A Wawu Red Panda sits in a tree - warming up in the Morning sun.A great birding and mammal watching site – Wawu Mountain, normally a 4 hour drive from Chengdu, is one of the best locations to get views of Red Panda, Lady A’s and Temminck’s Tragopan.
The mountain has a lower, mid and top set of birds. lower level specialties include Ashy-throated Parrotbill, Slaty Bunting and Russet Bush Warbler – the middle gives us - Emei Leaf Warbler, Emei Shan Liocichla, Buffy Laughingthrush, Golden Parrotbill, Lady Ameherst's and Temminck's Tragopan – while the top. With it’s prime-evil conifer forest, includes Fulvous, Three-toed, Great, Brown and Grey-hooded Parrotbills, Sichuan Treecreeper, Vinaceous Rosefinch , Darjeeling Woodpecker, Golden Bush Robin, Black-faced Laughingthrush and White-bellied Redstart. This is also one of the best places in Sichuan for Red Panda.
PS – mustn’t totally forget the bottom – good places here for endemic Slaty Bunting, Ashy-throated Parrotbill (almost an endemic) and Emeishan Leaf Warbler.
At the end of this article - you can find a bird species list for Wawu
Getting onto Wawu Mountain - this picture shows the route of the 25km access road that winds its way up to the cable-car station. It's on this road that we can find Temminck's Tragopan and lady Amherst's Pheasant.
The cable-car - it takes 40 minutes to get from the bottom to the top - a long ride.
The top of Wawu Shan - which is a table top mountain and gives around 15km of fairly level stone pathways.
The forest on the top is dominated by virgin Pine that grows in a dense understorey of Bamboo. It is very difficult to enter the areas of bamboo and scrub - which means that birding and mammal watching take place from the paths.
Habitat in the mid-levels that are found bellow the bottom cable-car station - here we have sub-tropical mixed forest.
A bedroom in one of the mid level cabins - the standard is comfortable, with hot showers, electric blankets and AC units that also can heat - but some details ( we never know what's brocken and what works before each visit), as is usual with many Chinese hotels, can leave a 'little' to be desired.
The living room - this particular cabin is designed for 4 people.
Red panda are of course the main animal on most visitor's tick lists, but other interesting mammals have been seen. Among them Red and White and Complex Toothed Flying Squirrel and Leopard Cat.
One of the Most striking birds of the mountain is Lady Amherst's Pheasant.
How we usually see this bird - legging it into the scrub after we've disturbed it on the access road.
Another road bird is Temminck's Tragopan - here's a male.
We see far more females.
Chinese Bamboo Partridge - another Wawu gamebird, seen at the lower elevations.
Perhaps the most striking woodpecker on Wawu is the Darjeeling. Often spotted at the top - but can also be seen at mid levels. Crimson-breasted, Three-toed and Bay are other woodies found in the area.
Sichuan Treecreeper - a listers favorite. The call of this bird is quite distinctive - which is a good job since plumage makes separation from the the very similar Hodgson's Treecreeper a little difficult.
Golden-breasted Bush Robin - often seen of the top, hunting for food on the stone paths. This is a female.
Chinese Shortwing (White-bellied Redstart) - not too difficult to find on the top. this bird was photographed from the top hotel.
Little Forktail - seen on mossy stones around the streams and waterfalls found in the park.
Rufous Vented Tit - a common bird in pine forest at the top. During winter it sometimes snows at Wawu.
Emei Leaf warbler - a terrible picture of this bird - which is found at the mid levels. Song is the easiest way to recognize this species.
Buff-barred Warbler - one of the Phyllo warblers found on the top level.
Spotted Bush Warbler - Wawu also has a good collection of Bush warblers, Spotted, Yellowish-bellied, Abberant and Brown are found at the top - while lower down you can find Russet.
Great Parrotbill - biggest of the wonderful selection of Wawu Parrotbill
Three-toed Parrotbill - perching so we can count those toes.
Brown Parrotbill - very similar to bird above - but a toe count here gives us 4 toes.
Grey-hooded Parrotbill - about the easiest location for this difficult to find bird.
Fulvous Parrotbill - usually not too difficult to find at the top level.
Golden Parrotbill - found on the mid section.
Buffy Laughingthrush - another mid section bird.
Emei Liocichla - this very range restricted species is a bit of a skulker, but its distinctive call is often a big give away. Usually found on the mid sections - but during winter moves right down to the bottom of the mountain.
Golden-breasted Fulvetta - a bird of the bamboo at mid levels.
Black-chinned Yuhina - a mid level bird
Stripe-throated Yuhina - during the summer found on the topSpecies list – Wawu Shan
This list is compiled through our own recordings and the published online recordings given by other birders. Birds that are marked with a + symbol - are those that could be expected to found during a April to August period when most birders are visiting the site.
- Temminck's Tragopan Tragopan temminckii +
- Lady Amherst's Pheasant Chrysolophus amherstiae +
- Chinese Bamboo Partridge Bambusicola thoracicus +
- Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus +
- Grey-capped Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus
- Crimson-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos cathpharius +
- Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopos darjellensis +
- White-backed Woodpecker Dendrocopos leucotos
- Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
- Three-toed Woodpecker Picoides tridactylus +
- Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus +
- Bay Woodpecker Blythipicus pyrrhotis +
- Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops
- Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
- Large Hawk Cuckoo Cuculus sparverioides +
- Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo Cuculus fugax +
- Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorus +
- Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus
- Himalayan Cuckoo Cuculus saturates +
- Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus poliocephalus +
- Plaintive Cuckoo Cacomantis merulinus
- Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea +
- Himalayan Swiftlet Collocalia brevirostris +
- White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus +
- HouseSwift Apus affinis
- Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia
- Chinese Tawny Owl Strix aluco +
- Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei +
- Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides
- Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii +
- Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis +
- Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon Treron sphenura +
- Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes +
- Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus +
- Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus
- Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus +
- Chinese Sparrowhawk Accipiter soloensis +
- Besra Accipiter virgatus
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
- Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta
- Chinese Pond-Heron Ardeola bacchus
- Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus
- Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach +
- Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus
- Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius +
- Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha +
- Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae +
- Carrion Crow Corvus corone
- Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos +
- Grey-throated Winivet Pericrocotus solaris
- Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus +
- Short-billed Minivet Pericrocotus brevirostris +
- Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus +
- Spangled Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus +
- Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii +
- Chestnut-bellied RockThrush Monticola rufiventris +
- Blue Rock-Thrush Monticola solitarius
- Blue Whistling-Thrush Myophonus caeruleus +
- Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula
- Chestnut Thrush Turdus rubrocanus +
- Naumann’s Thrush Turdus naumanni
- Dusky Thrush Turdus eunomus
- Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa sibirica +
- Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica +
- Brown-breasted Flycatcher Muscicapa muttui
- Ferruginous Flycatcher Muscicapa ferruginea +
- Slaty-backed Flycatcher Ficedula hodgsonii
- Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata +
- Taiga Flycatcher Ficedula albicillia
- Slaty-blueFlycatcher Ficedula tricolor +
- Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina +
- Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara
- Vivid Niltava Niltava vivida
- Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides +
- Grey-headed Canary-Flycather Culicicapa ceylonensis +
- Indian Blue Robin Luscinia brunnea
- Golden Bush-Robin Tarsiger chrysaeus +
- White-browed Bush-Robin Tarsiger indicus
- Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
- Daurian Redstart Phoenicurus auroreus +
- Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis
- White-capped Water-Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus +
- Plumbeous Water-Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus +
- White-bellied Redstart Hodgsonius phoenicuroides +
- White-tailed Robin Myiomela leucurum +
- Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri +
- Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus
- White-crowned Forktail Enicurus leschenaultia +
- Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus
- Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maurus
- Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea
- Silky Starling Sturnus sericeus
- Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus
- Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea
- Chestnut-vented Nuthatch Sitta nagaensis +
- Sichuan Treecreeper Certhia tianquanensis +
- Hodgson’s Tree-Creeper Certhia hodgsoni +
- Bar-tailed Tree-Creeper Certhia himalayana
- Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes
- Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii +
- Fire-capped Tit Cephalopyrus flammiceps
- Rufous-vented Tit Parus rubidiventris +
- Coal Tit Parus ater +
- Yellow-bellied Tit Parus venustulus +
- Grey-crested Tit Parus dichrous +
- Eastern Great Tit Parus minor
- Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus +
- Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus +
- Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica +
- Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica +
- Asian House-Martin Delichon dasypus
- Goldcrest Regulus regulus
- Collared Finchbill Spizixos semitorques +
- Brown-breasted Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous +
- Chinese Bulbul Pycnonotus sinensis +
- Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus +
- Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus
- Japanese White-eye Zosterops japonicas +
- Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler Cettia fortipes +
- Chestnut-crowned Bush-Warbler Cettia major + never recorded this bird at Wawu, but should be present.
- Aberrant Bush-Warbler Cettia flavolivaceus +
- Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler Cettia acanthizoides +
- Grey-sided Bush-Warbler Cettia brunnifrons
- Spotted Bush-Warbler Bradypterus thoracicus +
- Brown Bush-Warbler Bradypterus luteoventris +
- Russet Bush-Warbler Bradypterus seebohmi +
- Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus
- Alpine Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus occisinensis.
- Buff-throated Warbler Phylloscopus subaffinis
- Yellow-streaked Warbler Phylloscopus armandii
- Radde's Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi
- Buff-barred Warbler Phylloscopus pulcher +
- Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis
- Lemon-rumped Warbler Phylloscopus chloronotus +
- Sichuan Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus sichuanensis
- Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides +
- Two-barredWarbler Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus
- Large-billed Warbler Phylloscopus magnirostris +
- Eastern Crowned Warbler Phylloscopus coronatus
- Emei Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus emeiensis +
- Blyth's Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus reguloides +
- White-tailed Leaf-Warbler Phylloscopus davisoni +
- Sulphur-breasted Warbler Phylloscopus ricketti +
- Bianchi's Warbler Seicercus valentine +
- Plain-tailed Warbler Seicercus soror +
- Martens’s Warbler Seicercus omeiensis +
- Chestnut-crowned Warbler Seicercus castaniceps +
- Rufous-faced Warbler Abroscopus albogularis +
- Black-faced Warbler Abroscopus schisticeps
- Moustached Laughingthrush Garrulax cineraceus +
- Barred Laughingthrush Garrulax lunulatus
- Giant Laughingthrush Garrulax maximus
- Spotted Laughingthrush Garrulax ocellatus +
- Buffy Laughingthrush Garrulax berthemyi +
- Hwamei Garrulax canorus +
- White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio +
- Elliot's Laughingthrush Garrulax elliotii +
- Black-faced Laughingthrush Garrulax affinis +
- Red-winged Laughingthrush Garrulax formosus +
- Emei Shan Liocichla Liocichla omeiensis +
- Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis +
- Black-streaked Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus gravivox +
- Pygmy Wren-Babbler Pnoepyga pusilla +
- Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis albiventer +
- Rufous-capped Babbler Stachyris ruficeps +
- Rufous-tailed Babbler Chrysomma poecilotis
- Chinese Babax Babax lanceolatus +
- Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea +
- White-browed Shrike-Babbler Pteruthius flaviscapis +
- Green Shrike Babbler Pteruthius xanthochlorus +
- Blue-winged Minla Minla cyanouroptera +
- Red-tailed Minla Minla ignotincta +
- Golden-breasted Fulvetta Alcippe chrysotis +
- Gold-fronted Fulvetta Alcippe variegaticeps + very rare breading species
- Grey-hooded Fulvetta Alcippe cinereiceps +
- Dusky Fulvetta Alcippe brunnea +
- Grey-cheeked Fulvetta Alcippe morrisonia +
- Black-headed Sibia Heterophasia melanoleuca +
- Stripe-throated Yuhina Yuhina gularis +
- White-collared Yuhina Yuhina diademata +
- Black-chinned Yuhina Yuhina nigrimenta +
- Great Parrotbill Conostoma aemodium +
- Three-toed Parrotbill Paradoxornis paradoxus +
- Brown Parrotbill Paradoxornis unicolor +
- Grey-headed Parrotbill Paradoxornis gularis +
- Vinous-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis webbianus
- Ashy-throated Parrotbill Paradoxornis alphonsianus +
- Grey-hooded Parrotbill Paradoxornis zappeyi +
- Fulvous Parrotbill Paradoxornis fulvifrons +
- Golden Parrotbill Paradoxornis verreauxi +
- Mrs Gould's Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae +
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus
- Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus
- White Wagtail Motacilla alba +
- Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea +
- Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni +
- Rufous-breasted Accentor Prunella strophiata
- Maroon-backed Accentor Prunella immaculata
- White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata
- Grey-capped Greenfinch Carduelis sinica +
- Blanford’s Rosefinch Carpodacus rubescens + should be present although we haven’t recorded this species
- Dark-breasted Rosefinch Carpodacus nipalensis
- Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus +
- Vinaceous Rosefinch Carpodacus vinaceus +
- White-browed Rosefinch Carpodacus thura
- Grey-headed Bullfinch Pyrrhula erythaca +
- Collared Grosbeak Mycerobas affinis
- Slaty Bunting Latoucheornis siemsseni +
- Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla
- Black-faced Bunting Emberiza spodocephala +
