Hangzhou moments and a few birds
When: June 2017 Weather: Warm 20C
Nikon P900, Leica M240
We were in Hangzhou for the 30th APACRS meeting in June so we had the opportunity to stay one night at the Shangri-La hotel on West Lake and then spend some time birding at Xixi wetlands with the gang.
The ShangriLa on Westlake is beautifully located right on the lake and this alone would justify staying there. Many reports on TA gripe about it being old and in need of upgrading but really the location makes you forget all the blemishes of the property. This is what we saw at dawn…
Daybreak from the Shangri La Hotel overlooking Xihu or the Westlake…
As the day lightened, people started arriving…
The grounds of the ShangriLa itself are a nice garden and here a magpie robin shows
If you walk behind the hotel , there is a steep hill with some interesting birds…
the ubiquitous green backed tit is everywhere in China
as is the light vented bulbul!
here, singing to its heart’s content
And in a fruiting tree behind the eastern end of the hotel, this grey headed parrotbill was feeding
An ashy drongo also showed
Ashy drongo
and the last bird in this amazing fruiting tree was this chestnut bulbul
Chestnut bulbul..back view
Chestnut bulbul
From the lounge on top of the hotel, we get a view of Westlake and the Sudi Causeway
interesting vignettes in Westlake
We then took a walk along the Sudi causeway…
juvenile magpie robin
moorhen
Pretty scenes on westlake
westlake bridge
blackbird
Black bulbul..white headed morph
And if you have time to catch the Zhang YiMou extravaganza at night on the lake, you should.
![LFIÕälàäzùªH,;¥éàÇ rKz{VÐ Ú;§±ïóÐ^f==P iM6eý(&JOJÀÍôÀA2ó@æ|è¡ ô¢Àß(¶ÛKLCeùäâ{vIÔ
Ìq²£È#V8$rG ñþâ¸2Çê´QB¹_:îI!FûcFÇS`HË7?駪]È#Í$ÏjÑÛ6ñ cP
mi;÷5¾b· » gúdç»æLý)¡-l-®.LJ-ÕÁ"B¥¹öÀ](https://thenaturaltraveller.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/dscn3589.jpg?w=560)
Our last day in Hangzhou, we visited the Xixi Wetlands about 30min west of Westlake..but we got there a bit late and the birdlife was scarce…
Black crowned night heron
Black crowned night heron
Little Grebe in action
Little Grebe nesting with duckling
juvenile black headed munia
ducklings a-swimming
The Xixi wetlands was slightly disappointing…we actually got more birds at the ShangriLa hotel grounds and in westlake itself…..
The Natural Traveller 