The Pheasant stakeouts in Henan – Preparation for the year of Rooster

This is not a regular birding trip which involves dawn to dusk birding with occasional breaks for snacks but a lazy photographic tour spending several hours sitting in a hide with hot food and water sent to you on time. Back in 2014, i met Mr.Sun at Yancheng and he did recommend the Lushan County in Henan province as a well know stakeout for Golden Pheasant. Ever since, i have been planning to make a visit but Henan is a notorious warehouse for scams, scumbags and what’s not. The year of the rooster is at the doorstep and it would be a shame not to see some endemic gamebirds ahead of it. So i decided to bite the bullet and make a visit to Henan to know whether its a hit or a bust.

Getting in, out and around Henan

Most of the tour groups use Wuhan as base as it’s close to Dongzhai. I took an overnight train from Shanghai to Luoyang as Lushan County is closer to Luoyang and had ample car rental outlets. Skoda Rapid was duly waiting at the ehi outlet infront of the Luoyang Railway station. The drive to Lushan County took slightly more than 2 hours for a 150km drive. Lushan County to Dongzhai took 4 hours for a 350km ride. Finally flew back to Shanghai from Luoyang’s Beijiao airport. There are daily flights from Beijing, Chengdu, Kunming and Shanghai but its probably the worst airport i have seen in China.

General Info – Henan :

• +86-15836970299 – Contact no of Laozhu in Lushan County. She, her husband and her brother runs the whole hide/hotel business . They can also arrange for transport from Luoyang. The hotel is a total run down, rooms were cold, toilets were stinky and the so called scheduled hot water at 7PM never showed up. But the hides and the feeders were very well set up and maintained. I guess its a compromise for the lack of hotel facilities. The prices are 150RMB for the room, 100RMB for the hides except for hide no 5 which costs 200rmb/day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner cost is 10,30,40RMB/person
• +86-15716590376 – Contact no of XiaoGuo in Dongzhai. He speaks a very little English. He can arrange for transport from Wuhan, Xinyang. Hide cost is 100RMB/person.
• +86-15637666138 – Contact no of Laowang in Songfan Village. His homestay was recommended by XiaoGuo. Its bit far from Dongzhai but he has got a stable stakeout for Pied and Crested Kingfishers. The rooms and the food were simple or atleast better than the Lushan County hotel. Again, hot water is only on Schedule (7PM). Price is 100RMB for the room. Breakfast and dinner together is 40RMB/person, hide is 50RMB/person.

Birding locations in Henan

The locations include Luoyang City, Lushan County and Dongzhai of Lingshan County.

Kingfisher Stakeout

Golden Pheasant and Chukars

Mainly Golden Pheasant

Itinerary :

Day 1 – Dec 11: Arrived at Luoyang at 6.40AM. A small breakfast and a nap at the KFC and then to collect the car at the ehi outlet. Hot lunch at the hotel cum hide management. The lady boss at the hotel handed me a card with the hide no/seat no/date and put one of her minion in charge to lead me to the hide. Hide no 3 was massive with two decks and each deck can accommodate 10 persons. Being the sunday, the hide was at full capacity. The feeding stations were already busy with Greater-necklaced Laughingthrush, Collared Finchbill, Chinese Hwamei, Streak breasted Scimitar Babbler, Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Japanese Tit,a single Green-backed Tit and a Chinese Thrush. Around 3PM, a single immature male Golden Pheasant showed up followed by a female and 3 Males. Rest is shutters bursting at them non stop.

Day 2 – Dec 12 : Another predawn wakeup and breakfast at 5. I was packed among a bunch of photographers from Guangdong in a pickup van and we were going up on the mountains. The fog was dense and i barely had any idea where the van was taking us. After  30 mins of twists and turns, the pickup truck halted and the driver/owner led us to hide no 5. Around 7.30 AM, 4 Adult males, 3 females and 3 immature males showed up along with a dozen Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush and Eurasian Jay. Around 1PM, a single female Koklass Pheasant darted in and out of the cliff in the dense fog. The fog finally lifted around 2.30PM and the light was already going out. Still no signs of the male Koklass Pheasant. At 4PM, the Laughingthrushes came for a late evening bath and every one of us was very busy shooting their bath time. Suddenly, i realized the male Koklass Pheasant was standing right below the bird bath. It stayed in that area for more than an hour and we left when the darkness covered the mountains.

Day 3 – Dec 13 : During my day 1 at hide 3, a Chinese Photographer passed me the info that there are Chukars showing up regularly at hide 2. So i decided to spend first half of the day at Hide 2 and rest of the day travelling to Dongzhai. The Ladyboss put me in the hands of her minion along with a bunch of snacks for the birds and sent me to hide 2. Her minion worked relentlessly put up a bunch of Apples on a Persimmon tree and told me that the Persimmons are fake. As soon as he left the hide and the feeders, the birds came for the party. Once again, 10+ Golden Pheasants were the first to show up. New birds at this location were Masked Laughingthrush, Brown-breasted Bulbul. Oriental Greenfinches and Mountain Bulbul were also seen but they weren’t interested in the feeders. A single Chukar showed up briefly around 9. After an hour, it brought another 4 to the table. Now, starts a 4 hour drive to Dongzhai. Overnight at Songfan village near Dongzhai. XiaoGuo and OldGuo are the managers of the stakeout at Dongzhai. They had arranged me for the homestay at Songfan village at LaoWang. Who also happens to have a stakeout for Kingfishers. The homestay was simple and clean.

Day 4 – Dec 14 : Started at 7AM at Laowang’s Kingfisher stakeout. The first one to show up is a Brown Crake which happily finished up most of the fishes. Soon, a pair of Pied Kingfishers showed up but they were chased away by a pair of Crested Kingfishers. The best bird from the stakeout is few flyby Collared Crows.

Post lunch was at the stakeout for Reeve’s Pheasant. There are two males n five females have been visiting the stakeout regularly. From 12noon to 5PM was spent starring at the plethora of Eurasian Jay’s and Chinese Hwamei’s. Clock and light was going out fast and i thought today isn’t my lucky day. It was OIdGuo found the male which has emerged underneath the hide and assessing the area. It took a long time and finally decided to move up on the area. I was totally agape when the male strolled infront of the hide dragging its long tail across the forest floor. On the same time, four female pheasants appeared on the rock where the millet was scattered. The male Reeve’s Pheasant was totally not interested in the millet. It silently wandered back into the forest just the same way it made an appearance. A dramatic finish for the trip.

Last but not least, Many thanks to Thomas Gut for putting me in touch with these stakeouts.

Species List :

Common name	Scientific name	Location	Date
Ducks, Geese and Swans (Anatidae) – 1 / 173
Eastern Spot-billed Duck	Anas zonorhyncha	Songfan Village, Henan, China	12/14/16
Pheasants and allies (Phasianidae) – 4 / 182
Chukar Partridge	Alectoris chukar	Lushan (County), Henan, China	12/13/16
Koklass Pheasant	Pucrasia macrolopha	Lushan (County)	12/12/16
Reeves’s Pheasant – VU	Syrmaticus reevesii	Dongzhai National Nature Reserve, Henan, China	12/14/16
Golden Pheasant	Chrysolophus pictus	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Grebes (Podicipedidae) – 1 / 23
Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Herons, Bitterns (Ardeidae) – 2 / 72
Great Egret	Ardea alba	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Cormorants, Shags (Phalacrocoracidae) – 1 / 41
Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Kites, Hawks and Eagles (Accipitridae) – 1 / 256
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Rails, Crakes and Coots (Rallidae) – 2 / 151
Brown Crake	Amaurornis akool	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Sandpipers, Snipes (Scolopacidae) – 1 / 96
Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Pigeons, Doves (Columbidae) – 1 / 335
Oriental Turtle Dove	Streptopelia orientalis	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Kingfishers (Alcedinidae) – 2 / 93
Crested Kingfisher	Megaceryle lugubris	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Woodpeckers (Picidae) – 2 / 234
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker	Dendrocopos hyperythrus	White Horse Temple, Luoyang, Henan, China	12/16/16
Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae) – 0 / 67
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus/rupicolus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Shrikes (Laniidae) – 1 / 33
Long-tailed Shrike	Lanius schach	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Crows, Jays (Corvidae) – 5 / 131
Eurasian Jay	Garrulus glandarius	Lushan (County)	12/12/16
Azure-winged Magpie	Cyanopica cyanus	Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China	12/15/16
Red-billed Blue Magpie	Urocissa erythroryncha	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Collared Crow	Corvus torquatus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Tits, Chickadees (Paridae) – 3 / 61
Yellow-bellied Tit	Pardaliparus venustulus	Dongzhai National Nature Reserve	12/14/16
Japanese Tit	Parus minor	Lushan (County)	12/12/16
Green-backed Tit	Parus monticolus	Lushan (County)	12/12/16
Bulbuls (Pycnonotidae) – 4 / 151
Collared Finchbill	Spizixos semitorques	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Brown-breasted Bulbul	Pycnonotus xanthorrhous	Lushan (County)	12/13/16
Light-vented Bulbul	Pycnonotus sinensis	White Horse Temple, Luoyang	12/16/16
Mountain Bulbul	Ixos mcclellandii	Lushan (County)	12/12/16
Bushtits (Aegithalidae) – 2 / 13
Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus	Lushan (County)	12/12/16
Black-throated Bushtit	Aegithalos concinnus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Leaf Warblers and allies (Phylloscopidae) – 1 / 77
Pallas’s Leaf Warbler	Phylloscopus proregulus	White Horse Temple, Luoyang	12/16/16
Babblers (Timaliidae) – 2 / 55
Grey-sided Scimitar Babbler	Pomatorhinus swinhoei	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler	Pomatorhinus ruficollis	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Laughingthrushes (Leiothrichidae) – 3 / 133
Chinese Hwamei	Garrulax canorus	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Masked Laughingthrush	Garrulax perspicillatus	Lushan (County)	12/13/16
Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush	Garrulax pectoralis	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Sylviid Babblers (Sylviidae) – 1 / 70
Vinous-throated Parrotbill	Sinosuthora webbiana	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Wallcreeper (Tichodromidae) – 1 / 1
Wallcreeper	Tichodroma muraria	Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang	12/15/16
Starlings, Rhabdornis (Sturnidae) – 1 / 123
Crested Myna	Acridotheres cristatellus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Thrushes (Turdidae) – 4 / 166
Grey-backed Thrush	Turdus hortulorum	Lushan (County)	12/13/16
Naumann’s Thrush	Turdus naumanni	Lushan (County)	12/13/16
Dusky Thrush	Turdus eunomus	Dongzhai National Nature Reserve	12/14/16
Chinese Thrush	Turdus mupinensis	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Chats, Old World Flycatchers (320) (Muscicapidae) – 3 / 320
Red-flanked Bluetail	Tarsiger cyanurus	Lushan (County)	12/13/16
Daurian Redstart	Phoenicurus auroreus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Plumbeous Water Redstart	Phoenicurus fuliginosus	Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang	12/15/16
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches (Passeridae) – 1 / 51
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Wagtails, Pipits (Motacillidae) – 1 / 65
White Wagtail	Motacilla alba	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Finches (Fringillidae) – 3 / 219
Brambling	Fringilla montifringilla	Lushan (County)	12/13/16
Chinese Grosbeak	Eophona migratoria	White Horse Temple, Luoyang	12/16/16
Grey-capped Greenfinch	Chloris sinica	Lushan (County),	12/13/16
Buntings, New World Sparrows and allies (Emberizidae) – 2 / 176
Rustic Bunting	Emberiza rustica	Songfan Village	12/14/16
Yellow-throated Bunting	Emberiza elegans	Lushan (County)	12/11/16
Species: 56