Waders on the mudflat
Illustrator: Richard Allen
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
An Iconic Species of the Yellow Sea Region
Photo by Dongming Li
Amazing Yellow Sea
An 8-day journey to explore the natural wonder of Yellow Sea
September 12-19 (8 days)
Coastal Jiangsu, Hangzhou and Wuyuan Mountain
Basic Information
Who are we?
For over a decade, Spoon-billed Sandpiper in China and China Coastal Waterbird Census Group have been working on the frontline of shorebird conservation. For more information about us, click here.
Who will be the tour guides?
All the tour guides are local shorebird surveyors and have been working in the field to protect Spoon-billed Sandpiper and millions of shorebird on the Yellow Sea.
Get to know our tour guides.
What did people say about our trip?
We had our first Amazing Yellow Sea tour in 2017, attracting birders from the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Read the trip review of the 2017 Spring Tour written by our tour leader and a participant.
Minimum 8 people; Max group size: 15
Deposit: US$ 700
US$ 600 single room supplement for 8 nights
Species Highlights:
Coastal Jiangsu:
Tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds and woodland birds including Saunders's Gull, Black-faced Spoonbill and Reed Parrotbill.
Jiangsu Coast is located around the mid-point of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Over 40 species of shorebirds migrate through this Flyway every year. Among them are the Critically Endangered Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Endangered Nordmann's Greenshank and Far Eastern Curlew.
Hangzhou, Zhejiang:
Crested Ibis, reintroduced species at Deqing County;
Wuyuan:
Endemic birds: Masked Laughingthrush, Hwamei, Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Dusky Fulvetta, Chinese Bamboo Partridge and other woodland birds including the Pied Falconet, Red-billed Leiothrix, Red-billed Starling, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Chestnut Bulbul and Grey-headed Parrotbill.
Cost：
US$ 3,650
Deposit: US$ 700
The Cost Includes:
All accommodations, all main meals, internal train as stated in the itinerary, overland transport, entrance fees, water and guidance;
A complimentary conservation talk will be given by the key tour leader during the stay of Jiangsu coast.
What's not included:
International travels to and from Shanghai;
tourist visa and international travel insurance;
alcoholic drinks, tips and other personal items
Walking Difficulty：Easy-moderate
Click to read frequently asked questions
The Amazing Yellow Sea tour is a fundraising program. 10% income will be donated to the China Coastal Waterbird Census Team.
Photo by Spring Zhu on the Tiaozini mudflat, May 2nd, 2018
Photo by Hu Zhenhong on the Tiaozini mudflat, April 13, 2017
Map of the tour
Locations of birdwatching spots
Day 0
International arrival at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. You'll spend the night near the airport and have some well-deserved rest after a long travel.
Complimentary Airport pickup is available from 10 AM to 19 PM
Meals: 4-stars hotel near Pudong Airport; simple meals available
Pre-tour to Lian Yun Gang is open for reservation now, a tailor-made tour for shorebird lovers.
Nordmann's Greenshank by Luke Tang
Day 1 September 12th, 2018
We will head to Rudong by bus in the morning, check in hotel around noon time and birdwatch in the afternoon.
Accommodation： Links Golf & Spa Hotel (4 star + spa hotel and local conservation supporter)
Meals: breakfast at hotel; lunch in Rudong; dinner at local restaurant
The Dongtai-Rudong region borders the southern Yellow Sea. In autumn many shorebirds will gather in the arctic north and migrate south to spend their non-breeding season in south China, south/southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Some species stop here briefly, while others use the Dongtai-Rudong region as a key staging site to complete their annual wing/tail/body moult. The ones doing the full moult here include Spoon-billed Sandpiper and Nordmann's Greenshank. Thus in September and October we have the best chance to get large counts as moulting takes more than one month. The best formal population estimate of Spoon-billed Sandpiper is based on the counts in Dongtai-Rudong and for several years our counts of Nordmann's Greenshank exceed their current population estimate.
Little Curlew
We will also have a chance to see all other species of shorebirds travelling along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. In particular, we will find hundreds of the osculans subspecies of Eurasian Oystercatcher, which is treated as a full species by many experts as Far Eastern Oystercatcher. The population of Far Eastern Oystercatcher is a little over 10,000 and Jiangsu Coast supports almost half of it in winter.
Black-faced Spoonbill by Haiying
Black-faced Spoonbill and the Dalmatian Pelican are in migration and we may encounter a few.
Reed Parrotbill by Bo shunqi
In addition to waterbirds, Rudong is also a hotspot for passerine migrants. Mid-September is the peak migration period. We can expect to see migrants, winter residents (e.g. thrushes, buntings, robins) as well as permanent residents including the endemic Reed Parrotbill.
Birding at Magic wood by Lynne Anderson on April 14, 2017
Dalmatian Pelican by Luke Tang
Day 2 & 3, 4 September 13th, 14th and 15th, 2018
We will spend the two days birdwatching at Dongtai-Rudong.
Accommodation：Links Golf & Spa Hotel
Meals: breakfast at hotel; lunch in the field; dinner at Dongtai or Rudong
Saunders's Gull by Woniu
Day 5, September 16th, 2018
We will have quick morning birding around Links hotel and take bus to Deqing to watch the Crested Ibis. The estimated travel time is around 5 hours. We will birdwatch till later afternoon and check in a local hotel in Hangzhou
Accommodation: 4-star hotel at Hangzhou
Meals: breakfast at Links hotel; lunch highway rest area or local restaurant; dinner in Hangzhou
Asian Dowitcher by Luke Tang
Day 6, September 17th, 2018
We will visit Hangzhou botanical garden in the morning and take the afternoon bullet train to Wuyuan, it will take 2 hours by train. Local mini-bus driver will meet us at the station and check in hotel in Wuyuan.
Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Wuyuan
Meals: breakfast at hotel; lunch in Hangzhou; dinner in Wuyuan
Crested Ibis by Zhang Lin
Day 7, September 18th, 2018
We will birdwatch in Wuyuan, the most beautiful county in China for its lakes, mountains, ancient community and architecture. Wuyuan nature reserve is the first county-level nature reserve built exclusively for the Blue-crowned Laughingthrush.
Accommodation: 4-star hotel in Wuyuan
Meals: breakfast at hotel; lunch in Wuyuan; dinner in Wuyuan
Hobby by Tengteng
Day 8, September 19th, 2018
We will birdwatch in Wuyuan in the morning and return to Shanghai by train in the afternoon.
When we arrive in Shanghai, there is local bus for either HongQiao Hub hotel or Pudong airport hotel.
Accommodation is not arranged, but we are happy to help on personal request.
Meals: breakfast at hotel; lunch in Wuyuan; dinner is not arranged.
Pied Falconet by Bob Bao
For more information, please contact Jing at: info@sbsinchina.com
+86 139 1627 0962
Follow us at
Want to invite your friend together, please download the face&info sheet for him/her.