Zi Xi Shan

We were parked and ready to bird on Zi Xi Shan about 25 minutes before daybreak and after a few random calls from my iPod we had a response from a Himalayan Owl. With no time to 

spare we walked quickly along the road to a point just below where we thought the owl was and 

I played the call again but there was no response. With the eastern horizon getting ever brighter 

I thought we had no chance but just then it flew out of the trees above us and across the road into the forest. And that was it! 

With the day arriving we saw a White-crowned Forktail several times, and then enjoyed stunning views of a Chinese Thrush that appeared frozen to the roadside. 

Chinese Thrush

A nice, hot cup of coffee revived us all and the bird activity began to increase dramatically with the suns rays. A few Black-headed Sibias appeared close by and a couple of the group glimpsed a Spectacled Fulvetta. 

Black-headed Sibia

Our field breakfast was brief as more birds appeared and our first really big flock mobbing my owlet impersonation was truly spectacular. Pride of place went to several Yunnan Fulvettas who were joined by a flock of Black-browed Bushtits, a pair of Chestnut-vented Nuthatches, a flock of Black-headed Greenfinches, a few Long-tailed Minivets, Mountain Bulbul, Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker and Black-faced Warbler. 

Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker

Black-headed Greenfinch

We watched all the commotion for quite a while before walking back along the road towards our parked coach. 

Yellow-cheeked Tit

Yunnan Fulvetta

The more open habitat alongside an orchard held female Blue-fronted Redstart, Japanese and Green-backed Tits, Godlewski’s Bunting, Grey-capped Woodpecker and a flock of over 30 Brambling. Further activity near the coach added the delightful Yellow-cheeked Tit to our list and we enjoyed further views of Yunnan Fulvetta as well. 

We then drove higher up the mountain and walked along the road and a trail and amazingly found a male Slaty Bunting– a Chinese endemic and I’m guessing a very rare bird in Yunnan. 

Slaty Bunting

As soon as we exited the coach there was more activity with yet more Black-browed Bushtits and a bunch of Pallas’s Warblers accompanying them, plus a Goldcrest, Bar-throated Minla and White-collared Yuhina. 

Black-browed Bushtits are very common here

White-collared Yuhina

A Buff-barred Warbler posed nicely in an open area and a flock of Olive-backed Pipits showed nicely. Further on a group of Manipur Fulvettas gave point-blank views, with more Black-faced Warblers, tits, minivets and phylloscs all high up in the canopy above us. 

Manipur Fulvetta

A little trail took us into excellent forest where a Himalayan Thrush perched in a bush below us was a great spot by Jason and David and a Chestnut Thrush also appeared at the same spot. This newly recognised species was formerly part of what we used to call Plain-backed Thrush and which is split into 3 species now: Himalayan Forest Thrush, Sichuan Forest Thrush and Alpine Thrush. 

Further along the trail another flock held Pallas’s, Buff-barred and Ashy-throated Leaf-Warblers, and a few Blyth’s Shrike-Babblers were also seen. Leaving here we returned to Nuthatch Road and sure enough, we scored both birds again. A Giant Nuthatch was scoped singing away from an exposed perch for some 10 minutes allowing everyone to have their fill of this great species, whilst an even closer Yunnan Nuthatch sang away from a dead tree. 

Yunnan Nuthatch

Giant Nuthatch

What an amazing experience to have these two great birds right next to us. And that was us finished so we set out on the 6 hour drive to Lijiang where we ended up at a very nice hotel.