Hainan
The province Hainan comprises a tropical island of the same name. It offers a number of different habitats, including montane forests, coastal forests and grasslands, as well as mud flats and coastal salt flats. The most important site for birders is the Jiangfengling Nature Reserve, which allows to see all endemic species of the island. A visit to this site requires about three days. If the other sites described below should also be visited, the suggested time is six days. Although a visit to Hainan is possible throughout the year, the best time would be in the winter months (November to March). During migration, the coastal mudflats are also visited by interesting waders, such as the Spoon-billed Sandpiper.
1) Jianfengling Nature Reserve
Jianfengling is a nature reserve protecting a large area of untouched forest in the hilly interior of Hainan. Simple hotels and guest houses offer accomodation within the forest or at a nearby dam. Interesting birding is possible along the road into the forest reserve. Once at the destination, hiking trails in the forest allow good bird watching. The recent development of bird hides managed by locals offer good chances to see the very scarce Hainan Peacock-Pheasant.
Suggested time: 3 days
Target birds: Hainan Partridge, Hainan Peacock-Pheasant, Hainan Leaf Warbler, Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Black-throated Laughingthrush (local subspecies)
Additional species: Silver Pheasant (local subspecies), Mountain Scops-Owl, Red-headed Trogon, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Chinese Barbet, Silver-breasted Broadbill, White-winged Magpie, Indochinese Green-Magpie, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Sultan Tit, Light-vented Bulbul (local subspecies), Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, and many more
2) Danzhou Bay
Danzhou Bay is situated in the northwestern part of Hainan. It offers birding opportunities on coastal mudflats, which are visited by many interesting shorebirds, particularly during migration. In addition, the grasslands, farmlands, and coastal forests in this area allow excellent birding for nocturnal birds.
Suggested time: 2 days
Coastal mudflats & wetlands
Target birds: Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Nordmann's Greenshank, Black-faced Spoonbill
Nocturnal birding
Target birds: Australasian Grass-Owl, Eastern Barn Owl, Oriental Bay-Owl, Collared Scops-Owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Large-tailed Nightjar, Blue-breasted Quail, Barred Buttonquail
3) Yinggehai Saltpans
The Yinggehai Saltpans in the southwestern part of Hainan are not characterized by a particularly beautiful landscape, but offer habitats for a number of interesting bird species. In addition to open, shallow water bodies, the area is criss-crossed by myriad narrow canals with variable vegetation cover. Due to the activities of fishermen, the birds are also somewhat used to humans. Naturally, the area is good for waders and water birds, such as rails and crakes.
Suggested time: 1 day
Target birds: Slaty-breasted Rail, White-browed Crake, Ruddy-breasted Crake
Additional species: Black-faced Spoonbill, Eurasian Spoonbill, Yellow Bittern, Bluethroat, Siberian Rubythroat, many waders and water birds.
Other birding sites
In addition to the places described above, Hainan offers a good number of other birding sites. The Bawangling and Diaoluoshan Nature Reserves protect forest habitats comparable to those of Jianfengling Nature Reserve. Interesting wetlands include the Paddy Field National Park and the Haiwei Wetland Park. Parks within the cities of Sanya and Haikou offer the opportunities to see common species, some of which are also characteristic of Hainan, such as the local subspecies of the Light-vented Bulbul.
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