North-east India:
Arunachal Pradesh & Assam
+ Meghalaya Extension
5th April - 21st/23rd April 2008
Leader: James Eaton
Participants: Sarah Astman, Simon Colenutt, Trevor Ford,
Ron and Sue Johns, Mike Edgecombe and Barry Wright
Black-breasted Parrotbill, Dibru-Saikhowa © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia
This region and in particular Eaglenest have become the latest ‘hot’ birding destination over the last few years but it is still difficult to convey in words the excitement of this largely unexplored, ornithological wilderness. We recorded a grand total of 453 species including 22 heard only, though this mere number seems largely irrelevant considering that the great views of nearly all of our target species left such lasting memories. Starting in East Assam a visit to the highly threatened grasslands at Dibru Saikhowa was rewarded by a raucous pair of tape-loving Black-breasted Parrotbill which piled in along with Jerdon’s Babbler and Marsh Babbler before we had to bail out due to very close Elephant activity. The odd setting of Digboi Oilfields turned up the expected Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush and Collared Treepie before we headed south-west to the justly famed Kaziranga National Park. Once we had had our fill of Rhino’s, Elephants, Swamp Deer and Hog Deer the birding eventually came to the fore; the highly prized Slender-billed Babbler showed in the nick of time along with a White-tailed Stonechat. Other species included grotesque Greater Adjutants, Pale-chinned Flycatcher, Pallas’s Fish Eagles and a displaying Bengal Florican.
Moving into Arunachal Pradesh our first 3 nights produced a clean sweep; Himalayan Monal basking in the sun with all “5 colours” literally glowing in the heat, Blood Pheasant, Snow Partridge, swirling flocks of Grandala, Black-tailed Crake and even a first nesting record for India – Long-billed Plover.
The focal point of the tour – Eaglenest WLS situated in Western Arunachal Pradesh – did not disappoint, and had it not been for the misty conditions during the first couple of days we would all have had wonderful looks at all but 1 of the top targets, the recently discovered Bugun Liocichla was the first of many near silhouettes. The remainder of the ‘Big Four’ showed themselves off in all their glory; Ward’s Trogon, Beautiful Nuthatch and Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler along with a supporting cast including Rufous-necked Hornbill, Spotted Laughingthrush, Long-billed Wren Babbler, Temminck’s Tragopan and Himalayan Cutia.
Kaleej Pheasant © James Eaton Pale-chinned Flycatcher © James Eaton
Starting in eastern Assam we spent our first full field day at the famous Digboi Oilfields, the oldest working oilfield in the world. Although we were restricted to the sub-optimal perimeters of the nature reserve thanks to our first (of several) Indian red-tape scenarios we still managed to pick up the areas most prized species; the beautiful Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush of which a couple of pairs performed their wonderful duetting chorus for us and several groups of chattering Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes favoured the roadside scrub. Though leading some of us a merry dance for most of the day Collared Treepies finally put on a wonderful show; after a pair had sat out for us a group of 6 along with Grey Treepie, 3 species of drongo and Blue-bearded Bee-eater all hawked recently fledged Termites in the early evening light. Other species of note included circling Himalayan Griffon and White-rumped Vultures, Crested Goshawk, Grey-faced and Rufous Woodpecker, Nepal Fulvetta, Asian Paradise Flycatcher and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush.
Attracted by severally threatened, range-restricted species, a visit to the remaining stands of Elephant grass in the floodplain of Dibru-Saikhowa provided a pair the highly entertaining Black-breasted Parrotbill whose performance would remain in our minds for the ‘bird of the tour’ moment. Having seen Jerdon’s Babbler exceeding well the previous evening we moved onto our next priority, Marsh Babbler. Once again a few chosen chords soon gave the desired effect as a Marsh Babbler crept in unnoticed until it was zipping round us, pausing to produce some short, fruity notes before the nearby noise and grass movement indicated an Elephant was more than a little close, especially judging by the speed our local ranger had left us behind! Plenty of other species grabbed our attentions, a lingering Spotted Bush Warbler, Golden-headed and Zitting Cisticolas, a flushed Swamp Francolin, Striated Babbler and a distant Sand Lark but also entertaining a handful of playful Ganges River Dolphins giving several prolonged looks. An afternoon and evening drive took us to Kaziranga, our base for the next 3 nights, via a look at 3 species of vulture perched side-by-side – Slender-billed, White-rumped and Himalayan Griffin. This was just one of several vulture groups seen during our Assam visit, hopefully a sign of a change in fortunes for this charismatic family.
We spent a wonderful 2 days inside Kaziranga National Park, justifiably a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dividing our time equally between the western and central ranges was sufficient for locating our targets and offered a fine selection of mammals for us all to enjoy, despite the ludicrous opening hours, from the comforts of our open-topped jeeps. The ‘big four’, Indian Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, Swamp Deer and Water Buffalo all offered stunning views in big numbers, including a magical encounter with a huge “tusker” Elephant crossing the trail just in front of us while birding the forest. Birding was great, Bengal Florican displayed in the early morning by the Central Range entrance along with Black-breasted Weaver, Bengal Bushlark, foraging and raucous Swamp Francolins, Yellow-breasted Bunting and beautiful male Blossom-headed Parakeets. Venturing further into the range, birds abound as we made regular stops scanning the mix of habitats; open grasslands, water-bodies, open forest and tall elephant grass. Pallas’s and Grey-headed Fish Eagles always seemed to be in view, regal Black-necked Storks dwarfed the surrounding shorebirds, competing with endangered Greater Adjutants and the more numerous Lessers. A pair of Kaleej Pheasants froze by the roadside and 2 Steppe Eagles fed on a decaying carcass while a single Red-headed Vulture circled overhead was already our forth critically endangered species of the tour.
The Western Range provided most of the birding excitement however, as nearby Panbari Forest was out of bounds due to the breeding of the recently released Hoolock Gibbons. We were sweating on Pale-chinned Flycatcher until we heard the sweet song emanating from the nearby undergrowth, a few cuts in return soon teased out 2 birds that decided to sit in full view providing walk away views, and shortly afterwards a surprise write-in male White-tailed Stonechat performed as our dedication and patience was rewarded as a pair of the unique Slender-billed Babbler eased their way in to our binocular view – yet another highly threatened grassland species. Other species of note around the park included ‘Eastern’ Baya Weaver, lingering Grey-headed Lapwing, Striated, Jerdon’s and Yellow-eyed Babblers, Pied Harrier, Spot-billed Pelican, over 100 of each Bar-headed Geese and Ruddy Shelduck, more Slender-billed and Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Asian Emerald Cuckoo and Fulvous-breasted and Streak-throated Woodpeckers.
Yellow-vented Warbler © Barry Wright Snow Partridge © James Eaton
Nearly a full day drive took us first over the mighty Brahmaputra River before crossing the Arunachal Pradesh state border at the base of the Himalayan foothills. Sweeping up through beautiful mountain vistas and scenic landscape finally saw us arrive at our comfortable hotel outside of Dirang, nestled in the heart of a deep valley. Birding stops en-route met with success as the hoped-for Yellow-vented Warbler, a stunning, range restricted Phylloscopus soon appeared in full view. The recently split Bhutan Laughingthrush also appeared conveniently higher up the slopes. A tame Russet Bush Warbler, White-browed Piculet, Yellow-bellied Warbler, Crested Kingfisher and Large Hawk Cuckoo brought a small sample of things to come.
Congratulations to whoever wrote on their prayer flag the previous night “we shall remain forever grateful” as our day at high altitude was an incredible success. After a brief stop for a gang of White-throated Laughingthrushes we eventually neared the Sela Pass, a lofty 4200m asl, displaying Fire-tailed Sunbirds, Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch, a showy male Rufous-breasted Bush Robin and finally a male Himalayan Monal glistening in the early morning sun as he sat on top of his rock was more than a good start to the day! Next up was a small party of Snow Partridge feeding at the roadside, then swarms of Plain and Brandt’s Mountain Finches and finally the pinnacle of high altitude birding – a huge swirling flock of nearly 300 Grandala, including many impossibly-coloured males shimmering on the snow. Our final target of the morning was soon under our belt as a pair of Blood Pheasants fed quietly on the opposite slope. With such great success we were able to head back into the valley by mid-afternoon just as the weather began to close in. A short side-trip produced the hoped-for Long-billed Plover, 2 pairs including a pair with 3 tiny chicks – the first breeding record for the Subcontinent. We then positioned ourselves above a nearby marsh after the leader discovered the near waist deep mud was not a good idea, to discover a Black-tailed Crake feeding out in the open. Then just to bring the day to a close a Grey Nightjar circled overhead before yet another delicious dinner…more of the same tomorrow please!
A full day was required for birding the road up to Mandala, a small village perched along the open, largely deforested ridge overlooking the Dirang Valley. Although the roadside vegetation is heavily degraded we still pulled out many birds that are easier here than our next destination. An early morning flat-tire proved a godsend as the surrounding farmland held a flock of over 300 Yellow-breasted Greenfinches, 3000+ Plain Mountain Finches and a surprise male Black-headed Bunting – perhaps the first record for north-east India.
Grey Nightjar © James Eaton Crimson-browed Finch © James Eaton
Back on the road we hit the bamboo areas and fortunately the poorly-known Blue-fronted Robins were just coming into breeding season and eventually after a couple of birds we managed to get binocular views of this bamboo skulker. Another speciality of the area performed wonderfully, Broad-billed Warbler, once some of us realised that the ‘Mountain Tailorbird’ we kept getting our bins onto was actually the warbler, such is the similarity between the species! A huge flock of dynamic White-throated Needletails swirled overhead against the blue sky as we came across our first views of some of the commoner brightly-coloured forest species; Green-tailed and Gould’s Sunbirds, Black-faced Warbler, Ashy-throated and Chestnut-crowned Warblers and Black-throated Tits and a couple of smart Ultramarine Flycatchers.
The higher slopes around Mandala were generally disappointing as few of the Rhododendrons were in flower, but Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Nutcracker, Slaty-blue Flycatcher and Rusty-flanked Treecreeper kept things ticking over. The better birds were thin on the ground though a smart pair of Rusty-fronted Tits and finally an incredibly showy pair of Bar-winged Wren Babblers made the trip more than worthwhile, but unfortunately a Long-tailed Thrush was too brief for all but the leader.
Chestnut-headed Tesia © Barry Wright Fulvous Parrotbill © Barry Wright
As we had succeeded with the vast majority of species in the surroundings of Dirang we headed off early for 7 nights camping inside the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary in an attempt to find ‘The Big four’ among a whole host of other scarce, little-known and range restricted birds in this wonderful wildlife sanctuary. This reserve, bisected by an old logging road gives access to some wonderful old-growth forest from 600m to 2800metres a.s.l. and was virtually unknown until just 2 years ago when the area hit the headlines with the discovery of a new species to science, the Bugun Liocichla. Obviously every birding trip here now focuses on the Liocichla but the sheer wealth and richness of bird species here precedes this single species. We divided our time between 3 camps, all offering splendid food (I think we all gained weight here!), spending our first 3 nights at Lama Camp, an area of heavily degraded forest, dominated by dense scrub surrounding the camp. Our primary aim here was Bugun Liocichla which we located on our first afternoon, albeit unfortunately the thin veil of mist forced most of us to be left satisfied with near silhouette views of a fast moving pair; though two of us managed further views 3 days later of this difficult species. Feeding flocks came and went, with flocks often numbering over 30 birds, usually made up of Blue-winged Siva (found not to be a Minla after all), Red-tailed Minla, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, Green-tailed and Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds and the really cute Yellow-throated Fulvettas. Scouring these flocks usually turned up one or two surprises. Himalayan Cutia down to a matter of metres was drowned in the mist much to the frustration of the photographers amongst us. We had the same problem viewing a Black-headed Shrike Babbler but the following day produced much better views of a vocal male at eye-level with a pair of White-browed Shrike Babblers. Rufous-headed Parrotbills munched their way through the bamboo amongst the more common Rusty-fronted Barwings, Chestnut-crowned, Scaly and charismatic Grey-sided Laughingthrushes along with a single sighting of Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler; once again half hidden in the mist. From the depths of the dark tangles and scrub Spotted Wren Babbler was enticed into view but the fog hampered viewing despite the bird sometimes being in full view singing away, ‘A Field Guide to the Bird Silhouettes of Eaglenest’ would be a very well received book! Other interesting species during our stay at Lama Camp included Sapphire Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker, Bhutan Laughingthrush and a roosting Grey Nightjar.
As we finally worked our way up to the pass a flaming male Temminck’s Tragopan fed by the roadside until we approached the corner, frustratingly only hanging on for those fortunate to be in the lead vehicle. The weather was much kinder to us up here than down at the ever fogged-out Lama Camp. The early morning sunshine and flowering Magnolia and Rhododendrons were buzzing with activity; Black-faced Laughingthrushes flocked around them while the smaller passerines fed busily allowing great views of some Gold-naped Finch, charming Ludlow’s Fulvetta, distinctive Hume’s Bush Warbler, Streak-throated Barwings and a small group of bulky Crimson-browed Finches also fed in the bushes, and a Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler gave up its skulking habits by hopping straight to us. At the bamboo covered pass a Blyth’s Pipit was a surprise migrant, while Brown Parrotbills were regularly encountered along with the more boldly marked Collared Grosbeak, and two particularly showy pairs of Spotted Laughingthrushes seemingly mesmerised by some bouts of playback; and finally great looks at inquisitive Fulvous Parrotbills.
Ward’s Trogon © James Eaton Spotted Laughingthrush © Barry Wright
Dropping over to the other side of Eaglenest Pass we headed for 3 nights at the slightly less chilly Bomphu Camp, situated at 2000m asl. The wonderful tall, mossy forests above Bomphu is home to one of the ‘big four’ and yet another difficult to locate species; the once mythical Ward’s Trogon. We put in our fair share of time searching for this enigmatic species. Frustratingly a rather non vocal bird refused to budge from the deepest of gorges despite our near abseiling abilities on 2 consecutive days. Finally just as morale and will-power was being sapped from us, a bird started vocalising from a nearby valley. Following some worryingly recent elephants tracks down a steep bamboo littered slope we hit a beautiful moss covered valley; within minutes we had this typically confiding bird set up in the scope, its rosy plumage filling the parameters of the lens with handshakes all-round. We spent well over an hour obtaining various video and photo studies of this most wanted bird with walkaway views. Overall birding was noticeably quieter along the stretches above Bomphu, though we repeated views of Broad-billed Warblers, Yellow-breasted Fulvetta, super cute Black-throated Parrotbills, Rufous-vented Niltava and a scope filling White-browed Shortwing.
The two remaining ‘Big Four’ are to be found predominantly below Bomphu, and it was between near the much lower Sessni Camp we spent an exhilarating day cleaning up on all the most wanted species in spectacular fashion. Before we had even got out of the vehicles a male Rufous-necked Hornbill flew up in front of us, our first of several close views of this wonderful bird, one of the best of this spectacular family. Once out of the vehicle, first up was an attempt for Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler (under the less exciting name Blackish-breasted Babbler in HBW). After a pair played hide and seek our next gulley provided great results as a pair jumped out, stretching their elongated necks and sang in full view for everyone; frustratingly the cameras had to remain bagged as the rain became more persistent. A few feeding flocks came and went, carrying several key species, White-naped Yuhina, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Long-tailed Broadbills, Grey-hooded Warbler and twice in the mid-morning our final big hit, Beautiful Nuthatch. These birds really exceeded expectations with stunning scope views as twice they sat out in full view preening for several minutes.
The mist once again crept in as the afternoon wore on but we eventually heard the alarm calls of a nearby Long-billed Wren Babbler. With some careful manoeuvring we all had wonderful close looks as he came in 3 times to inspect us as we sat under his favoured feeding haunt, busily throwing leaves bigger than his wren-sized self down the slope in his damp, dark gulley. Shortly after 3 Slaty-bellied Tesia gave mega views, even of their bright orange tonsils as they reacted to each other and successful in their attempts of avoiding Mike’s video camera! After our successes we decided to have an early bath via some Kaleej Pheasants displaying on the road through the mist, obviously unable to realise our prying eyes we upon them.
Sultan Tit © Barry Wright Rufous-necked Hornbill © Barry Wright
Spending the night at Sessni, situated at 1300m gave us some extra time to try for several scarce species, largely restricted to the Eastern Himalaya. Big, bright and red Scarlet Finches stood out like several sore thumbs and fingers on open snags, White-gorgetted Flycatchers danced around us in the dark scrub, typically skulking Crimson-faced Liocichla and Blue-winged Laughingthrushes had the last laugh circling us on two separate occasions. A Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo sat right out in full view frantically calling away as the last rays of light hit the mountainside, and shortly after a calling Grey Peacock Pheasant was found roosting – a silhouetted big blob in the darkest of tangles, proving to be the bird only when it walked silently away - any bad consciences ticking it?! Overhead Mountain Hawk Eagle and Black Eagles floated on by but a Besra was rather more fleeting.
Our final morning took us to lower elevations of the park where the heat soon took its toll on the bird numbers. White-browed Scimitar Babbler and Pale Blue Flycatcher started appearing and finally a reply from a Blue-naped Pitta saw us jump into the bush once again; frustratingly it jumped across the path for just a few fortunate eyes before the close proximity of Elephants forced us to abandon ship once again! Eventually sweeping down from the Himalayan foothills and back into Assam our next base was the Nameri Eco-camp, on the edge of Nameri National Park. An idyllic setting along with a welcome hot shower, change of clothes and a proper bed was the perfect recipe after our wonderful week at Eaglenest. Frustratingly the water levels meant that our birding was restricted to the forest fringes, but we still enjoyed the sunset from the riverside with the backdrop of the rolling foothills as a bull Elephant strolled across the grassy floodplain. Great and Wreathed Hornbills, Indian Thick-knee, River Lapwings, Small Pratincoles and Crested Kingfisher added to the scenery as did a family of the endangered Capped Langur and Assamese Macaques.
With Nameri still out of bounds we enjoyed a relaxing trip along the Jia Bhoroli River in our 2 seated rafts. Small Pratincoles swirled around us continually as we passed several breeding colonies. River Lapwings got themselves all excited as we whizzed through their territories, and a couple of pairs of Great Thick-knees patrolled the rocky islets. Once this was over Mike, Sarah and Simon said their good-byes as they took an early flight home while the rest of us set off for the longish journey to Meghalaya state.
With just 1 night in Meghalaya we relied on the good fortunes of the weather, despite a visit to Cheerapunjee, given the rather bleak crown of ‘the wettest place on earth’! Funnily enough in glorious sunshine (once again!) we peered over the cliff-face to stare down at hundreds of Dark-rumped Swifts wheeling around the beautiful falls, at one of their very few known breeding sites. We even obtained some eye-level views of this charismatic species. On the way back to our Shillong Hotel a quick stop at some dense scrub produced the range restricted Tawny-breasted Wren Babbler in record time, as it was seemingly already waiting for us in their favoured area. Birding in the vicinity proved rewarding in the late afternoon sunshine; ‘Khasi Hills’ Prinia, a distinctive form of the recently split Black-throated Prinia sang from the nearby scrub along with several Crested Finchbills. Hodgson’s Hawk Cuckoo twice flew below us, and finally a pair of the recently split Assam Laughingthrushes flew across the valley in reaction to our recordings.
Our final morning saw us on the ridge overlooking Shillong for our final three targets; Grey Sibia, Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler (another recent split) and Rusty-capped Fulvetta. All showed favourably, along with a host of other early morning risers singing in response to the beautiful weather including Eurasian and Oriental Cuckoo, Red-billed Leiothrix and a pair of Crimson-faced Liocichla. Our drive to Guwahati Airport was uneventful until just before the airport we visited a nearby dump to witness the not so beautiful site of 300 critically endangered Greater Adjutants searching for scraps in the heart of the dump. Maybe not the most memorable of ways to complete the tour, but with the most amazing preceding 3 weeks of birding, no one was complaining!
Greater Adjutant © James Eaton Tawny-breasted Wren Babbler © Barry Wright
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Indian Rhinoceros, Kaziranga © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia
