North India Birding Tour: Trip Report, February-2018

05 February 2018 – 15 February 2018

Sanjib Acharya

Participants: Roger Smith, Anne Smith, Sanjib Acharya and Joginder Y. Kasi

Overview:

An exciting tour was set for us around some natural and religious places in Kumaon Valley, Uttarakhand, a new destination for the participants. Uttarakhand is very rich in culture, history, and indeed, flora and fauna. We visited some great destinations during the trip, including the famous national park Corbett, important birding hotspots in Uttarakhand such as Pangot and Sattal, and a very famous temple, Jageshwar Dham.

The tour connected with so many beautiful and rare birds such as Ibisbill, Walcreeper, Pallas's Fish-eagle, Brown Dipper, Cheer, Koklass, and Kalij Pheasants, Hill and Rufous-throated Partridge, Scaly-breasted and Pygmy Wren-babbler, Chestnut-headed Tesia, White-tailed and Siberian Rubythroat, and a very rare bird indeed, the Grey-crowned Prinia. We focused on quality birding instead of quantity and added only those birds on the list that Roger Smith had seen with great success. A total of 229 bird species were recorded during this trip. We also managed to locate some mammals, such as Asian Elephant, Sambar, Hog, and Spotted Deer; Red Muntjac; Himalayan Brown Ghoral; and Yellow-throated Marten. A few interesting reptiles, like Marsh Mugger, Gharial, and Golden Mashree Fish, were also seen.

Visited Sites

General Travelling Information

Day 1: Girija Devi Temple and Koshi River Overnight at Tiger Camp

Day 2: Dhikala, Corbet National Park Overnight at Forest Rest House

Day 03: Safari inside the parkOvernight at Tiger Camp

Day 4: Kumeria Birding, transferred to Pangot Overnight at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge

Day 05: Pangot Overnight at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge.

Day 6:  Pangot. Overnight at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge.

Day 7: Transferred to Jageshwar Overnight at Van Serai

Day 08: Jageshwar Overnight at Van Serai

Day 09: Jangeshwar to Chanfi Overnight Mapple Hermitage.

Day 10: Sattal. Overnight Mapple Hermitage.

Day 11: Sattal to Delhi

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mohit Aggarwal and the Asian Adventures team for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Pangot

Diary

05 February 2018: DAY 01: Girija Devi Temple, Koshi River

We had a short afternoon of birding after a meeting and lunch at Tiger Camp. We walked from the temple gate to the Koshi River through a road with bushes on either side, good for many small birds. Here we saw the Slaty Blue Flycatcher, Small Niltava,Yellow-bellied Fantail, and Taiga Flycatcher. We then went down to the Koshi river bank and picked up Ibisbill quickly and enjoyed many brilliant birds such as River Lapwing, Crested, Pied, and White-throated Kingfishers, White-capped and Plumbeous Redstarts, Hume's and Greenish Warblers, and finally Wallcreeper, which was very close and posing for the photo. A Lineated Barbet and Lesser Goldenback were seen on a fig tree, along with a Brown Rock Chat, on the roof of a house while we were returning from the river. It was a great afternoon birding at Koshi River.

06 February 2018: DAY 02: Dhikala, Corbett National Park

After an early breakfast, we headed to Dhikala on a Jeep safari. The weather was misty, so bird movements were very low. Although we managed to pick upGrey-headed and Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Ashy Bulbul and Blue-winged Siva. On the way, we heard a terrible alarm call from Sambar and waited for a long time but didn’t get any
glimpse of the suspect and continued driving. We enjoyed Blue-throated and Lineated Barbetsfeeding on berries andBlack-hooded Oriole, Red-breasted Parakeeton the way to Dhikala. After checking In at Dhikala, we hanged around the hotel campus and scanned down to the Ramganga River and gotBlack Stork and RiverTern. The afternoon safari started after Lunch and lasted till the sunset, but there was no Tiger. We saw a big herd of Asian elephants, Spotted Deer, Sambar, and hog deer, along withCollared Falconet, Black-winged Kite, Red Jungle Fowl, Pallas's and Lesser Fish Eagle, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Long-billed and Tawny Pipit.

07 February 2018: DAY 03: Dhikala, Corbett National Park

We had an early jeep safari, and we tried very hard for the tiger but did not get any exciting moments. But our eyes were always looking for birds, so we picked up some Crested Tree Swifts, Alpine Swifts, and Plain Martins flying over in the sky. We then went back to the hotel for breakfast, hung around till lunch time, and checked out of the hotel. A white-bellied Drongo was seen inside the hotel campus, and a Himalayan Vulture and a cinereous vulture were soaring higher up in the blue sky. On the way back to Tiger Camp, we again spent some time trying to track some tigers, but with no luck. We heard a very harsh call from a Mountain Hawk Eagle and had a great view of a juvenile one. Then we stopped at the crocodile view point and observed Marsh Mugger and Gharial enjoying the sun on the river bank. On the way, we encountered Himalayan Flameback and Greater Flameback, Greater Yellownape, and Streak-throated Woodpecker all in one place, moving from tree to tree with drumming and short contact calls. We had a short look at the museum at Dhangadi Gate, and Spangled Drongo was seen in a big Cotton Tree by the roadside.

08 February 2018: DAY 04: Kumeria in the morning, pangot at afternoon

We drove to Kumeria after breakfast to find some birds for Roger, but the weather was much windier this morning. We encountered a feeding flock of Common Woodshrikes moving fast higher up in the tree canopy. On the way down to the Koshi River, we picked up Black-throated Sunbird, Long-tailed Minivet, and Greater Flameback, with a better view than last time. Koshi River was very quiet due to strong wind, so we had to try hard and wait a long time for Brown Dipper before finally getting him. We heard Tawny Fish Owl inside from the hill covered by trees and tried some playback, which responded but didn’t come out in the open. We managed to get a better view of the White-crested Laughingthrush along with a group of Oriental White-eyed Geese. We then moved back to Tiger Camp and headed to Pangot after lunch. On the way, we stopped at Corbet Waterfalls and had a short walk around, then continued driving and reached Pangot by late afternoon. Here we set out for a couple of days to explore the Himalayas, and all our accommodations are booked at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge, a pioneer birding lodge in India and the best birding lodge in the region.

09 February 2018: DAY 05: Pangot

Pangot is one of the best birding hotspots for Himalayan birds, so we started earlier with our packed breakfast. Driving slowly on the road and scanning both sides of the ground is the best method to catch some pheasants and partridges. After a while, we encountered a Rufous-throated Partridge walking slowly on the road. It was an unusual sighting of this bird in this area for me, although we had a really good view. Roger tried to shoot with his lens, but it ran away, and we again tried to get it off the car, but it flew off. We then continued driving and picked up some brilliant birds, such as Himalayan Bluetail, Alpine Thrush, Grey-winged Blackbird, Blue Whistling Thrush, and, of course, mammals such as Himalayan Brown Ghoral and Red Muntjac, to name a few. We stopped at Cheer Point for a short time and scanned around the Rocky Mountains with Grass in the valley for Cheer, but with no result. We picked up a blue-capped Redstart, a big flock of Altai accentors, a black-throated tit, and a common kestrel. We kept driving further to catch other pheasants and got a family of Kalij pheasants feeding on foliage just down the road. We moved further and stopped at a place for breakfast, where we enjoyed fire-tailed sunbirds, coal, yellow-browed, and green-backed Tits. We again tried for pheasants around that area and decided to return to the Cheer point. On the way back to cheer point, we encountered, surprisingly, a family of Koklass pheasants on the road. They were feeding on the ground by the roadside, and a male walked slowly and came to the middle of the road, noticed our car, and
climbed up the hill, but others ran away down in the valley. We again tried an unsuccessful approach for the photograph. Then we directly came to the Cheerpoint and scanned around those valleys for a long time. We had a good view of a Himalayan Vulture getting thermals and soaring up in the valley. We did scan almost every corner of the valley and finally got a family of cheering pheasants very far from us to observe through a spotting scope. It was an incredible morning of birding. We then picked up some beautiful birds such as the Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Greater Yellow-legged Woodpecker, Himalayan Woodpecker, and Rufous-bellied Woodpecker at Woodpecker Point on the way back to Jungle Lore Birding Lodge. In the afternoon, we drove down to Ghughukhan Valley and walked along the roadside, getting some colorful Himalalyan beauties such as the Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Pink-browed Rosefinch, Black-lored Tit, Rock Bunting, Blue-fronted Redstart, and Rufous-breasted Accentor. A perfect birding day came to an end with a flock of Speckled Wood pigeons.

10 February 2018: DAY 06: Around Pangot

Another morning of birding with no rush started after a warm breakfast at the lodge. We took the same route up to the same point where we had breakfast yesterday. We heard something scratching on the ground and moving slowly on foliage. We also walked slowly, keeping our eyes on the ground, when suddenly a male Hill Partridge ran away in front of us and was hidden inside another bush. I told Roger to stay still at a place and made the bird come out near him; after a while, it flew off just in front of him. We then moved down to a village and waited for a while in front of a bush. Here we had a really good view of a western Himalayan restricted-range species, the Black-throated Accentor, along with many Rock Buntings and Russet Sparrows. On the way back, we stopped at Cheer Point to look around for the raptors, got a Steppe Eagle mobbed by a Himalayan buzzard, and had a nice view of an Upland Pipit on a big rock. We went down to Timlapani for afternoon birding and picked up a very colorful male Crimson Sunbird, a nice male White-tailed Rubythroat, Common Rosefinch, Yellow-breasted Greenfinch, Speckled Piculet, and an elusive species, Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler. We then drove further to try to get other species and got a male Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker and finally a tiny group of targeted birds, including one of the very rare Grey-crowned Prinia. It was a wonderful and exciting birding day.

11 February 2018: DAY 07: Morning at Pangot, Jageshwar at afternoon

We had very quiet birding around Killbury this morning. Most of the species were repeated, such as the White-throated Laughingthrush, Black-headed and Eurasian Jay, varieties of warblers and tits, and some woodpeckers. At last, we had a great view of the Lesser Yellownape. After lunch, we drove nearly 4.5 hours to Jageshwhar. On the way, we picked up hundreds of juvenile Steppe eagles near the dumping sites at Bhawali and Almora. At a time my eyes stuck on a raptor that has narrow wings and a longer tail than those Steppe Eagles, and suddenly I asked Joginder to stop the car; that was definitely an adult Bonelli's Eagle, which I had doubted for. We reached a very peaceful hotel in Van Serai late in the afternoon.

12 February 2018: DAY 08: Jageshwar

It was the worst birding day of the trip. We started birding on the way to Vridhda Jageshwar after a warm breakfast at the hotel, but the weather didn’t favor us. But we continued our birding before the rain started and picked up some tits, warblers, a Himalayan bluetail, and a green shrike-babbler (which was in a very hurry). When the rain started heavily, we closed our birding and drove up to the Vridhda Jageshwar temple for a short look. The temple had been running under construction and repairing work. We then returned to Van Serai, who made us warm inside our blanket. Later, the rain stopped for a while, and Roger and Anne had a nice walk to the Jageshwar temple, where he saw a spotted forktail in the small creek in front of Van Serai.

13 February 2018: DAY 09: Morning at Jageshwar, Chanfi at Afternoon

We walked on the road, following a creek, looking for forktails and other birds, and got a slaty-backed forktail as expected. We then entered the Eco-Park area through a trekking trail along with another small creek. Most of the birds were repeated species, such as the scaly-breasted wren-babbler, grey-hooded, lamon-rumped, and buff-barred warbler, all commonly seen titters and treecreepers. At last, we had a wonderful view of Ashy-cheeked Warbler and Greytreepie. We then returned to the lodge and headed to Bhimtal after lunch. After a quick check-in at the Mapple Hermitage, we birded around Chanfi and picked up two pairs of spotted forktails along with yellow-bellied fantails and Whistler's warblers in the vegetation near a small creek. A female white-tailed rooster was seen and found roosting on a pine tree. Not being late, we picked up an Asian Barred Owlet roosting on another pine tree nearby. It was the perfect ending to the day.

14 February 2018: DAY 10: Sattal

After pre-sunrise breakfast, we had a very wonderful time at a little birding hotspot before sattal. We first encountered a male white-tailed rooster in a bush just near the roadside. We then moved further and were surrounded by a red-billed leiothrix on both sides of the bushes. Not being late, a pair of Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush show off surprisingly close on the top of the bush. We had really brilliant birds such as the Grey-backed Shrike, the Rusty-cheecked Scimitar Babbler, the Slaty Blue Flycatcher, and finally a gorgeous male Siberian Rubythroat here. After catching them, we entered the Sattal Park area and walked along the forest. Here we had
encountered many feeding parties of warblers and tits. We found a big feeding group of blue-winged saviors and some chestnut-bellied nutcatchers. We followed a small trail from Lantana bushes and picked up Whistler's Warblers, Himlayan Bluetails, and Blue-capped Redstarts. Suddenly I noticed a call, moved faster towards the sound, and got a gorgeous Common Green Magpie—what a beautiful bird! We enjoyed Tickell's Thrush, Grey-winged Blackbird, and Woodpeckers and moved further to Studio (a place where all photographers come and stay with their big equipment). We spotted a green sandpiper and a red-wattled lapwing on the bank of the lake, and I was dragged by an interesting call from a skulker and waited for him to come out. Finally, a Pygmy Wren-babbler appeared, skulking in the undergrowth along the side of the track. After a while, Chestnut-headed Tesia joined the play; a brilliant sighting of both skulkers was amazing! We spent our afternoon again around the same place and picked up Black Bulbul and Rufous-gorged Flycatcher. Later on, we had a good view of a Mountain Hawk Eagle before the day off.

15 February 2018: DAY 11: Morning at Sattal and departure

The last day of the tour ended after a short morning of birding around again in Sattal. We birded shortly and picked up some regular species that we had seen before with their feeding flocks. A Mountain Bulbul was seen as new, along with some Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers for the second time on the trip. Fantastic morning session, closed by a brilliant view of a green-tailed sunbird. We then drove back to the hotel and departed.

At last, the tour was very successful. All birding days were so exciting, except one day at Jageshwar. More than 200 bird species were recorded during this trip, including three species of Accentors, six species of Laughingthrushes, three species of Pheasants (including the globally threatened Cheer), seven species of Bulbuls, two Wren-babblers, twelve species of Woodpeckers, and finally the Ibisbill, Wllcreeper, Brown Dipper, and rare Grey-crowned Prinia.

Species List

Order: systematic | alphabetic | highlights first
Published: 06 April 2020
Last updated: 10 August 2023
North India Birding Tour: Trip Report, February-2018 - Orniverse