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Message: <blockquote data-quote="china guy" data-source="post: 1647657" data-attributes="member: 6819">Hi Frank,problem with Sichuan in winter are the conditions - if it freezes on the high passes then roads conditions get dicey and sometimes roads are cut off by snow. Saying that we've still been able to get around in our van during all months - and we haven't got 4wd, just a set of chains and a good ground clearance.If I was to vote for a place to go for Sichuan winter trip then I'll again mention Wanglang and Tangjiahe (Like Qinling also Panda sites) - just for the hell of seeing what you can dig out in these areas. But then again these kind of trips - if you were to stay any length of time are more trips of exploration and hopeful discovery rather than a guaranteed list filling project. Another problem is transport - even when you get to these locations - the miles of park roads make it very useful to have transport to get you to those walking tracks where you hope to hit birds. if you don't then you'll best find an alternative (jumping on the back of a motorbike at Tangjiahe - trying to get a lift in the park van at Wanglang). So it all depends what kind of trip you want - and what kind of difficulty and discomfort factors you're prepared to cope with. The normal spring/summer Sichuan root isn't just about the bird-list it drags up - that trail has also been the easiest to follow during the best of weather of conditions - and allows access to good birding sites with the least effort. During the winter it becomes a little more icy - but its still the easy way to go for the independent foreign birder - who wants to have a series of locations on their itinerary rather than concentrating for a longer period on one or two specific sites.By the way there are still a few unopened areas in the province that contain panda zone  natural forest - but getting to these areas are more minor expedition than normal birding holiday.</blockquote>

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