CHINA’S SICHUAN: The ultimate Chinese endemics tour, with spectacular pheasants and dramatic scenery

PRICE INFORMATION

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

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

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.

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

SICHUAN, CHINA BIRDING TOUR: DETAILED ITINERARY

Sichuan, China: Day 1

Our Sichuan, China birding tour begins this morning at Chengdu Tianfu Airport.

(If you are not flying into Chengdu Tianfu internationally and would prefer us to arrange any domestic flights inside China for you, we will be pleased to do so on request. We can also make hotel arrangements in a terminal hotel at Tianfu for you, for the previous night, should you so wish.)

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 an area 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.

Afterwards, we will drive southwards to the mountains of southern Sichuan for a two-night 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 2

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 localised 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 3

After a final morning hide session at Tanshi, we will travel westwards to Wawushan for a three-night 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 4-5

At glorious Wawushan, we will explore different habitats ranging from attractive mixed forests 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 and the range-restricted Chestnut-vented Nuthatch.

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 Bush Warbler, 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 6

After some final birding at Wawushan, we will head westwards to Hailuogou Glacier Forest Park for a two-night stay.

Sichuan, China: Day 7

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 localised Pere David’s (or Rusty-breasted) Tit, but we will also be on the lookout for the localised 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 8

Today, we will travel to Longcanggou for a two-night 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 9

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 speciality is the near-endemic Streaked Barwing, although our chances of encountering this rare bird are very low.

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 10

After some final birding at Loncanggou, we will continue our journey to the Wolong area for a three-night stay (divided between two locations). We will arrive in time for some initial birding.

Sichuan, China: Days 11-12

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 the 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.

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.

If we can obtain access to the old road over the pass, we have a good chance to see Snow Partridge, Red-fronted Rosefinch and Brandt’s Mountain Finch. 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 includes 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 lucky, we will encounter a Mountain Hawk-Eagle.

Sichuan, Birding: Day 13

After some final birding at Balang Shan, we will continue to the town of Maerkang for a two-night 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 14

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 localised 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 15

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 16-17

From Ruoergai, we are able to explore a mix of habitats ranging from ancient conifer forests to the rolling grasslands, 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 a bit of 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 18

After some final birding in the Ruoergai region, we will drive to Jiuzhaigou for a two-night stay.

Sichuan, China: Day 19

Once upon a time the famously scenic Jiuzhaigou valley was a little-visited area that was wonderful for birding, but in recent times it has become one of China’s most popular tourist attractions and the valley itself is now crowded and unsuitable for birding.

The surrounding region still offers good birding, however, and in particular good chances for such tricky endemic specialities as Pere David’s Tit and Sooty Tit (the birds here are ‘real’ Sooty Tits, unlike the hybrids found at Wolong!).

The endemic Spectacled Fulvetta is quite common in the area, and we also have catch-up chances for Sukatchev’s and Barred Laughingthrushes and Spectacled Parrotbill.

Not only is there good birding in this fine area but also some very accessible Golden Snub-nosed Monkeys! These super-charismatic monkeys are one of the wildlife spectacles of China, and we will surely enjoy our close-up (down to a metre or two!) encounter with up to 80 or even 100 of these shaggy brown, cream, and orange critters, with their wonderfully expressive faces and endearing behaviour.

The prime avian 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 has declined since the early years of this century, with extremely few recent records. If one does turn up in an accessible area, we will try our luck!

Sichuan, China: Day 20

Today we will head back towards the Red Basin, but before we reach the lowlands, we will stop overnight in the well-known Tangjiahe Nature Reserve.

Tangjiahe is a huge reserve but access for visitors is limited to lovely middle-altitude woodlands, meadows and beautiful river gorges.

Great birds here include the range-restricted Zappey’s Flycatcher, Alstrom’s Warbler and Slaty Bunting, not to mention the huge Tawny Fish Owl.

Tangjiahe is famous for its mammals, and we are likely to see the impressive ‘Golden’ Takin, Reeves’s Muntjac, Tufted Deer, Tibetan Macaque, Masked Palm Civet and possibly one or two of the rarer or more elusive species, which include Asiatic Brown Bear, Eurasian Otter and Mainland Jungle Cat.

Sichuan, China: Day 21

After spending the morning at Tangjiahe, we will return to Chengdu Tianfu Airport, where our tour ends early this evening.