Lijiang - Lushui

Can you believe we left the hotel at 8am? We drove out of Lijiang and headed to a nearby wetland. Along the way we checked out some interesting habitat near the road, which turned out to be a good move as we discovered a flock of Red-throated Thrushes – a lifer for yours truly and a bogey bird finally laid to rest. In the same area we found Spectacled Fulvetta, Black-headed Sibia, Little, Godlewski’s, and our first Elegant Bunting. 

Red-throated Thrush - a lifer for yours truly

A short distance away was a nice lake where we spent just an hour and a half but it would have warranted more time. 

There was a mass of birds out on the water with a flock of Bar-headed Geese, Ruddy Shelduck, 2 red-headed Smew, several Common Goldeneye, lots of Ferruginous Ducks and Red-crested Pochards, Goosander, Purple Swamphen, Brown-headed and Black-headed Gulls, some Common Cranes, and lots of more familiar wildfowl such as Mallard, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Gadwall etc. 

Common Crane

There was also a Common Kingfisher,Grey-backed Shrike, Plain Prinia and Dusky Warbler. Some of the group wandered out into the fields and found Brown Crake, Common Snipe and 2 Chestnut Buntings.

It was a very long 8 hour drive to Lushui, but our lunch stop at a service station was productive with flocks of Red-rumped Swallows moving around the valley, several House Swifts, Asian House Martins and best of all, a cracking Cook’s Swift flying back and forth behind the buildings.

Lijiang

This was a tough day as we searched unsuccessfully for Biet’s Laughingthrush in a remote corner of Yunnan. Bird activity at 2800m was general extremely quiet and it took a great deal of determination to track down a few quality species. We began the day with a nice western-style buffet breakfast at the hotel followed by a 7am departure and a short hour’s drive to the site. It was much colder than we had experienced so far and there was nothing moving at all for a while after our arrival. Some ‘scratching’ sounds in the leaf litter led us to the first of several brief glimpses of Black-streaked Scimitar-Babbler, although some Red-billed Blue Magpies were a little more obvious. As the day progressed we walked along the quiet road with the sun shining and clear blue skies once again. Just around the corner a Red-throated Thrush was found by Kristian but was a bit distant and only a couple of us managed to see it. However, a pair of Elliot’s Laughingthrushes were much more obliging as they fed along the roadside in front of us.  Our best flock of the day was next up with Rusty-capped Fulvettas being joined by a pair of superb Black-bibbed Tits, with the usual Black-browed Bushtits in attendance. 

Then we drove to another spot for our main target and despite some extensive searching we still drew a blank, although Spotted Nutcracker, Blue-fronted Redstart, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch,Godlewski’s Bunting and several groups of Grey-headed Bullfinches were appreciated. Then we returned to the first site but it was very, very quiet apart from Himalayan Bluetail, Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush and a group of 3 Maroon-backed Accentors. So after a picnic lunch we drove a few kilometres further and enjoyed our  most productive session of the day with an outstandingly confiding pair of Rufous-tailed Babblers performing a mere 10 feet away from us. The same area held White-browed Fulvetta, as well as a gang of Chinese Babax feeding quietly on the slope above us. 

Rufous-tailed Babbler

One last throw of the dice saw us return to the first site in search of the enigmatic Biet’s, but they just weren’t around. Instead we enjoyed a mixed group of Spectacled and White-browed Fulvettas feeding I a conifer at eye-level to end the day.

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.

China: Yunnan

Phew! It's been way too long since i've posted anything here, so here we go with our Yunnan Adventure...

Our flight arrived in Kunming 11.15am local time and after meeting up with the rest of the group who had arrived earlier we ate lunch before setting out on the 3 hour drive to Chuxiong. Along the way a few common birds were seen such as Eastern Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Oriental Turtle Dove and others. Approaching Zi Xi Shan around 4pm the road had become blocked by 

a large crane so with no other alternative we began walking along the road through degraded habitat and feeling like luck was not on our side, with a close Long-tailed Shrike the only bird of note. Luckily our coach appeared pretty quickly and we continued up the mountain, eventually entering much better habitat. 

Our main targets here were nuthatches, and after leaving the coach and having a quick look at some Green-backed Tits, we had well and truly nailed Yunnan Nuthatch within a few minutes! 

Yunnan Nuthatch

This individual was very confiding and paraded around us for a good ten minutes allowing everyone to soak up the views and take some great photos. Just a few hundred metres further along the road and we were watching Giant Nuthatch reacting quite strongly to my ipod in the canopy of some tall pines right over the road. And that was a wrap. We left and drove just half an hour to a decent hotel and some much needed sleep.

Coroico Road

Left the lodge at 5.45am and headed to the start of the Old Coroico road some 30 minutes away and began the ascent. It was an incredibly slow and quiet start enlivened only by a displaying Plumbeous Kite and a singing Southern Beardless Tyrannulet. A little higher up we found a Rusty Flowerpiercer and shortly afterwards a pair of Upland Antshrikes were called in to give great views. Nearby a Yungas Dove walked across a branch of a Cecropia tree and a Small-billed Elaenia appeared. We kept driving up a couple of hundred metres in elevation before walking a long transect and repeating the process over and over. 

Variable Antshrike

In this way we covered a lot of ground quite quickly and easily and around our lunch stop we saw White-necked Thrush, a cracking Variable Antshrike that came in quite close and a pair of Spotted Tanagers showed well, along with Blue-and-black Tanager, Slate-throated Whitestart, and both Golden-rumped and Orange-bellied Euphonia.

Orange-bellied Euphonia

Walking on and Cinnamon Flycatcher became quite common, a few Andean Solitaires were seen, followed by Blue-banded Toucanet, Saffron-crowned Tanager, Golden-crowned and Streaked Flycatchers, Blue-naped Chlorophonia, Mountain Wrenand Red-eyed (Chivi) Vireo. 

Andean Solitaire

And then the forest became silent. We birded from 2500m up to the top at 3000m and it was dead. I mean dead. 

Amethyst-throated Sunangel

We saw a couple of Amethyst-throated Sunangels, a brief Streak-necked Flycatcher, Masked Flowerpiercer, a pair of Barred Fruiteaters, had decent looks at Slaty-backed (Maroon-belted) Chat-Tyrant, Gould’s Inca and that was it. So we cut our losses and headed back to La Paz, stopping at Pongo where a pair of Plain-coloured Seedeaters were seen.

La Cumbre - Coroico Road

Headed up to La Cumbre at 4450m and made our first stop at a lake surrounded by some of the best scenery of the our to date complete with a flock of Andean Goose, Crested Ducks, and flocks of Baird’s Sandpipers. 

Great scenery up here...

Andean Goose

We drove along a side track and came across a Slender-billed Miner, followed by a pair of Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe that we watched feeding below us for quite some time. Amazingly a flock of Grey-breasted Seedsnipe were then found, followed by Puna Ground-Tyrant, and White-winged Diuca-Finch. We returned to the lake where a flock of Andean Gulls were in the parking area, and we also picked up a nest-building Giant Coot and a flock of Andean Swallows.

Andean Gull

Great scenery at La Cumbre to watch seed snipe in...

Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe

Driving on we took another side track where a Streak-throated Canastero was found, along with Andean Ibis, Cinereous Ground-Tyrant, Black Siskin, Peruvian, Plumbeous and Ash-breasted Sierra-Finches. Next up was a bird I’ve dipped four times on - Scribble-tailed Canastero. But it’s a bogey bird no longer as we had great views of a singing bird in the high-altitude grassland today! Wow!  A few Mourning Sierra-Finches at the same locality hardly got a look in!

Cinereous Ground-Tyrant

Scribble-tailed Canastero

And more great scenery...

Moving on to the Pongo valley the rain came in making things tricky for us, but we had Cinereous Conebill, Black-throated Flowerpiercerand Spot-winged Pigeon.

Our picnic lunch was consumed on the bus as it was still raining and then we drove to another site where Diademed Tapaculo was well and truly nailed with views on the ground as expected followed by views of it in a bush overhead…! I know right…! A flock was then discovered with Citrine Warbler, Violet-throated Starfrontlet, Bolivian Brush-Finch,  Moustached Flowerpiercer and a pair of Rufous-bellied Bush-tyrants.

The famous Coroico Road.... Also known as The Road of Death...

Eventually by early afternoon we arrived at the famous Coroico Road, also called more ominously ‘The Road of Death’. Well it was dead this afternoon, save for a splendid pair of Barred Fruiteaters and a confiding Yungas Pygmy Owl. 

Barred Fruiteater

So at 4pm we decided to head to the fantastic Rio Selva Resort way below us at 1140m. It took a while to get there but it was worth it, as Torrent Tyrannulet, Black Phoebe, Pale-breasted Thrush, Swallow Tanager, Mottle-backed Elaenia, and both Social and Dusky-capped Flycatchers were all new additions to our list.

Pale-breasted Thrush