When: October 2015 Weather: 15-20C Cool!
Back in Hangzhou a month after my last visit, we stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in the new part of Hangzhou about 5 km east of West Lake to check out the convention facilities. The weather was much nicer and the hotel was located on the banks of the Qian Tang River….China these days is an incredibly wealthy country and the infrastructure development is amazing….
The Hangzhou Intercontinental…
Flanked by the Hangzhou Grand Theatre, there is a spectacular fountain light show at night
Just a few minutes from the hotel is a pedestrian walkway up to the City Balcony…a structure overhanging the river where the views are spectacular!
Daybreak over the Qiantang River in the mist…
Having visited the Xixi wetlands last visit, I went to the Hangzhou Botanic Gardens this time at 7am…as the dawn light filtered in
The Light vented bulbul is the most common bird around…
light vented bulbul
The ducks were active
as were the waterhens..
waterhen
And in this calm oasis, an old man played his music oblivious to everything
a sea of water plants
Oriental magpie robin
Magpie Robin
The early bird…
Blackbird
Blackbird
A flock of yellow bellied tits were pretty but very active and hard to shoot..
Beautiful Oriental WHite Eye
The Taiwan Blue winged Magpie gave me my famed ass shot…
Being early autumn, the maple leaves were beginning to turn colour
autumn colours
and there is a wonderful bamboo forest …
which the morning light made even prettier
A very nice and very large botanic gardens…worrth a visit…
The Natural Traveller 
Pretty nice weather and birds.