North-east India:

Arunachal Pradesh & Assam

13th - 29th March 2009

Leader: James Eaton

Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Eaglenest                  © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

This region and ‘Eaglenest’ in particular have become a ‘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 445 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 feisty Black-breasted Parrotbill, along with Jerdon’s Babbler and Marsh Babbler. Digboi Oilfields is a rather odd setting for a birding visit but nevertheless turned up Rufous-necked Laughingthrush and Collared Treepie before we headed south-west to the famous Kaziranga National Park. Once we had had our fill of Rhino’s, Elephants, Swamp Deer and Hog Deer the birds 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 three nights based at Dirang produced plenty of highlights while exploring a range of habitats; a flock of Grandala, swirling flocks of Snow Pigeon, rosefinches, Spotted Laughingthrush and Solitary Snipe.
The focal point of the tour – Eaglenest WLS situated in Western Arunachal Pradesh – did not disappoint, by the end of our first morning the recently discovered Bugun Liocichla had put on quite a show. The remainder of the ‘big four’ showed themselves off in equal glory; Ward’s Trogon, Beautiful Nuthatch and Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler along with a supporting cast including Rufous-necked Hornbill, Hodgson's Frogmouth, Long-billed Wren Babbler, Blue-naped Pitta and Himalayan Cutia.

After meeting up in Delhi the night before we were soon whisked across northern India, arriving in Dibrugarh shortly after our in-flight lunch and drove straight to Dibru-Saikhowa to sample some late afternoon birding and get a flavour of the coming two-weeks. After working our way through the large range of more common species like dapper Citrine and alboides White Wagtails, Temminck’s Stint, Asian Pied Starling and Ruddy Shelducks we walked into the tall grasslands that line the Dibru River, soon catching up with the first grassland speciality of the area like a co-operative, buzzing flock of Jerdon’s Babblers which occasionally perched up in full view as they flew around and around and around us. The main target of the afternoon, the highly localised Swamp Prinia did likewise but it stayed silent throughout and kept low to the ground meaning most of us would have to settle for ‘better views desired’, a good way to start the tour!
Our first full day saw us in the bizarre location of Digboi Oilfields, the oldest oilfield in the world and still in operation. Walking through the heavily-logged forest that has an open-museum feel about it, was hot with blue skies and our first target of the day was duly found sunning themselves in the early morning heat, the beautifully patterned Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, numbering several in a flock. Over the course of the day we encountered flocks of these rather quiet Garrulax on a further three occasions, twice mixing with the equally quiet Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush. Our third laugher of the day, the range-restricted Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush unfortunately only produced a couple of brief, distant snatches of song much to our surprise and disappointment. A whole variety of other species occurred, with bulbuls especially well represented including a raucous flock of White-throated Bulbul. White-vented Myna joined the Blue-throated Barbets, Chestnut-tailed Starling and Jungle Myna in the flowering trees while hundreds of Brown-backed Needletail made the most of the rising heat coming from a particular chimney shortly after breakfast. Greenish Warblers were in full song and we also recorded a diminutive White-browed Piculet, a pair of Black-backed Forktail, wintering although vocal Blyth’s Leaf Warbler, several Small Niltava, dazzling Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and right at the death two pairs of the most-wanted Collared Treepie, including a showy bird perched high on the open bamboo.
Before heading further west along the Brahmaputra we returned to Dibru-Saikhowa and boarded our noisy boat to follow the channel for some time before we finally hit some remnant stands of Elephant Grass. On the way we flushed several flocks of duck with one flock containing both Ferruginous Pochard and lingering Red-crested Pochards. Once ashore we hadn’t even started our breakfast when we heard our main target - Black-breasted Parrotbill. Within five minutes we had a pair of this striking endemic circling round us, regularly perching in full view calling back to each other. Stomachs rumbling we headed back to finish breakfast before continuig to another stand of grass, this time for Marsh Babbler which was already singing on our arrival. With some careful manoeuvring and patience a bird finally came in within a few metres of us, slowly hopping between grass stems before flying off and refusing to return. While we waited a wintering Smoky Warbler fed along a buffalo wallow and yet more Black-breasted Parrotbills flew round us, one coming within three metres when we realised we were sat below its nest! A pair of Sand Larks inspected us as we returned to our boat as did more Jerdon’s Babblers and on the ride back Ganges River Dolphins occasionally popped out of the water, playing hide-and-seek with us for a while.

Our next destination was a three night stay at Kaziranga World Heritage Site with stops en-route for looks at Slender-billed and Himalayan Griffon Vultures. Kaziranga is justly renowned for its huge number of mammals, in particular Indian Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer and Water Buffalo, we also enjoyed a huge variety of birds along with the umpteen photo opportunities of the Rhino’s. Our first morning ride on elephant back was enjoyable and fun, especially the comical attempts to manoeuvre three of the beasts around as we successfully lured out one of the parks main prize; Slender-billed Babbler. This oddly shaped, subtle endemic is restricted to tall stands of grassland, a habitat which has been lost throughout much of its range. Additionally it rarely sings so we were delighted with the early success, and even more so over the course of the two days as we located them on two further occasions, giving even better views as they sang from the top of the grasses. Careful scrutiny of the Siberian Stonechats brought further excitment as we eventually found a male White-tailed Stonechat busy feeding and flashing his identification traits to us. While watching a perched Wryneck a stunning male Himalayan Rubythroat popped out beneath it, and as a coincidence we had wonderful looks at two further males feeding at the roadside at our other Slender-billed Babbler site. Although Bengal Florican wasn’t seen from elephant back we only needed a few minutes on land to locate a feeding male, this critically endangered species is in freefall as clearing of natural grasslands continues apace. Birding nearby fields produced the hoped-for Black-breasted Weaver among the more numerous Baya Weaver and also a pair of Bengal Bushlark and Pacific Golden Plover in the wetter paddies.
Inside the park was a delight, in between admiring the huge number of mammals, birds were everywhere. Open waters contained a variety of Eurasian ducks, wintering Bar-headed Geese, rare Black-necked Storks, Lesser and a single Greater Adjutant while the muddy edges provided plenty of feeding for a range of waders including a small party of wintering Grey-headed Lapwing. Keeping an eye to the sky wasn't difficult as family parties of Pallas's and Grey-headed Fish Eagles were particularly vocal and conspicuous although a Red-necked Falcon was a surprise find sitting quietly near our observation tower. As there is no hunting in the park, galliformes are rather more habituated than elsewhere and we had several excellent views of the rare Swamp Francolin feeding by the roadside along with the ever-present Red Junglefowl. Finally, a drive through the forest gave up one last target as a splendid Pale-chinned Flycatcher sang out in the open for us having only caught glimpses of them at nearby Panbari Forest, though this latter site did show us a hooting Hoolook Gibbon and fly-over Pied Falconet. A huge number of other species made our stay most rewarding, these included Blossom-headed, Alexandrine, Rose-ringed and Red-breasted Parakeets, Spot-billed Pelican, Woolly-necked Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Yellow-footed Green Pigeons, Lesser Coucal, a roosting Brown Fish Owl, Great Hornbills nest-inspecting, motionless Streak-throated Woodpecker, a displaying Golden-headed Cisticola, wintering Tickell's Leaf Warblers and as dusk approached a Savanna Nightjar floated towards us giving wonderful views until out of nowhere a huge Peregrine flashed by us and made a dive for the nightjar, only missing it by inches, prompting the nightjar to promptly disappear!

We then made the full day drive to Dirang, firstly over the Bramhaputra River, and across the state border , then the twisting, windy roads into Arunachal Pradesh. As the scenery became more spectacular we made occasional birding stops picking up some useful species en-route including a confiding flock of White-breasted Parrotbills (split from Greater Rufous-headed), a dazzling male Scarlet Finch, showy Small Niltava, singing Yellow-bellied Warblers and a pair of Slaty-backed Forktail before we reached the charming town of Dirang and our comfortable though icy-cold hotel for a welcome rest.
An early start was required the following day as we climbed up into the mountains to the north, heading towards the Tibetan border. Frustratingly the icy conditions initially prevented us from reaching our desired locations around the Sela Pass making for a rather mixed morning. No sign of any of the most-wanted galliforms was not what we hoped though we did bump into a female (not-so-) Beautiful Rosefinch, Blue-fronted Redstarts, White-winged Grosbeak and Red-billed Choughs. Fortunately a flock of Plain Mountain Finch led us to one of the very best of Asia's high-altitude species as a flock of Grandala suddenly appeared, including three impossibly-coloured males. With the road still icy beyond the pass we decided to cut our losses and head back down into the valley although it turned into one of those losses anyway – the lone wintering Black-necked Crane had departed two days previous, along with the wintering Ibisbill and a calling Black-tailed Crake kept itself hidden In the dense vegetation!

 

White-breasted Parrotbill and Alpine Accentor             © James Eaton

After the previous days disappointments we were determined to make the following day a brighter one, and we certainly succeeded. Just as the sun began to rise a large flock of Red-billed Liothrix moved through the open vegetation, Grey-hooded Warblers were out in full song and generally bird activity was good. We worked our way up a hillside to the village of Mandala, stopping at a variety of habitats on the way up. A stop at the first rhododendrons produced a large flock of Dark-rumped Rosefinch and the first of many Rufous-gorgeted Flycatchers.
A rich area of bamboo is home to some very select species, a large roving flock of White-throated Laughingthrush moved quickly though, Black-throated Parrotbill was rather brief (we would have to wait until Eaglenest for better views), gorgeous Golden-breasted Fulvetta picked their way through, and most importantly, a Broad-billed Warbler showed itself wonderfully as a Hoopoe - the first of several - fed just metres away from us on the roadside seemingly exhausted in its attempts to migrate over the Himalayas.
One of the most amusing events over the next 9 days was the inquisitive feeding flocks that regularly surrounded us as we squeaked and pished to attract their attention. These flocks contained a huge variety of species, the composition changes with elevation but regulars included White-tailed Nuthatch, Beautiful Sibia, Black-faced, Buff-barred, Simla Leaf, Ashy-throated, Blyth’s Leaf, Whistler’s, Chestnut-crowned, Grey-cheeked and Grey-hooded Warblers, Rufous-vented and Stripe-throated Yuhinas, White-browed, Black-eared and Green Shrike Babblers, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Red-tailed and Chestnut-tailed Minla, Yellow-cheeked, Green-backed and Yellow-browed Tit and Green-tailed and Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds! As we reached beautiful patches of rhododendrons and neared the tree-line the composition of the flocks shifted slightly and proved more exciting, Rufous-vented, Grey-crested and Coal Tits appeared, as did occasional pairs of the usually elusive Rufous-fronted Tit. A personally favourite, the subtly-plumaged Ludlow’s Fulvetta regularly joined the flocks, as did both Hodgson’s and the scarce Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Fire-tailed Sunbird added even more splashes of colour to the flocks while lurking in the undergrowth several Gold-naped Finch fed quietly and bulky Crimson-browed Finch enjoyed the berry-bearing bushes.
Perhaps the most powerful songster of the region, the huge, striking Spotted Laughingthrush performed on three occasions, offering fine performances in the telescope at times. Several, more solitary species were encountered at various points during the day, these included White-collared Blackbird, Ultramarine and Little Pied Flycatchers, White-browed Bush Robin, Hodgson’s and Blue-fronted Redstart, Spotted Nutcracker and Himalayan Buzzard.
Before departing the Dirang Valley after a three-night stay, we spent the early morning back at Sangti Valley, a fall of migrants gave the wind-blown fields an Autumn British coast feel. Little Buntings buzzed here and there, we had fun flushing and identifying several Blyth’s Pipit’s and best of all, a Solitary Snipe flashed all the diagnostic features both in flight and on the ground.

         

Rufous-fronted Tit and Hoary-throated Barwing  © tour participant Joelle Finlay

The focal point of the tour was our 7-nights camping inside Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. An old logging trail cuts through the heart of the sanctuary and by utilising this road we camped at three different spots, covering a range of altitudes. This area shot into fame in 2006 with the discovery of a new bird to science, the Bugun Liocichla. Obviously locating this bird was a major aim of our visit but the wonderful forest here offers so much more than this single species.
Our first camp - Lama Camp - is a largely degraded, logged area but this is the preferred habitat for the liocichla. Our first foray into the forest was excellent after our first of many excellent outdoor meals (especially when a Mountain Hawk Eagle circles over); a powerful song from the undergrowth drew our attention to a tiny Rufous-throated Wren Babbler that sang its heart out at arms length, Rusty-fronted Barwings, Bhutan Laugingthrush, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Black-throated Prinia, Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill and Striated Bulbul all showed up during the course of the day, such is the number of species here that the birds roll into a big list making it difficult to pick out all of the highlights.
Our first morning was one of excitement and anxiety, as the sun began to rise so did the birds, a flock of Rusty-fronted Barwings fed close-by and we focussed our attentions on these birds as a dark shape following them flashed a hint of yellow and red – Bugun Liocichla! With a bit of patience after the initial panic, everyone was soon fixed on the bird as it sneaked through the bushes until it joined another bird and this pair then decided to give up the chase and sit quietly in the undergrowth allowing for extended views. We now had the opportunity to look for other birds a Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler popped up right on front of the liocichlas and began to feed with its ridiculously long, curved bill. A great feeding flock also contained more Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill (split off as White-breasted Parrotbills now) and even a third liocichla. Stunned with such an early success, we were better able to relax and enjoy the whole birding spectacle rather than concentrate on a particular species. A fruiting tree contained a stunning male Grey-winged Blackbird along with three new laughingthrushes; Striated, Scaly and Chestnut-crowned.

The next area to cover was the upper limits of the sanctuary. Here bamboo dominated undergrowth, rhododendrons and burnt forest held plenty of small feeding flocks and it was while watching one of these that Brown Parrotbills flew into view and proceeded to feed just metres from us as we sat quietly allowing the flock to pass in front and behind us (we were even able to hear them crunching on the bamboo!) and a Hume's Bush Warbler sang his little heart out close-by. Sitting quietly as we lured out a bouncing ball of colour - a Chestnut-headed Tesia - we heard some different high-pitched noises just as we got onto the tesia and a flash of green and red led to a change of tape play and out popped three highly-desired Fire-tailed Myzornis. They flew in, looking mesmerised for a little while, we could even make out that their faces were covered with pollen, before they flashed across the road and disappeared back into the bamboo.
Feeding flocks contained much the same as previous days; warblers, yuhinas, tits, more Ludlow's Fulvetta and Rufous-fronted Tits but we also added Himalayan Bluetail, Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch and eventually great studies of both Streak-throated and Hoary-throated Barwings along with some intermediates pointing towards a hybrid swarm in this area. Away from the flocks another wren babbler sang its little heart out, this time it was the super-cute Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler and we also saw Black-faced Laughingthrush, a large flock of White-collared Blackbirds and several displaying Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush.

Making our way down the other side of the pass we headed towards our next camp – Bumphu Camp. After a Yellow-billed Blue Magpie and a hot picnic lunch, batteries recharged we birded another shift in habitat; gorgeous, intact forest with huge mossy trees and occasional bamboo undergrowth. This wonderful landscape is home to a very special bird, Ward's Trogon. Notoriously elusive and quiet we had given ourselves a couple of days to locate this must-see beauty. Amazingly we soon heard a distant trogon down the road, and after a quick sprint down and a bit of a wait, the yellow lores of a female trogon shone through the bamboo below us. We didn't need to worry about getting onto the bird quickly as she soon flew up right in front of our faces, calling all the while, then eventually the male flew in and perched overhead before the pair flew off down the valley.
We spent the remainder of the afternoon and early the following morning birding the bamboo and logged forest above Bumphu Camp, a Grey-sided Bush Warbler burst into song making little attempt to conceal itself, both Grey-sided and Scaly Laughingthrushes fed openly by the roadside, Common Hill Partridge scurried away from us, a male Black-headed Shrike Babbler called in the scope and to top off our luck, a male Ward's Trogon was found calling just above the camp sat out for us, tail quivering with each note.

               Ward’s Trogon, Eaglenest               © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

As we edged below the camp our first exciting feeding flock passed through containing a bunch of Himalayan Cutia and Crimson-breasted Woodpecker but a Green Cochoa remained a heard only. Best of all was the pair of Rufous-necked Hornbills, perhaps the finest of this great family, that occupied a fruiting tree and turned out to be the first of several over the next three days. Down at the next camp, Sessni Camp, we found another shift in avifauna at this much lower altitude. During our two days in this area we did exceptionally well under fine blue skies. At this altitude we inspected the dense gullies meticulously, reaping rewards with Sikkim Wedge-billed Babbler and kiwi-like Long-billed Wren Babbler performing exceptionally well, Slaty-bellied Tesia became so excited, bouncing through the thickets that the leader was almost able to catch it as it jumped around us! White-gorgeted Flycatcher finally gave in to us after leading us a merry dance. The usually shy and retiring Blue-winged Laughingthrush even allowed scope views as he sat and sang, contrasting with the Crimson-faced Liocichla that made real efforts to allow little more than flight views! Some rustling in the leaf litter pulled our eyes back into the undergrowth once more, this time surprising us with a pair of Chestnut-breasted Partridges, a lifer for the leader, later on in the day,a deja-vu situation, but this time for a pair of Rufous-throated Partridges!
Feeding flocks here had a completely different species composition; White-naped and Whiskered Yuhinas, Short-billed Minivets, Red-headed Trogon, Black-throated Sunbirds, Lesser Racket-tailed and Bronzed Drongos, Orange-bellied Leafbird and Yellow-vented Warbler all joined in on the fun although the real jewel of these flocks turned out to be decidedly common, the aptly-named Beautiful Nuthatch, with several pairs and small groups encountered.
Around our camp a flock of Scarlet Finches regularly kept us entertained as overhead White-throated Needletail, Nepal House Martin, Black Eagle and Mountain Hawk Eagles all enjoyed the clear conditions though a nocturnal Mountain Scops Owl kept the leader up for several hours walking around and around a huge tree trying to find the little b*gger! The best we could muster was a flight view in the spotlight. Other species in this area included Pale Blue Flycatcher, a brief Slaty Blue Flycatcher, several singing Small Niltava, White-crowned and Slaty-backed Forktail and a most obliging Small-billed Scaly Thrush that sat up in the scope long enough for us all to admire this shy species.

Spending a late afternoon and a morning in the heavily degraded lowlands proved even more productive than we had hoped. Our first flock was rather elusive but containing the highly-distinctive nominate race of Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler, Blue-winged Siva (previously considered a minla) and several White-crested and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes. As the light began to close we had a look around at the habitat trying to decide where would look good for some night-birding, once we chose a spot we waited, and just as darkness began to fall a faint shriek followed by a play of the tape resulted in a Hodgson's Frogmouth suddenly appearing at point-blank, eye-level range. She performed so well, sitting motionless in the spotlight that after 20 minutes we decided to just walk away from her!
Our next flock the next morning was really exciting and slow moving, first was a Rufous-faced Warbler, then White-browed Scimitar Babblers followed by the difficult White-hooded Babbler - a great performance from a pair of this recently split species which is restricted to the eastern Himalaya. A pair of Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbill joined the flock and buzzed around us for some time as did both Speckled Piculet and Striated Yuhina. A little lower down a fruiting tree held our first Pin-tailed Green Pigeons, Wreathed Hornbill and vocal Long-tailed Broadbill while a nearby tree held several singing Rufous-backed Sibia. Just as we contemplated turning round in the late morning heat a rustle and a movement in the roadside leaf-litter had us peering down as a male Blue-naped Pitta jumped up, sitting on an open branch for several seconds having a good look at us while we returned the favour!
As the road out of this side of the sanctuary was closed we had to drive all the way back over to our original camp, Lama, for a night, not a problem as we still had three species to find at the pass, though with the mighty hailstorm lingering at the top we headed straight for the warmth and dryness of the lunch tent at camp. Once the weather appeared to have cleared we drove back up and a stop for a female Rufous-breasted Bush Robin also produced a confiding Pygmy Blue Flycatcher before we finally got near to the pass and as the gods smiled down on us we finally hit a response from our target as a Bar-winged Wren Babbler - the leaders favourite wren babbler - stepped out of the undergrowth to inspect the intruders, a great way to end the birding at this fabulous wildlife sanctuary. As the blue skies returned, wind and cloud swirling around us we relaxed a little, enjoying taking photos of the wonderful landscapes.

Leaving Eaglenest and Arunachal Pradesh behind, we spent our final night in the lowlands at Nameri Eco-camp for a hot shower, and proper bed. We jumped out a few kilometres before the lodge and slipped into our dingies for a gentle cruise along the river; River Lapwings were as noisy and conspicuous as ever though only a few Small Pratincole and several River Tern were in attendance of their nesting islands and Great Thick-knees crawled away slowly in the midday heat. It didn't take long before a movement in the rapid-side rocks raised our attention as three of the hoped-for Ibisbill slowly started walking away from us, brilliant camouflage from a brilliant bird, we managed to get nice and close to them as they had a think about what they should do before taking flight upstream.
After a quick rest and wash having enjoyed our midday cruise we entered Nameri Tiger(-less) Reserve for a march along the riverside. Time was running short as we hoped to reach a secluded, forest pond for the increasingly rare White-winged Duck. We did manage one stop on the way as a lingering flock of Spot-winged Starlings were busy feeding up before flying west (!) across the Himalaya to their breeding grounds and also two Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers. Once at the pool we quietly sneaked up on the pond, raising our heads revealed a single White-winged Duck looking nervously at us in the middle of the pond, though not quite everyone managed a view as he sneaked round the corner. As we edged around the duck was playing hide-and-seek before flying up from behind a floating log and flying away from us. Flushed with this final success on our walk back along the river a flock of Brown-throated Needletails zoomed over and around us before continually circling round the river, skimming across the water for a drink, quite superb views at eye-level as they flew in towards us over and over again. Surprisingly we managed two more new birds for the tour before dusk crept in with Barred Buttonquail and Large Hawk Cuckoo performing.
A gentle stroll on our final morning took in the numerous fruiting trees surrounding the camp, Common Hill Myna, Pin-tailed and Yellow-footed Green Pigeons were abundant, the final new species for the tour were noisy Greater Flamebacks, Rufous Woodpecker and finally a Blue-throated Flycatcher before it was time to say good-bye to this wonderful region, and what better way to end such a wonderful tour with amazing birds and spectacular scenery? A visit to Guwahati dump to observe the large number of Greater Adjutants and Black-eared Kites loafing and looking for scraps with the local community!

               Ibisbill, Nameri                    © James Eaton/Birdtour Asia

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