Emeifeng is one of the key location in China which has easy accessibility to see the endemic gamebirds like Cabot’s Tragopan and Elliot’s Pheasant. The plan of seeing the Gamebirds and other woodland birds had an unanimous vote among the squad and it was decided to hit the place when the migration starts to tail-off in Shanghai.
Emeifeng Nature Reserve
The above sign board is near the Qingyun boardwalk, despite the horrible photo-shopped pictures of White-eared night Heron and clouded leopard, it portrays the variety of biodiversity in the reserve.
The ride :
Taining has a high speed train station and can be reached easily from Shanghai with a connection at Nanchang. We looked at various options of reaching Taining either directly or to Wuyishan and then renting a car there but finally settled with the long drive from Shanghai. The drive took about 11 hours each way with occasional stopping at gas stations for refuel the ride and us. We used a Skoda Rapid, booked through eHi Car rental which was adequate for all of us and our arsenal.
Crash Pad :
Looking at several accommodation options (Taining town, Emeifeng Peak and Xinqiao home stays), we finally decided to stay in Taining town just to have a better food and cozy hotel. We stayed at the Huada Hotel, booked through Ctrip website. On our second day of birding at the summit, we met Lady Little Gao, who strongly suggested that staying at her homestay in Xinqiao village is convenient for birding. We never had a chance to look at her homestay but certainly most of the houses looked pretty big from the outside, had couple of convenience stores and small restaurants similar to our ancient street diner at Taining.
Our ride infront of the Huada hotel in Taining
Ancient street diner at Taining
Suicide Squad :
Deadshot (aka) Roger Timmermann : A fine marksman and an optics expert.
Deadshot
Grand Maester K (aka) Kevin Pickering : Old school Birder with a wealthy of knowledge and our Chief spotter, our mega bird of the trip would have gone unnoticed if not for his keen eyes.
Grand Maester K on the Bigstone trail
The Squire/Sidekick would be me. Unfortunately no pics (Not into Selfies and self-advertising)
Emeifeng birding spots :
Asian Barred Owlet
Black Baza, Chinese Sparrowhawk, Asian Barred Owlet
Exactly at the 7th KM mile marker stone
Good place for Little Forktail
A small marsh on the left side of the road with an abandoned building
Emeifeng Premiere :
Day 1 – 25 May
We arrived at Taining around 3PM. After checking into our hotel, we drove direct to Emeifeng. The X762 road ran parallel to the Beixi brook which gave us gripping views of Brown dippers, Common Kingfisher, Collared Finchbill, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Plumbeous Redstart. The road to the Emeifeng summit starts right before the Xinqiao village infront of a small gas station. Slaty-backed Forktail and White-crowned Forktail were numerous on this road. The best birding spot of our trip is the “Y junction” before the checkpost. The road on the left goes to the summit and the right goes to villages. The reason for best birding spot will be revealed as the story progresses. Chinese Sparrowhawk was always seen staking out on the wires above fields to the right side of the Y junction. The best place for Chickens, the 6th KM mark was not good this time because villagers were harvesting bamboo’s. Enroute the summit, we picked several Yellow-Cheeked Tits, Grey-Chinned Minivets, IndoChinese and Black-chinned Yuhina’s, White-bellied Erpornis, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Buffy Laughingthrush, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush. We reached the summit around 6PM, there was still plenty of light for us to pick up Grey Bushchat, Chinese Hwamei, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Great Barbet. Once the darkness fell, we saw plenty of creepers crossing the ghat road. No GAMEBIRDS!
Day 2 – 26 May
Our alarms were blasting at 3AM to have a glimpse of the chicken ghosts before the chaos of the bamboo harvesting begins at Emeifeng. We were warmly greeted by an “Asian barred Owlet“. The Owl always favored the bamboo and the single farmhouse near the Emeifeng entrance road. The checkpost was open just enough for our car to pass through. One of the tracks leading to the villages gave us gripping views of our first gamebird of the trip, “Chinese Bamboo Partrdige“. The terraced rice fields yielded Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Masked Laughingthrush, Yellow-bellied Prinia.
Terrace rice fields
We continued our climb to the submit and picked up the songs of the best songsters Pygmy Wren Babbler and the Spotted Elochura but never saw either of them. We hit the jackpot at the 14KM mile marker, a female Cabot’s Tragopan was feeding near the edge of the road allowing us grab some shots. Suddenly, we saw some movement in the bushes and it was 3 Junior Cabot’s, at this time mommy Cabot’s didn’t feel comfortable with her chicks in the vicinity of strangers, the family slowly ascended the slope and disappeared into the woods.
Never say no! Male Chinese Sparrowhawk always seen at the Y-Junction
Each village had atleast a pair of Asian Barred Owlet
Lady Cabot’s
Junior Cabot’s
We once again took the board walk leading to the Qingyun temple, we were highly entertained by an orchestra of several White-spectacled Warblers. We followed the steep narrow road to the TV station, there are two U-turn’s with a considerable amount of clearing, which produced the highly territorial Buff-throated Warbler along with numerous White-spectacled Warblers. At the TV station, we were delighted with gripping views of high altitude specialists Brown Bush Warblers. We then decided to burn the mid-day by travelling to the Shuibu Reservoir for a late evening showdown. Blue-throated Bee-Eater’s were readily available at the entrance gate of the reservoir and throughout the road which runs around the reservoir.
The Ultimate Singer – White-spectacled Warbler
Ultimate Territorial Warrior – Buff-throated Warbler
Altitude Specialist – Brown Bush Warbler
The commoner – Male Grey-chinned Minivet
Reservoir Resident – Blue-throated Bee-Eater
Day 3 – 27 May
Another pre-dawn wake up, Common Hawk Cuckoo was crying out loud even at 3.30AM, we hit our Partridge trail first thing but very quiet and not a single sniff of any chickens. After scouring the lower altitude, we began our ascend to the summit. At the 7th KM mile marker, Grand Maester Kevin screamed “Trogon”, I was doubtful that there will be “Tragopan” at this altitude. He said it again, “Trogon”. A female “Red-headed Trogon” sitting quietly right next to the 7th Km mile marker. A bird which we though that could be seen only in the information boards and thought we would never see it in the wide forest if not for the curious eyes of our Chief spotter.
Crappy shot but a mega bird of the trip – Female Red-headed Trogon
We did the same routine of the boardwalk, TV tower and the new birds were Rufous-capped Babbler, Huet’s Fulvetta, Moustached Laughingthrush, Greater-necklaced Laughingthrush. There is a dense wood facing the lake near the board walk which is a warehouse of Warblers, we picked up a single Sulphur-breasted Warbler.
Another territorial bird at the Boardwalk – Rufous-capped Babbler
Woods near the Qingyun_boardwalk
Trail behind the resort
There is a trail which penetrates through the woods behind the resort and comes out to a clearing. A single Hartert’s Warbler was singing in the woods, we never saw the bird. On this trail, we picked up several feathers of Silver Pheasant but seen none. During the birdless mid-afternoon hours, we focussed on the pleothera of butterflies flying around with proper guidance from our Grand Maester. We decided to the hit the Y-junction for the day’s late evening showdown and the Y-junction delivered again. Kevin picked up a single Asian-barred Owlet on a dead tree next to the stream. Chinese Sparrowhawk never left the wires above the field and what we thought was the highlight of the day is a pair of Black Baza’s collecting nesting materials in a round robin. We decided explore the road and we wouldn’t have gone more than 200 metres. While waiting for a car to go through a broken section of the road, we noticed a female Pheasant bolted across the road, i din’t want to jump the train there. So, we waited patiently, parked the car and walked the stretch. After 15 mins, the female pheasant flew across the road and went into the scrub. Another 5 mins would have gone, three smaller chickens took off the tall grass and disappeared into the Bamboo. Argh!!! Tension was running high as we din’t had a “good” look at what was flying around. Out of nowhere, a male “Elliot’s Pheasant” took off from the grass and disappeared into the bush again. The whole Elliot’s family were playing hide&seek with us and in the mean time, Deadshot managed to freeze the Elliot’s. Well done, Roger-San!!! Selection of photos from our trip can be found at Roger’s Website. Thunderstorms hit the evening with a hit and run. We picked Black-collared Starling from the Xinqiao village, Blue Whistling Thrush and a smoking hot “Little Forktail” at the Beixi brook powerstation.
Commoners of the Village – Crested Myna
Commoners of the Village – Scaly-breasted Munia
Commoners of the Village – Common Kingfisher
Smoking Hot “Little Forktail”
Day 4 – May 28
Our final day of the trip and one more pre-dawn wake up. We hit the Elliot’s place as a first thing and we were delighted by the presence of Lady Elliot’s with her 3 chicks. No chicken or Trogon on the ghat road, we desperately looked at every stream as we started to ascend to pick the Spotted Forktail but in vain. The trail behind the resort again, Grand Maester disappeared into the woods and Deadshot hiked further up. I stayed in the clearing to clinch a Blyth’s Shrike Babbler while Kevin and Roger treated them self with a Silver Pheasant each. We tried the woods near the board walk one last time and finely rewarded with a Chestnut-crowned Warbler. Rest of the day was mostly waiting at the Elliot’s place again and walking in the trail behind the abandoned farmhouse. We ran into 30 odd Mandarin Ducks sitting ducks in a paddy field, making one more addition to our trip list and bringing an end to our Emeifeng adventure.
Her Majesty – Lady Elliot’s
Very common bird at all elevations
Chestnut-crowned Warbler at the Qingyun boardwalk
Junior Rufous-faced Warbler
Very Common at the streams – Plumbeous Redstart
The commonest of the Forktails(Slaty-backed)
Juvenile White-crowned Forktail
Mountain Bulbul at the Qingyun Temple
Grey Bush Chat at the Qingyun Temple
Great Barbet at the Qingyun Temple
Mandarin Duck at the Y Junction
Another commoner of the streams – Brown Dipper
Below is a gallery of butterflies photographed in Emeifeng. Since we do not have a definite field guide for China, most of the ID’s are still a work in progress. The gallery is dedicated to the lost souls of poor creepers and other fascinating creepers in Emeifeng
The squad will return for another sequel next year to relive the unspoiled beauty of Emeifeng.
Raincheck – Elliot’s Trail
Tobacco Village
Bamboo Forest at Emeifeng
Update : After vetting several weeks on information about Civets, we have come to the conclusion that the Civet we saw near the Elliot’s place is a Masked Palm Civet. And one of those blue butterfly is very close to an “Indigo Flash“.
Also, the award for cute rodent of our trip goes to “Maritime-striped Squirrel”
Cute and Confiding
Full Species List :
| Common name | Scientific name | Location | Date | Count |
| Ducks, Geese and Swans (Anatidae) – 1 / 173 | ||||
| Mandarin Duck | Aix galericulata | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 4 |
| Pheasants and allies (Phasianidae) – 4 / 182 | ||||
| Chinese Bamboo Partridge | Bambusicola thoracicus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 1 |
| Cabot’s Tragopan – VU | Tragopan caboti | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 4 |
| Elliot’s Pheasant | Syrmaticus ellioti | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 5 |
| Common Pheasant | Phasianus colchicus | Taining | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae) – 2 / 72 | ||||
| Chinese Pond Heron | Ardeola bacchus | Taining | 5/25/16 | 10 |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | Taining | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Kites, Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae) – 6 / 256 | ||||
| Black-winged Kite | Elanus caeruleus | Taining | 5/27/16 | 2 |
| Black Baza | Aviceda leuphotes | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 1 |
| Black Eagle | Ictinaetus malaiensis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Crested Goshawk | Accipiter trivirgatus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Chinese Sparrowhawk | Accipiter soloensis | Taining | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Black Kite | Milvus migrans | Taining | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Rails, Crakes and Coots (Rallidae) – 1 / 151 | ||||
| White-breasted Waterhen | Amaurornis phoenicurus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 1 |
| Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae) – 3 / 335 | ||||
| Rock Dove | Columba livia | Taining | 5/26/16 | 10 |
| Oriental Turtle Dove | Streptopelia orientalis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 3 |
| Spotted Dove | Spilopelia chinensis | Taining | 5/25/16 | 3 |
| Cuckoos (Cuculidae) – 1 / 149 | ||||
| Common Hawk-Cuckoo | Hierococcyx varius | Taining | 5/25/16 | 3 |
| Owls (Strigidae) – 1 / 222 | ||||
| Asian Barred Owlet | Glaucidium cuculoides | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Swifts (Apodidae) – 1 / 106 | ||||
| House Swift | Apus nipalensis | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 6 |
| Trogons (Trogonidae) – 1 / 43 | ||||
| Red-headed Trogon | Harpactes erythrocephalus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Rollers (Coraciidae) – 1 / 12 | ||||
| Oriental Dollarbird | Eurystomus orientalis | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) – 1 / 93 | ||||
| Common Kingfisher | Alcedo atthis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Bee-eaters (Meropidae) – 1 / 27 | ||||
| Blue-throated Bee-eater | Merops viridis | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 20 |
| Asian Barbets (Megalaimidae) – 1 / 30 | ||||
| Great Barbet | Megalaima virens | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Woodpeckers (Picidae) – 2 / 234 | ||||
| Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker | Dendrocopos canicapillus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 1 |
| Grey-headed Woodpecker | Picus canus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 2 |
| Cuckooshrikes (Campephagidae) – 3 / 92 | ||||
| Black-winged Cuckooshrike | Coracina melaschistos | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 1 |
| Ashy Minivet | Pericrocotus divaricatus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 15 |
| Grey-chinned Minivet | Pericrocotus solaris | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Vireos, Greenlets (Vireonidae) – 2 / 63 | ||||
| White-bellied Erpornis | Erpornis zantholeuca | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Blyth’s Shrike-babbler | Pteruthius aeralatus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 3 |
| Drongos (Dicruridae) – 1 / 25 | ||||
| Black Drongo | Dicrurus macrocercus | Taining | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Crows, Jays (Corvidae) – 3 / 131 | ||||
| Eurasian Jay | Garrulus glandarius | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Red-billed Blue Magpie | Urocissa erythroryncha | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 6 |
| Grey Treepie | Dendrocitta formosae | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 4 |
| Tits, Chickadees (Paridae) – 2 / 61 | ||||
| Japanese Tit | Parus minor | Taining | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Yellow-cheeked Tit | Machlolophus spilonotus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 4 |
| Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) – 5 / 151 | ||||
| Collared Finchbill | Spizixos semitorques | Taining | 5/25/16 | 6 |
| Light-vented Bulbul | Pycnonotus sinensis | Taining | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Mountain Bulbul | Ixos mcclellandii | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 3 |
| Chestnut Bulbul | Hemixos castanonotus | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 1 |
| Black Bulbul | Hypsipetes leucocephalus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 4 |
| Swallows, Martins (Hirundinidae) – 2 / 88 | ||||
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | Taining | 5/25/16 | 10 |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica | Taining | 5/25/16 | 20 |
| Cettia Bush Warblers and allies (Cettiidae) – 2 / 32 | ||||
| Rufous-faced Warbler | Abroscopus albogularis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler | Cettia major | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/28/16 | 6 |
| Bushtits (Aegithalidae) – 1 / 13 | ||||
| Black-throated Bushtit | Aegithalos concinnus | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 5 |
| Leaf Warblers and allies (Phylloscopidae) – 4 / 77 | ||||
| Buff-throated Warbler | Phylloscopus subaffinis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 5 |
| Hartert’s Leaf Warbler | Phylloscopus goodsoni | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Sulphur-breasted Warbler | Phylloscopus ricketti | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| White-spectacled Warbler | Seicercus affinis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 5 |
| Grassbirds and allies (Locustellidae) – 1 / 60 | ||||
| Brown Bush Warbler | Locustella luteoventris | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 3 |
| Cisticolas and allies (Cisticolidae) – 1 / 158 | ||||
| Yellow-bellied Prinia | Prinia flaviventris | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 10 |
| Babblers (Timaliidae) – 2 / 55 | ||||
| Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler | Pomatorhinus ruficollis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Rufous-capped Babbler | Stachyridopsis ruficeps | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 3 |
| Fulvettas, Ground Babblers (Pellorneidae) – 1 / 70 | ||||
| Huet’s Fulvetta | Alcippe hueti | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 5 |
| Laughingthrushes (Leiothrichidae) – 5 / 133 | ||||
| Chinese Hwamei | Garrulax canorus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 3 |
| Moustached Laughingthrush | Garrulax cineraceus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Masked Laughingthrush | Garrulax perspicillatus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/26/16 | 5 |
| Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush | Garrulax pectoralis | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 2 |
| Buffy Laughingthrush | Garrulax berthemyi | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| White-eyes (Zosteropidae) – 2 / 128 | ||||
| Indochinese Yuhina | Yuhina torqueola | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 15 |
| Black-chinned Yuhina | Yuhina nigrimenta | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 5 |
| Elachuras (Elachuridae) – 1 / 1 | ||||
| Spotted Elachura | Elachura formosa | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Starlings, Rhabdornis (Sturnidae) – 2 / 123 | ||||
| Crested Myna | Acridotheres cristatellus | Taining | 5/27/16 | 5 |
| Black-collared Starling | Gracupica nigricollis | Taining | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Thrushes (Turdidae) – 1 / 166 | ||||
| Chinese Blackbird | Turdus mandarinus mandarinus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Chats, Old World Flycatchers (320) (Muscicapidae) – 9 / 320 | ||||
| Oriental Magpie-Robin | Copsychus saularis | Taining | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Verditer Flycatcher | Eumyias thalassinus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Little Forktail | Enicurus scouleri | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Slaty-backed Forktail | Enicurus schistaceus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 5 |
| White-crowned Forktail | Enicurus leschenaulti | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Blue Whistling Thrush | Myophonus caeruleus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/27/16 | 1 |
| Plumbeous Water Redstart | Phoenicurus fuliginosus | Taining | 5/25/16 | 4 |
| Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush | Monticola rufiventris | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Grey Bush Chat | Saxicola ferreus | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Dippers (Cinclidae) – 1 / 5 | ||||
| Brown Dipper | Cinclus pallasii | Taining | 5/25/16 | 3 |
| Leafbirds (Chloropseidae) – 1 / 11 | ||||
| Orange-bellied Leafbird | Chloropsis hardwickii | Emei Feng (Emei Peak) | 5/25/16 | 1 |
| Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae) – 1 / 51 | ||||
| Eurasian Tree Sparrow | Passer montanus | Taining | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Waxbills, Munias and allies (Estrildidae) – 2 / 141 | ||||
| White-rumped Munia | Lonchura striata | Taining | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Scaly-breasted Munia | Lonchura punctulata | Shuibu Reservoir | 5/26/16 | 2 |
| Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae) – 1 / 65 | ||||
| White Wagtail | Motacilla alba | Taining | 5/25/16 | 2 |
| Species: 83 | ||||
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