Beidaihe autumns conclusions

Autumn migration at Beidaihe 1986 to 1990 conclusions

HAZARDS FACING MIGRANT BIRDS AT BEIDAIHE
Martin D. Williams

Beecroft (in Williams 1986, pp. 114-120) describes hazards, such as hunting and trapping, which faced migrant birds at Beidaihe. Similar hazards were evident during autumn 1986, when observa-tions of the local people’s interactions with birds were again recorded.

Hunting for food and ‘sport’ As in spring 1985, there were a few occasions when men with guns were hunting birds, with waterfowl and shorebirds the main targets. On 21 September, one of two hunters at the Henghe Reservoir was carrying four dead Common Moorhens Gallinula chlo-ropus, and on 22nd a hunter at the Henghe Sandflats killed a Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica and maimed a Far-Eastern Curlew Numenius madagascariensis. The only other date when hunting was noted at these localities was 23 August, when shorebirds were, apparently, the quarry. These, and the waterfowl, were presumably taken for food. However, it seems likely that a Blue Magpie Urocissa erythroryhncha which was found at the Lotus Hills on 13 October, and had evidently been shot at close range, had been killed for ‘sport’.

There were various attempts to strike birds with projectiles fired by catapults or simply thrown by hand. On 8 September two children with catapults were carrying a dead Eurasian Tree-Sparrow Passer montanus, and on 8 October a group of children were ‘hunting’ small passerines on the flanks of the Lotus Hills.
On 3 October, a girl was seen to throw stones at a Lanceolated Warbler Locustella lanceolata. A stone was thrown at a Yellow-legged Buttonquail Turnix tanki in one of the seafront gullies on 15 September, and rocks were thrown at a Far-Eastern Curlew at the Sandflats on 20 September: perhaps, in these instance, there was some hope of killing the birds for food. Catapults were em-ployed against Common Black-headed Gulls Larus ridibundus at fishponds near the Yanghe estuary on 7 October, possibly in an attempt to scare the birds away.

In contrast to the above, at the Sandflats on 23 October three children were found trying to help a Far-Eastern Curlew which was crippled in both legs. They said they had not injured the bird, and that it had not been shot at; they were attempting to feed it.

Songbird trappers operated much as in spring 1985. Songbird trapping was first noted on 8 September at Legation Gully, where two clap nets (see Beecroft op. cit.) were set out on the path. It appeared that Chinese Grosbeaks Eophona migratoria were the main quarry; two had been caught, along with two Brown Shrikes Lanius cristatus. At the same locality on 15 September, a Brown Shrike was found on the ground, with its wings twisted round behind it. This was presuma-bly a trapped bird; cruelty seems the only explanation for its treatment.
There was then a gap in our records of songbird trapping, lasting until 15 October, from which date trapping was frequently noted. This presumably results from the passage of the Chinese Gros-beak declining, and the migrations of other finch species of interest to the trappers not getting underway until around the middle of October. On 15th, two ‘sets’ of trappers were at the Lotus Hills, using Eurasian Siskins Carduelis spinus as decoys. The next day, caged Eurasian Siskins were being used as decoys by trappers working beside Eagle Rock Gully. On 18 October, two trappers at the Lotus Hills were using Chinese Grosbeaks as well as Eurasian Siskins as decoys. By 19th, there were perhaps four sets of trappers at the Lotus Hills. As in spring 1985, we believe the Japanese Grosbeak Eophona personata was the prime quarry (it fetches the most money in the bird markets); Hawfinches Coccothraustes coccothraustes and Eurasian Siskins were also caught.
For the most part, it seemed the trappers wanted live birds, which they could keep or sell if they were in good condition (at Qinhuangdao, or maybe even Beijing: Beecroft op. cit.), or use as de-coys, especially if they were in poor condition or were females. However, on 30 October a trapping area was found below the Lotus Hills watchpoint where numbers of birds had been killed. The trappers were operating two clap nets, with about eight cages of Eurasian Siskins, four male Haw-finches in individual cages and a female or immature Hawfinch tethered by the leg used as decoys. A small catching box (‘about the size of a seed tray’) held six Hawfinches, which had been caught during the day: they were not treated well, with the box turned upside-down regardless of the impact on the birds.
Several patches of Hawfinch breast feathers were seen; more remains of birds were then found in the immediate vicinity of the traps. The remains of at least 15 Hawfinches—mostly only heads or wing feathers, the bodies having been presumably taken away for eating—were discovered. There were also five dead female or immature Eurasian Siskins, and the remains of at least another five Eurasian Siskins. The piles of feathers suggested that a good many more birds had been killed, at least some of them with a bloodied stick.
The two trappers were packing up, having been trapping for most of the day (it was around 14h30). They allowed the observers who found the traps to take away a trapped male Hawfinch for release: this had a broken tip to one of its mandibles, but was otherwise undamaged. The trappers said Hawfinches might fetch 1-1.8 yuan and Eurasian Siskins 2-2.8 yuan in the bird markets.
The same trapping area was visited on 4 November. Two clap nets were in operation: one was us-ing two Hawfinches and a male Chinese Grosbeak as decoys; the other was using Eurasian Siskins. Three male Hawfinches had been trapped, and had their bills taped. A female or immature Hawfinch had been trapped and killed, and the head and two wings of a recently-killed Hawfinch and the breast of a recently-killed Eurasian Siskin were found.
Songbird trappers were seen with mist nets at the Lotus Hills on 3rd and 4 November.
Notes of songbird trapping decreased during November, though on 17th several recently-abandoned sites were found in Eagle Rock Gully.

Hawk-trapping Hawk-trapping was not noted in spring 1985. Hemmingsen (1951) described methods used for trapping hawks, especially in autumn at the Lotus Hills, where he indicates that several hawk trappers operated (even offering to trap a Black Kite Milvus migrans for him, ‘using a dead dog as bait’, though sparrowhawks and Northern Goshawks were their more usual quarry).
One hawk-trap was operated at the Lotus Hills during autumn 1986; it was of the type described by Hemmingsen (1951).
Preparations for the trap began in September, when a small grass hut was built at a grassy clearing on the western flank of the highest of the Lotus Hills. On 13 September, one of the two trappers who were to operate here was apparently setting up at 13h00, but had gone by 13h40 (both the hawk-trappers were old men; songbird trappers tended to be young). The trap was operated irregu-larly from this date, and the hut was falling down on 3 October.
A trapper returned on 13 October, from which date the trap was manned on most days to around the middle of November. The trapper usually arrived in the morning, and might stay only a short time if few—or no—birds of prey were passing.
An adult male Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis was caught on 3 November (we saw this bird being caught, from the watchpoint on the rocky knoll). This was of little use to the trapper, who was after juvenile birds as they could be trained, and we were given the bird for release.
We watched as a juvenile Northern Goshawk was caught on 8 November; with Jin Longrong, I went to see this bird, and was surprised when the trapper produced a second juvenile he had caught—we had not seen this bird arriving or being trapped.

There were two traps used by the hawk-trappers, each with a pigeon as bait (Hemmingsen also re-corded Amur Falcons Falco amurensis used as bait). Each pigeon was on a small, raised patch of bare ground; both were perhaps five to eight metres from the hut—one to the north, the other to the west. The pigeons were tethered to short sticks they used as perches.
The hut had small holes from which the occupant could watch the traps. There was also a large opening facing towards the north, which could be blocked by a large pad of grass. The trapper might sit inside the hut whilst waiting for birds to pass, or sit at the entrance, moving inside and blocking the entrance when a promising raptor appeared. When the quarry passed over, the trapper pulled on a length of string, which was tied to one of the pigeons and caused the bird to flutter its wings, attracting attention. A clap net operated by another length of string could be rapidly pulled over the pigeon and goshawk should the goshawk then try to catch the bait. I was surprised that on both occasions I visited the trapping area after seeing a bird being caught the pigeons which had been stooped at appeared unscathed, if unsettled, though the trapper said a goshawk which had stooped and escaped had killed one of his pigeons.

On 3 November, with Jin Longrong as interpreter, I interviewed one of the trappers. He said he had been trapping for 50 years; the other trapper for around 60 years. Juvenile Northern Goshawks were the quarry—especially females, which are larger and more powerful than the males. These would be trained for catching hares, as Hemmingsen reported (he notes that ‘Links in the training are semi-starvation following its own initial hunger strike, enforced prevention of sleep, later feeding of indigestible pellets, and finally the use of dead rats or hares as a quarry, the bird being tied to a strong cord the length of which is gradually increased until it can be eventually dispensed with.’: Hemmingsen 1951). One goshawk could catch 100 hares during a winter; the birds are released in the spring.
The trapper would normally catch about ten birds each year, though the adult goshawk we had seen caught—and released—on the day of the interview was the first of the season. The main trap-ping season was from late October to early November; he considered that the birds were late this year.
The trapper told us that he made some money from catching goshawks. Though no figure was given, it seems little money is to be made this way—both trappers appeared to be poor, and it seemed theirs was a dying ‘art’, with the younger men concentrating on songbird trapping, which is certainly more rewarding in terms of numbers caught, and perhaps in terms of money to be made. The trapper said that there used to be seven or eight trappers at the Lotus Hills. He knew of a trap-per working on one of the hills on the plain west of Beidaihe.
He also said there were trappers near Shanhaiguan, but their quarry was eagles (the eagle trappers may operate at Bei Shan, = North Mountain, Hsu Weishu verbally). Jin told me that the main spe-cies which would be caught were the White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, the Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca and the Golden Eagle A. chrysaetos. Though catching these birds is illegal, the stuffed birds or their tail feathers and wings may be sold—e.g. to the Peking Opera, or overseas markets. Tao Yu later told me he had read that this trade had been made illegal, though Hsu Weishu (verbally) believed it continued, with one government department banning eagle trapping whilst an-other effectively encouraged it by trading in the stuffed birds, wings and tail feathers.
The trapper considered that northwest winds were best for the goshawks (in agreement with our observations, as is Hemmingsen’s note that trappers said no or very few pass during southerly or southwesterly winds).
Whilst talking with the trapper, it was interesting to see that he took no great interest in occasional passing buzzards, but became alert as soon as he saw a goshawk, even at a fair distance.

On 1 November, a Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus was seen to have string trailing from it: it was presumably an escaped falconer’s bird.

The hawk traps were not seen in autumn 1987 or 1988.

Birds as toys/ornaments On 3 September, a young boy was seen with a nearly dead male Sibe-rian Rubythroat Erithacus calliope which had cotton tied round its leg. Beecroft (op. cit.) records a Stonechat Saxicola torquata and a Siberian Blue Robin Erithacus cyane being similarly used as children’s toys in spring 1985.
We also saw a child with a Eurasian Tree Sparrow hung round his neck as a pendant.

Other hazards At the Yanghe estuary on 30 September, seven dead Common Black-headed Gulls Larus ridibundus were hung from vertical poles—three on one pole, two on each of two others. The reason for this was not at all clear.
A badly-oiled Common Black-headed Gull was at the Sandflats on 16 October, and a first-winter Relict Gull Larus relictus at the same locality from 19-31 October had a blue-black stain on its breast.
On 1 November, a Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena with fishing line twisted round it was at the Sandflats; attempts to catch and free it failed.