CHINA. Longcanggou Sichuan. Friday 15 th June Tuesday 19 th June. Graham Talbot Chris Campion Abdel Bizid Jan-Erik Nilsen

Transcription

1 CHINA Longcanggou Sichuan Friday 15 th June Tuesday 19 th June Graham Talbot Chris Campion Abdel Bizid Jan-Erik Nilsen

2 Introduction It had been many years since I had been to southern Sichuan and when Abdel mentioned he was thinking of doing a long weekend there, taking in the public holiday, I thought it would be a great chance to visit the area again. I was not too concerned where we went, so I left it up to Chris and Abdel to decide and in the end the consensus was to go to Longcanggou in the hope of seeing Streaked Barwing, which was the last one they both needed to complete the Barwing set. The area was also good for Lady Amherst s Pheasant and, as I had only seen the dodgy introduced ones in the UK, it suited me as well. We were joined by Jan-Erik, who is based in Beijing and who, after the weekend, continued on to the Wolong area for the rest of the week. Logistics Abdel contacted Summer Wong, a local guide for West China ( to help organise the logistics. We didn t need a guide, so she provided a car and driver, snack lunches and booked the hotel. The driver was the same one Abdel had used a few weeks ago and was excellent. Although he spoke no English and us very limited Chinese, with the use of WeChat translate, we managed the site logistics. This worked well, the digital audio translation sounded like you were in the company of Steven Hawkins. The driver was up and ready to leave every day, he had pre purchased some snacks for lunch and in the evening he helped sort out dinner and arrange picnic breakfasts with the hotel. Highly recommended You don t say that about drivers in China very often. The small hotel complex, we stayed in, was a 15-minute drive from the park entrance, and had a restaurant attached. As we were at a lower altitude and in farmland habitat, we saw some birds around the hotel that we didn t see anywhere else. Longcanggou Site The site is basically a road up to the summit from the park entrance. As they were carrying out extensive repairs to the road, we could only drive the first 6Km to the Publicity Centre and from there to get to the summit 12k away we had to walk or hitch a ride in one of the workers trucks, which we did successfully on both days, where we went to the top. The road can be split into three sections

3 Park Entrance to Publicity Centre This section of the road passes through some dense broadleaf forest and is the best area to look for Lady Amherst s Pheasants especially near the water treatment plant. We saw them on all three days though views were brief. There is a track going off to the right about halfway up, which we didn t explore and could also be good for pheasants as it leads to a dead end so is less disturbed. This flat track was very muddy at the time of our trip. There is a side road on the left a bit further up, which we explored and was good for warblers. Publicity Centre to Waterfall Trail This section of the road was very good for Tragopan s and we had multiple sightings on all three days. After about 3 km the road splits with the main track going to the summit and a fork leading to a dead end. We didn t explore the fork due to the extensive roadworks. Seven kilometres from the Publicity Centre there is a trail on the right which leads to a waterfall. It isn t well marked. We explored the top part of the trail before it started to head steeply down to the waterfall. It was misty when we were there so bird activity was low but it held some great looking mossy tress. Waterfall Trail to the Summit - Extensive road works have been completed on this section of the road and it was now sealed, with passing places. The road passes through large areas of

4 low bamboo with scattered trees. At the summit there is a large complex called the Propaganda and Education Centre, which had recently been constructed but not furnished. From here a road to the right leads to some large buildings where Giant Pandas will be housed for a reintroduction programme. The summit area has been divided into very large enclosures using high metal fences. These were still under construction whilst we were there and we managed to find a missing fence panel which allowed us access into the bamboo and forest area. Obviously once they have completed the complex and shipped in the pandas, the whole area will be off limits. Panda Houses Area divided into enclosures Propaganda and Education Centre at the Summit Waterfall Trail Entrance Hotel Complex Name Hotel Complex Yingjing We spent a few hours birding the fields around the hotel complex, which held a different set of species, including Brown Bullfinch and Ashy-throated Parrotbill. Accommodation and Food There are numerous hotels in the area to suit everybody s budget and needs. We stayed in a small complex at Yingjing about 15minutes from the park, which had restaurant attached where we ate every night. In Chengdu, on our final night we stayed in a standard city hotel, close to the airport. The driver pre purchased some snacks before picking us up at the airport. These mainly consisted of biscuits, bananas and something I had never seen before, selfcooked rice. Basically the rice and source came with a sachet of water and chemical, which,

5 when mixed, produced heat, which steamed the rice making it hot. We had these for lunch on all three days. Weather The weather was always going to be problematical as it was the wet season and unfortunately we had poor weather on all three days with low cloud and drizzle though the only heavy rain was restricted to overnight. The weather made birding hard going at times. References The Field Guide to the Birds China MacKinnon Still after all these years the only guide available in English. Itinerary Friday 15 th June We left Hong Kong on the 9pm flight to Chengdu arriving two hours later. We went quickly through immigration and met Jan-Erik and our driver in the arrivals hall. We were soon on our way and due to the excellent roads system we arrived at our hotel in just over two hours. As it was a late arrival, we decided to delay the start of our birding on the following morning to 7am. Saturday 16 th June We were woken up by the sound of Common and Large Hawk Cuckoos around the hotel, before finding White-browed Laughingthrush. We didn t spend long by the hotel, as we were keen to get to the park. Common Cuckoo White-browed Laughingthrush From the main entrance, we drove up to the Publicity centre, the furthest that we were allowed to drive. We prepared ourselves for a long hike to the summit but after about 2km we managed to hitch a ride with a works vehicle from which, we saw a male Lady Amherst s Pheasant and male Temminck s Tragopan, running across the road. The vehicle dropped us off at the start of the waterfall trail. The area was cloaked in low cloud and although there were a lot of birds calling, we saw very few as we explored the top part of the trail. We decided to retrace our steps to the road and continue up on foot to the summit. Bianchi's Leaf Warblers and Aberrant Bush Warblers were calling, a party of White Collared Yuhina s and a single Stripe-throated put in an appearance.

6 Stripe-throated Yuhina Aberrant Bush Warbler It was very misty on top and although we explored the bamboo we heard very little calling and seeing anything was problematical. We retired to the half built propaganda and Education centre where we had our self-cooked rice. By now it was nearly 2pm and it was a long way down. We started the 11km walk back down to the car. After passing the waterfall trail, the mist lifted a bit and we managed to see a total of four male Temminck s Tragopan s along the next section of track. Temminck's Tragopan A small bird wave produced Golden Parrotbill and Golden-breasted Fulvetta. We eventually arrived back at the waiting car at gone 7pm and as we drove out of the park female Lady Amherst s Pheasant ran across in front of the car in the misty gloom. It was a quick dinner before we hit the sack. It had been a long day and an even longer walk, and we were all exhausted. Sunday 17 th June Feeling refreshed after a great night s sleep, we set off just as it was getting light. We failed to see any Pheasants between the entrance gate and the Publicity centre though it was still semi light. We parked at the Publicity centre and had picnic breakfast, whilst watching Yellow-bellied Tits coming into feed, before setting off on foot up towards the summit. Although it was dull and overcast, the day was much birdier, though birds were still had to see. After about an hour a car stopped and offered us a lift up. Our initial plan was to explore the waterfall trail again but when we arrived at the entrance the area was covered in low mist so we decided to carry

7 on up to the summit, which was a great call as we emerged through the mist into clear conditions. With the mist gone, birds were much more active and visible and we soon had Spotted Bush Warbler and Eurasian Wren singing. We found a Jerdon s Pit Viper sunning itself by the path. Spotted Buh Warbler Eurasian Wren Jerdon s Pit Viper White-collared Yuhina We made our way to the newly built Panda housing where we knew from the previous day there was a hole in the fence. Entering the soon to be Panda enclosure we followed the fence for a few hundred metres before turning off on a track which passed through some excellent mossy forest mixed with bamboo. Exploring the trail produced Grey-hooded Fulvetta and a small flock of Speckled Wood Pigeons as well as a calling Lesser Cuckoo. The trail started to descend into the mist so we decided to retrace our steps. Abdel who was a little ahead came across a small flock of birds, which consisted of two Great Parrotbills and two Streaked Barwing s. He came back and hurried us along and thankfully, the birds were still present and gave stunning walk away views.

8 Streaked Barwing Great Parrotbill We continued to explore the area but the ever threatening mist slowly engulfed the area so we made it back to the Propaganda centre where we met Jan-Erik who had walked all the way up. We had our self-cooked rice and as it was now early afternoon we decided to slowly head back down. As we left the summit a couple of Spotted Nutcrackers and a Himalayan Cuckoo were seen, perched on top of trees. On the way down, we again came across a couple of male Temminck s Tragopan s in the middle section of the road. In the area pass the road fork, we played Collared Owlet a few times with great results with White backed and Grey Capped Woodpeckers, Marten s Warbler, Chestnut Crowned Warbler, Golden Parrotbill, Mrs Gould s Sunbird, Sapphire Flycatcher (male and female), as well as many Phylloscopus warblers. Chestnut-crowned Warbler Mrs Goulds Sunbird We eventually arrived back at the car it had been yet another long day in the fields but a successful one. The journey back produced a Male, Female and two chick Lady Amherst s Pheasants.

9 Lady Amherst s Pheasant Kloss s Leaf Warbler We had a couple of beers over dinner and another early night Monday 18 th June Abdel received some news that there had been some Brown Bullfinches, seen near the hotel. A gap in his list. We left the hotel a little later and spent 30 minutes checking the fields but we saw very little in the mist with the exception of Ashy-throated Parrotbills our third Parrotbill species for the trip. We continued on to the reserve entrance and drove slowly up to the Publicity centre hoping for some pheasant but we had to be satisfied with brief views of a female and chick as they scurried away. As there had been no significant improvement in the weather, we decided to spend the day exploring the lower slopes i.e. walking up from the publicity centre for a couple of kms and then heading back down to the water treatment plant. Initially it was quite birdy with a few small flocks coming in to Collared Owlet call, but as the morning progressed it became quieter. Red-billed Leiothrix Red-tailed Minla

10 Buffy Laughingthrush Galeola Lindleyana and Jan- Erik On the way down we explored a track to the right where we found a rather large Orchid, Galeola Lindleyana, which was nearly 3m tall and flowering, but bird wise it was quiet. Returning to the main track we continued on down and reached the water treatment plant at about lunch time. As it was so quiet, it was decided that we should return to the fields near the hotel and try for the Bulfinch again. We had our lunch by the fields again seeing Ashy-throated Parrotbill but no Bullfinch. After lunch we widened our search and about 300m along the road two Bulfinch s flew over and landed in a tree. Job done, however we walked a bit further and came across a flock of 41 more Brown Bulfinch s, perched on the wires. Why there were so many in breeding season was a mystery to us all. Brown Bullfinch It was early afternoon and were a bit of lost, as to what to do. We didn t relish the thought of returning to the park and walking up again our legs were pretty tired from the previous two days exertions so in the end we decided to head back to Chengdu and have an early night. We hit quite a lot of traffic on the way back and eventually arrived at our hotel where we experienced the longest check in ever. We freshened up and had a good Sichuan meal in the hotel before retiring.

11 Tuesday 19 th July Up early a short transfer to the airport and we were on our way back to Hong Kong and into work before lunch Asian Green-veined White Himalayan Chestnut Tiger Dark Forester Aldania themis Himalayan Dark Clouded Yellow Systematic List Temminck's Tragopan Tragopan temminckii Four males, 3 Females and 1 chick 16 th June. Three males, 1 female and 2 chicks 17 th June. All seen between the park entrance and the waterfall trail Lady Amherst's Pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae One male and 1 female 16 th June. One male 1 female and 2 chicks 17 th June. One female and chick 18 th June. All but one sighting below Publicity centre Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii One 16 th and 15 on the 17 th June all seen in the summit area. Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis One on route to Chengdu 18 th June White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus Up to twenty seen daily Himalayan Swiftlet Aerodramus brevirostris Six on the lower slopes 18 th June Salim Ali s Swift Apus (pacificus) salim Three on the 18 th June

12 Large Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides Up to four heard daily Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus One calling at the hotel Himalayan Cuckoo Cuculus saturates Four heard on the 16 th and one seen on the 17 th June. Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus Up to six heard daily with at least two being seen. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Three on route to Chengdu 18 th June Little Egret Egretta garzetta Four on route to Chengdu 18 th June Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus One on route to Chengdu 18 th June Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus Two on the lower slopes 18 th June Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei One heard 16 th and 17 th June Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis One seen 17 th and two heard 18 th June Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus One seen 17 th June Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopos darjellensis Single birds seen on the 16 th, 17 th and 18 th June White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos One on the 17 th and 18 th June Great Spotted Woodpecker Denrocopos major Two 16 th June Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus Two near hotel complex 18 June Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus Up to 14 seen daily Green Shrike-babbler Pteruthius xanthochlorus One in a bird wave 18 th June Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis Two on the lower slopes 18 th June

13 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Three 16 th and 17 th June. Three near the hotel 18 th and 12 on the lower slopes 18 th June Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythroryncha Up to four seen daily Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius A total of 8 near the publicity centre 18 th June Eurasian Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes A total of 4 near the summit 17 th June and one lower slopes 18 th June Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Three on the 16 th and one 17 th June Mrs. Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae Up to 13 seen or heard daily Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Six around the hotel 18 th June Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni One 16 th June Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Up to six seen daily White Wagtail Motacilla alba Up to two seen daily by the Publicity Centre Vinaceous Rosefinch Carpodacus vinaceus A pair half near the road fork 17 th June Brown Bullfinch Pyrrhula nipalensis A total of 43 near the hotel 18 th June Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis Seen daily with a high count of 15 on the 18 th June Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus Seen on the 17 th and 18 th June with a high count of 15 on the 18 th Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus Seen daily with a pair visiting a nest hole near the Publicity centre Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus Seen daily with a high count of 10 on the 18 th June Japanese Tit Parus minor Two near the Publicity centre 18 th June Spotted Bush Warbler Locustella thoracica Two near the Propaganda centre 16 th and 17 th June Pygmy Wren Babbler Pnoepyga pusilla

14 Up to 3 heard daily Chines Wren Babbler Pnoepyga mutica One heard singing 17 th June Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica Up to six seen daily Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Eight near the hotel on 18 th June Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus Two near the hotel on the 16 th and ten at the same location on 18 th June Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques One near the hotel on the 16 th and 15 at the same location on 18 th June Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis Up to six seen daily near the hotel. Sichuan Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus forresti Only seen at higher elevations on the 16 th and 17 th June with a high count of 15 Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher Only seen at higher elevations on the 16 th and 17 th June with a high count of eight Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis Seen at mid to high elevations on the 16 th and 17 th June with a high count of four Yellow-streaked Warbler Phylloscopus armandii One heard singing 17 th June Martens's Leaf Warbler Seicercus omeiensis Recorded daily at lower elevations with a high count of ten Bianchi's Leaf Warbler Seicercus valentine Up to twenty seen on the 16 th /17 th June at higher elevations Chestnut-crowned Leaf Warbler Seicercus castaniceps A maximum count of ten on 18 th June mainly seen at lower elevations Greenish Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides Heard or seen daily with a maximum count of 12 on 18 th June Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris Heard or seen daily with a maximum count of 30 on 17 th June Claudia's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus claudiae Up to 20 seen or heard daily Kloss's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus ogilviegranti A pair feeding at low elevation on 18 th June Brown-flanked Bush Warbler Horornis fortipes Up to twenty heard daily

15 Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler Horornis acanthizoides Up to six heard daily Aberrant Bush Warbler Horornis flavolivaceus Only seen or heard at higher elevations with a daily count of 10 on the 16 th and 17 th June Golden-breasted Fulvetta Lioparus chrysotis Seen daily with a maximum count of five on the 18 th June Grey-hooded Fulvetta Fulvetta cinereiceps Only seen at higher elevations on the 16 th and 17 th June with a maximum count of five Great Parrotbill Conostoma aemodium Two at the summit area and three on route to summit 17 th June Brown Parrotbill Cholornis unicolor Three near the summit area 17 th June Golden Parrotbill Suthora verreauxi Seen on the 16 th and 17 th June with a high count of eight Ashy-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthora alphonsiana Two near the hotel 16 th and three same location 18 th June White-collared Yuhina Yuhina diademata Up to twenty seen daily at higher elevations on the 16 th and 17 th June Stripe-throated Yuhina Yuhina gularis Two summit area 17 th June Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis One heard 18 th June Rufous-capped Babbler Cyanoderma ruficeps A maximum of two seen or heard daily White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio A small flock near the hotel 16 th June Elliot's Laughingthrush Trochalopteron elliotii Four on 16 th and two on 17 th June Red-winged Laughingthrush Trochalopteron formosum One seen 17 th and three heard 18 th June Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea Six seen 17 th and four seen or heard 18 th June Red-tailed Minla Minla ignotincta One 17 th and eight 18 th June Streaked Barwing Sibia souliei Two in summit area, 17 th June Blue-winged Minla Siva cyanouroptera

16 Seen daily with a high count of six on 17 th June Buffy Laughingthrush Garrulax berthemyi. Four near the Publicity centre 18 th June Chestnut-vented Nuthatch Sitta nagaensis Two daily on 17 th and 18 th June Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes One near the summit 17 th June Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus Sixteen on route to Chengdu 18 th June Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica One 16 th and two 17 th June at higher elevations Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea One 17 th and two 18 th June Indian Blue Robin Larvivora brunnea Up to five heard 17 th and 18 th June White-bellied Redstart Luscinia phaenicuroides Up to five seen or heard daily. Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus One 18 th June below the park entrance, on the way back to the hotel. Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus Single birds seen on the 16 th and 17 th June Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata One 16 th and 17 th June Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor A pair on 17 th June, in summit area Sapphire Flycatcher Ficedula sapphire A pair came in to Collared Owlet call 17 th June Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina Up to six seen daily Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosa Two 16 th June White-capped Water Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus One summit area 16 th and 17 th June Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus Three 17 th June. One on route to Chengdu 18 th June Chestnut Thrush Turdus rubrocanus One summit area 16 th and three 17 th June