Zhangye wetlands birding, Gansu China
When: June 2016 Weather cool: 18C
Nikon P900 Leica M/35 summilux
Whenever I’m in a new place, I always seek out a local park, botanic gardens or wetland to do some birding so it was a pleasant surprise to find that the Zhangye wetland park and museum was just a 5 minute drive away from my hotel, the Luzhou Holiday Inn. Arriving there at 7 in the morning, the weather was cool and few people were around….
The Zhangye Wetlands and Museum complex
this european or common was the first bird we saw…
blue flash on the wing
heading into the wetland park….well manicured boardwalks…
then this splendid fellow appeared on a tree next to the museum itself….
He then hopped up to show himself in all his glory… a greater spotted woodpecker!
the greater spotted woodpecker has a red vent and a red patch on the back of hsi head….
the wing has a typical broad white flash…
and then another appeared!…This the female with the more muted pale orange vent and no red patch on the nape…..
Her back showed the characteristic spots and wing flashes…
they posed willingly…and then flew off…
Oriental Reed Warbler
and then he started singing merrily
and then the spotted WP appears again…..pecking at a tree
and then triumphantly presenting a grub to his mate!
pretty bridges everywhere
and a beautiful hide which sadly was locked up and inaccessible!
Grey capped greenfinch
another view
pacific swallow
and again
another finch..
and the oriental reed warbler bade us farewell
The yield from just an hour at the Zhangye wetlands was not great but still it was an easy to get to place if you are in Zhangye for the mountains….no water birds though!
The Natural Traveller 
I LOVE the Greater Spotted Woodpecker. What a handsome bird!