I just finished guiding my first of two spring trips in Sichuan for Natural Habitat Adventures. It was an amazing journey as always, learning about and viewing many pandas and other wildlife and enjoying the exotic culture in one of the most beautiful places on earth. We run the only natural history focused trip to China, and as you can see below, it was another success! Here is a little photo journal of the trip.
There is no place on earth to see pandas like the panda breeding centers of Sichuan. We visit 4 different bases!
Hank and Leah Pendarvis exploring Dujianyan Panda Base.
Chengdu Panda Base is a great place to view and photograph red, or lesser pandas.
The beautiful red billed leothrix are common, and friendly birds in Sichuan’s low elevation basin.
While exploring wild panda habitat in a nature reserve
in the Min Mountains (Minshan) we saw a dozen wild golden pheasants, which in my opinion are among the earth’s most spectacular birds.
Curious young takin
The Tibetan macaque is the world’s largest macaque. They have thick coats and live in the high altitude forests of the min mountains.
Spring in Sichuan is a paradise for flower lovers. This is a wild, native red bud in full bloom.
This is only the third wild chinese serow I have seen in the wild. They are very difficult to find because they are very solitary and very shy. This guy didn’t seem to mind us. It seems that the wildlife gets more tolerant to humans in the reserve we explore because of the continued protection by the reserve staff.
A large bull takin peeks at us from around a massive boulder.
A young takin moves across a wild river valley.
Large bull takin
Chinese goral on a sheer cliff.
This is a wild, endemic tulip magnolia in bloom. This is a popular non native ornamental tree outside of China. It is so cool to see them in their home range.
!3,100 foot pass in the Minshans north of Pingwu.
Tibetan Woman
Prayer flags on the pass.
A giant Himalayan Griffin, which is similar to a condor, high in the mountains.
Small waterfall in wild panda habitat.
This is arrow bamboo falls, my favorite waterfall on earth in Juizhaigou National Park.
The geology of JuizhaigouNational Park is very unique. Groundwater flows through karst limestone aquifers, and re-emerge out of springs. As the water, which has picked lots of calcium chloride underground hits air, it off-gasses CO2, which decreases the water’s ability to hold minerals. Minerals precipitate out, forming travertine pans and wide waterfalls. Instead of the water cutting the rock, it actually builds it! This is Pearl Shoals Waterfall.
Panda Lake. Wow!
Wolong panda
Two panda cubs play at Wolong Panda Base, where we visited on the last day of the trip. This was the first Nathab visit to Wolong since 2007, as it was destroyed by the 2008 earthquake.
Wolong Panda cub
3 Comments
Brings back many memories. Thanks!
Great photography! China at it best! What a wonderful trip!
I just loved seeing all the beautiful pictures of the animals. The saving of the giant panda is so inspiring and it is the perfect example of what good can happen when people work together.