Classic China: Hong Kong & Sichuan May 10—Jun 01, 2006
Posted by Dion Hobcroft
Dion Hobcroft
Dion Hobcroft has been working for VENT since 2001. He has led many tours to Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Bhutan, India, Southwest Pacific, Cambodia, Thailand, China...Related Trips
This was an outstandingly successful tour. We birded some of the most spectacular and species-rich forests in central China in unparalleled comfort. New hotels, highways, and the ever helpful and friendly local people ensured a smooth tour. We also experienced some rustic hotels, hiked up into the mountains into bamboo and rhododendron forests, and explored the Tibetan Plateau with its thousands of yaks and Tibetan cowboys. The modernization taking place in China is proceeding at an unbelievable pace. I was constantly remarking to the group about a new tunnel, highway, hotel, statue, or cable car! All of these differences in just 12 months. Many of the participants ranked this trip amongst their best ever birding tours.
The birds were simply phenomenal; we connected with so many of the rarest, most spectacular, and most elusive species China has to offer. We set a new benchmark for Classic China tours with a new trip record and a very high "strike" rate for all clients with the most special birds. Better environmental protection, including a ban on rifle hunting, is having an enormously beneficial impact on mammals and large birds. We observed 15 species of mammals and nine pheasants and partridges on this tour.
In Hong Kong our day produced 75 species. At Tai Po Kau in the morning it was hard to beat the Pygmy Wren-Babbler that almost perched on our boots. Superb studies of Hainan Blue-Flycatcher, Chestnut Bulbul, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, and the stunning Yellow-cheeked Tit kicked off the tour well. Although we had a low tide at Mai Po, we enjoyed a great Chinese Egret in breeding plumage and flocks of striking White-winged Black Terns. It is a shame it has become so difficult to get flexible group access to this location.
The bustling city of Chengdu turned up some good sightings during our first afternoon in a bamboo city park. Although busy with people enjoying Mah-Jong and sunflower seeds, it came through with Rufous-faced Warbler, Hoopoe, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, super Black-throated Tits, and some very tame Chinese Grosbeaks. A visit to the Leshan Buddha, a memorable experience in itself, also provided sightings of many species with Tiger Shrike and Fire-breasted Flowerpecker—two good ones.
Our Sichuan forest birding commenced at Emei Shan, the sacred Buddhist peak at the crossroads of Chinese bird distribution. The Golden Summit was in clear weather and the Vinaceous Rosefinches were superb. The Wannian Monastery was highlighted by an incredible Speckled Piculet with a Chinese Blue-Flycatcher singing its heart out right next to us. Our next move was to Wawu Shan—a must-visit, superb forest birding location. On the summit we found Gray-hooded and Fulvous (amongst my top 10 birds in the world) parrotbills, and the recently described Sichuan Treecreeper. Lower down, the mountain was alive with the endemic Emei Liocichla; Great, Golden, and Gray-headed parrotbills; the rare Emei Leaf-Warbler; and unforgettable Lady Amherst's Pheasants—what a bird!
Returning to Chengdu, an afternoon with the giant pandas at a breeding center enabled us to get up-close with this most charismatic vegetarian carnivore. There was also a superb Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, always a glamour bird. Then we had a night at the Sichuan Opera, a highlight for the tour, especially the shadow puppet master who gave me goose bumps.
Our next destination was the famous Wolong Biosphere Reserve. We all made the trek up to the Wuyipeng Research Camp where, although the set-up was pretty basic, we were warm, well fed, and woke up in superb bamboo forests. The exciting news was that they had released their first ever captive bred giant panda in the forest here. It was startling to see photographs (taken by the professional research staff) of it strolling along the same paths we were birding along. Plenty of good birds here included scarce endemics like the elusive Barred Laughingthrush, Pere David's Tit, and Fire-capped Tit, but it was the male Temminck's Tragopan we found roosting that stole the show.
We had been conditioning ourselves for our day at highest altitude—the Balan Shan Pass (4,523 meters or 15,000 feet). This is a great birding day, if you get the weather, and we struck it just perfectly. Due to our conditioning acclimation no one experienced problems. It was a mega-day with crunching views of three Chinese Monal, a family of Verreaux's Monal-Partridge, Blood Pheasant, Snow Partridge, and our second encounter with a stunning male Golden Pheasant right out in the middle of the road (check out Susan's photos). Plenty of other great sightings ranged from Long-tailed Rosefinch to the hoped for Grandala (check this bird out on the web), Giant Laughingthrush, and Snow Pigeon. Towards the end of the day a Lammergeier turned up, as did a large herd of bharal (blue sheep).
All of this was hard to top, but we made our way to the Tibetan Plateau for our appointment with the much anticipated Black-necked Cranes. It was a long and very pretty drive to Hong Yuan and, just before we reached the hotel, "stop the bus—CRANES!" There they were, feeding close to the road and giving excellent scope views. The next day, exploring the plateau, we stopped constantly for new birds from the huge Upland Buzzard to the huge Tibetan Lark, glowing Citrine Wagtails, Little Owl, Tibetan Snowfinch, and the odd Hume's Groundpecker. The sighting of the day was a remarkable encounter with the rarely seen Chinese desert cat, a lynx-like ginger felid we scoped hunting pika and marmots. This was an outstanding experience for me.
Could it get better than this? Well, we watched a pair of Lammergeiers dropping bones onto a rock face, and the next morning Susan found a pack of wolves! Then there was a Northern Goshawk on the road with a Koklass Pheasant in its talons. Unbelievable—it was better than the Discovery Channel.
Jiuzhaighou is a simply stunning World Heritage Reserve with mirror lakes, Himalayan peaks, and vast boreal forests. Although the birding here was slower (and the park full of tourists), it still provided many special sightings including scarce endemics like Sukatschev's Laughingthrush and the remarkable Three-banded Rosefinch. On our last morning we found a pair of Prezwalsky's Nuthatches, and, while following one bird, it produced a large furry mammal head protruding from a hollow: a Chinese giant flying squirrel—yet another sensational mammal sighting for our group.
It was time to wend our way back to Chengdu with one last stop at Mount Qing Cheng. Our morning produced some good birds with highlights including Red-billed Starling, Drongo Cuckoo, and a remarkably cooperative White-crowned Forktail.
It was also fantastic to experience some of the cultural highlights including the Leshan Buddha, the incredible temples and monasteries, and a good bowl of tasty noodles in a roadside stall where rarely a westerner has been sighted. It was also a gastronomic journey; we ate different dishes on a daily basis—all hot, fresh, and tasty.
I especially thank Susan Myers for her great efforts in the field, and spotting and scoping so many good birds and mammals. I also really appreciated the wonderful help from Mr. Han, our truly superb driver, and our interpreter-guide, Helen, who learned as she went along and enjoyed a good laugh. They both did a wonderful job, as did our luggage truck driver behind the scenes.
I wish to thank most sincerely all the participants who came along for this adventure. While at times physically demanding, I am sure you will all remember this tour as being one of the all-time greats.