2007 Tour Narrative
“Kwai kan, kwai kan!” Mr. He, driver of vehicle number one, gesticulated frantically, pointing behind us and shouting to “Look quickly, look quickly!” We interrupted our picnic lunch and whipped around—and there, gingerly picking its way across the mudpool that had been the road, was a gorgeous Red Panda. Smack in the middle of the almost impassable highway, it paused, looked at us, and then continued on its way. This fantastic beast, the third Red Panda we’d seen on the four WINGS Sichuan tours, was the undoubted mammalian highlight of the entire trip, though we also spotted a herd of 23 magnificent Takin, a (swimming!) Tibetan Fox, and a frantically fleeing porcupine.
Our Red Panda encounter occurred mid-slope on the mighty Balangshan Pass, in the world-renowned Wolong Panda Reserve. Wolong produced a respectable number of its most prized avian jewels. Some of us will long remember the immaculate Grandalas high on the pass, the cooperative Tibetan Snowcocks, the pair of Snow Partridges trudging through the snow, and roadside Brandt’s Mountain Finch and Red-fronted Rosefinches.
Lower down on this mighty 14,800-foot pass, we lured out an obliging party of three Chestnut-throated Partridges, umpteen Giant Laughingthrushes, and impressive numbers of White Eared Pheasants. Three of us stayed out later one evening and were treated to stupendous views of a male Firethroat. All these birds, superb mountain and forest scenery, and delightful alpine meadows replete with a profusion of flowers (including the globally rare Slipper and Spider Orchids) were well worth the drive on the muddy road.
Wolong wasn’t our first port of call. We’d flown in to Chengdu, Sichuan’s bustling provincial capital, and driven south from there. Du Fu’s Cottage provided a nice start, with gargantuan “Chinese” Blackbirds, hyperactive Rufous-faced Warblers, vociferous White-browed Laughingthrushes, and the busy parties of both Black-throated Tits and Vinous-throated Parrotbills. We followed this fine introduction with a comfortable night in one of Chengdu’s best hotels.
The raptor fest of Emei Shan, one of China’s five sacred Buddhist mountains, produced up to five Black Bazas, a pair of tumbling Oriental Honey-buzzards, a couple of displaying Chinese Sparrowhawks, and even a Rufous-winged Buzzard—perhaps only the second ever recorded in Sichuan! Elsewhere near the base of the mountain we found Swinhoe’s Minivet, two species of forktail, both Spot-breasted and Streak-breasted Scimitar-babblers, and that fabulous songster the Hwamei. And then of course there was the Collared Scops Owl in the car park not far from the hotel. Several of us even explored the hotel’s hot spring pool complex.
As on all previous WINGS tours to Sichuan, we sampled Emei Shan’s rich avifauna in four different areas at four different elevations, from 1,650 to over 9,800 feet. In spite of low clouds, the summit produced highlights including Spotted Bush Warbler, Streak-throated Fulvetta, Gray-headed Bullfinch, and Golden and White-browed Bush Robins. En route to the summit we found Plain-tailed and Ogilvie-Grant’s Leaf Warblers, three species of cuckoo, two elusive Ashy-throated Parrotbills, a fine male Yellow-throated Bunting, and innumerable others.
Descending from the summit, we spent part of the following afternoon digging out a couple of specialties near Leidongping: a pair of Darjeeling Woodpeckers and a fine male Slaty Bunting. The following day we had a full 12 hours to negotiate the five-mile, thousand-foot descent down the steep, stepped trail to the Xixiangchi monastery; there were so many birds en route that we used virtually all of our allotted time, making numerous stops to watch a remarkably cooperative White-browed Shortwing and to scour several active mixed-species feeding flocks that contained, among others, Ashy-throated Warblers and Gray-crested Tits. Later we spent time searching for specialties such as Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler and the demure Chestnut-headed Tesia, and it was during one such “bamboo watch” that we encountered our first gem-like Golden Parrotbills. We were blessed with fine looks at a couple of fabulous Red-winged Laughingthrushes, and heard a distant Emei Shan Liocichla. All too soon, it was time to return—uphill—to Leidongping.
A few hours around the temple at Wannian was just enough time to find the area’s two premier avian specialites, the endemic Chinese breeding form glaucicomans of Blue-throated Flycatcher and a vociferous Dusky Fulvetta. We then returned to the luxury of our hotel at the mountain’s base.
The following day we headed back to Chengdu for the night before continuing up to the world-famous Wolong National Nature Reserve the next day. If we thought that the forest scenery at Emei Shan had been impressive, it was fabulous at Wolong. Gorgeous old-growth forests filled the valleys, while spectacularly jagged mountain peaks and rolling, flower-filled meadows dominated the higher elevations. We spent two days on the Zhe Gu Shan Pass, where the traffic-free road provides quiet, trouble-free access to a variety of altitudes. We had a great time here, with ornithological highlights including Chestnut-throated, Blood (not seen by everyone), and White Eared Pheasants; a fantastic Black Woodpecker performance; and good numbers of confiding redstarts, with nest building White-throateds perhaps the best. A gorgeous little Przewalsky’s Nuthatch appeared as if it had come in from miles down the forested hillside to greet us, while the Songar and Rufous-vented Tits put on equally admirable shows. Further Zhe Gu Shan highlights included Bar-tailed Treecreeper, an elusive pair of White-browed Tit-warblers, and a couple of additional Phylloscopus warblers.
Up on the Tibetan Plateau, we’re normally in the rain shadow, and this was true to a degree of this year’s tour. Parties of majestic Common Ravens checked us out, as did Black Kites of the distinctive Black-eared form lineatus, while Himalayan Griffons seemed to trail us in an ominous fashion. We mused that perhaps the vultures thought that the altitude might cause some of us to suffer more than we actually did.
Moving on, we encountered a party of inquisitive White-browed Tit-warblers and several Daurian Jackdaws. We reached Hongyuan earlier than ever, had a tasty evening meal, and retired early. The same early-to-bed routine ensued at Ruoergai the following day, by which time we’d also added a good number of the Plateau’s premier avian specialties to our burgeoning list: Black-necked Crane, Saker Falcon, White-browed Tit, three species of snowfinch, and Pink-rumped Rosefinch. And who could forget the thousands upon thousands of feral yaks! The Ba Xi road, a minor road linking Ruoergai with Jiuzhaigou National Park, also gave up a few of its jewels, a couple of aptly named Plain and then a superb pair of Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrushes, two Long-tailed Thrushes, and a Wallcreeper. And then it was on to the wonderland that is Jiuzhaigou National Park.
It’s easy to see why Jiuzhaigou receives an immense three million visitors a year. The scenery is truly spectacular with charming babbling brooks, myriad multicolored lakes, and spectacular waterfalls, all against a backdrop of massive forest-clad mountains. And the forests hold some truly world-class birds. We spent much of our first morning in the forest primeval, where a couple of Sichuan Treecreepers, China’s most recently described endemic, performed well, as did an impressive number of Maroon-backed Accentors. From there, most of us went to Reed Lake, where a fabulous party of Spectacled Parrotbills, an elusive Fujian Niltava, and an equally recalcitrant Chinese Nuthatch awaited. We spent much of the morning of our second day walking up the Pearl Shoal Waterfall Valley, where one of us obtained views of a male Niltava. On our final morning at Jiuzhaigou, we explored the “Helipad hillside” just outside the National Park, where several singing Indian Blue Robins, a vociferous Barred Laughingthrush, Chinese Thrush, three Sooty Tits, and a Green Shrike-babbler were all welcome. All too soon it was time to start our journey back to Chengdu.
Historically remote and difficult to access, Sichuan is still blessed with rich and varied ecosystems ranging from subtropical lowlands at the base of Emei Shan through cool temperate forests to alpine grasslands on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. Equally importantly, Sichuan is the heart of China’s astonishingly rich “endemic zone” and harbors about two-thirds of China’s endemic birds. Sichuan offers what I firmly believe is the very best birding in the whole of China.
Despite some poor weather and the disruption of road construction at Wolong, the tour was a success. We experienced some truly memorable scenic drives though spectacular gorges and over impressive passes. Many of us will long remember the hillsides full of fluttering prayer flags and the tremendous hospitality we were shown throughout.
Paul Holt
Updated: January 2008