I'm just back from a trip to the very south of Sichuan - helping on a study of the Lower Jinsha Valley, where a massive, and very controversial engineering works, will create a body of water that will form China's second biggest reservoir complex after the three-gorges project.
We were surveying standard sites - farmland and plantation - in a climate that's much warmer than the normal dank, grey, foggy winter weather we get to 'enjoy' around the Sichuan Basin.
Where we birded almost none of the native forest remains - just a relic tree here and there. I'm afraid this landscape has long since been plundered for its timber. But regardless of degraded habitat a lot of nice birds, which are absent further north, can be seen in this area.
What's more the weather - sunny, warm with mild nights - makes this a good winter destination - with another great plus being the new motorway, that extends from Yaan, now making the major town in this area - Xichang - which used to be a whole day's trip, a mere 6 hours driving from Chengdu.
Although we didn't dig up anything too special, our work was to look at the common habitat of the area, I'm sure a bit of exploring after the best of the habitat could pull in some better birds.
Star bird is Brown-winged Parrotbill, while many of the other species like Rusty-capped Fulvetta, Black-headed Sibia, Sooty-headed Bulbul, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Crested Finchbill, Pied Bushchat, Grey-breasted Prinia, Hill Prinia, birds more commonly found on Yunnan lists, are all resident here.
Roland's recent sighting of Biet's Laughingthrush comes just on the border to Yunnan - 6 hours west from Xichang, at Muli - so the whole of this border area has good potential. To the East, just over the Yunnan border at Dashanboa, is one of the main wintering areas for Black-necked Crane.
Pictures - all taken by Steb Fisher
1 Black-breasted Thrush - this one was taken during the summer survey
2 Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush - taken on our trip, a very handsome bird
3 Chestnut-tailed Minla - we ran into a big flock. This bird is really living up to its name!!!!
4 Hill Prinia - seen on our trip, but the picture was taken last summer
5 Pied Bushchat - present during winter