Thylo in China?

[CMP]

That's fair enough, though if I did end up visiting I'm not sure I'd have the time to spend looking for a prolonged period of time. We'll see how all the timing comes together I suppose. The inclusion of a ground path would certainly make things a lot easier. My lifers would include:

• Black-Crested Bulbul
• Straw-Headed Bulbul
• Blue-Winged Leafbird
• Orange-Bellied Leafbird (assuming these are part of the nominate group and not lazulina/melliana which I have seen)
• Chestnut-Capped Laughingthrush
• Chestnut-Crowned Laughingthrush
• Chestnut-Capped Ground-Thrush
• Indian or Swinhoe's White-Eye
• Black-Hooded Oriole

This is based on the May species list. Of course, there are others I have seen before that I would like to again like the hornbill, scimitar-babbler, and bowerbirds. Many of these species were not seen by yourself @Chlidonias, and some of them I should be able to see in Javan bird parks. I will still make a point to visit if I have the time, of course.

I didn't actually see many Bulbul species there, only the Red-vented. Straw-headed is easy enough to see wild in Singapore, including on the grounds of Mandai. Similarly, Orange-bellied Leafbird is easy to find wild at certain spots in HK. The trio of Chestnut- 'thrushes' are unfortunately seemingly very difficult to see, as they are skulky and would likely be hiding in the undergrowth. Black-hooded Oriole is easy enough to see in the aviary, as is the white-eye, which is likely Swinhoe's, which also extremely easy to see wild.

I posted a short review of my experience at Ed Youde: CMP Travels Asia (Part 1?) - Page 2 - ZooChat

 

[birdsandbats]

Just go to SoCal for the Swinhoe's White-Eye. Or they're probably easy to see in the wild somewhere you would visit on a China trip.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Just go to SoCal for the Swinhoe's White-Eye. Or they're probably easy to see in the wild somewhere you would visit on a China trip.

I'm not really sweating that particular species, though I always do prefer to see something in its wild range vs introduced.

~Thylo

 

[Ding Lingwei]

Is there a particularly "better" time of day to see the turtle since it doesn't bask on land? Does the turtle have a feeding schedule?

From my personal experience, I've seen the turtle between 12 PM and 3 PM during my visits. On all three occasions, I arrived at the zoo around noon and stayed until 5 PM, but never once did I spot the turtle after 3 PM. Regarding feeding, the zookeeper mentioned that he is fed every other day around 1 PM. However, there's no guarantee he will appear during feeding time, and even when he does, the viewing conditions are far from ideal.

The photo below likely offers the best view you'll get during feeding:

Giant Softshell Turtle Feeding

• Ding Lingwei
• 15 Jun 2024
• 1

May 30, 2024.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

From my personal experience, I've seen the turtle between 12 PM and 3 PM during my visits. On all three occasions, I arrived at the zoo around noon and stayed until 5 PM, but never once did I spot the turtle after 3 PM. Regarding feeding, the zookeeper mentioned that he is fed every other day around 1 PM. However, there's no guarantee he will appear during feeding time, and even when he does, the viewing conditions are far from ideal.

The photo below likely offers the best view you'll get during feeding:

Giant Softshell Turtle Feeding

• Ding Lingwei
• 15 Jun 2024
• 1

May 30, 2024.

Are afternoons better than mornings in general?

~Thylo

 

[Ding Lingwei]

Are afternoons better than mornings in general?

~Thylo

Actually several people have told me that he's more active in the morning. I never had the chance to verify this myself, mainly because I have to take the train from my city to Suzhou, and I typically arrive at the zoo around noon.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

Side stepping for a moment further west, I've realized there hasn't been much discussion regarding the Xining portion of my proposed trip. Has anyone here visited this region (I took a quite scan of @Chlidonias' thread and didn't see anything)? This is the area I'm probably going to spend the most time wildlife watching but I've been having trouble finding information on the best way to do so other than vague iNat pins of super cool stuff around the city and Qinghai Lake.

Also, is anyone familiar with the Xinglongshan Alpine Musk Deer Farm in Lanzhou?

Finally, a zoo-related question, I know the taxonomy of Tibetan vs Mongolian Wolf is well-debated. Surprisingly, ZTL even lumps them! I see Beijing and Shanghai both keep Mongolian Wolves, however are these true Mongolian Wolves or what splitters would classify as Tibetan Wolves? I haven't seen either so it doesn't matter much, but I am curious.

~Thylo

 

[Chlidonias]

@twilighter I think just went to Xining

 

[Chlidonias]

In my thread the only place I went on your itinerary was Guangzhou which was in my second round of China (so near the end of the thread). But the earlier parts of the thread might be helpful for general logistical travel questions.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

@twilighter I think just went to Xining

Indeed he did, last year. He's unknowingly the inspiration for this part of the trip

In my thread the only place I went on your itinerary was Guangzhou which was in my second round of China (so near the end of the thread). But the earlier parts of the thread might be helpful for general logistical travel questions.

Yes I've been reading that a little. It will be very helpful in prepping!

~Thylo

 

[Chlidonias]

Indeed he did, last year. He's unknowingly the inspiration for this part of the trip

~Thylo

He was just there in July this year according to his posts on the Challenge thread.

 

[twilighter]

Indeed he did, last year. He's unknowingly the inspiration for this part of the trip



Yes I've been reading that a little. It will be very helpful in prepping!

~Thylo

I got a lot of inspiration from you, Thylo, so it’s nice to hear that I’m giving some inspiration back.

Xining wasn’t hard to reach—I did a day trip from Xi’an. My trip was a family vacation, not dedicated entirely to zoos. Xi’an and the Terracotta Army were important parts of our itinerary, and I used the opportunity to fly to Xining for a day. The airport reopened after renovation in February, and it feels like it’s from another planet! I took a taxi from the airport to the zoo, which took around 30–40 minutes. As far as I know, there are also direct flights from Beijing to Xi’an. I didn’t take the train because the prices were similar, and I couldn’t book much in advance.

The zoo is located in a very picturesque area overlooking the city. The terrain is steep, but there’s a single main loop that’s easy to navigate. The Wild Yaks are in the hippo house, mixed with some domestics, but they’re easy to recognise. The walkthrough aviary next door is very impressive and one of the best I've seen. The other main targets are shown on the map.

I didn’t have time for wildlife watching or other activities in the area, but I spent around 6.5 hours at the zoo.

 

[ThylacineAlive]

He was just there in July this year according to his posts on the Challenge thread.

You are of course correct in that

I got a lot of inspiration from you, Thylo, so it’s nice to hear that I’m giving some inspiration back.

Xining wasn’t hard to reach—I did a day trip from Xi’an. My trip was a family vacation, not dedicated entirely to zoos. Xi’an and the Terracotta Army were important parts of our itinerary, and I used the opportunity to fly to Xining for a day. The airport reopened after renovation in February, and it feels like it’s from another planet! I took a taxi from the airport to the zoo, which took around 30–40 minutes. As far as I know, there are also direct flights from Beijing to Xi’an. I didn’t take the train because the prices were similar, and I couldn’t book much in advance.

The zoo is located in a very picturesque area overlooking the city. The terrain is steep, but there’s a single main loop that’s easy to navigate. The Wild Yaks are in the hippo house, mixed with some domestics, but they’re easy to recognise. The walkthrough aviary next door is very impressive and one of the best I've seen. The other main targets are shown on the map.

I didn’t have time for wildlife watching or other activities in the area, but I spent around 6.5 hours at the zoo.

I'll be sending you a DM which some specific questions

~Thylo

 

[YuanChang]

Side stepping for a moment further west, I've realized there hasn't been much discussion regarding the Xining portion of my proposed trip. Has anyone here visited this region (I took a quite scan of @Chlidonias' thread and didn't see anything)? This is the area I'm probably going to spend the most time wildlife watching but I've been having trouble finding information on the best way to do so other than vague iNat pins of super cool stuff around the city and Qinghai Lake.

Also, is anyone familiar with the Xinglongshan Alpine Musk Deer Farm in Lanzhou?

Finally, a zoo-related question, I know the taxonomy of Tibetan vs Mongolian Wolf is well-debated. Surprisingly, ZTL even lumps them! I see Beijing and Shanghai both keep Mongolian Wolves, however are these true Mongolian Wolves or what splitters would classify as Tibetan Wolves? I haven't seen either so it doesn't matter much, but I am curious.

~Thylo

Xining zoo itself is fairly easy to reach. You can take a high-speed train there from Xi'an, or opt for a direct flight to Xining from Beijing or Shanghai. There is no subway system in Xining, but hailing a taxi is not difficult.

If you want to see wild animals in Qinghai, you will need a professional guide. If you are certain about arranging further wildlife observation trips in Qinghai, I can help you make connections for that next year.

Regarding musk farms, unfortunately, it is very hard to get in touch with most of them in China. So far, we have not yet successfully established reliable and stable channels to them. I once visited a musk deer farm in Chongming, Shanghai, where I saw dwarf musk, but that farm has now closed down. It is said that Zhanhuayuan will introduce a pair of musk in the future.