CHINA’S SICHUAN – The Ultimate Chinese Endemics Tour, with Northern Yunnan extension

PRICE INFORMATION

Birdquest Inclusions: Our tour prices include surface transportation, accommodations, meals and entrance fees.

We also include all tipping for local guides, drivers and accommodation/restaurant staff.

We also include this flight in our tour price:

Lijiang-Chengdu

Deposit: 20% of the total tour price. Our office will let you know what deposit amount is due, in order to confirm your booking, following receipt of your online booking form.

TO BOOK THIS TOUR: Click here (you will need the tour dates)

The single supplement will not apply if you indicate on booking that you prefer to share a room and there is a room-mate of the same sex available.

This tour is priced in US Dollars. Amounts shown in other currencies are indicative.

Air Travel To & From The Tour:  Our in-house IATA ticket agency will be pleased to arrange your air travel on request, or you may arrange this yourself if you prefer.

SICHUAN, CHINA BIRDING TOUR WITH NORTHERN YUNNAN: DETAILED ITINERARY

Sichuan, China: Day 1  Our Sichuan, China birding tour begins this evening at Chengdu, where we will overnight. Airport transfers will be provided.

(If you would prefer us to arrange any local flights inside China for you, we will be pleased to do so on request, even if you are arranging your international flights yourself.)

Sichuan, China: Day 2  Chengdu is situated near the western margin of the fertile plains of the Red Basin, not far from the high mountains that form the outer ramparts of the Tibetan Plateau.

Early this morning we will take a look at one of Chengdu’s parks where we may well find such Chinese near-endemics as Light-vented (or Chinese) Bulbul, Red-billed Starling, Chinese Blackbird and Vinous-throated Parrotbill. More widespread species include Spotted Dove, Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-browed Laughingthrush, Black-throated Bushtit, White-cheeked Starling, Eurasian Tree Sparrow and, with a bit of luck, the impressive Chinese (or Yellow-billed) Grosbeak.

Afterwards, we will drive southwards to the mountains of southern Sichuan for a two nights stay at Tanshi.

Our route first takes us across the flat countryside of the Red Basin and through a very Chinese landscape of intensively cultivated patchwork of small fields, villages and tall clumps of bamboo. A few things seem little changed, whether it is the Chinese farmers planting the new rice crop or the villagers buying and selling from market stalls, but as we pass through the rapidly modernizing landscape, complete with high-rise buildings and an incredible amount of ongoing construction, we will gain an appreciation of just how much China’s economic boom has spread from the coast deep inland. Even the roads are a surprise to newcomers to China, with long stretches of expressway. After a time we reach the mountains and our pace of travel slows.

Along the way, we should see a few open country species such as Chinese Pond Heron, Little Egret, Barn Swallow and Long-tailed Shrike.

As we climb into the hills where the village of Tanshi is situated, we pass through a mosaic of woodland patches, bamboo, cultivation and small villages. Later this afternoon we will have our first hide session.

Sichuan, China: Day 3  Photographic hides at Tanshi are great places to admire the superb near-endemic Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, the lovely Silver Pheasant and the magnificent near-endemic Temminck’s Tragopan. Another major speciality of the area is the endemic Sichuan Partridge, although this species is of rather unpredictable occurrence during the breeding period in April and May.

The feeding stations at the hides, or at least the surrounding bamboos, attract a number of other species including the range-restricted Chinese Bamboo Partridge, the endemic Golden Parrotbill, Buffy Laughingthrush and localized Emei Liocichla, and the near-endemic Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler and Chinese Babax, as well as Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Red-billed Leiothrix and Blue-winged Minla. Less usual possibilities include White-tailed Robin, Spot-breasted and Grey-headed Parrotbills, Dusky Fulvetta and Brown Bullfinch.

All in all the habitat around Tanshi is very degraded, but the pheasants, partridges and smaller birds survive regardless! As we will spend most of our time in the pheasant and partridge hides, we will not have a lot of time for conventional birding. Nonetheless, we may well encounter the near-endemic Collared Finchbill as well as Great Barbet, White Wagtail (of the form alboides), Grey Wagtail, Brown-breasted Bulbul, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, the delightful little Rufous-faced Warbler (with its high-pitched, teetering song) and Rufous-capped Babbler.

Sichuan, China: Day 4  After a final morning hide session at Tanshi we will travel westwards to Wawushan for a three nights stay. Wawushan is a star area that we pioneered as early as the 1980s but which was closed off for a long period.

Sichuan, China: Days 5-6  At glorious Wawushan we will explore different habitats ranging from attractive mixed forest all the way up to the high-altitude bamboo zone.

In the upper bamboos, we will seek out one of our prime targets, the little-known Grey-hooded Parrotbill, which is usually not too difficult to find. This is also an excellent place to see the recently described endemic Sichuan Thrush and the endemic Sichuan Bush Warbler.

Other specialities include the breeding-endemic Emei and Claudias and breeding-near-endemic Kloss’s and Sichuan Leaf Warblers, the breeding-endemic Martens’s and Alstrom’s Warblers, the attractive, near-endemic Red-winged Laughingthrush, the near-endemic Ashy-throated Parrotbill, the endemic David’s and Grey-hooded Fulvettas, the sweet-singing, breeding-endemic Chinese Blue Flycatcher, the restricted-range Chestnut-vented Nuthatch and with luck the uncommon, range-restricted Fujian Niltava.

This is a very birdy region, and its other goodies include the near-endemic Necklaced Woodpecker, the near-endemic White-collared Yuhina, the spectacular Golden-breasted Fulvetta, the endemic Three-toed Parrotbill, Great and Brown Parrotbills, the uncommon Fulvous Parrotbill, both Chestnut-crowned and Grey-sided Bush Warblers, the uncommon endemic Sichuan Treecreeper (a species of high-altitude conifers), the pretty Fire-capped Tit and the near-endemic Yellow-bellied Tit.

A great bonus at Wawushan is a good chance of a close-up encounter with the very cute Red Panda!

More widespread species that we may well encounter include Crested (or Oriental) Honey Buzzard, the shy Koklass Pheasant, the vocal Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Hodgson’s Hawk-Cuckoo, Himalayan and Lesser Cuckoos, Asian Koel, Grey Nightjar, Himalayan Swiftlet, White-throated Needletail, Grey-headed, Grey-capped Pygmy, Great Spotted, Darjeeling, White-backed and Bay Woodpeckers and the sneaky Speckled Piculet.

An astonishing array of passerines includes Red-rumped Swallow, the colourful Long-tailed Minivet, Eurasian Wren, Brown Dipper, skulking Himalayan Shortwing, Indian Blue, White-browed and Golden Bush Robins, Plumbeous Water Redstart, White-capped Redstart, the skulking White-bellied Redstart, Grey Bushchat, Blue Whistling Thrush, Chestnut Thrush, White-crowned Forktail, Verditer, Rufous-gorgeted, Ferruginous, Dark-sided and Brown-breasted Flycatchers, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Yellow-bellied and Aberrant Bush Warblers, the skulking Spotted and Brown Bush Warblers, Bianchi’s, Grey-crowned, Chestnut-crowned and Ashy-throated Warblers, Greenish, Large-billed Leaf and Hume’s Leaf Warblers, the secretive Pygmy Cupwing, the bold Scaly-breasted Cupwing, Red-tailed Minla, Black-faced and White-throated Laughingthrushes, the shy Spotted Laughingthrush, White-browed Fulvetta, Black-chinned and Stripe-throated Yuhinas, Yellow-browed, Coal, Rufous-vented, Grey Crested and Green-backed Tits, Southern Nutcracker, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Large-billed Crow, Hair-crested Drongo, the beautiful Gould’s Sunbird, Swinhoe’s and Chestnut-flanked White-eyes, Olive-backed Pipit, Russet Sparrow and Vinaceous and Dark-breasted Rosefinches.

Sichuan, China: Day 7  After some final birding at Wawushan we will head westwards to Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park for a two nights stay.

Sichuan, China: Day 8  Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park is a scenically stunning reserve situated on the eastern slopes of Mount Gongga (known as Gongga Shan in Chinese, the peak is also called Minya Konka), the highest peak in Sichuan and sometimes considered the furthest extremity of the Himalayan chain. The peak reaches an extraordinary 7556m (24,791ft) and dominates the area, with a huge icefall/glacier descending into the park.

Our prime target here is the beautiful endemic but highly localized Pere David’s (or Rusty-breasted) Tit, but we will also be on the lookout for the localized and retiring Blue-fronted Robin, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Rufous-vented Yuhina and the near-endemic Black-browed Bushtit. We are also going to encounter many other species that we came across at Wawushan and indeed we have a good chance here for the endemic Sichuan Treecreeper, a species that can be tricky to find.

Sichuan China: Day 9  Today we will travel to Longcanggou for a two nights stay, arriving in time for some initial exploration.

We will stop off along the way at a good location for the shy Barred Laughingthrush and we also have fair chances here for the endemic Rufous-tailed Babbler (or Rufous-tailed Moupinia) and the uncommon near-endemic Sharpe’s Rosefinch.

Sichuan China: Day 10  The beautiful Longcanggou area is the best place in Sichuan for the uncommon endemic Gold-fronted Fulvetta and this will of course be our prime target. Another important speciality is the near-endemic Streaked Barwing.

Longcanggou is a great birding area and, as well as these two major specialities, we have good chances for many of the species already mentioned for Wawushan, a mountain which lies not far away ‘as the crow flies’.

Sichuan, China: Day 11  After some final birding at Loncanggou we will continue our journey to Wolong for a three nights stay. We will arrive in time for some initial birding.

Sichuan, China: Days 12-13  The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve is world-famous as a result of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s research and conservation efforts to save the species from extinction. The pioneering work on pandas by George Schaller was carried out in this beautiful region of forested mountains, bamboo thickets, alpine meadows and jagged, snow-covered peaks. During our stay in this wonderful part of China, we will be able to explore areas from about 2000m (6562ft) right up to the high alpine zone above 4000m (13,124ft). We shall be birding amidst some breathtaking mountain scenery, with the surrounding peaks rising to over 5500m (18,045ft) and the even higher peak of Siguniang (6250m or 20,506ft) visible in the distance.

By using a road that climbs over the incredibly spectacular Balang Shan range by way of a high pass we can drive right up to the habitat of Tibetan Snowcock and the amazingly beautiful but endangered endemic Chinese Monal! At the highest altitudes, where patches of snow-free rocks project above the snow, we may well find gorgeous, indigo-coloured Grandalas, Alpine Accentors and restless flocks of Plain Mountain Finches feeding on insects in this seemingly inhospitable environment. Now that the old road over the pass has been closed off with locked gates, Snow Partridge has become harder to see at Balang Shan and Red-breasted Rosefinch and Brandt’s Mountain Finch are only reachable by means of a long walk.

Here also we will look for the incomparable endemic White Eared Pheasant, for we should find these magnificent creatures feeding out in the open early in the morning. At dawn, the loud, barking calls of Koklass Pheasants ring out across the forest and sometimes they put in an appearance at the forest edge. Areas of high-altitude scrub hold the stunning endemic Chinese Rubythroat.

In the attractive mixed forests and scrub at lower elevations, we will be concentrating on several specialities including the spectacular endemic Golden Pheasant (*which we will try to watch from a hide/blind), the endemic Sooty Bushtit, the retiring endemic Slaty Bunting and, if we missed it earlier, the shy endemic Barred Laughingthrush. In the thickets of bamboo in the forest the strikingly-plumaged endemic Firethroat is fairly common.

We may also come across one of the rarer specialities of the Wolong area, which include Crimson-browed Finch and the near-endemic Tibetan Serin (or Tibetan Siskin). We have observed the very rare Blackthroat here, so we even have a very slim chance of seeing this little-known species.

Amongst the other species that we should encounter in this wonderful reserve are Bearded Vulture (or Lammergeier), the handsome Snow Pigeon, White-throated Dipper, Alpine Chough and Streaked Rosefinch. If we are in luck we will encounter a Mountain Hawk-Eagle.

Sichuan, Birding: Day 14  After some final birding at Balang Shan, we will continue to the town of Maerkang for a two nights stay. We will likely encounter Hill Pigeon, Eurasian Crag Martin, Hodgson’s Redstart and Blue Rock Thrush along the way and perhaps the superb Wallcreeper. Provided we can get away from Balang Shan early enough, we will stop along the way to look for the endemic Chinese Long-tailed Rosefinch.

Sichuan, China: Day 15  In the early morning we will climb up high into the mountains by road to an area of coniferous forest on Mengbi Shan where we will have the chance to look for some of the specialities of the high-altitude spruce forest. Foremost among these are such endemics as the impressive Giant Laughingthrush, the very localized Sichuan Jay and the attractive Chinese White-browed and Pink-rumped (or Stresemann’s) Rosefinches, as well as the near-endemic Three-banded Rosefinch.

We may well add such other new species as the huge Black Woodpecker, the smart White-throated Redstart, Daurian Redstart, Greenish Warbler, Goldcrest, Carrion Crow and both White-winged Grosbeak and the even more impressive Collared Grosbeak. With luck, we will also encounter the handsome Rufous-bellied Woodpecker.

Sichuan, China: Day 16  From Maerkang we head northwards, climbing over a high, spruce- and scrub-clad pass until we come to the high grasslands and distant snow-covered peaks of the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, a wild landscape where swarthy Tibetan herders still graze their yaks, ponies and sheep, and where the nomadic lifestyle still continues into the 21st century, albeit aided by modern vehicles, mobile phones and all the rest! Our final destination is the remote town of Ruoergai, our base for the next three nights.

We will pass through some incredible landscapes, enjoying the unfolding scenic marvels that seem to stretch forever. We shall make a series of birding stops along the way in order to seek out our first Tibetan Plateau specialities.

Sichuan, China: Days 17-18  From Ruoergai, we are able to explore a mix of habitats ranging from ancient conifer forests to the rolling grasslands and rivers and marshes of the Tibetan Plateau.

In the former habitat, we will be searching for some very special birds including such endemics as Severtzov’s (or Chinese) Grouse, the bold Verreaux’s Monal Partridge, the impressive Blue Eared Pheasant, the magnificent ‘Pere David’s Owl’ (sadly now lumped in Ural Owl), Chinese Thrush, the handsome Snowy-cheeked (or Sukatschev’s) Laughingthrush, the noisy Elliot’s Laughingthrush, Chinese Fulvetta, Spectacled Parrotbill and the endearing little Przevalski’s Nuthatch. Other specialities of this fine area include the breeding-endemic Yellow-streaked Warbler and Chinese Leaf Warbler plus such near-endemics as Salim Ali’s Swift and the superb little Crested Tit-Warbler.

Other new birds may well include the unobtrusive Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (represented here by the dark and distinctive funebris subspecies), the smart Siberian Rubythroat, the secretive Maroon-backed Accentor, Rufous-breasted Accentor and Hodgson’s Treecreeper.

In the more open grasslands of the Tibetan plateau, crossed by meandering rivers, and dotted with marshes, we will look for another set of special birds. We may awake to a crisp early morning, with mist hanging low over the wide grasslands which will gradually clear to reveal the deep blue sky that is typical of remote, high-altitude regions. The star attraction of this fine area is the rare and endangered near-endemic Black-necked Crane, which still breeds in some of the wetlands. The supporting cast is a good one too! Best of all is the delightful little near-endemic Ground Tit (formerly known as Groundpecker or Hume’s Ground Jay, these strange birds are now thought to be aberrant tits rather than ground jays) that bounds across the steppe-like some kind of bizarre wheatear, stopping every so often to peck furiously at the ground! Other goodies include the impressive Upland Buzzard, the near-endemic Tibetan Lark, the impressive endemic Giant (or Tibetan) Grey Shrike, the smart endemic Kessler’s Thrush and the charismatic, near-endemic White-rumped and Rufous-necked Snowfinches. With luck, we will also encounter the near-endemic Black-winged (or Tibetan) Snowfinch, an uncommon species at the eastern limits of its distribution.

We shall also search valleys clothed in high-altitude scrub for the near-endemic Tibetan Partridge, the lilac-tinged White-browed (or Severtzov’s) Tit-Warbler, the endemic White-browed and Sichuan Tits, Dusky Warbler, the breeding-endemic Alpine Leaf Warbler and the endemic Plain (or Pere David’s) Laughingthrush. The near-endemic Robin Accentor occurs in the area but is rare at the eastern limits of its distribution.

A much-wanted bird in this characteristic habitat is the endemic Przevalski’s Finch (also known as Przevalski’s Pinktail), an interesting species that is now placed in its own family. It is not as easy to find in this region as in Qinghai further to the west, but Birdquest were the first to find this species in this area (back in the 1980s!) and we have a real chance of success.

Other more widespread species in this region of China include Common Pheasant (indigenous here), Black Stork, Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Mallard, Gadwall, Eurasian Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Common Merganser (or Goosander), Himalayan Vulture, Black Kite, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Himalayan Buzzard, Golden Eagle, Common Kestrel, Saker Falcon, Common Redshank, Common Tern, Common Cuckoo, Eurasian Hoopoe, Horned Lark, Oriental Skylark, Rosy and Blyth’s Pipits, the lovely Citrine Wagtail (here of the attractive black-backed race calcarata which may get split as Tibetan Wagtail), Asian House Martin, the attractive Himalayan Bluetail, Black Redstart (complete with red belly here), Blue-fronted Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, Long-tailed Thrush, Buff-barred Warbler, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Oriental and Azure-winged Magpies, Red-billed Chough, the smart Daurian Jackdaw, the huge Tibetan race of the Northern Raven, Japanese Tit, Grey-backed Shrike, Twite (of the interesting interior Asian form, which may represent a distinct species), Himalayan Beautiful and Common Rosefinches, Grey-headed Bullfinch and Godlewski’s Bunting. We may also see one of the more uncommon species such as Bar-headed Goose or Eurasian Eagle-Owl.

We should also encounter good numbers of pikas and perhaps a few larger mammals such as Tibetan Fox and Grey Wolf which are attracted to the abundant prey

Sichuan, China: Day 19  After some final birding in the Ruoergai region we will drive to Chuanzhusi for an overnight stay.

Sichuan, China: Day 20  Today we will return to the Chengdu area for an overnight stay in the Chengdu Tianfu Airport area.

If we do not have things we still need to look for we will head south early and stop for the nominate form of the endemic Spectacled Fulvetta along the way.

If we still need any of the specialities of the high altitude coniferous forest, we will first visit the Gonggangling pass, a scenic area of high, snow-covered peaks, dense coniferous and mixed forests, large areas of scrub and often cloud-wreathed hillsides covered in flowering rhododendrons and azaleas. This interesting area offers us an extra chance to look for such endemics as Chinese Grouse, ‘Pere David’s Owl’ and Sukatchev’s Laughingthrush.

[Note: The prime speciality of this region used to be the lovely Rufous-headed Robin. This little-known and extremely elusive species was only known (as a breeding species) from the neighbouring province of Shaanxi before Birdquest first discovered it in the scenic Jiuzhaigou Valley in 1984 (the first record from China in the modern era). Sadly the population now appears to have either died out or been reduced to a tiny number, perhaps through habitat change. In any event, access to the sighting areas is no longer possible.]

Sichuan, China: Day 21  Our Sichuan, China birding tour ends this morning at Chengdu Tianfu Airport.

NORTHERN YUNNAN EXTENSION

Northern Yunnan, China: Day 1  Our tour starts in the evening in the town of Lijiang, situated in northern Yunnan province in southwest China, where we will stay for a total of three nights in the Lijiang region. Airport transfers will be provided.

(If you would prefer us to arrange for any local flights inside China, we will be pleased to do so on request, even if you are arranging your international flights yourself.)

Northern Yunnan, China: Days 2-3  Lijiang is the principal settlement of the Naxi people, a matriarchal society with some fascinating social customs and the old town, dating back to the 12th century, is well worth seeing. At this point the mighty Yangtze River makes a long loop to the north before resuming its flow towards the China Sea, forming a natural boundary to the spectacular, snow-capped peaks of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, which rises to 5596m (18,360ft) and towers above the town. This ornithologically poorly-known area offers a feast of dramatically beautiful scenery, with deep valleys clothed in deciduous and coniferous woodland giving way at higher altitudes to alpine meadows and icy peaks.

Some special endemic birds can be found in the Lijiang area and in particular, we will be wanting to see the rare and localized White-speckled (or Biet’s) Laughingthrush, the inquisitive Rufous-tailed Babbler (or Rufous-tailed Moupinia) and the sordidior form of the endemic Spectacled Fulvetta (which looks very different to the nominate race in northern Sichuan). Important near-endemics include Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler, Black-bibbed Tit, Black-browed Bushtit, Yunnan Nuthatch and Black-headed Greenfinch. There is a fair chance of Mrs Hume’s Pheasant and the near-endemic Lady Amherst’s Pheasant is also possible, although the latter is much easier in Sichuan.

A further endemic, Eye-ringed Parrotbill, presents more of a taxonomic puzzle. The birds in the Lijiang area have been regularly identified as being Eye-ringed Parrotbills (the monotypic Suthora ricketti) post its splitting from Brown-winged Parrotbill (S. brunnea), but show dark rather than white irises and plumage features suggesting that they belong to the taxon styani, which is currently placed in Brown-winged! Basically, the Lijiang birds appear somewhat intermediate between nominate Brown-ringed and Eye-ringed, although as they show pale eye-rings they look closer to the latter. If these forms truly merit splitting, which is open to debate, then styani may be better treated as a subspecies of S. ricketti.

Other good birds include the handsome Black-breasted Thrush, the smart Black-headed Sibia, Yunnan Fulvetta and the secretive Rusty-capped Fulvetta.

More widespread species that we may well encounter include Asian Barred Owlet, Brown-breasted and Himalayan Black Bulbuls, Grey-winged Blackbird, Black-faced, Davison’s Leaf and Buff-throated Warblers, the localized Rosy Minivet, White-browed and Green Shrike-babblers, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Buff-bellied Flowerpecker and Black Drongo.

We will also have our first encounters with many species that also occur in Sichuan.

Northern Yunnan, China: Day 4  Today we will travel by air to Chengdu in Sichuan province where we will join up with those arriving for the main tour. The flight routing could be direct but may involve connecting flights. Depending on the flight schedule, we may have time for some final birding in Yunnan.