Birding brochures are careful not to promise too much. Instead, they offer something more flexible: “good chances.”
So this is what the brochure might say:
There are good chances of encountering several key species, including the endemic laughingthrush and the striking trogon.
And this is what it means:
These birds occur in the area, and people do see them. Whether we will is uncertain.
“Good chances” is where optimism and caution reach a negotiated settlement.
Photo: Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Baihualing, Yunnan, March 2026
Kai has lived in Shanghai for 22 years. He only started birding after moving to China, so he is far more familiar with Chinese birds than the ones back in his native Germany. As a birder, he considers himself strictly average and tries to make up for it with photography, which he shares on a separate website. Alas, most of the photos are pretty average as well.
He hopes that few clients of his consulting firm—focused on China’s chemical industry—ever find this blog, as it might raise questions about his professional priorities. Much of his time is spent either editing posts for 10,000 Birds or cleaning the litter boxes of his numerous indoor cats. He occasionally considers writing a piece comparing the two activities.
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