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18 months in Shanghai: March 2012 - August 2013 (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter McMadd
- Start date
Colin Clark
Wishing I could get out more...!
Hey Mark (or Zhang Lin).... I am still planning a trip to the Fairy Pitta temple site. Just a quick question - Would I be able to pick up a taxi back in NJ from there easily enough or should I plan to get my outbound taxi to wait or return for me? Thanks - Colin
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Hi Colin
We initially hired a cab to take us there and wait but as he nearly fell asleep at the wheel on the 10km journey to the site he was dismissed and the plan evolved to "worry about it later..."
It seems a fairly well visited site and we were able to pick up a taxi that had just dropped other folk off.
It may be more sensible to have a number to call for one as back up but I can't help with that I'm afraid...when you thinking of going?
br
Mark
We initially hired a cab to take us there and wait but as he nearly fell asleep at the wheel on the 10km journey to the site he was dismissed and the plan evolved to "worry about it later..."
It seems a fairly well visited site and we were able to pick up a taxi that had just dropped other folk off.
It may be more sensible to have a number to call for one as back up but I can't help with that I'm afraid...when you thinking of going?
br
Mark
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Cheers Mike
Hadn't had time to search for "Chinese frog with strip down body" yet so you've saved me a job there...!
Wuyuan certainly a cracking place...I shall be back as there's the small matter of them pesky mergs in the winter...
Still got Saturday "later" to write up yet and Sunday morning wasn't too shabby either ;D
ATB
Mark
Hadn't had time to search for "Chinese frog with strip down body" yet so you've saved me a job there...!
Wuyuan certainly a cracking place...I shall be back as there's the small matter of them pesky mergs in the winter...
Still got Saturday "later" to write up yet and Sunday morning wasn't too shabby either ;D
ATB
Mark
Colin Clark
Wishing I could get out more...!
Going Sunday (tomorrow). Met up with Jeff this evening and an early start!
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Wuyuan't half hot and sweaty...but I like you...
...or...
Later that day...
Arriving back at base c.0900 we had various admin things to do plus our man at the wheel was feeling the effects of yesterday's long haul across from Shanghai so the decision was made to take a time out to rest then have an early brunch before the noon's entertainment...to this end we met at 1100 and headed across the street for a Muslim cafe for oodles of noodles and a gathering of the clans as some acquaintances from Beijing turned up with some cracking images from their mornings birding...
Over lunch we agreed to follow in their footsteps for the afternoon...grateful that they were prepared to be our guides. Also present was a new friend who we agreed to meet on Sunday morning to go in search of...well...more of that later...
So, leaving the amused locals to finish their meals without our 3-table council of war as a backdrop to their happy slurping we headed off N from Wuyuan...
Slowly we made our way along the road to a site our Beijing friends had found that morning...the hope being the birds would still be around and sure enough as we arrived at another small village accessed by a low bridge over the river we were greeted by a fly-by Black Baza. No opportunity to grab pictures like they had in the morning but good views none-the-less. As we slowly explored we found good numbers of Red-billed Starling on the overhead wires.
Other commoner species we found in the area and en route included Collared Finchbill, Cattle Egret, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Chinese Bulbul, Common Kingfisher, White Wagtail, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Plumbeous Water-redstart and Oriental Magpie-robin.
As we began to feel we had seen all there was to see, Dev called a flying heron which proceeded to land in the rice paddies on the village outskirts and, as we back-tracked, gave good photo-ops to all..."it" being a cracking Black Bittern. Add to that a Brown Crake Dev spied as a local tended the fields and we were well satisfied as we returned to our vehicles to head back through Wuyuan to a site S of the town...
En route, I managed to see an interesting bird on the wires that with a quick reverse manoeuvre saw us get gripping shots of a perched-up Black-capped Kingfisher...
...or...
Later that day...
Arriving back at base c.0900 we had various admin things to do plus our man at the wheel was feeling the effects of yesterday's long haul across from Shanghai so the decision was made to take a time out to rest then have an early brunch before the noon's entertainment...to this end we met at 1100 and headed across the street for a Muslim cafe for oodles of noodles and a gathering of the clans as some acquaintances from Beijing turned up with some cracking images from their mornings birding...
Over lunch we agreed to follow in their footsteps for the afternoon...grateful that they were prepared to be our guides. Also present was a new friend who we agreed to meet on Sunday morning to go in search of...well...more of that later...
So, leaving the amused locals to finish their meals without our 3-table council of war as a backdrop to their happy slurping we headed off N from Wuyuan...
Slowly we made our way along the road to a site our Beijing friends had found that morning...the hope being the birds would still be around and sure enough as we arrived at another small village accessed by a low bridge over the river we were greeted by a fly-by Black Baza. No opportunity to grab pictures like they had in the morning but good views none-the-less. As we slowly explored we found good numbers of Red-billed Starling on the overhead wires.
Other commoner species we found in the area and en route included Collared Finchbill, Cattle Egret, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Chinese Bulbul, Common Kingfisher, White Wagtail, Vinous-throated Parrotbill, Plumbeous Water-redstart and Oriental Magpie-robin.
As we began to feel we had seen all there was to see, Dev called a flying heron which proceeded to land in the rice paddies on the village outskirts and, as we back-tracked, gave good photo-ops to all..."it" being a cracking Black Bittern. Add to that a Brown Crake Dev spied as a local tended the fields and we were well satisfied as we returned to our vehicles to head back through Wuyuan to a site S of the town...
En route, I managed to see an interesting bird on the wires that with a quick reverse manoeuvre saw us get gripping shots of a perched-up Black-capped Kingfisher...
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Wuyuan't half hot and sweaty...but I like you...
...or...
...Painting by numbers...
Quickly we headed south, passing efficiently through Wuyuan town once more and on down winding lanes until we arrived at a village on the southern shore of a decently sized lake...our "tour leaders" had seen some good luck here that morning as evidenced by the frame-filling shots we'd drooled over during lunch...we hoped to emulate their good fortune...
It was here that they would take their leave and leave us to our own devices...it was we said our goodbyes that Dev spied target number one...a female flew swiftly over the car and we watcher her sail into the rice paddies and land...superb! We hastened our farewells and quickly made our way to the village crossroads where we parked up and prepared to access the paddies despite the cautions of the matriarchs who decreed the path “difficult”...it was...as difficult as those we'd walked while stalking the Black Bittern that morning...in other words...not very difficult...by now we'd seen a male arrive to join his lady love so things looked interesting...
Certainly not as difficult as locating our quarry proved to be...we edged around the narrow paths and at a “paddy's distance” I spied the lady we were looking for sat in the grass where a cultivated paddy turned fallow at the halfway mark of it's length...”record” shots in the bag we cautiously made our way closer and...lost the bloody things! How could so vibrant a bird disappear? Well it did and unfortunately the next view we had was as the pair exploded at Dev's feet...rocketing away low towards the lake...Greater Painted-snipe on the list, seen well but leaving me wanting more...not today though...
After this excitement we made our way to the edge of the fields and got distracted by several laughingthrushes bouncing around in the low trees and on the overhead power cables...two species...Masked and White-browed Laughingthrushes. Our presence was obviously making one of the local farmers a little nervous...well how would you react to a yank, a pom and and a Hindu arriving mob-handed with strange, large devices (the cameras) slung over their shoulders who proceed to wander over your property...bizarre and disturbing...
Some banter with the village kids and the handing our of business cards seemed to restore the goodwill and, after snapping a very obliging Oriental Magpie-robin, we ambled back to the car where Dev, feeling a little under the weather, took advantage of the village surgery being open for a swift examination and I spent the time stalking Bluebottles...no not a Goon come to life nor a fly prone to buzz over untended food but a stunning butterfly “blessed” with an average, at best, name...far too noble a best for such and epiteph!
Looking at the list for our couple of hours here we didn't do too shabbily, which is another way of saying...here's a list of what we saw...Black Drongos flycatching; Chinese Pond Herons by the bucketfull; Red-billed Starlings and Crested Mynas attending the guys “ploughing” the paddy; Barn Swallows swooping over the fields and lake; Black-backed Wagtail (or White Wagtail if you perfer); Black-collared Starling; Masked Laughingthrush; White-browed Laughingthrush; Long-tailed shrike; Red-rumped Swallows; Blackbird; Great Tit...washed out consisting mainly of white and grey; Pied and White-breasted Kingfishers...the Pied plunge-diving into the lake and the White-breasted scanning from the overhead wires...one pair of Greater Painted-snipe...the only disappointment being no sign of the Watercock pair our friends had snapped rather well that morning here...in the heat of the day can it be called a disappointment if you dip a crepuscular bird?!
The decision was made to follow the road further south and we wound our way down a valley similar to that we'd driven that morning...oh so long ago now...this one ending at a temple of modern construction complete with ample parking that looks like it has dropped off the tourist trail, deserted as it was...the high points being that the rain didn't stick; a pair of Brown Crakes showing much better than the brief views I'd had earlier that afternoon in the northern adventure and the quizzical little girl stood in the doorway of her home not quite sure what the car stopped outside was doing...too good a picture not to take...
Light fading but still no Watercock and we headed back to base for a quick spruce up and then back to the Noodle-doodle cafe for more of the same with added chit-chat and a couple of Saturday night beers before a quick confirmatory call to make sure the Sunday adventure was on and so to bed...0545 was the agreed pick-up time...
...or...
...Painting by numbers...
Quickly we headed south, passing efficiently through Wuyuan town once more and on down winding lanes until we arrived at a village on the southern shore of a decently sized lake...our "tour leaders" had seen some good luck here that morning as evidenced by the frame-filling shots we'd drooled over during lunch...we hoped to emulate their good fortune...
It was here that they would take their leave and leave us to our own devices...it was we said our goodbyes that Dev spied target number one...a female flew swiftly over the car and we watcher her sail into the rice paddies and land...superb! We hastened our farewells and quickly made our way to the village crossroads where we parked up and prepared to access the paddies despite the cautions of the matriarchs who decreed the path “difficult”...it was...as difficult as those we'd walked while stalking the Black Bittern that morning...in other words...not very difficult...by now we'd seen a male arrive to join his lady love so things looked interesting...
Certainly not as difficult as locating our quarry proved to be...we edged around the narrow paths and at a “paddy's distance” I spied the lady we were looking for sat in the grass where a cultivated paddy turned fallow at the halfway mark of it's length...”record” shots in the bag we cautiously made our way closer and...lost the bloody things! How could so vibrant a bird disappear? Well it did and unfortunately the next view we had was as the pair exploded at Dev's feet...rocketing away low towards the lake...Greater Painted-snipe on the list, seen well but leaving me wanting more...not today though...
After this excitement we made our way to the edge of the fields and got distracted by several laughingthrushes bouncing around in the low trees and on the overhead power cables...two species...Masked and White-browed Laughingthrushes. Our presence was obviously making one of the local farmers a little nervous...well how would you react to a yank, a pom and and a Hindu arriving mob-handed with strange, large devices (the cameras) slung over their shoulders who proceed to wander over your property...bizarre and disturbing...
Some banter with the village kids and the handing our of business cards seemed to restore the goodwill and, after snapping a very obliging Oriental Magpie-robin, we ambled back to the car where Dev, feeling a little under the weather, took advantage of the village surgery being open for a swift examination and I spent the time stalking Bluebottles...no not a Goon come to life nor a fly prone to buzz over untended food but a stunning butterfly “blessed” with an average, at best, name...far too noble a best for such and epiteph!
Looking at the list for our couple of hours here we didn't do too shabbily, which is another way of saying...here's a list of what we saw...Black Drongos flycatching; Chinese Pond Herons by the bucketfull; Red-billed Starlings and Crested Mynas attending the guys “ploughing” the paddy; Barn Swallows swooping over the fields and lake; Black-backed Wagtail (or White Wagtail if you perfer); Black-collared Starling; Masked Laughingthrush; White-browed Laughingthrush; Long-tailed shrike; Red-rumped Swallows; Blackbird; Great Tit...washed out consisting mainly of white and grey; Pied and White-breasted Kingfishers...the Pied plunge-diving into the lake and the White-breasted scanning from the overhead wires...one pair of Greater Painted-snipe...the only disappointment being no sign of the Watercock pair our friends had snapped rather well that morning here...in the heat of the day can it be called a disappointment if you dip a crepuscular bird?!
The decision was made to follow the road further south and we wound our way down a valley similar to that we'd driven that morning...oh so long ago now...this one ending at a temple of modern construction complete with ample parking that looks like it has dropped off the tourist trail, deserted as it was...the high points being that the rain didn't stick; a pair of Brown Crakes showing much better than the brief views I'd had earlier that afternoon in the northern adventure and the quizzical little girl stood in the doorway of her home not quite sure what the car stopped outside was doing...too good a picture not to take...
Light fading but still no Watercock and we headed back to base for a quick spruce up and then back to the Noodle-doodle cafe for more of the same with added chit-chat and a couple of Saturday night beers before a quick confirmatory call to make sure the Sunday adventure was on and so to bed...0545 was the agreed pick-up time...
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Wuyuan't half hot and sweaty...but I like you...
...or...
...into the "Valley of the Parrotbills"...
0545 saw us whizzing through the streets of Wuyuan asking bemused passers-by for directions at each junction...at 0600 we had arrived at our rendezvous and collected our guide of the morning...
Following his directions we headed out into the countryside until we arrived at another small village by a reasonably sized river and we quickly accessed a small valley with dense mixed bamboo and broadleaf woodland on each side and cultivated rice paddies along the bottom.
Single-file paths led us slowly through the undergrowth and birds began to make themselves known by voice and snatched glimpses...first up was another new one for me as we put together an identikit Rufous-capped Babbler before it gave itself up properly by perching in profile view on an exposed branch underneath the tangle...sweet!
A little further on a White-crowned Forktail flitted up ahead of us before posing and then hopping over the vegetation and away.
We checked one potential spot for our quarry but the undergrowth had, unsurprisingly when you think about it, grown rather a lot since our man had been there earlier in the year and was inaccessible today...on up the gently rising valley we went attended by a noisy pair of Grey-headed Lapwing...are they ever not noisy?!
Cattle Egret and Chinese Pond Heron were in evidence among the paddies taking an interest in the farmer driving his water buffalo round one flooded paddy and stirring up breakfast for them and the equally attendant Crested Mynas.
Chinese Bulbul were also about and a Common Kingfisher sat on the other side of a bush but flew before a portrait was possible. Four Eastern Spot-billed Duck busied themselves flying back and forth along the valley.
We settled ourselves at a natural amphitheatre and began to listen and watch for our morning’s target bird...distractions came in the form of a party of Greater-necklaced Laughingthrush; a pair of Collared Finchbill; what eventually gave itself up to be a Fork-tailed Sunbird staying high in the canopy except for one brief foray down to eye-level but calling constantly.
Our guide grabbed my M&P and pointed out the owner of one particular call was a Spot-breasted Scimitar-babbler...sadly while calling activity was high, showing oneself to the nice people wasn't and it remained a “heard only” bird...
Eventually some chattering calls were heard in the bamboo and we strained for views of the owners...parrotbills! Soon a small party of Grey-headed Parrotbills came into view bouncing through the vegetation, occasionally sitting still for good views to be obtained but the camera stayed by my side...close and a welcome sighting but not the main attraction that was possibly on today's menu...
The morning wore on and we explored around our “base camp” where after some time the bird activity became a little repetitive...we were seeing all the same birds and species...butterflies and other insect life were in close attendance but of our most prized target...no sign...
Dev and Lily began the slow walk back and I followed not far behind...Craig and our guide brought up the rear...and you've already guessed what was about to happen...
Dev and Lily had turned off the path to access one of the paddies and get a view of the canopy while I lingered trying to get a shot of one of the Grey-headed Parrotbills when suddenly his shout had me careering down the path...”I have them! I have the parrotbills!!” It was a panic stations situation as I cast around looking for Dev, his access to the viewing area and the birds themselves!!
Twittering and shapes overhead...three small...short-tailed ...silhouettes directly overhead!! Our guide squatted down and nodded and grinned...these were our targets but all was seeing was shapes and hearing their voices...nothing for it so I headed “off piste” and through a tangle of thorny branches to the open field below...bleeding from a head wound (well a small scratch but...) I turned to view the now empty greenery...the birds were moving uphill when we saw them from inside the canopy and while I moved downhill to get an unrestricted view, they went up, up and away...
A moderate amount of sweaty, sweary Anglo-Saxon ensued...
We paused a while to catch our breath and congratulate Dev on his lifer. Butterflies and insects reappeared and were joined by a smart White-rumped Munia busy collecting nesting material that posed to be snapped for posterity...
Once again we picked ourselves up as it became obvious the birds weren't coming back this way any time soon. I led the way and once again our party broke up as we made our own pace...coming to a narrow neck to the valley before we joined the river bank again I paused...our guide had said on the way up that he'd seen the birds here before and as I stood listening a twittering sound came from across the valley and I noted a plant stem moving in that way when you know a bird is gonna pop up in view...raising my bins I focused on the area and...there it was! Unbelievable!! An orange head atop a small body with the requisite short tail appeared in full view, hopped up and then dropped down...
It was over in a matter of seconds and I seriously wondered if I hadn't imagined it all...the bird was still calling as Dev arrived but didn't show again and it ceased calling as it presumably moved off and away...Short-tailed Parrotbill...not an easy “China bird” had just made the weekend that bit more memorable!!
As we stood there discussing my sighting...was I trying to talk myself into or out of it?!...I think the heat and lack of fluid may have been playing a part here...a flying bird came in to view making it's way down the valley...just another pond heron...but! Wait!! A “pond heron” with a long white tail?! Pheasant-tailed Jacana!! A smart bird that passed directly overhead allowing great views.
We continued the last leg of our trek along the river bank to the village where hundreds of white butterflies attended orchids along the path. But the birding gods had one final hand to deal as we became aware of a pair of plover on a gravel island in the river...Long-billed Plover at that! A species I'd seen at “that” Ibisbill site N of Beijing in 2008 so it was nice to renew our acquaintance.
Finally we all gathered ourselves back at the car and headed off back to Wuyuan well-pleased with our new friends skills and willingness to give up his Sunday morning at short notice...many thanks!! Once we'd dropped him off we headed back to our hotel to freshen up, check out and take lunch in our new favourite restaurant with another sumptuous noodle meal.
As Dev, Lily and I were leaving on the 1530 bus and as the weather was a little less friendly we idled away the time to our departure and recovered from our most strenuous day of the weekend...the heat and humidity in the “Valley of the Parrotbills” was a little wearing and tearing!
That then wraps things up for our Wuyuan adventure...an uneventful 6 hour bus journey back to Shanghai South followed by a metro to various homes across the city and the chance to prepare for the following weeks work with a relatively sensible evening...
I think a return trip later this year will be in order...there's the small matter of a certain merganser spp. and our guide tells us that better views of the parrotbills may be possible then too...
...or...
...into the "Valley of the Parrotbills"...
0545 saw us whizzing through the streets of Wuyuan asking bemused passers-by for directions at each junction...at 0600 we had arrived at our rendezvous and collected our guide of the morning...
Following his directions we headed out into the countryside until we arrived at another small village by a reasonably sized river and we quickly accessed a small valley with dense mixed bamboo and broadleaf woodland on each side and cultivated rice paddies along the bottom.
Single-file paths led us slowly through the undergrowth and birds began to make themselves known by voice and snatched glimpses...first up was another new one for me as we put together an identikit Rufous-capped Babbler before it gave itself up properly by perching in profile view on an exposed branch underneath the tangle...sweet!
A little further on a White-crowned Forktail flitted up ahead of us before posing and then hopping over the vegetation and away.
We checked one potential spot for our quarry but the undergrowth had, unsurprisingly when you think about it, grown rather a lot since our man had been there earlier in the year and was inaccessible today...on up the gently rising valley we went attended by a noisy pair of Grey-headed Lapwing...are they ever not noisy?!
Cattle Egret and Chinese Pond Heron were in evidence among the paddies taking an interest in the farmer driving his water buffalo round one flooded paddy and stirring up breakfast for them and the equally attendant Crested Mynas.
Chinese Bulbul were also about and a Common Kingfisher sat on the other side of a bush but flew before a portrait was possible. Four Eastern Spot-billed Duck busied themselves flying back and forth along the valley.
We settled ourselves at a natural amphitheatre and began to listen and watch for our morning’s target bird...distractions came in the form of a party of Greater-necklaced Laughingthrush; a pair of Collared Finchbill; what eventually gave itself up to be a Fork-tailed Sunbird staying high in the canopy except for one brief foray down to eye-level but calling constantly.
Our guide grabbed my M&P and pointed out the owner of one particular call was a Spot-breasted Scimitar-babbler...sadly while calling activity was high, showing oneself to the nice people wasn't and it remained a “heard only” bird...
Eventually some chattering calls were heard in the bamboo and we strained for views of the owners...parrotbills! Soon a small party of Grey-headed Parrotbills came into view bouncing through the vegetation, occasionally sitting still for good views to be obtained but the camera stayed by my side...close and a welcome sighting but not the main attraction that was possibly on today's menu...
The morning wore on and we explored around our “base camp” where after some time the bird activity became a little repetitive...we were seeing all the same birds and species...butterflies and other insect life were in close attendance but of our most prized target...no sign...
Dev and Lily began the slow walk back and I followed not far behind...Craig and our guide brought up the rear...and you've already guessed what was about to happen...
Dev and Lily had turned off the path to access one of the paddies and get a view of the canopy while I lingered trying to get a shot of one of the Grey-headed Parrotbills when suddenly his shout had me careering down the path...”I have them! I have the parrotbills!!” It was a panic stations situation as I cast around looking for Dev, his access to the viewing area and the birds themselves!!
Twittering and shapes overhead...three small...short-tailed ...silhouettes directly overhead!! Our guide squatted down and nodded and grinned...these were our targets but all was seeing was shapes and hearing their voices...nothing for it so I headed “off piste” and through a tangle of thorny branches to the open field below...bleeding from a head wound (well a small scratch but...) I turned to view the now empty greenery...the birds were moving uphill when we saw them from inside the canopy and while I moved downhill to get an unrestricted view, they went up, up and away...
A moderate amount of sweaty, sweary Anglo-Saxon ensued...
We paused a while to catch our breath and congratulate Dev on his lifer. Butterflies and insects reappeared and were joined by a smart White-rumped Munia busy collecting nesting material that posed to be snapped for posterity...
Once again we picked ourselves up as it became obvious the birds weren't coming back this way any time soon. I led the way and once again our party broke up as we made our own pace...coming to a narrow neck to the valley before we joined the river bank again I paused...our guide had said on the way up that he'd seen the birds here before and as I stood listening a twittering sound came from across the valley and I noted a plant stem moving in that way when you know a bird is gonna pop up in view...raising my bins I focused on the area and...there it was! Unbelievable!! An orange head atop a small body with the requisite short tail appeared in full view, hopped up and then dropped down...
It was over in a matter of seconds and I seriously wondered if I hadn't imagined it all...the bird was still calling as Dev arrived but didn't show again and it ceased calling as it presumably moved off and away...Short-tailed Parrotbill...not an easy “China bird” had just made the weekend that bit more memorable!!
As we stood there discussing my sighting...was I trying to talk myself into or out of it?!...I think the heat and lack of fluid may have been playing a part here...a flying bird came in to view making it's way down the valley...just another pond heron...but! Wait!! A “pond heron” with a long white tail?! Pheasant-tailed Jacana!! A smart bird that passed directly overhead allowing great views.
We continued the last leg of our trek along the river bank to the village where hundreds of white butterflies attended orchids along the path. But the birding gods had one final hand to deal as we became aware of a pair of plover on a gravel island in the river...Long-billed Plover at that! A species I'd seen at “that” Ibisbill site N of Beijing in 2008 so it was nice to renew our acquaintance.
Finally we all gathered ourselves back at the car and headed off back to Wuyuan well-pleased with our new friends skills and willingness to give up his Sunday morning at short notice...many thanks!! Once we'd dropped him off we headed back to our hotel to freshen up, check out and take lunch in our new favourite restaurant with another sumptuous noodle meal.
As Dev, Lily and I were leaving on the 1530 bus and as the weather was a little less friendly we idled away the time to our departure and recovered from our most strenuous day of the weekend...the heat and humidity in the “Valley of the Parrotbills” was a little wearing and tearing!
That then wraps things up for our Wuyuan adventure...an uneventful 6 hour bus journey back to Shanghai South followed by a metro to various homes across the city and the chance to prepare for the following weeks work with a relatively sensible evening...
I think a return trip later this year will be in order...there's the small matter of a certain merganser spp. and our guide tells us that better views of the parrotbills may be possible then too...
Attachments
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Wuyuan't half hot and sweaty...but I like you...
Final shots from the "Valley of the Parrotbills"
Final shots from the "Valley of the Parrotbills"
Attachments
thirudevaram
Trapped in mist ***s
"Dog days" are back and have to get out of the migration zone is important to save some birding. Wuyuan is a better place in winter too for the merganser which Mark has told in his last post as well as for the pheasant.
Let's see in the winter whether Taiyuan or Wuyuan:-O
Let's see in the winter whether Taiyuan or Wuyuan:-O
McMadd
You should see the other bloke...
Hi Mike
I think we all might need a very swift trip here...
http://www.chinatibettravel.net/bird-detail.asp?id=55
Got to agree...fabulous area around Wuyuan although the town/city itself is nothing to write home about...
I noticed t'other day I'd made a horrible file mis-naming accident with my Shanghai Munias towards the start of the thread...too late to change things now ;D
ATB
Mark
I think we all might need a very swift trip here...
http://www.chinatibettravel.net/bird-detail.asp?id=55
Got to agree...fabulous area around Wuyuan although the town/city itself is nothing to write home about...
I noticed t'other day I'd made a horrible file mis-naming accident with my Shanghai Munias towards the start of the thread...too late to change things now ;D
ATB
Mark
Exciting write-up ! The juices are flowing now.
Black Baza, Greater Neck-laced, 4 x types of Kingfisher, Pheasant tailed Jacana and of course that delightful Fork Tailed Sunbird have all been added to my shooting list of Wuyuan's most photogenic birds. I'm glad I'm driving otherwise there is no way I could carry all the lenses I'm going to need !
Black Baza, Greater Neck-laced, 4 x types of Kingfisher, Pheasant tailed Jacana and of course that delightful Fork Tailed Sunbird have all been added to my shooting list of Wuyuan's most photogenic birds. I'm glad I'm driving otherwise there is no way I could carry all the lenses I'm going to need !
