Western Sichuan, 16th -25th May 2025 - Part 3

East of Ruoergai the grassland plateau breaks up into an area of wooded valleys, not far away, some the most picturesque parts of this landscape form the National Park at Jiuzhaigou. 

Daybreak near Ba Xi Forest

We began our birding with the valley closest to Ruoergai along the S 445 road, known as “Ba Xi Forest”. I had read of birders visiting the area but hadn’t actually been there before, and neither had any of my companions.  After a bit of faffing around (sorry, “diligent exploration”) we found the right track into what looked like suitable habitat. 

After viewing Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrushes, Black Woodpecker and White-cheeked Nuthatch - among other things - we bumped into a local guide with a foreign birder. So we were more confident we were in the right place.  

Farmsteads, Ba Xi Valley

Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush

Black Woodpecker

Marmots

Later, a grinning local on a scooter yelled “Bird-Watching !” in English at me. 

Meanwhile, the livestock viewed us impassively.

Domesticated Yak, Ba Xi

Domesticated Yak, or "Dzo", Ba Xi

Brown Shrike, Ba Xi

Yak herder, with the Yaks very attentive to her

The local guides we bumped into on our journey had been generous with site information and news of sightings, so we were never short of ideas about places to go.

Further east we birded lower-elevation habitat near the roadside, and settled for two nights (22nd and 23rd May) in Qiuji Town, at this comfortable and new hotel.

Hotel in Qiuji Town

East of Qiuji Town, the road rose again, via a couple of logging checkpoints to a pass at nearly 4,000 metres.  This mountain road proved to be productive for pheasants, especially at dawn and dusk -

Blood Pheasant, s 445 road

Blue Eared Pheasants

Blue Eared Pheasants

Meconopsis integrifolia

Chestnut-throated Monal Partridge

Chestnut-throated Monal Partridge

- and it was along this road, twenty minutes drive from our hotel, that we finally connected with Sichuan Wood Owl.

"Sichuan Wood Owl" 

(I am aware that scientific spoilsports have re-lumped the former “Sichuan Wood Owl/Pere Davids Owl” with Ural Owl - but I am ignoring them.) 

Chinese Grouse - Ba Xi valley

White-cheeked Nuthatch - Ba Xi forest

Tibetan Siskin (male)

On the day we left (May 24th) we had a drive through the scenic hills, enjoying the road engineering and scenery in Jiuzhai County....

The car was returned at Chuanzhushi (near Songpan), and one of the garage people drove us to the High Speed Rail Terminal - 

It was less than two hours to Chengdu, no wonder that the train was so popular !

Thanks again to my companions for their enthusiasm and great company throughout the trip.

Western Sichuan 16th to 25th May - Part 2

The new highway to Sichuan’s Tibetan Grasslands opens this summer. As we drove north from Maerkang we could admire it at a distance. But even the older road is smooth and straight, and we made Ruoergai in good time.

I last visited Ruoergai twenty years ago. It has developed out of all recognition since then.  From the old place with a “Rough Outpost” feeling, we found ourselves for two nights in a gleaming hotel with Kenny G elevator music. 

The Yak Herder lifestyle does not seem to have changed much, though.

White-rumped Snowfinch

We stopped at a viewpoint in the early morning and added Rock Sparrow, Tibetan Ground Tit and White-rumped Snowfinch to the trip list.  Then the search was on to find hillsides with some scrubby bush cover in the hope of a bit more variety.  

We found more birds, but not every one provided a photo opportunity. Tibetan Partridges remained distant, but Yellow-streaked Warbler and White-browed Tit were more obliging. 

Partridges in view !

An Iris - but which one ?

Yellow-streaked Warbler

White-browed Tit

A distant Fox and a single Sika Deer were added to the mammal list.

In 2005 the road north out of Ruoergai cut through open pastures. Now, as a sign of increased domestic tourism, the same road (G 213) passes a succession of Tourist Attractions, presented as natural features of various kinds. Day-trippers were feeding Brown-headed Gulls in one of the Coach Car Parks. We managed to take a fork east of these and viewed Saker Falcon and our only Wolf of the trip. Sheep and Yak dotted the overgrazed hills.

Wolf

Saker Falcon

Little Owl

Tibetan Herdsman

On the way back, we had good views of a Lammergeier in flight, as well as Himalayan Griffon Vultures and a single Black Vulture feasting on dead sheep. 

Himalayan Griffon and Black Vulture

Back near the hotel, a patch of damp meadow held a few species, including breeding Ruddy Shelduck..

Ruddy Shelduck

East of the grasslands the road passes through wooded valleys and warmer farmland - our last 

birding of the trip would be there....

Western Sichuan - 16th to 25th May 2025 - Part 1

This was a second opportunity to use my newly acquired Mainland Visit Permit. Early in May, Captain Wong invited me to join a group of himself and two others on a trip to Sichuan, due to start on May 16th.

The other two photographing birders were to be Jon C H Chan (who had done most of the planning), and HUEN Tung-ki (who, as well as his other attributes, held a mainland Chinese Driving Licence). 

Although we had no local guide, there was quite a lot of site information online for readers of Chinese. Also,four keen pairs of eyes and ears proved to be quite effective everywhere we went.

On 16th May we took an evening flight from Shenzhen to Yibin in Sichuan province. Our Hire Car was picked up downtown after a white-knuckle taxi ride from the airport.

It took about three hours to drive to Tanshi Village, which, set at the foot of bamboo-covered mountains is THE site to see Sichuan Hill Partridge.

The birding at this site is done mainly from hides set near "Bird ponds". It is a popular location. There were two different groups of foreigners there at the same time.

We were told that the partridges had not been seen for four or five days and so it was no surprise that we didn’t see them on our first day either. With plenty of time in the hides I took a lot of photos as did everybody else.

Bamboo Partridges - NOT to be confused with Sichuan HILL Partridges

Chinese Babax

Red-billed Leiothrix

Emei Shan Liochichla

Lady Amherst's Pheasant

Silver Pheasant

Grey-headed Parrotbill

We stayed a second night at Tanshi Village and had a second morning in the main hide when the Hill Partridges made a brief appearance. Last into the hide, I missed them !

Then on May 18th it was on into the hills via Ya’an and Kangding where I bought a paper map at a service station (just like this fellow traveller).

Then, on to our second birding site of Lianghekou.

The last 60 km the road was under repair and a very slow drive but  comfortable accommodation awaited at 3200 m in a small village.  We were driven to almost 4000 m early the following morning. The main birding attraction at this site is Chinese Monal and these birds are obviously not frightened of visitors with long lenses.

Chinese Monal, Lianghekou

Chinese Monal, Lianghekou

Chinese Monal, Lianghekou

“Also-seens” included White Eared Pheasant and Blood Pheasant in spectacular scenery.

Blood Pheasant

Further north we drove to Mengbi Shan - the old road used to climb over the mountain top but a tunnel was built several years ago meaning that most of the mountain road is effectively abandoned. 

New Road, north of Mengbi Shan pass

And thus easy to walk and bird from. There is a newish monument to the Long March on the south side of the pass.

Sichuan Jay

On a clear and sunny evening we were lucky to see a single Sichuan Jay sitting on top of a fern-draped pine tree. This was almost exactly the same location as Jemi and I had seen them in November 2006.

This was one of the main target birds of the trip and we slept happily that evening in Maerkang. 

Late evening light, Mengbi Shan

We saw more Sichuan Jays the following day. Mist and snow at the top of the pass gave way to early morning sunshine, but it was still quite chilly. 

Old road at Mengbi Shan

Part of the old Mengbi Shan road, south of the pass

Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch, Mengbi Shan

Plain Mountain Finch, Mengbi Shan

Then it was north to the grassy uplands near Rouergai for the second leg of our trip…..