Welcome to Birdquest

SOUTHERN CHINA

Sunday 8th May - Saturday 28th May 2011
(21 days)

Leader: Mark Beaman

Group Size Limit: 9

Tour Category: Easy at times, but mostly Moderate

(Note: This is a summary of the tour. The detailed itinerary will be published at a later date.)

China is a huge country and with a birdlist of over 1300 species, including numerous endemics and regional specialities, there is a lot to see in this fascinating and fast-developing country. Many birders have visited China, but the south of the country remains relatively under-birded, yet has some wonderful birds that rank amongst the most interesting in Asia.

This tour sets out to fill the gap and is the most comprehensive bird tour of Southern China available, producing more of the endemics and specialities of the region than any other.

We begin our journey at Shanghai, where nearby Chongming Island holds the large and attractive Chinese Reed Parrotbill and the unusual Japanese Swamp Warbler (or Japanese Marsh Warbler).

From here we head westwards into the interior, first exploring the Wuyuan area where the extremely rare and range-restricted Courtois’s Laughingthrush (split from Yellow-throated) has its few known colonies and other good birds include such near-endemics as Collared Finchbill, Hwamei, Masked Laughingthrush, Red-billed Starling and Fork-tailed Sunbird, as well as Mandarin Duck, the rare and localized Pied Falconet, the endemic Chinese Bamboo Partridge and Swinhoe’s Minivet (which is restricted to China as a breeding species).

Now it is time to ‘head for the hills’ as we climb up to Wuyi Shan on the border between Jiangxi and Fujian provinces. Here the star attraction is the superb endemic Cabot’s Tragopan (this is definitely the best place in southeast China for seeing this star bird), but a strong supporting cast includes such endemics as Rickett’s Partridge, Hartert’s Leaf Warbler (split from Blyth’s Leaf; this form may winter outside China as well as inside, so may not be a strict endemic), Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler (split from Spot-breasted), Buffy Laughingthrush (split from Rusty), Père David’s Fulvetta (split from Grey-cheeked) and Fujian Fulvetta (split from Streak-throated), as well as near-endemics such as Chestnut Bulbul, Moustached Laughingthrush and Dusky Fulvetta. Other specialities include Kloss’s Warbler (split from White-tailed), Plain-tailed (or Alström’s) Warbler and the restricted range Short-tailed Parrotbill. If we are extremely lucky the endemic Elliot’s Pheasant will put in an appearance, but this is one of China’s most difficult specialities.

From Wuyishan we make our way to Jiulianshan in southernmost Jiangxi. Our reason for coming to this little-visited corner of the province is to see the endangered and rarely-seen White-eared Night-Heron at one of the few known reliable sites.

Next we travel further to the southwest to Guangxi province. At the Nonggang nature reserve we will be seeking the recently-described Nonggang Babbler (plus the lovely White-winged Magpie, Hainan Blue Flycatcher and Streaked Wren-Babbler), while at Dayao Shan (or Yao Shan) we will be looking for the lovely but highly localized endemic Gold-fronted Fulvetta, the beautiful Silver Oriole (which breeds only in southern China) and Chinese Barbet (split from Black-browed).

Our penultimate port of call is the subtropical island of Hainan, situated just off China’s far southern coast. Here the endemic Hainan Partridge will be a prime target as will the endemic Hainan Barbet (split from Black-browed), the endemic Hainan Leaf Warbler and the restricted-range Yellow-billed Nuthatch. If we are really in luck we will encounter the very shy Hainan Peacock-Pheasant (split from Grey).

Finally we will visit the estuary of the Min River near Fuzhou in Fujian province, for this interesting locality has recently proven reliable from mid-May onwards for the critically endangered Chinese Crested Tern.

By the time we return to Shanghai at the conclusion of our journey we will have seen a whole series of special birds and visited places in China that few birders have ever had the chance to explore.

Birdquest has operated tours to the southern region of China since 1984.

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are mostly of normal Birdquest standard. Some hotels or guesthouses are fairly simple, but all rooms have private bathrooms. Road transport is by small coach and roads are mostly good.

Walking: The walking effort is easy to moderate.

Climate: Rather variable. At lower altitudes it is generally warm or hot (and often rather humid), whilst at higher altitudes temperatures range from cool to warm. At this season sunny periods alternate with rainy, overcast weather.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.

Pricing

Pricing is available in £ | $

Tour Price: $6620 Shanghai/Shanghai. Price includes all transportation (including all flights inside China), all accommodations, all meals, bottled water, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: $690.

Deposit: $660. If booking more than 12 months before departure, the initial deposit is only $220.

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

Pricing is available in £ | $