NOTE: Almost all of our time will be spent in the photographic hides themselves, so there will only be minimal chances for general birding in nearby forests during midday downtime. Even so, we should notch up a handful of nice Chinese specialties.

Day 1: Arrivals into Fuzhou International Airport (FOC) for overnight near the airport. 

Day 2-3: Departing early, we'll start with a new hide for Cabot's Tragopan where we hope to see one of the most bizarre mating displays in the world. In the prescence of a female, males have the ability to inflate their gular pouch into an otherworldly psychedelic balloon, complete with protruding fleshy horns! With two full days in the hide we have a very good chance of witnessing the event at this specific site, and we have timed the tour to be there in the exact week in which activity peaks. 

Day 4: This morning will be for visiting a feeding hide for the stunning endemic Elliot's Pheasant, before we head to Chongqing for overnight. 

Day 5-6: Our next two-day hide session will be at another stable site in which displays are observed most days in late March, but this time for the stunning Temminck's Tragopan. He performs similarly to his aforementioned sister species, and by combining these two hides we will almost definitely have one or the other (or both) perform! There is one extra bird which visits this particular hide, the magnificent Golden Pheasant. Also in the peak of their display, we have a chance to see the males deploy their vibrant orange masks and chase females around while showing off all their stunning plumage.

Day 7-8: After driving west during the morning of Day 7, we will have a day and a half in the hides at Tanshi Village. Here we will see our first Lady Amherst's Pheasant (though they do not usually display here), and the attractive Silver Pheasant. One special species which is much-wanted in this area is the mythical Sichuan Partridge, which has become reliable in recent years visiting one particular feeding station on the mountain. There is also a photography hide for smaller birds, which will not be particularly active at this time of year but could still give us Chinese Bamboo Partridge, Red-winged Laughingthrush, Buffy Laughingthrush, White-browed Laughingthrush, Chinese Babax, Emei Shan Liocicla, and Slaty Bunting. The bamboo thickets usually hold roving flocks of Golden-breasted Fulvetta and Golden Parrotbill for those who want to do a bit of birding in the middle of the day outside the hides. 

Day 9: One more morning in the hides at Tanshi before we head west to Kangding.

Day 10: This morning is all about the display of Lady Amherst's Pheasant, at a special photography blind set up against a stunning mountain backdrop. Here, several males visit every morning and consistently display, chasing each other around with their delicate white and black latticed masks contrasting against their ridiculously varied feathers in all colours across the rest of their body as they angle themselves towards the females. We will also see the attractive elegans form of Common Pheasant here, or maybe some passerines like White-throated Redstart and Long-tailed Rosefinch. Afterwards, we head into the remote mountains for our final destination. 

Day 11: During the dawn and dusk hours, a very remote valley hosts more than a dozen Chinese Monal, which are tracked every day by local Yak herders. The birds are remarkably unafraid of people, and with caution we should be able to get within metres of these multicolored stunners as they feed on patches of dirt, digging up roots and shoots. During midday hours, we can explore around the village where we might chance across something interesting like Solitary Snipe, Per David's Tit, or any number of rosefinches. 

Day 12: Last morning with the monals before heading back to Chengdu, arriving in time for evening departures from Chengdu International Airport (TFU). Those continuing on the extension will fly to Xinyang. 

REEVES'S PHEASANT EXTENSION 

Day 1: Arrivals into Xinyang for overnight. 

Day 2: The nearby forests hold a large population of the increasingly rare Reeves’s Pheasant, and we can enjoy close studies of this unbelievably beautiful bird in the famous photography hide on a grassy hill. In early April the males begin to display regularly, flattening their bodies and raising their exquisitely long tails high into the air. During the middle of the day, you may opt to stay in the hide or otherwise head out in search of Crested Ibis and Collared Crow in the nearby rice fields.

Day 3: Morning in the area before returning to Xinyang International Airport (XAI) where the extension ends this afternoon.