15 Days China Highlight Birdwatching Tour

Day 1 Your arrive in Chengdu then transfer to Pingshan (250km 3.5hrs).  

Depends on your arrival time, we may arrange photographing in the afternoon.  

Overnight in Deshengyuan Hotel in Pinshan

Day 2  Full day birding in the hide.

Bird photographing for Lady Armherst’s pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan, Sichuan Partridge, Emeishan Liocichla.(from blind)

Other possible species: Elliot’s, Rusty Laughingthrush, Golden Parrotbill, Golden Fulvetta, Streaked-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Red-winged Laughingthrush, Himalayan Blue-tail, etc.

Overnight in Deshengyuan Hotel

Day 3 Pingshan to Wawushan

After Morning Bird birding, drive from Pingshan to Mt. Wawushan   (277km  4.5hrs)  

2-night at Wawushanju Inn or similar.

Day 4 Full day birding in Mt. Wawushan.

Mt. WawuShan, is an over 3000m peak, which situated about 70 km to the west of the more famous Mt.EmeiShan. Mt.Wawushan is the largest National Primeval Forest Park in China. The elevation goes from 2830m. According to the investigations, there are more than 3500 species of plants and about 300 species of birds in Mt. Wawushan areas. At lower levels, areas of evergreen broadleaf woodland are interspersed with cultivation, but higher up this gives way to deciduous woodland and ultimately large open, grassy or bamboo-covered areas and stands of mixed coniferous-rhododendron forest. As we walk here among the gnarled, moss-encrusted trees we may enjoy some superb vistas across a seemingly endless series of mountain ridges to the great snow-capped peaks of western Sichuan beyond.

The prime endemic birds you may see here are:

Three-toed, Great, Brown, Grey-Headed, Vinous-throated, Ashy-throated, Fulvous, Golden, Grey-hooded Parrotbills, Emei Shan Liocichla,Sichuan Treecreeper, Spotted-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Three-toed woodpecker,  Grey-hooded Fulvetta, Brown-capped (or Dusky) Fulvetta and White-collared Yuhina, Elliott's Laughingthrush, Red-winged Laughingthrush.

Day 5 Wawushan to Wolong(280km 5hrs),

After morning birding session, we’ll then drive to Wolong

Siyou Hotel, Wolong

Day 6 to 8__Full day Birding in Balangshan for the endemics.

Siyou Hotel, Wolong

Balangshan has an impressive avifauna. It's in the region of alpine meadows and jagged, snow-covered peaks.  We will be able to explore areas from the valley at about 2700m right up to the pass of snow mountain at about 4500m. We will do birding among the surrounding peaks rising to over 5500m and could even see the magnificent peak of Mt.Siguniang. The Wolong Giant Panda reserve is located at the foot of Balangshan in northwest of Sichuan. It is known as the headquarters of the World Wildlife Fund, to save the species from extinction, especially pandas.

The prime endemic birds you may see here are:

Tibetan Snowcock, Snow Partridge, Chinese Monal. Grandalas,  Wood Snipe, White Eared Pheasant, Firethroat, Chestnut-headed Tesias, Koklass Pheasants, Temminck's Tragopan, Golden Pheasant, Kessler's and Chestnut Thrushes, Chinese Leaf Warbler, Spectacled Parrotbill, Barred Laughingthrush, White-browed and Crested Tit Wabler, Slaty Bunting, Black-browed and White-browedTit,.

Other birds such as: Alpine Accentors, Lammergeier, Red-breasted Rosefinches, Himalayan Griffon Vulture, Plain and Brandt's Mountain Finches, Plumbeous Redstarts, River Chat (or White-capped Redstart), Spotted Bush Warbler, Tickell's Leaf Warbler, Rufous-bellied Niltava, the splendidly, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Spotted Nutcracker, Red-billed and Alpine Choughs, Dark-breast, Pink-rumped, Vinaceous, White-browed, Chinese Beautiful, Spot-winged, Red fronted and Streaked Rosefinches,  Common Buzzard, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Golden Eagle, Common Kestrel, White-browed Fulvetta, the Yellow-browed and Fire-capped Tits, Grey-crested Tit, Common (or Ring-necked) Pheasant, Snow Pigeon, Common Cuckoo, White-throated Needle-tail, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Asian House Martin, Olive-backed and Rosy Pipits, White-throated Dipper, White-tailed Rubythroat, Indian Blue Robin, White-browed Bush Robin, Blue-fronted, Daurian Redstart, little Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler.

Day 9 Wenchuan to Chengdu

Early morning drive to Wenchuan for the Golden Pheasant(100km, 2.5hrs), and back to Chengdu Airport in the late aternoon(150km, 3hrs).

Day 10 Chengdu to Xinyang

Fly from Chengdu to Xinyang, and pick up by local to the Reeve’s pheasant site villiage for overnight.

Day 11 Reeve’s pheasant hide

Full day Reeve's pheasant photographing. And possibly the Crested Ibis nearby

Overnight in Xinyang.

Day 12 Xinyang to Emeifeng

Make full use of the morning time for the birds, then take a bullet train(6.5hrs) to Mt. Emeifeng in Fujian Province.

Day 13-14, Mt. Emeifeng

Dedicate the day to birdwatching at Emei Feng, focusing on finding Cabot's Tragopan, Elliot's Pheasant, Koklass Pheasant, Silver Pheasants, and both White-necklaced and Chinese Bamboo Partridges. Additional species to look for include Buffy Laughingthrush, Mustached Laughingthrush, Indo-Chinese Yuhinas, Black-chinned Yuhinas, Chestnut Bulbul, Rufous-faced Warbler, Kloss’s Leaf Warbler, White-spectacled Warbler, Small Niltava, Spotted Elachura, Blyth’s Shrike-Babbler, Huet’s Fulvetta, Buff-throated Warbler, Brown Bush Warbler, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Large Hawk-Cuckoo, Lesser Cuckoos, Collared Owlet, Bay Woodpecker, Great Barbet, Grey-chinned Minivet, White-bellied Erpornis, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Sultan Tit, Black-throated Bushtit, Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Sulphur-breasted Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Mountain Black Bulbul, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler, Pygmy Wren-Babbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Red-billed Leiothrix, Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush, Blue Whistling-Thrush, Little Forktail, Spotted Forktail, Slaty-backed Forktail, White-crowned Forktail, Orange-bellied Leafbird, and the rare Brown-chested Jungle Flycatcher, Grey-headed Parrotbill.

Day 15, Departure from Sanming Airport.

Departure from Sanming Airport, tour finish. There are flights connecting to Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, may not every day to all the cities