Wildlife Watching for One Night in Shanghai

Throughout my four years in Shanghai, I have tried and succeeded in finding some of the cities most elusive mammals. On April 23, 2017, on a new moon, I took a two hour night walk to see if I could find some uncommon Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides). Within a few minutes, I had seen several House Geckos (Genus Hemidactylus) on the wall of a building. I also spotted three species of bat in moderately large numbers within an hour, the most visible being the Japanese Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus abramus). Along the banks of a lotus-infested stream, I spotted a Chinese Blackbird (Centropus sinensis). Hopping passed me were some Black-Spotted and Eastern Golden Frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) and (Pelophylax plancyi). passing a grove of bamboos, I heard a Brown Hawk Owl (Ninox scutulata) briefly. Heading back home, I heard a rustling in some hedges, and following the noise for ten minutes, I caught up to one of my target species: an impressive, large, and also rare, Amur Hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis)! The hedgehog was a male, and he stayed close to me for quite some time, allowing me to snap some good pictures of him. Satisfied, I ended the search.

Additions to my Life List:

Amur Hedgehogs - 1
Brown Hawk Owls - 1
House Geckos - 2
Japanese Pipistrelle- 6

Posted on October 31, 2018 04:45 AM by wildbennett