Journey to The Mountain City of China

 

There are a few places in China that has gained tremendous popularity as tourist destinations in recent years. Chongqing which is located in the south-western side of this massive country is one of them. My better half and I decided to go for a regular tour to this holiday destination and initially, I considered leaving my birding gear at home for this one. A similar tour that we had to Vietnam where I managed to obtain one significant experience from only a single bird throughout the entire visit was not exactly encouraging. However, a little research online and optimism convinced me otherwise just before the departure date.

Chongqing certainly lived up to its reputation. The countryside was truly amazing and were my favourite parts of this sightseeing excursion.

Do not get me wrong. The city was impressive too with a rich mixture of tradition and modern technology.

However, it is after dark that this so-called Cyberpunk City comes to life and reveals its true splendour.

In terms of birds, Chongqing exceeded my expectations. Although it is only casual birding, I noticed that quite a few places were teeming with birds – even in the city centre. One particular species was quite prominent in the countryside and it was the Red-billed Blue-Magpie. I have recorded it in Cambodia before but it was certainly scarcer there.

Big, colourful and loud; I crossed paths with this remarkable bird on several occasions throughout the tour. Even my sightseeing tour guide is quite familiar with this species and that supports my guess of the bird’s status here. I know that the grass is always greener on the other side but just look at it. There is not one inch of the Red-billed Blue-Magpie that spells ordinary.

We visited several rivers during our 8-day stay and most of them had their own distinct charms. The smaller ones especially if they were rocky, had my undivided attention. Not so much for their appeal but for the feathered residents that they might house.

One particular river stood out from the rest and the circumstances in which things unfolded was unfortunately, bittersweet. Our group was waiting for our turn to embark on a boat trip in the Puhua district. There was a long queue and for almost an hour, we were on an elevated waiting area overlooking the river. While the rest of the group grew restless, I was overwhelmed with excitement because it was a great vantage point for birding. It began with the unmistakeable presence of a forktail foraging directly below. Upon further scrutiny, the greyish back was undeniable. And there is only so much that a familiar species like a Slaty-backed Forktail can conjure up for me despite the prolonged observation.

A pair of Plumbeous Redstarts was also flitting about the fast-flowing waters of this idyllic river. And just like the ones I encountered in Vietnam, they were rather confiding. I have to admit that I did not pay as much attention to them as much as I should have. I was feeling optimistic. After obtaining a record shot of the male Plumbeous Redstart, I started scanning every inch of the river in hopes of obtaining of my first global lifer of the trip. When the wait for the boat was over, I reluctantly kept my gear only to catch sight of a stunning male White-capped Redstart flying across the river and alighting on the rocks where I have been staring at just minutes ago. There was no way of halting the boat without making a scene and I could only watch my lifer until the distance was just too great.

Our tour took us to several scenic areas with amazing limestone formations and lush landscapes. As expected, I managed to capture just a small fraction of the birds found here. During overseas vacations with my better half, the key to an enjoyable outing is moderation and compromising. Despite being surrounded by an array of bird calls very foreign to me, I still have the discipline to pull myself away when required. What can I say? She has trained me well.

Collared Finchbills are interesting-looking birds that I have encountered before in Taiwan. An individual attracted to a fruiting tree provided one of the notable encounters for my China trip. The fruiting tree was located at the entrance to the City Grand Canyon of Qianjiang. I took it as a sign from above but one rarely gets the satisfaction of being right based on gut feelings alone when it comes to birding – rarely but not never.

The fruits also attracted a Pallas’s Squirrel and since only the Finchbill was the only other species present, the rodent had some time in the limelight.

White-browed Laughingthrushes are relatively common in this region. Despite occurring in flocks and showing little fear to human presence, they have a tendency of keeping themselves partially hidden. And their active nature compounds my frustration. Perhaps it is just bad luck. Luckily, I still have this one photo to show in the end.

Drably-coloured bulbuls often require effort to positively identify. Back in Malaysia, this is a constant challenge and I guess it is no different here. Although the Brown-breasted Bulbul is not exactly drab, I was still uncertain of its identification until I consulted Dave.

And just like back home, fruiting trees are a natural magnet for bulbuls. I wished I had more time for the birds patronizing this tree but this lifer will just have to do. Moderation and compromising, remember?

We had our first Daurian Redstart in Malaysia a few years back. The bird, despite being the duller female, provided much excitement at the time. I know fully well how attractive the male can be and when I finally saw him in the flesh, he was even more stunning. My gut feeling turned out right and this location contributed the most species for my photographic efforts.   

The Fairy Mountain was one of the destinations I looked forward to for the trip. Based on my research and AI assistance, it should be the place that will make lugging more than two kilograms of photographic gear around during a regular tour worth the while. Our tour bus finally crossed into the boundaries of The Fairy Mountain National Forest Park after midday. The mist was unbelievable heavy which was something I did not expect to face at this hour. Everyone in the tour group was elated with this mesmerizing condition. I was devastated.

Luckily, I did not end up empty-handed. While on board one of the shuttle buses that operates within the park, I caught sight of a flock of Collared Crows resting on dead tree next to the access road. This lifer would have made a fine addition to my photographic efforts for the trip but instead it became one of the major disappointments in terms of bird photography. The Azure-winged Magpies, which I came across in an urban park within the city centre on the last day of our tour, was another heartbreaker. And that time, it was not due to being in a moving bus but Murphy’s Law. I decided to leave my gear in our hotel room thinking I could not possibly encounter anything during a city tour that warrant the use of my camera. A goddamn lifer proved me wrong.

Anyway, back to Fairy Mountain (I think Misty Mountain would be a more appropriate name). A few Oriental Magpies have adapted to surviving off scraps left behind by visitors to this tourist hotspot and judging from the huge crowd when I was there, these birds have it made. Despite the mist, the images turned out better than expected and the bold nature of the birds was a big help.

The main birding highlight of this trip took place on another mountain, Jinfosan. The open areas yielded a distant Long-tailed Shrike. As it is not uncommon in my country, this record shot was sufficient.

We then walked along a nature trail that reminded me of The Mossy Forest Eco Park in Cameron Highlands. As with most of the sites we visited, the scenery was fascinating. After capturing this photo, my wife excitedly signalled and told me that there were birds along the path in front of her and I rushed over.

Instead of finding the birds gone, which would be the usual case, the birds were still there. In fact, the flock appeared to be moving towards me. I knew they were Red-tailed Laughingthrushes and their beauty precedes them. The flock consisted of both adults and juveniles. Naturally, the young ones were much bolder. At times, I could have given them a pat on the head!

To be in such close proximities with these birds was an incredible experience. I find it hard to recall the last time I was given such privilege. The Red-tailed Laughingthrush is a fitting species to end my casual birding endeavour to China. Just like most of the attractions here, the bird was striking and definitely memory-making material.

A trail of teasing trogons

 

I found myself exploring the foothills of Gunung Bintang in the state of Kedah on Boxing Day this year. And the weather was surprisingly good with clear blue skies and plenty of sunshine. The vicinity was alive with the sounds of nature and as usual, the wilderness provides sanctuary for my wearied soul. The troops of Agile Gibbons present almost drowned out all the rest with their powerful territorial calls and for these shy primates that is often the only indication of their presence.

One particular call had my undivided attention. It is a series of mournful notes but owner of the call is anything but mournful. I do not come across the Red-naped Trogon all that often and this individual was not making it easy for me. The dense foliage of the canopy hid the bird well and the vocalization was the only aid I have to locating this stunning forest dweller. Quarter of an hour and a couple of leech bites later, the trogon shifted position and slight movement was all that was needed for its location to be revealed. It was a dreadful photographic attempt but the experience exciting nevertheless.

The trogons of this birding haven appear to have returned to the forest surrounding this access road. The movement control order by the government decreased human activities considerably here and could well be one of the main reasons why I found myself surrounded by these forest denizens today. As much as I hate to admit it, human interference regardless of any nature, will have an impact on the ecosystem. In our absence, Mother Nature thrives. Anyway, the Diard’s Trogon and Orange-breasted Trogon teased me with fleeting views from the cover of the forest. Even the commoner Scarlet-rumped Trogon was reluctant to reveal his true beauty today.

His duller mate was not any much better despite resting on a relatively open perch.

The two resident forest kingfishers were also up and about. While the Banded Kingfisher remained out of sight, the Rufous-collared Kingfisher provided a brief but mesmerizing encounter. She alighted at eye level but unfortunately in a gloomy part of the forest. Unlike most avian species, she is just as striking as her male counterpart. I could not recall the last time I came across a female of this species and this girl certainly brought some cheer after the frustrating time with the trogons.

A number of birdwaves swept past me as I slowly ascended the trail. Babblers, warblers, flycatchers, woodpeckers and sunbirds were the main participants of this natural phenomenon. Photographic attempts were futile as the birds were exceptionally active today. All except for a male Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike that decided to take a short breather in the midst of all the chaos.

Fruiting trees are always a good spot for birds. A small fruiting next to the access road made me stop to have a better look. A pair of Finsch’s Bulbuls came for a short feed but they were the only signs of life at the tree for the entire duration I was there.

I did not give much thought to the resident Chestnut-naped Forktails that were darting about today as these birds do not appreciate human presence much. However, a juvenile decided to momentarily abandon its skittish nature and foraged relatively close to my position. This species has a tendency to hunt along isolated access roads and when out the in the open like this, one can truly appreciate the beauty of the Chestnut-naped Forktail even if it has yet to obtain full adult plumage.

Well, we are all familiar with the saying stop and smell the roses but you will not find any roses here in this hot and humid environment. I hope I am not getting sentimental with age but while waiting (in vain) for the forktail to show itself again, this yellow flower did catch my eye.

The Bushy-crested Hornbill is probably the avian world’s equivalent of the gibbons here at this site. It occurs in flocks and just like the primates, are vocal by nature. A flock was yelping away (yup, they do sound somewhat like puppies) from one of the taller trees and lucky for me, the foliage was sparse enough to make the shape of the hornbills. They were quite a distance away and the tree, strongly backlighted.

Years of birding has moulded me into a patient man and I waited for, hopefully, a change of fortune. My determination paid off when the flock, consisting of nine individuals, took flight and headed towards my direction. I also have been birding long enough to know that things rarely work out exactly how you hoped. When it comes to forest birding, everything comes down to luck and it certainly had some for this encounter.

My best effort of the flying Bushy-crested Hornbills was of this young male. He was the last one to make it across the valley and my modest photographic setup had a little more time to capture the moment. There is just something about hornbills in flight that make them so captivating – even if the species is mostly shades of brown.

I had to borrow my better half’s ride for my birding adventure this time as the battery of my old girl died on me the day before. When it comes to photography, birds and other wildlife naturally has precedence over everything else. But vehicles are one of my few other passions in life and you will find a number of photographs of this nature in my digital archive. And this Kai Concept crossover wrapped things up for the day.