Trip
Information
Tour Dates: May
14 - 28, 2009 (15 days)
Tour Leaders: Richard
Knapton and local guide
Price: $3950 USD, $4950 CDN; Single supplement $570 USD, $695
CDN
Tour begins and ends in Beijing
Highlights:
• Excellent birding for many very special and unique birds and other wildlife
•
Fascinating culture and history, including the Great Wall, Forbidden
City and Tian’anmen Square
Featured Birds and Mammals:
• Ibisbill
• Temminck's Tragopan
• Chinese Monal Pheasant
• Blood Pheasant
• Sichuan Pheasant Partridge
• White Eared-Pheasant
• Yellow-necked Koklass Pheasant
• Giant Laughingthrush
• Hume's Groundpecker
• White-winged Redstart
• Himalayan Griffon
• Wallcreeper
• Lammergeier
• Kessler's Thrush
• Tibetan Snowcock
Trip Summary:
• Two internal flights included
• Basic to very good accommodation; modest rooms at Phag Mo Gling
• 6 to 12 participants with two leaders
• All meals plus tea included
• Variable weather; generally good but rain is likely, snow possible at
high altitudes; from cold to hot, often sunny.
• Generally easy to moderate walking, some steep trails in Sichuan; some
travel above 4000 m.
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A
tour to the rapidly developing yet mystical land of China! We visit Sichuan – arguably
the best wildlife area in China! This fabulous area lies at the eastern
edge of the dramatic and spectacular Tibetan plateau, and contains some
very special and exciting birds. Indeed, Sichuan hosts some two-thirds
of China’s endemics. We bird a diverse range of habitats: lush
foothill forests, alpine meadows, superb mountain slopes and extensive
grasslands. Wildlife names here are wonderfully evocative, many with
historical references to early pioneering naturalists - Russian General
Przhevalsky, Basque missionary Pere David, Governer-general’s wife
Lady Amherst, Blandford, Hume, Pallas, Henderson. We should find exciting
species such as Firethroat, Hume’s Groundpecker, Lammergeier, White
Eared Pheasant, maybe the impressive Monal, along with a plethora of
parrotbills, fulvettas, leaf warblers, redstarts, laughingthrushes, plus
Takin and Blue Sheep. We also visit a location for the enigmatic Ibisbill.
Add in the wonderful culture of the Tibetans, a visit to the Great Wall,
Tian’anmen Square, Summer Palace, Forbidden City and Lama Temple,
and this promises to be a fantastic tour!
See below
for detailed itinerary.
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here to download a registration form.
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Detailed Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival in Beijing
Upon arrival, we are transferred to our hotel. Our tour begins with dinner
and an orientation for the coming adventure. Night in Beijing.
Day 2 – Summer Palace and flight to Chengdu
After breakfast, we visit the Summer Palace, originally a royal garden
and a temporary dwelling palace for emperors of Qing Dynasty. The complex
is huge, and we can only sample part of these spacious gardens. Enter
through the south gate, exit through one of northern gates. We will
be introduced to many common Chinese birds such as Blue and Azure-winged
Magpies, with possible early Yellow Bitterns, Black-browed and Oriental
Reed Warblers, Pallas’s Grasshopper Warbler and Ruddy-breasted
Crake. Afterward, we fly to Chengdu , the capital city of Sichuan Province,
and check into our hotel. Night in Chengdu.
Day 3 - Chengdu to Kangding
Today we head west through deep valleys and narrow gorges to Kangding
where we climb over Mt. Erlang Shan. On the way, we will encounter
White-browed Laughingthrush, Eurasian Blackbird, Spotted Dove, White-capped
Water-Redstart,
Plumbeous Water-Redstart, Large-billed Crow, Red-billed Chough, Black-throated
Tit, Great Tit, Long-tailed Shrike, and Oriental Turtle Dove. Kangding
has a strong Tibetan influence in customs and buildings; it is a bustling
Tibetan market town and the capital of Ganzi Tibetan Prefecture in
Sichuan Province and was traditionally the gateway to the Tibetan world
for Han
Chinese. We explore this area, looking for the several species of parrotbills,
Phylloscopus warblers, exotic pheasants, maybe Streaked Barwing, Rusty-capped
Fulvetta, and possibly the superb Firethroat. Night in Kangding.
Day 4 - Kangding to Phag Mo Gling
Today we head further west through Zheduo Shan Pass at an altitude
of 4,298m. We stop near the pass to look for some very choice pheasants,
including Blood Pheasant, Yellow-necked koklass pheasant, Sichuan Pheasant
Partridge, and White Eared-Pheasant. We also look for White-browed
Rosefinch,
Beautiful Rosefinch, Giant Laughingthrush, Elliot's Laughingthrush,
Kessler's Thrush, Chinese Fulvetta, White-browed Fulvetta, and Derby's
Parakeet.
Later we will pass by the town of Xinduqiao, reputed to be a photographers’ paradise
for its beautiful scenery of alpine meadows with yaks and horses. Then
we arrive at town of Bajiaolou, and then climb up to Phag Mo Gling.
Night in the monastery guesthouse.
Day 5-6 - Phag Mo Gling
Phag Mo Gling was named after the mountain where it is located. Holy
Phag Mo Gling Mount is situated on its east side, which is called “Dhoji
Phag Mo” in Tibetan. Benefiting from beliefs and teachings of
reincarnation as well as all creatures born equal in Tibetan Buddhism,
the wildlife
around the monastery has always been worshiped and looked after by
lamas and local people in a harmonious relationship. Since 2005 the
monastery
has been carrying out a work of wildlife supervision under the assistance
of Conservation International. The lamas here have established an interesting
connection with the birds nearby. Early every morning, stunning birds
like White Eared Pheasant, Sichuan Pheasant Partridge, Blood Pheasant
and others visit a slope next to the monastery, waiting for the lamas
to offer grain. Other species in this area include Chinese Hazel Grouse,
Golden Eagle, Yellow-necked Koklass Pheasant, Derby's Parakeet, Black-eared
Kite, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Buzzard, Eurasian Kestrel and Eurasian
Hobby. We search for birds near the monastery, meanwhile appreciating
the beautiful landscape and still very pristine forests nearby. We
may catch a glimpse of snow-capped Mt. Holy Yala, one of the four holy
mountains
in the Tibetan world, shining in the sun to the north.
The second day we spend searching birds along paths nearby. Here we
look for White Wagtail, Beautiful Rose-finch, White-browed Rose-finch,
Great
Tit, Black-browed Tit, Tickell's Leaf Warbler, Elliot’s Laughingthrush,
White-browed Fulvetta, Rufous-vented Tit, Long-tailed Minivet, Kessler’s
Thrush, Hill Pigeon and Oriental Turtle Dove. Nights in the monastery
guesthouse.
Day 7 - Phag Mo Gling to Yajiang
We spend the morning birding on Phag Mo Gling, and then after lunch
we drive down to the main road. Later we travel west to through this
dramatic
landscape Yajiang. Night in Yajiang.
Day 8 - Yajiang to Danba
Leaving Yajiang we head east to Xinduqiao, on the way we will cross
a Gaoersi Shan at an elevation of 4100m, where we hope to find more
pheasants
and laughingthrushes. We then travel north to Danba via the great Tagong
Grassland. On the way we pass snow-capped Mt. Holy Yala at town of
Bamei. Today our destination will be Danba, full of traditional classical
Tibetan
houses and castles. The Tagong Grassland is home to Tibetan nomads,
huge mountains, exotic temples and many exciting birds, including Hume's
Groundpecker,
White-winged Redstart, Himalayan Griffon, Wallcreeper, White-browed
Tit Warbler and Brown Accentor. Night in Danba.
Day 9 - Danba to Rilong
We spend the morning birding around Danba, searching for more exciting
specie, including Himalayan Griffon, Lammergeier, Black Baza, Blood
Pheasant, Temminck's Tragopan, Common Pheasant, White Eared-Pheasant,
Oriental
Turtle Dove, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed Shrike, Red-billed
Chough, Daurian Jackdaw, Yellow-billed Chough, White-capped Water-Redstart,
Plumbeous Water-Redstart, Giant Laughingthrush, and Elliot's Laughingthrush.
We drive east to Rilong, where beautiful Mt. Siguanniang Shan is situated.
Mt. Siguniang Shan is made up of four peaks above 5,000m, the highest
of which is at an altitude of 6,225m with a snow-capped summit. We
use Rilong as our accommodation base for birding at Mt. Balang Shan.
Day 10-11 - Mt. Balang Shan Pass
Today we leave early and drive to the mighty Balang Shan Pass. With
luck, Wood Snipe will be displaying over some of the higher alpine
meadows.
Koklass Pheasant and Kessler's Thrush both breed close to the tree
line here and while the former is elusive and difficult to see, we
are sure
to hear its barking calls ringing across the valleys. The spectacular
Chinese Monal Pheasant also occurs here.
Continuing still higher we spend some time around the summit of the
pass that, at almost 4,500 metres, is the highest point we will reach
on the
entire tour. Small coveys of scurrying Snow Partridges and Tibetan
Snowcocks are regularly seen on the scree slopes beside the road, as
are Grandalas,
the males resplendent in their cobalt blue plumage. Other high altitude
specialties could include Lammergeier, Red and Yellow-billed Chough,
Alpine Accentor, Brandt's Mountain Finch and Red-fronted Rosefinch.
Targets on the mid-slopes will include both Barred and the mighty Giant
Laughingthrush,
while lower down we will scan the skies for White-throated Needletails.
Nor will we neglect the mammals – the park boasts populations
of Himalayan Marmot and both Blue Sheep and Takin. Nights in Rilong.
Day 12 - Rilong to Chengdu
Today we head south to City of Ya’an via Mt. Jiajing Shan and
then make a turn to east back to Chengdu City, ending this fantastic
birding
journey in Western Sichuan. Night in Chengdu.
Day 13 - Chengdu - Great Wall - Beijing
We take the morning flight back to Beijing. Then we visit the Great
Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world and a UNESCO World
Heritage site. It is likely to be crowded, but we could still find
Daurian Jackdaw,
Daurian Redstart, Siberian Accentor, rosefinches and Rock Bunting.
Night
in Beijing.
Day 14 – Beijing
After an early breakfast, we head to a site where Ibisbill have occurred,
and with luck we’ll see this mythical bird. We spend the rest of
the day sight-seeing in Beijing, where we visit Tian’anmen
Square, the Forbidden City of the Chinese Emperors and the Lama Temple.
We
have a farewell dinner of Beijing (Peking) Duck. Night in Beijing.
Day 15 – Departure
The tour concludes in Beijing after breakfast.
What
to Expect
Be prepared for changeable
weather conditions, with blue skies alternating with overcast conditions.
Rain is likely, and we could even have snow at
the higher altitudes. In the Chengdu area it is likely to be hot and fairly
humid, 25°C and higher (77°F +) at midday. It is cooler and less
humid at higher altitudes, and on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau temperatures
could dip to freezing or slightly below, especially in the early morning.
Accommodations will range from three to four-star hotels in Beijing and
around Chengdu and Wolong with private bathrooms, restaurants and other
expected facilities. Elsewhere accommodation is more basic, but clean and
well maintained, with private bathroom. Food will range from western-style
in Beijing and Chengdu to traditionally Chinese at guesthouses using chopsticks – a
good idea is to bring your own cutlery.
As several days are spent above 3000 m, with birding above 3800 m, it is
important for anyone with heart or respiratory ailments seek medical advice
before deciding to participate; only basic medical facilities exist away
from Chengdu and Beijing. When at high altitudes we attempt to limit our
activities, to avoid excessively walking up hill and move at a slow pace
so as to avoid altitudinal headaches and breathlessness. However, anyone
in good health and reasonably fit should experience few problems. Also,
we will not be trekking, therefore our pace will be slow. We do, however,
cover steep terrain in places in order to reach the habitat that is our
goal, therefore a reasonable degree of fitness is essential. Biting insects
should not pose a problem, although small numbers of mosquitoes will be
encountered.
We follow our itinerary closely; however should circumstances occur where
we cannot do this, then a degree of flexibility is required, and participants
should be adventurous and willing to put up with the occasional discomfort
which is inherent in such travel to remote and culturally different areas.
In the evening, we review what we’ve seen that day, and discuss activities
for the following day.
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