Birdtour Asia Sichuan, China tour 2010

Sichuan, China

24th May - 12th June 2010

Leader: James Eaton

Participants: Peter Clement, Adriaan and Styske Dijksen,
John and Judy Geeson, Gert and Bart Huijzers, Gerald Ouweneel

Grey-hooded Parrotbill

Grey-hooded Parrotbill, Wawu Shan James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

Sichuan is doubtless one of the most fascinating bird regions in the eastern Palaearctic, and a hotspot for pheasants, laughingthrushes, warblers, parrotbills and many other groups that are high on the agenda of the travelling bird-watcher. This tour was no exception and was an unforgettable birding experience, with sightings of some of the rarest and most desirable birds of Asia. Our trip harvest was exceptional; 12 galliforms seen (again including Blue Eared Pheasant and Chinese Monal), 7 parrotbills, 27 warblers, 12 Laughingthrushes, and great views of both Firethroat and Rufous-headed Robin, in addition to many other specialties and a bonus non-avian highlight; a stunning Red Panda.
After arrival into Chengdu we made an afternoon excursion to Huan Huanxi Park in downtown Chengdu. Our afternoon in the Red Basin’s subtropical heat was spent admiring Chinese Blackbirds and convincing the bleary-eyed participants of its credentials as a good species while roving flocks of Black-throated Tits and Vinous-throated Parrotbills buzzed through the ornamental bamboo thickets and a Rufous-faced Warbler showed surprisingly well as it frequently sang from exposed perches. Our first of 12 laughingthrush species recorded on the tour was found here with numerous confiding White-browed Laughingthrushes hopping about on the freshly mown lawns – luring us into a false sense of security as to the ease of observing laughingthrushes! Chinese Bulbuls constantly revealed their presence with raucous songs, a trait that would continue throughout our journey. During the late afternoon we unsuccessfully scanned the tree tops for starlings, but several Chinese Grosbeaks did come into view as did a migrant Tiger Shrike and vocal Common Cuckoo. We had no idea however how a female Common Pheasant had arrived here is suburban Chengdu – maybe an escape from a nearby cooking pot?! Our evening meal introduced us to the wonders of the famed Sichuanese food and a crash course in how to use chop sticks except for those clever enough to bring along the airline cutlery!
Our first full day was largely spent driving, as we made the journey 350km north to Jiuzhaigou; studying the shift in cultures as we passed through the various villages, becoming more Tibetan the further north we drove. Birding was restricted to a few pit-stops but this still gave us singing Daurian Redstart, Crested Kingfisher, Eurasian Jay and a big surprise as a pair of Collared Crow – an increasingly rare Chinese near-endemic – perched at eye-level. Our first ‘proper’ birding stop wasn’t until the late afternoon, as the rain eased off for a while at a high-pass. Our first encounter with the perplexing Phylloscopus warblers of the region was the readily identifiable ‘Alpine Leaf Warbler’ (a recent proposed split from Tickell’s) busy feeding in the nearby bushes, followed by Buff-throated Warblers and a gaudy pair of White-throated Redstart. A beautiful singing Chestnut Thrush at the roadside and Elliot’s Laughingthrushes popped up – both species we delighted in seeing almost daily thereafter.

Black-crowned Crane and Blue Eared Pheasant © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

We began our next morning full of anticipation of what lay in store in the scenically-spectacular Jiuzhaigou National Park, an outstanding world heritage site. A largely rainy day prevented us maximising our fun here but our second day was cloaked in gorgeous sunshine throughout. In spite the mornings rain, birding was quite exceptional on our first walk. Uponjumping out of the park’s bus the distinctive buzzing of a Baikal Bush Warbler was heard, presumably a late migrant, and we soon had the bird perched right out in the open, shortly followed by a pair of Spotted Bush Warblers that didn’t even require any enticing as they sang by the boardwalk. The scrub was full of birds as they made the most of the early morning before the hordes of tourists arrived, a pair of Maroon-backed Accentor fed quietly by us, then even more excitingly we found a small flock of endemic Three-banded Rosefinch. We fared well with rosefinches here, also seeing Chinese White-browed, Vinaceous and a male Dark-rumped perched on top of a conifer. We also had a couple of gorgeous Przewalski's Nuthatches feeding around us, rather fortuitous as these were to be our only sightings on the tour.

Phylloscopus warblers kept us entertained throughout our stay here; Chinese Leaf Warblers were particularly conspicuous as they sang continually close-by in the lush-green conifers in the beautiful mid-morning sunlight with snow-clad mountains behind, ‘Sichuan’ (split from Lemon-rumped), ‘Claudia’s’ (split from Blyth’s), Large-billed, Hume’s, Buff-barred, Greenish and finally, Yellow-streaked Warblers all performed as hoped, often in mixed groups allowing for a nice comparison of characteristic features. The higher reaches of the valleys held fly-over Tibetan Siskin (amusingly we would have to wait a couple of weeks before they perched up for us!), numerous Elliot’s Laughingthrushes, a fine pair of Vinaceous Rosefinch and Bar-tailed Treecreeper amongst its commoner relative, Hodgson’s Treecreeper. One area of scrub even held one of the most range-restricted of the world’s laughingthrushes, Sukatchev’s. This notorious skulker glided across the scrub before sitting out for a bout of singing before reverting to its retiring nature. Overhead Golden Eagles ruled the skies above the mighty rock faces but with Gerald keeping a constant eye to the sky our raptor list bulged impressively. The occasional feeding flock that moved through contained a variety of tits comprising Grey-crested, Rufous-vented, Coal and Green-backed. With a little persistence Pere David’s Tits were also located as were a couple of flocks of cute Sooty Tits and a pair of Chinese Nuthatch.

Our main target bird in the park is the little-known Rufous-headed Robin, a fine songster, and although we were able to admire their wonderful chorus on numerous occasions they required some finding. on the first afternoon it was a female which quietly approached, then the following morning a male finally gave up the ghost and flew in on three occasions to sing away offering superb views to most of those present.

As many of Jiuzhaigou’s specialties can be found more readily elsewhere, we departed south then west, birding en-route until we reached the Tibetan town of Roeurgei. Our first morning stop was excellent; our first bird was a singing Kessler’s Thrush quickly followed by a pair of regal Blue Eared Pheasants feeding quietly along a track just in front of us (and we would later find a another, more distant bird). Elsewhere in the spruce forest the fresh buds of bushes attracted many Chinese White-browed Rosefinch and a Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler went through its full repertoire just feet away, sitting on an open branch for all to admire. Unfortunately a Chinese Grouse was only seen by a lucky few whereas a pair of the much-wanted Crested Tit Warbler showed superbly. As we left the forest for the open plains a male Streaked Rosefinch appeared and finally a fine pair of White-browed Tit Warblers fed in the dense low scrub, as White-throated Redstarts became an increasingly common sight. Gaining elevation took us to the vast open plains along the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau, orientalis Carrion Crow competed with Large-billed Crow and a small group of Snow Pigeon circled around us as a surprise House Sparrow chirped on the nearby wires.

Tibetan Grey Shrike and Tibetan Lark © James Eaton

Sakar Falcon and Tibetan Wagtail, Flower Lake © James Eaton

Perhaps the best day of the tour was a glorious day out on the grasslands, as the sun lifted over the distant rolling hills, Horned Larks and Oriental Skylarks filled the sky with melodies. The day was rather relaxed and the birding easy thanks to the birds’ confiding nature and constant blue skies. The fields were full of Plateau Pika – a species fundamental to the Tibetan plateau ecology as the larks, Hume’s Ground Tits and White-rumped snowfinches use their abandoned burrows for nesting. Uplands Buzzards were seemingly perched on every other telegraph pole we past, replaced every so often by a Saker Falcon. Eventually as we progressed towards the more marshy areas, pairs of wonderful Black-necked Cranes appeared and Monk Vultures joined small numbers of Himalayan Griffons overhead. During the heat of the day we spent a few hours birding around Flower Lake. The grassy margins were sprinkled with hulking Tibetan Larks and dapper Tibetan Wagtails – a split from Citrine. The muddy margins held a few passing waders – Black-tailed Godwits and Lesser Sandplovers with plenty of Greylag Geese looking after their recently hatched goslings. The lake itself held good numbers of water-birds including breeding Great Crested Grebe, Ferruginous Duck and Red-crested Pochard, though of most interest to the group was the fine drake Falcated Duck, presumably a late-migrant.
After a lake-side picnic we ventured onto the hills and over the provincial border into Gansu, giving us the type of panorama that a camera could never do justice to. A fly-over Crossbill reminded us there was birding to be done. The nearby scrub held a furtive pair of Severtzov’s Tit Warbler that took a bit of time but eventually gave themselves up to all. Our first Blue-fronted Redstarts were also present, as were more Pink-rumped Rosefinches. Boxing Himalayan Marmot, Woolley Hare and several Tibetan Fox added to the overall interest of the grasslands before we headed back for a final stop and flurry of ticks; we were thrilled to find that our pair of Tibetan Grey Shrikes had chosen to breed in the same roadside bush as 2007 and were busy feeding their young by ripping up voles from their larder right in front of us. Back towards town a pair of Pere David’s Laughingthrush was followed by both White-cheeked and Red-billed Starlings before we retired to our hotel after an overwhelming day of birding!

A total contrast (apart from the excellent birding!) the following day took us to the forest edge, a biting wind soaring up the valley followed by a good downpour. As the sun struggled to break through a Darjeeling Woodpecker sat on the fence, as did another pair of Pere David’s Laughingthrush, Black-eared Kites thermalled around before the biting wind got the better of us and we headed down the valley. The roadside bushes were full of tits and finches busily feeding,loads of Grey-headed Bullfinches mixed with Chinese White-browed Rosefinches, Godlewski’s Buntings and a surprise Brambling. Amongst the tits a pair of Sichuan Tits showed themselves, a split from the Willow/Songar Tit complex. With a bit of persuasion a beautiful pair of Blood Pheasant appeared in a gap in the trees. After hearing them once or twice a pair of Giant Laughingthrush came into view typically feeding high up in the conifers. After a tasty Islamic lunch we hit the road again heading south; Black-winged Snowfinches were breeding at the roadside as the sun finally made an appearance, as did Brown Shrikes, Rock Sparrows, Azure-winged Magpie and much the same fare as the previous day. A final stop before we reached the town of Hongyuan in the gathering gloom didn’t look too promising to anyone apart from the leader who had to force the group out, bush-bashing, to find our target singing atop a nearby bush – a pair of White-browed Tits, just in time before the heavens opened again….

Himalayan Griffon and Sichuan Tit © James Eaton

Venturing further south, in the pouring rain, eventually took us away from the plateau and down into conifer-laden, deep, winding gorges. Our birding was either blighted by the weather or by road works (reminders of the last tour!), where our diplomacy, patience and sneakiness got us through a couple of hours before the barriers were lifted. Our hotel for the next two-nights in the bustling town of Maerkang was certainly not what you would have expected in rural China just a few years ago, bursting with huge bath-tubs, heated blankets, glass-walled bathrooms, steamed-resistant bathroom mirrors!
Ready for dawn and full of excitement, we were momentarily frustrated until our trusty driver skilfully pulled us through an overnight landslide and sent us on our way up to the cold, snow-glad summit of Mengbishan. Our morning was spent under the umbrellas, birding along the road through the beautiful coniferous forest, succeeding in seeing little until the snow halted and began to thaw. This respite in the weather gave us renewed hope as our first White Eared Pheasants appeared on the hillside opposite, and Blood Pheasants above us, below us and in front of us, crossing the road! Verreaux’s Monal Partridges were particularly conspicuous during the morning; on occasions the leader even had to duck out of the way to avoid being decapitated! A few passerines began to appear as the thawing continued, Three-banded Rosefinches, various warblers, tits and plenty of Giant Laughingthrushes. As the afternoon progressed we started to panic a little as Sichuan Jay were notable by their absence (apart from a lucky Judy who, wisely, stayed by the vehicle in the morning and saw a jay!). A brief call made us wait, and wait, until a family of Sichuan Jays flew into view and then just sat around in front of us for the next hour! Once the excitement had completely worn off a pair of Chinese Fulvetta appeared, followed by another Crested Tit Warbler. As our brilliant day came to a close a stop for Chinese Babax was easy enough, before our brief stop for some scenic photographs become another hours birding as Lesser and Common Cuckoos, Common Rosefinches and, most surprisingly, a pair of Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker were busy feeding in a roadside fruiting tree.

Another driving day and thanks to our good fortune the previous day, we were able to make an early start on the road, via a couple more Blood Pheasants, and head for Wolong National Park, a UNESCO site famed for the Giant Panda. Driving through a spectacularly deep, long gorge we stopped to admire a close colony of Hill Pigeons, and a pair of black-browed Tits. China never stops building and improving, and once again road works delayed us slightly. We eventually trudged our way over and down the spectacular 4500m high Balang Shan pass, though the weather hindered the view somewhat before winding our way down to Wolong village – a very different place to the Wolong we had visited on previous tours due to the tragic earthquake that hit the area in 2008.

Red-fronted Rosefinch and Swinhoe’s Striped Squirrel © James Eaton

Another major highlight of the Sichuan tour is our overnight stay at Wuyipeng Research Centre. Situated in the heart of a fairytale moss-clad forest, with a rich bamboo understory, that is home to the iconic Giant Panda. The steep hike up was completed swiftly as our group of sprightly hikers performed the task with no grumblings (of sorts!), especially as not only did a male Slaty Bunting sit up in front of us, but the star of the area, an aptly-named Firethroat performed impeccably. A couple of useful feeding flocks held Green Shrike Babblers, Yellow-browed Tit and a pair of Fire-capped Tit. After another classic Chinese meal we hit the trail, immediately bumping into a family of Barred Laughingthrush, then another pair of laughingthrushes and our only Three-toed Parrotbill of the tour. The purpose of our visit to this beautiful forest is to seek out one of Asia’s most recognisable birds; Temminck’s Tragopan. Though Wuyipeng has a healthy tragopan population, free from hunting, they can still be devilishly elusive so we were elated with our tally of 11 birds seen over the course of the day and the following morning, 4 of which were resplendent males. All of the other Wuyipeng specialities showed themselves, next up was the monster of all parrotbills as a huge Great Parrotbill made all the branches shake as it hopped up towards us, our first of several here. Perhaps the finest performance of the day was at the end during dinner, when with chopsticks in hand, we admired a pair of duetting Spotted Laughingthrush sitting out in front of us. The following morning was spent walking the trails once again, searching for more views of tragopans and parrotbills. Species were much the same we had improved views of several species, particularly Firethroat even though yesterdays views were great, this time they were exceptional as it sang close-by for long periods of time. Sclay-breasted Wren Babbler popped up to sing by the station and a Tufted Deer stood motionless attempting to avoid detection. Unfortunately after lunch the weather appeared to be closing in so we started to make or way downhill before it got wet and slippery, some of us who decided to risk the weather by birding longer ended up rather wet and muddy by the end of the walk!

The birding at Balangshan is always one of the most enjoyable areas of the tour, and this year was no exception. Our first morning was very foggy so we had to be content with just listening to the predawn lekking of Wood Snipes without a chance of actually seeing them. This also affected our morning search for the holy grail of Sichuan birding – Chinese Monal. Still, we were not going to let this stop us so we headed up to the pass for some high altitude birding. Birds flowed throughout the morning, so much that we cleaned up on all of our target birds. Aswe neared the pass, a flock of Grandala popped up above the roadside, Red-fronted Rosefinch fed nearby with a flock of Brandt’s Mountain Finches, as did a pair of Streaked Rosefinch. Over the pass and into (occasional!) glorious sunshine,Snow Partridges were particularly conspicuous and we saw several groups over the course of the morning, along with splendid views of the tour of the bird, Tibetan Snowcock as two territorial males fanned their tails, calling wildly as they ran in circles chasing each other on the hillside above us. Across the road a stunning White-tailed Rubythroat was in fine voice as we admired him singing from prominent rocks and bushes nearby, a particularly satisfying occasion for John and Judy as it lay down the ghosts of the past.
Plenty of Alpine Choughs whirled around us in tight flocks, dwarfed by a number of Himalayan Griffons that were cruising through and over the pass, joined by a single Monk Vulture and a couple of majestic Golden Eagles before we decided to try our luck again on the other side of the pass. Fog was moving up the valley fast, giving us a few minutes of a clear view every so often. A chance stop revealed a confiding flock of Dark-breasted Rosefinch and more Plain and Brandt’s Mountain Finches just below the roadside, while we gave the photographers ten minutes with the rosefinches and the botanists with the flowers, we scanned around us during the precious few moments of clear skies, and much to our surprise, found a male Chinese Monal just sat across the shallow valley staring across at us! A rather surprised shout by yours truly caused a bit of a stir as the botanists, photographers and sleep-heads amongst us came running from all directions to soak in the exquisite colours of one of China’s finest and rarest birds for as long as we wanted, and the clouds allowed.

Firethroat and Fulvous Parrotbill © James Eaton

Unfortunately the landslides pose a dangerous problem in Sichuan, and this is particularly apparent in and around Wolong, and because of yet another landslide across the road predawn the following morning we were thwarted in our attempts to get back up the Wood Snipes – comforting ourselves with the thought that it was probably going to be think fog again anyway! We spent the early morning around the village instead, a pleasant walk through the orchards revealed a few surprises, Dark-sided Flycatchers were literally everywhere, a male Yellow-bellied Tit looked tempted to actually sit on top of my head, instead choosing some wire a metre above us to sing away. A pair of striking Yellow-throated Bunting also appeared, though best of all was a group of chunky Spot-winged Grosbeaks that sat close-by for as long as we needed them to. After a belated, warm breakfast we jumped back into the van and had a long, long drive south via a very scenic route, passing over mountains, weaving our way through deep, gorgeous gorges, spending the night at a town we’ve never heard of but with a very nice hotel, before reaching Wawu Shan the following day only to find that they had a landslide too! This meant we had to wait until the following day before we could drive up to our intended destination. Phew, the joys and frustrations of Sichuan!

Birding outside of Wawu Shan was required anyway, and despite the continued drizzle we managed to pull in just about all of our intended targets down here. A stop for fuel and a car-clean resulted in Ashy-throated Parrotbill, Swinhoe’s Minivet (A Chinese breeding-endemic), Brown-breasted Flycatcher, more Oriental Greenfinches, a few Forest Wagtails and a pair of Chinese Bamboo Partridges uncharacteristically sitting right out in full view for as long as we needed – what an hours roadside birding! Below Wawu Shan Dusky Fulvetta surprised us, not only comparing it to the illustration in the field guide but by giving excellent views of this usually skulking bird. A real bonus for Gerald, the raptor-fan was one of the best – a perched Black Baza. Birding another patch of forest resulted in more new birds; the recently-described Alstrom’s Warbler, White-crowned Forktail, Black-chinned Yuhina, Red-billed Leiothrix and an electric-blue Chinese Blue Flycatcher, singing his sweet melody in the omnipresent drizzle.

Permission was finally granted to drive up the forested, winding road to our accommodation high up on Wawu Shan, booting off a couple of showy Lady Amherst Pheasants along the way (we would see plenty of females but only a brief view of a male, typical!).

The table-top of Wawu Shan is simply stunning. A bamboo-smothered under-storey within open, old-growth coniferous forest, allows for a very pleasant days walking, even if it is drizzling most of the day. We spent a single day up here, reachable on fun, if a little scary, cable-cars.
The recently discovered Sichuan Treecreeper was one of our first targets to fall, shortly followed by a host of exciting (honestly they are!) bush warblers.Aberrant, Yellowish-bellied, Spotted, Brownish-flanked and a couple of cracking Brown Bush Warblers, the latter singing like a sewing-machines from exposed perches. The various tacks, ticks and trills emanating from the dwarf-bamboo came from a host of beautiful creatures; pairs of Fulvous Parrotbills continually responded to our pishing, flitting around our knees. A marvellous experience along with Grey-hooded Fulvetta and the occasional Golden Bush Robin who’s yellow plumage shone through the mist and produced plenty of uwws and arhhs. Eventually we located a pair of feisty Grey-hooded Parrotbill busy chirping from the bamboo, a really cool bird that gave brilliant, prolonged views. Above the bamboo Black-faced Laughingthrush eventually put in an appearance, as did lots of Vinaceous Rosefinch, more Great Parrotbills, Stripe-throated Yuhina and even a couple of Darjeeling and Crimson-breasted Woodpeckers (we really didn’t have the best of tours for this family!). Amazingly this outstanding bird-list was upstaged by a mammalian interloper - a stunning Red Panda that was found just ahead of us by a group of birders (thanks Joseph and Sid!). The panda hung around for some time, just lying on top of a comfy-looking carpet of moss on a low conifer branch and in full view – the cameras went in over-drive! Presumably the panda was sitting out like this to attempt to dry out from a nights walking around the thick, wet bamboo floor as this years’ flurry of Red Pandas sightings coincided with one of Sichuan’s wettest ever years!
Always an amusing distraction up here is the usage of ‘Chinglish’ signs put up around the forest to really bamboozle our minds (See photos below, or e-mail us for more pictures!).

‘Chinglish’ Signs, Huan Huanxi Park and Wawu Shan © James Eaton

Spending almost 2 days on the lower slopes of the mountain was equally productive though at time rather wet. Emei Leaf Warbler gave a great showing, as did all the other warblers we hoped to see, including numerous Kloss’s and Large-billed Leaf Warblers. Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo flew-in and got a bit agitated, Golden-breasted Fulvetta and Golden Parrotbills occasionally appeared in the roadside bamboo and a Russet Bush Warbler literally ran mouse-like around us before perching up to sing. Laughingthrushes are an important ingredient to success here and always take a while to find; Emei Liocichla was particularly conspicuous this time around, pairs of Buffy and Spotted Laughingthrushes competed for the most amazing songs of the region, family groups of Chinese Babax occasionally popped up, though Red-winged Laughingthrush, the trickiest of the lot wouldn’t show themselves to everyone. At the roadside waterfalls Little Forktails resided, busily feeding recently-fledged young. Around our accommodation Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons fattened themselves up in the fruiting bushes. In between all of these highlights were numerous feeding flocks, packed full of an assortment of warblers, tits, yuhinas, fulvettas and flycatchers.

Our final dinner in Chengdu was great, not only had we all grasped the idea of using chop-sticks to eat with but we were able to reflect on a wonderful tour in so many senses; the birds were amazing of course, but the scenery, flora, fauna and the congenial company all made this trip special!

Red Panda, Wawu Shan © Gert Huijzers

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Photos from tour participant Gert Huijzers

More tour photos can be found on Gert’s excellent website - http://web.me.com/gerthuijzers/