birding...

Mrs Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae ©Alister Benn http://www.availablelightimages.com The Peoples Republic of China, or The Middle Kingdom as it is known, is large; about the same size as the United States of America, but with roughly six times the population. The majority of people live in the agricultural East and South, leaving huge expanses of the West more sparsely populated. As one would expect from a country spanning 35 degrees of latitude and 65 degrees of longitude, the geographic diversity is equally enormous; tropical rainforests in southern Yunnan, alpine valleys of the eastern Himalaya, endless grasslands, deserts and cultivated valleys surrounding some of the worlds longest rivers. This variety provides habitat for lots of birds; around 1250 species in fact, with over 60 endemics, including 14 “Pheasants”, 7 Laughingthrushes, 4 Parrotbills and 4 Rosefinches. The country is also excellent for Cranes, with 7 species regularly recorded, and Tits, with a staggering 28 species. Unfortunately, the pressure imposed by the huge population spells bad news for the wildlife; apparently nearly 8% of the country is set-aside as reserves, but this does not mean the areas are protected. Logging and hunting persist, the waterways are polluted beyond belief and much of the northeast is under threat of desertification as a result of merciless deforestation in the north. The government in Beijing has firm plans to do all it can to extend the protection of wildlife, but the recovery will be slow, and quite probably too late for some of the countries more vulnerable endemics. If the possibility of amazing birds encourages you to get on a plane and discover the wonders yourself, the logistics of travel have to be considered. Even in the largest cities of Beijing and Shanghai, very little English is spoken, and once you are out in the countryside, a shouted “hello” is about all you will get. The prices for foreigners are often inflated, so be prepared to haggle, and even though the freedom of movement has improved tremendously in the last decade, some hostility and bureaucracy may still be experienced in more remote areas. In light of these potential difficulties, many of the birders deciding to visit China come on tours, of which there is a great selection. The endemic heartlands of Tibet and Sichuan are popular destinations, as are Beidaihe and Happy Island on the east coast. The latter having been a Mecca for birders for nearly 20 years now, as they arguably offer the best chances to encounter “Sibes”; the Shorebirds, Warblers, Flycatchers, Buntings and Chats that occur as vagrants in Europe and North American. For those prepared to get “stuck in”, China offers an excellent adventure; language problems, questionable sanitation, erratic drivers, rugby scrum queues, wonderful/terrible food, unreliable bus timetables, and in some areas, the potential of altitude sickness. Areas of prime habitat can be devoid of bird life, whilst polluted drainage ditches can be alive with Buntings and Warblers. The sense of being somewhere foreign is always profound, and the ability to toast the days birding with cheap beer is always a bonus. Update All trip reports, reserves information and etc. can now be found on the individual state pages accessed via the interactive map or links below it. I would welcome submissions of more introductions to these states. Fatbirder

top sites

Lashihai-Wenhai Watershed Reserve

Qinghai

Sichuan

Yunnan

contributor

Alister Benn
Photographer
(Yunnan, China)
alister@availablelightimages.com
http://www.availablelightimages.com

numbers

Number of bird species:1309

numbers

Number of endemics:53
Chestnut-throated Partridge Tetraogallus obscurus Rusty-necklaced Partridge Alectoris magna Sichuan Partridge Arborophila rufipectus White-necklaced Partridge Arborophila gingica Hainan Partridge Arborophila ardens Cabot`s Tragopan Tragopan caboti Chinese Monal Lophophorus lhuysii White Eared-Pheasant Crossoptilon crossoptilon Brown Eared-Pheasant Crossoptilon mantchuricum Blue Eared-Pheasant Crossoptilon auritum Elliot`s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti Reeves`s Pheasant Syrmaticus reevesii Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus Hainan Peacock-Pheasant Polyplectron katsumatae Chinese Grouse Bonasa sewerzowi Sichuan Wood-Owl Strix davidi Vaurie`s Nightjar Caprimulgus centralasicus Sichuan Jay Perisoreus internigrans Xinjiang Ground-Jay Podoces biddulphi Ala Shan Redstart Phoenicurus alaschanicus Yunnan Nuthatch Sitta yunnanensis White-browed Tit Parus superciliosus Rusty-breasted Tit Parus davidi Yellow-bellied Tit Parus venustulus White-necklaced Tit Aegithalos fuliginosus White-browed Chinese Warbler Rhopophilus pekinensis Crested Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile elegans Gansu Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus kansuensis Chinese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus sichuanensis Hainan Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus hainanus Emei Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis Plain Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi Snowy-cheeked Laughingthrush Garrulax sukatschewi Barred Laughingthrush Garrulax lunulatus White-speckled Laughingthrush Garrulax bieti Giant Laughingthrush Garrulax maximus Elliot`s Laughingthrush Garrulax elliotii Omei Shan Liocichla Liocichla omeiensis Rufous-tailed Babbler Chrysomma poecilotis Tibetan Babax Babax koslowi Gold-fronted Fulvetta Alcippe variegaticeps Chinese Fulvetta Alcippe striaticollis Three-toed Parrotbill Paradoxornis paradoxus Spectacled Parrotbill Paradoxornis conspicillatus Grey-hooded Parrotbill Paradoxornis zappeyi Rusty-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis przewalskii Mongolian Accentor Prunella koslowi Sillem`s Mountain-Finch Leucosticte sillemi Pink-rumped Rosefinch Carpodacus eos Tibetan Rosefinch Carpodacus roborowskii Pink-tailed Bunting Urocynchramus pylzowi Slaty Bunting Latoucheornis siemsseni Tibetan Bunting Emberiza koslowi

useful reading

* Field Guides & Bird Song

A Field Guide to the Birds of China

A Field Guide to the Birds of China, Tibet and Taiwan

A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia

Birding in China - DVD

Birds of China

Checklist on the Classification and Distribution of the Birds of China

China Bird Report 2005

China Endemic Birds

Handbook of the Birds of China, Volume 2: Passerines

Keys to the Birds of China

Photographic Guide to the Birds of China and Hong Kong

useful information

Proact

clubs

China Ornithological Society

Friends of Nature Birdwatching Group

International Crane Foundation

reserves

Wetlands

Wuyishan National Key Nature Reserve

Yellow River Delta National Wildlife Reserve

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!

2002 [April] - Chris Cook

China Bird Report

tour operators

Bird Watching Tours

Birdfinders

Birding Pal

Giant Panda Tours

other links

Bird Names in Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese

China Bird Report

China Bird Watch

China Bird Watching Network

Database of the Birds of China

Wins Binoculars

artists

Photographer - Alister Benn