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Birding Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China

10,000 Birds

That means it also has many tropical birds that a foreigner living in China can see without risking to leave the country (which would mean 2 weeks of quarantine on reentry at best and complete exclusion at worst, depending on the ever-changing regulations). Predictably, the flowers attract several species of sunbirds.

China 262
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Birding Balangshan, Sichuan, China (part 1)

10,000 Birds

China’s massive investment in infrastructure has indirectly benefited birders. Mid-May to Mid-Jun is the best time to see some of the most exciting species here, as this is the prime breeding time. Unfortunately, the book does not seem to mention the Grandala despite having a section on blue color in animals.

China 261
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Crested and Proud

10,000 Birds

A crest is a “comb or tuft of feathers, fur, or skin on the head of a bird or other animal” Birds use them for display purposes – they can be either recumbent (not noticeable when not erect) or recursive (noticeable in all states). Quite a few bird species have crests. Crests are made of feathers.

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Birding Nonggang, Guangxi, China

10,000 Birds

Instead, they usually just describe species seen at a specific location, with the vague notion that these descriptions might be interesting to other birders. The location not being Algiers but rather Nonggang in Guangxi province, China, close to the border to Vietnam. This is just such a post.

China 199
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Birding Balangshan, Sichuan, China (part 3)

10,000 Birds

High up at almost 4500 meters, some Alpine Accentors were posing in the sunshine, justifying the description in the HBW as “large, attractive accentor” (though eBird seems to disagree, instead characterizing the species as a “stocky, stout, and unobtrusive bird”). I side with the HBW on this issue. So undignified.

China 182
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Whooper Swans at Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido

10,000 Birds

They are ridiculously unafraid of people there – so the cynic in me suspects that swan meat is not regarded as tasty by the Japanese (another explanation, that the Japanese just like animals too much, can presumably be discarded given the country’s very principled approach in insisting on the right to kill whales).

China 205
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Birding Dulan County, Qinghai

10,000 Birds

Dulan County is a large county in east-central Qinghai, China. Good for animals, of course – particularly some shy mammals. Being a mammal myself, I am understandably much less fond of this animal class than I am of birds. I always feel a bit sad for bird species that probably cannot even pronounce their own names.

Sheep 233