Laba He Forest Park

Last week we had a guest with limited birding time – who we planned to guide around the famous birding site of Wawu Mountain. At first the weather looked okay - but by afternoon everything had closed in and a quick change of plan was needed!

Cute White-collared Yuhinas are very common birds of Laba He

Luckily close-by we have a have one wonderful back-up Site – the Laba He Forest park – whose large area includes some prime birding habitat (using country roads you make this place in 2 to 3 hours from Wawu – on the motorway it's 4 hours from Chengdu).
This site is also a good place to see animals – and includes Panda habitat. Of course you stand very little chance of seeing a Panda – you will see Samba Deer, and there are very good chances of seeing troops of Short-tailed Macaque monkeys or even high altitude grazers such as Takin.


A Short-tailed Macaque - deep in thought.This is the big dominant male of the troupe

Of course there is wealth of bird life including Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan and Streaked Barwing. Our birding was tough on this last trip – and although we got our Lady A and Tragapon – other birds were disappointing but they included Spotted Nutcracker and Red-billed Magpie, Bay woodpecker, Speckled Wood Pigeon and dazzling Golden-breasted Fulvetta. However no Barwing, and none of the birds we’ve seen on former visits such as Brown Parrotbill, Barred and Spotted Laughingthrushes, not even the normally common Elliot’s Laughingthrush wanted to show!!!


Here's Elliot's Laughingthrush from another trip earlier on in the year.

To get to see some of the animals the park has constructed boardwalks and viewing platforms, and there are many miles of trail – that take you up to altitudes where you can walk within primary forest and get to scope onto alpine pastures. Of course these features are also great for bird watching.
Accommodation is also good – it includes a luxury hotel – Chalet accommodation – a cheaper hotel –and even camping sites that’s out on the trail. You can get decent accommodation here for 200RMB/night – although I think anyone who demands real 5 star treatment will be disappointed.

One of the board walks - this one has mesh to give grip when wet - others don't and can be very slippy!!!

What is really great about this place is that its quiet – not the throngs of noisy local tourists that often spoil more famous sights that birders often visit in Sichuan (Emei and Jiuzhaigou come to mind here). This place is still one of those hidden gems that can make a Sichuan holiday so unique and rewarding.

Qingcheng Mountains

The Red-billed Leiothrix are a colorful and active bird - and easily found in many areas around Chengdu

Around 40kms from Chengdu, the town of Dujiangyan hit world headlines back in May because it was badly affected by the Sichuan earthquake. I only live 20kms from this town, and can report that, 4 months after the quake, things are very much on the mend – and that Dujiangyan and surrounding areas have once again opened up to tourists and travelers. In fact in a bid to boost the local economy – tourists are now being openly encouraged to visit this area! This is good news for birders since the town lies under a chain of small mountains (well at least small by Sichuan standards) called the Qingcheng mountains (the highest peak reaching 2,700m). There are two main tourist sites here – the most famous being called the front mountain and another quieter site called the back mountain. These mountains contain both broad-leaf and conifer habitats – and at the back-mountain you can find some very picturesque mountain streams - a lot of small waterfalls in deep narrow gorges.
There are also good birding spots away from the main tourist areas, and its possible to find rewarding rough trails – especially in the vicinity of the highest peak, Zhaogongshan – which can give some good birding.

At the top viewing point of Qingcheng Front Mountain - on a chilly, but bright, Febuary morning

Post quake, most of the trails up the Front Mountain and Zhaogongshan are completely passable – but because of landslides some of the path on the Back Mountain has been badly damaged. However new temporary tracks are being made all the time – and with a bit of a scramble it’s now possible to get to the top. However the Back Mountain is the best habitat for Forktails close to Chengdu (you can get out to Forktail sites in an hour and half from downtown Chengdu) – so for those with limited Sichuan birding time, this area could be a tick-rich location.


A Collared Owlet we caught enjoying a meal

The Front Mountain.
If you take a walk on the front mountain – then around the temples (this mountain has important religious significance for Taoists – and the walk up here is a stone stairway that links several monasteries together) you may see Black-headed Sibia together with the usual host of Collared Finchbills and during the summer the white-headed variety of Black Bulbul. These temples are also good spots for viewing the canopy of the mountain forest – and early morning summer watching may well bring – among other stuff - calling Collared Owlets, Spangled Drongos, Red-billed Blue Magpies, Black-naped Orioles or a passing Crested Goshawk.
If you take into the wooded areas down in the scrub you should easily be able to get Red-billed Leiothrix and Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler . For those who are lucky, there’s always a chance for a glimpse of a quick moving Golden Pheasant – but if you don’t get to see them, you’ll certainly hear them if you're birding during spring or early summer.
All of these species are also present in the winter – but during this season flocks of small passerines, which are often dominated by Grey-cheeked Fulvetta and White-collared Yuhina. Winter also brings in altitude migrants, which of course include various species of Laughinthrush.
There have also been April reports for Temmnick’s Tragopan for this site.

A word of warning! The front mountain is a major tourist site – and, during late mornings and afternoons of holidays or weekends, noisy crowds can be the norm. Another factor that adds to birder stress are the many hawkers/vendors,who try to bend your ear in attempting to find a new customer. To cap all of this there are guys who will carry you up the mountain stairway on a stretcher like contraption built out of bamboo and canvas. Some of these folk may follow you up a path for a long distance hoping you’ll tire and hire their services. Needless to say – this can be a pain – but early mornings will get you out of the worst of this mess. You can actually overnight in the mountain monasteries (a cold experience in winter) – which sets you up nicely for an early morning watch.


We got this Grey-headed Bullfinch on the Back Mountain

The Back Mountain.
This is a far more Birder friendly site – less crowded, and away from weekends, during off-season, it can be very peaceful. Again a stairway of stone – but here there are more areas where you don’t have to climb/descend. The path follows a mountain steam and some of the small waterfalls are very nice.

In this habitat Forktails are the species of note – a single visit can bring you little, Slaty-backed, Spotted and White-crowned. To get that Slaty–backed start watching on the river stretches at the base of the mountain (well before the entrance to the mountain – you can also pick up plenty of Brown Dipper here). Little is the commonest Forktail and can often be seen flicking around in the stream that flows through the end village – White-crowned and Spotted can be seen from much of the path that leads to the summit.

Little Forktail - one of the four Forktails to be found on Qingcheng

Once again this is a good location for winter passerines – we’ve had goodies like Barred, Spotted and Red-winged Laughingthrush and that dazzler of a bird – Gold-fronted Fulvetta. This area is also a good spot to pick up that mini-woodpecker – Speckled Piculet.
As mentioned before – this place was badly hit by the quake. In the old days there was a lot of accommodation for those who wanted to stay on the mountain – but I reckon we’ll have to wait to the summer of 09 before any of that is in place again.


There are some great walks around Zhaogongshan

Zhaogongshan
I’ve never seen this part of Qingcheng mentioned in any foreign bird reports – but in the area around the 2,700m Zhaogong Mountain birding can be good. To trek around here you have to use small farmer’s trails – but there is one larger path that leads to Temple on the summit. However these are not well marked routes that are found in the more popular tourist spots, but because this place is less disturbed you may get a better chance to spot Golden Pheasant. Temminck’s Tragopan has also been reported. I’ve seen Great and Grey-headed Parrotbill in this area, Spot-breasted and Brown Parrotbill have also been reported as winter birds.
It's quite possible to find accommodation on the mountain – either in the temples (there is one at the summit) or at lower elevations in small guest-houses.

Birding in Chengdu

Chengdu – the capital of Sichuan province – is located in the West of China. This important city, the fourth largest in China, has become a popular travel destination, especially for those who intend to visit neighboring Tibet.
For birdwatchers, even though this is a modern polluted, developing city so typical of the new China, Chengdu is a fascinating area – and even within the city boundaries there are opportunities to spot interesting species. Short drives outside the city will of course give even greater opportunities – and within a days driving you can be transported out to areas that have world-famous reputations for their ornithological diversification. If you’re more adventurous 2/3day trips will give you the chance to spot some of the species that are associated with the Tibetan plateau.


Vinous-throated Parrotbill - a common bird in Chengdu

During winter and migration periods – uncommon species can turn up in the city – there has even been a very recent record of an Ibisbill smack bang in a city center river location. But apart from vagrants it’s quite easy to find locations where an interesting variety of birds, more commonly associated with the area, can be found.
Since most visitors come in the summer then it’s the resident and summer species list that’s usually the most of interest – and this contains, even within the parks in about the city center Chinese specialties such as Black-throated Tit, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, White-browed Laughingthrush and Yellow-billed Grosbeak.
If you were a winter visitor then a city center watch could bring you Long-billed Plover and Ferrunginous Duck, Snowy-browed Flycatcher and Orange-flanked Bush Robin.
Taking trips to the outskirts of Chengdu will of course prove a big dividend for your bird watching – and a hour and a half will bring you into areas where you can watch 3 Forktail species, or get a chance to see Golden Pheasant or Painted Snipe. Again season makes a big difference and migration and winter can bring visitors from high altitude locations.

WHERE TO WATCH IN THE CITY
A good indication is to buy a city map – English versions are easily available and look for the green areas that indicate a park.

DUFU PARK
The best of these seems to be the park around the Dufu Cottage tourist site. This consists of a newly built park surrounding the older area of the Dufu cottage. The newly built park now has trees and shrubs that are maturing which can only improve the birding opportunities. However for best results – and less staring faces – try to get there early and if possible give it a miss on those crowded weekends. A nice feature of this park is a small lake where you can always see Little Egret (a common Chengdu bird) and maybe get a summer glimpse of White-breasted Waterhen. The big trees that are close to the lake are a good place to see Yellow-billed Grossbeaks. This lake is also a fairly good spot for winter Ferrunginous Duck (usually small flocks of 2 or 3 birds) and the whole area can throw up some interesting stuff.
The actual compound of Dufu cottage has its own park – and in here there are a lot of trees of great age – with a resultant richness in species. You have to pay an entrance fee to get in – which of course makes this a less popular destination for us guys who are regularly birding in Chengdu – but a lot of birders have given interesting lists for this little park within a park.


A male Yellow-billed Grosbeak

SICHUAN UNIVERSITY
This is another area that contains nice old trees – and even though this place obviously contains a lot of buildings, roads and all the other stuff a large campus should have – you can still find nice little areas that are attractive to birds. This area will hold all your typical Chengdu species – but where it is good is during the migration and winter periods where those trees attract some of the more interesting species, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker is a winter visitor here – and specialties such as Golden Bush Robin have been recorded.
This location isn't such a huge crowd puller – but still many people gather here especially during weekends.

WANJIAN TOMB PARK (Yongling mausoleum)
This is a small park but again with lots of nice old trees and a burial site of some old ancient general of the Tang Dynasty – it also has some nice stagnant ponds that attract flycatching species especially during migration times. I’ve noted Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Tiger shrike and Ferrunginous Flycatcher here.
The great thing about this place is that it doesn’t attract the crowds – but you do have to pay an admission fee. It also has a nice tea house so you can sit, sip and watch!


Female Asian Paradise-flycatcher pictured at Wanjian park

CITY CENTER RIVERS
Two big Rivers run through the heart of Chengdu – and for most of their lengths they are bounded by green park type areas that make them areas where you once again can spot the common Chengdu species. The river environment itself is interesting, even though most of river-banks comprise of man made wall – but during periods where water levels are down exposing mud and stone the bird watching is better.. The best areas are on the outskirts of the city – but near the center – on the river closer to the famous River-viewing Pavilion Park there is shallow river habitat and even a place in the park where there is something approaching a natural grass bank. In this kind of habitat – during migration and winter time – look out for Long-billed plover and other waders. Also during winter periods Plumbeous Water Redstart can be found. Otherwise Little Egrets are common residents and if there’s a little cover and it’s quiet then this species maybe joined by Chinese Pond and Black–crowned Night Herons. During the summer months a constant sight in this habitat will be Red-rumped Swallow.