Day 2, Songpan to Rouergai, 9/12/15

We had a cold start to our morning, as we would for the next few days, and headed north.  Some pigeons along the side of the road at our first stop were Hill Pigeons, looking much classier than their common cousins.  Too bad the whole day was cloudy as that really messed up the photography.

Next was a very productive stop along a stream.  A calling chickadee was identified by Sid as Sichuan Tit, split from Willow Tit.

Then a brief look at Himalayan Bluetail.  We also had Plumbeous and White-capped Water-Redstart at this site and at about every stream but they were hard to get close to.

My first Phylloscopus of the trip was this Sichuan Leaf-Warbler which is split form the Lemon-rumped Leaf-Warbler Group which was split from Pallas's Leaf-Warbler.  Ugh!  We also got Buff-barred Warbler at this site.

Sid called in couple of Giant Laughingthrushes.

Things are starting to look more Tibetan now,

Next stop a bit up the road produced Plain Laughingthrush.

And a bunch of Phylloscopus.  Best I can figure this is Greenish Warbler.  The slightly hooked bill is a feature.

I soon learned the call of the yellow Alpine Warbler which is split from Tickell's Warbler.

Another Sichuan Leaf-Warbler.

Next we pulled off the road into a nice Tibetan village and a dirt track that left took us into the countryside. We got a nice look at Eastern Great Tit.

Another Sichuan Tit.

Other stuff showed; Elliot's and Plain Laughingthrushes, Common Rosefinch, Common Pheasant, fly over Himalayan Griffons and a pair of Hodgson's Redstarts.

Honey spotted an Eurasian Hoopoe fly into the village where we also saw White and Gray Wagtails.  The yellowish face on this young leucopsis White Wagtail confused us at first.

This Taiga Flycatcher was one of the few Ficedula I saw on our trip.

Back on the highway, a group of pipits flew across.  So we stopped for another productive excursion.  The pipits were Water Pipits.

Hume's Leaf-Warbler with it's pale crown stripe.

We heard quite a few Dusky Warblers.  this is the only one that came out in the open.

Another Alpine Warbler.

Then we found one I really wanted, White-Browed Tit-Warbler.  We later saw quite a few of them but I never got quite the photos I wanted.

A lunch stop at a quarry produced a White-capped Water-Redstart.

A high pass south of Rouergai produced Himalayan Griffons, Blue-fronted Redstarts and more White-browed Tit-Warblers.

A poor shot of a Pink-rumped Rosefinch.

And our primary quary for the site, White-browed Tit.

And then it was over the pass and onto the Tibetan Plateau.  Black-eared Kites were common.  This is a spotted youngster.

A Common Raven eating some unidentified object.

South of Rouergai we came across a Tibetan village with a pretty temple.  A large flock of Daurian Jackdaws had commandeered the prayer flags on the hillside.

The temple complex gate.

Checking out some strangers.

And behind the temple with its prayer wheels.

Our first Upland Buzzard.

We moved on into Rouergai and stayed at this Tibetan operated hotel.  Sid registered as a Chinese resident and we were his Chinese guests so there was no need for registering passports.

More hot spicy food.