Bird Guides of the World: Sid Francis, Sichuan, China

What is your favorite bird species?

Crested Tit-warbler, Leptopoecile elegans

What is your name, and where do you live?

Sid Francis Dujiangyuan, Sichuan, China

Black-necked Crane

What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?

Sichuan, Qinghai, Yunnan, Poyang Lakes, Emei Feng, Wuyuan and Dongzhai areas

How long have you been a bird guide?

Since 2007

Tibetan Bunting

How did you get into bird guiding?

Birding since before I can remember – when moving to China I wrote birding posts. The feedback resulted in visiting birders wanting guiding

What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?

Best – succeeding in finding clients key focus species. Worst – ongoing changes in local access and degradation of birding chances due to various rural developments.

What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that you think are the most interesting for visiting birders?

• Chinese Monal

• Pheasants: Golden, Lady Amherst’s, Reeve’s

Lady Amherst’s Pheasant

• Temminck’s and Cabbot’sTragopan
• Firethroat

• Przewalski’s Finch (Pinktail)
• Black-necked and Siberian Crane
• Rufous-headed Robin (currently inaccessible)
• White-browed and Crested Tit Warblers
• Sillem’s Rosefinch
• Biet’s Laughingthrush

• Grey Peacock-Pheasant

Can you outline at least one typical birdwatching trip in your area? Please briefly describe the locations, the key birds, and the approximate duration of such a trip

• Sichuan round trip – 16 full days, Hengduan Mountains sites, Erlang, Labahe, Balang (much degraded from old days): Monal Pheasant, Lady A Pheasant, Golden Pheasant, Temminck’s Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Koklass Pheasant, Tibetan Snowcock, Snow Partridge, Fire-capped Tit, Golden Bush Warbler, Firethroat. Spotted Bush Warbler, Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler, Grey-sided Bush Warbler, Aberrant Bush Warbler, Scaly-breasted Cupwing, White-bellied Redstart, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Leaf Warblers Emei Leaf Warbler, Rufous-tailed Moupinia, Fulvous Parrotbill, Brown, Three-toed and Great Parrotbill, Eye-ringed Parrotbill, Firethroat, Chinese Rubythroat White-browed Bush Robin, Spotted, Barred, Giant Laughingthrush, White-browed Tit Warbler, Chinese Fulvetta, Sharpe’s, Dark-breasted, Dark-rumped and other Rosefinches, Sichuan Forest Thrush, Alpine Forest Thrush, Rufous-breasted accentor, Grandala

Brown Parrotbill

Grandala

• South Sichuan sites – Longgcangou area, Xichang, Yibin Hides, Moxi: Sichuan Partridge, Temminck’s Tragopan, Lady A Pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Emei Liocichla, Buffy Laughingthrush, Yunnan Nuthatch, Yunnan Fulvetta, Crested Finchbill, Black-headed Greenfinch, Bar-winged Wren Babbler, Gold-fronted Fulvetta, Brown, Three-toed, Grey-hooded, Great Parrotbills, Firethroat, Blue-fronted Robin

Grey-hooded Parrotbill

Temminck’s Tragopan

• North Sichuan Sites -Baxi, Jiuzhaigou, Tangjiahe: Crested Tit Warbler, Blue Eared Pheasant, Tibetan Snowcock, Chinese Grouse, Chinese Thrush, White-browed Tit, Blood Pheasant, Pere David’s Owl, Tawny Fish Owl, Crested Kingfisher, Spot-breasted Parrotbill, Spectacled Parrotbill, Three-Banded Rosefinch, Zappey’s Flycatcher, Moustached Laughingthrush, Suketchev’s Laughingthrush, Pere Davids Laughingthrush, Chinese Nuthatch, Pere David’s Tit, Siberian Rubythroat, Sichuan Jay

White-browed Tit

• Tibetan Grassland Sites – Ruoergai: Saker Falcon, Upland Buzzard, Lammergeier, Himalayan Griffon, Black-necked Crane, Little Owl, Eurasian Eagle Owl, Daurian Jackdaw, Black-rumped Magpie, Eastern Azure-winged Magpie, Tibetan Lark, Citrine Wagtail, Tibetan Grey Shrike, White-browed Tit, White-rumped, Rufous-necked, Black-winged Snowfinches, White-browed Tit Warbler, Tibetan Partridge, Przewalski’s Finch (Pinktail), Siberian Stonechat, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler, Robin Accentor, Hill Pigeon, Snow Pigeon

Lammergeier

What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?

• Best visiting times are: Sichuan – May to first half of July, Yunnan – December to March, Poyang, Dongzhai, Emei Feng – December to March
• Binoculars are essential, guide has a scope and thermal imager
• We work best with experienced world birders on longer trips

If any reader of 10,000 Birds is interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?

Through email chengduuk@hotmail.com or through my Twitter account https://x.com/BirdingSichuan