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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Sichuan Birding (4 Viewers)

That Tragopan is pretty epic - we only seem to find females!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Those stone paths can be pretty slippy in the snow - but at least a winter Emei is far quieter than during the tourist packed summer.

I'll try to find time to get some Yunnan info up - but at the moment we're busy servicing cars - we're out again in 4 days time. This is a post from the garage internet!!!!
 
Here's some pics to sum up our Yunnan trip - we got to Goaligong, Tengchong, Nabang, Husa and Ruili

pic 1 - Golden-throated Barbet - we got so many of those classic tropical forest birds that are a speciality of SW Yunnan - they included both Yellownapes, Greater Flameback, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Common Green magpie, both Racket-tailed Drongos, Long-tailed Broadbill and a host of other stuff.

pic 2 - Scarlet Finch - also bumped into a few of the birds that make this part of Chine especially interesting - such as, Black-headed Shrike Babbler, Grey-bellied Wren Babbler, Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Yellow-throated fulvetta, Scaly Laugher, Rufous-necked Laugher, Grey-cheeked Warbler, Slaty-bellied Tesia, White-tailed Nuthatch, Black-backed Forktail, Black-breasted Thrush - but still need so much more that we'll be back next winter.

pic 3 - Grey-cheeked Warbler - our list as of today is 207 birds - I fished out a pic of the Grey-cheeked Warbler a couple of hours back and confirmed it against the OBC images. OBC is a must for confirming dubious sightings.

pic 4 - all praise Photoshop - Rufous-throated Partridge - photography can be difficult, one moment Meggie was trying to get shots against a harsh sun in the canopy, while in the next second something would be scampering along in the gloom of the forest under-scrub - hardly time to change settings. Some of our pics ain't in the masterclass - but we snaped a lot species.

pic 5 - you can't help birding, even when you're trying to concentrate on driving home - Rufous-necked Laugher - these guys were hopping around on the crash barriers to the main road north about 20kms outside Ruili. Meggie had to dodge trucks to get the pic. If that was not enough I turned around and saw movement across the road - frigging Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills - Meggie side-steps some more horn blarring trucks and she gets a pic - a Purple Sunbird then turns up as a Newbie to our list, but we resist birding temptations, we're late we have to head back to Sichuan - but 5 minutes further on, an emergency stop, as a Steppe-Eagle decides to make a fly-over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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Hi Shi Jin - that record of Greter Necklaced Laugher at Emei is pretty interesting - we first picked that species up in Sichuan last Autumn - but in the NE of the province. This Laugher doesn't seem to be on the Cnbirder list either.
 
Happy New year to you both from a snowy NE England. We have had minus temps and snow here since a few days before christmas.

Good to see that Meggie has been finding some brand new species..will make sure Ian gets them onto opus for you.
 
Seems that you had a great time in Yunnan.

Any hornbills near Nabang?

...I'm thinking of going back there in a few weeks to look for Great (having seen Wreathed and Oriental Pied there last year).

Also, where did you see the Scaly Laugher and B-b B-eater? (Two birds that have elduded me in several visits to the area.)

Cheers.
 
Afraid we didn't get to set eyes on any Hornbills - but heard stuff we thought to be possible Hornbills in both Nabang and the new Botanic Garden area at Ruili.

Blue-bearded Bee-eater turned up at Nabang - and we only got eyes on that because a flock of Grey-headed Parakeet were feeding in the same trees. Greater Flameback was also hanging about - so it was case of which way to watch now!!!!
Still got a stiff neck from all that canopy watching!!!!
Smaller (more conventional) Bee-eaters are far easier - that Green Bee-eater was just 2 minutes down the track from its huge Blue-bearded cousin.

The Scaly Laugher turned up in Gaoligong - Meggie got one in a flock of Red-tailed Laughers and I got a solitary single bird - but I'm afraid no pics of this species!!!!!

And a Happy New year to you Marmot - Yunnan wasn't all sunshine - early mornings still bought a bit a frost in the higher areas - that picture of Grey-headed Lapwings and tropical Yunnan Ice is at Tenchong - but the days soon warmed up to shirt-sleeve temperatures.
 

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Checking out more pics today - our list jumped by one.
I knew we had Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler - we got it briefly at Nabang - when it was part of a mixed flock that crossed a driving track. Meggie managed a pic through the windscreen. We also thought we got the same species at Ruili Botanical gardens - but closer inspection today makes it Red-billed Scimitar Babbler - big differences being the lack of black over the white eye-stripe - and longer, more slender bill.

We're also thinking of going back soon - blue skies of Yunnan against our present Sichuan grey - being one of the big draws. And we missed out on a lot of birds - another Scimitar Babbler eluded us - Slender-billed - that's a Gaoligong bird.
 

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I can see why you'd want to go back to Yunnan - looks like you're having a great time there!

Good work on the two scimitar babblers, they are close, ("red" "coral" - hmmm) - but it looks like you've found important differentiating features. Looks like the slender billed will be more distinctive. Anyway, fun to find a bird in retrospect like that!

Thanks for sharing all the pics and stories.

Gretchen
 
Retrospective ID from photos

This has recently and famously enabled several 'firsts' for Britain.

I've done this a few times (with raptors, cuckoos and parrotbill, to name some families)- usually because the LCD monitor on my camera is too small. When edited and on the PC monitor, things become much easier.

As long as you saw the bird in the first place (!) and attempted some kind of ID, I think this kind of retrospective 'tick' is OK.

I'm now prepared to be shot down.
 
Without Digibirding we'd have never got this famous photo at Gaoligong - I know this species intimately, but never picked up that faintest of hint yellow brow until I was playing with the PC - it gave me quite a retrospective shock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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great to see pix giving a direct comparison of the two Scimitar Babblers and your reports just increase my own desire to get back there asap. - keep em coming!

Cheers
Mike
 
Hi Mike - when I get time I'll write something about the practicalities of our Yunnan birding. We had particular good fortune at Gaoligong - we lucked into a wonderful farmhouse hotel which was in an eco-village just a few Km bellow the reserve entrance. It was very Cheap - just 30RMB/night and 15RMB a meal/person - and they had good guanxi with the 'entrance-fee' people in the reserve.

Ill post up the telephone number to this place - but at the moment were out in NE Sichuan - doing our bird survey work - so it'll have to wait a week or so.

The place we're at isn't in the same class as Emei - it looks like Shi Jin had a great trip out there - but it still has some nice birds.

Here's some of Meggies photos from today

Asian Barred Owlet - those eyes are rather piercing to say the least

Slaty Bunting - first time, in this location, we've seen this great bird.

Red Billed Leothrix - a species which could be a contender for the title of 'world's cleanest bird.' This one was part of a flock that was taking a communal wash in a small stream. This isn't the first time we've seen Leothrix having a mass bath - but today was very impressive, since the weather was pretty nippy!!!!
 

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Hi marmot - yes our Leiothrix (glad you put me right on my spelling) - are pretty smart. They're also very sociable - and will preen each other.

The last couple of days have also been pretty good out at this site - we caught Bonelli's Eagle here again - this time a pair of birds.
Today we got a very brief female Golden pheasant.
And a new Sichuan tick for us - Scaly Thrush

Also some nice bird pics -
Chinese Thrush - this bird is set off very nicely in that berry bush

Chinese Bamboo Partridge - we caught a flock of 7 feeding on the driving track. at first we tried to take pics through the windscreen - however they stayed put when we opened a window but it was touch and go - those electric windows are darn noisy - our chickens didn't like the noise.

Moustached Laugher - hard to get this pic - we got the bird to come in closer by playing some Laughingthrush Chatter on the MP4. Within 2 minutes we had been joined by 20 Greater-necklaced Laughers - whoes recording we were playing.

Black-chinned Yuhina - this guy just asked for his pic to be taken!!!!!!
 

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Wow that Leiothrix is a beauty no wonder they want to keep themselves spruced up.

I had meant to make a comment on this one too, but forgot - this is really a great picture of a great bird (guess that's why he's your avatar?).

Love your Chinese thrush picture too - excellent spots and berries - these are really "spotty" birds (and one I've actually seen in person ;)). Nice work on the other birds as well.... wish we had yuhinas up here - very attractive birds too.
 
Leiothrix and Partridge- an unlikely combination

Yes, Gretchen, the Leiothrix is a truly lovely looker- although surprisingly (?) common in places for such a beauty. Here's one I took on my trip with Sid and Meggie last April.

I'm impressively gobsmacked by the CBPartridge pix. I've heard them dozens of times, in various places, but only seen them once- in flight. To get such fantastic shots is amazing.
 

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