Hard is the journey

Ice bars my way to cross

the Yellow River

Snows from dark skies to climb

the T’ai-hang mountains!

(Hard is the journey,

Hard is the journey,

oh many turnings,

And now where am I?)

So when a breeze breaks waves,

bringing fair weather,

I set a cloud for sails,

cross the blue oceans!

Li Po (701–762) ‘Hard is the journey’

Amur Falcons is one of the raptor species that pass the Taihang mountains, China, on migration every year. With them, thousands and thousands of other birds go on their Hard Journeys.

Including Oriental Honey Buzzards (Pernis ptilorhynchus), Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo), Eurasian Sparrow Hawks (Accipiter nisus), Grey-faced Buzzards, Japanese sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), Eurasian Hobbies (Falco subbuteo), Black-eared Kites (Milvus lineatus), Upland Buzzards (Buteo hemilasius), Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus), Eastern Marsh Harriers (Circus spilonotus), Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), Merlins (Falco columbarius), Greater Spotted Eagles (Aquila clanga), Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrines), Booted Eagles (Hieraaetus pennata), Short-toed Eagles (Circaetus gallicus), Imperial Eagles (Aquila heliacal), Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), Pied Harrier (Circus melanoleucos) and Chinese Goshawk (Accipiter soloensis).

References

Wen C and Han D (2013) Raptor migration monitoring in the spring of 2009 at Baiwangshan, Beijing. Chinese Birds 4(4):1. DOI 10.5122/cbirds.2013.00.

The Colors of Mount Taihang, painting by Wang Hui, 1669.

Amur falcon, photo “Amur falcon, Falco amurensis, female at Kruger Park“ by Derek Keats. Thr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.