Birding SE Sichuan 

With access on slow truck infested roads, South East Sichuan used to be an out of the way location for visiting birders. Those who went inevitably made for Laojunshan reserve and the hope of finding the extreme range restricted Sichuan Partridge. Even when you got to site there was then the hassle and expense of permits, entry fee and sometimes an obligatory, often useless, local guide. Luckily, that seems to have changed for good. Infrastructure has been improved and now hours have been shaved off the travel time with new expressway road networks. And when you get into the area, new sites have opened up – there are now feeding sites and hides available for viewing the Partridge. This is good news, since the bird is an arch skulker – belonging to that group of species that are fairly easy to hear but so very difficult to locate. Also present are some of the most iconic of Sichuan birds: Temminck's Tragopan, Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Emei Liocichla, Buffy Laughingthrush. Red-winged Laughingthrush. Accommodation is simple homestay style - but the food provided is fine and you get private bathrooms with hot showers. and most having sit down western style toilets. Drive time is around 3.5hours from the Chengdu Airports.

Photos taken during 2023/24 trips

ZZ's Photos pre-Covid

The area also gives chances for other prime ticks. The breeding endemic Silver Oriole is now seen regularly at one site in the SE and another bird in the same area is Chinese Green Magpie.