Photo Gallery
Unfortunately the only Giant Panda that we’re likely to see won’t be wild…
Species we’re more likely to see in the often spectacularly scenic province include…
Temminck’s Tragopan (photo by Vincent Wang)
or two….(photo by Vincent Wang)
while other regional specialties include the parrotbills, here a Three-toed…(photo by Vincent Wang)
Yak herder’s house
Balangshan Pass
With luck we could see Chinese Goral…
….while the recently split Chinese Rubythroat is fairly reliable. (photo by Vincent Wang)
The stunning Firethroat easily lives up to its name. (photo by Vincent Wang)
In the Alpine flower meadows we should be able to find…
Edelweiss…
and others…
Much of mountainous western Sichuan was once part of Tibet and religion still plays an important roll in the local culture.
Traditional style buildings dominate several of the more remote settlements.
Local bakery
We’ll explore several spectacular forest roads…
and should be able to find several scimitar babblers, here a widespread Streak-breasted…
Although Giant Panda’s unlikely, Red Panda is a distinct possibility!
The aptly named national endemic, Chinese Fulvetta, isn’t common… (photo by Vincent Wang)
…but Grey-backed Shrike is.
The Tibetan influence is strong in the language…
…the buildings…
and the birds. Here a Little Owl.
Gamebirds will feature highly – this a Verreaux’s Monal-partridge…
…while mammals could include a Least Weasel.
Yaks and yak herders’ houses are a common feature of the higher passes…
…and in the Plateau grasslands…
…while more traditional dwellings dominate lower elevations.
Daurian Jackdaw’s a fairly common breeder…
…and we’re sure to run in to several Pere David’s Rock Squirrels…
…but the only Giant Pandas that we’re likely to see will be in the breeding centre in Chengdu…
…where Crested Myna’s are common…
and Giant Pandas feature prominently.