Wednesday 23 January 2019

Pianma Pass - Gaoligongshan

We were really looking forward to birding this seldom visited site and the day got off to a good start with a flock of Brown-winged Parrotbills found whilst the coach was being fixed over some mechanical problem! A flyby Wallcreeper followed before we eventually approached the pass way later in the morning than I was happy with. But a sleeping Red Panda in the bright sunshine at 3200m was absolutely fantastic and I thought things would only get better from there, but as it turned out the pass area was hard going and the birding was very slow. 

This cute red Panda was definitely 'bird of the day'.

We did find Black Eagle, a gang of Black-faced LaughingthrushesWhite-browed FulvettaWhite-winged Grosbeak and a couple of Alpine Accentors but that was it so we drove a few kilometres lower. 

Alpine Accentor

The habitat was freaking unbelievable with huge swathes of bamboo and then great moss-encrusted forest lower down but it was still slow going. 




It's certainly a fabulous setting for a bird tour.....

Leading up to our picnic lunch we saw very little apart from an Eurasian Wren and several White-browed Fulvettas

White-browed Fulvetta

But during lunch a Himalayan Griffon drifted over, Slaty-headed ParakeetGreat and Golden-throated Barbets were spotted. Then we had a real Collared Owlet teed up in the scope with Stripe-throated Yuhinas and Coal Tits mobbing it. 

We then drove lower and began walking and things picked up with more Black-faced Laughingthrushes, several Assam LaughingthrushesHimalayan CutiaCrimson-breasted WoodpeckerWhiskered YuhinaStreak-throated and Rusty-fronted BarwingsDark-rumped Rosefinch, 3 Crimson-browed Finches, and a Spotted Forktail being the highlights.


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