Sensitive species seen on tour but not shown in the trip list: Hainan Peacock-Pheasant, Eastern Barn Owl, Oriental Bay-Owl, Red-billed Blue-Magpie, Chinese Hwamei, Black-throated Laughingthrush
Videos of birding scene, hotels, foods, scenery photos on the bottom of this page
This is a private birding tour for Peter, during this tour he got 640 sound recordings of 191 bird species. He added them to our eBird checklists, and also uploaded them to Xeno Canto.
Participants : Carolyn Louise Stewart, Brian Casatelli, Jörg Hanoldt & Sioh Eng Woo, Stefan Obytz, Bradford Lee Carey, Rudolf Floris Koes, Mark Philippart, Martin Ulrik Junker Nielsen
Our Best of Sichuan Itinerary is based on many years experience of taking tours in this Province of China. The birding, scenery and food are all outstanding. We aim to try to find as many of Sichuan’s endemic or near-endemic breeding species as possible, along with a host of other more widespread Asian breeding species. Birds we will target include Chinese Monal, White-eared, Blue-eared, Lady Amherst’s and Golden Pheasants, Temminck’s Tragopan, Verreaux’s Monal-partridge, Sichuan and Tibetan Partridges, Chinese Grouse, Tibetan Snowcock, Sichuan Wood Owl, Snowy-cheeked, Black-necked Crane, Pere David’s, Elliot’s, Barred, Buffy and Giant Laughingthrushes, Emei Shan Liocichla, Moupinia/ Rufous-tailed Babbler, Grey-hooded, Spectacled, Golden, Fulvous, Great, Brown, Ashy-throated and Three-toed Parrotbills, Sichuan Jay, Tibetan Lark, Slaty Bunting, Golden, Chinese and Spectacled Fulvettas, Yellow-streaked, Buff-throated, Sulphur-breasted, Bianchi’s, Marten’s, Grey-crowned and Alstrom’s Warblers, Emei, Sichuan, Alpine, Humes, Claudia’s, Kloss’s and Chinese Leaf Warblers, White-browed and Crested Tit Warblers, Sichuan, Spotted and Baikal Bush Warblers, Pere David’s, Sichuan, White-browed, Fire-capped and Ground Tits, Przevalski’s Nuthatches, Hodgson’s and Sichuan Treecreepers, Siberian and Chinese Rubythroats, Firethroat, Chestnut, Kessler’s and Sichuan Forest Thrushes, Three-banded, Chinese White-browed, Himalayan Beautiful, Streaked, Pink-rumped, Dark-breasted, Dark-rumped, Sharpe’s and Chinese Long-tailed Rosefinches, Rufous-necked and White-rumped Snowfinches and Przevalski’s Finch, now in its very own family!
PS: Our final tour itinerary may change a little bit due to the latest birding situation. Birding spots in Sichuan tour : Tangjiahe, Chuanzhusi / Gonggangling, Ruoergai, Maerkang / Mengbishan, Wolong / Balangshan, Wawushan, Longcanggou, Hailuogou, Luding / Erlangshan, Labahe, Pingshan etc.
Day 1 Arrive in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. Night in Chengdu Atour Hotel.
Day 2 In the early morning we will visit a park which offers a good opportunity to see some interesting birds including Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Black-throated Tit, Yellow-billed Grosbeak ( Chinese Grosbeak ), Chinese Blackbird, White-browed Laughingthrush, Little Egret, Little Grebe and perhaps Chinese Bamboo Partridge then head to Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve for an overnight stay.
Day 3 Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve is a good place to see a number of species including Golden Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan, Slaty Bunting and the rare Tawny Fish Owl and we will target these species during our stay. Commoner birds that we might encounter include Mountain Hawk Eagle, White-backed Woodpecker, Collared Finchbill, Brown-breasted Bulbul, , Elliot’s and White-throated Laughingthrush, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Yellow-bellied and Green-backed Tit, Crested Kingfisher, Fujian Niltava, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Claudia’s Leaf Warblers, Sulphur-breasted Warbler and Alstrom’s Warbler. Many mammals also occur in this area, including Takin, Reeve’s Muntjac, Tufted Deer, Tibetan Macaque, Chinese Serow, Chinese Goral and Yellow-throated Marten. If we are lucky we might see a couple of these species, and there is also an outside chance of encountering the rare Golden Snub-nosed Monkey or even Asiatic Black Bear.
Day 4 After the morning birding in Tangjiahe we head to Chuanzhusi, long drive day around 7-8 hours, birding on the way looking for Collared Crow and Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, lunch and birding stop at Huangtuliang Pass with chances for Spotted and Chestnut-crowned Bush Warblers, Long-tailed Thrush and Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch.Night in Songpan.
Day 5 Early morning birding in Gongganglin forest, then head to Ruoergai, night in Ruoergai
Gongganglin is an area of high altitude coniferous forest not far from Juizhaigou, and is one of the best places to encounter Sichuan Wood Owl, which we will search for as it gets light. After that we will concentrate on other target species that are sometimes seen in this area, including Blue-eared Pheasant, White-browed and Crested Tit Warblers, Chinese White-browed, Pink-rumped and Three-banded Rosefinches, Siberian Rubythroat, White-cheeked Nuthatch, Maroon-backed Accentor, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, White-throated and White-bellied Redstart, Severtzov’s (Chinese) Grouse is also very occasionally seen in this area, but very hard to find.
Days 6- 7 Birding in the Ruoergai area including Baxi forest and the Tibetan Plateau, night in Ruoergai.
We will spend two days birding near Ruoergai, with one morning concentrating on Baxi forest and the other on the Tibetan Plateau. Baxi is the probably the best place in Sichuan to find Blue-eared Pheasant, Chinese Grouse, Three-banded Rosefinch, Przevalski’s (White-Cheeked) Nuthatch, Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush, Chinese Fulvetta, Sichuan Tit, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Giant Laughingthrush and Black Woodpecker, and we will concentrate on these species. Commoner birds here include species such as Chestnut and Kessler’s Thrush, Chinese, Greenish and Buff-barred Warbler, and Grey-headed Bulfinch. Wolves have been seen in this vicinity, but are extremely rare.
Our second morning will be either spent at Baxi, if we have missed anything important there, or we can potentially target Przevalski’s Finch (Pink-tailed Bunting) and Tibetan (Black-winged) Snowfinch about an hour from our hotel. In the afternoon we will visit the high plains of the Tibetan Plateau where we will look for Black-necked Crane, Tibetan Lark, Rufous-necked and White-rumped Snowfinch, Horned Lark and perhaps Twite. Tibetan Grey Shrike is sometimes also seen in the Ruoergai area whilst Ground-tit is fairly common, even at the edge of town.
Day 8 Today is a rather long travel day (320km), our destination being Maerkang, but there are plenty of good birds to see on route and we will stop several times at key sites for birds that we still need. These may include Tibetan Partridge, Saker Falcon, Przevalski’s Finch (if still needed), White-browed Tit Warbler, Sichuan Tit, White-browed Tit, Pere David’s (Plain) Laughingthrush, Azure-winged Magpie, Tibetan Snowfinch, and Little Owl. Night in Maerkang.
Day 9 In the early morning we will drive up into the mountains to visit the beautiful pine forests of Mengbishan. This is the best place in Sichuan to find the often elusive Sichuan Jay and Verreaux’s Monal-partridge (Chestnut-throated Monal Partridge), and there is a good supporting cast including Blood Pheasant, Giant Laughingthrush, Long-tailed Thrush, Crested Tit-Warbler, Chinese Fulvetta, Crimson-browed Finch and Collared Grosbeak. Other notable birds in this area include Himalayan Bluetail, Giant Laughingthrush, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Streaked, Himalayan Beautiful, Pink-rumped and Chinese White-browed Rosefinches. White Eared Pheasant, Three-banded Rosefinch and Black Woodpecker are also possible but rare. Night in Maerkang.
Day 10 This is a travel day, with birding on the way, passing some magnificent scenery on route to Wolong, where we spend the night. Birds we will search for on route include Long-tailed Rosefinches of the distinctive race henrici, Wallcreeper, Yellow-streaked Warbler, Hill Pigeon, Hodgson’s Redstart and Asian House Martin along with both species of chough. If we arrive early enough in Wolong we will also have time to look for the recently recognized Sichuan Forest Thrush and Firethroat.
Day 11 We will start the day very early, have breakfast in an area that is good for Chinese Monal and White-eared Pheasant and occasionally Koklass Pheasant before we head back up towards the Balang Shan Pass if the weather is good. Balang Shan supports a number of high-altitude species, including Tibetan Snowcock, Snow Partridge, Red-fronted and Streaked Rosefinch, Brandt’s Mountain Finch, Alpine Accentor, Rosy Pipit, and with luck, Grandala. We will bird down the mountain during the afternoon and eventually spend the night in Wolong. On route we will stop frequently to look for a variety of species including Himalayan Griffon, Yellow-billed and Red-billed Chough, Firethroat, Giant and Barred Laughingthrushes, Alpine Thrush, Sichuan Forest Thrush, Slaty Bunting, recently split Chinese Rubythroat, Crested Tit Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler, Collared and White-winged Grosbeak, Kessler’s and Chestnut Thrushes. The area we visit is extremely good for Rosefinches, and we might encounter any of the following species during our two full days here: Sharpe’s Chinese Beautiful, Chinese White-browed, Dark-breasted, Vinaceous, and Pink-rumped Rosefinch. Night in Wolong.
Day 12 We will head back into the mountains before light, this time probably concentrating first on some birds in the lower part of the valley (although this depends on weather and what we saw the previous day). Night in Wolong.
Day 13 After another early start, we spend the morning birding between Wolong and Rilong, before heading to Wawu Shan, where we spend the night. If time allowed we will spend the afternoon looking for some low altitude species such as Grey-crowned Warbler, Alstrom’s Warbler, Ashy-throated Parrotbill in Wawu Shan.
Day 14 This will be a full day in Wawu Shan which is the best place for parrotiblls in Sichuan, with chances of seeing Three-toed, Fulvous, Golden, Great, Brown and Ashy-throated Parrotbills and also Grey-hooded. There is also a reasonable chance of Temminck’s Tragopan along with a number of other special species such as Grey-hooded, Gold-fronted and Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Sichuan Treecreeper, Red-winged, Buffy, Spotted and Elliot’s Laughingthrushes, Emei Shan Liocichla, Spotted Bush Warblers and White-bellied Redstart. Red Panda is also seen here regularly.
Day 15Morning birding in Wawu Shan for missed species previously then drive from Wawu Shan to Luding. Night in Luding.
Day 16 Luding is not far from Erlang Shan, where we will spend the day looking for a different set of birds. Erlang Shan is the best place to see Lady Amherst’s Pheasant and Moupinia (Rufous-tailed Babbler) and we will target these two species along with Chinese Song Thrush, Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, Streaked Barwing, Gold-fronted Fulvetta, Yellow-bellied Tit, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Black-browed Bushtit, Golden Bush Robin, Brown, Grey-hooded, Fulvous and Great Parrotbills and a number of species that we may have missed previously, such as Firethroat and Barred Laughingthrush. Sharpe’s Rosefinch is also a possibility at this site. Night in Luding.
Day 17 After morning birding in Erlang Shan for missed species previously then head to Labahe, night in Labahe.
Day 18 Full day birding in Labahe Provincial Nature Reserve, Night in Labahe.
Labahe is another great place for Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan along with other rare birds like Sichuan Treecreeper, Pere David’s and Fire-capped Tit, quite a few parrotbill species : Fulvous, Brown, Great and Golden Parrotbills.And other nice small species : Chinese and Pygmy Wren-babbler, Ashy-throated Warbler, Sichuan, Large-billed and Claudia’s Leaf Warblers, David’s Fulvetta , Stripe-throated and White-collared Yuhina, Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Goldcrest, Fujian Niltava, Verditer, Slaty-blue, Ferruginous and Rufous-gorgeted Flycatchers, Himalayan (White-browed) Shortwing and Brown Dipper. Red Panda has a possibility there.
Day 19 After morning birding in Labahe then drive back to Chengdu with a brief stop for Swinhoe’s Minivet (near Ya’an) and Forest Wagtail. Night in Chengdu Atour Hotel.
Day 20 Departure, Chengdu Airport send off.
Booking
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Day 1 Arrive at Xining, birding at Xining hills, night in Xining
Possible birds in Xining hills: Przevalski’s Partridge, Red-billed Chough, Pied Wheatear, Meadow bunting, Godlewski’s Bunting, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Rufous-tailed/Common Rock Thrush, Common Pheasant, Little Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl
Day 2 Morning birding at Dongxia forest park , drive to Gonghe, 185km, 3 hours drive, birding at Gonghe, night in Gonghe
Possible birds in Dongxia forest park : Gansu Leaf Warbler, Przevalski’s and Chinese Nuthatch, Crested Tit Warbler, Goldcrest, Siberian Rubythroat, Chinese White-browed and Common Rosefinches, Yellow-streaked Warbler, White-throated Redstart, Chinese Song Thrush, Elliot’s Laughingthrush, White-winged Grosbeak, Black-faced Bunting, Grey-headed Bullfinch
Possible birds near Gonghe : Mongolian Finch, Desert Finch, Lesser Whitethroat, Pine Bunting, Black-faced Bunting, Isabelline and Desert Wheatear, Rock Sparrow, Twite, White-rumped and Rufous-necked Snowfinches
Day 3 Birding at Longyangxia Valley and Mt.Ela then head to Maduo, 340km, 4 hours drive, night in Maduo
Main bird targets in Longyangxia Valley ( this is a new place found by Chinese birders for Pale Rosefinch during the covid ):Pale Rosefinch,Przevalski’s Partridge, Desert Finch, Mongolian Finch, Lesser Whitethroat
Main bird target birds in Mt.Ela : Roboroveski’s/Tibetan Rosefinch, Guldenstadt’s/White-winged Redstart, Tibetan Snowfinch, Brandt’s and Plain Mountain Finches
Main bird targets on the way from Gonghe to Maduo: Mongolian Lark, Przevalski’s Finch, Streaked Rosefinch, White-browed Tit, Black-winged Snowfinch, Guldenstadt’s/White-winged Redstart etc
Day 4 Drive from Maduo to Nangqian via Yushu, night at Nangqian, 500km, 7 hours drive, night in Nangqian
Target birds on the way from Maduo to Nangqian : Ibisbill, Upland Buzzard, Himalayan Griffon, Lammergeier, Saker Falcon, Daurian Jackdaw, Little Owl, Mongolian Lark, Ruddy Shelduck, Bar-headed Goose, Common Redshank, Brown-headed Gull, Common Tern, Pale Martin, Citrine Wagtail, Salim Ali’s Swift, Eurasian Crag Martin, Asian House Martin, White-rumped, Black-winged and Rufous-necked Snowfinches, Common Hoopoe, Kessler’s Thrush, Giant Grey Shrike, Brown Deeper, Black, Hodgson’s and Blue-fronted Redstart, Tickell’s/Alpine Leaf Warbler, Red-rumped Swallow, Streaked and Great Rosefinches
Mammals: Kiang, Tibetan Gazelle, Tibetan Fox, Kiang, Wolf
Day 5 Birding at Kanda Shan, night in Nangqian
Main target birds in Kanda Shan : Tibetan Bunting, Tibatan Snowcock, Tibetan Partridge, White-eared Pheasant, Szechenyi’s Monal-Partridge(Buff-throated Partridge),Tibetan Babax, Chinese Rubythroat, White-browed Tit, Sichuan Tit, White-browed Tit Warbler, other possible species: Wallcreeper, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Golden Eagle, Grandala, Chinese Beautiful, Red-fronted and Streaked Rosefinches, Snow Pigeon, White-capped Redstart, Plain Mountain Finch, White-winged Grosbeak
There is also good chances for Blue Sheep
Day 6 Birding at Baizha forest, night in Nangqian
Main target birds in Baizha forest : Szechenyi’s Monal-Partridge (Buff-throated Partridge), White-eared Pheasant,Tibetan Babax, other possible species: Elliot’s and Giant Laughingthrush, Three-banded, Pink-rumped and Common Rosefinches, Crested Tit Warbler, White-throated Dipper, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, Long-tailed Thrush, Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker, Himalayan Bluetail, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Rosy Pipit, Rufous-vented, Grey-crested and Sichuan Tit, Chinese Fulvetta, Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-breasted and Maroon-backed Accentors, Salim Ali’s Swift, Aberrant Bush Warbler, Sichuan Leaf Warbler
There is also good chances for Blue Sheep
Day 7 Drive from Nangqian to Qumalai, birding and mammal watching on the way, night at Qumalai, 400km, 5 hours drive, night in Qumalai
Possible birds on the way from Nangqian to Qumalai: Ibisbill, Black-necked Crane, Upland Buzzard, Himalayan Griffon, Lammergeier, Saker Falcon etc
Mammals : Kiang, Wolf, Tibetan Fox
Day 8 Drive from Qumalai to Golmud, 480 km, 6 hours drive, birding and mammal watching on the way, night at Golmud
Main target birds on the way from Qumalai to Golmud : Tibetan Sandgrouse, Tibetan Sand Plover, Saker Falcon, Upland Buzzard, Little Owl, Lesser Whitethroat etc
Mammals: Tibetan Antelope, Tibetan Gazelle, Tibetan Fox, Kiang, Wolf
Day 9 Drive from Golmud to Dulan via B, birding on the way, 350km, 4 hours drive , night in Dulan
Main target birds on the way from Golmud to Dulan: Henderson’s Ground Jay, Tarim Babbler ( a new place found by local Chinese birders during the covid ), Lesser Whitethroat, Asian Short-toed Lark, Isabelline Shrike, Bearded Reedling etc
Mammals: Goitered Gazelle
Day 10 Drive from Dulan to Chaka, birding on the way, night in Chaka
Main targets birds on the way from Dulan to Chaka: Przevalski’s Redstart, Przevalski’s Partridge, Daurian Partridge, Pine Bunting, Giant Grey Shrike, White-winged Grosbeak, Black Redstart etc
Day 11 Morning birding in Chaka area then head to Rubber mountain and Koko Nor lake / Qinghaihu lake, drive to Xining, night in Xining
Main target birds in Chaka area: Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Henderson’s Ground Jay, Mongolian Lark, Blanford’s/Plain-backed Snowfinch, Desert and Isabelline Wheatears
Main target birds in Rubber mountain: Przevalski’s Finch, White-browed Tit, White-rumped, Rufous-necked and Black-winged Snowfinch, Robin and Brown Accentor, Dusky Warbler, Tickell’s / Alpine Leaf Warbler
Main target birds in Koko Nor lake : Black-necked Crane, Bar-headed Goose, Brown-headed Gull, Ground Tit, Mongolian, Hume’s Short-toed and Tibetan Lark, Pere David’s Snowfinch, Pale Martin ect
Mammals: Przewalski’s Gazelle
Day 12 Morning birding in Xining area if time allowed. Departure
Lhasa extension
Day 1 Lhasa airport pick up, check in hotel, visit Jokhang Monastery , Barkhor Street, night in Lhasa
Day 2 Morning birding in Luobulinka Park, visit Potala Palace in the afternoon, night in Lhasa
Day 3 Full day birding in Xiongse Monastery and around Lhasa, night in Lhasa
Day 4 Morning birding in Lhasa area if time allowed, then drive to airport send off, departure
Booking
To book tours or custom design private tours pleasecontact us
If you are an international birding company looking for a ground agent price pleasecontact us
Day 1 Arrive at Shanghai, birding at Shanghai when time allowed, night in Shanghai
Day 2 Morning birding in Shanghai, then head to Wuyuan, 500km, 6.5 hours drive, night in Wuyuan
Possible birds in Shanghai area: Reed Parrotbill, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Chinese Penduline Tit, Long-tailed Shrike, Oriental Magpie, Common Kestrel, Spotted and Oriental Turtle Dove, Pallas’s Reed Bunting, Light-vented Bulbul,Eurasian Hoopoe, Plain Prinia, Little and Great Crested Grebe, Common Pheasant, Eurasian Spoonbill, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Falcated Duck.
Day 3 Full day birding in Wuyuan, night in Wuyuan
Possible birds in Wuyuan area: Mandarin Duck, Scaly-sided Merganser, Pied Falconet, Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler, Short-tailed Parrotbill, Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Chinese Hwamei, Moustached, Buffy and Masked Laughingthrushes,Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Silver Pheasant, White-breasted Waterhen, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Long-billed Plover, Black-winged Kite, Black Eagle, Eastern Buzzard, Collared Owlet, Common Kingfisher, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Brown Shrike, Grey Treepie, Japanese Tit, Collared Finchbill, Rufous-faced Warbler, Black-throated Bushtit, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Dusky and Huet’s Fulvetta, Indochinese Yuhina, Red-billed and Black-collared Starling, Grey-backed Thrush, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, White-crowned Forktail, Daurian Redstart, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Fork-tailed Sunbird, White-rumped and Scaly-breasted Munia, Chinese Grosbeak, Yellow-browed, Black-faced and Tristram’s Buntings.
Day 4 Morning birding in Wuyuan then head to Jiujiang, 270km, 3.5 hours drive, night in Jiujiang
Day 5 Morning birding in Northern Poyang Lake,then head to Dongzhai, 420km, 5.5 hours drive, afternoon birding in Dongzhai if time allowed, night in Dongzhai
Possible birds in Northern Poyang Lake area:Baer’s Pochard, Siberian Crane, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Swan Goose, Tundra Bean Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Grey Heron, Common Kingfisher, Yellow-browed Warbler, White-browed and Masked Laughingthrush, Red-billed, White-cheeked and Black-collared Starling, Dusky Thrush, Chinese Grosbeak, Little, Rustic, Yellow-throated and Black-faced Bunting.
Day 6 Morning birding in Dongzhai then head to Poyang Lake, 520km, 6.5 hours drive, night in Wucheng
Possible birds in Dongzhai area: Reeves’s Pheasant, Crested Ibis,Brown Crake, Crested Kingfisher, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Grey Treepie, Oriental Magpie, Collared Crow, Coal and JapaneseTit, Collared Finchbill, Brown-breasted, Light-vented, Mountain and Chestnut Bulbul, Rufous-faced Warbler, Silver-throated and Black-throated Bushtits, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Chinese Hwamei, Masked Laughingthrush, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Swinhoe’s White-eye, Red-flanked Bluetail, White-crowned Forktail, White-rumped Munia, Eurasian Siskin, Little, Meadow, Yellow-browed, Rustic, Yellow-throated and Black-faced Bunting.
Day 7 Full day birding in Poyang Lake, night in Wucheng
Possible birds in Wucheng, Poyang Lake area: Siberian, Common, Hooded and White-naped Cranes, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Common Pheasant, Swan Goose, Tundra Bean Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Teal, Brown Crake, Japanese Quail, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Common Snipe, Northern Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Oriental Stork, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-crowned Night Heron, Eastern Marsh and Hen Harriers, White-throated and Pied Kingfisher, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Zitting Cisticola, Marsh Grassbird, Plain Prinia, Red-billed, White-cheeked and Black-collared Starlings, Chinese Blackbird, Hwamei, Grey-backed and Pale Thrushes, White-rumped and Scaly-breasted Munias, Olive-backed and Buff-bellied Pipits, Chinese Grosbeak, Chestnut-eared and Black-faced Buntings.
Day 8 Morning birding in Poyang Lake, then head to Emei Feng, 420km, 5.5 hours drive, night in Taining
Day 9 Full day birding in Emei Feng, night in Taining
Possible birds in Emei Feng area: Cabot’s Tragopan, Elliot’s, Silver and Koklass Pheasants, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Mandarin Duck, Sultan, Yellow-cheeked and Japanese Tits, Dusky and Huet’s Fulvettas, Chinese Hwamei, Masked, Moustached and Buffy Laughingthrushes, Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes, House Swift, Black-winged Kite, Black Eagle, Collared and Asian Barred Owlet, Great Barbet, Common Kestrel, Grey-chinned Minivet, Bull-headed Shrike, White-bellied Erpornis, Indochinese Yuhina, Blyth’s Shrike-babbler, Grey Treepie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Collared Finchbill, Mountain Bulbul, Rufous-faced Warbler, Black-throated Bushtit, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Grey-sided and Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers, Crested Myna, Black-collared Starling, Dusky and White’s Thrushes, White-crowned, Spotted and Slaty-backed Forktail, Siberian Stonechat, Grey Wagtail, Brambling, Little and Black-faced Buntings.
Day 10 Morning birding in Emeifeng then head to Jiangle, 110km, 2 hours drive, afternoon birding when time allowed, night in Jiangle
Day 11 Morning birding in Jiangle then head to Junfeng Shan, 90km, 2 hours drive, night in Ziyun Village
Possible birds in Jiangle area: Blyth’s Kingfisher, Elliot’s Pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Red-headed Trogon, Chinese Barbet, White-breasted Waterhen, Striated Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black Eagle, Grey-chinned Minivet, White-bellied Erpornis, Japanese and Yellow-cheeked Tit, Light-vented, Mountain and Chestnut Bulbul, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler, Huet’s Fulvetta, Indochinese and Black-chinned Yuhina, White’s Thrush, Little, White-crowned and Slaty-backed Forktail, Blue Whistling Thrush, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Tristram’s Bunting.
Day 12 Morning birding in Junfeng Shan, then head to Sanming, 90km, 1.5 hours drive, afternoon birding in Sanming, night in Sanming
Day 13 Morning birding in Sanming, then head to Fuzhou, 220km, 3 hours drive, night in Fuzhou
Possible birds in Junfeng Shan and Sanming area: White-necklaced Partridge,Short-tailed Parrotbill, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Cabot’s Tragopan, Elliot’s Pheasant, Chinese Barbet, Mandarin Duck, Green Sandpiper, Black-crowned Night Heron, Chinese Pond Heron, Crested Goshawk, Collared Owlet, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Wryneck, Scarlet and Grey-chinned Minivets, White-bellied Erpornis, Sultan, Japanese and Yellow-cheeked Tits, Light-vented, Mountain and Chestnut Bulbuls, Red-rumped Swallow, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Grey-sided and Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers, Rufous-capped Babbler, Dusky and Huet’s Fulvettas, Indochinese Yuhina, Black-collared Starlings, White-crowned Forktail, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Fork-tailed Sunbird, Little, Black-faced and Tristram’s Buntings.
Day 14 Morning birding in Fuzhou forest park then head to Changle, 60km, 1 hour drive,night in Changle
Possible birds in Fuzhou forest park: White-necklaced Partridge, Spotted Elachura, Silver Pheasant, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Fork-tailed Sunbird, Hartert’s Leaf Warbler, Chinese Pond Heron, Great Barbet, Grey Treepie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Collared Finchbill, Red-whiskered, Light-vented, Mountain, Black and Chestnut Bulbul, Rufous-faced and Yellow-browed Warblers, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Common Tailorbird, Grey-sided and Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Huet’s Fulvetta, Red-billed Leiothrix, Chinese Hwamei, Black-throated Laughingthrush, Indochinese Yuhina, Swinhoe’s White-eye, Pale Thrush, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Slaty-backed and White-crowed Forktail, Tristram’s Bunting.
Day 15 Morning birding in Minjiang Estuary then head to Fuzhou Changle airport, fly to Sanya/Haikou（ Hainan Island ）, drive to Jianfengling, night in Jianfengling
Possible birds in Minjiang Estuary area: Spoon-billed, Common, Green and Marsh Sandpipers, Eurasian and Black-faced Spoonbill, Tundra Swan, Eurasian Wigeon, Mallard, Eastern Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Teal, Northern Pintail, Little Grebe, Oriental Turtle Dove, Spotted Dove, Common Moorhen, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Black-bellied, Little Ringed and Kentish Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Temminck’s and Red-necked Stint, Sanderling, Dunlin, Common Snipe, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Saunders’s, Relict, Black-headed, Black-tailed and Mongolian Gull, Caspian Tern, Oriental Stork, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Great and Little Egret, Chinese Pond Heron, Osprey, Black-winged Kite, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Eastern Buzzard, Eurasian Hoopoe, Eurasian Wryneck, Eurasian Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Long-tailed Shrike, Oriental Magpie, Plain and Yellow-bellied Prinia, Light-vented and Red-whiskered Bulbul, Yellow-browed Warbler, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Dusky Warbler, Manchurian Bush Warbler, Swinhoe’s White-eye, Black-collared and Red-billed Starling, Crested Myna, Chinese Blackbird, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Bluethroat, Daurian Redstart, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Richard’s, Olive-backed, Red-throated and American/Buff-bellied Pipits, Grey-capped Greenfinch, Black-faced Bunting.
Day 16-17 Two full days birding in Jianfengling, night in Jianfengling
Main targets in Jianfengling : Hainan Peacock Pheasant, Hainan Partridge, Hainan Leaf Warbler, Hainan Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Spot-necked Babbler, Swinhoe’s Laughingthrush ( likely split from Black-throated ), Chinese Barbet, Rufous-cheeked Laughingthrush, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Fork-tailed Sunbird, Sultan Tit, Red-headed Trogon, Japanese Robin, Large Scimitar Babbler, Eyebrowed Wren-babbler, Ratchet-tailed Treepie, Hartert’s Leaf Warbler, Mountain Scops Owl, Collared Scops Owl
Day 18 Morning birding in Jianfengling, then drive to Danzhou, on the way looking for White-browed Crake and Lesser Whistling Duck, night in Danzhou
Day 19 Full day birding in Danzhou, night in Danzhou
Main targets in Danzhou : Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Eastern Grass Owl, Eastern Barn Owl, Oriental Bay Owl, Collared Scops Owl, Asian Barred Owlet, Slaty-breasted Rail, King Quail, Barred Buttonquail, Paddyfield Pipit, Richard’s Pipit, Lanceolated Warbler, Black-faced Spoonbill
Day 20Morning birding in Danzhou, then drive to Haikou airport send off, suggest flight after 2 pm, departure.
Single room supplement: 600 USD per person
Tour cost includes:
Ground transportation by private car/van/coach; twin share and single rooms accommodation; all meals; all necessary entrance fee, bird hide fee, and NR permits;
Guide/driver’s meals & accommodation;
All meals include daily drinking bottled water, packed breakfast, lunch & dinner mostly at local restaurants;
Internal flight from Fuzhou to Sanya/Haikou
Tour cost excludes:
Travel insurance, soft drinks & alcohol, tips for local stuff
My tour with you was really unforgettable! Not only did we manage to see almost all major targets, plus some bonus species, we also had amazing views on most of them. You’re an amazing birder, with very sharp eyes. The itinerary was not 100% fixed so because of the flexibility we were able to see more than planned. You really went above and beyond to show me all the species I wanted to see, even the common ones, I guess not many people ask for the Brown-breasted Bulbul. or all the buntings, but this makes us bunting experts now. Not only the birding was amazing, but also just travelling with you. We had a lot of fun together and I had a great time.
The food was also very good; the spicier, the better. I think the colli flower dish at Wuyuan and the spicy breakfast near Emeifeng were some of my favourites.
Thanks again for everything… All the best wishes!
Wouter Van Gasse — Belgium — eastern China winter tour, 26 Nov – 11 Dec 2019
Price
Eastern China tour cost depends on group size.
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Mark had been to Sichuan before in 2015 May with another few friends, they did a one week tour to Balang Shan and Longcanggou, got most of the targets there, only a few missed. And Mark did lots of birding in the world, he only needs those endemic and rare ones on this tour, so this March-April Sichuan tour just focus on the northern endemic/rare Sichuan species , and the species he missed in last trip, and the trip turned out to be great, we got all the possible targets, including 5 Streaked Barwings, 4 Gold-fronted Fulvettas. And in this season while most of the places still covered by snow, the residential endemic or rare ones were quite “easy” compared to May and June.
26 / 3 Xi’an – Yangxian
Picked up Mark and Louise in the morning at Xining beside the city wall, we drove to Foping panda base where they not just hold a Giant Panda rescued from Erlang, and also kept a family group of Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys in day time, after 5pm, monkeys will go back up to high mountain to sleep, next early morning, “monkey chasers” go to their sleeping place and push them down to the panda base area where tourists can reach. After around 5 hours drive, just before Foping town, we had one stop on the roadside on a slope we got Grey-capped Greenfinches, 2 Vinous-throated Parrotbills, 2 Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers, Darian Redstart, Collared Finchbill, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, a male Yellow-throated Bunting, Brown-breasted Bulbuls. Red-billed Blue Magpie, Common Magpie and Large-billed Crow are common all alone the road. Drove into town and had a little walk on the street while waiting for the food to serve, and surprisedly got a Chinese Bamboo Partridge seating on top of the roadside tree on a busy road full of traffic ! Had a great very local lunch then we headed to the panda base, there we had good view and interaction with the monkeys, and saw active Giant Panda Erlang who named after the place where he was rescued, he just moved to the new enclosure this day so he was actively checking and marking the new place. Not many birds in the panda base at this time of the year, but got a wonderful pair of Sooty Tits, had great close view. And this day we encounters 3 Pere David’s Rock Squirrels. After 2 hours drive we arrived at Yangxian and still got a bit light so we decided to have a look of Crested Ibis, and eventually we got 11 of them roosting on the same tree! In the field we got a hunting Asian Barred Owlet, and Eurasian Hobby quite actively hunting too before dark.
In the morning we did some birding at the field and village area before going to Tangjiahe, there we got 9 Crested Ibises in total, two of them had great view, local people noticed we were watching birds, and very proudly told us there were two Crested Ibises nesting on the big tree behind their house, and leaded us to see it. There we got great view of the ibis couple building their nest. We drove to Tangjiahe and birding outside before entering the park, we got 2 Chinese Hwamei, 2 David’s Fulvetta, Ashy-throated Parrotbills, Brown Deeper, White-capped Water Redstart, Russet Sparrow. 2 Collared Crow just flying around actively out of the gate. After enter the park, we did some birding behind the hotel. There we got 4 Slaty Bunting, 1 male Golden Pheasant, only head and up body view, it’s hiding but not far on the slope. Also got Little Bunting, White-crowned Forktail, Little Forktail, male Snowy-browed Flycatcher, Pygmy Wren Babbler, Crested Kingfisher, Asian House Martin etc. On the way to hotel, we got a Chinese Goral on the road side. After dinner when it’s dark out, we did mammal watching , got 5 Tibetan Macaques, 2 Hog Badgers, 1 Wild Boar, 13 Reeve’s Muntjacs, 12 Takins, 2 Chinese Gorals, 3 Masked Civets.
Before we took the shuttle bus inside the park to Motianling area, we did some birding in the early morning to look for Golden Pheasant, and we got a nice male one on the grass slope next to a Takin ! Whole body view of the pheasant! At the shuttle bus station, we got Sulphur-breasted Warbler, Speckled Piculet, Yellow-browed Tit etc. Then after breakfast we spend the whole day birding at Motianling area the way up and down. Heard Temminck’s Tragopan, but didn’t see it. Got Fire-capped Tit now and then, in total 6. Sooty Tits found on the top area and also Sichuan Treecreeper. A pair of Spectacled Fulvettas were very active on the foot of Motianling. Barred Laughingthrushes feeding quietly inside the bamboo on the up area, 4 of them. Heard White-browed Shortwing.
On the way from Tangjiahe to Chuanzhusi, we got a pair of Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, and a pair of Hwamei, on the pass called Huangtuliang, we had field lunch there and got Pink-rumped Rosefinch, Rufous-vented Tit, White-throated Redstart, Giant Laughingthrush, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, Rosy Pipit, Chinese Fulvetta. When we arrived at Jiuzhaigou area, we tried to look for Spectacled Parrotbill, but our first try at a usual spot failed, only got Spectacled Fulvetta, we had to try other places due to my experience of winter birding, I found a slope has bushes very similar to where I had seen Spectacled Parrotbill in winter before, so we went up the slope and flashed out a female Golden Pheasant and a female Common Pheasant, on the way back we eventually got a singing pair Spectacled Parrotbill ! Before we checked in hotel at Chuanzhusi, we did some birding at Gonggangling forest, there we got a pair of Crested Tit Warblers were very active on pine trees, and a pair of White-browed Tit Warblers were busy building their nest, a female Grey-headed Woodpecker was singing a lot and spotted on a distance pine tree, a pair of Blue Eared-Pheasants were spotted just on a slope very close to the road.
We checked out hotel 2 hours before sunrise for Sichuan Wood Owl, and got a pair easily in the dark, both calling a lot. They stayed in the nearby pine forest and calling a lot for the whole morning. In the day time, we got Three-banded Rosefinches perched on top of pine trees, long way up, can ID them but not very good clear view, our best view of a male one was at the last spot before we left gong gangling forest, it came in a bird wave and perched on a short pine tree in the nice morning sunshine, in the scope it looked great. Saw Blood Pheasants two times, in total 6 of them. Red Crossbills flying above head and calling a lot in big flocks, at least 50 of them. Also got Grey-headed Bullfinch and Rufous-vented Tit, Grey-crested Tit, White-winged Grosbeak, Red-billed Starling strange place to see it on top of the pine trees, a male Crested Tit Warbler came in a bird wave, also a male Three-banded Rosefinch.
After Gonggangling, we drove directly to Ruoergai, had self-heating rice on the plateau, bright sunny day on the plateau grassland. As we arrived at Ruoergai at early afternoon, so I decided to do some birding at Baxi forest. The edge of the grassland and forest covered by fog, when we over the pass entered the forest, it’s raining there, and the further we went the heavier the rain was, I thought it’s no chance to see targets in this kind of weather, so I suggested to drive back go to the flower lake area try snowfinches and Tibetan Larks there as it’s sunny on the plateau grassland. On the way out of the forest, near to the pass, the rain stopped and had clear blue sky, I was wondering maybe should try another spot at the forest then, I told to Mark about this idea, he preferred to stick to the plan we made, so we drove to plateau flower lake area and did birding there. It turned out to be a great decision, as the next morning the whole plateau was covered by heavy snow and the snowing lasted the whole next day, it’s gonna be very hard to look for the Tibetan Lark in snow like that. On 30th April afternoon, we got hundreds of White-rumped Snowfinch, 6 Rufous-necked Snowfinches, and 12 Tibetan Larks which took us hours long walk to find out near the flower lake. And 3 Tibetan Foxes on the way when we looked for the larks.
When we left hotel, it was snowing outside, the town and plateau were all covered by snow already, glad we tried the plateau flower lake area the day before in the sunshine. We spent the early morning looking for Chinese Grouse, and eventually got 5 in total, one male and one female were seen well. Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush took us time to got 2 in the snow covered bushes, they were not very active in the snow. At least 50 Red Crossbills were seen flying across above head. 1 male White-browed Tit Warbler and 1 male Streaked Rosefinch was seen in the bushes. When we headed to the other valley for Sichuan Jay and Chestnut-throated Monal Partridge the snow was coming down more heavily. On the way up we got a pair of Chestnut-throated Monal Partridges, and 6 Blue-eared Pheasants flying down the mountain one by one, had great flying view. Crested Tit Warblers were seen a few times, in total number at least 10. Chinese Fulvetta and Hodgson’s Treecreeper were seen at same place. We searched up and down the valley for Sichuan Jay but no good luck. On the way back we got another pair of Chinese Grouses and 16 Blue-eared Pheasants. 2 Wallcreepers were spotted at different places on the way back.
The whole town was covered by snow after full day snowing the day before, we checked out hotel just about sunrise, had breakfast at town, then we headed to Maerkang. The whole plateau was covered by heavy snow, seems like the snow never melted during the winter. Our first trying for Przevalski’s Finch was stopped by the heavy snow, can’t even see much bushes, because they almost all covered under the snow, how the finch can survive in snow like this? And it’s so quiet there, no sign of finch at all, only skylarks in distance on the roadside. Even with no hope, still kept trying another spot, no sign either. Tried the third one, we got a Black-eared Kite sitting on top of a big bush in the middle of the slope, then I heard White-browed Tit in distance, follow the sound I spotted it not far from the kite, I called out loudly to Mark, he told me at night bird call, he thought I was saying white-browed tit warbler, so he didn’t pay much attention till the second tit showed up on a closer bush! But anyway, the tit gave us much hope and faith, if the tit can survive in snow like this, why not the finch? 2 minutes after that thinking, I heard finch calling in distance, and spotted the male Przevalski’s Finch sitting on top of bush in long distance ! Then two females showed up, the male was displaying there! Driving on snow covered road is very slow, and had a little traffic jam because other car stuck up on road, arrived at Hongyuan lunch time, had good dumpling lunch. On the way, got 3 Black Storks, 72 Black-necked Cranes.
This morning we tried very hard for Sichuan Jay, walked down a trail through the big valley, during the 3 and half hours walking, we got dozens of Blood Pheasants, 2 Chestnut-throated Monal Partridges, and dozens of Giant Laughingthrushes, 4 White-throated Dippers, 1 male Crested Tit Warbler. But no Jay. Giant Laughingthrush imitating the jay calling a lot, annoying! After lunch, we tried another up slope for the jay, but no luck. The slope was covered by heavy snow, when walked on it, my whole leg sinked into it, had to crawl on the snow to avoid sinking in. On the way down we started to play with snow, had great fun with playing snow, driving away the disappointment of not seeing the jay. We eventually back to the concrete road, and walking slowly checking trees around, so quiet, we discussed about the plan for the next day, we will come back to pass the mountain to Wolong, so we have another morning for the jay then, suddenly we heard some barking sound, Mark thought it’s from distance White-eared Pheasant, I was expecting it’s from the jay, and it is a jay! I spotted it popping up on the tree in front of us, then another 2 spotted ! I was too lazy, didn’t bring my camera, Mark got some recording shots of the first one sitting on the pine tree a while. We finished the day early.
This morning we started late, left hotel at 7:00 AM, we arrived at Chestnut-throated Monal Partridge spot, heard them calling high up on the slope and moved even higher later, seems like no chance see them at that spot, so we tried another spot, and got a pair calling on the open slope, Mark eventually had the chance to see the whole body well and check the throat color which he couldn’t manage to see well in the last two times. On the pass, when we left, it’s -12 degrees there, and windy ! We arrived at Balang Shan around lunch time, at a toilet stop, we got a pair of Streaked Rosefincches. We tried to go up to the pass, but failed, because the road was all covered by ice and snow on the up area, we returned and went through by the tunnel. We had lunch at the small tunnel place, and got a Lammergeier circling above head. After lunch we decided to go straight to Labahe this day as Mark don’t want to spend time at Balang Shan, he got most of the targets at his last visit in 2015. After long driving day, We arrived at Labahe quite late, around 9 PM.
As it’s a long driving day yesterday, we decided to have a short day tomorrow, do birding in the morning and rest in the hotel in the afternoon, and do some birding just before sunset. In the morning we got a male Lady Amherst’s Pheasant while we were trying to see Temminck’s Tragopan which we only heard, got good view of a Chinese Wren Babbler after we went up the bamboo slope to reach it. Got a pair of Fulvous Parrotbills mixed in a bird wave of Golden-breasted Fulvetta and Grey-hooded Fulvetta. On the middle of the mountain we got 3 Pere David’s Tits in a bird wave which also brought etc. On the way down, we got a Pygmy Wren Babbler in the bamboo. Near to the gate before the shuttle bus picked us up to hotel, we got another bird wave, it brought lots of speices, except Fire-capped Tits, Ashy-throated Warblers, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Sichuan Leaf Warblers, Black-browed Tits, Chestnut-vented Nuthatches, Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds, Coal Tits, also a pair of Fulvous Parrotbills, Long-tailed Minivets, Grey-hooded and Golden-breasted Fulvettas. After lunch a hotel, we rest a few hours at hotel, and did some birding just before sunset, we went to the trail behind Luming Hotel, there we were trying to look for Maroon-backed Accentor which I saw quite a few in Dec, but no sign of it in April, probably they moved up . We got similar species as on middle mountain, but other stuff is Green Shrike Babbler, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Dusky Thrush.
The original plan is we will do some birding in the early morning up on the mountain at Labahe, but it rained the whole night, and in the morning still raining heavily, so we decided go straight to Longcanggou. We had lunch at Hulin Hotel, then we headed to the mountain, it’s also raining there, but not too heavy, we spent the afternoon birding in the lower area of the mountain. We successfully found 2 Golden-fronted Fulvettas at 2 bird waves! The first time I spotted it quite close to the roadside mixed with lots of David’s Fulvettas, as it’s quite close I regretted I didn’t bring my camera, but later I realized no need to regret, because it moved too fast, no chance to photograph it at all! Every time when I or Mark spotted it in the bird waves, we just put bins on it and spotted it, then it moved, either dropped down or moved into leaves, disappeared then lost it, no chance to direct Louise to the bird at all ! The Golden-fronted Fulvettas lighten up the day! We tried for Sichuan Bush Warbler, no sound at all, probably not arrive yet, no sign of Buffy Laughingthrush either .
6 / 4 Longcanggou
It’s a foggy and raining day. During the heavy fog and rain, we got 2 male 1 female Temminck’s Tragopans on the way up in the early morning. Got another male tragopan on the trail while we were trying for the Streaked Barwing, but no barwing. We back to vehicle to have field lunch, and got a group of Three-toed Parrotbills on the corner while I went to have a toilet stop and spotted them, at least 6 of them, feeding in the bamboo and heavy fog. We spent lot time to look for Streaked Barwing before we went back to hotel, but didn’t see it. We assume the weather maybe the problem, and decided to look for Tibetan Partridge and Buff-throated Monal Partridge in the west instead wasting too much time for the barwing.
In the early morning we tried for Ashy-throated Parrotbills before we left, it’s a clear day in the bottom of the mountain, got the parrotbills easily near hotel, they were in group, singing a lot, at least 20 of them. We drove directly to Xinduqiao, because the express way from Ya’an to Luding is available, make it possible to arrive at Pengbuxixiang where has feeding spot for Tibetan Partridge in day time, it took us around 7 hours drive, arrived there around 4 PM. There we got 3 Tibetan Partridges, and lots of Giant Laughingthrushes, Pink-rumped Rosefinches, 2 Blood Pheasants, 2 White Eared-pheasants, a pair of Streaked Rosefinches, and 3 male Grandalas! Heard Buff-throated Monal Partridge way up on the mountain slope, tried to pick them out, but failed because it’s snowing heavily around 6 PM. We decided to try the next morning. We spent the night at a tibetan family, with the fire woods oven in the living room, we had a great dinner time and a warm night while it’s still snowing outside.
The next morning, when we looked out the window, the whole place was covered by heavy snow! And the road was covered by ice, so we decided not drive to the monal partridge place, instead we walked to a feeding place for White Eared-Pheasant, on the way we got Robin Accentors, Pink-rumped Rosefinches, Giant Laughingthrushes. At least 20 White Eared-pheasants feeding on the snow, not afraid of people at all, can photograph them by cellphone right in front of you! After that we headed to Yajiang Pamuling Monastery, the tunnel on the way is available so, it only took us 2.5 hours to drive there, we had lunch at Yajiang, then we drove up to the monastery, the road is very basic, 10 km to the top, but took us one hour driving, on the way when meeting other local cars, it’s scary passing on narrow road up on the mountain. It’s a bright sunny day, we had great time at the top, it’s over 4100 meters on the top, can see the highest mountain of Sichuan Gognga Shan, and eye level view is all snow covered mountains surround us. But in such bright middle day, no chance for monal partridge at all, we had to wait till sunset. Giant Laughingthrushes, Large-billed Crows were every where, and we witness a fighting between a group of Rhesus Macaques and Large-billed Crows in a wasteyard down the top. Late afternoon around 6 PM, we decided to walked down the other side of the mountain to look for the monal partridge, and just after two corners, I spotted a pair were just about to moving away from the main road. Finished the day just one hour before sunset, we drove down to the mountain foot just before dark, spent the night at a new hotel at mountain foot where lots of other bird photographers stayed.
We drove to Erlang Shan, had lunch at Luding, spent the whole afternoon at Erlang Shan. I heard that the old road was blocked by local government to avoid tourist visiting, but when we arrived there, no barriers there, and met a van with local government workers checking the mountain, they said no problem to visit this place for tourists. As Mark had been here before in 2015, had Rufous-tailed Babbler already, so we just focused on the barwing. We went up and birding alone the road, on the middle area, we encountered a bird wave, two Golden-fronted Fulvettas mixed in, we had good chance to see it in close view, much better than the chance in Longcanggou. When we walked on the quite road, our chatting sound disturbed a big bird in the bushes, we heard the strong wing flapping voice, then Mark spotted a male Temminck’s Tragopan! While it’s getting dark birds became more active and calling more, we heard a Chinese Song Thrush singing on the down slope, tried to get the bins on it, but too many trees in front, couldn’t see it. Heard Streaked Barwing calling in long long distance, but it’s getting dark, so we decided to try next morning, went straight down and back to hotel. Other species there, got a nice male Lady Amherst’s Pheasant crossed the road, Blyth’s Shrike Babbler, Green Shrike Babbler, Ashy-throated Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler etc.
On our last morning before going to airport, we focused on Streaked Barwing, back to where heard it yesterday, I heard the sound agian, we went all the way up to get closer to the sound and eventually got it! 5 of them in a group! On the way from hotel to Erlang Shan, we got a female Lady Amherst’s Pheasant seating on the concrete fence of road. Heard Chinese Song Thrush again, but no chance to see it. After the success of the barwing, we left and drove to the airport.
