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Sichuan Birding (4 Viewers)

Derbyan Parakeet/ Red-billed Starling/ Tibetan Grey Shrike in Lhasa/ Tibet in winter

Hello my dear friends,
I am in Lhasa/ Tibet and doing birdwatching here I recently saw some birds which one would not expect to see here in winter. One is the Derbyan Parakeet, Psittacula derbiana of which I saw a whole flock of probably 40 individuals in the trees in front of Potala Palace. The other is the Red-billed Starling, Sturnus sericeus of which I saw a small murmuration in the Norbulingka Palace gardens. Both one would expect in more southern warmer areas? Checking trip reports and bird lists in the internet it seems these birds seem to have been sighted also by other birders. Are those birds naturally home in Lhasa/ Tibet in winter? Are they escaped cage birds? Is it climate change?
Also I saw a Chinese Grey Shrike/ Tibetan Grey Shrike, Lanius sphenocercus giganteus outside Lhasa at the Lhasa river. Is this supposed to be here? Do the bird range maps have to be redrawn?
For more Tibetan bird pictures see: www.tibetbirds.com
Best, tibetbird
 

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I believe the Derbeyan Parakeets in Lhasa are escapes

Not sure about the Red-billed Starling, but I expect escapes as well as they winter in large numbers in Hong Kong and Hainan.

I enjoyed scrolling through your pix. "Plenty of Ibisbills" is not a commonly-used phrase!

Cheers
Mike
 
nice on with the shrike - very unusual that far south, must be the cold weather bringing them further south than usual.

As Mike says, the parakeets in Lhasa are escapes, numbers have been building up over the past 5 years now - historically they were never recorded here, they are endemic to the sub-tropical valleys of south-east Tibet/NW Yunnan (and that random out-post in Simao).
I would guess the starling is an escape, though you never know - Borneo recorded Red-billed Starling in December (along with Common Starling)...

James
 
Tibetbird, just wanted to comment that I enjoyed your pictures too, some very nice close shots of handsome birds! It was interesting to see what birds you see around up there.
 
Tibetbird, just wanted to comment that I enjoyed your pictures too, some very nice close shots of handsome birds! It was interesting to see what birds you see around up there.

Nice pictures, I think the "Common Snipe" is a Solitary Snipe.

cheers, alan
 
Wawu Shan - closed?

I was hoping to go to Sichuan next year and was going to spend a few days at Wawu Shan. I've heard worrying rumours that it could be closed this year or next, for 12 months, so hotels, roads etc can be built. If it ends up like Juizhaigou it sounds like a nightmare...

Does anyone know anymore?

thanks, alan
 
Hi Alan,

Wawu was closed for 6 weeks during November for cable car maintenance.
For tourism attractions, i heard news about lot of improvements which sounds crazy like making roads for Golf carts and some construction near the mandarin duck pool.
 
Wawu Shan:
Just called the local tourism bureau.
Seems to be closed for the next two or three years. The whole scenic area is going to be upgraded. Looks really unpleasant.............

However, there might be alternatives which are equivalent, what needs to be proved the next couple of weeks..
 
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I'm in the UK at the moment - but this latest news over Wawu has come as real damper on our holiday. We were recently in touch with the park, and although we knew of proposed developments, the plan to close the park has come as a shock!!!!!!
The biggest worry is the development in the Mandarin Duck pond area - here is habitat for the very rare Grey Hooded Parrotbill. There are opportunities for the other parrotbill species in Wolong, Erlang and Moxi areas - but good opportunities for finding Grey-hooded seems confined to Wawu.
 
Wawu Shan:
Just called the local tourism bureau.
Seems to be closed for the next two or three years. The whole scenic area is going to be upgraded. Looks really unpleasant.............

However, there might be alternatives which are equivalent, what needs to be proved the next couple of weeks..

Thanks for the update - anymore information on alternative sites would be helpful; it is certainly the key site for viewable Temminck's Tragopans and that is a key reason for my visit. I think they are much more diffiuclt at Emei Shan now.

Thanks again, alan
 
From what I hear through some contacts (who told me this news end of 2011, and is still the case as of last week), that Wawu will be closed from June/July this year for 2-3 years as they do a loop road, and also 'improve' up top.

There are alternative sites for all species - as Sid says, though Grey-hooded is generally much more difficult at the other site/s I've seen it.

Cheers,

J
 
There's actually a Chinese site for Wawu that has given updates on the the park - www.wawushan.cn
But I'm afraid the site currently seems to have been highjacked by another web address.

Thanks for the update - anymore information on alternative sites would be helpful; it is certainly the key site for viewable Temminck's Tragopans and that is a key reason for my visit
My experience of spring/summer Wawu last year - with the increase in tourist traffic where park buses were already starting to drive the roads around 7.30, the construction of new concrete barriers on roadside locations where we've viewed Tragopan during earlier trips, increased human disturbance on the middle of the mountain with road repair and bamboo shoot collection (a Chinese culinary speciality) and a honey farmer who had set up hives and a tent (with dog) in one of the best gamebird areas - gave me the impression that Temminck's Tragopan were being scared away from the normal roadside viewing areas and also becoming more difficult at Wawu.
But Wawu is a far better site for tragopan than Emei.


One of the best sites for Tragopan must be around Wolong. Other easy to visit sites we've found this bird include Labahe and Hailuogou glacier park.
For an independent traveller Hailuogou Glacier Park could make a decent alternative site -
- easy to reach by bus from Chengdu
- accommodation within the park that means you can explore the park area by foot (cheapest rooms are bargained with touts at the park gates - don't go into the park without booking room prices from one of the touts)
- great birds that include - Temminck's Tragopan, Streaked Barwing, Gould's Shortwing (picture from park in OBC) Golden Bush Robin, Chesnut-headed Tesia, Spotted Laughingthrush, Red-winged Laughingthrush, Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler, Collared Grobeak, Great Parrotbill, Sichuan Treecreeper, Sharpe's (Spot-winged) Rosefinch, Dark-rumped Rosefinch
- in the area outside the park (where you would need transport) we've found (among a lot of other stuff) - Lady A Pheasant, Blood Pheasant, Tibetan Snowcock (Monal is in the area but takes a bit of hiking to get into suitable habitat) Pere David's Tit, Brown Parrotbill, Three-toed Parrotbill, Fulvous Parrotbill, Barred Laughingthrush, Solitary Snipe, Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker, Himalayan Rubythroat, White-browed Tit warbler

Biggest disadvantages with the Hailuogou glacier park are the crowds that turn up after 8am - during mid season, and on weekends they come in very noisy package groups - but at least by staying in the park you (just like wawu) you have those golden hours of early morning and late evening to yourselves. And lower areas away from the actual glacier are far quieter.

At the moment - due to the Tibetan new year, which for the last 3 years has brought travel restrictions during February/March - this area is also officially closed off to foreign travellers. But we hope as in the past years - this area will once again open in April.
I'm afraid birding in Sichuan can sometimes be a complicated task of dodging around problems - but I suppose that gives us an extra sense of achievement when when we finally get our ticks!!!!
 
Good to have you back on BF Sid

Mike

PS can you send me a snail-mail address - I have some old hard copy reports for you
 
From what I hear through some contacts (who told me this news end of 2011, and is still the case as of last week), that Wawu will be closed from June/July this year for 2-3 years as they do a loop road, and also 'improve' up top
After phoning up the Wawu office - Roland was told that the closure has already started from March 1st.

Hi Mike - good to be back - I'll send you an address by mail
 
A brief bit of research suggests that these are probably the most important birds for me at Wawu (aside from the Tragopan). Any useful hints at where I could see these in Sichuan would be helpful:

Grey-hooded Parrotbill,
Emei Shan Liocichla
Sichuan Treecreeper
Great, 3-toed, Brown, Ashy-throated & Fulvous Parrotbills
Emei Leaf Warbler
Chinese Blue Flycatcher
Lady Amherst’s Pheasant
Red-winged Laughingthrush
Rusty Laughingthrush
Dark-rumped Rosefinch
Golden-fronted Fulvetta (rare)

thanks, alan
 
Hi Lewis -

Emei Shan Liocichla - Emei, best areas in the bamboo on the access road to the summit

Sichuan Treecreeper - Emei (conifers in the area around the bottom cable-car), Wolong, Wanglang - must also be at JZ

Great, 3-toed, Brown & Fulvous Parrotbills - Labahe, Moxi, Wolong - I also suppose the bamboo areas around the 'ski-area' at Emei could be a likely Parrotbill haunt

Ashy-throated Parrotbill- the common parrotbill when you go west. Can find it in roadside scrub/long grass anywhere around Yaan. You should also be able to find this bird at Emei.

Emei Leaf Warbler - Emei and I've had them in the Erlang area.

Chinese Blue Flycatcher - Emei

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant - Labahe, Erlang, Moxi

Red-winged Laughingthrush - Emei, Labahe

Rusty Laughingthrush - difficult one - can find them in the deep SE around Yibin (Sichuan Hill Partridge country) and i've also found them in the NE. I suppose this bird must also be at Emei - I've never found them there but have seen likely habitat

Dark-rumped Rosefinch - Erlang, Moxi (Hailuogou)

Golden-fronted Fulvetta (rare) - Reported for the Sichuan Hill partridge reserves in the SE- I've seen once on the Old Erlang Road. You'd have been very fortunate to find this species at Wawu.

Grey-hooded Parrotbill - my only good alternative site outside the Wawu tourist park are the undeveloped western areas of Wawu that are accessed from Yinjing - but these areas are difficult for an independent birder and we're also not certain about current access to this area.

A few of these areas are off the main Sichuan birding route - but Emei and Moxi (the Hailuogou area) are quite accessible by public transport.
 
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Hi Lewis -

Emei Shan Liocichla - Emei, best areas in the bamboo on the access road to the summit

Sichuan Treecreeper - Emei (conifers in the area around the bottom cable-car), Wolong, Wanglang - must also be at JZ

Great, 3-toed, Brown & Fulvous Parrotbills - Labahe, Moxi, Wolong - I also suppose the bamboo areas around the 'ski-area' at Emei could be a likely Parrotbill haunt

Ashy-throated Parrotbill- the common parrotbill when you go west. Can find it in roadside scrub/long grass anywhere around Yaan. You should also be able to find this bird at Emei.

Emei Leaf Warbler - Emei and I've had them in the Erlang area.

Chinese Blue Flycatcher - Emei

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant - Labahe, Erlang, Moxi

Red-winged Laughingthrush - Emei, Labahe

Rusty Laughingthrush - difficult one - can find them in the deep SE around Yibin (Sichuan Hill Partridge country) and i've also found them in the NE. I suppose this bird must also be at Emei - but I've never found them there.

Dark-rumped Rosefinch - Erlang, Moxi (Hailuogou)

Golden-fronted Fulvetta (rare) - Reported for the Sichuan Hill partridge reserves in the SE- I've seen once on the Old Erlang Road. You'd have been very fortunate to find this species at Wawu.

Grey-hooded Parrotbill - my only good alternative site outside the Wawu tourist park are the undeveloped western areas of Wawu that are accessed from Yinjing - but these areas are difficult for an independent birder and we're also not certain about current access to this area.

A few of these areas are off the main Sichuan birding route - but Emei and Moxi (the Hailuogou area) are quite accessible by public transport.

Great, thanks for that. Although Wawu sounds great (or was!), it sounds as if most of the species can be picked up elsewhere. It will be interesting to see how James, Hannu Jannes et al. do on their tours this year at alternative sites. I think we will still plan a Sichuan trip in May next year.

cheers, alan
 
Hi all,

I’d like to ask a couple of questions regarding the practicalities of bird watching (or generally being in the countryside) in Sichuan. I’ve visited Sichuan a number of times, and I’ve had opportunity to explore local countryside around areas such as the forested foothills to the west of the Sichuan Basin. There are two things I’d like to ask about:

Firstly, I’ve repeatedly come across dogs, usually chained up, but sometimes running loose. Though not particularly nasty looking, I have on a couple of occasions faced dogs behaving aggressively. One time I felt threatened enough to pick up some stones, which after seeing, the dogs backed off. Basically, the question is, how is it best to deal with dogs in these situations? Is it all posturing and show, and the dogs would be best ignored? Or should a careful retreat be made? A number of times there have been paths I’d liked to have taken, but I’ve decided against it because of dogs, chained or loose.

The other question regards intrusion. The existence of the majority of the paths in the countryside is to provide access to people’s homes. When exploring, I regularly find a that a path appears to terminate at a house, but I know that often that the path will continue behind the house. To find out, I’d have to skirt round the property and scout around a bit to see if I could find if the path continues; I’d have to behave in a way that in the UK we’d find intrusive. It can be frustrating to retrace steps every time this happens because it occurs frequently. When I have met locals in circumstances when I have felt like I was intruding, generally after initial surprise, they have been very friendly and helpful. I’m pretty sure culturally people in the countryside in Sichuan have a more tolerant attitude to us in the UK about people crossing their land and even walking past their windows etc, but the question is to what degree? What exactly is acceptable, and what would people feel uncomfortable about? Knowing the answer to this question would help reduce the amount of backtracking I have to do.

Thanks

Ed
 
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