Part 6. Wolong

Mountains of Sichuan and Yunnan are one of the most fascinating places on our planet. Every time you cross from one valley to the next, you see different geology, vegetation, wildlife, village architecture and people's clothes. One of the first mountain valleys you encounter if you move northwest from Chengdu (the capital of Sichuan) is Wolong.

Alpine flowers, Wolong.

River, Wolong.

The entire valley is a large Nature reserve. Its lower part has been recently screwed up by development, but there is still plenty of oldgrowth forest in side canyons and upper slopes. The world's largest population of giant pandas lives here.

Forest, Wolong.

Alpine flowers (Gentiana, Primula and Meconopsis), Wolong.

Alpine flowers (Primula and Meconopsis), Wolong.

Thanks to a paved road over a high pass on its western border, Wolong has some of the most accessible alpine meadows in China. From May to August, they are covered with a succession of beautiful flowers.

Primula, Wolong.

Primulas, Wolong.

Rhododendron, Wolong.

Back in 1993, the place was visited by very few people, and it was sometimes possible to see pandas and golden monkeys from the main road. Now there are thousands of tourists. You have to climb one of numerous trails for hours to get away from hotels and villages.

Peony, Wolong.

Tibetan ladies' slippers (Cypripedium tibetanum), Wolong.

Tibetan ladies' slippers, Wolong.

Wolong is the only place in China where you regularly meet other naturalists on roads and trails. It is a very popular place for birdwatching and wildflower photography. It is also said to have the best fall colors anywhere in Asia, but I have to check it personally.

In summer, parts of forests are wrapped in caterpillar silk.

Gentian, Wolong.

Willow flowers, Wolong.

Fritillary, Wolong.

Parasol magnolia (Magnolia umbrella), Wolong.

Large mammals are more difficult to see now, but with some luck you can still see serows, ghorals and blue sheep from the main road. Birdwatching is really good: Wolong is one of the best places to see such beauties as golden pheasant, Temminck's tragopan, firethroat, grandala, and white eared-pheasant. Higher elevations are particularly interesting.

Blue sheep (Pseudois nayar), Wolong.

Female Temminck's tragopan (Tragopan temmincki) on a nest, Wolong.

Streak-throated fulvetta (Alcippe cinereiceps).

In May 2006, a female Temminck's tragopan built a nest (photos above and below left) on a broken tree near a popular trail. The nest was about 10 m above ground; I have no idea how the chicks were supposed to get to the ground after hatching. Tragopans are common in oldgrowth coniferous forests of Sichuan, but finding them takes some patience.

Streak-throated fulvetta, Wolong.

Female Temminck's tragopan on a nest, Wolong.

Male Temminck's tragopan, Wolong.

Male Temminck's tragopan, Wolong.

Gould's sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae).

Gould's sunbird, Wolong.

Despite very high bird diversity, on some days you don't see much - just some of Sichuan's 14 species of Phylloscopus leaf-warblers. Well, look for small mammals - there's a lot here, including 8 species of moles (of which I've seen 4, but don't have any pictures).

White-tailed leaf-warbler (Ph. davidsoni).

Geometrid moth, Wolong.

Vole Eothenomys chinensis, Wolong.

Mouse Apodemus latronum, Wolong.

Mouse A. orestes, Wolong.

Baby pandas, Wolong.

An extra attraction of Wolong is the famous giant panda breeding center. Back in 1993, it was a jail-like structure of steel and concrete. Now it's a shady panda paradise, where 16 baby pandas were born in 2006. The little bandits on these photos are all 2005-born, photographed in June 2006.

Baby pandas, Wolong.

Baby pandas, Wolong.

Baby pandas, Wolong.

If you know somebody in the Center, or don't mind donating a hundred-something dollars, you are allowed to spend some time playing with year-old pandas. Personally, I wouldn't mind paying my three-month salary for this kind of experience if I had to. Life on Earth just doesn't get any better. It is also possible to volunteer in the Center for a few weeks.

Baby pandas, Wolong.

Baby pandas, Wolong. They like to play a bit rough, but never bite or scratch you too hard.

Panda, Wolong.

The Center has successfully released a few pandas into the wild. Their population in Sichuan and Shaanxi is slowly growing.

Panda, Wolong.

Entering Wolong Nature Reserve.

Part 7: Chengdu-Lanzhou Road

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