The Tibetan Plateau

Leaving at 5.30am we drive across the plateau and drop down into Baxi Forest, staking out our usual spot for Blue Eared-Pheasant. We wait at an overlook in the cold morning air but there’s no sign of the pheasants, but luckily Jay spots a very distant bird feeding on a hillside way in the distance. All of a sudden Derek spots a Chinese Grouse that has been calling for a while below us and everyone enjoys the most incredible scope views of a male bird for at least 10 minutes before it walks off. Wow! As if that isn’t enough a pair of Snowy-cheeked (Sukatschev’s) Laughingthrushes come in very close to check us out and are also on view for maybe 10 minutes, with one bird in particular coming to about 5 metres away and calling from a bare bush……. Mmmmm… Oh and a pair of Chinese Serow are scoped on the hillside opposite us to kick start a particularly good day for mammals.

After yet another picnic breakfast we drive lower and walk along the forest edge ( I must admit I picked the wrong spot to start walking and was about a kilometre uphill from where I usually begin walking) and this turns out to be a little bit of divine inspiration as a pair of the extremely rare Sika Deer are scoped on the hillside above. Then a flock of Red Crossbills fly into the treetops including some lovely bright males and as we scope them a Sichuan Jay appears on the top of the conifer immediately behind them. Further inside the forest and a Chinese Song Thrush puts in an appearance, and we watch a Przewalski’s Nuthatch taking food into its very large nest hole. We also enjoy fine views of both Chestnut and Kessler’s Thrushes, Plain and Elliot’s Laughingthrushes, Yellow-streaked Warbler, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, Sichuan Tit, and others before driving back up towards the plateau. On the way we get real lucky with a cracking Blue Eared-Pheasant spotted feeding in an open area below the road. Higher up there’s yet another White-browed Tit, Hodgson’s Redstart and a Eurasian Hoopoe.

Possibly the worst photo i've ever posted on the blog - but its a phone scoped Chinese Grouse

Following lunch at a restaurant in Ruoergai we drive towards Flower Lake, and Ron spots a snowfinch which prompts a hasty exit and we find many White-rumped Snowfinches. After watching them running around the Plateau Pika colony, our first Rufous-necked Snowfinch is found nearby. Despite a light drizzle we thoroughly enjoy watching them, and then things get even better as we scope a distant Saker feeding on some recently caught prey.

Once at Flower Lake we take the shuttle bus down to the lake and follow the boardwalk which takes us to a series of viewing platforms. I am very pleasantly surprised to see many superb White-winged Terns and a few Whiskered Terns flying over the marshes. Other goodies are at least 3 Great Bitterns seen flying over the tall grasses at the water’s edge and even walking out in the open, a lone Eurasian Spoonbill, Eastern Marsh Harrier, Red-crested Pochard and many Ferruginous Ducks. 

Excellent habitat at Flower Lake

For me, the star bird is Salim Ali’s Swift, with maybe 100+ flying low over our heads, across the water and literally flying all around us giving us crippling looks at their scaly undersides. Other birds present include Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Mallard, Northern Shoveller, Northern Pintail, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Lesser Sandplover, Tibetana Common Tern, Horned Larks, Tibetan Larks, and a few Tibetan Citrine Wagtails.

The drive back to the hotel is enlivened by 2 Tibetan Foxes and our second Eurasian Hobby of the tour perched on telegraph wires.

Sichuan Continues.....

With rain battering the windscreen we leave the ‘gorge country’ and head up towards the Tibetan Plateau and I don’t feel overly optimistic about what today would bring. With solid, low grey skies it did look like we were in for a foul day and eating our picnic breakfast in the last shelter before the plateau (a newly build and as yet not opened fuel station) we saw our first Azure-winged Magpie and Common Pheasant. Just up the road we drive alongside a grassy area where Oriental Skylarks and Daurian Jackdaw are seen, but by the time we reach the edge of the plateau the skies are clearing a little and we venture out to check a bush-covered hillside. A Plain Laughingthrush is noted, along with a Godlewski’s Bunting before continuing our drive. With clearing skies the scenery changes to a more open vista and high on our agenda is the plateau endemic White-browed Tit, although our first few attempts are in vain. Yet there is now some blue sky and birds are singing and driving along through more open, grassy habitat a hulking Tibetan Lark flies up from the roadside and out we jump to find several pairs are present and treat us to super views. There is also an adult feeding an almost fully grown juvenile nearby, and we’ve already seen our first Tibetan Citrine Wagtails, Crested Lark and more… Moving on and a great find of a Tibetan Grey Shrike perched on telegraph wires but our viewing is cut short by a peremptory policeman telling us to move on! But what a great bird!

The Tibetan Plateau

We have lunch at a nice little restaurant in Hongyuan that serves delicious dumplings before continuing our journey. More stops are made before the much-wanted White-browed Tit is found, and we also see Little Owl, Rock Sparrow, Horned Lark (or Elwes’s Horned Lark once the promised ‘splits’ are made), Upland Buzzard, lots of Black-eared Kites, Ruddy Shelduck, Ferruginous Ducks, Northern Raven, Oriental Crow, Pale Martin, Black Redstart, and plenty of pretty Twite. Special mention must be made of the Black-necked Cranes and our first pair are feeding in a flower covered open grassy area – superb. We also see a couple of nests with one adult tending two huge eggs.

The major finale of the day is a pair Tibetan Partridges we scope as they feed on a steep slope opposite us – a scarce bird in Sichuan and much appreciated. And we finally reach Ruoergai at 7.45pm – phew what a day!

Mengbishan Clean-Up

Driving up into the wonderful old pine forest of Mengbishan at 5am I am wondering what the day will bring – well I shouldn’t have worried. At my usual spot for Koklass Pheasant I cannot remember getting better views of this sometimes tricky-to-see-well species and in fact this was probably my best views ever. First of all we saw a male bird fly out from the forest across the road and into the treeline above us. From here he called repeatedly for some time before flying back out and onto the slope below us. Waiting patiently, we watch the road ahead feeling confident that the bird will have to cross it to get back to his original song-post. Sure enough there he is, walking sedately across in front of us, hopping up onto the bank and giving prolonged views right out in the open. Wow! What a way to start the day. And it gets even better when a Long-tailed Thrush flies right past us at close range revealing that typical ‘zoothera’ underwing. From here we drive up above the treeline and check out the Rosefinches, with Common, Chinese Beautiful and Pink-rumped all present and feeding on the ground. After a little walk, during which we are surrounded by inquisitive Yaks, we see several Blood Pheasants feeding out in the open, when all of a sudden Jay spots the bird we want – Verreaux’s Monal-Partridge. In fact there are a pair just feeding between some bushes and there’s plenty of time to scope them. Following this we are all elated and are treated to further crippling views of both pheasant and partridge, with a calling monal-partridge teed up in the scope looking fantastic. This bird really threw his head right back and called vehemently and to watch this through the scope as he called from directly upslope to us was a real treat. There’s also some nice views of Alpine Leaf-Warbler and Chinese Fulvetta here as well. As if this wasn’t enough we came across a pair of White-browed (Severtzov’s) Tit-Warblers bringing food into a small bush that must have had a nest in it. Initially it was the female feeding on the ground in front of us before the incredibly beautiful male appears – surely that combination of suffused pink and blue can’t be right….?

So after pigging out on breakfast we head down into the forest and begin our hunt for Sichuan Jay. After walking a while, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, we had a jay teed up in our scopes perched at the very pinnacle of a pine tree above us. As easy as that, and following horror stories of other groups dipping here we are very happy indeed. High five!! But just then the distinctive call of Collared Grosbeak is heard and we scope a superb male and more demure female as well. We are on a roll and cleaning up our hit-list for this site, but still no sign of the expected tit-warbler. So we walk some more, seeing Himalayan Buzzard, Hume’s Warbler, White-throated Redstart and enjoy some fantastic looks at a group of White Eared Pheasants feeding on the slope above us - but by now it is late morning. A short drive downhill to what I have dubbed ‘Magic Corner’ and as soon as we step out of the bus a Yellow-streaked Warbler is seen, but it’s a shame our attention is diverted momentarily from two other shapes deeper inside the conifer as it’s a pair of Three-banded Rosefinch. They promptly fly such a long way over the forest and out of sight…. Never to be seen again… However, a stunning Przevalski’s Nuthatch gives point-blank views here from about 5 metres away at head height (no camera… Grrrr) for maybe a minute before flying off. And then just around the corner a pair of the much-wanted Crested Tit-Warblers are feeding in the closest conifer beside the road and also give stunning views – the male really is a beauty! Oh and another Long-tailed Thrush puts in an appearance for Ron, there’s a few White-winged Grosbeaks and a Dark-sided Flycatcher is also scoped.

To be honest, that’s our day pretty much done right there and it’s only 1.15pm. We drive lower for lunch, make a walk and mess around in the Tibetan village with only Black-eared Kite, Red Turtle and Oriental Turtle Doves, White-throated Dipper (much to Dexter’s delight), another Chinese Fulvetta and a pair of Daurian Redstarts to show for our efforts.

Moving on to Mengbishan

Leaving at 6.15am felt like decadence this morning but we only went a few kilometres uphill and spend a pleasant couple of hours birding along the road. There are some notable sightings such as Golden Eagle, Snow Pigeon, Speckled Woodpigeon perched up for a change, White-bellied Redstart, Sichuan Tit, Giant Laughingthrush, and other common species. Just as we are leaving, the distinctive call of a Przevalski’s Nuthatch is heard and there it is at the top of a fir tree, but only a few people get tickable views before it disappears despite much effort to relocate it. So we return to the hotel for breakfast and then set off towards Mengbishan, stopping along the way for lunch in a small restaurant.

We arrive at the Mengbi Pass at around 3pm, having just seen a Himalayan Griffon feeding on a carcass right beside the winding road – boy they are really big! The view from here is superb with forested hills and snow-capped mountains dominating the horizon and after some obligatory photos of the view and prayer flags we drive down the road. 

There's a nice view from Mengbi Pass

Tibetan Prayer Flags at Mengbi Pass

A short stop results in Chris finding a Streaked Rosefinch, and there’s also a few Common Rosefinches but not a lot else. So we head into the forest that here is dominated by conifers and begin our Sichuan Jay hunt. There are Goldcrests, both Hume’s and Sichuan Leaf Warblers, Rufous-vented and Grey-crested Tits, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, and a flyover Himalayan Buzzard. Meanwhile a group of Blood Pheasants are called in and watched scuttling across the road before calling back at us from the moss-covered forest floor above us. Nice! A Tufted Deer is also spotted on a far slope, and a little later a White Eared Pheasant is scoped on a distant slope – and that is our day.