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China Birding Trip: September-16-30, 2013 |
Day 7 September 21 - Great Wall of China
Birds of the day: Thrushes -Siberian Rubythroat, Siberian Blue
Robin, Bluethroat & Swinhoe's
As usual, we started the day birding – this time the two of
us decided to try birding our extensive hotel grounds rather than
heading out with the group to Lighthouse Point again. It was a
good choice. We had a close up view of the Siberian Rubythroat---
in the courtyard just outside our room. A warbler had flown into
a window and was lying on the step. Little warblers were flitting
about the morning glories and in the hedges. After an hour we
headed out for Lighthouse Point to connect with the returning
birding group. We saw a Pallas's Leaf Warbler out our hotel
window when we got back.
This was our day to climb the Great Wall, more than 2,000 years
old. It was a hot sunny day as we hopped on the bus for our trip
to the Great Wall, Jiao Shan (angle mountain) Mountain. We passed
through the nearby city of Quinhuangdao, population 3 million,
watching the busy action on this holiday Saturday. Interesting
that North America chains like McDonalds were part of the
streetscape and there were many signs in English as well as in
Chinese. We learned that traffic officers at lighted
intersections could let privileged vehicles through. Bicycles,
scooters, little trucks, buses, pedestrians – lots of
action.
Soon we arrived at the Great Wall where we did a little birding
while June was getting our passes. Once in, we birded in a
forested area just inside the gate. June asked what we wanted for
lunch – KFC - and sent in our order on her iphone.
At the bottom of the climb we viewed the remnants of the old
wall. We would be climbing on a restored section.
We all climbed as much as we felt comfortable doing. The steps
were uneven, some very high, others shorter and narrow. It was
steep!
A bride was having her photo taken, wearing the traditional
“lucky” red dress – most brides now in China
select a white dress for their wedding. June explained that the
photos are taken separately from the wedding ceremony and the
bride has several dresses and the bride and groom are
photographed at different locations, specifically in the
mountains and by the sea.
Three of our group – Nunzio, Sharon and June climbed a
ladder up to the top of a beacon tower. It was a real
accomplishment on this hot morning to climb so high. June waved
to us below. Phil celebrated his climb too.
After a final group shot we left the Wall, and drove into the
city for our KFC lunch. It was a very busy spot, full of young
people.
We continued on our tour of the Great Wall, at Lion’s Head
where the wall meets the sea at Shanhaiguan. We joined a happy
crowd of visitors. June carried a blue flag so we could always
find her in the crowd. Barbara and Phil took turns with the flag
too.
Now back to our birding… birding in China is much quieter
than visiting tourist destinations. We stopped at the Stone
River. Only a few fishers shared the property with us. Again, we
noticed a lot of garbage and polluted water. But there were
birds: Thick-billed Warblers, a Long-billed Plover, a Bluethroat,
a Brown Shrike and many herons. These sightings were a perfect
way to end our busy day.
Back at our hotel we freshened up and did some laundry. We were
ready for a special barbeque in downtown Beidaihe that June had
planned for us. Our bus pulled into a luxury hotel and June
guided us to a little private restaurant outside a small house
behind the hotel. Everything was delicious. We ended our day with
a short stroll in the colorful downtown area.
Tomorrow we would leave the coastal city and go up into the
mountains.
English signs of the day:
