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Our time in Tibet was as wonderful as ever, culturally, scenically and birdwise - it's really great returning to one of our favourite areas in all of the continent. All the near-province endemics showed really nicely, Tibetan Eared Pheasant Giant Babax, Prince Henri's Laughingthrush, along with a lovely flock of cone-munching Lord Derby's Parakeet in the far east. Mike
It's been worth the five year wait for a return to Xinjiang and the Tibetan plateau. Our days in Xinjiang were obviously highlighted by a family of Xinjiang Ground Jay in the Taklimakan Desert, while the Tien Shan was equally enthralling. Mike
Our post-tour extension to Georgia and Armenia is almost the highlight of the whole Central Asia tour! Great food, scenery, short drive, and even a few birds sprinkled into the mix - some, like Great Rosefinch and Caucasian Snowcock were not photographed however. Led brilliany by Alex / Birding Caucasus, with James
We had an absolutely wonderful time in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - few places I'd rather be in May. James
Mongolia's only breeding endemic, Kozlov's Accentor, was a much-anticipated species, saving the best to almost last, we had wonderful views of this outragously-plumaged bird. Rob
One of the joys of Central Asia is Red-headed Bunting. Usually a new bird for most on the tour, it's a main stay for much of the first half - this year, a tame male had taken up residence right next to the gents toilet at the Taukum Desert, while a duo of Calandra Lark at the Ladies. James
Continuing the flight shots in Mongolia theme - one of the finest shorebirds there is (well, when it's a male in summer plumage!), Oriental Plover on its breeding grounds.
Also worth noting the all-dark underwing, contra Caspian Plover that has white axillaries and coverts. Rob
The vast landscapes of the Gobi Desert were accompanied by wonderful views of quintessential desert species like Pallas’s Sandgrouse by the hundreds, charismatic Mongolian Ground-jays, Asian Desert Warbler, Mongolian Finch and Saxaul Sparrows. Rob
Relict Gull is one of the star birds of Mongolia. Breeding on largely inaccessible saline lakes the wonderful views we had of 270 of these beautiful gulls in breeding plumage more than justified the drive out to Ikhes Nuur, with the added bonus of over a hundred Saiga. Rob
Sichuan continues to deliver, as it always does - Mount Mengbi is a lovely place to bird, classic central China birding, with a sprinkling of gold-dust, like these - Crested Tit-warbler, Chestnut-throated Monal-Partridge and Three-banded Rosefinch. Mike
Our two nights camping at the wonderfully remote Khukh Lake was packed with birding highlights including breeding Hodgson’s Bushchat - a species very difficult to find elsewhere, Altai Snowcock, Altai Accentor, ‘Khangai’ Rosy Finch, Güldenstädt’s and Eversmann’s Redstarts, and a confiding pair of Rock Ptarmigan. Rob
Moving into the bamboo-infested coniferous forests of south-central Sichuan, a visit to Wawu Shan, our first in ten years, was terrific. Highlighted by the three iconic species of the plateau - Grey-hooded Parrotbill, Fulvous Parrotbill, and three Red Panda! Mike.
Our Mongolia tour has started with superlative views of Black-billed Capercaillie, several males strutting as their territorial ‘clicking’ resonated through the forest. We’ve also enjoyed Azure T**s, Pine and Meadow Buntings, Daurian Partridge and the magnificent Przewalski’s Horse in the first few days. Rob
Finally, after waiting five years, we're back with our scheduled Sichuan tour! It's great to be back - it's got off splendidly too, highlighted by Temminck's Tragopan and a bunch of other chickens, Emei Liocichla, Red-winged and Buffy Laughers, and Golden and Spot-breasted Parrotbill - plenty more to come! Mike
Our couple days at Big Almaty Lake, a scenically spectacular part of the Tien Shan, perched high above Almaty allows for some easy-to-reach, fabulous birding in Kazakhstan. In addition to the photos, Altai and Brown Accentors, displaying Güldenstädt's Redstart and shimmering Severtvoz's Tit-warbler - we were blessed with wonderful weather in one of the most iconic of all birding sites in the region. James.
Still one late availability spot available on our comprehensive tour of West Papua this summer, quite simply one of the most spectacular collections of birds on the planet; https://www.birdtourasia.com/papua2024
Our couple days on the Kazakh steppe was an absolute birding feast - few more enjoyable places in Asia, with Black Larks in full slow-motion butterfly display, pairs of regal Demoiselle Cranes, White-winged Larks and last-gasp Sociable Lapwings. Though perhaps the biggest highlight was the views of Mute Swan! James
West Papua is a fabulous tour for kingfishers, even giving some of the birds-of-paradise a run for their money in the looks department! Our comprehensive 4-week tour can see up to 15 species including those shown here, the tour usually books out years in advance but we've had one space become available for the tour this summer, drop us a message for more information; https://www.birdtourasia.com/papua2024
Green-faced Parrotfinch is a highly nomadic Philippine endemic which appears in good numbers when attracted to flowering bamboo but can disappear for several years between such times. This is one of a small group that has been regularly seen near Manila for the last week, the first twitchable birds since 2015 and a great opportunity to see this tricky species. Rob
Our Central Asia tour is well underway, taking in the varied scenery, culture, cuisine, but most importantly - the birds! We kicked things off with the most iconic species of the region, this wonderful Turkestan Ground Jay, one of some 15 seen. James
Our Remote Philippines tour took us to the islands of Tablas, Bohol, Camiguin, Negros, Siquijor and Mindoro, two sites in western Mindanao and to the far north of Luzon. Highlights included Isabela Oriole, Negros Scops Owl, Camiguin and five other endemic Boobooks, Mindanao Lorikeet, Northern and Southern Silvery Kingfisher with four additional endemic kingfishers, Mindoro, Samar and Visayan Hornbills with four additional endemic hornbills, and an incredible total endemic count for the tour of 145. The tour report is now online on our website and can be viewed and downloaded here; https://tinyurl.com/remotephils24.
Pete
Our Eastern Himalaya tour is full of great birding days, but seeing Blyth's Tragopan, Wood Snipe, both Gould's and Rusty-bellied Shortwing, and Long-billed Thrush in a single day at Mishmi this year was incredible, Himalayan birding at it's very best! Mike
A custom tour through Camiguin, the lowlands of eastern Mindanao, Compostela Valley, Mount Apo and Lake Holon. Highlights including Camiguin Boobook, Camiguin Hanging Parrot, Celestial and Short-crested Monarch, Steere's Pitta, Lina's and T'boli Sunbirds, Mindanao Plumed-warbler, wintering Chinese Crested Tern and Japanese Paradise Flycatcher, and the superb Mindanao Lorikeet. Trip report; https://tinyurl.com/philscustom24
Steven's custom China tour continues north, and this time it's all about over-elaborate pheasants! April is prime-time for those wanting the best possible views of them, as it's display season, and boy were these guys keen to impress the onlookers. Both Reeves's Pheasant and Brown Eared Pheasant performed beyond our expectations.
Our April custom China tour has started in the southeast, with Steven at the helm in search of the classic endemics of the region - namely Cabot's Tragopan taking the headlines (best ignore the rice!), along with Blue-crowned Laughingthrush, Elliot's Pheasant, White-necklaced Partridge and Hartert's Leaf Warbler. While a fine supporting cast includes Reed and Short-tailed Parrotbills and Pied Falconet.
Fabulous views of the endangered Asir Magpie - Saudi Arabia's only true endemic - as we headed up into the hills, plus Arabian Grosbeak, Philby's Partridge, Rufous-capped Lark, and a bunch of 'Yemen' prefixes; serin, warbler, thrush and linnet. Martin
The undoubted highlight of our first few days in Saudi Arabia was the discovery of an active breeding colony of these highly nomadic and spectacular Arabian Golden Sparrows! We've also added some nice migrants like Barred and Olive-tree Warblers, and several species the 'Arabian' prefix; Partridge, wheatear, sunbird, serin and waxbill! Now heading into the hills for several more regional endemics. Martin
Both our Northeast India tours have ventured through Manipur, Nagaland and now Kaziranga before heading up into the Himalaya.
We've really hit the jackpot so far, especially with the added bonus of a lingering Finn's Weaver flock, and Tiger on both tours. In addition, Blue-naped Pitta and Spot-breasted Laughingthrush has been split between the groups!
We have two scheduled tours to Northeast India this season, and both started with almost exactly the same birds, Slender-billed Babbler, Black-breasted Parrotbill and Indian Grassbird to kick things off. However, the star of this region, Yellow-throated Laughingthrush, performed superbly, with plenty being seen on both tours. Shashank and Mike.
We rounded out our endemic-bonanza tour of the Philippines on Palawan enjoying many of the endemics with Spot-throated and Red-headed Flamebacks, White-vented Shama, Blue-headed Racket-tail, eye-level Palawan T**s, smart looking Palawan Flowerpecker, and a stunning pair of Falcated Ground Babblers just some of the highlights. The most photogenic though was this non-endemic Rufous-backed Kingfisher. Mike
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