China Birding Notes (2 Viewers)

Could use a little help ID'ing some leaf warblers from Gaoligongshan in February. I've posted the photos in another section of this great Web site, in a thread I call China ID Puzzlers. If you want to try your hand at some leaf warbler ID and help me out, then please, be my guest. Scroll down to panes 45 and 46.

A Very Worn (Out) White-throated Rock Thrush

Last week, I made my 11th trip to Yángkǒu (洋口). I created an observation point in the "forest" on the landward side of the sea wall. Like an exaggerated version of Chile, this "forest" (actually, locust trees planted to hold the soil in place) runs for dozens of kilometers but is only about 30 m wide. If you're a forest bird and want some of the comforts of your forest home as you migrate, then this plantation is your only choice; there are few tall trees, let alone forests, for miles around. From my point on this migratory highway, I was able to witness birds migrating north--for example, this white-throated rock thrush (白喉矶鸫, báihóu jīdōng, Monticola gularis). Note the abraded plumage, a result of normal wear and tear--the bird last molted months ago--as well as evidence of the rigors of migration. Upon arrival, the rock thrush was obviously exhausted, even falling asleep on the perch. A day later, after 24 hours resting in the area, the bird was livelier, no longer falling asleep on the perch, and singing more lustily. Sooner or later, it will continue its journey north. There are no toll booths on this highway, but the toll is nonetheless high, measured not in yuan but in calories burned, and collected every time the bird beats its wings. Nikon D3S, 600 mm + 1.4x TC, F/9, 1/125, ISO 2000.

When you find female flycatchers, what do you use as your first indicator of species? With Narcissus females, I've been relying on the combination of rump and uppertail-coverts, the rump being (in Mark Brazil's [Birds of East Asia] words) "dull green or yellowish-olive," while the "uppertail-coverts and tail fringes [are] somewhat darker brown." This combo is enough to call into question Brazil's assertion that a female Narcissus and a female blue-and-white are "best separated on size"; I don't see the species being close enough to warrant such caution. Here's a female Narcissus from Yángkǒu (洋口), Jiangsu earlier this month. The green rump is just visible if you zoom in. Note also the slate-grey bill. Brazil has slate-grey being one of two tendencies in bill color in this species, the other possible color being black.

Post #302 is fantastic all around. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and photos!

Collaboration!

AndrewHeath said:

Post #302 is fantastic all around. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and photos!

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Andrew, a little encouragement goes a long way. Thanks.

Meanwhile, the work goes on . . . recently, with the help of some of the foremost experts on leaf warblers in the world, I was able to make a reasonable ID on a very difficult species. Because of their help, I would not hesitate to use this photo in my photographic field guide to the birds of China. Enjoy this photo, most likely of a Sichuan leaf warbler (四川柳莺, sìchuān liǔyīng, Phylloscopus forresti). What makes this species so difficult is that, as a member of the Pallas's Leaf Warbler Complex, it strongly resembles at least three other species.

What I like about recent ornithological work on "phylloscs" is that George Forrest now has a full species of bird that bears his name.

http://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/forrest/george-forrest.htm

Glad you got this one identified !

johnjemi said:

What I like about recent ornithological work on "phylloscs" is that George Forrest now has a full species of bird that bears his name.

http://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/forrest/george-forrest.htm

Glad you got this one identified !

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Just read the article you linked to. Those old-timers went through stuff that you and I can hardly imagine.

johnjemi I'm heading to Sichuan on a 23-day trip and was wondering where I could find some of your excellent reports on the region.

Hi Craig,

There are some Sichuan reports here: http://johnjemi.hk/jj_cn/index.html

But, in a fast-changing place like China, they're probably out-of-date already !

johnjemi said:

Hi Craig,

There are some Sichuan reports here: http://johnjemi.hk/jj_cn/index.html

But, in a fast-changing place like China, they're probably out-of-date already !

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johnjemi, Nice to hear back from you, and I've been enjoying your reports. Where's Leech Valley? My team is planning on going to Daocheng, and Muli Valley may be on our itinerary also. We want to find Garrulax bieti.

Hey Craig, apropos of your upcoming photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, how about a separate monograph on the Leaf Warblers of China?! Enough there to keep anyone busy, I would think!

Jon Gallagher said:

Hey Craig, apropos of your upcoming photographic Field Guide to the Birds of China, how about a separate monograph on the Leaf Warblers of China?! Enough there to keep anyone busy, I would think!

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Hi Jon, you're not the first person to ask about such a project. When you consider that two-thirds of the world's leaf warblers are in China, then one would be tempted to cover the other third also and turn the project into one covering all members of Phylloscopus. I'm willing to go wherever demand seems to be.

This is a firethroat (金胸歌鸲, jīnxiōng gēqú, Calliope pectardens). I photographed this male today on the Old Erlang Road, between Yǎ'ān (雅安) and Kāngdìng (康定), Sichuan, China. There are gaps in our knowledge about the firethroat, a species listed as near-threatened by the IUCN. The place where I took the photo adds to the mystery of the bird. The Old Erlang Road dips off the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau; the eastern side of the road is soggy and foggy; the western side, high and dry. Nikon D3S, 600 mm + 1.4x TC, F/7.1, 1/250, ISO 1600.

Nice shot Craig; They are certainly easier (at the moment) on the Old Erland Road than at Wuyipeng!

cheers, alan

lewis20126 said:

Nice shot Craig; They are certainly easier (at the moment) on the Old Erland Road than at Wuyipeng!

cheers, alan

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Hi Alan--We were lucky; two males have territories on either side of the road and were singing at each other (from cover, of course) as I walked up the road. That saved me guessing where the firethroats were. Are you at Wuyipeng now? What've you been finding there? How was the road getting in?

thrush said:

Hi Jon, you're not the first person to ask about such a project. When you consider that two-thirds of the world's leaf warblers are in China, then one would be tempted to cover the other third also and turn the project into one covering all members of Phylloscopus. I'm willing to go wherever demand seems to be.

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It would be great to have. The only problem is it would be out of date before it hits the publisher's desk. :smoke:

We Got Dulong Done!!!!

The craigbrelsford.com™ Cooperative Research Photographic-based Birding (PBB)® Sichuan-Yunnan 2014 Discovery Tour--quite a mouthful there--is complete! Which is to say, I'm back in Shanghai. The 23-day trip with Jon Gallagher (Maryland, USA) and Huang Xiao An (Beijing) covered three main areas: the Old Erlang Road and Mount Emei in Sichuan and the Dulong Valley in Yunnan. At Longcanggou, a power surge at our hotel and destroyed oil pan on our rented Chevy Captiva set us back, and everywhere, rain was our constant companion; but our team had mettle and never quit. The highlight of the trip is still under wraps; I'm waiting for Per Alstrom to emerge from the wilderness and green-light the publication of the news. The next-best highlight came on the Old Erlang Road, where I became one of the few persons on Earth to get sharp, clear, full-body, useful, photo-field-guide-ready (another mouthful there) images of a female firethroat (金胸歌鸲, jīnxiōng gēqú, Calliope pectardens). This accomplishment is also shrouded in some secrecy, as I'm not going public with the photos of the female, being fearful of theft. However, much material from the tour is already up on craigbrelsford.com™; in the coming days and weeks, please keep checking my Latest Pictures, as new photos will be added daily and a report is forthcoming. Giving me particular pleasure on this trip was getting crisp, accurate IDs of many species of leaf warbler, including marginal species such as Davison's and Blyth's in Dulong. On the site you'll see a suite of photos of Phylloscopids, with more to come. The Dulong Valley is the Last Green Valley in China©, it being "last" in space (extreme NW Yunnan, hard by Burma) and last in the sense that while so many valleys in China have been chewed up and spit back out by man, this one remains pristine.

Yes Craig, quite a trip! To some of the most remote areas I've ever been, that's for sure. Privileged to have been part of the CRPBBSY2014DT!!! Despite the many challenges both consequent of and impactful on such an undertaking, this was surely both one of the most demanding and fulfilling trips ever. Looking forward to seeing more of your images of the birds of Sichuan and Yunnan, especially from the Last Valley frontier! Cheers, Jon

Great Partners, Great Birds!

"Who can find a virtuous partner? for his price is far above rubies." (I've reworked this passage from the Bible to refer to partners, not wives.) On the just-completed Sichuan-Yunnan Discovery Tour, my partners--actually, my sponsors--were as good as one can find. When I requested an extra day for one last attempt to photograph a female firethroat, Jon Gallagher and Huang Xiao An consented. Not only were they generous, but they also trusted my birding judgment--I told them, I think we're just a day away, I think that female is going to come out! Sure enough, on that extra day, she did show. Everyone savored a good, long glimpse of this rare and poorly understood bird. Look around on the Web for clear, full-body images of the female firethroat. You'll be hard-pressed to find any. Enjoy these hard-won shots! And please forgive me for scarring them so much. Thank you for understanding that I have to protect my investment.

Meeting in Wilderness Leads to Progress on Research into Plain-backed Thrush Complex!

On 11-12 June, the craigbrelsford.com birding team forwent sleep and sped 1500 km from Éméishān (Sichuan) to the Dúlóng Valley (Yunnan). We wanted to meet up with Per Alström. Per's team met ours on 13 June on the Dúlóng-Gòngshān Road, just below the Salween-Irrawaddy Divide. Using the hood of his jeep as a desk, Per and I opened our MacBooks, and Per copied over to me a recording he'd made of a bird in the Plain-backed Thrush Complex. Per's generosity inspired me. Per said, "I only have photos of thrushes I've captured. It would be good to have photos of the thrushes in their natural environment." "I'll do everything I can to get those photos!" I said. A week later, my team was back at the Divide. During a rare break in the rain, I stepped out and played the song Per had given me. After a few minutes, a "Plain-backed Thrush" called back. The thrush perched just 15 m from me, singing powerfully. I took dozens of photos and made three good recordings. Afterward, I texted Per and told him I had his photos of a natural "Plain-backed Thrush"! Back home in Shanghai, I sent the photos and recordings to Per. Per had little trouble determining to which of the new "Plain-backed Thrush" taxa the individual I met belongs. However, as Per's work on the complex hasn't been published yet, Per has asked me to temporarily refer to my bird by the currently recognized binomial Zoothera mollissima. What a pleasure it was to find that "Plain-backed Thrush," and at such a remote, thrilling location! What a pleasure it was working with you, Per! I'll welcome the opportunity to work with you again. I've attached a picture of the meeting, taken by my partner Huáng Xiǎo Ān (黄小安): I'm on the left, my other partner Jon Gallagher's in the middle, and Per is on the right. The insets show the "Plain-backed Thrush" that I later photographed. In the other photos of the thrush, I had to scar the photos heavily, to prevent theft. Thanks for your understanding. One unscarred photo shows the thrush in its dramatic breeding habitat. If you look closely, you'll see a golden bush robin, too.

Craig,

No offense, but if you're going to put so much overlay on the photos, don't bother attaching them at all. You can barely make out the bird in them.

JH