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Birding Ruili, Yunnan

10,000 Birds

Ruili is a Chinese city right on the border to Myanmar, and a major border crossing. When I last visited the town almost 10 years ago, it had a Wild West feel, and Wikipedia claims that it is “an important location for trade with Myanmar, in both legal and illegal goods and services” but it seemed pretty tame to me this time.

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Pink-headed Duck: The Search is On!

10,000 Birds

About four years ago I first wrote about the Pink-headed Duck , a charming species related to the pochards (although how, exactly, is up for grabs, like so much duck taxonomy.) Presumably, only the swamps and reedy rivers of Myanmar hold the answer. Maybe they’re extinct. Maybe they’re not.

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Birding Hongbenghe, Yunnan

10,000 Birds

Hongbenghe is a very small village in Yunnan, right next to the border with Myanmar. Even better, there is a wooden, unguarded, slowly decaying bridge over to Myanmar – so while I do not have the passport stamp to prove it, I can honestly say that I have been to that country as well.

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