Birding Taiwan and Remote China (Sichuan and Tibet)

15 May – 3 June 2013

By Chris Lotz

Yellow-bellied Tit

These are some of the world’s most spectacular places to visit! Many people have asked me to tell them more about what China was really like, since it’s a place shrouded in a certain amount of secrecy. So, the purpose of this report is to do just that (to give personal impressions of mainland China and Taiwan), as well as to provide a brief trip report. A list of birds and mammals we saw on the trip is attached.

Chinglish: what were we meant to make of the Rong Impression International Hotel in Chengdu? Impressions of Taiwan: Taiwan is developed, including high-speed trains and an amazing road infrastructure, but it is also full of spectacular scenery and pristine natural areas. Everything is completely modern. And what a beautiful island! We had less than a week here, but we managed to find all 24 of Taiwan’s endemics, plus two separate Fairy Pittas, and a single Black-faced Spoonbill. The trip logistics went like clockwork, thanks also to our top-class and energetic local guide, who is not only a star birder, but also a biologist who does bird research. The food in Taiwan was very interesting. From “tea eggs” to “7/11 fast food” meals, we generally quite enjoyed the interesting taste sensations.

Tea eggs and other 7/11 fast-foods!

Tea is a real ceremony in Taiwan.

Mainland China: The short flight to mainland China was like going to a different world. Massive (bigger than the USA), and giving the distinct impression that it is developing at an unprecedented rate, Taiwan’s big brother was a real eye-opener. From the smoggy, hot and sprawling Chengdu, we ascended into spectacular mountains, much more impressive than most people realize. Jagged snow-capped peaks and raging rivers reminded me of the Himalayas: Sichuan’s mountains are not to be scoffed at. Unlike Bhutan and other Himalayan countries, we were able to drive to 4 500 meters (over 14 000 feet), so finding the spectacularly bright blue Grandala did not require trekking (or even walking – we could see them from the van!). And Chinese Monal, White Eared Pheasant, various accentors, and a range of other high-altitude birds could be found with ease.

Grandala at 14 000 feet. (photo by Philip He)

Up into Tibet, we birded remote grasslands, completely different (seemingly a world away) from the jagged peaks. Ground Tit (Hume’s Groundpecker), was one of the most remarkable birds I have ever seen. Combined with White-browed Tit, a nice assemblage of other Sichuan endemics, the amazingly-colored White-browed Tit-warbler, and so many other spectacular birds, how could we not love the high grasslands of Tibet? And we birded beautiful coniferous and other forest types at lower elevations, for all kinds of pheasants, tits and more. Bamboo generated the incomparable Golden-breasted Fulvetta and various parrotbills, among others. There were also good numbers of mammals – some members of the group saw a hog badger. Sadly on this short tour we did not have time to visit the best reserves for red panda, let alone giant panda, so we had to be satisfied with seeing both species down in the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Sichuan’s food was delicious: spectacularly varied, with many dishes being extremely spicy, the food here takes some beating.

This was the hottest dish we tried – it was a challenge, as we told our hosts we could handle any

amount of heat. Our mouths were on fire. The architecture changed as we progressed through our circuit – in many areas, the buildings were wonderful Tibetan style. What struck us the most was how new much of the construction was. Of course, this was most marked in the areas in which the recent earthquake had struck. What was most remarkable was just how quickly everything had been rebuilt. There was construction everywhere. Even this remote part of China obviously has the ability to build and generate infrastructure at lightning speed. It was, in a way, scary. These are sparsely-populated parts, and they still have tons of intact forest and other habitats, but things are happening and stuff is being built, fast! What struck us in both Taiwan and mainland China was how many local people loved the impressively beautiful natural sites we visited. Westerners get excited about nature, but not as much as the Chinese people we saw, who applauded each time we rounded a corner and saw

another waterfall, for example (when we shared a bus at Jiuzhaigou). It was refreshing to see how un-blasé people can be about nature. And this part of China certainly has a great deal of nature left; we saw a lot of huge wilderness areas that looked pristine.

Black-necked Cranes (photo by Jiawei Wu)

One of many redstart species, Blue-fronted Redstart (photo by Philip He)

Brief Trip Diary: Taiwan Leg: Day 1, May 15th. Arrival, birding Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area We arrived at Taoyuan International Airport, 25 miles southwest of Taipei, in the afternoon, and immediately began our journey southwards to the Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area, where we would spend the next few days birding. Star birds already started rolling in – Taiwan Barbet, Black-naped Monarch, Rufous-capped Babbler, and Taiwan Hwamei being some of the best ones. Day 2, May 16th. Birding Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area We began searching for mid-elevation endemics, finding Mikado Pheasant and Swinhoe’s Pheasant along the road (although we’d have to wait until the end of the Taiwan leg before we would get prolonged views of the latter). Crested Goshawk, Japanese Sparrowhawk, Grey-chinned Minivet, the bizarre White-bellied Erpornis (previously Yuhina), fabulous Taiwan Yuhina, Collared Finchbill, Light-vented (Chinese) Bulbul, Black Bulbul, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler, Taiwan Bush Warbler, absolutely tiny Black-throated Bushtit with their striking pattern, beautiful Taiwan Barwing, Steer’s Liocichla, Rusty Laughingthrush, the amazingly tame and confiding White-whiskered Laughingthrush (which we called the “human egrets” because they were always following us!), White-eared Sibia, our first Flamecrest (which must be the most gorgeous member of the Goldcrest/Firecrest/Kinglet genus), Taiwan Whistling Thrush, White-browed Bush Robin, Collared Bush Robin, luminously-blue White-tailed Robin, Vivid Niltava, Brown Dipper, White-rumped Munia, and Taiwan Rosefinch all showed well! Taiwan Wren-babbler gave brief views, and White-browed Shortwing made us work hard for good views. What an amazing day in this beautiful island full of mountain forest!

Mikado Pheasant showed very well, numerous times, during this tour!

Day 3, May 17th. Birding Dasyueshan and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Areas We continued birding Dasyueshan and eventually drove to Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area, finding the amazingly beautiful Formosan endemic, Yellow Tit, and adding quite a number of other birds to our growing list, such as Crested Serpent Eagle, Little Ringed Plover, White-backed Woodpecker, Rufous-faced Warbler, Striated Prinia, Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush, Taiwan Fulvetta, and Japanese White-eye. We tried for some very high-elevation birds above the tree line, but had to wait until Sichuan to see them (we dipped them in Taiwan, which was very unexpected, since they are usually easy here!). The weather was rainy throughout most of this trip, but that certainly did not stop us from seeing Taiwan’s birds, as we dipped none of the really important ones. Day 4, May 18th. Transfer to Huben, birding on the way We drove a lot today, to get to Huben, which is the famous Fairy Pitta area, finding Ashy Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Jay, Grey Treepie, Snowy-browed Flycatcher, and other birds en route. We realized how important the pitta is to the local people in the area, as there were statues, signs, and a pitta café, where we sampled excellent Taiwanese coffee (much better than Sichuan coffee!). The Fairy Pitta is sadly classified as vulnerable, because it is rapidly declining due to habitat destruction. Specifically, the numbers of Fairy Pittas returning to Huben from their non-breeding sites (largely in Malaysia and Indonesia) has dropped dramatically in the last few years. An afternoon try for Fairy Pitta generated sightings only of the bird’s head as it sat on its nest – we had to wait until the next morning to get amazing views of a different individual (as we did not want to return to the same site again, so as not to disturb the nesting bird). Today we also had good views of Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker and Taiwan Scimitar Babbler. A night outing generated very brief views of Mountain Scops Owl and excellent views of Savanna Nightjar.

Can you see the pitta’s face?

An unhappy birder, before we saw the real one!

Day 5, May 19th. Birding Huben, transfer to the Alishan National Scenic Area Today we headed from Huben to the Alishan National Scenic Area, where we stayed at the lovely Firefly Hostel, run by a brilliant couple who have dedicated their lives to conservation. Before doing so, we went to another Fairy Pitta site, however, and saw this luminously-colored dazzler extremely well! We also got excellent views of Malayan Night Heron and of a gorgeous Maroon Oriole. A lot of the day was spent driving, but we finally arrived at our accommodation and headed straight to the blind (hide), where we got good views of Taiwan Partridge and Swinhoe’s Pheasant.

Day 6, May 20th. Transfer to Kenting National Park Before departing the area, we found Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler and Dusky Fulvetta, both of which worked us very hard, but luckily rewarded us after a large amount of patience. We then traveled from Alishan to Kenting National Park, via a “secret” site for the magnificently beautiful Taiwan Blue Magpie, which we saw extremely well. In the afternoon, we began our search for Black-faced Spoonbill. This is an endangered species with less than 3 000 individuals remaining. This (3 000) is, nevertheless, about 10 times the all-time low for this species (in 1988), when fewer than 300 birds were in existence! The main breeding sites for Black-faced Spoonbill are Korea (both North and South) and Liaoning Province of mainland China, but they have also recently been discovered breeding in Russia. Taiwan is one of the main wintering sites for this bird (the others are Hong Kong and Hainan Island and the nearby Chinese mainland) but since we timed this tour for Fairy Pitta, endemics, and to marry well with our Sichuan trip, we were too late to see wintering spoonbills. This meant that we had to find one of the few birds spending the summer in Taiwan – a needle-in-a-haystack kind of setup. Not too surprisingly, we did not find any spoonbills today, but please read what happened on the last day of the Taiwan leg... Anyway, apart from the lack of Black-faced Spoonbill, we did have an excellent birding afternoon in a completely new habitat for us – coastal estuary. There were masses of Terns, including a mixture of coastal and inland species, such as Little, Caspian, Gull-billed, Whiskered (in full breeding plumage), and White-winged (also in breeding plumage), as well as many wading birds, including Long-toed Stint, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Dunlin, Oriental Pratincole, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, White-breasted Waterhen, plus an excellent range of others. Attractive little Yellow Bittern and Cinnamon Bittern abounded, and we often saw them in flight, sometimes close by. Ferruginous Duck and Eastern Spot-billed Duck were also around. Today we also saw some terrestrial birds, including White-bellied Green Pigeon, Oriental Skylark, Scaly-breasted Munia, and others. We were treated to an amazing seafood meal tonight, thanks to Mr. Chun-Hsien Huang – also joined by other prominent Taiwanese bird photographers we enjoyed meeting – take a look at the photos below:

Bird photographer Mr. Chun-Hsien Huang (smiling) spoiled us to a spectacular seafood meal one evening – also in this photo is one of our participants and our impeccably-organized birding

guide.

Mr. Happy in front of his own work, with two members of our group, at this seafood evening

And Mr. Timothy Chen, also a star bird photographer, who e-mailed me these seafood meal

photos

Day 7, May 21st. Birding Kenting National Park, flight to Chengdu What an amazing morning we had in the Kenting area! Our main target bird was Styan’s Bulbul, which we found easily, but imagine our incredible elation when we suddenly raised our binoculars to the Black-faced Spoonbill pictured below!

Black-faced Spoombill

We also found two prinia species, Lesser Coucal, Brown Shrike, Western Yellow Wagtail, and other species to pad our list with. Excitedly, we then took the high speed train (top speed 186 miles or 300 km per hour) back to Taoyuan International Airport near Taipei, for our evening flight to Chengdu in the heart of Sichuan, mainland China! Although we were disappointed to leave this idyllic and comfortable island, we were also eager to see remote China! All 24 of the following Taiwan Island endemics were seen on this trip (recent or controversial splits are noted):

1) Taiwan Partridge – excellent views obtained by all tour participants 2) Swinhoe’s Pheasant – excellent views obtained by all 3) Mikado Pheasant – excellent views obtained by all 4) Taiwan Barbet – excellent views obtained by all. A controversial split off Black-browed

Barbet 5) Taiwan Blue Magpie – excellent views obtained by all 6) Yellow Tit – excellent views obtained by all 7) Styan’s (Taiwan) Bulbul – excellent views obtained by all 8) Flamecrest – excellent views obtained by all 9) Taiwan Wren-babbler (Cupwing) – fleeting views obtained by some tour participants.

This is a controversial split off Pygmy Wren-babbler, which everyone had excellent scope views of in mainland China

10) Taiwan Bush Warbler – excellent views obtained by all 11) Taiwan Fulvetta – good views by everyone 12) Taiwan Yuhina – excellent views obtained by all 13) Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush – good views by everyone 14) Rusty Laughingthrush – good views by everyone 15) Taiwan Hwamei – good views by everyone 16) White-whiskered Laughingthrush – some tour participants seemed to start getting

annoyed by it, since it was so common and confiding. The “human egret”. 17) White-eared Sibia – excellent views obtained by all 18) Steere’s Liocichla – excellent views obtained by all 19) Taiwan Barwing – excellent views obtained by all 20) Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler – good views by all 21) Taiwan Scimitar Babbler – good views by all 22) Taiwan Whistling Thrush – good views by all 23) Collared Bush Robin – excellent views obtained by all 24) Taiwan Rosefinch – excellent views obtained by all. This is a proposed and controversial

split off Vinaceous Rosefinch, which everyone had good views of in mainland China

Sichuan and Tibet Leg: Day 1, May 21st. Arrival in Chengdu We arrived in Chengdu from Taipei late at night, went to our comfortable hotel, and tried to get some rest, while eagerly anticipating the next two weeks! Day 2, May 22nd. Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, drive to Maerkang While we were packing the vehicle, we saw White-browed Laughingthrush opposite the hotel. We then went to the “Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding” (as our local organizer said was the correct name), seeing red and giant pandas, as well as some good birds such as Rufous-faced Warbler, Grey-capped Greenfinch, beautiful Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, and Red-billed Leiothrix. Vinous-throated Parrotbill gave us a run-around from one bamboo patch to the next, but we eventually found them picking at the red panda food troughs, right in the open.

Is that another pesky parrotbill?

After the pandas, we eventually headed up, up, and up through areas ravaged by the earthquake a couple of months earlier, before finally arriving in the attractive and eye-opening town of Maerkang, at 2 681 meters (8 795 feet). Day 3, May 23rd. Birding Mengbi Shan and Rilong We spent the entire day birding in the Mengbi Shan area, mainly at mid-elevations, before eventually heading to Rilong. Good birds we saw included Himalayan Vulture, Hill Pigeon, White-throated Needletail, Black Woodpecker (unfortunately not seen properly by everyone), subtly beautiful Rosy Pipit, striking Kessler’s Thrush, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, White-throated Redstart, Blue-fronted Redstart, amazing Giant Laughingthrush, our first views of Elliot’s Laughingthrush, Chinese Fulvetta, Rufous-vented Tit, our first Wallcreeper, and many others. A bit of searching generated the difficult, endemic, Sichuan Jay. Our first Rosefinches – Chinese White-browed, Common, and Chinese Beautiful – were very welcome. And, we started the difficult process of picking through, species by species, the myriad Phylloscopus warblers – this genus has speciated like crazy in this part of the world, and today alone we identified five species, Buff-barred Warbler, Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Greenish Warbler, and Claudia’s (a split off Blyth’s) Leaf Warbler. “Cryptic species” have been split, generating even more Phylloscopus warblers than previously thought, and Seicercus has also been split into several species – we saw our first one today, the bright yellow Bianchi’s Warbler (split from Golden-spectacled Warbler). One of us spotted a beautiful Black-capped Kingfisher, which we eventually all got brilliant views of. Day 4, May 24th. Birding Balang Mountain, transfer to Wolong

Today we drove to 4 500 meters (about 14 000 feet), up Balang Mountain, and we were extremely richly rewarded with some of the trip’s star birds! Because of traffic control effected due to ongoing road reconstruction between Yingxiu and Rilong after the earthquake, we had to cram into a small van made for smaller people than us, long before dawn, and at below freezing temperatures. But seeing the sun rise on the unbelievably luminous and multi-colored Chinese Monal lifted our spirits. As if this was not reward enough, we got great views of White Eared Pheasant on the same slope. At times, an attractive yellow-throated marten wreaked havoc with an otherwise peaceful day for the pheasants.

What a bird! White Eared Pheasant was a star attraction, but the marten competed when it was

around. (photo by Philip He) We also got great views of a host of other high altitude birds, which in other countries one has to trek to – in China, even birds like the exquisite Grandala are drive-up birds!

Grandala is a luminous blue and only occurs at the highest altitudes well above the tree line.

(photo by Philip He)

Other top birds we saw today, before heading to Wolong for the night, were Verreaux’s Monal-Partridge, a bunch of very active Tibetan Snowcock right next to us (!), Alpine Chough, Plain

Mountain Finch, four species of rosefinch, Olive-backed Pipit, Rosy Pipit, Alpine Accentor, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Brown Accentor, the stunning Golden Bush Robin (close, but sadly partially silhouetted and also a subadult male), our first Himalayan Bluetail, five fantastic redstart species, a close-up Wallcreeper at its nest, and many others. We also saw seven warbler species today, adding Alpine (split off Tickell’s) Leaf Warbler, Sichuan Leaf Warbler, and Large-billed Leaf Warbler to our burgeoning list of look-alike warblers. We met up with another group of very pleasant birders, led by Peter Roberts (we were traveling alongside this group, giving ample opportunity to compare notes with them), and they put a couple of us onto a hog badger. Other high altitude mammals we saw were bharal (blue sheep), takin, tons of yak (domesticated), and numerous others. Day 5, May 25th. Birding Balang Mountain and Wolong Natural Nature Reserve First, we returned to Balang Mountain to clean up on a couple of very-high-altitude species we missed the previous day – seeing them extremely well this morning – the main targets were Brandt’s Mountain Finch and Snow Partridge. When we starting descending, we picked up some excellent new trip birds, such as Chinese Pond Heron (showing very well), our first Snow Pigeon, Long-tailed Minivet, our first Chestnut Thrush (along with many more Kessler’s Thrush – a common species here, but highly attractive, so we did not mind!), Spotted Bush Warbler, no new Phylloscopus but a new Seicercus – Grey-crowned Warbler – Ferruginous Flycatcher, White-collared Yuhina, Sooty Bushtit (we found 14 tit species in mainland China, and a couple more in Taiwan!), a fly-over Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird (which would only cause us to ooh and aah the next day when we got proper views). Grey-hooded Fulvetta (split from Streak-throated Fulvetta) and Rusty-capped Fulvetta were in the same mixed-species flock. While having lunch with Peter’s tour group again (who we were beginning to become good friends with), we saw our first Red-billed Blue Magpie (these blue-colored magpies, of which there are four species, are some of the most exotic oriental species Asia can throw at you). Firethroat was one of the best trip birds, and today we got prolonged scope views of a singing male. This, like Rufous-headed Robin, which we saw towards the end of the trip, are dramatically colorful members of the same genus in which the very drab nightingale finds itself. Day 6, May 26th. Drive back to Maerkang, birding on the way Today we birded our way back to Maerkang. We saw our first Bearded Vulture – what a majestic and humungous bird! While unsuccessfully searching for Golden Pheasant (although we heard several), we started seeing our first Common Pheasants – a variable species with several subspecies we had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with. Other good additions to our growing list were Speckled Wood Pigeon, stonking Darjeeling Woodpecker, Eurasian Crag Martin, Chinese Babax, two exquisite parrotbills – Spot-breasted Parrotbill and Spectacled Parrotbill – the gorgeous Yellow-bellied Tit, Hair-crested Drongo, Spotted Nutcracker, the unusual Slaty Bunting, and Grey-headed Bullfinch. We really enjoyed the warblers today, the highlight being Brown Bush Warbler, with its incredible insect-like call (tough to believe it comes from a bird!). We also got great views of Brown-flanked Bush Warbler and Russet Bush Warbler. As for the “Phylloscopus frenzy” (one way to describe the overwhelming bombardment of leaf warblers a birder gets when in

Asian ranges, stretching from the Himalayas across to the Sichuan mountains), we added a new one to the list, Chinese Leaf Warbler. A Blue Rock Thrush greeted us on our hotel windowsill as we arrived back in Maerkang just before dark. Day 7, May 27th. Maerkang to Ruoergai, birding on the way to the Tibetan Plateau We drove from Maerkang to Ruoergai, as we ascended high onto the Tibetan Plateau. We started finding some star birds as we got higher, such as Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, White-browed Tit-warbler, and many others. We also added some good raptors to our list, including Crested Goshawk, Northern Goshawk, and Steppe Eagle. However, arguably the best bird of the day was a Saker Falcon we got excellent scope views of. Peter’s group then pointed out a nest with chicks! But Black-necked Crane, a bogey bird for two of our participants because they inexplicably missed it on an early-winter trip to Bhutan (their arrival was delayed that year), made the Saker Falcon look less amazing....NO! Also out on the high Tibetan grasslands (above 3 000 meters – around 10 000 feet) were some other incredible birds, such as Ground Tit (Hume’s Groundpecker), Hodgson’s Redstart, White-browed Tit, Willow Tit, distant Chinese Grey Shrike, Daurian Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Godlewski’s Bunting, and some more widespread species, such as Twite, Common Redshank, Little Owl, Citrine Wagtail, and Willow Tit. The day would be incomplete without mention of Phylloscopus – we added Yellow-streaked Warbler today. Day 8, May 28th. Birding the Ruoergai area We spent the whole day birding around Ruoergai. We departed the hotel before dawn to arrive at our site (Baxi) for Blue Eared Pheasant, as it was getting light.

Blue Eared Pheasant. Look at the elaborate tail! (photo by Philip He)

It took us perhaps an hour before the first pheasant suddenly appeared, providing good scope views. While we waited, wild boars and a few interesting birds entertained us, such as Common Pheasant, a close Godlewski’s Bunting, and fleeting views of a Grey-headed Woodpecker (which we did see very close-up later in the trip). We also saw our first of many Slaty-backed

Flycatchers, our first Plain Laughingthrush (mixing with Elliot’s Laughingthrushes, which were common throughout the trip). Driving again, we located some close vultures, both on the ground, Cinereous and Himalayan Vultures, and we also saw Red-billed Chough, Daurian Jackdaw, Long-tailed Rosefinch, and various others. We observed large numbers of Black-headed Gulls and Brown-headed Gulls out on the steppes. We then went to Flower Lake, the most freezing place we visited on the whole trip – we were almost blown away by a gale-force wind. We did manage to find a lot of waterbirds new to our list, such as Great Crested Grebe, Gadwall, Common Pochard, attractive Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Greylag Goose, Sichuan’s first Ruddy Turnstone (!), and many others. Day 9, May 29th. Snow on the Tibetan Plateau and birding Chuanzhusi We awoke, got ready, looked outside and decided to put more layers on – the world was carpeted in a layer of snow, and it was still snowing! The snow actually made it easier to spot certain small brown birds here on the steppe-like grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau, and we found, for today aptly-named, Rufous-necked Snowfinch as well as Rock Sparrow without too much trouble, but were unable to locate a couple of our other target birds. Proceeding, we stopped to look at a flock of Azure-winged Magpies. We then drove further to Chuanzhusi, where we spent a productive hour or so birding a memorial park before having another delicious lunch. Here, we got all-too-quick views of a Scaly Thrush, as well as Common (Chinese) Blackbird, Kessler’s Thrush, and Chestnut Thrush. A pale Ashy Drongo showed very well, as did Dark-sided Flycatcher, plus we obtained brilliant views of Grey-headed Woodpecker. Eventually, we headed for the gorgeously picturesque Jiuzhaigou.

The Tibetan Plateau was covered in a layer of late spring/early summer snow!

Day 10, May 30th. Birding Jiuzhaigou After a “sleep-in”, we woke up to the amazing Jiuzhaigou, a heavenly dreamland of waterfalls and crystal-clear, unbelievably blue lakes, hosting some sought-after birds.

Birding here at Jiuzhaigou was slow but, given time and patience, productive, with Great Spotted Woodpecker, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, White-throated Dipper, Brown Dipper, Maroon-backed Accentor, Père David’s (Rusty-breasted) Tit, Grey Crested Tit, and the bird of the day, Rufous-headed Robin, one by one making their appearances. Day 11, May 31st. Transfer to Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, birding on the way We drove from Jiuzhaigou to Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. Birding en route generated Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Brown-breasted Bulbul, Long-tailed Thrush, Verditer Flycatcher, great views of Himalayan Bluetail, Daurian Redstart, White-crowned Forktail, Coal Tit, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, and Russet Sparrow. On arrival in Tangjiahe in the late afternoon, some tour participants were tantalized by a Mandarin Duck flying upstream, but we failed to locate this species again! We also saw our first Crested Kingfisher. Two of our participants did a late afternoon walk (after a long day in the van,) while the others rested.

An unusually confiding Himalayan Bluetail (photo by Philip He)

Day 12, June 1st. Birding Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve This was an awesome, but very tough birding day, as we spent the bulk of the day walking up, and up, and up, through giant panda habitat. We saw high-quality species, including the likes of Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Aberrant Bush Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, the rare Emei Leaf Warbler with its highly characteristic call, stonking Red-billed Leiothrix, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin (great views a couple of times), small flocks of White-throated Laughingthrush (these birds are full of personality!), scoped Pygmy Wren-babbler (awesome!), incredibly close-up Golden-breasted Fulvetta flitting through the bamboo (the bird of the trip for some, because of their unbelievably beautiful plumage), Yellow-browed Tit, and, right at the top, a Crested Honey Buzzard. A night drive generated a Tawny Fish Owl at dusk, which one of us spotted and we then scoped! How very exciting to see this amazing bird with a rushing river and huge conifers in this wild and unspoiled part of China! Day 13, June 2nd. Transfer to Chengdu Today we drove from Tangjiahe to Chengdu, in preparation for our flights home, or in the case of two of our participants, their Yunnan extension. We had a relaxed start to the morning, doing a pleasant walk, during which we found Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, along with many other birds we had previously seen. On the long drive back to Chengdu, we stopped for new trip birds such as Collared Crow. Day 14, June 3rd. Birding Huanhuaxi Park for some, departure While most members of the group caught early flights, one of them and Chris spent a couple of hours birding in Huanhuaxi Park, apparently a very popular place for Chengdu city-dwellers, and an interesting place to “people-watch”. Parrotbills were the star attraction here, as Ashy-throated and Vinous-throated both gave excellent views. There were also lots of waterbirds and other species. Yunnan extension:

The 4.5-day extension to Yunnan that two of our participants did generated Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, four nuthatch species including Giant and Yunnan, several fulvettas (including the tough-looking bad-boy, White-browed Fulvetta), a couple of new yuhinas, Red-tailed Minla, Grey-winged Blackbird, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Lesser Shortwing (what a skulker!), Chinese Grosbeak feeding big young, stonking Crested Finchbill, attractive Red-billed Starling, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, and many others.

TAIWAN, SICHUAN, AND TIBET SYSTEMATIC LISTS, MAY/JUNE 2013

Species marked with H were heard only

TAIWAN, SICHUAN, AND TIBET BIRD LIST Taiwan Mainland

China Code: E = endemic to either Taiwan or mainland China, BE = breeding endemic to mainland

China

GALLIFORMES:

Phasianidae

Snow Partridge Lerwa lerwa 1

E Verreaux's Monal-Partridge Tetraophasis obscurus 1

Tibetan Snowcock Tetraogallus tibetanus 1

E Taiwan Partridge Arborophila crudigularis 1

Blood Pheasant Ithaginis cruentus 1

E Chinese Monal Lophophorus lhuysii 1

E Swinhoe's Pheasant Lophura swinhoii 1

E White Eared Pheasant Crossoptilon crossoptilon 1

E Blue Eared Pheasant Crossoptilon auritum 1

E Mikado Pheasant Syrmaticus mikado 1

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus 1

E Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus H

ANSERIFORMES:

Anatidae

Greylag Goose Anser anser 1

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 1

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata 1

Gadwall Anas strepera 1

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 1

Eastern Spot-billed Duck Anas zonorhyncha 1 1

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina 1

Common Pochard Aythya ferina 1

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca 1 1

PODICIPEDIFORMES:

Podicipedidae

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 1 1

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 1

PELECANIFORMES:

Threskiornithidae

African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus 1

Black-faced Spoonbill Platalea minor 1

Ardeidae

Yellow Bittern Ixobrychus sinensis 1

Cinnamon Bittern Ixobrychus cinnamomeus 1

Malayan Night Heron Gorsachius melanolophus 1

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 1

Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 1

Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus 1 1

Great Egret Ardea alba 1

Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia 1

Little Egret Egretta garzetta 1 1

SULIFORMES:

Phalacrocoracidae

Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 1

ACCIPITRIFORMES:

Accipitridae

Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes 1

Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus 1

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus 1

Black Kite Milvus migrans 1

Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus 1

Himalayan Vulture Gyps himalayensis 1

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus 1

Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela 1

Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus 1 1

Japanese Sparrowhawk Accipiter gularis 1

Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis 1

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo 1

Upland Buzzard Buteo hemilasius 1

Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga 1

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis 1

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos 1

Falconidae

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 1

Saker Falcon Falco cherrug 1

GRUIFORMES:

Rallidae

White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus 1

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 1 1

Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 1

Gruidae

Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis 1

CHARADRIIFORMES:

Recurvirostridae

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 1

Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta 1

Charadriidae

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 1

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius 1

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus 1

Scolopacidae

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 1

Common Redshank Tringa totanus 1 1

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 1

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 1

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 1

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 1

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres 1 1

Red Knot Calidris canutus 1

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta 1

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper Calidris acuminata 1

Dunlin Calidris alpina 1

Glareolidae

Oriental Pratincole Glareola maldivarum 1

Laridae

Brown-headed Gull Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus 1

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 1

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica 1

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 1

Little Tern Sternula albifrons 1

Common Tern Sterna hirundo 1

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 1

Black Tern Chlidonias niger 1

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 1

COLUMBIFORMES:

Columbidae

Rock Dove Columba livia 1 1

Hill Pigeon Columba rupestris 1

Snow Pigeon Columba leuconota 1

Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii 1

Ashy Wood Pigeon Columba pulchricollis 1

Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis 1 1

Red Turtle Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica 1 1

Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis 1

White-bellied Green Pigeon Treron sieboldii 1

CUCULIFORMES:

Cuculidae

Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis 1

Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus H

Large Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides H

Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus H

Himalayan Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus H H

Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus 1

STRIGIFORMES:

Strigidae

Mountain Scops Owl Otus spilocephalus 1

Tawny Fish Owl Ketupa flavipes 1

Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei H H

Little Owl Athene noctua 1

Northern Boobook Ninox japonica H

CAPRIMULGIFORMES:

Caprimulgidae

Savanna Nightjar Caprimulgus affinis 1

APODIFORMES:

Apodidae

White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus 1

Pacific Swift Apus pacificus 1 1

House Swift Apus nipalensis 1

CORACIIFORMES:

Alcedinidae

Black-capped Kingfisher Halcyon pileata 1

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 1

Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris 1

PICIFORMES:

Megalaimidae

E Taiwan Barbet Megalaima nuchalis 1

Picidae

Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus 1

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus 1

Crimson-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos cathpharius 1

Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopos darjellensis 1

White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos 1

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major 1

Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius 1

Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus 1

PASSERIFORMES:

Pittidae

Fairy Pitta Pitta nympha 1

Campephagidae

Grey-chinned Minivet Pericrocotus solaris 1

Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus 1

Laniidae

Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus 1 1

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 1

Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus 1

Chinese Grey Shrike Lanius sphenocercus 1

Vireonidae

White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca 1

Oriolidae

Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis 1

Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii 1

Dicruridae

Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 1 1

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus 1

Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus 1

Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus 1

Monarchidae

Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea 1

Corvidae

E Sichuan Jay Perisoreus internigrans 1

Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius 1 1

Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus 1

Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythroryncha 1

E Taiwan Blue Magpie Urocissa caerulea 1

Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae 1

Eurasian Magpie Pica pica 1

Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes 1

Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax 1

Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus 1

Daurian Jackdaw Coloeus dauuricus 1

Carrion Crow Corvus corone 1

Collared Crow Corvus torquatus 1

Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos 1 1

Stenostiridae

Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis 1

Paridae

Willow Tit Poecile montanus 1

E White-browed Tit Poecile superciliosus 1

E Père David's Tit Poecile davidi 1

Rufous-vented Tit Periparus rubidiventris 1

Coal Tit Periparus ater 1 1

E Yellow-bellied Tit Periparus venustulus 1

Grey Crested Tit Lophophanes dichrous 1

Great Tit Parus major 1

Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus 1 1

E Ground Tit Parus humilis 1

E Yellow Tit Parus holsti 1

Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus 1

Alaudidae

Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula 1 1

Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris 1

Pycnonotidae

Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques 1 1

Brown-breasted Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous 1

Light-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis 1 1

E Styan's Bulbul Pycnonotus taivanus 1

Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus 1

Hirundinidae

Pale Martin Riparia diluta 1

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 1 1

Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica 1

Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris 1

Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus 1 1

Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica 1 1

Striated Swallow Cecropis striolata 1

Pnoepygidae

Pygmy Wren-babbler Pnoepyga pusilla 1

E Taiwan Wren-babbler Pnoepyga formosana 1

Cettiidae

Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis 1 1

Brown-flanked Bush Warbler Horornis fortipes 1 1

Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler Horornis acanthizoides 1

Aberrant Bush Warbler Horornis flavolivaceus 1

Aegithalidae

Black-throated Bushtit Aegithalos concinnus 1 1

Black-browed Bushtit Aegithalos bonvaloti 1

E Sooty Bushtit Aegithalos fuliginosus 1

White-browed Tit-warbler Leptopoecile sophiae 1

Phylloscopidae

E Alpine Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus occisinensis 1

Yellow-streaked Warbler Phylloscopus armandii 1

Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher 1

BE Chinese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus yunnanensis 1

Pallas's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus 1

Hume's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei 1

Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides 1

Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris 1

Blyth's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus reguloides 1

E Emei Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis 1

E Sichuan Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus forresti 1

Grey-crowned Warbler Seicercus tephrocephalus 1

Bianchi's Warbler Seicercus valentini 1

Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps 1

Locustellidae

Russet Bush Warbler Locustella mandelli 1

Spotted Bush Warbler Locustella thoracica 1

Brown Bush Warbler Locustella luteoventris 1

E Taiwan Bush Warbler Locustella alishanensis 1

Cisticolidae

Striated Prinia Prinia crinigera 1

Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris 1

Plain Prinia Prinia inornata 1

Timaliidae

Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus gravivox H

E Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus erythrocnemis 1

E Taiwan Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus musicus 1

Rufous-capped Babbler Stachyridopsis ruficeps 1 1

Pellorneidae

Rusty-capped Fulvetta Alcippe dubia 1

Dusky Fulvetta Alcippe brunnea 1

Grey-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia 1

Leiothrichidae

Chinese Babax Babax lanceolatus 1

E Taiwan Hwamei Garrulax taewanus 1

E Giant Laughingthrush Garrulax maximus 1

White-throated Laughingthrush Garrulax albogularis 1

E Plain Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi 1

White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio 1

E Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush Garrulax ruficeps 1

E Rusty Laughingthrush Garrulax poecilorhynchus 1

E Elliot's Laughingthrush Trochalopteron elliotii 1

E White-whiskered Laughingthrush Trochalopteron morrisonianum 1

E Steere's Liocichla Liocichla steerii 1

E Taiwan Barwing Actinodura morrisoniana 1

Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea 1

E White-eared Sibia Heterophasia auricularis 1

Sylviidae

Golden-breasted Fulvetta Lioparus chrysotis 1

E Chinese Fulvetta Fulvetta striaticollis 1

E Grey-hooded Fulvetta Fulvetta cinereiceps 1

E Taiwan Fulvetta Fulvetta formosana 1

E Spectacled Parrotbill Sinosuthora conspicillata 1

Vinous-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthora webbiana 1

Ashy-throated Parrotbill Sinosuthora alphonsiana 1

Spot-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis guttaticollis 1

Zosteropidae

White-collared Yuhina Yuhina diademata 1

E Taiwan Yuhina Yuhina brunneiceps 1

Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus 1 1

Regulidae

E Flamecrest Regulus goodfellowi 1

Troglodytidae

Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes 1

Sittidae

Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea 1

Tichodromidae

Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria 1

Certhiidae

Hodgson's Treecreeper Certhia hodgsoni 1

Sturnidae

Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus 1

Javan Myna Acridotheres javanicus 1

Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 1

Turdidae

Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus 1

E Taiwan Whistling Thrush Myophonus insularis 1

Long-tailed Thrush Zoothera dixoni 1

Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma 1

Common Blackbird Turdus merula 1

Chestnut Thrush Turdus rubrocanus 1

BE Kessler's Thrush Turdus kessleri 1

White-browed Shortwing Brachypteryx montana 1

Muscicapidae

BE Rufous-headed Robin Luscinia ruficeps 1

Firethroat Luscinia pectardens 1

Indian Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea 1

Rufous-tailed Robin Luscinia sibilans 1

White-browed Bush Robin Tarsiger indicus 1

E Collared Bush Robin Tarsiger johnstoniae 1

Red-flanked Bluetail Tarsiger cyanurus 1

Himalayan Bluetail Tarsiger rufilatus 1

Golden Bush Robin Tarsiger chrysaeus 1

Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis 1 1

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 1

Hodgson's Redstart Phoenicurus hodgsoni 1

White-throated Redstart Phoenicurus schisticeps 1

Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus 1

Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis 1

White-bellied Redstart Hodgsonius phoenicuroides 1

Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosa 1 1

White-capped Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus 1

White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucura 1

Grandala Grandala coelicolor 1

Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri 1

White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti 1

Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus 1

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius 1

Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica 1

Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea 1 1

Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia 1

Slaty-backed Flycatcher Ficedula hodgsonii 1

Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata 1

Snowy-browed Flycatcher Ficedula hyperythra 1

Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor 1

Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassinus 1

Vivid Niltava Niltava vivida 1

Cinclidae

White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus 1

Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii 1 1

Nectariniidae

Mrs. Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae 1

Passeridae

Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans 1

Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 1 1

Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia 1

Rufous-necked Snowfinch Pyrgilauda ruficollis 1

Estrildidae

White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata 1 1

Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata 1

Prunellidae

Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris 1

Rufous-breasted Accentor Prunella strophiata 1

Brown Accentor Prunella fulvescens 1

Maroon-backed Accentor Prunella immaculata 1

Motacillidae

Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava 1

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola 1

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 1

White Wagtail Motacilla alba 1 1

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 1

Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus 1

Fringillidae

Grey-capped Greenfinch Chloris sinica 1

Twite Linaria flavirostris 1

Plain Mountain Finch Leucosticte nemoricola 1

Brandt's Mountain Finch Leucosticte brandti 1

Long-tailed Rosefinch Uragus sibiricus 1

Dark-breasted Rosefinch Carpodacus nipalensis 1

Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus 1

Chinese Beautiful Rosefinch Carpodacus davidianus 1

E Taiwan Rosefinch Carpodacus formosanus 1

Vinaceous Rosefinch Carpodacus vinaceus 1

Chinese White-browed Rosefinch Carpodacus dubius 1

Red-fronted Rosefinch Carpodacus puniceus 1

Grey-headed Bullfinch Pyrrhula erythaca 1

White-winged Grosbeak Mycerobas carnipes 1

Emberizidae

E Slaty Bunting Emberiza siemsseni 1

Godlewski's Bunting Emberiza godlewskii 1 133 218

TAIWAN, SICHUAN, AND TIBET MAMMAL LIST Taiwan Mainland

China PRIMATES Cercopithecidae Formosan rock macaque Macaca cyclopis 1 RODENTIA Sciuridae Large brown flying squirrel Petaurista philippensis 1 Maritime striped squirrel Tamiops maritimus 1 Swinhoe's striped squirrel Tamiops swinhoei 1 Perny's long-nosed squirrel Dremomys pernyi 1 1 Père David's rock squirrel Sciurotamias davidianus 1 Pallas's Squirrel Collosciurus erythraeus 1 Siberian chipmunk Tamias sibiricus 1 ARTIODACTYLA

Cervidae Reeves' muntjac Muntiacus reevesi 1 1 Bovidae Bharal Pseudois nayaur 1 Takin Budorcas taxicolor 1 Domestic yak Bos grunniens x Suidae Wild boar Sus scrofa 1 CARNIVORA Canidae Red Fox Vulpes vulpes 1 Mustelidae Hog badger Arctonyx collaris 1 Yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula 1 Ailuridae Red panda (captive) Ailurus fulgens x Ursidae Giant panda (captive) Ailuropoda melanoleuca x LAGOMORPHA Ochotonidae Plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae 1 Glover's pika Ochotona gloveri 1 5 14