Labahe Red Panda Twitch
Together with my kids Egon (13) and Ida (11), I took the opportunity to spend a couple of days of the National Holiday to look for Red Panda at Labahe.
This was the third attempt for me to get to this specific place. Previously I have failed due to monk uprisings. This time around, some road work between Ya'an and Labahe seemed to once again derail my plans. We went anyway and reached Labahe in some six hours from CTU (normally it is supposed to take some 4,5 hrs).
Weather was typically Sichuanese. Rain and low clouds.
We spent two full days up on the mountain and it seemed that we were going to fail in our attempts to find the red gold. Finally, just when the rain had stopped and the sun came out briefly afternoon day two, we encountered two Red Pandas at the lower end of the "boardwalk", around 2300 masl. We all got very close and good, yet brief, views of what must be one of the coolest mammals. We assume it was a mother with a cub. One of them was clearly smaller and especially the tail seemed a lot thinner. The presumed adult female looked in prime condition and glowing dark red above, jet black below and with eyes that would make "Puss in Boots" (from Shrek) jealous.
Birdwise, I dipped Streaked Barwing. We spent almost all of the time at higher altitudes. I did put in the last morning at the known spot at "White Dove Resort" but with no success. For a list of what I did find, see below (H meaning Higher altitude, 2400-2550, L meaning Lower altitude, 1900-2050, HL meaing both High and Low). A mystery bird was one singing at around 2450 masl that sounded pretty much exactly like a mountain tailorbird. Ideas anyone???
Labahe seems a fantastic place with high potential. Really great forests at a relatively wide altitude range and high quality bamboo higher up. The key to real success would be more trails.
Big thanks go to Sid and Roland for excellent advice!
Saludos,
Jocko
Temminck’s Tragopan 2 H Heard only
Lady Amherst’s Pheasant 7 HL 3 male, 2 female, 2 heard
Crimson-breasted Woodpecker 1 L Male
Himalayan Swiftlet 50+ H
Speckled Wood Pigeon 40+ H
Oriental Honey-buzzard 1 L
Chinese Sparrowhawk 1 L
Red-billed Blue Magpie 20 HL
Spotted Nutcracker 25+ HL
Large-billed Crow 3 L
Long-tailed Minivet 15 HL
Brown Dipper 2 L
Slaty-backed Flycatcher 1 L
Taiga Flycatcher 3 H
Golden Bush-Robin 5 H
Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher 1 L
Blue-fronted Redstart 1 H
White-capped Water-Redstart 10 HL
Plumbeous Water-Redstart 10 HL
White-bellied Redstart 1 H Singing(!)
Slaty-backed Forktail 1 L
Siberian Stonechat 1 L
Sichuan Treecreeper 2 H
Rufous-vented Tit 1 H
Yellow-bellied Tit 3 L
Green-backed Tit 5 L
Asian House-Martin 150+ H
Collared Finchbill 1 L
Japanese White-eye 4 L
Brown Bush-Warbler 1 H
Grey-sided Bush-Warbler 2 H
Chestnut-headed Tesia 1 H
Alpine Leaf Warbler 6 HL
Yellow-streaked Warbler 3 L
Buff-barred Warbler 100+ H
Chinese Leaf-Warbler 1 L
Sichuan Leaf Warbler 50+ HL Most of them around 2000m
Yellow-browed Warbler 1 L
Seicercus sp 1 2 H Unsure ID, not calling
Seicercus sp 2 4 L Unsure ID, not calling
Elliot’s Laughingthrush 25+ HL
Black-faced Laughingthrush 10 H
Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler 3 L
Pygmy Wren-Babbler 2 H Heard only
Green Shrike-Babbler 10+ L
Golden-breasted Fulvetta 1 H
Grey-hooded Fulvetta 40+ H
White-collared Yuhina 15 HL
Brown Parrotbill 1 H
Ashy-throated Parrotbill 2 Along road 318
Fulvous Parrotbill 8 H
White Wagtail 10 L
Grey Wagtail 2 L
Oriental Tree Pipit 5 H
Plain Mountain-Finch 2 H
Common Rosefinch 3 H
Vinaceous Rosefinch 1 H Heard only
