petrel, Ancient Murrelet, Swan Goose, etc.

Located in Weishan County in southwestern Shandong, Nasi Lake is the largest fresh water lake and one of the largest wetlands in northern China. The reserve has recorded 246 bird species. Each year more than 350,000 geese and ducks over-winter at Nansi Lake. The reserve has four different kinds of habitats, namely reed swamp, wetlands and meadows, the open waters and mixed forests in the mountains. Special birds include Falcated Duck, Ferruginous Duck, Chinese Pond Heron, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Chinese Penduline Tit, Light-vented Bulbul, Silver-throated Bushtit, Dusky, Hume’s Leaf and Oriental Reed Warblers, Vinous-throated & Reed Parrotbills, Brambling, Chinese Grosbeak, Yellow-browed & Black-faced Bunting, etc.