ML503140471

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

A big day. Having heard of a Pallas's Sandgrouse at DaShiHe in the morning, I decided to check out a small area of rough ground close to my apartment, perhaps with an expectation of success of around 1%. A quick scan revealed no sandgrouse and I was about to head back home when a flock of 15 flew right overhead, quickly followed by another flock of eight. I headed up to a small hill close by from where I enjoyed a wide view, including as far as the CBD district in central Beijing to the south and, to the north, the mountains of Changping. Over the next 3.5 hours there was a major movement of sandgrouse, with the vast majority heading from the east in the direction of west to south-west. Around dusk (sunset 1701), as the moderate NW wind dropped, several flocks began to head north and a few flocks flew very low, calling, as if looking for a place to land. One flock of c20 birds landed close by my location just after sunset, where they actively fed on seed-heads for a few minutes, before heading off north. The largest flock, of at least 680 birds, stretched several kilometres from north to south as it passed right overhead. Flocks were counted individually where possible but, for larger flocks, estimates using blocks of 10 or 20 birds were deployed. One of the most incredible (and unexpected) birding experiences of my life. Photo of count sheet uploaded showing the size of each flock and the time. Count between 1400-1721 only (note that the first period between 1400-1420 shows only a total with individual flock breakdown from 1425 onwards).

Technical information

Model

iPhone 8 Plus

Lens

iPhone 8 Plus back dual camera 3.99mm f/1.8

ISO

50

Focal length

4 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/1.8

Shutter speed

1/17 sec

Dimensions

3024 pixels x 4032 pixels

Original file size

2.29 MB