Taman Negara - arrival

Well after the marathon journey just to get to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia (via Brunei) we woke after a great night’s sleep and were ready to begin our birding. Only thing was we had a 4 hour drive up to Kuala Tembeling to look forward to, so crammed in a quick check of the gardens where Black-naped Oriole and Orange-bellied Flowerpecker were the highlights. Breakfast was a buffet affair and we topped up on scrambled egg and baked beans before setting off at 8am on the drive to the jetty. It was a pretty interesting journey as we drove across brilliant, forested rolling hills for many miles before reaching Kuala Tembeling and had a spot of lunch. A Rufous-bellied Eagle soaring overhead was a surprise, and from the restaurant we also saw Brown-throated Sunbird and Red-eyed Bulbul. Eventually we set off on the boat up the river for 69 kilometres, passing through excellent forested hills for the whole journey, just a shame it was so uncomfortable. 

Beautiful forest on the way to TN

This is the way to enter Taman Negara

But we saw a few birds, like White-throated Kingfisher, Dollarbird, Blue-throated Bee-eater and a flyby Emerald Dove. We reached the Mutiara Resort by 5.30pm and after checking-in, just dumped our gear into our chalet which was on the far side of the complex and quite a walk. The good thing was that there was a huge fruiting tree right outside our door and we managed to connect with Asian Fairy-bluebird, Stripe-throated Bulbul, and both Little and Thick-billed Green-pigeons here. There was also a trail right next to our chalet and we walked in maybe 40 metres and just listened to the sounds of the rainforest. It was quite ‘birdy’ and almost immediately there was some movement off to our right and an Abbott’s Babbler popped into view. I tried a few other babbler calls, but all I got in response was a White-rumped Shama and then a Straw-headed Bulbul sang – only a  shame it didn’t come in really. 

Crested Fireback

Then some kind of deer (non-bird) ran across the boardwalk and then I became aware of a scratching sound in the leaf litter. We just froze and waited quietly, hoping for something good but when a blue face appeared from behind a thick tree trunk we just couldn’t believe it, as it belonged to a male Crested Fireback – lifer No 1 for me!! Wow! I wanted to take a photo but there were just too many vines and leaves in the way, but it continued to walk right towards us, 15 metres away, 10 metres away, 9, 8 then it became aware of us and turned left parallel to the boardwalk and continued its sedate walk. Amazingly another male, then another appeared and Lee and I just looked at each other in amazement! Three male firebacks feeding so close to us and not scurrying away but feeding naturally, at ease with their environment – we felt so privileged. Isn’t it amazing what can occur if you use good fieldcraft and stay quiet and move slowly. Even the sound of my camera clicking didn’t spook them, or my quiet curses about not getting any decent photos because the light was so low! As the trio melted away, two females and another two males appeared off to the right and crossed the boardwalk in front of us as well. OK well that’s enough of that, as just then we got distracted by a calling Red-throated Barbet and a couple of Oriental Pied Hornbills as well. With the light fading we went back out into the open area outside our cabin and watched the Grey-rumped Treeswifts hawking for insects, and the odd Blue-crowned Hanging-parrot zipping by. Mental note, need to get that one tomorrow….. So with rumbling stomachs we headed to the Park HQ, hearing Black-and-yellow Broadbill along the way, and met up with the third member of our TN crew, Sophoan Sanh, the top bird guide from Cambodia and a good friend of ours. Over dinner down at one of the floating restaurants we discussed our plan for tomorrow over some delicious local cuisine and scanned the river at dusk for Bat Hawk. Only some Brown-backed Needletails were seen, but a brief nightjar must have been a Malaysian Eared right? Shame it was too dark to see properly and then the heavens opened with thunder and lightning and the customary torrential downpour I seem to get everywhere I go. Hope it stops during the night.

Brunei Stopover

So where does this ZOOTHERA guy go for his holiday? Well since the beginning of the year i've done 3 tours to Thailand, and 1 each to Cambodia, Malaysia, Taiwan, SE China & Sichuan I decided to go back to........ Malaysia. There's a few glaring omissions on my life list and I hope by spending 6 nights at Taman Negara and 3 nights at Fraser's Hill I can get lucky. The main targets for me are Crested Fireback, Great Argus, Rail Babbler and Garnet Pitta, but I have no idea of my chances - and a little rest would be nice after a hectic schedule spent working overnights recently on the 2013 brochure have left me really tired and run down. Yeah right! As this is a private holiday and not an official tour I apologise if the blog is a little more light-hearted than usual!!!

Well wasn't expecting a 6 hour layover at Bandar Seri Begawan (that's Brunei) so myself and my longtime birding mate from the good old days, Lee Collins (of Dawlish Warren fame) walked out into the mid-morning furnace and birded some open areas in front of the terminal building. Didn't get anything too great but Grey-rumped Treeswift, White-breasted Woodswallow, Pied Fantail, Brown-throated Sunbird and a bunch of other common birds certainly helped while away a few hours before we flew on to Kuala Lumpur and the comforting surroundings of the Concorde Hotel.

Crested Ibis

A four hour drive took us to Yangxian where we checked into a nice hotel and then had a delicious dumpling lunch in a restaurant along the high street. At 2pm we met up with a chap who works for the Crested Ibis Reserve and we drove out into a narrow valley surrounded by pine trees and scrub, and followed a narrow lane alongside the rice fields in search of one of the rarest birds in the world.

Crested Ibis

Crested Ibis

Crested Ibis

Crested Ibis

Classified as Endangered by BirdLife International the tiny population of Crested Ibis numbered maybe just 7 individuals in the 1980’s has now risen to almost 1,000 individuals (500 individuals according to BirdLife International) and this is the only place in the world you can see wild birds. It is certainly a long way off the regular birding circuit following yesterdays drive and another morning travelling but we were finally here. Our first sighting was of a couple of birds below us in a rice field, an adult and juvenile, and was a huge relief to get to grips with! Amazingly, when they were feeding these huge pale birds could almost disappear when their heads were down but then the adult stood up and walked onto a raised bank revealing his blood red tipped bill and shaggy crest. We worked the rest of the valley and saw up to 21 birds including many fine adults, and on several occasions birds flew past us at close range and some landed in the trees opposite us. One pair even flew down through the valley towards us and the adult landed on the rice paddies immediately below us giving superb views. Definitely one of the major highlights of a tour brimming with quality birds and a fine way to round off proceedings. 

Other birds here included Grey-capped Woodpecker, Collared Finchbill, Red-billed Starling, Russet Sparrow and a very nice Chinese Sparrowhawk watched hunting over the rice fields on numerous occasions. So that was it and all that remained was to have a huge banquet in the evening and prepare for the long drive to Chengdu and the end of a spectacular tour.

Nearing the End

Another morning and another pine forest, this one just south of Jiuzhaigou. Again, we had brief views of Chinese Grouse for some of the group despite several more hours waiting and searching in great habitat. 

A Spotted Bush-warbler showed very well down to a metre or two, and a Prwzevalski’s Nuthatch was also seen, along with Chinese Fulvetta, White-bellied Redstart, Long-tailed Thrush and other more regular birds. 

Chinese Fulvetta

But by 10am we had to leave and set out on the long drive north-east towards Shanxi Province arriving at our hotel later in the evening. 

Scenery on way to the Shaanxi

View through the Coach Window

All we saw on the drive were lots of Blue Rock-thrushes, Russet Sparrow, Brown Shrike, Brown-breasted Bulbul, Vinous-throated Parrotbill and White-browed Laughingthrush during our brief rest stops. However, the scenery was truly spectacular as we drove for several hours through a scenic river valley surrounded by tall peaks and we were aware of how far off the regular tourist/birding circuit we had ventured. How exciting!

Tibetan Plateau - Baxi Forest

We returned to Baxi Forest this morning having loaded the luggage aboard the coach and began with a walk in the forest where we followed a narrow trail. After a couple of circuits of the same area we were rather dumbfounded to come across a party of 7 Sichuan Jays in a rather unexpected fashion. After all of our searching previously we were understandably elated with this sighting and celebrated in exuberant fashion! So following breakfast we drove lower, seeing another pair of Blue Eared-pheasants walking across a grassy slope before walking alongside a small stream through pine forest which was very pleasant as the sun was shining and Chinese Leaf-warblers sang all around. Roger managed to catch up with White-bellied Redstart and there was also Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Elliot’s, Pere David’s and Giant Laughingthrushes, Sichuan Tit and a few other things seen before we reached an open area. 

Sichuan Willow Tit

Here we scoped an Olive-backed Pipit perched on top of a tree and then an unfamiliar warbler song caught our attention. Like a bolt of lightning out of the blue the bird in question turned out to be a totally unexpected Gansu Leaf-warbler and a quick burst from the ipod confirmed this. 

Gansu Leaf-warbler

Gansu Leaf-warbler

Gansu Leaf-warbler

In fact there were another two birds singing in the same small area and we spent quite some time watching them, noting the spotting on the carpal area and single obvious wingbar bordered by black above. Wow! Leaving here we headed back up the valley and some of the group managed flight views of Chinese Grouse when Tang and Nick walked though an area of low bushes and pine trees. 

White-browed Tit-warbler (female)

White-browed Tit-warbler

White-browed Tit-warbler (male)

Then we checked an area of low bushes where a pair of fabulous White-browed Tit-warblers performed exceedingly well for us at close quarters, along with weigoldi Dusky Warblers and Hodgson’s Redstart and another White-browed Tit. 

White-browed Tit

So that was it and time to say goodbye to the Tibetan Plateau and we enjoyed our last looks at Black-necked Crane amidst the spectacular scenery, also noting a male Amur Falcon on the telegraph wires before dropping lower through the hills. 

Siberian Rubythroat

Siberian Rubythroat

Siberian Rubythroat

A superb singing male Siberian Rubythroat sang from the top of a bush was our last good bird of the day and we continued our journey to the next hotel in our Sichuan adventure.

Goodbye to the Tibetan Plateau

The Tibetan Plateau

 It was a cold start to the day as we waited patiently on the road that borders Baxi Forest, an area of mature pine forest at the edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The sun didn’t really peak through the blanket of cloud so we really enjoyed our hot coffee this morning as we waited for the Blue Eared-Pheasant to show. And show it did, but not before a couple of hours of nervous waiting during which time we scanned the openings in the forest and the hillside above the trees. Some Black-eared Kites kept us entertained, as did a pair of Godlewski’s Buntings and White-throated Redstarts, but we only half-heartedly glanced at them. Eventually Graham spotted a pair of pheasants slowly walking through the forest below our vantage point and they crossed several open areas on their route and which prompted some frantic directions and some anxious moments until everyone finally got onto them. It was such a relief to finally get this bird and we could then enjoy our birding as Pete picked up a Three-banded Rosefinch which Frank had seen earlier, and then a Eurasian Wryneck was scoped as well.

Sukatschev's Laughingthrush

But when a Sukatschev’s Laughingthrush began calling we couldn’t believe it when it repeatedly showed in some bushes in the narrow valley below us, and even came up to within ten metres of us briefly. Then we drove lower down and walked into the forest where Chinese Leaf-warblers were common, and we also saw several Grey-headed Bullfinches and a Golden Eagle flew over. Returning to Roergai for lunch we checked out a site for Chinese Grey Shrike but sadly found a dead adult beside the road.

Tibetan Plateau

Our coach

So after lunch we drove to Flower Lake, checking out every White-rumped Snowfinch colony along the way for something rarer but only succeeded in finding numerous Hume’s Ground-tits, and a rather amazing sighting of an adult Rosy Starling which is way off course and a vagrant here.

Hume's Ground-tit

Hume's Ground-tit

Rosy Starling - a long way from home!

Ruddy Shelducks

Tibetan Lark

White-rumped Snowfinch

At the lake we were soon watching a huge Tibetan Lark in the short grass and when it took flight and chased a Common Redshank it wasn’t that much smaller! A monster indeed! Several new birds for our list were waiting for us on the lake as we scanned from a viewing platform, such as Common Coot, Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Red-crested and Common Pochards, Tufted Duck and Wood Sandpiper – just like being back in the UK!

Black-necked Cranes in 'dancing' display - awesome!

Some Black-necked Cranes were patrolling the edge of the marsh accompanied by some small chicks, whilst Greylag Goose and lots of Ruddy Shelducks were also present. Leaving here we continued our snowfinch hunt but just got more cranes, this time ‘dancing’ quite close to the road and was marvellous to watch. A last-minute decision to recheck the shrike site resulted in Pete again spotting the bird, when a Chinese Grey Shrike was scoped on the hillside above us. What a way to finish a day full of quality sightings.

On the way to the Tibetan Plateau

The drive from Maerkang up to the Tibetan Plateau and our eventual arrival at Roergai always produces a wonderful variety of birds and passes through some of the most amazing scenery of any birding tour. Today was no exception and provided an appreciative group with a mouth-watering selection of very good birds, with everybody contributing and continuing what had become a very jovial tour. So after driving through a spectacular gorge for many kilometres with a fast-flowing mountain stream tumbling alongside us we had breakfast at a roadside restaurant, and finally gave up counting White-capped Water-redstarts when the total exceeded 30 by 7.30am! 

Ibisbill

Ibisbill

Ibisbill

How can you get any better than an Ibisbill  being the first goodie of the day? Peter spotted something along the river that warranted a quick 8-point turn and sure enough there it was, on a rocky island mid-stream and is a bird not normally seen on this route through Sichuan. How lucky were we? Our next stop saw us scanning some bushes where Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch was present, although the sight of a Pere David’s Laughingthrush scuttling between the bushes was a little more to our taste. A little further along and we were watching our first Azure-winged Magpies flying back and forth across the road, as well as several Daurian Jackdaws and some Oriental Skylarks in the fields as well. Roadside birding from a moving vehicle is never easy but a nice male Hodgson’s Redstart prompted a hasty exit from the coach and after a bit of a search we relocated it perched on the telegraph wires, and we also has a White-throated Dipper here as well. 

The start of the plateau

As the road wound its way ever higher we reached the Tibetan Plateau and the scenery became spectacular with wide open vistas and beautifully shaped hills all the way across the horizon. One of the major birds up here is Black-necked Crane and it didn’t take long for us to find the first of exactly fifty to be seen today, with one group of fifteen very close to the road. 

Black-necked Crane

The other key bird is Hume’s Ground-tit which proved to be quite common the further into the plateau we ventured. 

Hume's Ground-tit

Every time we stopped to look at something we found more new birds, so when a Common Tern was spotted we also picked up Citrine Wagtail, Brown-headed Gull, a soaring Black Stork found by Graham, and several lovely Twite. Black-eared Kite was becoming increasingly common, and we continued the raptor theme with a female Amur Falcon perched on telegraph wires being something of a surprise, and several huge Upland Buzzards as well. However, pride of place went to a stunning Saker Falcon and as we scoped it on a telegraph pole we noticed a nest nearby in a small cliff with 3 young. 

Saker Falcon at nest

What an unbelievable sighting. But we were definitely on a roll today and when we finally nailed the endemic White-browed Tit, as luck would have it a huge Eurasian Eagle-owl flew up from the bank above us and into a small quarry where we watched it fly around several times before perching on the top where it was mobbed by a Kessler’s Thrush! Wow! 

Eurasian Eagle-owl mobbed by Kessler's Thrush

We also counted 11 Little Owls as we drove along, as well as Black Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, plenty of Ruddy Shelducks, and finished the day with a small group of White-rumped Snowfinches. In the evening we drove to a restaurant in Roergai and celebrated our success with a fine meal and some local fire water!