Pallas's Cat is quickly proving to be my Chinese bogey mammal - well done Sid!
have to revise the ID of our cat - although our animal appeared to have a squashed in 'bagpuss' type of face, which convinced me we were watching Pallas's - it also had larger sticking up ears, that are not characteristic of Pallas's Cat. Although night-time, and close to extreme of the lamp's illumination, Joanna Dale managed to get a very grainy video - it mainly illustrated the animal's eye-shine, but the shape of the cat was also evident. The pictures bellow are grabs from the video - in the second pic I've made a crop and above the original image of the cat, I've inserted a copy where the shape, with the ears are outlined in red. Ear shape is certainly very different from the small rounded ears expected in Pallas's - see my August Qinghai picture here -
http://www.birdforum.net/showpost.php?p=3059808&postcount=942
This Cat is undoubtedly Chinese Desert Cat (Felis bieti) - Roland had a brief view of one in very similar habitat, just a few km down the road, this spring. Although the photographic evidence is hardly optimum - around 20 minutes of observation, that included scoped views, was of higher optical quality.
I believe, due to greater numbers of livestock on the grassland, which brings about habitat change and more human and dog disturbance, that Pallas's Cat must be getting more difficult to find in the Ruoergai area - but like most other cats, even when numerous, they can be darn difficult to find. The Desert Cat being nocturnal (Pallas's more diurnal) and seemingly favouring locations that are less prone to disturbance - may be better suited to surviving modern changes on the grassland
Thanks Jo for the video (where a nameless idiot bird guide is recorded saying that's 1000% Pallas's Cat - blush) - and for querying my original ID.
One bird species that may benefit from a bit of human habitat disturbance is Ibisbill - this species is now a regular find on the river between Hongyuan and Maerkang. This stretch of water has been well dug for stone, gravel and sand - the stony aftermath of this work appearing to suite Ibisbill quite well. The picture is of the habitat where we got our Ibisbill during the November trip.
Final pic is of our Loncanggou Red Panda - horrible conditions, grey and wet with mist constantly blowing in and out. A very soggy Panda!!!
Hey Jocko - on this last trip heard Bar-winged WB at Tangjiahe - just 200m past the hotel in the direction of the entrance gate - but only once and didn't get it out. Sounded just like the call I downloaded from Xeno Canto - but no idea of ssp and the Xeno Canto recording certainly wasn't of a Sichuan bird.
At Tangjiahe, each night, before and after our mammal drives, we had to run the gauntlet of Takin feeding on the flower-bed at the entrance to the hotel. They even came up the luggage unloading ramp just outside the main doors - one day I expect to see one at reception.
Tomorrow off to Wolong/Balang for 3 days - this will be a cold.