Soon we were on the mountain above town, a protected natural area, rarely if ever birded by anyone other than Sid and his clients. On the way up we saw several Daurian Redstarts. Could not get a photo of an adult male. It was our eighth species from the Birds of China redstarts plate.
Our only Gray Bushchat of the trip. With dark cloudy skies, it was a tough day for photography.
Then there was a birdless period and we were about to give in when things suddenly started to pick up. Finally we got brief looks at the Black-streaked Scimitar-Babbler and Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler we had previously heard at several sites.
A flock of Japanese White-eyes. Sid saw a Chestnut-flacked but I couldn't find it.
And then our eighth laughingthrush for the trip, Moustached Laughingthrush. There were also several Hwamei which I failed to photograph.
An accipiter streaked past. At least that's what Sid and I both thought. Luckily I managed a single photo and it proved to be a migrant Large Hawk-Cuckoo. Sid said he had been fooled by them before.
A surprise for me was this Eurasian or Spotted Nutcracker.
Other things seen or heard included Long-tailed Minivet, Gray-headed Woodpecker, Speckled Piculet, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Eurasian Jay and a close but not visible Golden Pheasant. On the way down we finally got a cooperative Godlewski's Bunting.
After birding the mountain we stopped at the 500 year old Buddhist temple complex in Pingwu which is off the regular tourist circuit. It was pretty impressive.
We added a few new species on the way back to Chengdu including Russet Sparrow, Collared Crow and Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
Butterflies were impressive in the warmer lower elevations.
Unfortunately we ran into highway construction which sent us off on an unmarked detour. Sid expertly found our way back to our highway. But not without us getting to see parts of China probably off limits to tourists including this nuclear power plant.
Finally after one last hot spicy Sichuan meal with Sid, we arrived safely back at Holly's Hostel. Despite some rainy conditions and sometimes uncooperative birds, it was still a heck of a week. The only negative was the rainy weather. I would not recommend birding here in mid September as it is on the back end of the rainy season.
I can only give Sid Francis the highest of recommendations as a top notch bird guide. He knows the bird calls, expertly uses playback and recorded calls, knows some top secret sites for some very rare birds, and has the connections in the local birding areas that allowed us to stay in non-tourist hotels and eat at local restaurants that saved us a lot of money. He also is able to impart a lot of insight that comes by being a resident expat in China. Most of all Sid was highly conscientious in seeing that we were well taken care of and had the opportunity to see the most birds possible. Thanks Sid!
Here's our trip list.
1.
Chinese Bamboo-Partridge Bambusicola thoracica - heard only
2.
Chestnut-throated Partridge Tetraophasis obscurus
3.
Common Pheasant Phasianus
colchicus
4.
Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus
pictus – heard only
5.
Greylag Goose Anser anser
6.
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
7.
Gadwall Anas strepera
8.
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
9.
Pintail Anas acuta
10. Shoveller Anas clypeata
11. Spot-billed
Duck Anas
poecilorhyncha
12. White-eyed
Pochard Aythya nyroca
13. Common Pochard Aythya ferina
14. Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
15. Speckled
Piculet Picumnus innominatus - Sid
Only
16. Grey-headed
Woodpecker Picus canus
17. Black
Woodpecker Dryocopus martius
18. Eurasian
Hoopoe Upupa epops
19. Large
Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioide
20. Lesser
Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus
21. Salim
Ali's Swift Apis salinalii
22. Little
Owl Athene
noctua
23. Hill
Pigeon Columba rupestris
24. Spotted
Dove Streptopelia chinensis
25. Oriental
Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
26. Red
Collared Dove Streptopelia
tranquebaric
27. Black-necked
Crane Grus nigricollis
28. Common
Coot
Fulica atra
29. Long-billed
Plover Charadrius placidus
30. Little-ringed Plover Charadrius
dubius
31. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
32. Green
Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
33. Marsh
sandpiper Tringa stangnitilis
34. Common
Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
35. Common
Redshank Tringa tetanus
36. Greenshank Tringa nebularia
37. Temminck’s
Sandpiper Calidris temminckii
38. Bar-tailed
Godwit Limosa lapponica
39. Brown-headed
Gull Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus
40. Black-headed
Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
41. Pallas’s
Gull Larus ichthyaetus
42. Common
Tern
Sterna hirundo
43. Black-eared
Kite Milvus lineatus
44. Hen
Harrier Circus cyaneus
45. Himalayan
Griffon Gyps himalayensis
46. Northern
Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
47. Eurasian
sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
48. Himalayan
Buzzard Buteo burmanicus
49. Upland
Buzzard Buteo hemilasius
50. Common
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
51. Amur
Falcon Falco amurensis
52. Saker
Falcon Falco cherrug
53. Chinese
Pond-Heron Ardeola bacchus
54. Little
Egret Egretta garzetta
55. Black-crowned
Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
56. Grey
Heron Ardea cinerea
57. Long-tailed
Shrike Lanius schach
58. Grey-backed
Shrike Lanius tephronotus
59. Brown
Shrike
60. Sichuan
Jay Perisoreus internigrans
61. Red-billed
Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha
62. Azure-winged
Magpie Cyanopica cyana
63. Oriental
Magpie Pica pica sericea
64. Spotted
Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes
65. Red-billed
Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
66. Daurian
Jackdaw Corvus dauurica
67. Carrion
Crow Corvus corone
68. Large-billed
Crow Corvus macrorhynchos
69. Collared
Crow Corvus torquatus – Pingwu, 1 adult, 2 imm
70. Common
Raven Corvus corax
71. Hume’s
Ground Tit Pseudopodoces humilis
72. Swinhoe's
Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis
73. Grey-headed
Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa
ceylonensis
74. Black
Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
75. Brown
Dipper Cinclus pallasii
76. White-throated
Dipper Cinclus cinclus
77. Long-tailed
Thrush Zoothera dixoni
78. Chinese
Blackbird Turdus merula mandarinus
79. Kessler's
Thrush Turdus kessler
80. Dark-sided
Flycatcher Muscicapa
sibirica
81. Slaty-backed
Flycatcher Ficedula hodgsonii
82. Rufous-gorgeted
Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata
83. Taiga
Flycatcher Ficedula albicilla
84. Fujian
Niltava Niltava davidi
85. Himalayan
Bluetail Tarsiger rufilatus
86. White-throated
Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus
87. Hodgson's
Redstart Phoenicurus hodgsoni
88. Black
Redstart Phoenicurus
ochruros
89. Daurian
Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus
90. Blue-fronted
Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis
91. White-capped
Water-Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephal
92. Plumbeous
Water-Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus
93. White-bellied
Redstart Hodgsonius phoenicuroides
94. Siberian
Stonechat Saxicola maurus
95. Red-billed
Starling Sturnus sericeus
96. White-cheeked
Starling Sturnus cineraceus
97. Eurasian
Nuthatch Sitta europaea
98. Przewalski's
Nuthatch Sitta przewalskii
99. Hodgson's
Treecreeper Certhia hodgsoni
100. Sichuan
Tit Poecile weigoldicus
101. White-browed
Tit Poecile superciliosus
102. Rufous-vented
Tit Periparus rubidiventris
103. Coal
Tit Periparus ater
104. Yellow-bellied
Tit Slyviparus venustulus
105. Grey-crested
Tit Parus dichrous
106. Japanese
Tit Lophophanes minor
107. Green-backed
Tit Parus monticolus
108. Black-throated
Tit Aegithalos concinnus
109. Eurasian
Crag-Martin Hirundo rupestris
110. Barn
Swallow
Hirundo rustica
111. Red-rumped
Swallow
Hirundo daurica
112. Asian
House-Martin Delichon dasypus
113. Collared
Finchbill Spizixos semitorques
114. Brown-breasted
Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous
115. Light-vented
Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis
116. Chestnut-flanked
White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus
117. Japanese
White-eye Zosterops japonicus
118. Alpine
Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus occisinensis
119. Dusky
Warbler Phylloscopus
fuscatus
120. Yellow-streaked
Warbler Phylloscopus armandii
121. Buff-barred
Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher
122. Sichuan
Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus forresti
123. Hume's
Warbler Phylloscopus humei
124. Claudia's Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus
claudia
125. Greenish
Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
126. Kloss's Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus ogilivie-grantii
127. Marten’s
warbler Seicercus omeiensis
128. Rufous-faced
Warbler Abroscopus albogularis
129. Goldcrest Regulus regulus
130. Crested
Tit Warbler Leptopoecile elegans
131. White-browed
Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile sophiae
132. Sukatchev's
Laughingthrush Garrulax sukatschewi
133. Moustached
Laughingthrush Garrulax cineraceus –
flock of 3 Pingwu Park
134. Giant
Laughingthrush Garrulax
maximus
135. Plain
Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi
136. White-browed
Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio
137. Elliot's
Laughingthrush Garrulax elliotii
138. Black-faced
Laughingthrush Garrulax affinis
139. Chinese
Babax Babax lanceolatus
140. Black-streaked
Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus
gravivox
141. Streak-breasted
Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus
ruficollis - heard only
142. Eurasian
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
143. Spectacled
Fulvetta Fulvetta ruficapilla
144. Chinese
Fulvetta Fulvetta striaticollis
145. Grey-hooded
Fulvetta Fulvetta cinereiceps
146. David's
Fulvetta Alcippe
davidi
147. White-collared
Yuhina Yuhina diademata
148. Spot-breasted
Parrotbill Paradoxornis guttaticollis
149. Vinous-throated
Parrotbill Sinosuthora webbianus
150. Elwes
horned lark Eremophila elwesi
151. Tibetan
Lark Melanocorypha maxima
152. Eurasian
Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
153. Rock
Sparrow Petronia petronia
154. White-rumped
Snowfinch Pyrgilauda taczanowskii
155. Rufous-necked
Snowfinch Pyrgilauda ruficollis
156. White
Wagtail
Motacilla alba
157. Eastern
Yellow Wagtail Motacilla
tschutschensis
158. Citrine
Wagtail Motacilla citreola
159. Grey
Wagtail
Motacilla cinerea
160. Olive-backed
Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
161. Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus
162. Water
Pipit Anthus spinoletta
163. Blyth’s
Pipit Anthus godlewskii
164. Rufous-breasted
Accentor Prunella strophiata
165. Maroon-backed
Accentor Prunella immaculata
166. Twite Carduelis flavirost
167. Common
Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
168. Pink-rumped
Rosefinch Carpodacus eos
169. Chinese
White-browed Rosefinch Carpodacus dubius
170. Grey-headed
Bullfinch Pyrrhula erythaca
171. White-winged
Grosbeak Mycerobas carnipes
172. Chinese
Grossbeak Eophona migratoria
173. Godlewski's
Bunting Emberiza godlewskii
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