Sichuan Birdwatching - a recent trip to Moxi

We're just back from Moxi - which is 5/6 hours outside Chengdu. The birding was great - we got Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker and Streaked Rosefinch, and on the way back a walk up the old Erlang road gave a few Temminck's Tragopan.
As usual, because of the China Firewall block to blogspot - I cant put any pictures up here - so to get an illustrated report on the trip go to my birdforum blog at (I go under the name china guy) -
http://www.birdforum.net/blog.php?b=2134

We've also got pics up in our Sichuan birding thread at -
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=149725

Sichuan Birdwatching - Trips to N Sichuan - Wangland and Tangjiahe

We're still not able to put up any pics on this blog - but were still writing.
We've just come back from a week in N Sichuan - at Wanglang and Tangjiahe resereves. Post quake conditions are ok - and the roads out to this area are constantly being mended.
At Wanglang we got Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush - but missed Rusty-throated Parrotbill at Tangjiahe.
For fuller reports and pictures go to our birdforum blog - we write under the name china guy.
http://www.birdforum.net/blog.php?b=2101
http://www.birdforum.net/blog.php?b=2087

Sichuan Birdwatching - The blogger block is still on - but we're still going strong

Hi there - it's August 2009 - and, because of local censorship of the internet, we still can't get into our blog,through legitimate means (we have to use a proxy server), which allows us to write - but not to post pics.
July was a hot and wet month - but we once again got into the Wolong/Balang Pass areas - and luckily around the Wuyipeng reserve area last year's quake damage is pretty insignificant - so the birding is good and our old friends, the summer leeches, are still a' biting!!!! Balang is still suffering from a bit of road construction mess - but not half as bad as before - and although their is still workers accommodation near the Monal stake-out - the birding around here was also pretty good, considering the misty conditions.
In all, with a trip that also went to the Baoxin area and then around to Bi Feng Xia and Wawu - we got 185 species in 6 birding days - and a nice Red Panda at Wawu.
To see some pics of this trip go to our Birdforum blog at -

http://www.birdforum.net/blog.php?b=1866

this post and the one that folows it shows, that despite wet, grey conditions - you can still catch a lot of birds out here (even during the less fancied summer months - you just have to work a little harder)

To catch up with all our current Sichuan birding - take alook at our Birdforum site -

http://www.birdforum.net/blog.php?u=6819

We go under the name of - china guy

and if you need advice or help with a Sichuan birding trip - please contact us at our usual Email

chengduuk@hotmail.com

Sichuan Birdwatching - We're having problems using blogspot from China

At the moment the situation for Chinese internet users means that there are restrictions with regard to blog use - and I'm afraid blogspot is not openly available to us anymore!!!!
We still maintain a birding blog on birdforum - the link to our main page being -
http://www.birdforum.net/blog.php?u=6819

Lots of good stuff here - with pics and reports from our spring/summer 2009 trips - and other general Sichuan birding stuff.
I'll still experiment with trying to get stuff onto here - but lets hope these blogs are once again allowed to open up - so we can more easily highlight how great a birding destination Sichuan is.

Sichuan Birdwatching - Sichuan a Birding Hotspot

Chinese Fulvetta - one of the China endemics that can be found in Sichuan

Sichuan Birding
For a variety of reasons, Sichuan is a fantastic birding destination. Within easy reach, of the provincial capital Chengdu, are diverse habitats, ranging from sub-tropical mountain forest to the high grasslands of the Tibetan plateau. These areas home a great diversity of species, which include the countries richest list of endemics and breeding endemics.

Through ongoing taxonomical studies – new distinct species are constantly being recognized among birds that were formerly recognized as sub-species – and Chinese checklists are quickly outdated. However if we were to take the Avibase – China Checklist as a reference, then we are told that China contains 53 endemics and 18 breeding endemics – an total of 71.
From the checklist Avibase provides, we can then discover that 36 of these species are found within Sichuan – making it the major endemic hotspot of China. (see list at the foot of this article)
http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?lang=EN&region=cn&list=clements

Another reference, from The Institute of Zoology, Beijing, found at - http://www.springerlink.com/content/r41645v6u5272v20/fulltext.pdf - gives us tables and charts to further emphasize how important Sichuan is as an ornithological region.

In one of their charts, in the form of a color coded China map that relates to the density and distribution of endemic species, we can see how Sichuan (outlined in red) rates as a major species diversity hotspot when compared with the rest of the country.
Sichuan areas with high endemic lists include the Emei/Wawu areas and the Qionglai Mountain range (the famous Wolong Panda reserve, a favored birding destination, is located within this range – but due to the 2008 earthquake the reserve is now closed to the public . This range can be visited from alternative sites – including Laba He Forest park).

Sichuan almost twice the size of the UK – lies in the west of Central China , and the western regions of the province meet the Tibet Plateau and the Himalayas. Chengdu itself lies within the densely populated and intensively cultivated Sichuan basin (located within Eastern Sichuan) – but within close driving distance, to the West and North, one can already access a Sub-tropical habitat – that can be described as the Panda Zone. Further West and we are already heading up onto the Mountain Grasslands and Alpine Forest of the Tibetan Plateau.

Climate
Taken as a whole, Sichuan experiences a great variety of climates.
These range between -
A Monsoon type climate with long hot sticky summers and Short cool/cold winters - always expect a high chance of foggy hazy conditions, with little real sun or blue skies (China’s lowest sunshine hours are found in Eastern Sichuan). These type of weather conditions can be a be a problem for birders who are visiting the lower mountain sites such as Emei and Wawu – since fog/low cloud is often present around the summits.

An example of those misty conditions that can make birding difficult - howver going down often improves the situation - and amazingly if you cross high mountain passes into another valley system the weather sometimes changes.

An Alpine climate in the high west and north, where winters are long and cold and summers are short and mild – but masses of sun (bring your sunblock).

Up on the grasslands the sun can be very strong - even outside the summer period.

The Birding season
A favored birding season for visitors – especially in the sub-tropical locations - is during April/May and Early June – during the height of the breeding season, but before the summer gets too hot. During this period the temperatures have not reached their uncomfortable summer peaks, the humidity is not at its stickiest (clearer days – less risk of foggy/cloudy conditions on the sub-tropical mountains) and the type of heavy rain that’s often experienced during August and September is a rarity. During this period the birds are active – and calling – which make playback an effective method of luring birds out of dense undergrowth.
During July, August – activity dies down and birds seem to be less active and more difficult to spot at temperature and humidity levels soar.

However, in the mountainous west if you go travel to those altitudes around 4,000m it’s not unusual to find snow still lying on the high passes even during May and nights can be quite chilly up here until we get into June. The summer months of June, July and August are good months for visiting these higher regions, since they can be pleasantly warm, while the birds that live at high-altitude are still very active during these summer months.

During the spring and autumn months– all areas becoming interesting birding locations. But during these times unusual species can turn up in locations well way from the usual birding hotspots. During these months many species on passage pass through Chengdu. Sichuan also has areas where bird of prey passage can be observed.

Long-billed Plover - an interesting passage migrant and winter visitor to the muddy river areas around Chengdu.

Winter is also an exciting time, since many high altitude species flock and come down to lower heights – making it much easier to spot them. Some of the best places to watch during this period are in the valleys bellow the high mountain ranges. Winter also brings ducks – but the number and quality of suitable wintering sites is being seriously affected by population pressure. Northern migrants also over-winter in Sichuan.

Effects of the earthquake
During May 2008 Sichuan was badly affected by a huge earthquake – and a few well known birding sites suffered great damage due to landslides. Wolong and the Balang pass are no longer open to the public. However other famous sites like Emei and Wawu were almost totally unaffected by the quakes are remain fully open. Even sites like the Qingcheng Mountains – close to Dujiangyan - which were also badly affected are now once again open. However even though we’ve lost access to couple of prime birding sites – there are still so many alternative locations that still make Sichuan a birding hot spot of China.

A scence at Qingcheng Mountain where a rather large rock tumbled down the mountain during the quake - amazingly a lot of clearing work has already been completed since we took this pic in June - this area, which is desperate to get its tourist industry working again, is once again open for birding


Slaty Bunting - an endemic that can be found as a winter vistor in Chengdu

List of Endemic/Breeding Endemics found in Sichuan (after data found at – avibase.bsc-eoc.org/ )
Severtzov's Grouse Bonasa sewerzow
Sichuan Partridge Arborophila rufipectus
Chinese Monal Lophophorus lhuysii
Blue Eared-Pheasant Crossoptilon auritum
Reeves' Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii
Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus
Père David's Owl Strix davidi
Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinensis
Crested Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile elegans
Chinese Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus yunnanensis
Emei Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis
Sulphur-breasted Warbler Phylloscopus ricketti
Martens's Warbler Seicercus omeiensis
Hodgson's Redstart Phoenicurus hodgsoni
Père David's Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi
Sukatschev's Laughingthrush Garrulax sukatschewi
Barred Laughingthrush Garrulax lunulatus
Biet's Laughingthrush Garrulax bieti
Giant Laughingthrush Garrulax maximus
Gray-faced Liocichla Liocichla omeiensis
Rufous-tailed Babbler Chrysomma poecilotis
Chinese Fulvetta Alcippe striaticollis
Grey-hooded Fulvetta Fulvetta cinereiceps
Three-toed Parrotbill Paradoxornis paradoxus
Spectacled Parrotbill Paradoxornis conspicillatus
Gray-hooded Parrotbill Paradoxornis zappeyi
Rusty-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis przewalskii
Sooty Tit Aegithalos fuliginosus
White-browed Tit Poecile superciliosa
Père David's Tit Poecile davidi
Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus
Sichuan Treecreeper Certhia tianquanensis
Sichuan Jay Perisoreus internigrans
Pink-rumped Rosefinch Carpodacus eos
Three-banded Rosefinch Carpodacus trifasciatus
Slaty Bunting Latoucheornis siemsseni

Sichuan Birdwatching - Birding at the Top Of the World

Giant Laughingthrush - one of those wonderful species that can be observed in upland Sichuan

Sichuan is a gateway to Tibet – and, heading out from Chengdu, the westward bound birder will soon be entering areas of great elevation - where Western Sichuan meets the Tibetan Plateau. Here the scene is soaring mountain ranges, Yak grazed grasslands, nomadic herders, Tibetan temples and villages – a land of Eagles and Vultures – a unique experience in terms of birding and culture


This rolling grassland scenery was taken on the road to Ganzi

The Grasslands
If you travel from Chengdu on the famous 318 Lhasa route – within around 6 hours you’ll get to Kangding. Within this small city you’ll suddenly notice that Tibetans, often dressed in traditional clothing, have become a common part of the street-scene. Kangding is also the gateway to the grassland areas that lie close by – but if you’re traveling in this direction it can be a good idea to stay in Kangding for a day to start your acclimatization for altitude. The next part of your journey west will then take you over the 4,300m Zhedou Mountain pass – with its Accentors, Blood Pheasant, White-eared Pheasant, Himalayan Rubythroat, Grandala, Himalayan Griffons, Lammergeier and a host of other species – where going over “onto the other side” finally brings you onto the Grassland . From here you can get to destinations like Tagong, Yajiang, Litang, Dao Cheng, Ganzi and Dege. This area is spectacular to say the least – rolling grasslands – alpine forest, the best of which we’ve found around around Yajiang (where Derbyan Parakeet is still hanging on). On the Grassland you get up into a whole new world – the clock goes backwards when looking at some of the nomadic folk who come in from the mountains with their Yak herds. The birds are also exciting, and apart from those named above include– Snow pigeon, Hume’s Groundpecker, Snowfinch species, Rosefinch species, Kessler’s Thrush, Giant Laughingthrush, Golden Eagle Upland Buzzard and Ibisbill.


Ibisbill - I'm afraid this is my best shot of this bird, which is amazingly well camouflaged in around the stones within its favoured habitat.


Plain Mountain Finch - up on the top of Zhedou Mountain

Maerkang and Rou Er Gai
These again are fantastic areas – Maerkang being situated in more rural valley type situations with fantastic stone villages that are built up onto the mountain sides. You can also find the ancient “watch tower” constructions in this area – but nobody really knows what exact functions these buildings played (theories jump between - defense, storage, village status-symbol). Much of the area is more arid than the grasslands further south but we still meet forest - especially on Mengbi Mountain (Mengbishan) – a location which gains its birding fame as a location for spotting Sichuan Jay.
Ruo Er Gai is a wet land – but there are other habitat types close by. The species that draw birders here is the Black-necked Crane. But we also have two highly interesting Laughing thrushes located here – Plain and Snowy-cheeked.


Hume's Groundpecker - in the field this bird, when seen flying, resembles a Wheatear.


Grandala - the Jewel of the high passes

Juizhaigou and Songpan
As a famed tourist destination – certain places in this area suffers a bit from over development, noisy tourist crowds and high prices. But if you keep out of the way of the charter traffic there are still peaceful areas and of course a lot of interesting birds.
Once again a scenic stunner – here we have a lot of good forest habitat.
One of the great bird in this area is – Blue-eared Pheasant. A good way to get around is by horse trekking - even though you need a steady hand to use your binoculars on the back of a horse.


Tibetan Snowfich - this one was see close to Litang


Blue-eared Pheasant - this picture isn't too steady, but it was taken from a Horse!!!!