Sichuan Birding (2 Viewers)

[Dahe]

Thanks Robbi, interesting to hear that a ringed tail pattern indicates mice rather than voles, something I didn't know. According to The Mammals of China by Smith and Xie there are only three species of Apodemus found in Sichuan at roughly the same elevation as this mouse, less than I was expecting:
Striped Field Mouse
South China Field Mouse
Korean Field Mouse
All of these are described as having reddish brown pelage, so not sure if that would suggest another genus, or whether the grey fur of this mouse is within the variation present in these species! Anyway, content to know it's a mouse and to have learnt something new. Best wishes

Ed

 

[mjgrunwell]

Phylloscopus warblers around Juizhaigo

Greetings, currently staying in Juizhaigo, two days so far, yesterday at Baihe reserve about 30 km east of here, today the whole day spent around the primeval forest area. Managed to get onto the closed-off (but perfectly OK) western boardwalk, 5 hours completely alone just on the boardwalk.
Discovered that the reason people get chivied off around 4pm is that the last bus down is before 4.30. I emerged onto the top boardwalk at 4.10 and the place was deserted, had maroon-backed accentor on the boardwalk and a three-toed woody. Absolutely empty at 4.40 at the bus stop, I walked 8km down until I met a really nice forestry policemen who called up a local bus for me. Had the most amazing scenery all to myself. Eventually out of the gate at 8pm.
Anyway a full report in time but I just want to talk about phylloscs, what a place this is! After two days of careful listening and much tape playing here is my take on what's here.

Buff-barred warbler, several singing at Baihe, none so far at JZ
Sichuan leaf warbler, great close views of one singing bird on the closed boardwalk, clearly not common here.
Chinese leaf warbler, common at PF
Hume’s leaf warbler, common in one area of the boardwalk with thick conifers
Large-billed leaf warbler, I first heard this yesterday but was clueless, today same call but I saw what was clearly a big phyllosc and carefully went through every recording until a perfect match. Common here.
Claudia’s (IOC call it La Touche’s) possibly the commonest warbler both at JZ and Baihe
Davison’s this is the controversial one! Yesterday at Baihe I had close views of a singing bird, even got it on video, the song matches perfectly the recordings on Xeno-canto. Klosses aka Ogilve-grant has a trill which this bird never does. In addition the video clearly shows white outer tail feathers, when I get out of China I will try to upload video to Youtube.
Comments welcome, keep you updated, long lake tomorrow.

 

[Jon Gallagher]

@James: Thanks for your very helpful reply to my question re: Sichuan sites--just back from 3.5 weeks in Sichuan and Yunnan. As it happened Loncanggou didn't work out for us (long story!) but it seems possible to access with the right contacts (!) Based partly on your comments and also availability we worked Emei Shan into our itinerary and saw some excellent birds there despite all that the weather was throwing at us. Best of all was the Dulong Valley in NW Yunnan with a real frontier feeling, since it is way off the beaten birding tour track.

Ran into the Birdtour Asia crew and shared some good moments on the Old Erlang Road, another excellent spot that doesn't seem likely to be easily closed!

Cheers,

Jon

 

[mjgrunwell]

Gansu leaf warbler at Long lake, Juizhaigo

Today, Wed 25 June, I went up to Long Lake as early as possible, arrived at 09.00, spent a long time being cold and miserable looking for Snowy-cheeked LT, at 10.30 about to leave when I heard a trill familiar from my Phyllosc homework, Gansu leaf warbler! I spent the next 90 minutes trying to actually see the bird, the problem is that it does not have a loud call, unlike Chinese leaf, what I thought was 10m away was actually much closer. I eventually got onto a bird which looked like one but it was not calling. A few minutes later I had close views of a bird and then it gave full a trilly blast, nailed it! Best moment of the trip. I almost certainly heard another on the top loop of the Primeval Forest at 3pm but I could not stop as I was being escorted off the premises by a shouty man in a dark suit. (Not surprising I missed the bus two days ago if they are rounding up stragglers at 3pm!)
Heard at Baxi by Syd so does occur in Sichuan, no doubt under-recorded, it does have a quiet voice so you would have to be reasonably close and aware of the song to record it. I got sound on video, when I get out of China I will post the audio.
Just after this two snowy-cheeked appeared by the boardwalk feeding on the ground, great views and good video. I also had a pair of white-throated redstart and a family of three-banded rosefinch. Later I got Spectacled parrotbill and slaty bunting at reed lake. Tomorrow exploring outside the park.

 

[mjgrunwell]

Baihe reserve, near Jiuzhaigou

Made my second visit to Baihe, all day walking the trail. Full report on locale, detail of trail etc to come.
Best birds: Male Indian blue robin, Ferruginous fly, Rufous gorgeted fly, white-winged and collared grosbeak, grey-winged blackbird, views of pygmy wren-babbler, brown-chested jungle fly, Davison's warbler, buff-barred warbler, Marten's warbler, blue rock thrush and russet sparrow.

 

[china guy]

Just got back from a 28 day Sichuan, Qinghai trip - some great birds.
On the logistic front - new motorway in Sichuan, the G75, now makes it possible for a one day trip between Chengdu and Lanzhou (all motorway bar 300km between Longnan and Lintao) - this route also takes you very close to the Gansu National Nature Reserve of Lianhua.

Notable birds on this trip included -
Ibisbill on the Maerkang to Hongyuan route

Zappey's Flycatcher still present at both Pingwu and Tangjiahe, which indicates breeding

Mega views of Demoiselle Crane on motorway side marsh close to Chaka in Qinghai

At last finding a fairly easy site for Przewalski's Redstart in Qinghai

Notable news from sites -
getting into Longchangou was a wee bit of a hassle - we had no prior agreement about access but just sweet talked our way in each morning. Roland has been in there with a large tour party just days ago - apparently Tragopan were showing well - they had a Male for around 20 minutes.

More nice Crested Ibis on the road between Chenggu and Yangxian (Shaanxi) - we were watched by the Police - but not questioned. In another Qingling area we were given access to a forest park without any query whatsoever.

Apparently Emei has been closed over the last couple of days - locals are protesting against private tour guide from outside the area who are taking away their business

will write more on our trip latter
Sid

 

[china guy]

Today I'm off again towards Qinghai - a 1.5 day drive to Xining.
Conditions where I live - just at the base of the Qingcheng mountains - have been fairly dry and sunny for the last couple of days - but a big rain storm a few days back took out a section of the road on the direct Dujiangyan to Wolong route so at the moment the only way to Balang is the longer road that goes over Jiajang Mountain.
Emei is again open after the protests.

That last trip notched up 332 species - but a couple, Crested Tit Warbler and Przewalski's Nuthatch had to wait to very last site, Lianhua Gansu. We got the Nuthatch at a nestbox.

Mike I'd be interested in hearing the tape of your Leaf Warbler. After hearing and seeing many Gansu at both Huzhu Beishan and Lianhua I'm afraid that I wish I had recorded my Baxi bird to check on the reliability of my record. The song of this bird - with the preliminary single notes - is very distinctive.

I have some pics from this year's trip number 3 - with Andrew Raine - all pics taken by Andrew

1 - A Firethroat that decided to crawl around our feet - got a lot of cooperative birds this year on Balang

2 - further up the road a Snow Partridge

3 - Crested Ibis in typical habitat

4 - my car being Hijacked by a Tibetan Macaque at Tangjiahe - which is my son's favourite photo

all the best
Sid

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I've heard of a monkey on your back, but on your hood?

 

[mjgrunwell]

Video of putative Davison's warbler at Baihe reserve

Uploaded some video footage of a singing bird onto Youtube

Comments please
http://youtu.be/Y5WPxm1i9fE

 

[mjgrunwell]

Video of 3 species from JZ

Singing bluethroat at bamboo arrow lake, JZ, at 19.30 23 June 2014, complete silence, accompanied by a forestry policeman
http://youtu.be/YkIKBcl0j-4

Vinaceous rosefinch, Primeval forest
http://youtu.be/jxEmtm6Ap7s

Yellowish-bellied bush warbler singing, fantastic song
http://youtu.be/vHwOiuNlTlc

 

[mjgrunwell]

A mystery sound

I heard this at the Primeval forest, not even sure it is a bird, did not match any sounds I had.
http://youtu.be/Pbw5-7-r66M

Also I assumed this was dark-sided flycatcher rather than brown
grateful for confirmation
http://youtu.be/xxINbEOsV-4

 

[mjgrunwell]

More videos from JZ

Pere Davids tit
http://youtu.be/-Uq1jnP_h8Y

Elliot's laughing thrush at long lake
http://youtu.be/_goLN-dBRq0

Elliot's being very noisy at Primeval forest
http://youtu.be/JJHLHBFPdpo

Snowy-cheeked laughing thrush at long lake
http://youtu.be/KOciElyXNiE

 

[mjgrunwell]

Leaf warblers

Here is the link to video of the sound of the putative Gansu leaf warbler at Long lake, JZ on 25 June 2014

http://youtu.be/-AC3eUO08r0

I cannot hear any intro note to the trill, but I did see the bird well (eventually) and it certainly looked like Gansu leaf.

The trill not the same as Emei leaf, heard and seen well but not recorded by me


EDIT Sichuan leaf taken at Emei on 28 June

http://youtu.be/cloXN2Ck3QA

Chinese leaf song is here
http://youtu.be/8P7CveQcb3A

Claudia's aka La Touches
http://youtu.be/EMO-MTrVJHk

Finally, the very last bird seen on my Sichuan trip, a calling (singing)? Phyllosc at Emei giving a most odd call, just clueless on this bird
http://youtu.be/ghlSHF7vQxM

That's it for videos, cannot get MP3 extracted from AVCHD files only MP4a files

 

[china guy]

Hi Michael - thanks for all the Youtube clips - but unfortunately on my present trip, without a VPN to get through the censorship, I'm unable to see or here any of them.
Maybe James, or somebody else, will have a listen and report back

the recording of Bluethroat at JZ is also interesting - although this bird is found on passage, June recordings of singing birds are not usual.

Tomorrow I'll be in the thick of Gansu Leaf Warbler country - Huzhu, Beishan, Qinghai. Looking through my own recordings I can't find this species - but will try to rectify this problem tomorrow - so I can put up a recording that you can compare to your own.

Sid

 

[mjgrunwell]

Mystery minivet and Kessler's video

Video of Kessler's

http://youtu.be/LuA8yG0jnGA

As per my forthcoming report, common and easy to see along the lower part of the airport approach road at Jiuzhaigou.

Finally, any help with this minivet seen at km 49.5 Emei on 28 June 2014, books just not in line with actualite of wing markings.

http://youtu.be/wI99QDV3p5U

 

[china guy]

We got to Huzhu Beishan this evening, here's a horrible recording of Gansu Leaf Warbler. It's from outside the park where there was a stream of tourist traffic heading back towards Xining.
But you can still hear the distinctive preliminary notes before the trill - reminds me a littl of the notes an Indian Blue Robin gives before it explodes into its song.

This is how Gansu should sound when in song

again apologies for all the vehicle noise
Sid

 

[CAU]

Uploaded some video footage of a singing bird onto Youtube

Comments please
http://youtu.be/Y5WPxm1i9fE

I'm thinking Kloss's Leaf Warbler.

Singing bluethroat at bamboo arrow lake, JZ, at 19.30 23 June 2014, complete silence, accompanied by a forestry policeman
http://youtu.be/YkIKBcl0j-4

It's a first summer male White-bellied Redstart, compare with this:
http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?p=9&Bird_ID=2607&Bird_Family_ID=&pagesize=1

I heard this at the Primeval forest, not even sure it is a bird, did not match any sounds I had.
http://youtu.be/Pbw5-7-r66M

It's a Baikal Bush Warbler, a split from Spotted Bush Warbler (which also occurs in the region).

Also I assumed this was dark-sided flycatcher rather than brown
grateful for confirmation
http://youtu.be/xxINbEOsV-4

Yes.

Here is the link to video of the sound of the putative Gansu leaf warbler at Long lake, JZ on 25 June 2014

http://youtu.be/-AC3eUO08r0

Sounds like a Buff-barred Warbler to me.

Finally, the very last bird seen on my Sichuan trip, a calling (singing)? Phyllosc at Emei giving a most odd call, just clueless on this bird
http://youtu.be/ghlSHF7vQxM

Sichuan Leaf Warbler.

 

[mjgrunwell]

Thanks for the IDs

Dear CAU Thanks for this.

Putative Gansu = Buff-barred, in my defence I must have mislabelled a recording as I never had this trill on me at the time. The head pattern matches the bird I saw singing, I did not notice the buff-coloured wing bars.

Bluethroat = White-bellied redstart, again in my defence I had no tapes and although the sound did not match bluethroat I thought it had the basic breast pattern. Just glad I had the video.

So far one lost (Gansu leaf) and one gained (White-bellied redstart)

Sichuan leaf, could be, need to listen to more tapes

Kloss's/Davison's more research needed

Baikal bush, need to check tapes but did not see bird

All comments welcome

 

[James Eaton]

I agree with CAU on the ID's with all of Michael's birds.

Re Gansu Leaf Warbler at Baxi - this species should not occur (well, breed) where Sichuan Leaf Warbler breeds as they should, in theory, be allopatric except on migration. I've never come across any singing Gansu's in Sichuan despite listening out for them throughout the north, and particularly north-west - nor do I come across Sichuan Leaf Warbler in northern Qinghai (only in the south-west of that province in the absence of Gansu LW).

James

 

[sichuan jiujiu]

Grey-bellied Tesia in Sichuan

Some busy months kept me from reading and posting. Finally I am off into summer vacations tomorrow - back into good old Germany.
Hopefully I find enough time to plough through my sound recordings of this year's spring. Should have made some useful! The first uploaded is just from yesterday: Two full days at Emei Shan were presenting a challenging but in the end rewarding species: Grey-bellied Tesia.
I couldn't find any previous records of this bird from Emei. (Please correct if I am wrong.)
Has it been just overlooked or is it global warming what made this bird showing up at Emei, much too far north of its known distribution range???

regards,
roland