Bhutan Mar 26—Apr 20, 2008
Posted by Dion Hobcroft
Dion Hobcroft
Dion Hobcroft has been working for VENT since 2001. He has led tours to Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Bhutan, India, Southwest Pacific, Cambodia, Thailand, China, Jap...Related Trips
Our early spring tour to this jewel-like Himalayan kingdom surpassed everyone's expectations. It was a total delight to be back in the land of the peaceful thunder dragon for my sixth consecutive tour. Despite acquiring our desired left-hand seats on the plane, the clouds covered the great peaks of the eastern Himalaya. It is not often westerners applaud when a plane touches down. Such was the case this year as the pilot negotiated the rather complex landing. We had arrived in Bhutan at perhaps the most idyllic airport in the world.
The following morning we are up early and have superb weather more than compensating us for yesterday's clouds. A heavy dusting of snow has covered the pass, and clear conditions light up Jomolhari, definitely amongst the most beautiful of the great peaks. The birding kicks off well with several Kalij Pheasants wing-whirring in display, followed by a quartet of wonderful Blood Pheasants. A Eurasian Woodcock almost collides with the windscreen, but happily gets away. Up at the pass, Himalayan Monal are in good form, although sometimes frustratingly hunkered under cover. A beautiful male White-throated Redstart augurs well for lingering winter visitors. We retire in the afternoon to the agricultural terraced fields of Paro. We have magical encounters with the beautiful Black-tailed Crake and a swirling mass of several thousand Plain Mountain Finches. I have not seen a flock like this in my life.
From the capital, Thimphu, we explore the delightful environs of Cheri Monastery. The rhododendrons are superb and we are soon enjoying glittering gems like Mrs. Gould's Sunbird and delightful Rufous-fronted Tits. We enjoy scope views of goral, one of the curious hoofed mammals of Asia, and our only Snow Pigeons fly in. Our standout bird today is a cracking male Yellow-rumped Honeyguide at his rock beehive cliff. A visit to the Takin Breeding Centre reveals the national mammal to be frisky in the cool conditions. After some shopping we continue on our journey across Bhutan.
A leisurely birding stroll through hemlock and fir forests bedazzled by rhododendrons makes for a lovely morning at Dochu La. Darjeeling Woodpecker and the scarce Rusty-flanked Treecreeper are amongst a host of new birds. In the afternoon we are a world away exploring the Po Chu valley for migrants. We have superb views of Wallcreeper, the first of four we see in total on this trip. Even better is a sensational Pallas's Fish-Eagle that almost parts our hair in the middle as it cruises over. Before dinner we go out for a bit of a spot-lighting session and have exceptional views of both Gray Nightjar perched and a delightful Collared Scops-Owl.
Tashitang is a glorious location. Heavily-jungled hillsides meet a roaring Himalayan river. The birding is always exciting here and we see some great birds with Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush always a standout. A cosmic Ibisbill flies up right next to us, its lilac legs not well-illustrated in any guide. It is hard not to be impressed when you have Small and Rufous-bellied niltavas lining up next to each other. Our afternoon visit to the inner sanctum of the Punakha Dzong is a humbling experience. A vagrant Asian Koel is a surprise here.
We head for the hills and find ourselves camping at Sengor. Some trepidation often greets this first night in the tents, but everyone comes through with flying colors. This is always exciting birding, and a male and three female Satyr Tragopans greet the leader on his first wander down the road. Not a bad start, with other great sightings including Crimson-browed Finch, Lammergeier, Green Shrike-Babbler, and a real rosefinch festival with Himalayan White-browed, Beautiful, Dark-rumped, and Dark-breasted all putting in appearances. The locals report the resident tiger has not been heard for a week, although it had dispatched a bull 10 days before our visit. We were lucky enough to hear this animal roaring in 2006.
We drive through to Trongsa, have a lovely hot shower, and get prepared for jungle birding in Tingtibi. Rufous-necked Hornbills put on several wonderful performances, and a flock of 20 Great Hornbills flying and perching around us is a hard encore to surpass. A night of spotlighting turns up a trio of Himalayan civets in a fruiting tree, and we have a great view of a krait crossing the road. Bay Woodpecker, Sultan Tit, Rufous-faced Warbler, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, and superb views of both the rare Long-billed Wren-Babbler and its scarce cousin, the Spotted Wren-Babbler, are amongst the many highlights. This is not to forget the troops of golden langurs.
We again enter the upland birding habitats between Jakar and Sengor. While at times we struggle for activity, we have some absolutely magical encounters. Two stunning male Satyr Tragopans on the road are a dream. Spotted Laughingthrush, Plain-backed Thrush, Himalayan Wood Owl, and Great and Brown parrotbills are all one-off encounters with scarce birds.
As we descend to Yongcola, the bird biomass improves and we have some electrifying birding here. The cutia display we encounter is extraordinary. Ward's and Red-headed trogons make vital appearances; Scarlet and Gold-naped finches are excellent; and rare babblers like Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Black-headed Shrike-Babbler, and Scaly Laughingthrush focus crisply for the group. It does not stop. After our final lunch, as we break camp, we have our most fantastic bit of luck for the tour. Margaret spots a cat, Chitra hits the brakes, Bob relocates said feline, and we have a once-in-a-lifetime lengthy observation of the ultra-rare marbled cat stuck up against a roadside embankment. This is definitely my birthday present.
It will be hard to top all of this, but we keep batting away. We wend our way through the Far East. Plenty of new birds for our trip list include Wreathed and Oriental Pied hornbills, Black-backed Forktail, fruiting trees alive with Thick-billed Pigeons and Fairy Bluebirds, and secretive Red-faced Liocichla and Blue-winged Laughingthrush—all frustrating or delighting us, depending on our angle of viewing in dense bamboo. Finally, we must depart fairytale land. We make our way to Gauhati in the Indian state of Assam. A smooth journey punctuated with birding stops is highlighted by both Greater and Lesser adjutants and a surprise Alexandrine Parakeet.
On our final full day in Delhi we give it our best shot, finishing with 114 species for the day! Amongst our many memorable sightings are Black-necked Stork, Sarus Crane, Greater Flamingo, Red-naped Ibis, Indian Peafowl, Indian Courser, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Spotted Owlet, Coppersmith Barbet, Citrine Wagtail, White-tailed Stonechat, Striated Babbler, Brahminy Starling, Sind Sparrow, and Red-headed Bunting. I look forward to birding back in Bhutan with my good friend David Bishop next year!
I would like to thank the participants Brian and Meg, Bob and Rosie, Joe and Judy, Wim, and Ann for a thoroughly delightful Bhutanese birding adventure!