On 16th December my wife Carrie and I flew into Chengdu airport for nine days with Sid & Meggie Francis (aka China Guy on the Sichuan thread).
The smoking cubicle just outside the entry gate from the plane had a novel approach to smoking (see pic). As I was travelling with Carrie, my non-birding wife, the birding was opportunistic plus a few early mornings when Sid and I went out on our own, rather than full-on. I was delighted with the range of very good birds we saw, even if we did not connect with some of target species.
The mountains of Sichuan, especially in winter, are a tough place to visit and cannot be recommended to “mixed” couples (i.e. one non-birding spouse) who expect to retreat to warm and hygienic accommodation at the end of a cold day in the field. This is not in any way a reflection on the excellent efforts of Sid and Meggie who did everything that could be done to take care of us - if there is no water (because the supply pipes are frozen) there’s not much point in demanding it for showers or flushable toilets! Sid drove superbly under conditions that would test the skills and equanimity of the calmest and most forgiving of saints, while Meggie ensured we ate well at every meal – while taking care of their 4 month-old baby, Saker.
The upside of coming at this time of year is that most people have more sense, so you get to see world-class sites without having to wade through thousands of local tourists, who often consider getting a reaction from foreign visitors as part of the tour experience.
In summary if you want to see your birds in relative comfort then Sichuan “off the beaten track” in winter is not for you – it would certainly be more comfortable at other times of the year. But for those who enjoy the challenge of finding some truly spectacular birds in the solitary splendour of stunning montane scenery then it cannot be rated highly enough.
16th December
After arriving at Chengdu at 1030 we headed south towards the Giant Buddha at Leshan. Birds seen from the car included Common Buzzard, Long-tailed Shrike, Red-billed Blue Magpie, White-browed Laughingthrush and Little Egret, while the Leshan waterfront and the short boat-trip to view the Buddha revealed four Ruddy Shelduck, half a dozen Goosander, four Mallard, 50-odd Chinese Spotbills, Riverchat, Plumbeous Redstart, several Grey Herons, a Great Egret and a Common Sandpiper.Rufous-faced Warblers and Black-throated Tits provided vocal accompaniment from the waterfront trees.
After a fine lunch – Sichuan food in HK is generally disappointing - we drove to Emei Town for a overnight stay and a brief exploration of the lower mountain. However it was so dark that we just about managed a single Slaty-backed Forktail, plus more Plumbeous Redstart and a flyover Chinese Blackbird in the evening before night fell.
Cheers
Mike
Looking forward to this - sure it will be an interesting report! Several nice birds already - as I count any forktail. I also like plumbeous redstarts.
Glad to hear that you appreciate the food in Sichuan - the greatest reason my husband and I have discussed moving out that way (weather always swung the balance the other way though...)
Looking forward to more of this...that Buddha is something!