Holiday Highlights Sichuan and the Tibetan Plateau 6 ––– 23 June 2015

Guides: Roy Atkins, Philip He andandand Parus YaYaYangYa ngngng

Guests: Jean Brown, Kathy Hilton, Pauline Pothecary, Jane AAtkins,tkins, Lyn and David Maslin, Tony DanburyDanbury,, Alison Cawley and John SScotford,cotford, Lynn and Steve OsbornOsborneeee,, AnAnAndreaAn drea and David King

Day 111:1::: With all our flights on time we arrive in Xi’an at around 6pm, where we are met by Philip, our tour organiser and guide. Travelling to our hotel in the middle of Xi’an we watch the world go by astonished by all the things going on outside! It is a big city with a population comparable to central London and has a huge number of high-rise flats but arranged in blocks so that you get a cluster of them here then another cluster some distance away of a different design. It is very busy with trucks and cars and tuc-tucs and bicycles and loads of motorbikes and vesper mopeds. We are amazed to see an Ikea amongst all the Chinese shops! We look out for our first birds and we're surprised that they are almost all familiar from Europe - Magpie, Barn Swallow, Kestrel, a couple of Cattle Egrets in a field and Common Swifts.

Philip tells us about the city and also fills us in on some Chinese history and talks about the coming trip. He says it is a great itinerary as it includes lots of cultural interest as well as great wildlife. He is a wealth of information and happy to answer all kinds of questions about China and all the recent changes that have happened. We are amazed by the huge variety of clothing being worn from old traditional looking styles to very modern western styles. Our hotel looks straight out at the famous Bell Tower - a superb looking building with Common Swifts diving and screeching around the eaves! After settling in we head out to a nearby restaurant for our evening meal and the tower is all lit up red and green with the swifts just as active in the artificial light.

Our evening meal is absolutely delicious - assuming you like Chinese food! One dish after another is brought to the table and placed on a huge ‘lazy Susan’ so everyone can share. Philip explains what is in each dish and also talks about customs such as tapping the table as a thank you when someone serves you tea. We have chop-stick lessons from Jane and dig in, enjoying the wonderful variety of flavours with warnings going out if we find something particularly spicy!

After a day of travelling many are tired and after the meal head straight to bed but Philip explains that the Muslim Quarter is just a short walk away and so a few of us decide to have a look at this famous part of Xi’an. This proves astonishing with a fabulous street market and incredibly exciting atmosphere like something out of a film!! As well as colourful advertisements lit up all down the roads, the stalls are incredible with all kinds of things on sale. There are lots of food stalls - with various burgers, kebab-like meat on sticks, soup, noodles, whole crabs and small octopuses deep fried on a stick, pigs trotters and lots of sweets. There is a rather nice looking yellow syrupy cake and a type of sweet, flat crunchy stuff a little like toffee but different flavours and we can see how they make this - first stretching the mixture by hooking it over a hook on the wall then pulling and stretching it right across the road before throwing a loop back over the hook and doing it again and again. Then they place this on a surface and two guys whack it with big mallets to flatten it. There are lots of other sweet things you could choose - fudge, sticky balls, fried bananas and what look like small pancakes. One stall has crickets for sale in tiny cages all singing like crazy and another sells kites - long lines of them on a single string with a kite every couple of feet and this is fed out allowing it to rise incredibly high almost vanishing from view!! It is fabulous just to be here but it is getting late and it has been a very long day so we decide that perhaps we really ought to head to bed.

Day 222:2 Today is Terracotta Warriors day! Breakfast is astonishing with a wide variety of different kinds of food on offer from boiled eggs and omelette, baked beans and bacon, to soup and noodles, sushi and a whole variety of stir fried vegetables more typical of a Chinese breakfast. There are croissants, tea and coffee and cakes and fruit and cereal and more!

Well fed we have a bit of a way to travel to get to the Terracotta Warriors so we gather at the bus then enjoy the journey through the city. It is fascinating watching what is going on as we drive through. The parks look very nice and are full of people involved in various activities from Tai Chi or jogging to badminton and dancing, often in groups! Some guys are using a big whip to keep a top spinning, a loud crack of the whip each time they use it. We spot Barn and Red-rumped Swallows, lots more Common Swifts, a Kestrel, Chinese Bulbuls and a couple of Azure-winged Magpies. Tree Sparrows are everywhere and seem to have taken over the role of House Sparrow here nesting in all the buildings!

We pick up Kevin, our guide to the Terracotta Warriors, and he tells us a bit about the history and points out the big mound over to our left - the burial chamber of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who conquered all the other warring states of China and hence united China in 221BC becoming the first Emperor of China. It was he who ordered the making of the Terracotta Warriors to be his army in the afterlife. The tomb looks like a small isolated hill covered in trees and looks surprisingly natural! He had a huge army but after uniting the states of China used them for public works including the unification of diverse state walls into a single Great Wall of China and a massive new national road system, as well as the city-sized mausoleum guarded by the life-sized Terracotta Army. He ruled until his death in 210 BC after a futile search for an elixir of immortality

We arrive at the enormous car park to find a White Wagtail wandering between the cars as they do in UK - but this looks very different being the alboides race with small white patch on a dark head and a black back. We walk through a park- like area with trees and lawns to get to the entrance. At last we have a chance to look at a few birds even though we are meant to be getting to the entrance before it gets too busy. We find Grey-capped Greenfinch, lots of White-cheeked Starlings, Brown-breasted Bulbul, Spotted Dove and Long-tailed Shrike. Tree Sparrows are everywhere and we get great views of Azure-winged Magpie - poor Kevin has a job keeping us moving!

We arrive at the entrance and the birds are forgotten as we enter this enormous building and stare in astonishment at the sight before us. We have all seen photos of this room. We all knew what to expect. But seeing it for real is incredible - the sheer scale of the place is jaw-dropping. Even though the vast majority of the warriors are still buried there are enough that have been put back together and stood in the trenches before us to create an impressive sight indeed with row after row standing to attention in the trenches - horses too. The trenches are deep and filled with row after row of them and each is the size of a man or perhaps slightly bigger. They are not just life size but very accurately dressed in armour of the style of the day and each warrior is an individual with its own individual face with finely modelled features. There are horses too and while the first many rows are all stood facing the front, further back they deteriorate into piles of rubble. This is of course what they were all like when first discovered back in 1974 by farmers digging a well - but many have been painstakingly pieced back together and now are standing proud once more. The process is far from over and we can see a team of students working hard on the next warriors and horses. In places some are loosely put together and held with straps, often with their legs and heads on the floor beside them. Others are almost complete and the gaps have been refilled. But it is the scale of the place that astonishes and the sheer number of warriors and the understanding that there are many more still buried under the soil - and this is only one of the halls! Estimates from 2007 suggest the three pits containing the Terracotta Army hold more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which still remain buried.

We take a crazy number of photos as we walk round then head round to the shop/visitor centre and watch a short video that explains some of the background. We head to the third covered area where we see a much smaller number of warriors and horsemen with many chieftains before finally going to the second area where there is much more variety. In here most of the warriors are still buried or if not then broken into pieces awaiting reconstruction. There are photos showing the colours that were on them when first dug up - colours that faded rapidly with exposure to oxygen. In here were archers, foot soldier and other groups. Some are in superb condition in glass cases so you can see them close up - they even have hair drawn in and tread under their shoes, an amazing level of detail and every one unique. The final room has a display where you can see more heads up close and photos of the colours that were used with a couple of repainted warriors in all their colours. Finally, in one room, are two of the most exquisite pieces to be found - two big bronze cast chariots complete with rider, horses and umbrella! They are astonishing and very detailed and they have pieces of the reins, bridles and weapons in glass cases showing the detail. We come to the end of our visit amazed we have been here for more than three hours and can understand why many people call this the eighth wonder of the world!

Lunch is another great variety of platters of delicious Chinese food typical of the district and although a little spicy for some, others think this may be some of the best food we have ever enjoyed on a Speyside trip!! So many flavours and all cooked to perfection.

We now have a long drive ahead and head out of town and into more open countryside with steep sided mountains appearing in the distance. We pass through large agricultural areas with rice paddies and corn fields and we look out for birds. They are remarkably few and far between - the occasional unidentified pigeon or dove, Tree Sparrows, Barn Swallows and little else we can identify as we drive.

We enter a range of steep sided and completely forested hills. The road winds through them for many miles and after some time we make a stop for a toilet break. Scanning the trees we find Magpies and a couple of Large-billed Crows but nothing else. Sadly the weather is rather grey but we enjoy the scenery and the road itself is an astonishing feat of engineering with very long tunnels straight through some of the mountains and many high bridges over the river which snakes its way down the valley. In some wider valleys there are terraced hillsides with crops - often corn or rice but other crops too - the fields themselves very small and narrow on the steep slopes and apparently all tended by hand.

There are lots of roadworks that slow us down and with us taking longer at the Terracotta Warriors than Philip expected we end up finally arriving at Yang Xi’an at around 8pm so when we arrive at the hotel we head straight into our evening meal - another fabulous array of dishes with lots of chillies and tangy sauces. It has been an amazing day and we are ready for bed.

Day 333:3 There is no need for a very early start this morning so we head to breakfast at around 7:30am and meet Parus - our bird guide for the trip. We get on our way around 9ish, heading to a local village surrounded by paddy fields. There are lots of Cattle Egrets of the eastern form with very colourful heads and a Great Egret flies over while Barn and Red-rumped Swallows hawk low over the fields for insects.

We park in the village and a Chinese Bulbul is perched in the trees right beside us and the obligatory Tree Sparrows are everywhere. Our big target here is Crested Ibis - an exceptionality rare species and for some years thought to be extinct. A small group of seven birds were found here and big effort made to help the species recover so that now there are around 2000 birds. This is still a very small number making it one of the world's rarest birds and this is the only place they are found.

We walk to a bridge over a small river where we find our first Plumbeous Water Redstart and almost immediately a Crested Ibis flies right past us and lands in the paddy field nearby! It is an excellent view but it doesn’t stay long and flies on to another area further away where it disappears from view. Well pleased we continue birding from the bridge for a short time finding Little Egret, White Wagtail, Kingfisher, Red-rumped Swallows, Oriental Turtle Dove and a Chinese Pond Heron flies over.

We walk on to another smaller stream where a Chinese Blackbird is singing from the trees - its song nothing like our Blackbird - hence the split. Walking down a track beside the stream we find another Crested Ibis just below a nest with at last one chick in it then Vinous-throated Parrotbills call from the scrubby growth the other side and a few folk get brief views of them. There are Collared Finchbills on the wires, then it all goes crazy as we discover a whole load of birds flying in and around a small stand of trees. There are at least two Black-naped Orioles, Chinese Bulbuls, White-browed Laughing-thrushes and an Asian Koel all mobbing an Asian Barred Owlet! The Owlet shows well briefly then flies to denser cover where the orioles continue mobbing it. One is briefly chased by a Red-billed Blue Magpie - an astonishing bird! An Indian Cuckoo flies through and all the birds gradually disperse as the owlet goes into hiding.

We continue our walk adding more birds as we go. Another Crested Ibis is above our heads in the trees - this time a young bird and therefore whiter. We spot Japanese White-eye, Black Drongo, Spotted Dove, Japanese Tit (recently split form Great Tit), Brown-breasted Bulbul and a nice little flock of Long-tailed Tits. They are much greyer and scruffier looking than ours with a little black bib! We see occasional Crested Ibis flying by and walking in the fields distantly and there is a huge cage in the distance that we assumed was used for growing some fruits or something but for a few minutes we can see lots of Ibis flying around inside it!! Clearly they have been captive breeding birds to help the population and this is part of the conservation effort. They are a big feature of the local area and appear on the side of the local beer bottles, on street signs and as lamp-post decorations!

We get very good views of a Grey-headed Woodpecker then add Hair-crested Drongo – a noticeably bigger bird than the Common Drongo and with strangely curled up tail tips. We turn and start back towards the road again getting more views of Red-billed Blue Magpie, Hair-crested Drongo and Chinese Blackbirds then almost back at the road find a flock of Black-throated Tits behaving very like Long-tailed Tits in a family group. They are even joined by a Long-tailed Tit flock and Parus tells us they are often together. Finally as we almost arrive back in the village we spot the Asian Barred Owlet now right out in the open on the wires! We get great scope views before walking on then finish with superb close up views of Vinous-throated Parrotbill.

We have a long drive ahead of us so we lay back and watch the world go by. Steep sided forested hills with terraced crops on the lower slopes pass by outside and we enjoy views over wide eroded rivers and spot a monastery high on the peak of one of the hills.

We arrive in a small village at around lunchtime and make a stop in a very small restaurant with just enough room for our group round two tables. As ever the food is fabulous and prepared remarkably quickly and in full view with the kitchen right there beside us. They are clearly very excited to see us eat in their restaurant and Philip explains we are the first Europeans they have ever had to eat there. In fact they are so pleased and excited they start taking pictures of us with their phones and tablets and request that we all join them outside afterwards for a whole group photo with all of us and all of them with the restaurant behind us. It is all great fun and they chatter away noisily and full of excitement as they take photos and we take photos and we all wave goodbye cheerily as we head off. What a fun experience!

This is in some contrast to our toilet stop at a service station where there are lines of bird cages full of exotic looking species. While some are species we may see on our trip a surprising number are birds from either other countries or a long way from here like Brahminy Starlings, lovebirds, cockatiels as well as Red-billed starling, grosbeaks and Red-billed Blue Magpies that have had their tails cut short so they fit in the cage.

Our journey continues westwards through high ridges of wooded hills, the highway similar to yesterday with some of the longest tunnels so far and some very long bridges too. One stretch is mile after mile of road up on a bridge following the valley and you can see it winding along the hillside up ahead and behind - astonishing! We pass a flock of Fork-tailed Swifts but again it seems remarkably quiet for birds.

We come off the main road and start up a very winding road that makes its way higher into the mountains. Gaining height we also have to drive slower which means we do spot occasional birds on wires and in the trees as we drive such as Long-tailed Shrike, Collared Finchbill, Large-billed Crow, Grey Wagtail and Kath spots a Reeve’s Muntjac deer. We reach the entrance to the Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve and then slow down even more as we drive slowly along beside the river. Plumbeous Water Redstarts are on the rocks and we spot other birds flitting across but don’t stop until we reach a more open slope of scrubby bushes and grass above the road. Here we spot two Takins feeding high up the slope and we get out to have a look at them through the scope. They are impressive indeed being quite large, and the large heads and rather bulbous nose give them a very distinctive appearance. A Reeve’s Muntjac Deer is also on the slope and then we discover a Chinese Goral as well. As we are scoping these animals we are aware of birds calling nearby too and searching for a Grey-crowned Warbler we find a nice Claudia’s Warbler instead! It is a very smart bird with dark crown stripes and a long thin pale supercilium and wing bar, and typical of this species it continually flicking its wings, only Jean manages a brief glimpse of the Grey-crowned Warbler. Walking along the road we get excellent views of a displaying male Plumbeous Water Redstart then find a very active flock of Yellow- bellied Tits with a couple of adults and several young birds. We find another Claudia’s Warbler then discover a Mrs Gould’s Sunbird in the same tree - a spectacular bird, all brilliant glowing red and bright yellow with long tail and slim bill. A Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler is calling nearby and we try playing a little of the call to try and coax it out and it comes right out for just a few moments then plays hide-and-seek. The light is fading so we head to the hotel and after our evening meal run through the checklist then head to bed excited about what tomorrow may bring!

Day 44: We meet for an early breakfast before gathering at the bus - this time a park bus as they won't let you use your own in the park - for a drive to one of the better areas for birding. The hotel grounds have lots of Plumbeous Water Redstarts and Grey and White Wagtails and Large-billed Crow.

We take the road down past the Takin slope where there are still at least a couple high up on the slope then take the bridge over the river and start working our way up as far as the road goes. As we travel a Blue Whistling Thrush flies across in front of the bus then Jane spots a large bird at the edge of the river. She calls to stop but is not heard at the front of the bus until we have gone too far. From her description it was surely a Tawny Fish Owl and it is a shame we failed to stop. Further on an immature male Golden Pheasant crosses the track looking rather like a female with a bright orange crest.

Arriving at the far end of the road we are surrounded by Asian House Martins with their distinctive dark underwing and faces, and above them a flock of Fork-tailed Swifts. As we start walking there are birds calling in the trees but they seem to all be invisible! The foliage is pretty dense and it is very hard to get onto birds but we eventually get views of Claudia’s Leaf Warbler, Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler, Chestnut-flanked White-eye, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Green-backed Tit and a couple of Red-billed Blue Magpies. We get brief views of White- collared Yuhina then spend a long time trying to get views of both Indian Blue Robin and Large-billed Leaf Warbler without any success, though the latter seem to be singing everywhere! We walk on finding more Claudia’s Leaf Warblers and Yellow-bellied Tits and then as we start back another Large-billed Leaf Warbler starts calling and at last we manage to get a reasonable view.

The scenery is lovely with steep sided, wooded hills with rocky outcrops all around and beautiful mixed forest. Weather is rather heavy with lots of cloud but not raining - though it feels like it might any minute! We stop at another spot on the way down and soon get good views of Red-billed Leiothrix with three or four birds calling here. A Spectacled Fulvetta appears - but we are puzzled by Parus’s identification as it does not look like the picture in the book! Our bird has a dark eye and pale supercilium while the one in the book has neither!! It is confusing so Roy checks the text where it says that the bird has a dark eye and indistinct supercilium and hence does not even describe the illustration!! Oh dear - it is hard enough already but at least we know that Parus knows his stuff!

We move on again and make a stop by a bridge from where we get fabulous views of a Little Forktail with two of these lovely little black and white birds playing around on the rocks below the bridge. Then at eye level in the tree beside us we get excellent views of Large-billed Leaf Warbler at last!

Further down the road someone spots a Crested Kingfisher and we pull in to try and get everyone on it. It takes flight and vanishes upstream, but we get out anyway and try walking a little - but are soon distracted by a Brown Dipper! This flies too and we start a walk down the river to see if we can relocate either bird. The Kingfisher is seen in flight again and we get a glimpse of the dipper as it flies by but neither really cooperates. Along the road we finally manage to get a view of Grey-crowned Warbler and a brief Black-chinned Yuhina.

We drive further down and make a stop at a larger bridge where we hope to find Tawny Fish Owl at a regular roost. We have no luck but John gets a brief view of White-crowned Forktail while a Blue Whistling Thrush behaves only marginally better. If feels like everything is being awkward or difficult to see today!! Lynn finds a Vinous-throated Parrotbill up by a sacred tree said to be over a thousand years old. The tree is covered in red ribbons round the trunk and hanging off every branch where people have made wishes.

We drive back to the hotel for lunch and as we go a big male Tibetan Macaque appears on the road. He is wandering down the far side and seems very tame while at the same time baring his teeth. He's not going to win any beauty contests but it is good to see. We also get a very close Raven which causes some discussion over its identity compared to Large billed Crow.

After lunch we meet up for a walk up the river to a waterfall. There are Red-billed Blue Magpies on the far side and Grey Wagtails and Plumbeous Water Restarts in the middle of the river. We are very pleased to get good views of Brown Dipper at last as it feeds around the boulders then a flock of Black-throated Tits flit through the trees and we get a brief view of Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher. We reach the waterfall which turns out to be sort of man- made as an aqueduct has a deliberately made gap in the side with water pouring out into a stream below. There is a lovely statue of monkeys hanging from a tree - five of them hanging one below the other almost down to the water. We then hit a very quiet spell with no bird sightings at all as we follow the stream up through the woodlands. Eventually we find a small mixed flock of Yellow-bellied and Green-backed Tits but with a very humid and heavy feel to the day and no birds showing of note we decide to try somewhere else. Walking back through the hotel grounds we find a couple of female Long-tailed Minivets and enjoy scope views of these lovely birds.

We take the bus down the valley and our first sighting is a panicking Tufted Deer that runs down the road towards us then off up the almost vertical hillside. We stop to look at the Takins again in better light and there are three animals there. We have a careful look for Tawny Fish Owl around the roosting site but no luck then driving further on a Great Spotted Woodpecker flies across the road. We stop and take a short walk finding a few birds we have seen before and get especially good view of Claudias’s Leaf Warbler then find a couple of David’s Fulvettas. Time is flying by and with the intention of going for an owling walk tonight we decide to call it a day and head back to the hotel and our evening meal.

After another delicious meal and a run through the checklist we talk about tomorrows plan before heading out for a walk in search of whatever we can find. While we are disappointed to not find any owls we do see a large mammal that runs down the slope amongst the trees. It seems to have a white main which surprises us and we identify it as a Serow - a great sighting!

Day 55: Our trip is a succession of days birding on reserves and travelling days - and today is a travelling day. A couple of Red-billed Blue Magpies on the sign outside see us off as we drive down the valley scanning the river as we go. We get a brief Brown Dipper then Roy picks out a Crested Kingfisher on a rock in the middle of the river. We stop the bus and back up to find there are actually three birds here and enjoy superb views as they fly around and perch in the trees and on the rocks. Two more Red-billed Blue Magpies arrive and provide excellent views too.

Driving on we find nothing surprising until we reach the old village of Qinxi, where we stop for a walk. What a wonderful place it is. The buildings are clearly very old with wooden carvings everywhere and beautifully ornate, curled-edged roofs. There is a big tower and lots of shops selling all kinds of vegetables, medicines and more, nesting under the eaves of the houses are lots of Barn and Red-rumped Swallows. The Red-rumps provide our best views so far and you can see just how streaked below they are compared to those in Europe. There are Plumbeous Water Redstarts in the street and also a single Daurian Redstart and while walking down one street, which has a rather nicely planted stream flowing right down the middle, a White-crowned Forktail flies through landing briefly before disappearing. We are amazed by just how fascinated the local people are by us - we are clearly a novelty here and they all smile and say hello or even take out their mobile phones and take pictures of us.

Our next stop is in a bigger town that is more modern and the new centre for this region, and we start our visit here by visiting the Bao'en Monastery. Originally built by Wang Xi, a local chieftain in the 1440s, as a palace to the same design as the Forbidden City he panicked when he heard he was to be visited by an inspector as doing such a thing was strictly illegal and sentence-able by death!! He hastily made it into a monastery and said he was using it to pray for the long life and success of the Emperor!! Philip’s wonderful knowledge of history, culture, religion and of China generally really comes into its own as he talks through the history and background of the place and also of the philosophy of Buddhism which is absolutely fascinating. He explains all the various parts of the monastery from the story of the woman with 1000 hands and eyes to the Buddha himself and the carvings in the entrances and more. It is fascinating and the sculptures, paintings and ornate roofs are really superb.

In the grounds there are even a small number of birds. Daurian Redstart and White Wagtail are singing from the roof, Grey-capped Greenfinch nesting in the trees with our first White-rumped Munias while Fork-tailed Swifts, Asian House Martins and Red-rumped Swallows are overhead.

After looking round we make a short visit to the local market which is fascinating with a variety of interesting vegetable and lots of different mushrooms, herbal remedies and nuts etc Then we head to lunch in a very nice restaurant which is once again very good indeed with many flavours and a great variety of food.

We get going straight after lunch as we have a very long way to go still and we cover some miles before our next stop when we pause to see some traditionally dressed Tibetan ladies with tables covered in a variety of necklaces, bracelets, prayer wheels, etc. They look fabulous in their dress, with colourful cloaks and feathers stuck in their hats and a few of us buy a few trinkets before we are on our way again.

The road starts winding its way up into the mountain and we are gaining height rapidly. The scenery becoming more and more spectacular with fabulous peaks all around and we pause on one stretch of road for a short walk to see what can be found. We find Elliot’s Laughing Thrush and a very smart Grey-backed Shrike but little else.

We get out again at the top of the pass where we are in the Rhododendron and Azalea zone. Any trees here are small and stunted and there are areas of short grass, purple flowering azaleas and white flowering Rhododendrons. An Alpine Warbler is the first bird we find, singing cheerfully from the low bushes. This is a recent split from Tickell’s Warbler. There are few Pikas here, rather small and dark coloured they may be Moupin Pika but there are many species in China and we’ll need to look them up later! On the grassy areas we find both Chestnut Thrush and Rosy Pipit and we get much better views of Elliot’s Laughing Thrush. A Nutcracker flies over then we start finding more warblers in the bushes. There are two Sichuan Leaf Warblers - very similar to Pallas’s Warbler in some ways with yellow rumps and two wing bars, then a Greenish Warbler appears looking big in comparison. We find a pair of White-browed Rosefinches, the male superb with the pale supercilium becoming a big white spot at the back end. We find Blue-throated Redstart and get good views of Spotted Bush Warbler which responds very well when we play a little of the song. A Kessler’s Thrush has joined the Chestnut Thrush on the grass as we arrive back at the van and a Raven flies over.

The road down the other side of the pass is an astonishing road, winding back and forth down the mountainside with hairpin bends one after another and the surrounding scenery is very special. For a few moments we are following a Yak down the road - the first of many to come! At a loo stop we watch flocks of Fork-tailed Swifts and Red-rumped Swallows overhead and a Peregrine flies through. We then drop down through a deep valley and yet more superb scenery until finally we arrive in quite a busy little place where our hotel is based, right beside the entrance to the Jiuzhaigou National Park. The hotel looks fabulous from the front but is not quite so lovely in the rooms and Philip explains that this is a government run hotel and that sadly this often means they are not so well kept - but it is the perfect location right beside the park entrance so it is worth putting up with the rather shabby condition of the rooms.

Day 66: After breakfast we can literally walk straight from our hotel into the park but we are astonished as we come out of the hotel grounds to discover hundreds and hundreds of Chinese people all queuing to go through the gates. It is quite a sight! There is a real buzz of excitement and they are dressed in all kinds of colourful waterproofs and shawls and hats and ponchos and it is a riot of colour. Once through the gates you then climb aboard busses to be taken to various stops from where you can walk to enjoy the superb scenery here. And what scenery it is!! While we were told it would be beautiful I am not sure any of us were expecting anything quite like the beautiful waterfalls, turquoise lakes and snowy peaks we find ourselves looking at. The waterfalls are unlike anything we have seen before. Though not very high they are often very long and covered in trees so that the water is pouring through gaps between them and hence divided into hundreds of small falls in long rows. Beautiful aquamarine lakes add to the scene and there are long stretches where the water is finding its way through a stunted almost bonsai-like scattering of stunted trees growing in the shallow water as it rushes down to the next waterfall.

As we watch the scenery go by the more spectacular waterfalls and beautiful lakes are accompanied by ooooohhhs and aaahhhs from the passengers as if we are all watching a firework display! There is a TV monitor with commentary telling you about the area and we can't wait to get out and explore despite the drizzling rain.

We finally stop and get out, taking a board walk that hardly anyone else is going down and immediately start finding a few birds including several species of warbler including Hume’s, Bianchi’s, Sichuan, Buff-barred and Claudia’s. We see Ravens and Large-billed Crows and a few other species we are already familiar with. We walk through the trees enjoying the views and strange habitat and now and then hear an Indian Blue Robin and try to coax it out with a recording. One after another we stop and try but none of them respond. Philip spots a Crimson- breasted Woodpecker but annoyingly it flies before most people get onto it - however while we try to relocate it we find a host of other birds. As well as more of the same leaf warblers we also find Rusty-breasted and Sichuan Tit, Slaty-backed and Dark sided Flycatcher, Vinaceous Rosefinch, Tibetan Siskin and Long-tailed Minivet.

We walk on to a small clearing where there are lots of Asian House Martins flying round overhead with a couple of Crag Martins amongst them then Parus suddenly shouts, "White-throated Needle-tail!" There are three of them cruising around above the trees and what fabulous birds they are - big and fast with a very distinctive outline - a bird Roy has wanted to see for many years! We get good views of Chestnut Thrush and Elliot’s Laughingthrush. At the far end of the trail we turn and walk back stopping to check out a mixed tit flock with Green-backed, Yellow-bellied, Rusty-breasted and Coal Tit - the latter looking very like ours except with a little crest!

Our track returns past our starting point and continues down towards one of the waterfalls and on the way we get a brief glimpse of Darjeeling Woodpecker, get brilliant views of a Bianchi's Warbler and find a lovely Grey-hooded Fulvetta. The birding is quite hard work with most species not hanging around but the scenery is wonderful and we are also entertained by the spectacle of the people all marching by with their colourful clothing and mobile phones, taking pictures of each other, themselves and also us!!! They seem quite fascinated by us and some want photos with us too either posing with us or in some cases trying to take them surreptitiously.

The path drops to a gorgeous waterfall with many channels of water spilling between the trees perched on the top. The effect is beautiful and we take loads of pictures before we carry on. We walk on along the edge of a lovely blue lake spotting many of the same birds, various leaf warblers, lots of Dark-sided Flycatchers and a nice Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher then arrive at a rest area and toilets where we take a break - but not before we add Chinese Nuthatch to the list and discover a singing Chinese Leaf Warbler.

After our break, during which we eat our lunch too, we continue down the path which if anything is now even more crowded with Chinese sightseers. We find a lovely male Slaty-backed Flycatcher here and further down the track we find another. We run into a big flock of birds with many of the species we have seen before - lots of Green-backed Tits and other tit species plus leaf warblers and more Dark-sided Flycatchers. We get very good views of a pair of Bar-tailed Treecreepers and a couple of folk manage a glimpse of an Indian Blue Robin - which is still eluding most of us. Others get a brief view of Himalayan Bluetail. David M finds a Large-billed Warbler building a nest, a Eurasian Nuthatch is hopping around on the boardwalk and is joined by an Elliot’s Laughingthrush.

Walking down further we pause to look at a squirrel scampering round the edge of the boardwalk and into the bushes. We have seen this kind of squirrel before but neither Philip nor Parus seem to know what species it is. Looking it up in the Chinese Mammal book later we decide that perhaps it is Père David's Rock Squirrel, but reading the books on returning home Roy discovers this is not correct as both the habitat and distribution is not right - and indeed the animal itself does not look quite right. It is in fact a Pallas's Squirrel, a very widespread species and it is the huge variation in colour that has caught us out... ours do not look like the picture in the book for that reason. On the other side of the track an Indian Blue Robin starts to sing and at last we are in with a good chance - the habitat here is much more open! In moments we spot the bird and over the next five minutes or so it performs wonderfully hopping around just below us and eventually coming right out in the open just feet away!

It has been a fabulous walk and we arrive at the road where we gather to catch a bus part way back down the road. It is busy and we can’t help finding it interesting that the lovely Chinese people who are so lovely and friendly change completely when it comes to catching a bus!! It is every man for himself and it takes us a bit by surprise so we don't all catch the same bus! We enjoy the scenery as we travel back down then get off at another spectacular waterfall - again not for its height but for its beauty. We pause here to take lots of photos then walk down through more of the strange habitat with water gushing over the tufa rock base with trees and plants scattered all through it. It looks like a wonderful habitat but is very quiet for birds it seems.

Further down the water broadens out into a large reed bed and here we start looking for Spectacled Parrotbills. We check the reeds initially but then find a family with adults feeding young in bushes beside the road. They flit around on the rocky slope the other side of the road and in and out of the bushes but the adults keep flying between the embankment and the reedbed and pass very close. One lands on the ground right next to Roy’s feet and another flies between Kathy’s legs!! Another lands just a foot from her on the wall and we are spellbound.

We walk on down the road then take a side track up into some trees. Here we get good views of a singing Yellow-streaked Warbler. There are Yellow-bellied Tits here too and Chestnut Thrush but little else. Walking on down the road we spot a White-collared Yuhina and then enjoy superb views of a flock of Sooty Tits, at times feeding close enough that you could have reached out and touched them! A Slaty-blue Flycatcher is singing below us and we struggle to get a good view before we finally arrive at the spot from where we catch the bus back to the hotel. It has been a great day with some good birding and fantastic scenery.

Day 77: Today we start by taking the bus high up a mountain pass through the forest and up into more open areas higher up. As the road winds up the hillside we pass a couple of White-capped Water Redstarts and spot a Himalayan Buzzard circling high overhead.

We make a stop and walk a little way up the road first getting good views of Upland Buzzard then spotting Chestnut Thrush singing from the treetops and a Plain Mountain Finch in the very top of a conifer. We find a pair of Grey- headed Bullfinches, and a couple of Rufous-vented Tits then further up the road a Hodgeson’s Treecreeper which looks remarkably like our treecreeper. Suddenly over the radio Philip is saying he has found a Blue Eared Pheasant! He has walked a little way ahead so we walk as fast as we can to catch him up then set up the scope in a pair of Blue Eared Pheasants working their way between the bushes on the far slope. Most people manage a reasonable view before they disappear.

Walking on we find Grey-crested Tit, more Rufous-vented Tits, Long-tailed Minivet then in a clearing spot a beautiful White-throated Redstart. A Himalayan Bluetail shows very briefly as does a Beautiful Rosefinch then an Olive-backed Pipit starts singing from one of the treetops. We walk on again and spot our first Himalayan Griffons cruising overhead before Jean spots a Grey-headed Woodpecker on the slope above us. There is a beautiful Grey-backed Shrike here too.

We drive back down the road back the way we came then take quite a main road for a while before heading up to another mountain pass where we park up and have lunch on the bus to keep out of the cool wind. While here a superb Golden Eagle flies over and circles over the opposite slope. We set off in search of White-browed Tit-Warbler pausing as we go to enjoy a couple of Himalayan Marmots on the opposite slope which are surprisingly big! Walking up the slope we find Alpine Leaf Warbler and a Kessler’s Thrush singing from the top of the trees but there is little else. Having said that we really enjoy the beautiful flowers here with a lovely mix of alpine flowers including Edelweiss and some stunning poppies including a very large red one (Meconopsis punicea) and an even bigger yellow one (M. integrifolia). As we walk back to the bus we pause to check out a Hodgson’s Redstart singing from the wires and then a Black-eared Kite circles round behind us allowing fabulous close views.

As we drive on we see many more Himalayan Griffons and amongst them the occasional Black Vulture too. The scenery is fabulous with high peaks before we eventually come out onto the plateau proper. There are what appear to be small groups of yurts and tents with lots of prayer flags and occasional stupas and herds of yaks are everywhere. Philip explains that some of this is very much for the tourists and people visiting here stop at the clusters of tents and ride horses and drink Tibetan tea but it still looks astonishing to us. Most clusters have what almost looks like a May Pole with prayer flags all round leading up to the central pole, there are prayer flags draped on fences, and on some hill slops masses of them in a great swathe up the slope of the hillside. The yaks look great - many of them black but some with white fronts to their heads or white tails while some are brown or even blotched black and white.

As we drive we spot another Golden Eagle and there are Black Redstarts on the wires of the eastern race which has a bright orange belly. We see several Black-eared Kites and Upland Buzzards. The grasslands are clearly also quite wet and there are occasional wetland areas with shallow grassy pools which Parus scans carefully as we pass. Suddenly he calls for the driver to stop and we jump out and set up scopes - he has found our first Black-necked Cranes! They look wonderful through the scope, two birds looking as elegant as cranes always do and we take turns watching them walking and feeding. There are other birds around too and we find several Shorelarks (Horned Larks) and a small flock of Twite on the roadside. A couple of Shorelarks start chasing a much bigger lark and when it finally lands and we get the scope on it we are delighted to realise it is a Tibetan Lark! There are distant Ruddy Shelducks too and then the cranes take to the wing looking even more wonderful as they fly.

We drive on spotting more Ruddy Shelduck on any small patch of water, plus the occasional Azure-winged Magpie. We pass herds of sheep and can't help noticing their astonishing horns - like horizontal corkscrews sticking out from the sides of their heads!

We make one final stop before heading to the hotel and scanning the area find several Himalayan Marmots, more Ruddy Shelducks and plenty of Shorelarks. A pair of Siberian Stonechats are flitting around the low bushes but we are particularly thrilled to find a family of Ground Tits! What delightful little birds they are - hopping around like tiny ground jays! An adult flies off and finds insects then returns to the group of youngsters which it feeds before flying away again. It is a lovely sight and another bird many of us were keep to see - a great finish to the day.

Day 888:8::: An early start today sees us on our way at around 6am for a short drive to some forested slopes and open hillsides. Once there we start walking along the dirt road with bushes and trees on one side and open ground on the other. Black-eared Kites are circling over the trees opposite and in the trees a singing Chinese Leaf Warbler is making its constant chirip-chirip-chirip- song. There are Chestnut Thrushes singing from the tree tops and Kessler’s Thrushes too. There are Black Redstarts everywhere - all of the eastern race rufiventris. An Alpine Leaf Warbler appears in the bushes very close to us and in one tree top a Rufous-breasted Accentor appears briefly. We get excellent views of several Grey-backed Shrikes then start finding rosefinches. These prove very entertaining as many are females and very difficult to identify so it is a relief when we at last find a few males including a couple of stunningly bright Common Rosefinches. These birds appear to be much brighter coloured than those in Scandinavia with glowing red heads and pinkish-red all the way underneath the belly - gorgeous birds! We get poor views of a single male Dark-breasted Rosefinch then find a Spot-winged Rosefinch as well. We get excellent views of a White-bellied Redstart singing in bushes right by the track.

Walking on we enjoy excellent views of Kessler's Thrush in the fields and a single Common Pheasant. There are Elliot’s Laughingthrush singing everywhere and we get occasional views of them plus our first Plain Laughingthrush thrushes too. There are Sichuan Tits and White-throated Redstart and a couple of Hill Pigeons fly over.

We have breakfast in the bus which works very well - muesli, bread and jam and peanut butter and snack bars and coffee all going down very well. Then after we have eaten we take a walk up a beautiful valley with conifer forest and open areas ether side. A Chinese Thrush is taking food into a bush here and there seem to be Kessler’s Thrushes in abundance. There are White-browed Rosefinches showing now and then, bleating like sheep. Several Himalayan Griffons are circling high above the tees and a pair of Sparrowhawks come up too, plus both Ravens and Large-billed Crows. A Black Woodpecker flies overhead and later flies back allowing a much better view second time allowing us to see the red on the crown and pale bill even in flight.

We are especially thrilled when Parus spots a pair of Blue-eared Pheasants on the hillside and they provide prolonged and excellent views through the scope. They are fabulous looking birds with their strange shaped white ’ears’ curling up either side of the head making them look strangely Chinese. We find more Common Rosefinch and Roy finds a pair of Common Crossbills on a treetop. We then get superb views of a male White-browed Rosefinch very close to the track and then excellent views of a singing male Himalayan Bluetail - perching right out in full view at one point with a White-throated Redstart. A flock of Grey-crested Tits pass through and Roy is pretty sure he finds an Arctic Warbler.

We walk slowly back to the bus adding nothing new then drive back to the town for lunch spotting a Cuckoo on the wires as we drive. There are huge herds of yak here in their thousands and Philip is excellent telling us about the lifestyle and beliefs of the people plus how the yak herding works with huge areas of land owned by families who may own enormous herd of yaks that roam the area but come back to a particular spot once a week when salt is put out for them.

After lunch we take a look round a monastery though we can’t actually go inside most of it as there are no monks here today as they are away at some kind of celebration. The bits we see are astonishing with incredibly colourful and detailed wall decorations related to the Buddhist religion and astonishing golden roofs in ornate shapes with curled up corners. There are a couple of old ladies walking round and round a stupa and Philip explains a little about these important structures. We have seen many of them in recent days and it seems they are very important indeed in the Buddhist religion being a monument of a dome-shaped form over the sacred relics of the Buddha or other saints or venerable persons. Many are used to house the remains of important people in the religion, teachers or other revered people. The whole structure of the stupa is full of representation. The outer form of a stupa represents a meditating Buddha, seated and crowned, but every feature of the stupa symbolically represents a facet of the spiritual path. For example, a stupa incorporates five basic geometric shapes that correspond to the five elements. Each element, in turn, corresponds to an essential attribute of a fully awakened being. The square base of the stupa represents earth and equanimity; the round dome, water and indestructibility; the triangular spire, fire and compassion; the semi-circular umbrella, wind and all-accomplishing action; and at the very top, the jewel-shaped tigle or drop represents space and all-pervading awareness. People of faith often walk round and round the stupa as they chant and believe this will take them further along the path of enlightenment.

After that we drive back out towards the wetland areas and make a stop when we see a couple of Upland Buzzards perched on a pylon. We get out to look at them and then start spotting other things too! There are White-rumped Snowfinches in some numbers here even feeding little clusters of young and we start searching for Rufous-necked Snowfinch as they are often together. After some searching we eventually find one or two and get good views. There are Ground Tits here too bouncing around in their distinctive and amusing way. We are also joined by a couple of guys on horseback who try to persuade us to have a go on their horses and Jane is sorely tempted!!

A little further down the road we spot another buzzard and this one is all dark, causing much puzzlement - in the end we decide that given the large size and wing and tail pattern when it flies is just has to be a dark phase Upland Buzzard. While we puzzle over this other birds are seen including Black Stork spotted by Kathy, a couple of Black-necked Cranes, several Shorelark and more Snowfinches including a very close Rufous-necked. We also get good views of a Tibetan Fox, a slightly smaller and buffier coloured species than ours - and of course there are marmots.

We move onto another spot where we start walking away from the road beside the river. There are Pikas everywhere!! There must be hundreds of them and Parus tells us they are Plateau Pikas, the only species on the plateau that lives in such big communities. There is a warbler flitting around on the ground here and Parus suggests it might be a Buff-throated Warbler as this is the kind of place you might find one but it just doesn’t look right to Roy and after much careful study of the book we decide it is in fact a Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler - which is bizarre as this is completely the wrong habitat for that species!

Walking on we find lots more Snowfinches and Ground Tits. Common Terns and Brown-headed Gulls are around the river and way off in the distance Kathy spots some Greylag Geese. A pair of Black-necked Cranes look wonderful through the scope and then just as we are about to walk back Kathy calls that she has got some kind of animal that is dark and tan coloured! It sounds interesting so we check it out and are astonished to find it to be a Steppe Polecats!! This is a fantastic find and we watch for some time as it runs round the Pika colony looking for an opportunity. What a gorgeous animal it is too, being a lovely buffy colour on top with blackish legs and belly and a smart face pattern typical of all polecats. We watch for ages as it runs round vanishing into holes and reappearing before time is pretty much up and we head back to the bus. Philip asks if we mind if he dashes over to try and get a picture and Roy joins him obtaining great shots - especially when it appears out of a hole with a Pika in its mouth!!

Day 999:9 Another travelling day today and there is a fair way to go so we have breakfast in the lobby of the hotel at 7am and are on our way around 8am. We are crossing the plateau for much of the day and scan for birds as we drive. Jane soon spots a hare running across the hillside and we stop and have a look. It is a light sandy colour and checking the book the only species here is Woolly Hare. There are plenty of marmots and also Ground Tit here too.

Driving on we spot occasional Upland Buzzards on the telegraph poles and a few folk spot a Citrine Wagtail fly by and there are plenty of Black Redstarts. It certainly does feel like a plateau with huge wide flat areas of grassland with thousands of yaks and scattered low hills all around. We make a stop to check out a very dark bird on a post that turns out to be an Upland Buzzard and while out of the bus find lots of other birds too including a wonderful Black-necked Crane - our closest so far. It is shortly joined by its mate and there is much bugling and even some display with one bird holding out its wings while pointing its bill upwards. There are Redshank with them too and Oriental Skylarks are singing everywhere. We find Shorelark, Ground Tit and a Citrine Wagtail flies through.

Our next stop is yet another attempt to try and find White-browed Tit-Warbler and we jump out and start walking up towards some low bushes. There are Black Redstarts everywhere - perhaps twenty of them, then Parus finds a White-browed Tit. (That is Tit not Tit-Warbler). We get good views of this bird but there seem to be no tit warblers around. An Upland Buzzard has a nest on the rocks above us and is feeding chicks. We work hard searching for the tit-warbler but with no luck - though many are somewhat distracted by the wonderful show of flowers!! We have no idea what many of them are but there is a wonderful selection of colours and different kinds including asters, primulas, iris, gentians and many others. There are a couple of Plain Mountain Finches here and we are frustrated when a Godlewski’s Bunting vanishes as soon as it is found so only Roy sees it.

Driving on we are covering the miles now but suddenly Parus calls for the driver to stop the bus! We all jump out and he sets up his scope on a Chinese Grey Shrike on the wires back up the road - a brilliant bit of spotting! It shows very well looking rather similar to Great Grey but a good shade darker and no white above the mask. We are soon looking at other birds as well as we realise there are lots of Oriental Skylarks here and we manage our first perched views and can see that birds in flight have no pale trailing edge to the wings. A Little Owl is perched on top of a telegraph pole and Roy explains that this is another potential split with some people calling the birds in the east Cucumiao - after their call. A lovely pair of Siberian Stonechats are here too, the male very smart and the female absolutely typical of this species with peachy coloured underparts and rump and a whitish throat. Black-eared Kites and Himalayan Griffons are flying over and an Upland Buzzard. As we leave, four Black-necked Cranes fly over looking fabulous. It goes quiet for a while with just the occasional Upland Buzzard on the poles, Black Redstarts on the wires and the odd Cuckoo. We pass some nice looking wetlands but there is nothing other than Ruddy Shelducks.

Lunch is in a very nice little roadside restaurant and while there we see Barn Swallows and a Collared Dove! Then we are on our way again pausing to photograph an astonishing 'Stupa Forest' as Philip calls it - where dozens of stupas of different kinds, including stone built and the type that are a wheel of prayer flags coming up to central pole, cover a huge area of land by the road. It is quite a sight!

We continue on our way, covering the miles until we make a short stop beside a river. The river is completely devoid of birds to our surprise but there are Asian House Martins nesting under the bridge and we find flocks of Twite. In fact astonishing flocks of Twite with loads of birds here in the bushes and amongst the grass. We get a brief glimpse of a Hoopoe, find at least three Azure-winged Magpies and a Black-eared Kite is hunting nearby. There are several Kessler's Thrushes and a singing Common Rosefinch then we walk down to the river where we look at a herd of yaks standing in the water. There are a few Cattle Egrets with them - or perhaps they are Yak Egrets - and a Hoopoe flies over them.

Moving on again our next stop is at a view point looking out over a tributary of the Yellow River. It is winding around over the valley bottom and there are wet oxbows where Ruddy Shelduck have little shelducklings. The most entertaining thing here is the people going down the zip-wire and an inflatable boat of young boy monks going down a water shoot onto the river - which looks kind of funny to us as for some reason we don't imagine monks doing that! It is another possible White-browed Tit-Warbler stop but again there is no sign.

Driving on again we continue scanning for birds spotting the occasional Black-eared Kite and an astonishing number of Cuckoos on the wires including eight together at one spot! There are lots of Ruddy Shelducks and some really lovely looking wetland areas but there is absolutely nothing on them which seems very strange.

We arrive at the watershed of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers and Philip points out that one way everyone flows into the Yellow River and over the rise everything flows into the Yangtze! We get out for a quick look here as Parus says it is another possible White-browed Tit-Warbler spot. We don't feel hopeful - we have looked for this bird in so many places now. He clearly thinks we have spent so much time looking for this bird he can't expect us all to follow and walks down the road while we scan around a little then suddenly he is beckoning to us… he has got one!! And oh wow what a gorgeous bird it is too!!! We cannot believe the colours - all purple and blue and pink and everyone is astonished saying now they understand why we were trying so hard!! It poses wonderfully in the bushes right in front of us and some even manage to get photos. We are absolutely thrilled but once it finally flies there are actually a couple of other birds here too. A Greenish Warbler is in the same bush and we find a Rufous-breasted Accentor. It shows quite well eventually and then Roy finds a rosefinch. It is brilliant red and at first we think Common but something just doesn’t feel right - the back is rather dark and the face markings not quite right and consulting the book we identify as Blandford's Rosefinch - an excellent find and a difficult bird to see indeed.

Looking down the valley we can see torrential rain coming our way and with 100km still to go we set off once more. The scenery is beautiful once more with high mountain peaks in the distance and the steeps sided valley holds a rushing torrent of water. We hit the rain and enjoy watching the spectacular lighting! Leaving the plateau we drop down into what can be described as a gorge and we watch as gradually the little steam that we are following at the start becomes a raging torrent of a river as it pounds its way down the gorge. As we drop lower the entire river seems to be white water with high cliffs towering above it.

We arrive at the hotel then settle into our rooms before meeting up for our evening meal. In the meantime Philip has been into town to find a suitable restaurant and when we meet tells us it will be a little walk but an interesting one! We set off through what is quite a big town and there are people walking along the promenade that follows the river through the town. We arrive at a wider section of path where there are dozens of people all dancing! It is amazing to watch as they are all in synchrony and clearly know the steps well. One large group has made circles one inside the other and the other large group are in lines dancing to different music. It is fascinating and Philip explains that this is a form of exercise and anyone can come and join in. Apparently it happens every night!

The architecture of the town is interesting too and Philip points this out and also stops to talk to a couple of ladies in the traditional dress for their Buddhist sect. There are two styles here and while similar there are differences too especially in headwear and he explains to us which sect they belong to and points out some of the features of the costume. The ladies seem perfectly happy to be used as examples and smile for photos together - a lovely moment. There are so many different styles of dress from very western styles to Buddhist monks and more traditional dress. The shop fronts are all beautifully decorated and after the meal Philip explains the symbolism of the various images - the eight auspicious signs of Buddhism. They are representative of various aspects of how to live your life or how you should be or other aspects of the religious, for example the Shell represents spreading the sound of Buddhism around the world, while the Lotus flower, a stunningly beautiful flower that can still grow very well in really dirty water, demonstrates that whatever environment you grew up in you can still shine if you stick to your principles. The fish represents diligence as it never closes its eyes… but also freedom as it can move anywhere in its environment while also reminding you that getting completely out of your environment can bring disaster! It is all fascinating and makes the walk so interesting. Oh and the food is good too!

Day 101010:10 After breakfast in the hotel we set off up the mountain the road winding its way higher and higher. As we come round one bend there in the road is a Chestnut Throated Partridge! It jumps up the embankment and most people get good views as it climbs up the slope above us. We finally arrive towards the top of the road and get out for a walk. Almost immediately we find a small group of White Eared Pheasants! They are gorgeous looking birds - all white with black in the wings and face but it is interesting how difficult it is to make out the white ‘ears’. A few people spot some kind of mammal that passes through them too - which we identify later from the book as a Masked Palm Civet.

After watching the pheasants for some time we start walking and find a superb male White-browed Rosefinch right on top of a conifer looking lovely in the sunshine. There are a few small birds below the road in the conifers including Hodgeson's Treecreeper, Buff-barred Warbler, Hume's Warbler then there is a panic as Roy spots a Crested Tit-Warbler! This is a great find but it immediately flits through the branches of the trees failing to show at all well and while a few people get a glimpse it vanishes too quickly. We are trying very hard to see Sichuan Jay as this is our only chance for this species. We try playing the call and gradually work our way up the road through areas where Parus and Philip have seen them before. Jays are usually pretty responsive to playback but not today as even when we do hear one calling higher up the slope it does not respond and we don't even get a glimpse! We get a few glimpses of Giant Laughing Thrush which looks fabulous in flight with all the spots in its wings and tail tip.

We walk on and Kathy spots a Himalayan Bluetail briefly then a Swinhoe's Striped Squirrel scampers up one of the trees, gradually working its way almost to the top before shooting back down again at speed. We also find a delightful tiny little Pika! It is really small and rather darker than the Plateau Pikas we saw the other day. After much studying of the book we decide it has to be Moupin Pika as it fits in looks, size and habitat. Walking on we find Kessler's Thrush singing from the tree tops and a couple of Himalayan Griffons fly over. We find more White-browed Rosefinches, a Greenish and a Hume's Warbler and Jane and Pauline get to see a Winter Wren we can hear singing - apparently rather darker than ours at home.

We finally arrive at the top of the tree line still without a Sichuan Jay and try another track but again have no luck. All we get here is better views of Giant Laughingthrush. We have lunch at the bus and while we are eating we keep our eyes open for birds. We watch with amusement as Parus shows Juan, our driver, the view through his scope and bins. There is much noisy conversation as Juan looks round with the scope and points at things then suddenly he has obviously spotted something shows Parus - pointing excitedly to the skyline. To everyone’s astonishment it is a Lammergeier!! An immature bird perched up on the skyline and we enjoy superb scope views and then prolonged flight views too as it flies back and forth across the hillside - superb! Tony spots a European Sparrowhawk which is technically cleverer as it is so much smaller but we don’t seem quite so excited!

After we have eaten we climb aboard and set off on our way taking the road over the top before dropping down the valley the other side. The views as we drop down are absolutely fantastic with distant snowy mountains and miles of conifer covered mountains. The rugged cliffs in places look so like paintings of Chinese scenery with jagged rocks and small conifers growing on the outcrops over the river. There are side valleys with waterfalls and the small stream that we started off following down has soon become a raging torrent then a big river! It is spectacular and we follows its course for about two hours during which time its white water almost the whole way! As we get lower we start passing houses above the river and some appear completely isolated from any road. They are of a very different style and many are quite highly decorated while others appear very block like with symbols from the Buddhist religion daubed on the walls - especially the shell and the lotus flower and what looks like a swastika, a symbol in Buddhism that signifies auspiciousness and good fortune as well as the Buddha's footprints and the Buddha's heart. The valley becomes steeper sided and more and more spectacular with cliffs either side of the road and wonderful views. It is astonishing how small patches of ground on the river banks are being used to grow crops even when just a few feet wide. Further down there are big areas where the river is a complete mess where they are abstracting gravel and stones and Philip explains they often take advantage of large amounts of rock in the river resulting from landslides.

We make a stop and take a short walk to see what we can find. There are again not many birds but we find Elliot's Laughingthrush, a White-capped Water Redstart, Crag Martins, a family of Large-billed Crows, flocks of Fork-tailed Swifts and Asian House Martins and above the skyline are several Upland Buzzards plus a possible Golden Eagle. As we arrive back at the van two Snow Pigeons fly across the hillside opposite.

We still have quite a way to go so we continue on our way enjoying the spectacular scenery but also seeing the houses and the fields and people working on the fields and terraced slopes and astonishing bridges and stupas and it is all fascinating. Birds are few and far between but we do see Chinese Blackbird, occasional White-capped Water Redstart and a Wallcreeper flies out over the river! It is a poor and brief view and there is no way of stopping.

The police seem to be very officious round here and there seem to be regular check points where they stop and check us. Goodness knows why, but each time the driver has to get out and fill in forms and sometimes they check our passports too. They check his driver's licence and at one of checkpoint they accuse him of not wearing a seatbelt and it takes quite a while to convince them otherwise. At one checkpoint we have the chance to get out and have a look at a huge stupa with lots of prayer flags and also see a chain link bridge over the river dating back many years to when this was the best way to build a bridge if the river was too wide.

The road turns a corner here and heads back up again following the next valley and gaining height rapidly. This one is not so spectacular or steep sided but still very interesting with little villages clinging to the sides and in places huge amounts of work going on in the river. It is in many ways shocking to see the appalling mess they are making in the river in places - and Philip explains that a lot of this is linked to a huge hydroelectric power scheme that is going on. Many are being linked via a system of tunnels and the spoil from the drilling is piled high along the rivers - looking terrible and no doubt damaging the river enormously. Jane's job is all about looking after our rivers and she is horrified!!

The houses have a different architectural style now being more rectangular with little triangular ‘horns‘ on the corners that are in praise of their god. They grow lots of fruit here and we pass orchards of apples, plums etc and even grape vines. Most of the houses also have the symbols daubed on the sides - especially the shell. We finally arrive at the hotel and after settling in head for our evening meal and then run through the checklist before heading to bed good and early - we have a very early start tomorrow!

Day 1111: Today we have a full day in the mountains and with pheasants a big target we set off early at 5am to be there shortly after dawn. We cannot take our big bus in here so we have three minibuses with drivers. As we drive up the road a Tawny Owl flies across the road. The road winds up and up and up with lots of hairpin bends to a pass at around 4500m and we feel frustrated to enter thick fog. The drivers get out to pay homage at a small shrine with prayer flags around it then we continue.

As we start to drop down the thick fog is accompanied by pouring rain! This is a bit of a disaster as it completely puts paid to looking for Tibetan Snowcock and other high altitude species. We drop down and down the other side on an equally winding road until we reach a point where we come out of the rain then take a small track where we park. It is still foggy so we decide to have breakfast while we wait for it to clear. We can hear a few birds round and about as we eat and the fog gradually starts to clear. The scene is stunning with the mountain tops poking up out of the fog then suddenly we can see a little way down the slope and we become hopeful that perhaps it will clear. We find a new bird in the form of Buff-throated Warbler and also see Sparrowhawk, Greenish Warbler, Asian House Martins and Common Rosefinch.

As we eat the fog starts to dissipate and so we start walking along the track scanning for birds on the slopes below and above. There is a gorgeous White-capped Water Redstart, a couple of Common Rosefinches then another red-faced bird singing from the bushes that is clearly not the same. Close inspection reveals it to be a Crimson-browed Finch, a very smart bird indeed. We round a corner and suddenly Philip is pointing excitedly up the slope ahead of us and there are two dark birds high on the grassy ridge - Chinese Monals!! This is one of those must see birds of the trip and something very special. Large and impressive they look fabulous through the scope - the male all iridescent blue, green and purple on its back, with a golden nape and white patch on the lower back it is spectacular - even though it is rather distant. The female is rather duller but it is wonderful to see them both looking around and slowly moving along the slope. Eventually the mist comes in and they are obscured again.

There is then a strange grating call down below us and there on the rocks we find a Chestnut-throated Partridge! It is an excellent view. There is a slightly worrying moment when Tony comes over a bit giddy - presumably the effect of altitude - but he is soon feeling better and given the weather we decide to drop a bit lower down to see what we can find down there, conscious it will help anyone feeling a bit odd too.

We take a walk along the road a little way and soon start hearing Firethroats singing. We try playing the song here and there but none of them want to come out to play which is frustrating. We get very good views of various leaf warblers including Buff-barred and Greenish and also a rather smart looking Aberrant Bush Warbler plus a couple of White-collared Yuhinas.

We decide to try a little higher up the road again and as we drive suddenly we hear a singing Flamethroat right by the road, so we stop and jump out. This one is very close and yet still almost impossible to see even in quite an open bush. Eventually a few people manage a glimpse but we have still not had good views when it vanishes. We try a stop further up the road from where we walk into a meadow of unbelievable flowers. It is absolutely stunning with a huge variety of species. There are primulas, louseworts, orchids, irises, cranebills, poppies, spurges, white buttercups and marsh marigolds and it is a riot of colour. We take lots of photos but the vast majority have to go unidentified as there simply aren't the books to help us.

From the meadow we see a couple of birds including very close views of Buff-barred Warbler, a beautiful male Common Rosefinch and our best view yet of Giant Laughingthrush. As we walk back to the vans for lunch we are absolutely astonished to find a pair of House Sparrows!! This appears to be hundreds of miles out of their range according to the book but Parus tells us that there are a few records from this area - but they are rare here. He then says that this is a potential split being called Indian or Oriental House Sparrow by some! They do indeed look very different to ours with much more rich ruddy colour on the head and mantle, a smaller black bib and much whiter face with no white above the eye. Further research on returning home suggests that the complex of House Sparrow subspecies does split into two groups - the domesticus group and the indicus group, known as Parus says, as Indian House Sparrow. Our birds appear very like the latter and may be Passer domsticus (indicus) bactrianus but as the China map suggests there is no mention of any subspecies being in our location so this is perhaps a noteworthy sighting! We enjoy lunch here with stunning views of the mountains and mist rising from the trees and peak after peak in layers down the valley. It is simply wonderful and we take dozens of photos.

We drive back up and over the top where the rain is still falling and thick fog makes it impossible to look for Snowcocks or Grandalas. We just have to hope for better when we return tomorrow. Dropping down the other side we come to a lovely spot with a stream and a mass of small purple flowered azalea bushes and walk up the slope a little. There are several Plain Mountain Finches and lots of Rosy Pipits including some in beautiful breeding plumage - all pink underneath and with little streaking. There are beautiful yellow poppies close enough to touch at last and tall purple primulas too. We find Blue-breasted Redstart, Rufous-breasted Accentor and it is Jean who spots our big target here - White-tailed Rubythroat!! What a stunning bird it is and while it is very active flitting here and there, sometimes chasing a female through the rocks, we get very good views and everyone is thrilled. As we walk back to the vans we find a Brandt’s Mountain Finch. Until Parus gets on this bird we have no idea what it is as it bears no resemblance to the picture in the book at all. Our bird is very dark indeed with the whole of the head and mantle dark coloured while in the book it is just the cap - but Parus explains that there are six subspecies in China and the type found here is exactly as we are seeing. There are indeed photos on the internet of birds looking exactly like ours so thank goodness Parus is here to help!

We move on again and at this stop we scan the slopes above in the hope of a Snowcock - but there are none to be found. We do however get good views of Rosy Pipit again plus Red-billed Chough, lots more Plain Mountain Finches and a small flock of Snow Pigeons. Further down we find a very distant Blue Rock Thrush and a beautiful White-capped Water Redstart

After that we drive a little further and make another stop at a spot where some women are selling dried fruits and other things. They look great wearing wonderful colourful hats. There are more stunning views and distant Himalayan Vultures and we get very close views of Buff-barred Warbler and male White-throated Redstart.

It seems very quiet so we decide to try one last stop and drive down much lower before stopping beside a small cliff. Wallcreeper are here and we wait to see if they appear. After a while we wonder if the young have perhaps fledged and therefore they are not using this bit of cliff now as no birds appear - however we get very good views of a Daurian Restart as compensation which is good as many folk missed the earlier birds.

Day 112222:::: We wake up hoping for better weather this morning as this is our last chance for birds like Tibetan Snowcock and Snow Partridge - but the skies look grey and overcast as we set off up towards the mountains at 5am. We drive and drive up the winding road and a long way before we get to the summit we run into the fog and can’t see even a few yards from the side of the road.

We keep going over the summit and down the other side and eventually stop in the thick fog beside a tall monument to the ‘Homeland of the Giant Panda'. We have breakfast hoping the fog might start to lift and while we eat the occasional bird appears close enough to see - a couple of Plain Mountain Finches and great views of Alpine Accentor. Both Philip and Parus seem remarkable optimistic the fog is going to lift and Philip says he has never been here and fog last for the whole day until yesterday so he feels it will lift eventually.

We drop down out of the fog and make a stop to scan as soon as we can, hoping we might still be high enough for some of the high altitude specialties but with no luck. We find White-capped Water Redstart, Black Redstart and Rufous-breasted Accentor plus our first Water Pipit.

We drop down again and stop at the same spot we tried yesterday and as we walk along the track suddenly David K spots a bird walking along the top of a wall. It looks all dark from this distance but through the binoculars the greens, blues and purple sheen of the wings and golden nape of a male Chinese Monal are obvious!! It is very close and it hops off the wall then works its way up the slope of rocks and grass above the track. We get the most astonishing views as it walks slowly up the slope feeding as it goes and the colours are amazing. It perches regally on top of a large rock on the skyline and calls before disappearing over the horizon leaving us grinning form ear to ear.

We walk on down the track in hope of Blood Pheasant but have no luck however we do find White-throated Redstart, Rufous-breasted Accentor, get good views of Giant Laughing Thrushes and find a perched accipiter on a tree top. After initially thinking it is probably a Sparrowhawk, Parus suggests that perhaps it is actually a Goshawk and a careful inspection confirms he is right! We watch Asian Hose martins nest building on the cliffs and John spots another Chinese Monal high on the hills opposite. Walking back to the vans Jean and Pauline show us a picture on the camera of a very dark bird they spotted while behind a rock! It is a female Dark-breasted Rosefinch, we decide to try and find it. Before we leave we are distracted by a cuckoo on a telegraph pole and even after careful examination it is hard to be sure which species! We take photos and later conclude it is Oriental Cuckoo with wider spaced thicker dark barring and slim more pointed dark tipped bill, and large dark spots on the vent. We drive down to catch up with Jean and Pauline who have also seen a White-winged Grosbeak but neither birds reappear.

We drop down lower still and eventually make a stop at a trail that goes into a forest. It is beautiful and not like any forest we have been in before with low trees with multiple trunks covered in lichens and Spanish moss. Some of the lichens are astonishing creating large flat ‘plates' on the branches of the trees in layers. The understory is a selection of plants we don’t recognise but many have beautiful shaped leaves. The branches of some trees are covered in ferns and everything is dark under the trees. The effect is wonderful like walking into a fairy story or some kind of elfin forest! There are plenty of birds calling but as often seems the way here we struggle to actually see any of them! Gradually we manage to find a few and spot Coal Tits with crests, Claudia's Leaf Warbler, Bianchi’s Warbler, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Long-tailed Minivet and a woodpecker that we never manage to identify despite it calling repeatedly for ages - we simply can't find it!!

After this lovely walk we enjoy lunch here watching a Green-backed Tit going into a hole in the toilet block, then decide to head back up the winding road to see if the top is cleared of fog. As we get higher and higher we can see that up ahead the fog is still there and we make a couple of stops to see what we can find. At one point Parus says he has a female Grandala which a couple of us glimpse but it is all very frustrating.

We head back over the summit and drop lower and lower waiting for a break in the cloud. When it finally breaks we stop and have a scan but there is little here so we drop down even lower until we make a stop beside a stand of bushes and a river. Here we scan the rocky slopes for snowcocks with little hope and find a couple of Red-billed Chough. Parus brilliantly spots a small group of Blue Sheep up near the skyline. There are around six including one with big horns. Roy finds a rosefinch which he identifies as Beautiful Rosefinch but careful inspection by Parus reveals it is in fact a Pink-rumped Snowfinch - a very similar species indeed for which the China bird book is of little help! There are Blue-fronted Redstarts here and Rosy Pipits plus Greenish warbler and at the bottom of the track a pair of White-throated Dippers are pottering along the river. As we wait for the bus to pick us up a pair of Snowy Pigeons fly past and land nearby providing our best scope views so far.

Driving back to the hotel we pass a festival with people dancing and market stalls etc but we don't have time to stop. When we arrive for our evening meal later on the restaurant is teaming with people and we realise that most have been to the festival - with many people in traditional dress. It is great to see them like this and creates a fabulous atmosphere. Roy has his camera with him and asks if they would mind posing for a photo - and they all pose happily then offer him a drink! It is a clear liquid that turns out to be about 60% alcohol and having not eaten yet starts having an effect pretty quickly!! A group at a nearby table ask him to join them and there are more photos taken with Roy sat with them and once again they offer a drink. Philip explains that in friendship the tradition is to pour a glass of equal measure for both parties but to Roy’s shock the guy just knocks it back in one!! Well what can you do? So Roy does the same. It is delicious and there is much whooping and laughter as they are delighted he has risen to the challenge and joined in with the fun. Then of course we need to take photos with Roy in the middle and everyone else gathered around him with thumbs up. We take photos and they take photos and there is much laughter. Back at his table Roy is almost seeing double already and becomes quite giggly!! When the food arrives it definitely helps! It is all great fun and everyone so friendly it really adds to the enjoyment of the holiday.

Day 1313: Another travelling day today and we are on our way before 7am as we have a long way to go! The road we take travels back up into the mountains and over a very high pass at 4200m. A small flock of Snow Pigeons flies past at eye level looking great then a flock of Fork-tailed Swifts and a Red-billed Blue Magpie before we really start gaining height and vanish into the clouds. The road is horrendous in places as they are reconstructing huge sections and as a result is very muddy and half dug up. It makes for slow progress and we scan the fifty yards or so we can see in the fog for Grandala - but with luck. We pass several Plain Mountain Finches and lots of pipits but little else and when we finally drop below cloud level we stop and scan the slopes all around. A female Grandala is perched at the brow of the hill but vanishes almost immediately and from then on we scan and scan hoping for one to return. There are lots of Water and one or two Rosy Pipits and lots of Plain Mountain Finches with a Blue-fronted Redstart and Black Redstart but no more Grandalas. We have breakfasts here and then continue on our way.

The next part of the journey is fabulous as we drop down a stunning valley that at times is a gorge with the raging river down below and cliffs and forest and high peaks and amazing little villages and old houses. It is endlessly interesting. There are not many birds but we do see Grey Wagtail and both White-capped and Plumbeous Water Restarts.

We arrive at a small village which is just a delight. The buildings are ornately painted with symbols and many have beautiful carved doors and eaves. The people are very friendly and we get to meet more people in local traditional dress and a couple of us buy stuff from the shops and one or two are lucky enough to be invited into peoples houses which is a real treat - they are as beautiful inside as outside! There is a mass of vegetation laid out on the road to dry apparently for the pigs in the winter.

The trees and bushes around the village seem to be full of Common Rosefinches and scanning carefully we find a pair of Oriental Turtle Doves and a flock of Red Collared Doves. A Russet Sparrow is nest building in the end of a road sign and then at the far end of the village Parus brilliantly identifies Small-billed Minivet with a pair showing well in the tree tops. We see Grey-headed Woodpecker, Plumbeous Water Redstart and Collared Finchbill.

Travelling on, the gorge becomes even more impressive with very high cliff faces and there is a strange contrast to the place - with wonderful beauty of the landscape contrasting with the appalling mess being made by gravel abstraction and rubble in heaps in the river. The roads seem to be under reconstruction in many places adding to the mess created by quarrying and even more by the hydroelectric scheme - it is quite shocking.

We pass some of the best Panda habitat anywhere in China and start seeing lots of bamboo in the forests on the steep slopes. One reserve we pass is where the first ever panda was taken and sent back to Paris for the museum - the first ever seen by westerners and named for science by Père David. Looking at the steep slopes and dense forest it is obvious why no-one runs Panda watching trips!

We make a stop for lunch in a surprisingly big town after being in so much countryside. Another delicious meal with a great variety of flavours and dishes. After we have eaten we set off again and as we drive through the town an Oriental Honey Buzzard is circling above the buildings!

After following more amazing gorge scenery we suddenly hit roadworks. They have dug up the whole road surface for miles and miles and the cars are all over the road crawling along through the humps and bumps and avoiding serious potholes. Eventually we reach the main road which is both fast and through beautiful scenery. Forested hills and valleys line the road and we enjoy the run for the last hour before reaching our hotel. It has been another wonderful day travelling with so much to see.

Arriving at the hotel and it has to be said we are not happy with the accommodation here. After some discussion we agree to stay one night and move somewhere else tomorrow. So with that sorted we have enough time to take a walk before our evening meal and see some birds. There are Red- rumped and Barn Swallows a plenty and amongst them Himalayan Swiftlets. Black-naped Orioles seem to be common here and we see several. One Oriole lands on sticks in a field and we realise that right bedside it is a superb male Tiger Shrike!! After enjoying excellent views we walk on as Parus has heard a Forest Wagtail calling. It is a beautiful bird when we find it and there are White Wagtails and Grey Wagtails by the river and a Blue Whistling Thrush on the far side. A high pitched chipping call attracts our attention and turns out to be a Fire-breasted Flowerpecker perched right on the tree top. Well pleased with our collection of birds we start walking back adding one more interesting find before we arrive at the hotel again - a great big cicada!

Day 1414: We wake to rain pattering on the roof and head out into the early morning darkness in our three minibuses. The road winds up towards the hills and eventually becomes a dirt track. With the rain still falling we realise as we gain height that it must have been very heavy rain during the night as the track is awash!! In some places it is like a stream running down the hillside as we drive through muddy ruts and over rocky hummocks and at times we can’t believe they manage to keep going! It is very rough and bouncy and seems to go on forever and at one spot they even pull out a tool for flattening the ruts! Then just before the end of the road a Temminck's Tragopan flies up in front of the first bus and we all jump out but there is no sign. Finally we reach the top of the road where we park and get out into foggy drizzle.

Philip says he will sort out the breakfast things so we should just look for birds and we start scanning around. The mist creates a wonderful atmospheric scene with silhouetted trees and we can hear plenty of birds calling and one is very strange - sounding like a very long drumming woodpecker. This is the song of Brown Bush Warbler so we try playing a bit hoping to get a view - but it does not respond. We see several Himalayan Swiftlets flying over then a Vinaceous Rosefinch perches on a tree top. There are White-collared Yuhinas, a Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Ferruginous Flycatcher, a calling Oriental Cuckoo briefly on top of a dead tree then a Verditer Flycatcher. We get superb views of White-bellied Redstart singing from a small comfier and Roy finds a pair of Chestnut-vented Nuthatches which show very well allowing us to see the key feature!

We start walking down the path and the mist clears slightly for a little while. We find a flock of Emei Shan Liocichla calling noisily from the bamboos. In trying to locate them we discover a pair of Grey-hooded Fulvetta too and get good views of both species as they flit between the branches and bamboos stalks. Large-billed Leaf Warblers are feeding young somewhere nearby and calling constantly and we get brief views of Aberrant Bush Warbler. Suddenly a Golden Parrotbill appears in the bamboos below us - a gorgeous little bird. Red-billed Leiothrix prove tricky to see in the undergrowth but eventually we get good views.

As we walk further on suddenly Parus stops and points saying there is a Tragopan in the grass verge up ahead - but before anyone gets onto it, it has vanished! We try playing the call and are amazed when one calls back from the up the slope but it doesn’t come out - however suddenly there is a noise from the other side of the track and we realise there is a male Temminck's Tragopan walking through the vegetation. We watch with delight as it walks right out across a gap in the vegetation completely on show for a few seconds allowing us a wonderful view even if it is through a veil of fog! We wait for some time but with no further sign we walk on.

Over the next part of the walk it starts to rain and become rather foggy again and we don’t see a great deal. We get several great views of Mrs Gould's Sunbird - perhaps our best views yet. Eventually we decide to head back and shortly spot a woodpecker that turns out to be Crimson-breasted Woodpecker. We spot more Large-billed Leaf Warblers, and Jean finds a lovely Golden-breasted Fulvetta. We are then delighted when two White-throated Needletails fly over and sweep round in circles overhead. This is our best views so far of this species and some even manage a photo or two!

As we arrive back where we saw the Tragopan earlier suddenly Parus stops and points saying "Temminck's Tragopan on the cliff!!" There - completely out in full view, is a male Temminck's Tragopan looking absolutely fantastic half way up the embankment. We watch it walk across the cliff face in full view and even scope it, and what a fantastic sight it is with blue face, orange stripes across the head and bright orangey rusty plumage covered in whitish blue spots! It is a stunning bird and we are thrilled to get such great views of this near mythical species!! We watch it skulk into the undergrowth and can still make it out in the dark under the vegetation for some time.

We arrive back at the vans where the rain has started falling again and enjoy lunch here. The rain seems very set in again and the fog is thick but coming and going as we eat. We get occasional White-throated Needletails belting through at breakneck speed through the trees and they are just wonderful, so fast. We get more good views of Vinaceous Rosefinch and then a Lesser Cuckoo flies over calling constantly before dropping into one of the tall trees where we get scope views.

After we have eaten we decide to drop down to a lower height to try and get out of the fog. This works well and when we reach a point where a track leads off we stop and take a walk. We soon find another Chestnut-vented Nuthatch here and it is joined by a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker. Our next bird is a Ferruginous Flycatcher which shows very well indeed and we even enjoy scope views then we find small group of Short-billed Minivets. A strange grosbeak type bird on the top of the tree proves a challenge with some uncertainly what we are looking at - is it a Hawfinch or a Brown Bulfinch or some kind of immature grosbeak? It doesn't look like any of the birds in the China book but Parus is certain it is a Brown Bullfinch so we bow to his local expertise.

We next find a singing Emei Leaf Warbler which sings high above our heads and further down the track an astonishing orchid! It is very tall with widely separated yellow flowers up the bare stem and no leaves. Almost the whole time we can hear an Oriental Cuckoo calling but it seems to be impossible to find however as we turn back a Lesser Cuckoo is more obliging flying round in big circles high over head calling constantly. We also get a brief view of an unidentified snake - a nice brown one that is slim with some mottling on the body and pale patches behind the head. While hard to find much information on Chinese snakes the internet has a species that looks possible - Sibynophis chinensis or Asian Many-Toothed Snake.

Back at the vans we drop down to a large parking lot where we park near the entrance of a park. A huge artificial fallen tree looks remarkably realistic! We walk our way slowly up the slope pausing when we find any birds though they are not very numerous. We find a pair of Black Bulbuls of the white headed form which look rather smart! Further on a Martens's Warbler is singing. This is a third member of the split from Golden-spectacled Warbler and almost identical to both Grey-crowned and Bianchi's Warblers with a different song and those who work at peering into the dense foliage manage to get quite good views. We also get much better views of Emei Leaf Warbler here and then another leaf warbler which looks different! With a clear yellow belly and vent and grey throat and chest it is an Ashy-throated Warbler - another write in!!

We have now been on the go for a long time and decide that perhaps it would be a good idea to get back to the hotel to have an early meal before changing to our new hotel. We arrive back to enjoy a delicious meal but Jean is not feeling hungry so she walks round the garden while we eat and finds a White-rumped Munia instead!

Our new hotel is in quite a large town and is much better with lovely hot showers and much better rooms and having got there quite early we have a lovely long evening here and even a lie in the following morning!

Day 115555: After a few very early mornings we are ready for a lie in and this morning we start with a very relaxed 8am breakfast in the lobby of the hotel. Everyone is looking refreshed after a longer night's sleep and a good shower and we watch the world going by outside with rickshaws, people exercising at the side of the road, lots of people going by on vespers including one young woman with a dog stood under her legs! So many of the women are dressed beautifully while the men often less so.

Once ready we are soon on our way making a brief stop on the way to see the street selling locally made pots for which the town is famous. They are rather nicely made with little dragons or fish as handles on the lids. While here we spot an Oriental Magpie Robin singing from the rooftop. We park by a monastery and take a walk. There are huge impressive trees here - tall and beautifully shaped. There is a tall pagoda and beautiful decorated bridge and walkway plus a wonderful entrance to the monastery. We find a Hair-crested Drongo in a tree high up on the skyline and then as we walk up the slope we find a nesting air of Brown-breasted Flycatchers. A Red-billed Blue Magpie flies across and Parus hears a Rufous-faced Warbler singing nearby. This is a species we would certainly like to see so Philip plays a little of the song and after a while it flies into one of the trees and we get good views.

We walk on up the slope and the sun is remarkably hot and the weather rather humid making it rather hard work but Phillip keeps us entertained as he points out various things we pass. Such as the various kinds of fruit and vegetables growing on little plots of land and features of the houses or tales of the local area. A Russet Sparrow is calling from one roof top, a very brightly coloured male. There are quite a few Black Bulbuls around - all of the white-headed form and also Chinese Bulbul and Brown-breasted Bulbul. There are Grey-capped Greenfinches around in the trees and we find as beautiful Verditer Flycatcher. While we are watching this bird a Yellow-rumped Flycatcher flies into the same tree but frustratingly only stays a few seconds.

At the top of the hill we are surprised to find a group of young women all dressed in identical colourful dresses and red shoes and Philip tells us they have been learning a dance routine! Alison asks if they would perform for us and to our delight they agree to! They drop down to a flat concrete area where they set up their music player and then perform a beautifully choreographed dance routine in perfect unison!

Given there is some shade here we decide to hang around and scan the treetops. We glimpse the Yellow-rumped Flycatcher again and see more greenfinches and two more Verditer Flycatchers then Roy spots a Yellow-throated Bunting right on top of one of the trees. When we eventually walk back down we spot a couple of Eurasian Cuckoos then notice a raptor circling overhead which Roy immediately recognises it as a Black Baza!! This is a wonderful surprise as it is not on our checklist and is a bird Roy has wanted to see for a long time. What a strange shape it is with very odd shaped wings, a black head and pale chest with big white patches near the wingtips. Then while we are watching this another raptor flies through and joins a similar bird as they circle together. This slim winged and long tailed bird causes a lot of confusion - it is not a Goshawk for sure, and not a falcon and doesn't look like a buzzard either - what on earth is it!! Parus suggests Grey-faced Buzzard but the distribution map suggests it is not here. It takes some study of the books and the text as well the images before we are convinced but Parus says he has heard of records for this area before so the map is just out of date. On returning home pictures on the internet look exactly like our birds so well done Parus!

At the bottom of the slope we arrive at a restaurant where we stop for lunch. It is very busy with a great atmosphere and we enjoy watching the people while we wait for the food to arrive. Apparently they don't mind us going into the kitchen either and so some folk watch them as they prepare the vegetables and cut potatoes for the meal - fascinating as they are so fast!

After lunch we walk back to the bus and drive to our next spot passing through a town which as ever is just full of fascinating things to gawp at - the shops, the people the rickshaws, the tuc-tucs the chaos of life here is just wonderful and endlessly entertaining.

We arrive at the University where Parus studies and take another walk up through some of the grounds. There are white-headed Black Bulbuls a plenty and then we find a new Parrotbill which after skulking a while eventually shows quite well - Ashy-throated Parrotbill. We find a calling Fire-breasted Flowerpecker then find Swinhoe's Minivet. A Japanese Tit shows briefly then at the top of the hill our way is blocked by reconstruction of the path. We decide to take a slightly less easy route back down and take a dirt track. From this route we glimpse Eurasian Jay and Asian Koel, Hair-crested Drongo and a couple of White-browed Laughingthrushes. There are Collared Finchbills and more Chinese Bulbuls then as we walk back along the road Jane spots a bird flying across the far slope. It is some way off and Roy checks with the scope finding four White-browed Laughingthrushes. In amongst them is something of a similar size with no white on the face! It is a Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler - a very nice find indeed.

We walk back to the bus and head on towards Chengdu where we are staying tonight - and the scenery has changed completely. We have now left all the mountains behind and are driving through huge agricultural areas. It is very pleasant scenery with trees and fields of crops and rice paddies plus some enormous tea plantations. The houses look remarkably ordinary after our adventures on the Tibetan Plateau but the scenery while much lower is still pleasant with rolling hills and wide flat areas of crops between the patches of woodland.

We head straight to the restaurant because if we go through town it will be rush hour and we could end up very late indeed and after a delicious meal we finally head to the hotel. We are amazed how big Chengdu appears to be, a huge city indeed with everything you would expect but it is a bit of a shock after our adventures - and the hotel is gorgeous!

Day 116666: We have breakfast in the hotel this morning and there is an interesting selection of foods that are mostly very Chinese in style but also a variety of breads and jams and boiled eggs. Once we have eaten we head to the Chengdu Panda Research Base driving through the town to get there and arrive to find it already beginning to busy up. We pass the Panda Police station and enter through the Panda shaped gate and once inside head straight up the slope to the top where the youngest Giant Pandas can be found.

As we walk we can’t help stopping to check out Chinese Bulbuls, White-browed Laughingthrushes and on a sign the other side of the road we spot a Crested Myna. There are Tree Sparrows, Grey-capped Greenfinch and Chinese Blackbird - then suddenly we are there and in the first enclosure are two Giant Pandas! They are sat side by side munching on bamboo shoots and looking wonderful and slightly unreal. It is such an unlikely looking animal. They are very cute and cuddly looking and we watch how they strip off the outer sheath of the bamboo first then munch the green flesh underneath and work their way down the bamboo shoots with great speed doing this over and over again. After many photos are taken we move on and discover another enclose with three similar sized animals. One is happily munching away while the others sleep. In the next much bigger enclosure there are a lot of young Pandas. They are gorgeous and some are very playful rolling around with each other and mock fighting. A couple are up in the crook of the trees looking very chilled indeed and there must be at least seven animals in here. We spend ages taking photos and watching their funny antics before moving on and heading to the Red Panda enclosures.

The Red Pandas are also wonderful! There are a couple in the big branches of a tree over the path then a third feeding on a wooden platform where the food is placed. They are just delightful looking animals and we see perhaps six or seven in total. Two are feeding on another platform and a couple slip through holes in the fence and walk up the track which means they almost tread on our toes as they walk past!! Again the cameras are snapping away and we also take photos of White-browed Laughingthrushes and Red-billed Leiothrix here too. It is just lovely to see these fabulous animals so close and we only lament that we never found one in the wild.

At the bottom of the next slope we arrive at a lake where we have an ice-cream and watch the Black Swans and Koi Carp. There are couple of wild birds here too including Little Grebe and Moorhen. After that we drop down to the entrance where we get back on the bus and head for lunch.

Lunch is in a very ornate restaurant where we have our own private room and a huge lazy Susan and we can all sit at one table. The food is fabulous and includes more dishes we have not tried before some of which are delicious indeed. There is fish for the first time - something called Squirrel Fish, then two types of Tofu and various other options with varying degrees of chilly. Then we head back to the hotel for a couple of hours break so we can freshen up and have time to pack before meeting up again at 4pm to go out for a little birding and some shopping!

We head round to a local park which is really lovely with little bridges passing over the narrow waterways between the picturesque pools. There are a couple of Black-crowned Night Herons along the edge of the water and in the trees, and a single Grey Heron too. We are delighted to find both Vinous-throated and Ashy-throated Parrotbills - surprised they are to be found in the middle of a city! A Kingfisher flies beneath the bridge and perches in the open for a short time and we find Spotted Dove, lots of Chinese Bulbuls, Barn and Red-rumped Swallows and a lovely flock of Black-throated Tits.

But if we are going to fit in a bit of shopping we have run out of time and so we drive the short distance to a local market area where lovely things are for sale on stalls and in the shops lining the road. It is a little more up market than others we have seen and we get an hour to look around here before heading to the restaurant and our evening meal.

As this is our last meal together we are treated to wine and a real banquet! A fabulous selection of food appears on the lazy Susan and we all sit together at one big table. We are still being treated to new dishes as well as a selection of favourites from through the trip - then feeling well fed and watered we make one last run through the checklist before our traditional round-up of the holiday. Each person gets to choose four favourite species from the trip and a favourite place plus a magic moment - something they thought really special.

Going round the group it is soon apparent that there are a huge variety of birds and mammals that people have enjoyed seeing. Over thirty species get a mention including warblers, tits, minivets, thrushes and redstarts through to elegant Black-necked Cranes, Chinese Monal and other pheasants such as Blue Eared and White Eared Pheasants. Ground Tit gets a mention as do Red-billed Blue Magpie, Kessler's Thrush, White-throated Needletail and the gorgeous Mrs Gould's Sunbird. Three birds score particularity highly though - these being Chinese Monal, the delightful White-browed Tit Warbler and the winner with six votes - Temminck's Tragopan! Mammals also get a mention with Pikas, Takin and Marmots and the Steppe Polecat all getting mentions - but despite not being in the wild it is the Pandas that steal the most votes.

It is interesting that with so many scenic and wonderful places it is remarkably difficult to single one place out for a mention and again there are many places that are chosen by different people. Two places however stand out with several votes each however and these are the Tibetan high plateau and the foggy topped Balang Mountain with its stunning views as the fog lifted.

Magic moments are always very unpredictable and as ever they are very varied but unlike many trips a lot of the most memorable moments on this trip involve people! The Chinese have proved so friendly and such a pleasure to meet that magic moments have included people dancing in the street and having our photos taken with families at restaurants, in the street and of course Roy's happy drinking session with the group in the restaurant. The astonishing moment of walking into the Terracotta Warriors first covered area gets a mention and there are wildlife moments too as Temminck's Tragopan, Mrs Gould's Sunbird and Spectacled Parrotbills score too but it is the Pandas that score the highest with four people mentioning either Giant or Red Pandas and the delight it was to watch them playing and wandering around - a great finish to the trip.

One thing we are all agreed on is that it has been a truly amazing holiday with so many incredible scenes both wildlife and cultural and so many wonderful surprises. Much of the pleasure has been down to the excellent organisation of our ground agents and their great delight in showing us their wonderful country. Many, many thanks to Philip and Parus for all their hard work and for making our trip so enjoyable. And thanks too to everyone who came for making it such fun!

Birds Chestnut-throated (Monal) Partridge Tetraophasis obscurus Little Egret Egretta garzetta Temminck's Tragopan Tragopan temminckii Great Egret (Eastern) Ardea alba Chinese Monal Lophophorus lhuysii Cattle Egret (Eastern) Bubulcus coromandus White Eared Pheasant Crossoptilon crossoptilon Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Blue Eared Pheasant Crossoptilon auritum Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Golden Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus Black Stork Ciconia nigra Greylag Goose Anser anser Crested Ibis Nipponia nippon Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Gray-capped (Pygmy) Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus Crimson-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos cathpharius Chinese Grey Shrike Lanius sphenocercus Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopos darjellensis Tiger Shrike Lanius tigrinus Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha Gray-headed Woodpecker Picus canus Azure-winged Magpie Cyanopica cyanus Hodgson's Treecreeper Certhia hodgsoni Black-billed Magpie Pica pica Bar-tailed Treecreeper Certhia himalayana Ground Tit (Hume's Groundpecker) Pseudopodoces humilis Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Spotted Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Hoopoe Upupa epops Yellow-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea Daurian Jackdaw Corvus dauuricus Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus Common Raven Corvus corax Himalayan (Oriental) Cuckoo Cuculus saturatus Black-naped Oriole Oriolus chinensis (Asian) Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus Swinhoe's Minivet Pericrocotus cantonensis Himalayan Swiftlet Aerodramus brevirostris Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris Common Swift Apus apus Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus Hair-crested (Spangled) Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus House Swift Apus nipalensis Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis Little Owl Athene noctua White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii Tawny Fish Owl Ketupa flavipes Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius Tawny Owl Strix aluco Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus Feral Pigeon Columba livia Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus Hill Pigeon Columba rupestris Chestnut Thrush Turdus rubrocanus Snow Pigeon Columba leuconota Kessler's Thrush Turdus kessleri Oriental Turtle-Dove Streptopelia orientalis Chinese Thrush Turdus mupinensis Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Himalayan Bluetail Tarsiger rufilatus Red Collared Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto Firethroat Luscinia pectardens Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis Indian Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Hodgson's Redstart Phoenicurus hodgsoni Common Redshank Tringa totanus White-throated Redstart Phoenicurus schisticeps Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus Common Tern Sterna hirundo Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes White-capped Water Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus Black-eared Kite Milvus migrans lineatus White-bellied Redstart Hodgsonius phaenicuroides Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica Himalayan Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis Brown-breasted Flycatcher Muscicapa muttui Cinereous (Black) Vulture Aegypius monachus Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula zanthopygia Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus Slaty-backed Flycatcher Ficedula hodgsonii Himalayan (Common) Buzzard Buteo (buteo) refectus Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor Upland Buzzard Buteo hemilasius Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Grandala Grandala coelicolor Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaulti Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus Vinous-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis webbianus White-cheeked Starling Sturnus cineraceus Ashy-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis alphonsianus Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus Golden Parrotbill Paradoxornis verreauxi Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea Tibetan Lark Melanocorpha maxima Chestnut-vented Nuthatch Sitta nagaensis Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula Chinese Nuthatch Sitta villosa Shorelark Eremophila alpestris Coal Tit Periparus ater Mrs Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae Yellow-bellied Tit Pardaliparus venustulus Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus Grey-crested Tit Lophophanes dichrous Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicus Japanese Tit Parus minor Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata Sichuan Tit Poecile weigoldicus Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus White-browed Tit Poecile superciliosa (Indian) House Sparrow Passer domesticus (indicus) Rusty-breasted Tit Poecile davidi Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans Rufous-vented Tit Periparus rubidiventris White-rumped Snowfinch Montifringilla taczanowskii Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus Rufous-necked Snowfinch Montifringilla ruficollis Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus White Wagtail Motacilla alba Sooty Tit Aegithalos fuliginosus Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus Brown-breasted Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta Chinese Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques Rufous-breasted Accentor Prunella strophiata Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus Grey-capped Greenfinch Carduelis sinica Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler Cettia fortipes Tibetan Siskin Carduelis thibetana Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler Cettia acanthizoides Twite Carduelis flavirostris Spotted Bush Warbler Bradypterus thoracicus Plain Mountain-Finch Leucosticte nemoricola Buff-throated Warbler Phylloscopus subaffinis Brandt's Mountain-Finch Leucosticte brandti Aberrant Bush Warbler Cettia flavolivacea Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra White-browed Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile sophiae Crimson-browed Finch Propyrrhula subhimachala Crested Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile elegans Blandford’s Rosefinch Carpodacus rubescens Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis Dark-breasted Rosefinch Carpodacus nipalensis Hume's Warbler Phylloscopus humei Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides Beautiful Rosefinch Carpodacus pulcherrimus Arctic Warbler Phylloscopus borealis Pink-rumped Rosefinch Carpodacus eos Yellow-streaked Warbler Phylloscopus armandii Vinaceous Rosefinch Carpodacus vinaceus Alpine Warbler Phylloscopus occisinensis Spot-winged Rosefinch Carpodacus rhodopeplus Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher White-browed Rosefinch Carpodacus thura Sichuan Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus forresti Grey-headed Bullfinch Pyrrhula erythaca Chinese Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus yunnanensis Brown Bullfinch Pyrrhula nipalensis Large-billed Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris White-winged Grosbeak Mycerobas carnipes Emei Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala Goldcrest Regulus regulus Yellow-throated Bunting Emberiza elegans Claudia's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus claudiae Grey-crowned Warbler Seicercus tephrocephalus Bianchi's Warbler Seicercus valentini Martens’s Warbler Seicercus omeiensis Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis Plain Laughingthrush Garrulax davidi Giant Laughingthrush Garrulax maximus White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio Elliot's Laughingthrush Garrulax elliotii Emei Shan Liocichla Liocichla omeinsis Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus gravivox Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea Golden-breasted Fulvetta Alcippe chrysotis Grey-hooded Fulvetta Fulvetta cinereiceps David's Fulvetta Alcippe davidi Spectacled Fulvetta Alcippe ruficapilla White-collared Yuhina Yuhina diademata Black-chinned Yuhina Yuhina nigrimenta Spectacled Parrotbill Paradoxornis conspicillatus Mammals Tibetan Macaque Macaca thibetana Pallas's Squirrel Callosciuruserythraeus Perny's Long-nosed Squirrel Dremomys pernyi Himalayan Marmot Marmota himalayana Swinhoe's Striped Squirrel Tamiops swinhoei Plateau Pika Ochotona curzoniae Moupin Pika Ochotona thibetana Woolly Hare Lepus oiostolus Masked Palm Civet Paguma larvata Tibetan Fox Vulpes ferrilata Mountain Weasel Mustela altaica Steppe Polecat Mustela eversmanii Takin Budorcas taxicolor Reeve's Muntjac Muntiacus reevesi Chinese (Long-tailed) Goral Naemorhedus caudatus Tufted Deer Elaphodus cephalophus Blue Sheep Pseudois nayaur Chinese Serow Capricornis milneedwardsii

Not wild but well worth a mention! Giant Panda Ailruopoda melanoleuca Red Panda Ailurus fulgens Yak!!!! Bos grunniens