Wild China - Sichuan's Birds & Mammals

With its spectacular mountain forests and high alpine meadows, Sichuan is the very essence of wild China. The mammals and birds of this diverse province are a rare mix of the temperate and subtropical, for Sichuan sits in a biological transition zone where the wildlife of the vast Palearctic realm merges with the Indomalayan fauna and flora to the south. Indeed, this is one the most diverse regions on Earth and is home to a superb variety of exciting and endemic birds, mammals and other wildlife. This action-packed tour will take us from the beautiful forests of Labahe to the high grasslands on the edge of the vast Tibetan Plateau, past Wolong – the largest Giant Panda reserve – and into the lush forests of Tangjiahe, one of the region’s premier mammal-watching hotspots! It not only offers the chance to look for such iconic mammals as Red Panda, Pallas’s Cat, Tibetan Fox, Tibetan Wolf and Golden Takin, but an array of exciting birds that should include Golden Pheasant, White-browed Tit-warbler, Pink-rumped Rosefinch and the beautiful Grandala.

Our tour begins with a flight to Chengdu, via Hong Kong, from where we journey south to Labahe Nature Reserve, stopping for a night at Dujiangyan en route. We will be based at Labahe for three nights while we search for one of China’s most endearing animals, the attractive Red Panda. Here, amongst the alpine conifers and bamboo understorey, we have an excellent chance of finding this iconic species gorging on berries before the onset of winter. Like their larger namesake, for much of the year Red Pandas feed primarily on bamboo, but during the autumn and early winter, they will often climb to the top of broad-leaved trees to feed on berries. Other mammals of note here include Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrel (the largest in the world), Tibetan Macaque and Sambar Deer, alongside such beautiful birds as Red-billed Blue Magpie and, for the fortunate, perhaps even the elusive Temminck’s Tragopan! We will explore Labahe Nature Reserve on a series of daytime walks and after-dinner spotlighting drives.

Continuing our journey yet deeper into the Hengduan Mountains, we travel through the centre of Wolong National Nature Reserve, China’s largest Giant Panda reserve which covers over 2,000 square kilometres. Whilst this enigmatic species is largely confined to the inaccessible upper slopes of the mountains and very unlikely to be seen, we hope to find an exciting variety of other mammals and birds including White-eared Pheasant, Güldenstädt’s Redstart and Himalayan Blue Sheep. Moving on, we will climb further onto the Ruoergai Grasslands on the eastern edge of the great Tibetan Plateau and part of the ancient kingdom of Kham. Here, amongst this spectacular landscape, we spend three nights whilst searching for Tibetan Wolf, Tibetan Fox and Tibetan Gazelle. Attracted by the abundance of Plateau Pika that inhabit the high alpine grasslands at 3,500 metres, Ruoergai now has a reputation for being one of the best places in the world for seeing both Pallas’s and Chinese Mountain Cats! This vast montane grassland and marshland here are home to an equally exciting variety of birds including such Tibetan specialties as Black-necked Crane, Hume’s Ground Tit, White-rumped and Rufous-necked Snowfinches and Przevalski’s Finch. Other birds to look out for include Lammergeier, Godlewski’s Bunting and the iridescent blue Grandala.

At nearby Baxi we will visit an area of upland forest to look for a range of ungulates that could include Chinese (White-maned) Serow, Siberian Roe Deer, Tufted Deer and Thomas’s Pika. Spotlighting here at first light and after dinner may yield Asian Badger and Woolly Hare.

After one night in Pingwu – from where we explore the nearby forests in search of such birds as Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Spectacled Fulvetta and Slaty Bunting – we conclude our Sichuan tour in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, a world-renowned mammal-watching hotspot covering over 400 square kilometres of mountains, forest and high meadows. Here we will spend three nights whilst we search for such mammals as Golden Takin, Chinese Serow, Chinese Goral, Hog-nosed Badger, Chinese Leopard Cat, Himalayan Palm Civet and Malayan Porcupine. If luck is on our side, there is even a chance of other more elusive rarities including Asian Black Bear, Forest Musk Deer, Chinese Ferret Badger and the bizarre Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. The birdlife is equally diverse and includes Tawny Fish Owl, White-crowned Forktail, Elliot’s Laughingthrush, Red-billed Leothrix, Himalayan Bluetail and Golden Pheasant.

Finally, and having come full circle, we return to the city of Chengdu for our final night in China before flying back home the following day.