According to the calculation of the "Qiaoshot" app, at 5:30 a.m. on February 24, the silver heart reached a maximum height of 24°, standing on the balcony of the inn, you can cross the mountain opposite Myanmar and barely photograph the rising galaxy and silver heart. There is no light pollution here, and it should be an ideal place to watch and photograph the Milky Way. Before this trip, I specially did my homework, brought a wide-angle lens, and gave up hunting for owls last night to shoot the Milky Way early.
Last night the sky was full of stars, very beautiful, pre-selected on the balcony to shoot the Milky Way. I got up at 4.30 this morning, full of joy, took the camera and tripod, tiptoed to the balcony, who knew to look up, the dark night, the clouds and fog, the stars were dim, and the appearance of the Milky Way could not be seen at all.
It turns out that the Hongbang River is only more than 200 meters above sea level, but it is surrounded by thousands of meters of mountains, and the climate in the valley is humid at night, the clouds are smoky and the sun rises in the east in the morning. Although he failed to photograph the Milky Way, he also took a night scene of the China-Myanmar border before Zhang Liming. Alone, quietly sleeping in the boundary river, greeting Mu Muchenguang, it is also very beautiful.
Night view of the China-Myanmar border before dawn
February 24 a.m. No. 16 Tang Power Station Shiti Village
Early in the morning, Shen Yan told us that someone in the bird guide circle posted a photo of the Lin eagle owl last night. Everyone listened and couldn't help but look at each other. It's a pity, a pity, the slack of the last night missed the last opportunity to see the forest eagle owl.
At 7 AM, depart for Bird Pond No. 16 in Shitai Village, where rare stars sometimes ---- red-headed and black-headed crows. On a thorn tree on the side of the road leading to the bird pond, it is full of bright red prickly trees, and many birds chase and frolic on it. A long-tailed stork and a black-throated red-rumped bulbul chase me among the flowers, and they are fighting happily.
The striated breasted spider catcher feeds on the nectar of Paulownia
Long-tailed stork and black-throated red-rumped storbul
Long-tailed stork and black-throated red-rumped storbul
Long-tailed stork and black-throated red-rumped storbul
After waiting in the bird pond for more than an hour, no red-headed and black-headed birds appeared, and only some other birds were photographed. Except for Teacher Wu to continue to persevere, we have run out of patience and decided to give up the bird pond and drive back to the power station to try our luck.
Grey flank noisy thrush
Grey flank noisy thrush
Brown-headed hook-billed stork
Brown-headed hook-billed stork
Blue-green magpie
Blue-green magpie
Red-tailed noisy stork
Red-tailed noisy stork
Red-billed hook-billed stork
Red-billed hook-billed stork
Chestnut-backed stork
Chestnut-backed stork
Out of the bird pond, brush birds in the direction of the power station. I was very satisfied to find two beautiful pintailed green doves up close.
Pintail green dove
Pintail green dove
White-browed thrush
When the car arrived at the power station, it had not stopped, and four crumpled helmeted hornbills with flower crowns flew slowly towards them in the distance. Everyone hurriedly got out of the car with their cameras. Fortunately, the teleconverter unloaded in the bird pond this time has not yet been installed, and I will shoot it with 600 fixed hands raised. Although there was only room for two hornbills nearby, it was not missed. Madame held 260, in a hurry, did not forget to reduce the focal length, adjusted to the 200mm segment, and comfortably accommodated 4 hornbills in the lens, which made Madame happy. The benefits of zoom lenses are fully realized.
Corolla wrinkled helmeted hornbill
Corolla wrinkled helmeted hornbill
Corolla wrinkled helmeted hornbill
Corolla wrinkled helmeted hornbill
The hornbill went away, immersed in the surprise of encountering the corolla wrinkled helmeted hornbill, Teacher Jia, suddenly remembered that he forgot to take the tripod, after the camera was on the shelf, he looked at the distance casually, and found that a hundred meters away, the day before found that there was a crested hornbill parked on the dead trunk of the big golden-backed woodpecker. In a burst of exclamations, everyone finally gathered the three most famous hornbills in Shiti Village under the conditions of outdoor field shooting.
Crested hornbill
Crested hornbill
Crested hornbill
Hornbills were photographed, and the rest of the time was a relaxing random shoot.
Hair crown curly tail
Amount leaf bulbul
Amount leaf bulbul
Wren brother
Wren brother
Crested tree swallow
Blue-winged bulbul
Short-billed pepperbird
Short-billed pepperbird
Carefree flowers
February 24 noon Pond 2
At noon, go to Bird Pond No. 2 as planned to shoot red-headed and black-headed birds. There are gains and losses, and happiness is extremely sad. When we walked into Pond 2, we were told that the red-headed jay had flashed ten minutes before we arrived.
The reserved seat was occupied by the plugger, and it was naturally impossible to withdraw if it was occupied. I could barely take a few shots in the back gap, and before the red-headed and black-headed finches reappeared, only the new velvet-fronted birds were added. This season, it is difficult to find a place in the bird pond, and some local villagers will forcibly add stuffing without making an appointment after receiving guests, and the pond owner is afraid to offend the villagers. It's a disappointment.
Velvet-fronted bream
Velvet-fronted bream
Velvet-fronted bream
Copper blue flycatcher
Copper blue flycatcher
White-throated flycatcher
White-throated flycatcher
Golden-headed stork and yellow-bellied flycatcher
Brown-bellied flycatcher
Black-breasted sunbird
Black-breasted sunbird
Spider catcher with a striped breast
Lesser spotted flycatcher (female)
On the afternoon of February 24, Shitai Road No. 5 Tang Hongbanghe Highway
Walked out of the bird pond at 3 p.m. The rest of the time is spent looking for the red-legged falcon and the great grey woodpecker. Although the red-legged falcon was seen on the other side of the valley two days ago, the fist-sized red-legged falcon was left with a black and white panda face when viewed from a hundred meters away. After turning around several places where the falcons were infested, nothing was gained.
The red-legged falcon is extremely mysterious, the smallest known bird of prey, inhabiting the open forests and forest edges of the plains at the foot of the mountains, especially in the woods of the river valley area, it is a resident bird, in pairs, very few and extremely rare. In 1980, ornithologists first discovered and recorded the red-legged falcon in Yingjiang County, Yunnan. The red-legged falcon is characterized by the red feathers of its legs. There is also a very similar small falcon, called the white-legged little falcon, which is distributed in Wuyuan, Jiangxi.
At 3:30 p.m., faced with a choice: time is limited, and I have to leave here at night to drive to Longchuan County, should I continue to look for the red-legged falcons and the big gray woodpecker as planned, or go to the No. 5 bird pond under the Hongbang River to shoot the black egret?
Black egrets are rarer than white egrets, and are only distributed in Meto, Jilong, Yingjiang, Gongshan and other places in China.
Madame and Teacher Wu and Teacher Jia unanimously advocated to shoot the black egret, Teacher Shen Yan and I wanted to continue to find the little falcon and the big gray woodpecker, and the final decision did not need to be guessed, it could only be Ms. ---- first, hehe.
Unexpectedly, after fighting for a long time, just got in the car and turned a hill, I found two red-legged falcons parked on the trunk branch of a giant tree in the roadside canyon, only 20 meters away. What a stroke of luck.
Red-legged falcon
Red-legged falcon
Red-legged falcon
Red-legged falcon
Red-legged falcon
After photographing the unexpected surprise of the red-legged falcon, everyone went to the No. 5 Bird Pond in the Hongbang River under the mountain. Because it was a temporary intention, and I did not reserve a seat in advance, I was worried all the way. We were ready to take two shots far away in the back row without disturbing others. Who knew that when I saw it, there happened to be four empty cameras that left the scene early after filming. The pond owner is also very happy, and there is an extra income before the end of the work. Successfully photographed the beautiful black egrets foraging.
Black Egret
Black Egret
Black Egret
Black Egret
Short-tailed wren warbler
Short-tailed wren warbler
Brown-breasted Crane
Brown-breasted Crane
Green-winged golden dove
On the evening of February 24
Walking out of Pond 5, it was 7:15, and the sun was about to set. Teacher Shen Yan, who was waiting for us on the side of the Hongbang River Highway, was not idle and continued to help us find birds. He found that the birds were in good condition. When he saw us out of the pond, he immediately took us along the road to search. Not far away, Shen Yan told us that there were big pantails and other birds in the woods on the steep cliff face of the col, and everyone quickly picked up their cameras to look for them. Madame found a bird parked on the left branch of the tail of the big plate, the branch was dense against the light, a black shadow, and she couldn't tell what it was. At this time, Shen Yan shouted in the distance: "There is a big ash!" Everyone quickly put down the birds in front of them and ran towards Shen Yan. By the time we arrived panting, the big gray woodpecker had flown away. As he walked back dejectedly, three large gray woodpeckers flew by from a distance. Everyone raised their hands to shoot, leaving the flying figure of the big gray woodpecker.
Great gray woodpecker
Great gray woodpecker
Great gray woodpecker
Great gray woodpecker
The Great Grey Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in China, and its distribution area is very narrow, and only Yingjiang has a stable record. This tropical monsoon forest is home to large trees such as four-fold trees and dipterocarp, providing a habitat and feeding place for this huge woodpecker.
Back at the col just now, everyone went to look for the big panwei, and suddenly Shen Yan exclaimed excitedly: "Lin eagle owl!" Forest Eagle Owl". Everyone looked closely, it turned out that the black shadow that Madame saw just now was the forest eagle owl that Shen Yan led us to find for two consecutive nights.
Forest eagle owl
Forest eagle owl
Forest eagle owl
In addition to the face of an owl, the Lin Eagle Owl also has a pair of long "eyebrows", all of which say that its shape is very similar to the white-eyed eagle king in "The Legend of Relying on the Sky and Slaying the Dragon".
The number of forest eagle owls is rare, only in Yunnan and Sichuan branches. Due to the characteristics of day and night, it has become the most important goal of Yingjiang night watching owls, and there is no one. It is a rare fate to meet during the day.
That night, drive directly to Longchuan County and settle in Jinshun Tianhua Hotel.
(To be continued: Longchuan Tosa)