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

18 months in Shanghai: March 2012 - August 2013 (1 Viewer)

Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Too much money business...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

And so to bed...if not to shower...
 

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Labahe is a fabulous place, but does seems to specialise in heightened discomfort in winter - our hot water stopped just as my wife put the shampoo on her head.

Looking forward to hearing more.

Cheers
Mike
 
Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Saturday 19th January saw us up bright and early and into the vehicle...quickly we passed through the leopard-woman's lair at park HQ and began to drive the track up the hillside, eyes and ears tuned for any hint of a chook or two...it wasn't to be...

About half-way there our luck ran out as we reached a snowy, icy bend in the road that wasn't going to let our vehicle past. De-camper-vanning we began to trudge slowly onwards on our own two feets with all we would need for our alfresco overnight stay in our rucksacks...

A quiet ascent saw us arrive eventually at a workers camp where we got our first glimpse of the spectacular scenery above us as the sun broke through the clouds of mist shrouding the frost-covered trees lining the slopes...we also had our first view of the “workers camp” plus the attendant “prettification” and the fencing of the deer enclosure Sid has mentioned previously on his thread...(http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=2471256&postcount=697)...

A natter with the carrot-splitting (they were frozen solid which was interesting thinking about our night ahead...) chap “on duty” established we could, if we wished, sleep in their lower dorm – a small tent with wood-fired central heating if we wished (for the usual fee of course) but would need to be scarce until late afternoon when the boss had driven up (ha!) to inspect the days labours...it gave us options...Jocko, having visited last Autumn was obviously keen on the higher hut while Chris and myself reserved our opinion until we'd seen both “rooms”...

The workers confirmed that the Red Panda was seen fairly regularly around the camp (but for how much longer with you trashing the habitat young man?!) and now we got to see our first birds of the day when a brief Spotted Nutcracker was swiftly eclipsed by a troop of energetic large bundles of brown feathers gave themselves away as Great (Giant surely) Parrotbills...wow! Super birds...half a dozen or so worked their way through the low trees skirting the camp and road and flew across, down and away from us...sweet! Overhead invisible Crossbills called on the way somewhere else. Eurasian Siskin was also heard and poorly seen at this time.

Beginning our ascent along the gravel road it wasn't too long before we encountered a small feeding group of another lifer...Grey-hooded Fulvettas...subtly-coloured and active, they expertly examined the moss and frosty saplings around us...a little further on a Darjeeling Woodpecker gave brief views. Eyes and ears on full alter we walked the trail checking all the trees for pandas big and small...birds were in short supply...plenty of rest stops along the way but eventually we reached the first destination...the boardwalk...stunning views all along the route and the somewhat unwelcome company of a worker coming along at a rapid rate to check the mobile phone signal...lovely...true wilderness experience...

Quietly and stealthily we began to move along the wooden walkway...photogenic frosty bamboo and moss slowed our, already crawling, pace further...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Scenic stuff...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

The walk begins...enlivened by Grey-hooded Fulvetta...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Stunning...for now at least...no buses in January thankfully...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Saturday afternoon...

Slowly we walked the boardwalk...keeping the noise down and scanning all around as we stepped gently trying not to make more racket than heavy boots on wood will produce all of it's own accord...

The vegetation was still covered in picturesque frost and most photogenic it was...making up for the seeming lack of wildlife...walk, stop, listen, scan...this was going to be our life for the rest of today...

Onward we paced and slowly birds revealed themselves but with long gaps between sightings...mammals remained conspicuous by their absence...

A feeding flock came cruising through the trees above the path and we were all watching different birds and giving directions and asking questions all at once...Fire-cpped Tit, Black-throated Tit, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch and Eurasian Nuthatch, Treecreeper spp...a Eurasian Wren was seen at some point...all too fast for this birders camera!

Onwards and we eventually reached a junction with a viewing platform a steps descending to where Jocko said we'd be spending the night...our hut in the clouds!

Before that though there was the small (Small? Rather large actually) matter of...er...”matter”...poop in fact...big nuggets of Panda Poop...on the boardwalk itself...clustered around the top of the steps leading down the mountain...this was what we'd come for then...”Position A”..."Panda Central"...as we all know...you gotta go regular so this looked the perfect spot to stake out...

Pictures were required and I needed something to give a sense of scale to the evidence before us...step forward one Swedish gentleman...

Now what? Scenery demanded pictures also and then we slowly made our way down the steps to investigate our lodgings for the night...and they too were perfect...a chalet...snow on the floor only adding to the charm...decision made...we would spend the night on the mountain...that there were fresh-ish droppings less than 50m from this accommodation helped the decision get made...

Next...to return down to the workers camp and bring our bedding and rations back up so we slowly trudged up the steps and past the dung heap. Along the boardwalk and down the dirt trail we went birding all the way but with little return. We then birded the area around the workers camp...with little reward beyond some nice pheasant prints in the snow...fresh too by the look of things but another top target remained just that...a target...

A chat of sorts with the workmen and the snacking on pot noodles underway we were rudely interrupted by a low-flying raptor circling over the trees...wow! Mountain Hawk-eagle. A distant Nutcracker posed in silhouette...

Excitement over we hoisted our gear and set off back up the track towards our hotel in the bamboo heartland...the same flock of fulvettas from the mornings ascent were still around as were the Great Parrotbills...in the snow on the trackside what looked like Panda Prints...hopes were up again...

On we went and the boardwalk was much as before but this time the rapidly moving flock that we found was about 30 Fulvous Parrotbills twittering and bouncing along through the low cover making decent views challenging and pictures impossible!
Reaching the accommodation we made our arrangements with our patient guide to meet lower down the next day and he set off back to a night of warmth and comfort...Gear was unpacked and we enjoyed the late afternoon sun and the solitude...what next? We have torches so some exploratory bird and mammal-ing around dusk seemed a sensible option...what could we add to the inventory of this area...not a fat lot was the answer but we tried!

Time for an early night then! What would the morning bring...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Poop!!
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Scenery
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Stunning scenery and an icicle...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Watch yer step...waterfalls...more feetprints...an eagle (yes...there was emptiness, eagles and snow...10 points for that lyric....) and a (possible?) panda print...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Art...
 

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Panda Poopin' Way Out West...

Sunday 20th January

Everyone woke early complaining the other two had kept them awake by snoring...

It seemed to have scared the pandas at any rate...dawn did not bring that magical moment we'd gambled on sadly and it wasn't too long before we had packed our gear and begun our descent of the now, treacherous wooden steps that wound down the hillside...

Birding was slow and it wasn't until we'd reach the lower region of the valley that bird activity picked up slightly with both Brown and Eurasian Dipper...dipping in the cool, cool waters...

Reaching 'civilisation' and teeming up with our driver we headed back to the central area to resume our hunt for the barwing...

The cabins were a bit more active and we soon connected with Vinaceous and Long-tailed Rosefinches. A speculative hunt through the understorey resulted in stellar views of the stunning Maroon-backed Accentor to add to those we'd had minute earlier of the Rufous-breasted Accentor...

With the clock ticking on towards our early afternoon departure time a small feeding flock gave one last hope of the barwing but despite there being Green Shrike-babbler, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Green-backed Tit and various other good birds, of the main target...no sign...

Reluctantly we climbed into the vehicle and began our exit from Labahe valley...one last delight awaited us...a bird flying over the car into view was expertly called by Chris as "Wallcreeper" as it veered to a brief perch on the roadside cliff...allowing us to clamber out and watch it launch itself off down the valley and out of sight!

Life then took a turn for the serious as we approached a junction to find the whole of the world population sat there in vehicles that obviously weren't moving...accident ahead...and so the waiting began, initially enlivened by a Darjeeling Woodpecker posing at point-blank range but then rapidly descending into boredom and frustration...

Plans needed changing and we sent the time booking alternate flights as it became clear we'd not get back to Chengdu in time for our original departures...it became clear every government vehicle in China was on the road and heading in our direction and getting preferential treatment at the wreck which we found upon eventually crawling past it was piled up on our side of the road meaning only one lane of surface free...

Moving again we raced towards Chengdu and the gods smiled on Chris at least as we dropped him just in time to catch his slightly delayed original flight...

Jocko and I briefly held three plane tickets...our original, now closed plane, our last flight insurance flight and now, a slightly earlier departure...

Through security and with our flight being called we decided pizza was a sensible idea and ordered take away...15 minutes later we strolled through the empty gate and into our seats...pizzas open we wolfed them down before take-off and settled down for the uneventful return flight...

Thus ended our madcap attempt on seeing Giant Panda in the wild...maybe next time...
 

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Three Go To Hangzhou...

Sunday 3rd of Feb found Dev 'n' Kev 'n' MM (me) heading south towards the delights of the Hangzhou Botanic Gardens and the picturesque and original one and only West Lake for a day's birdin' 'n' 'toggin'...

Not much that can be said other than we hit the botanic gardens first and the lake late afternoon and that we did ok strolling around hunting the quieter parts of the botanic gardens to minimise the noise and bystandering...

Highlights included a Crested Goshawk obviously used to and not bothered by people sat in a tree digesting breakfast; a large flock of noisy, exuberant Grey-headed Parrotbills bouncing through the trees; a group of quietly foraging Grey Treepie that you'd miss as easily as see (good spot Dev :0) and a male Fork-tailed Sunbird intent on not being photographed while frolicking at point blank range...'dislike'...
 

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Three Go To Hangzhou...

More of that sunbird...what's not to like...apart from the image quality...

A quiet corner delivered fruiting trees that held Chestnut and Mountain Bulbuls that were more interested in their meal than us three snappers snapping away...
 

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