Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata  LT—one seen in game shop, end of November. Other (unidentified) divers seen in spring and autumn. H, COE—no records. Ch—migrant and winter visitor to the coast from Heilong River, Heilongjiang, south to Guangdong; status: extremely rare.
  1986: singles were recorded off King’s Point on 9 November and off FP on 20 November.
  1987: one bird, 3 November.
  1988 (Ho): no records.
  1989: 29 bird-days, 4-8 November; highest day total 17 on 5 November; all records from the coast; most were in flight.
  1990: one (same bird?) was at SF on 3rd and 4 November.

Pacific Diver/Black-throated Diver Gavia pacifica/G. arctica  LT, H, COE—no records. Cheng: Black-throated Diver re-corded as a migrant at two localities in northeastern provinces, and one in Shandong; Pacific Diver recorded at one locality in Liaoning and at Fuzhou (two birds).
  1989: one flew past LP on 4 November.

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis  LT—common in October. H—only one certain autumn observation, due to difficulty in identification. WH—recorded evidence of breeding. COE—from 25 March, with a maximum of 20; up to seven trilling males.
  1986: 778 bird-days, 20 August to 16 November, with a peak count of 51 on 16 October. Breeding had evidently taken place at Re, where the maximum count of juveniles was 17, with seven adults, on 27 August. The numbers of local birds, which tended to linger at Re, make it difficult to accurately assess the passage period, though it appears the peak migration was over 5-25 October. Re was, by far, the favoured locality.
  1987: 252 bird-days, beginning of survey to 9 November; other than 15 on 20 August, day totals in single figures until 26 September when 14 (including four immatures); then again single figures until 12 on 16 October; there were 12 on 21st, 16 on 17th and 14 on 23 October; after six on 26 October the only records were singles on 1st and 9 November.
  1988 (Ho): 51 bird-days, 24 September to 18 November.
  1989: three at Re on 16 September; 27 bird-days, 8 October to 6 November; highest count 12 at YH on 6 November.
  1990: before 23 October, 166 bird-days, highest day total 19 on 28 August. From 23 October, 12 bird-days, 25 October to 5 November; highest day total four on 25 October (three at Re, one at LH).

Slavonian Grebe (Horned Grebe) Podiceps auritus  LT, H, COE—no records. Shaw—rare migrant in Hebei.
  1987: seven bird-days, 21 October to 6 November; highest day total two on 2nd and 6 November.
  1990: six bird-days, 30 October to 16 November; two flew south on 30 October, otherwise singles at SF and YH.

Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena  LT, H, COE—no records. Ch—breeds Heilongjiang, migrant and winter visitor to Hebei.
  1986: one was at SF (caught in fishing line) on 31 October and 1 November.
  1987: one on 14 October.

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus  LT—in autumn as late as 17 November. H—quite common, from 22 October to 23 November, with an exceptionally early record over 26-27 July. COE—784 bird-days, 15 March to 3 May.
  1986: 124 bird-days, 6 September to 20 November. The first record—an adult at SF—was followed by four flying south past the same locality on 21 September. A further 11 bird-days were logged to 23 October, and the next day saw the beginning of significant passage, which continued until the end of the period. The maximum day total was 40 on 18 November; 22 on 31 October was another notable tally. Most birds were seen on the sea off SF, although 37 were observed from LH, flying north, on 18 November.
  1987: 92 bird-days, 13 October to 21 November; highest day total 25 on 22 October.
  1988 (Ho): 22 bird-days, 8 October to 17 November.
  1989: 100 bird-days, 9 October to 16 November; highest day total 41 on 7 November.
  1990: before 23 October, 22 bird-days, early bird on 31 August and highest day total ten on 9 October. From 23 October, 66 bird-days, 26 October to 16 November; 13 flew south, all on 30 October, and highest count of birds present 23 on 4 November (22 at SF, one at TH).

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis  LT—one probable in spring. H—total of 8-12 recorded on four or five dates from 6-27 May 1944, and a female shot on 6 November 1944. COE—246 bird-days, 24 March to 17 April.
  1986: one was at Re from 28 October to 1 November.
  1987: 17 bird-days, 13 October to 8 November.
  1988 (Ho): one on 17 October.
  1989: eight bird-days, 9 October to 5 November.
  1990: one was at YH on 16 November.
  It appears this species is scarce in autumn; it may be common, sometimes in large flocks, in spring.

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo  COE—four on 9 April.
  1986: no certain records.
  1987: one immature present, 23-30 October.
  1988 (Ho): no records.
  1989: 370 flew south, 7 October to 10 November; highest day totals 64 on 10th and 135 on 15 October; only record after 25 October was one flying south on 10 November. Most were identified with hindsight, after several Temminck’s Cormorants had been seen and differences between the two species were appreciated.
  1990: before 23 October, eight bird-days, highest day total five on 27 September. From 23 October, nine bird-days, 1-14 November; two flew south on 1st, otherwise records of singles on seven dates (perhaps involving only one bird).
  See Great Cormorant/Temminck’s Cormorant.

Temminck’s Cormorant (Japanese Cormorant) Phalacrocorax capillatus  COE—one on 16 April.
  1986: as in spring 1985, only one bird was certainly identified (by the green sheen on the wings): on 14 September, flying south over LH.
  1987: singles on 5th, 6th and 23 October; a further 93 birds considered to be this species flew south in late October (92 on 29th, one on 30th).
  1988 (Ho): five birds, probably this species, flew south on 29 October.
  1989: 26 flew south, 26 October to 8 November. We found their short tails and thick necks (also less gliding flight than Great Cormorant?) could give them a goose-like appearance.
  1990: singles recorded on 11th and 24 October; flying south on latter date.
  See Great Cormorant/Temminck’s Cormorant.

Great Cormorant/Temminck’s Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo/P. capillatus  LT—not uncommon in autumn. H—common, 12 August to 6 November; most believed to be Great Cormorants. COE—143 bird-days, 19 March to 7 May. Ch—Great Cormorant breeds occasionally in, and migrates through, Hebei; status: common in breeding regions, rare elsewhere. Temminck’s Cormorant given as summer visitor to Hebei; status: rare.
  1986: 73 or 74 individuals were noted flying south from 28 September to 17 October, with all except one seen from LH. The maximum day count was 30 on 14 October; 18 on 4th and 21 on 17 October were other notable tallies.
  1987: 123 bird-days (116 birds flew south), 5-30 October.
  1990: three were recorded before 23 October.

Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus  LT—occurs on the Hebei coast. H—no records. WH—one specimen, 28 July. COE—89 individuals, 25 March to 6 May.
  1986: one was seen from LH, flying south, on 8 October.
  1988 (Ho): one flew south, 12 November.