Scenes from China: Sichuan
Although spectacular Wawu Shan, with its cloud forest and seas of bamboo, its comfortable hotel and its Sichuan Treecreepers, Red-winged Laughingthrushes, Black-headed Sibias and multiple parrottbills was the first of the seven very different sites that we visited on this comprehensive tour, things really came alive at Labahe, the second. It was there that we really saw our first gamebirds – Lady Amherst’s Pheasants and a resplendent male Temminck’s Tragopan; our first fast-moving mixed species feeding flocks and both of our magnificent Red Pandas…The first panda, a superbly inquisitive individual watched us for the best part of 20 minutes before gradually slinking off back in to the rhododendron forest, while the second was almost close enough to pet (not that any of us would have dared)…We’d move on from there to find Snow Partridges, Chinese Monals, Firethroats and both White-browed and Crested Tit-warblers as well as the enigmatic Three-banded, one of eleven species of rosefinch we’d see. Up on the Plateau, Black-necked Cranes, Saker Falcons, Tibetan Partridges, black-backed Citrine Wagtails and Tibetan Larks as well as a confiding pair of Pink-tailed Finches entertained. Great infrastructure, superb hospitality, a first class ground agent, some outstanding food and a fabulous group rounded off a fantastic tour!
