What is your favorite bird species?
It is the Chinese Monal, a beautiful big Chinese endemic, which used to be difficult to see, but is quite easy to capture a good photo nowadays.
What is your name, and where do you live?
My name is Ye Xuelin and I go by Jeremy Yip. I live in Baihualing, Yunnan Province, a famous five-star birding site, especially for bird photographers. We have fixed bird blinds that makes it very easy for photographers to capture very good pictures.
What are the main regions or locations you cover as a bird guide?
Yunnan Province, Western Sichuan, Henan Province, Fujian Province, Jiangxi Province, Guangxi Province, Guangdong Province, and Qinghai Province.
Golden Pheasant
How long have you been a bird guide?
From the year 2015.
How did you get into bird guiding?
I married a local girl in Baihualing, Yunnan Province, she couldn’t stand the hot humid weather in Nanning City, where I used to work, so I had to resign from my job in a bank and move to Baihualing. That is how I started this career.
Reeve’s Pheasant
What are the aspects of being a bird guide that you like best? Which aspects do you dislike most?
I enjoy the display of every bird, especially when I manage to capture the moments they are displaying with my camera; the sense of achievement when I discover certain birds for the clients and myself; and besides, the fresh air, trekking in the wild and forest, and of course the healthy lifestyle.
About the aspects I dislike, well, a bird guide need to spend most of his time in the wild with his clients, and most of the time away from home, thus spends quite little time with families, that is what I dislike the most.
Cabot’s Tragopan
What are the top 5-10 birds in your region that you think are the most interesting for visiting birders?
- Chinese Monal
- Reeve’s Pheasant
- Cabot’s Tragopan
- Scarlet Finch
- White-eared Pheasant
- Temminck’s Tragopan
- Golden Pheasant
- Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler
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
In Yunnan Province, in a 12-day trip, you can get over 200 species including Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Scarlet Finch, and many laughingthrushes such as Rufous-necked Laughingthrush. And if you want to, you can also take very good photos of at least 120 species that show up in our hides.
What other suggestions can you give to birders interested in your area?
Most of the birds here come in winter, so warm clothes are necessary. The best season for Baihualing is from December to March; for western Sichuan, end of March to the end of May; for Henan Province, March to May. Feel free to email me for more details.
Scarlet Finch
If any reader of 10,000 Birds is interested in birding with you, how can they best contact you?
As Facebook, Instagram, and even Whatsapp and Messenger are blocked here in China, the best way is to email me at [email protected] or call me directly at +86 18775998110.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
China is quite a good place for bird watching and bird photography, with a large number of endemics, reasonable logistics and prices, and of course nice people with smiling faces. Welcome to bird here!
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