China: Sichuan Sunday 13 June to Saturday 3 July 2010 Sunday 15 May to Saturday 4 June 2011 with Paul Holt and Wang Qingyu as leaders.
Cost: £3880 plus about £770 for flights (2010) Please click here for details and an explanation of the price breakdown Maximum group size: 10 with 2 leaders.
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Sichuan province, right in the heart of the Middle Kingdom, is a fabulously bird-rich region, home to the bulk of China's endemic birds and the majority of its Giant Pandas. On this exciting trip we’ll concentrate on seeing the endemic and near-endemic species as well as sampling the cuisine, genuine hospitality and dramatic scenery for which this region is rightly famous. Although the wild mountainous terrain and torrential rivers have combined to keep the province isolated until relatively recently, today the rich diversity of habitats and a well-developed tourist infrastructure make Sichuan an appealing destination for a birding tour. The great diversity of Sichuan’s habitats, ranging from the subtropical lowlands of the Red Basin and evergreen foothill forests to alpine meadows and dramatic snow-capped mountain peaks means the province has a remarkable wealth of birds. Lying at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau Sichuan also has the richest concentration of Chinese specialities and holds around two-thirds of the entire country’s endemic birds!
We’ll visit numerous sites on this tour, each one is different, each has its own charm and each its specific bird life. We’ll start our explorations on magnificent Wawu Shan Mountain, a mighty peak that rises abruptly out of the Red Basin. Next we’ll visit sacred Emei Shan mountain before moving north towards Siguniangshan and neighbouring Wolong National Park, the latter famed as the home of China’s few remaining Giant Pandas, but also renowned as a haven for a large number of spectacular birds. Next we’ll venture into the rolling grasslands at the extreme eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau where we’ll search for specialities such as Black-necked Crane and Rufous-necked Snowfinch before descending to the strikingly attractive Jiuzhaigou National Park, with its dramatic alpine scenery, turquoise lakes and myriad waterfalls which have to be seen to be believed. Without a doubt Sichuan is the very best of China!
Day 1: The tour begins in London with an overnight flight to Chengdu.
Day 2: Arriving in Chengdu, Sichuan’s attractive provincial capital, around midday we’ll set off across the Red Basin to Wawu Shan, the first of our main birding sites. Night on Wawu Shan. Days 3-5: Wawu Shan, literally ‘Roof Tile Mountain’, is an isolated peak of over 3000 metres on the edge of the Red Basin. Situated to the west of the more famous Emei Shan, and possessing a virtually identical and extremely rich avifauna, Wawu Shan has only recently become popular among birders. We’ll explore several different habitats on this mountain – ranging from deciduous forest on the lower slopes to tracts of bamboo and stands of mixed coniferous-rhododendron forest on the plateau-like summit. Some superb birds occur here and we’ll concentrate on finding three very localized endemics - Grey-hooded Parrotbill, Emei Shan Liocichla and the recently described Sichuan Treecreeper. Parrotbills are particularly well represented in Sichuan and in addition to Grey-hooded we would also hope to see Great, Ashy-throated, Fulvous and Golden and the endemic Three-toed. Many warblers, including eight bush warblers and no fewer than 17 species of phylloscopus warbler can be seen on this tour and a good number of them breed on the mountain. On one day we’ll explore the summit area with its healthy populations of Chestnut-crowned and Aberrant Bush Warblers, and Buff-throated and Buff-barred Warblers. Other possibilities here include magnificent White-throated Needletails, Maroon-backed Accentor, White-browed Shortwing, Vinaceous Rosefinches and Grey-headed Bullfinch. Here too we have a reasonable chance of encountering the gorgeous Temminck’s Tragopan. With a little luck on the day we’ll spend lower down the mountain we might also see Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, one of the most secretive, but undeniably one of the most attractive of China’s pheasants. Golden-spectacled Warbler has recently been split into a number of different species, four of which occur in Sichuan, and we’d expect to encounter three of these attractive sprites on Wawu Shan. The mountain’s mid-altitude forests will ring to the sounds of Oriental, Lesser and Large Hawk Cuckoos, making it a challenge to distinguish more subtle vocalists such as Emei Shan Liocichla, Bar-winged Wren Babbler and Slaty Bunting. We’ll spent two nights in a guest house two-thirds of the way up the mountain and a third night in a better hotel near the base.
Day 6: Leaving Wawu Shan we’ll make our own pilgrimage to Emei Shan, one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains. Like Wawu, Emei Shan straddles the boundary between the Palearctic and Oriental regions and harbours a remarkable variety of species. Over the years the mountain’s numerous monasteries and ancient shrines have served to protect its forests, much to the benefit of it’s near-unique avifauna. Several species, Emei Shan Leaf Warbler, Emei Shan Liocichla and Emei Golden-Spectacled Warbler even bear the mountain’s name. Our hotel will be close to the foot, where we’ll search the sub-tropical forests for species such as Tiger Shrike, Swinhoe’s Minivet, Brown-breasted and Ferruginous Flycatchers, Collared Finchbill, Hwamei and Ashy-throated Parrotbill. Night near Emei Shan city.
Day 7: After another morning searching for the likes of Chinese Bamboo Partridge (much easier to hear than it is to see) and Whistling (previously Hodgson’s) Hawk Cuckoo around the base of Emei Shan we’ll leave and drive to the town of Ya’an where we’ll spend the night.
Day 8: Leaving Ya’an we’ll wind our way through deep valleys and narrow gorges eventually reaching Rilong. a thriving tourist town at the foot of the mighty ‘Four Sister’s Mountains’. We’ll spend four nights here.
Days 9-11: Dominated by spectacular mountains, Rilong is an ideal base from which to explore neighbouring Wolong reserve. World-renowned as the headquarters of the World Wildlife Fund’s project to save the Giant Panda, Wolong has much to offer the birder. The whole areas is scenically stunning and, although we’re unlikely to see a wild Giant Panda (though we have seen Red Panda in the reserve), the spectacularly forested mountains, extensive stands of bamboo, stunning alpine meadows and rugged snow-capped peaks harbour some truly outstanding birds. We’ll spend three full days exploring the area and will have numerous options during our time here. We’ll cross the mighty Balangshan Pass on a daily basis and will spend a while around the summit which, at just over 4500 metres, is the highest point we’ll reach on the entire tour. Small coveys of scurrying Snow Partridges and Tibetan Snowcocks are regularly seen on the scree slopes besides the road, as are Grandalas, the males resplendent in their cobalt-blue plumage. Other high altitude specialities could include Lammergeier, Red and Yellow-billed Chough, Alpine Accentor, Brandt’s Mountain Finch and Red-fronted Rosefinch. One another day we’ll start earlier, cross the pass in darkness and descend in the hope of finding Wood Snipe displaying over some of the higher alpine meadows immediately before dawn. Koklass Pheasant and Kessler’s Thrush both breed close to the tree line here and, while the former is elusive and difficult to see, we’re sure to hear its unpleasant barking calls ringing across the valleys. With luck, we might also find a covey of spectacular White Eared Pheasants or perhaps even a Chinese Monal. Further down on the mountain’s mid-slopes we'll search for both Barred and the mighty Giant Laughingthrush and one of Wolong’s premier avian jewels - the fabulously named Firethroat. We should be able to find at least one of these truly world class songsters while Chinese Leaf Warblers, Chinese Fulvetta & Plain-backed Thrush could all follow. Nor will we neglect the mammals – the park boasts reasonable populations of Himalayan Marmot and both Blue Sheep and Takin. Day 12: Leaving Rilong we’ll wind our way through another series of valleys and cross a few more small passes on our way to Maerkang where we’ll spend two nights. Day 13:. We’ll spend the day searching for birds on the Zhegushan pass. Chestnut-throated Partridge and Blood Pheasant are both reasonably regular here and other targets include the strikingly patterned Przewalsky’s Nuthatch, gorgeous White-browed, and the even more appealing, Crested Tit Warblers, Chinese Fulvetta, Crimson-browed Finch and Tibetan Siskin. We will also have our first chance of Three-banded Rosefinch here. Night in Maerkang. Day 14: After another morning on the Zhegushan Pass we’ll continue to the mighty Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau proper. We’ll stop just as we crest the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau where, amid the more gently undulating grasslands we’ll explore a couple of isolated stands of conifers, searching in particular for the endangered endemic Sichuan Jay as well as Songar and White-browed Tits, and Plain and Elliot’s Laughingthrushes. We’ll spend the night in Hongyuan. Day 15: Moving further onto the Plateau, past tented camps and fields of yaks we’ll constantly scan for more specialities such as comical Hume’s Groundpecker, hulking Tibetan Larks and both White-rumped and Rufous-necked Snowfinches. Our destination will be Ruoergai, a relatively modern Tibetan settlement right in the heart of some exciting plateau birding. In the afternoon we’ll head off to search the surrounding steppes for parties of majestic Black-necked Cranes and, with luck, we might also find a Saker Falcon or Chinese Grey Shrike. Day 16: We’ll leave the Plateau this morning and take a minor road over the spectacular La Ma Ling pass to Jiuzhaigou. We’ll make numerous stops to search for species such as Sichuan Jay, Daurian Jackdaw, Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush and Pink-rumped Rosefinch. Night close to Jiuzhaigou National Park. Days 17-18: Spending two days at Jiuzhaigou, we’ll have time to explore a number of sites both inside and just outside this wonderful sanctuary. Scenically, Jiuzhaigou must rank as one of the most spectacular mountain areas in Asia. Startlingly jagged snow-capped peaks flanked with alpine meadows, extensive stands of bamboo and large tracts of dense coniferous and mixed forests abound. But in truth it’s the myriad waterfalls, the pools, and especially the multicoloured small lakes for which this park is rightly famous. A few Tibetan villages also survive, each with their own attractive wooden dwellings. Unable to take our own vehicles inside the park we’ll use the reserve’s frequent shuttle bus services to explore a number of the better birding sites. Rufous-headed Robin is virtually unknown away from here, so we’ll spend time searching an area of mixed forest for this fabulous songster. Other sought-after species include Chinese Nuthatch, Rusty-breasted and Sooty Tits, and the noisy Spotted Laughingthrush. We’ll venture back into the coniferous forest on another day to search for Chestnut-throated Partridge, Chinese Grouse, Three-toed Woodpecker, the enigmatic Sichuan Wood Owl, Himalayan Orange-flanked Bush Robin, Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush and White-winged Grosbeak. On one day we’ll also look for the tiny Spectacled Parrotbill. Day 19: On our final morning around Jiuzhaigou we’ll explore an area outside the park where both Snowy-cheeked and Barred Laughingthrushes are more regular, and where we’ve also seen Three-toed Parrotbill. In the afternoon we’ll start our journey back to Chengdu. Night in Jiangyou. Day 20: Continuing south to Chengdu we’ll arrive in time to visit the Panda Breeding Centre on the edge of the city. Besides Pandas, birds here include Rufous-faced Warbler, White-browed Laughingthrush, Grey-headed and Vinous-throated Parrotbills and Yellow-billed Grosbeak. Night in Chengdu. Day 21: We’ll catch a flight back to London where the tour concludes.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability. Last updated August 2009 |
Photos by Paul Holt |
On the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau we should find Chinese Grey Shrike. 
