After two hours of constant bird-activity – the best early-morning birding of the trip – I reluctantly got into the car that would drive me to Sanya airport.

  Remarkably, within 50 yards of my accommodation, I had found two of the sub-species endemics that had eluded me for three days: Yellow-billed Nuthatch (Hainan is the only place in China this species can be found) and the Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker.  In fact, I saw all of the birds listed below (except the last three) within 100 yards from my chalet.

  The drive from Jianfengling to the airport is always good for a Black-shouldered Kite or two; and sure enough I was able to spot one flying parallel with the fast expressway.  The driver kindly pulled over to the hard-shoulder and I was able to get out to get an okay shot.

   I arrived at the airport at 11.30, two hours after leaving Jianfengling.  My flight back to Beijing was not until 1.10pm, so I decided that I could spend half and hour looking for Olive-backed Sunbirds, one of Hainan's specialities (I haven't seen it anywhere else in China).  I headed towards the flowering trees, just opposite the air terminal – the same type of tree that I had seen the sunbird feeding on during my last visit to Hainan.  Sure enough, as I approached them, I could hear the distinctive call of the o-b sunbird.  The shots (one of which captures the bird in mid song-flight) show a male in full breeding plumage (looking far better than the blotchy males I photographed five weeks ago).  As I was watching the sunbirds, a Two-barred Greenish Warbler popped into view.  A nice end to a very pleasant trip to the wonderful island of Hainan.

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*Chestnut Bulbul (photo), ssp castanonotus (same as n. Vietnam), 2

*Yellow-billed Nuthatch (photo), endemic ssp chienfengensis, 2

*Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (photo), endemic ssp swinhoei

Grey-chinned Minivet, 2 

Hainan Barbet, aka Black-browed Barbet, oorti faber, c15

White-bellied Yuhina, c30

Mountain Bulbul (photo), few