Yunnan Birds (1 Viewer)

Sounds like Tongbi Guan is a special place. I hope it gets the recognition and protection it needs before it suffers significant further degradation.
Nice to see photos of some of the species to be seen there.

Ed

Last but not least one of the most promising birding sites of Tongbi Guan Forest is Hongbeng He (洪崩河). This marvelous spot actually is also part of the big forest reserve but has to be approached from a different direction, while still bordering Myanmar. See Google Earth file attached in the previous post.
It is the home of the Collared Falconet as many Chinese bird-photographers already are aware of. Also Great Slaty Woodpecker, Common Green Magpie, Black-hooded Oriole or Spot-bellied Eagle Owl reside in this tropical forest. Furthermore, Yunnan Province recently declared this area as the “Hornbill Valley of China”, with tourist developments are on the way. Indeed, Hornbills can be found here much easier than anywhere else in China.

I decided to stay here three nights, as I could arrange to sleep in a hut attached to the upper station of the hydro power plant (luckily I brought my sleeping bag). This gave me convenient birding access early in the morning and late at night. The drive from Yingjiang takes quite a while (ca. 1.5h) and will certainly cut down precious time in the field, if one decides to stay in a hotel in Yingjiang. The village at the bottom (next to the generator station) offers accommodation as well, but is less than basic (yet). Nevertheless, I guess increasing numbers of bird photographers might encourage locals to improve accommodation quality in the near future.

Just behind Yingjiang, still on the agricultural plain lands, it is worth checking the wires for Collared Myna or Striated Grassbird. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised, if some of the rarer raptors (e.g. Jerdon’s Baza, Rufous-bellied Eagle, etc) might show up from time to time. Beyond the last village there firstly comes a long no-bird stretch of young tree plantations; but after entering the natural forest birds start to be everywhere (guessing that quite a lot were refugees from the freshly cleared forest areas). When reaching the generator building of the hydro power plant, turn hard right and follow the steep road uphill. After a couple of windy kilometers you’ll eventually arrive at the ridge and the upper station of the power plant. From here the road was under construction; apparently there’ll be a bigger and wider concrete road soon.

Birding actually starts just here. There are a few dead trees on the northern side where you can find the Collared Falconets. They perch close to their nest (a tree hole) during the morning hours. The flowering Cotton Tree (Bombax ceiba) next by attracts many other birds of interest (which are plenty). However, the road beyond the power station is still leading through great forest for ca. 2km and produces many more birds: On more open stretches one may encounter Hornbills (Great, Wreathed, Oriental Pied) or find other flowering trees with more chances for even more canopy birds. Along the bamboo sections and in thicker undergrowth one can listen for Laughingthrushes and Babblers …and with some patience even see them. I could manage to observe a big mixed party of Greater Necklaced and White-crested Laughingthrushes that was followed by a single Common Green Magpie. The same one, presumably, I met again the next morning at the same bend. Kalij Pheasant sometimes shows up along the road between the two power station components.
At dusk a marvelous concert of owls was performed that ended with the loud barking of a Muntjak (possibly Red Muntjak)

Here’s the list of birds I have seen at Hongbeng He from 11th – 13th February:
Speckled Piculet
White-browed Piculet
Great Slaty Woodpecker
Bay Woodpecker
Common Flameback
Greater Flameback
Lesser Yellownape
Greater Yellownape
Pale-headed Woodpecker
Great Barbet
Blue-throated Barbet
Blue-eared Barbet
Blue-bearded Bee-eater
Asian Koel
Red-headed Trogon
Asian House Swift
Brown Hawk Owl
Mountain Scops Owl (heard only)
Collared Scops Owl (heard only)
Asian Barred Owlet
Collared Owlet
Spot-bellied Eagle Owl
Barred Cuckoo-dove
Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Mountain Hawk Eagle
Crested Serpent Eagle
Black Eagle
Steppe Eagle
Collared Falconet
Blue-winged Leafbird
Golden-fronted Leafbird
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Burmese Shrike
Common Green Magpie
Collared Treepie
Maroon Oriole
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
Scarlet Minivet
Black Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Hair-crested Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Fantail
White-throated Fantail
Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush
Blue Rock Thrush
Hill Blue Flycatcher
Grey Bush Chat
Oriental Magpie Robin
Slaty-backed Forktail
Hill Myna
Black-crested Bulbul
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
White-throated Bulbul
Mountain Bulbul
Ashy Bulbul
Black Bulbul (both forms)
Grey-eyed Bulbul
Common Tailorbird
Yellow-bellied Warbler
White-crested Laughingthrush
Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush
Red-billed Scimitar Babbler
Rufous-capped Babbler
White-hooded Babbler
Striped Tit Babbler
Silver-eared Mesia
Blue-winged Minla
Yunnan Fulvetta
Long-tailed Sibia
Rufous-backed Sibia
Striated Yuhina
White-bellied Yuhina
Streaked Spiderhunter
Little Spiderhunter
Plain Flowerpecker
Oriental White-eye
White Wagtail
Citrine Wagtail

Owl at Hornbill Valley or Hongbeng He:
Attached are two sound recordings of one single bird. Firstly there was the deep and slightly melodic song - quite distant. Then a few minutes later the owl flew in and sat not further than 10m away from me, unfortunately behind a stand of tall bamboo, so I couldn't manage to see it. Suddenly it screamed the typical Spot-bellied Eagle-owl call. Again a few minutes later it perched on a distant tree, still screaming; here at least I could see the spots on the belly of a large owl.
Although I couldn't find any reference song of the Spot-bellied Eagle-owl in the internet, I am quite convinced that it must be this species' song.

ANd here two more pictures of two nice mammals:
Anderson's Squirrel and Black Giant Squirrel.