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Sichuan Birding (4 Viewers)

Hey China Guy,

Are you and Meggie thinking of a book? You could do a great job, pictures, bilingual text, celebrating wild Sichuan? I think something like that could have positive impact, though I guess it could endanger "unspoilt" places too. Still, I think it could really show the importance of all the parts of the ecosystem and encourage people to protect it.

As usual, I like all the pics and the story. I absolutely love pika - thanks for that picture. The white-rumped snowfinch looks a bit different than I expected - the dark eyes and white beak reduce its finch-like look.
 
Gretchen - you seem to be well into Pikas - so here's another Sichuan species - we think it's Royle's Pika Ochotona roylei - this one was taken 3 years back on a trip to the Tibetan Border town of Dege.

As for the book - we'd love to share the stories and sights of natural Sichuan with the largest possible audience - but in these days of digital rather than paper pages - it seems that the best way of getting our message over is through the net - and particularly by jumping onto such a popular birding site as birdforum. I'm afraid specialised books - which any work on Sichuan birds, no matter how coffee table its appearance, would be - tend to gather dust on bookshop shelves - that is if you can even find publishers interested in producing them. Saying that we'd love to do shorter articles for magazines and other journals, and at the moment are in the very embryonic stages of contemplating giving some lectures while making, early next year, a proposed visiting to the UK.
By the way on the subject of getting our stuff on the net - we've recently started to contribute again to our Sichuan birds blogspot site (we've gained entry through a VPN connection) - I'll try to focus more on that during the next few days.

As for stories well here's a good one that ties up that Dege visit to our recent trip that took in Wolong. Mengbi Shan, Ruo Er Gai and Baxi.
Those Pikas aren't the only rodents in our lives - we used to be the proud owners of a couple of Hamsters - which sometimes used to accompany us on our trips.
That combined pics where Meggie is holding the Hamsters, in their cage, is taken at what is commonly regarded the most dangerous spot of the G318 route to Lhasa - the 5000m Bird Mountain pass that comes just before you get to Dege. The sign in the inset says 5050m - at that exact moment we were thinking that we had the honor of being with the highest Hamsters in the world.
The day we were to leave on newest trip the last Hamster died - after a very long 3 year Hamster life. We decided to bury the deceased at Wolong - and the next picture is of the Wuyipeng buildings at the top of the ridge, close to which our Hamster was buried - see inset for the grave. The ceremony was conducted with full honors and some corn and sunflower seeds for the next life. So if any of next seasons Wuyipeng birders see a ghostly Rodent like apparition floating over the paths - I'm afraid that's something to do with us!!!!!
As for Wuyipeng - those buildings seems in a pretty bad state of neglect - talking to reserve folk they don't reckon anyone, apart from Panda researchers or reserve staff will be using them this year. The hotels down in Wolong are also very limited. With the panda center out of action not many Chinese tourists are bothering stopping - so the the motivation to open early has rather stalled. The second day we were there - this is around the 25th Feb.- they started work on renovating the poshest of the bunch - Wolong Hotel - but weren't talking about it opening this season.
As for the birds our Hamster can gaze down upon from its celestial paradise, well they're all still in place - as you can see from the pics of - Golden-breasted Fulvetta and a winter flock of Grandala, a little further up the road towards the Balang Pass.
 

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Mmm, yes, I understand about the new economy and all (virtual not paper, sharing not selling etc.) but I was thinking particularly about sharing with the Chinese who should be able to see the wonders of this not often displayed area. Maybe you're doing parallel work in Chinese already? I hope that as there is a growing interest in nature developing here these days, that there would be things like what you're giving us tastes of to stoke that interest - I can't say I know enough to know what formats would work best...

You have a veritable riches of pika! We only have 2 for the US and you have 9 kinds! (Guess you are talking about quite a few mountains too....) I wonder how much they are like NA types - if you have seen them collecting hay or if they leave little piles of it out to dry (though not this time of year so much I guess) and if they make loud alarm calls when you come by.

I have never heard of traveling hamsters either - you guys really do have lots of unusual experiences!

I'm beginning to get the idea that the grandalas are quite a flocking type bird. The females remind me of starling markings, but I don't see that they are any relations - males are just so bright, they must be wonderful to see. The golden-breasted fulvetta is a beauty too.

P.S. Slightly relevant to the topic of publishing, I just read this article about one of my favorite posters on the Bird Ecology Study Group blog. Article is a bit long, but the part about his concern about how people in his area viewed birds and the book he wrote is rather interesting.
 
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Marmot our Himalayan Marmots seem to be still snoozing their winter away - as soon as they start to be more active we'll try to send some pics - but they can be awful canny when it comes to keeping their distance from camera touting bird lovers.

Hey Gretchen - that article is interesting, and certainly mirrors the common situation we find in China - a poor connection with nature which results in a lack of knowledge among the general population about their own natural environment. Even in the countryside we've met folk who seem much more at home keeping close to a hopefully business rich roadside - so sometimes it can be difficult to even ask for directions that take you onto paths and tracks, since many folk have just never explored outside their own patch!!!!!!
However we from the west have nothing to crow about - I can see modern China following after our own destructive development - and there's surely also a sorry truth that most folk anywhere are part of the "shrug their shoulders" Brigade when it comes to conservation and understanding any type of wildlife.
Thankfully in all these situations there starts to come folk who attempt to create paths for greater understanding - like the Malaysian couple in your article. And here in China birding is also picking up - and work is being done at grass-route levels to promote a concept of conservation. There are bird books to be had - and there are many Chinese birding sites that put up news and pictures (some of those pics are of staggeringly good quality). Very active groups exist in both Sichuan and Yunnan - and some of these guys aren't scared to talk out when they think the developer is going too far.

As for getting more info over to a real grass-route audience - I think one way would be by going through the army of foreign English teachers who work in many Chinese schools - birdwatching and nature could be a brilliant topic for a few English lessons - it would be an interesting project to devise materials for different student groups so conservation and Chinese nature could be subject in the classroom.
If our pictures and words could be used for such a project that would be brilliant - where the goal of our work could also include trying to get out to folk who live a little closer to our wildlife than the majority of birdforum readers.

And in the spirit of illustrating Sichuan wildlife - here are a few more pics from our last trip. We saw a couple of animals we've never photographed before, both come from the Wolong area - the first is a Tufted dear, and the second is Mainland Serow. These are also canny animals - it's difficult to get decent pictures. I also scoped a wild pig - but that was just too far to photograph. And then we have birds - a great shot of Alpine Accentor taken almost at the very top of the Balang Pass - and a Black-browed Tit - lots of these Tits in wintering flocks. And finally our best pic so far of Sichuan Tree-creeper - this active bird froze for about a minute when we played the species call. It shows the Sichuan Treecreeper characteristics - a slightly buffy belly that (again slightly) contrasts with a white chin.

And those Pika - I think we're going to pay a whole lot more attention to those guys - we've seen some that live in Forests, like to find out what species those are. As for their hay-piles - I read a report from Nepal - which started out in an unfortunate description of the Pika - "these unpopular animals" - but soon picked up and described how important they and those hay-piles were for a lot of bird-life.
 

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As for getting more info over to a real grass-route audience - I think one way would be by going through the army of foreign English teachers who work in many Chinese schools - birdwatching and nature could be a brilliant topic for a few English lessons - it would be an interesting project to devise materials for different student groups so conservation and Chinese nature could be subject in the classroom.
If our pictures and words could be used for such a project that would be brilliant - where the goal of our work could also include trying to get out to folk who live a little closer to our wildlife than the majority of birdforum readers.

Actually, I gave a lecture last spring on bird watching, and was hoping to do something like that again this year. If I can add in some of your pictures, I'm sure it will help make a link to some beautiful Chinese birds. I also try and show local birds that they might even see on campus if they look a little ;) and remind them that they live in one of the premier bird watching areas in China. I've thought a bit about a campus club or something, but that has to wait for the Big Project to get done :king:
 
Gretchen - that sounds wonderful stuff you're doing - and by all means use any of our pictures - we'd love to see our work being utalised for any good causes that have something to do with spreading the message of conservation and the environment.
As for talking about birds to so-called 'normal' folk - here meaning wild birds and not some poor Hwamei imprisoned in one of those pathetically small traditional cages - you so often get the slightly puzzled, surprised stare. We've met Birders who have tried to get local tourist agencies to help with a birding tour - only to be pointed to places in the big town parks where the grandpas meet with their caged birds!!!!!! When out birding, dressed in the usual binos and cameras - being met by other tourists, we've been questioned whether we're professors - as if it nature out in the field was a place for scientists rather then ordinary folk with a passion for the environment.
However all that must be changing - and folk are waking up to nature as more than an exotic menu at a restaurant -but being an impatient breed of folk, most birders would of course hope that awakening would happen a lot more quickly.
Part of the way of setting that alarm clock for an earlier time must be about getting a clear message over to the folk. Simple stuff like pretty bumper stickers (folk here just love a pretty bumper sticker) - as simple as a picture of a wild bird and a slogan. Something like - keep birds wild, keep them alive, protect the environment for everyone - and hey presto you are again introducing concepts where folk start to actually think about birds, nature and protection. Love it one day if some NGO would knock on our door and let us help with a project like this - but our experience of similar projects has taught us that simple ideas sometimes get immersed in a sea of complications - but ya never know!!!!!

As for our birding - well we've had a couple of guests over the weekend who needed a tour to Chengdu Panda Research Center. Although for birders they've tidied this location far too much in the last couple of years- as in making it a park, far too many laws and weeded flower beds. But it still makes for about the best Chengdu birding spots - birds were singing and the Chinese Bamboo Partridges calling their "beeper-rays." Our mission didn't give us much time for any birding - but Meggie got off a picture of White-browed Laughinthrush collected nesting material. Spring is here!!!!!!!!
That White-brow shows off its little crown - it was in one of those typically noisy flocks, and these birds will often show aggression towards others with touch of crown raising. So I might as well add on a couple more Laugher crowns to this post -
The first is Giant Laughingthrush - in a Tibetan Village close to Maerkang. Here religous tradition sees the people feed and protect the birds so Giant Laugher is literally a garden bird. This guy is also totally peeved off at some other bird - hence that angry crown look - usually this species doesn't look this way
And the second - well that's the king of laugher crowns - White-crested Laughingthrush. That was taken back during Christmas time on our Yunnan visit at Ruili Botanical Gardens. These birds are pretty easy to hear - but not so easy to get a good sighting. A very handsome bird!!!!!! By the way this laugher can also flatten that crested crown - its also got a flat headed look - in this case a raised crest indicates an interest in a couple birders using playback.
 

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Wow, great seeing a pic Serow (Chinese Serow on today's taxonomy!). I'm off to search for that beast in June at Tang Jia He (along with the parrotbill of course!).

Could I pick brains of those who have been to Yunnan and Tibet -
I am doing a couple of short trips in May and June - 1 is to the eastern half of Tibet, flying into Qamdo and driving across to Lhasa - has anyone done this route can can offer any advise for the birding or must-see sights?

Also, equally exciting, I will be visiting Baima Snow Mountain NNR in northernmost Yunnan to see Black Snub-nosed Monkeys - has anyone any idea if anyone has birded this particular area? It looks very exciting judging by the location and within the historical range of Derbyan Parakeet, maybe a monal sp and also perhaps Biet's Laughingthrush...

Sid - the tit appears to be a Sooty Tit, great pic nonetheless - lacks the rufous of Black-browed.

Cheers,

James
 
Black-browed Tit, methinks

James:

Have a look at Pls 34 & 35 of "Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers" (Harrap and Quinn).

Can't see from those how it could possibly be Sooty- or Sweep, come to that !

Regards, J.
 
Ah, thanks for that John, I jumped the gun a bit - it's been many years since I saw Black-browed in China, too used to the rufous birds further west - that's my only excuse! Apologies to Sid...
 
Hi James - Biet's Laugher was sighted for sale as a cage bird in Lijiang market - it still occurs within Yunnan. Chinese birders however don't want to disclose exact locations of their sightings in the wild, since bird collectors are scanning their sites. There have been pictures taken of huge Parakeet flocks taken in this area - around Meili Snow Mountain - close to Baima. Bjorn Anderson talked about a village that protected the Derbyan Prakeet - I presume this place could be in this area

As for Changdu (almost the same spelling as Chengdu but its large town in the east of Tibet - I think that is the same place as Qamdo) we've driven that route to Lhasa 3 years ago - in an old canvas top military jeep. I'm afraid we didn't do much birding that trip - we had no permits for anything what so ever (we didn't even intend to enter Tibet - but were persuaded by some very friendly government officials that we were more then welcome and not to worry about the paper work) - so it was more a drive to Lhasa and back than any hanging about at birding locations with a pair of binos!!!!! That was a brilliant trip - but, at the present time, hardly recommended with the restrictions now placed on Tibet travel.
An area that looked prime birding was a forest area around Linzhi and Bomi - big flocks of Derbyan Parakeet around here - but also so many in cages - it looks like they were being collected for the cage trade!!!!!
We saw a single example of this Parakeet flying over Tagong last April - and have seen them in the forests around Yajiang.

That Tit is a difficult one - I had a telephone discussion with Juijui over that last night. It's not a very good example of the bird it lacks those white mustache streaks that are typical of this species. At the moment I'm at Emei - staying in nunnery, the go to bed drum is beating at this very moment - when back I'll post up more typical Black-browed Tits that were taken on the very same day. For great Sooty Tit shots look at the John and Jemi Holmes pics at OBC.

PS - James we'd just love to mirror you're Gold-fronted Fulvetta sightings at Wawu - those make us extremely jealous.
 
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Thanks for that - My intention is to visit Linzi and Bomi for the parakeet as it is obviously in steep decline - we have our permits so no problem there. It was only 20 years ago that is was still present in numbers around Muli and other areas of southern Sichuan.

Before Baima I will actually be going for the Biet's Laughingthrushes in Yunnan thanks to a local friend of mine so looking forward to that having birded an area not far from the present site years ago in the hope of rediscovery it!

Hope you are enjoying Emei, lovely place....

James
 
Sounds like you and Meg are having a corking time Sid, some great pics as usual, love the Royle's Pika, only just seen my first, excellent image!
 
I'd be interested to hear how you get on with this magical beast James, good luck, sounds like you've some special trips coming up!

Certainly have Mark, this particular trip has really wetted my appetite - ever since BBC Wild China series I have been determined to see these monkey, taken sometime to organise but having spoken to the guys on the ground it seems very doable with a bit of camping in the extreme wilderness...

Cheers,

James
 
Certainly have Mark, this particular trip has really wetted my appetite - ever since BBC Wild China series I have been determined to see these monkey, taken sometime to organise but having spoken to the guys on the ground it seems very doable with a bit of camping in the extreme wilderness...

Cheers,

James

Oooohh that magical series! Well they don't have a green envy icon here otherwise I'd post one. Six years at Twycross taught me that Snub-nosed are the gnats ********. Genuinely keen on this, let us know, you might have an instant punter. Going to be a bloody great trip anyway, some serious beasties, fur and feather out that way and camping's definately the right way to absorb it.
 
Here's another picture of a Black-browed Tit found at Wolong - this one shows those white mustaches and is posed to fully show off that broad white band that parts its black brows. A handsome bird - there were plenty of them to see on that last Wolong visit.

Got back tonight from our last trip which included a brief stay at Emei. This time our guests weren't birders - but we were still able to get some birding in.
We were staying at a nunnery - and lie-ins aren't that easy there, since there's a lot of early morning gong banging and chanting. However this mornings Nun noise had a little competition from a Collared Scops Owl that was calling from the woodland that bordered our sleeping quarters.
The nunnery grounds had Hwamei, Red-billed Magpie and Chinese Bamboo Partridge - and in the trees outside there were a lot of White-browed Shrike Babbler calls.
White-billed Shrike Babbler were also present at the base of the mountain - close to the Hotel town. The stream that runs through this place is good for Slaty Forktail - but this morning we only saw a single brief bird flying upstream.

Apart from the Black-browed Tit pic the others are of one of this mornings White-browed Shrike Babbler - we didn't get a pic of the Collared Scops Owl - but I've included an atmosphere pic of how an early morning nunnery looks - that Owl isn't scared to call up against the racket those ladies are raising.
I've also included a pic from a couple of weekends back - of a bird we've seen once at both Emei, and Wawu, but this time at Bi Feng Xia - Grey-winged Blackbird - we had a flock of six of these birds.

With regard to those trips James was writing about I'd also like to add a green envy icon - fantastic places!!!!!! And Mark, those Pika are dangerous for us - Meggie's so fascinated by them - she forgets the birds!!!!!!!
 

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And Mark, those Pika are dangerous for us - Meggie's so fascinated by them - she forgets the birds!!!!!!!

LOL, I know, cost me a good look at some mountain finches!

Some amazing stuff on this thread Sid, just been catching up.. Keep up the good work, I'm envious and inspired :t:
 
not many pix of Grey-winged Blackbird out there - 6 together must have been some sight! A really evocative pic of the WB Shrike-Babbler too.

Cheers

Mike
 
Yes Mike - 6 Grey-winged Blackbird was a mega sighting. It took a bit of time to register what they were, they were high up and the only view was directly into sunlight - in that 'nearly not to see' situation we at first took the females as Chestnut Thrush - and it was only when a male came down and was fairly visible that we realised what they were. They breed in this area - my two previous sightings were both scoped dawn chorus birds - singing away on a typical high thrush singing perch - a tree at the bottom of Wawu and a telephone pole at mid-elevation Emei.
That day Bi feng Xia also gave White-browed and Green Shrike Babbler - but the trips weirdest sightings came the next day in Chengdu - a pair of Black-collared Starling at a good river location near the new exhibition center (a species normally out of range for Sichuan - but in the spring a possible vagrant). These birds looked in very good nick - were very weary of human approach - so the question is, were they really wild or another sighting via this present resurgence in the craze of releasing birds on so-called religious grounds!!!!!!
Liberating wild birds from incarceration is sometimes a great thing (not catching or buying any is even better) - but we heard that some temples were involved in the illegal wild bird trade so they had a finger in the money pie where they're sold to those who think releasing them will bring good fortune. I know this is a practised in Thailand - it's a shame it's starting to be so popular here.

In this post I've included some pics from our Chengdu to Lahsa drive we made 3 years back - the same area James Eaton will be covering in his trip.
The first pic is of those Derbyan Parakeets in the Linzi area - here they're in replanted forest. which gives us hope that one day, there would be some possibility of them returning to former haunts that were so aggressively logged before the early 90's. However the big problem now is the price these birds fetch at the cage bird markets - which means they're extensively hunted!!!! Now if those release folk really wanted to put their money into a good project and buy some good karma points from me - why not buy a load of these Parakeets up from Chengdu bird market, take 'em a day's drive west and then give them their freedom!!!!!
The next two pics show that much of the land is bare of vegetation - some areas have been eroded away to upland desert - where the only real green are small patches of oasis like farming land. Other parts are the typical high rolling grasslands that are also typical of much of Sichuan Tibet.
The final pic is of our brave Jeep - illegally parked in front of the Potala Palace - end point of the trip. That old rust-box had a petrol engine with carburetor - so it suffered a lot from fuel starvation through vapor lock (one of the possible problems of high altitude driving). To get over that problem we relocated the fuel line to give it a little more protection from engine heat - and those silver stickers also helped in our quest to keep motor temperatures at a reasonable level.
 

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