Exactly 30 years ago I went on an independent birding trip to Peru, we faced Maoist insurrection and genuine danger but we had better gen on where to find birds in terms of trails, locales etc than China does in 2014.
China needs way more published articles on sites and species. It is ridiculous that over 95 pct of birding days in western China are unpublished and unavailable.
There seems to be a cheery clubbable atmosphere which stifles real gen.
One example, at the end of June I travelled to Labahe, I was completely unable to find any clear directions on the web to the entrance road or GPS of the ticket office, one of the best sites in China and we can't even be told where the front door is! Fortunately I had a driver who knew where to go and shortly I will produce a detailed map for others.
I do not agree that freedom of information damages commercial guiding, let us take Turkey as an example, all the sites are well known but still people pay big money for tours because most people who go on tours are not list-obsessed but just normal people who want a hassle-free trip. I published a report on sites around Istanbul 10 years ago, a few years ago I saw an advert for a bird tour going to the same places for an astronomical amount.
Another example is Sri Lanka, All the sites for all the endemics are well known, I recorded all the endemics in only 5 and a half days in 2011, and wrote a full report, it did wonders for my guide's business.
Other examples would be Florida, Arizona, Gambia and Majorca,
in all these cases there is loads of accurate, precise gen but a thriving tour industry.
As a final example, the UK has a thriving and profitable bird-tour business taking older people for genteel walks around well known sites, I am not aware that their business is being compromised by birdguides.com et al
Transport infrastructure in most of China is now first world, it is simply astonishing that I have to rely on a handful of trip reports to get the most basic gen about locations. A population of 1.4 billion and no simple clear website giving basic access instructions to the top 10 sites in western China!
I want every day's birding in China to be logged and accessible by all, yes I am idealistic but I want birding knowledge of China and Chinese birds to accelerate, we currently have a sclerotic situation where keen birders are waiting for crumbs to be thrown from the table of those "in the know"
Don't people have the right to keep their own hard-earned gen to themselves, in order to feed themselves?
Yes of course, but given the current nascent stage of birding in western China it is my view that the wider interests of birding are being handicapped by what amounts to something dangerously close to a racket.
I am about to go off to my summer retreat in a very rural Hungarian village with no internet access. Hopefully this will at least start a debate.
See you all back in China in August
