At the start of this year with COVID restrictions relaxed , I plan to visit Arunachal Pradesh. The last state of Northeast India which is also knows with name of "Dawn-Lit Mountains". It shares its border with Bhutan in west, Myanmar in east and China in North. On south it borders the state of Assam and Nagaland. The place has birding 197 hotpots and 25 major counties (as per ebird) and so far 734 Indian Bird species has been seen in these counties. The plan was to explore Eagle's Nest Wildlife Sanctuary and Sela Pass. Eaglenest is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. It is considered as prime birding site due to extraordinary variety, numbers and accessibility of species.
Eaglenest has wide altitude range starting from 500 mt. (1,640 ft) to 3250 mt. (10,663 ft), due to which one can cover lot of low altitude and high altitude Himalayan species. I was going to team up with Aditya and Kavi along with Lobsang Tshering . I wanted to explore this region with Rofikul Islam as my earlier experience with him in Assam was overwhelming . He was not available and suggested to check with Lobsang and he confirmed for his availability. Though I asked Hemant to join , at time of plan but he was not going to join. At last moment he also joined us.
Detailed Itinerary
Day -1(14-May ) Arrival at Guwahati Airport and birdwatching on the way to Tenga. Night stay Tenga
Day -2(15-May ) Birdwatching on the way to Bhompu Camp. Night stay Bhompu Camp
Day -3(16-May ) Birdwatching around Bhompu Camp. Night stay Bhompu Camp
Day -4(17-May ) Birdwatching around Bhompu & Lama Camp. Night stay Tenga
Day -5(18-May ) Birdwatching around Lama Kamp and Dirang Valley. Night stay at Dirang
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| Map View of Hotspots |
Though the plan was to spend 3 nights at Bhompu , we have to cut short it to 2 since it was raining very heavily. Due to this we missed out on lot of low altitude species .
In any north east trip, weather plays an important role. You are never certain about clear sky. Considering how weather was during our trip, still I am grateful for such a wonder tour and amazing experience birdwatching in Arunachal Pradesh. We observed xxx species and my lifer count was xxx. But birdwatching in North East always a pleasure .
Day -1 (14-May ) Arrival at Guwahati, birdwatching on the way to Tenga
It's very hard for me to say bye to little one's , caring mom and wife. I definitely miss those pleasurable moments with little one's when I am out. Also, the love and care of wife and parents at home. I reached Airport at 5:30 AM and was done with my security clearance in like 30 minutes. Kavi and Hemant went to Lounge for some food while myself and Aditya had filter coffee with some quick snacks. With limited outlets at Delhi T1, coffee was very good in taste. While having food, I was discussing with Aditya how the eating habits of Indians are changed. We have shifted to fast foods from traditional foods and we hardly spend time eating in calm space and manner. Everyone is in hurry or having food along with mobile watching something or having call with someone. We can get our food deliver in just few clicks using Zomato and other online apps.
We had pleasant flight to Guwahati and reached on time. The airport was decorated with some traditional artifacts of the representing the local culture. The ceiling was well lit with fancy good looking lanterns. We took our luggage and went out. Lobsang was waiting for us . We met him and left from airport. It was going to be long drive to Tenga. With some birdwatching on the way since sunsets very early in North East.
We left from airport and continue to look outside for the birds around us. On the way we were able to spot Greater Adjutant Storks, Lesser Adjutant Storks , Green Imperial Pigeons, Asian Palm Swifts, Common Iora, and many other common birds. There is dumping yard near airport which is famous for Greater Adjutant storks in India. After some time we stopped at place Mangladai for lunch. We were served with traditional assamese thali which had two types of dal, one gravy vegetable , one local green vegetable and steamed rice. They serve it on bronze like plate giving an authentic look. On order at some restaurant you can get Ghost Pepper as well. The meal was very tasty with moderate spices.
On the way to Tenga we stopped in evening at hotspot named Belamu, time was like 2 PM . With poor light and clouds all over photography was quite difficult in evening. But we got very good sightings in this session. We stopped the car with sighting of Rufous Necked Hornbill, which marked for the first sighting of today's evening birding session. It was feeding on the fruits on a big tree , quite a natural habitat for the hornbills. Around the place there was mixed type of trees and we saw Pin-Tailed Green Pigeon, Large-Hawk Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Collared Owlet, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Golden Throated Barbet, Black Hooded Oriole, Maroon Oriole, Black Naped Monarch, Ashy Drongo, Lesser Racket-Tailed Drongo, Black-Crested Bulbul, Yellow-Vented Warbler, Rufous Faced Warbler, Striated Yuhina, Whiskered Yuhina, White-Naped Yuhina, Long-Tailed Sibia, Himalayan Cutia, Rusty-Fronted Barwings, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Streaked Spider hunter and some other commoners.
After spending more than an hour at this location we moved ahead and stopped after next 30 minutes. Drive was through the hills so we were moving slow. We stopped at one spot to look for Black -Throated Prinia. There were couple of them. Along with that we heard call of mesia and we observed one Silver Eared Mesia inside the woods. We tried for some pics of it but due to poor light managed the record shots only. Apart from this we saw some yuhinas , minivets and striated bulbuls all in mixed flocks.
We stopped for checking Black-Tailed Crake but was not lucky to get it. We were feeling hungry so stopped at small restaurant and got some momos and egg noodles for evening snacks. Momos were wonderful and tasty as we expect in North East. Tea and Coffee was also there along with the snacks. Later in nocturnal session we saw 5 Grey Nightjars at one place. The sky was looking very nice with moon light and some clouds.
We drove to Tenga and checked in our hotel. I had bath and had my dinner. After dinner we reviewed the list what we have covered and what we are going to do tomorrow . I had call with family and slept post that.
Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110034494
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110034616
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110034697
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110034811
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110034921
Day -2(15-May ) Birdwatching on the way to Bhompu Camp
I woke up at 3:45 AM with alarm. After morning gratitude prayers, got ready for birdwatching session around aloo bari. I had tea in the hotel at 4:15 AM and left from hotel at 4:30 AM. Air was filled with such a nice fragrance and was very fresh. We picked up Lobsang from his house on the way and started towards aloo bari. Aloo Bari is a place where we can sight the most special endemic species of Eaglenest which is "Bugun Liochicla". The surroundings are maintained by Bugun Community and we have pay fee at check post to enter in this area. The bird also got its named from Bugun Community.
Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary got its name inspired from Red Eagle Division of Indian Army which had its base there in 1950s .Even today, the sanctuary region boasts of the Indian Army presence and incorporates 218 sq. km of the forest area housing rich biodiversity. It conjoins Sessa Orchid Sanctuary to Northeast and Pakhui Tiger Reserve across the Kameng river to the east. Altitude variation is immense from 500mt to 3,250mt. Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is part of the Kameng protected area complex (KPAC), the largest contiguous closed-canopy tract of Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Eaglenest, Pakke, Sessa, Nameri, and Sonai Rupai sanctuaries and associated reserved forest blocks. The complex covers 3500 km2 in area and ranges from 100 meters (328 ft) to 3,300 meters (10,827 ft) in altitude. There are two camps inside Eaglenest Lama & Bhompu Camp which are used for staying inside the Sanctuary. Bhompu Camp is seasonal camp while Lama remains throughout the year.
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| Bugun Liochicla |
We reached aloo Bari, the name translated to place where farming of aloo (potato) is done. We started looking for our prime target Bugun Liochicla, the pride of Eaglenest' s Bugun Community. With couple of playback we get to see the bird but it remained in dense canopy so we won't be able to photograph it. The visibility was very poor due to dense fog all we were able to get were record shots. Around the bushes we heard call of Streak Breasted scimitar babbler and the bird was sitting on a branch and calling. These can be seen in dense scrubs on hillsides and dense undergrowth in open forests. It is residence to Indian Subcontinent.
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Green-Tailed Sunbird
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We moved inside the trail and explored it for 2 hours continuously checking for birds. In the start we get the hunting flock with Green-Tailed Sunbirds, Blyth's Leaf Warblers, Whiskered Yuhinas, Striated Yuhinas, Beautiful Sibias, Yellow-Cheeked Tit and other common birds. Few meters ahead we were lucky to sight gray-sided laughing thrush in open. It's a rare one to see in open as it forages in dense canopy mostly.
On the same trail, Lobsang heard the call of Rufous-Throated Wren Babbler and with playback we were able to see it inside the dense undergrowth. Such a beautiful bird having 10-12 cm size with rusty throat and breast. Belly has dark, white-spots on it. They are found in dense undergrowth in moist broadleaf evergreen forests . We managed to get couple of shots only since light was poor and it was inside the bush.
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| White-Breasted Parrotbill |
With wonderful sighting of Black-Throated Prinia, we reached end of trail and started back. On the half way back we get to see couple of White-Breasted Parrotbills . Another beautiful bird species which are found in bamboo near or in evergreen forest areas. They were actively feeding on the seeds on trees. Very far away but delight for the eyes with binocs. We come out of the trail and had our home-made breakfast.
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Mrs. Gould's Sunbird
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We left towards Lama Camp after breakfast and stopped ahead of camp since some activity was there. With collared owlet playback we were able to get hunting flock of Green Tailed Sunbirds and Mrs. Gould's Sunbirds in pairs. Such an elegant and charming bird with metallic violet crown, crimson supercilium , side of neck ,nape and back ,bright yellow lower back and metallic purple blue rump. Preferably found in oak forest, ridge top forest and conifers. Black-Chinned Yuhinas and Whiskered Yuhinas joined the party and they were feeding on flowers. Large Hawk Cuckoo , Rufous Capped Babbler and Blyth's Leaf Warblers were also seen in mixed flock.
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| Emerald Cuckoo |
We moved towards Eaglenest pass and on the way Kavi ask us to stop the car since he spotted some bird on the wire. We came out and checked. It was Emerald Cuckoo Female. While we were observing it , it flew and sat on top of long tree. It was feeding on worms there. We get some record shots of it, and I witnessed the bronze-green above, light-rufous nape ,bill yellow with black tip. The beauty of this sighting cannot be described in words, really such a wonderful looking bird. Also, its not easily found in Indian Subcontinent. I will be grateful to Kavi for this pleasant sighing of beautiful cuckoo.
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| Barred Cuckoo Dove |
As we move ahead dense clouds came all over us and it started raining heavily. With rain the road was also getting muddy and bumpy. On the way we stopped at Eaglenest Pass and saw Rufous-Vented Yuhinas. The clouds were very dense and all over making it impossible to click the pictures. We observed it with binocs some features visible. It marked as completion of all Yuhina's of Indian Sub-Continent for me. We continue to drive towards Bhompu Camp along with rain forest and big moss trees. After a while the rain stopped and we get to see some light coming . We stopped the car and get to see Brown Shrike, Rufous-Winged Fulvetta and pair of Barred-Cuckoo Doves.
We spent like 25 minutes in area and started back since it started raining again. Just like 15 minutes before Bhompu Camp suddenly Hemant asked to stop the car. He was sitting in middle and was able to get clear view of the way. There was Blyth's Tragopan on the side of the road displaying. We get of the car silently but it flew down in the valley. Really a wonderful sighting of Tragopan in such a bad weather. I would say due to this weather only we got to get them in open , since water could have logged in canopies and birds come out in open. We reached Bhompu around 3:15 PM.
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| Bhompu Camp |
Bhompu is a temporary camp which is setup inside the Eaglenest Sanctuary for stay. The accommodation is basically tents which are decommissioned as the rainy season starts . We get settled into tents, the accommodation is average type and due to cloudy weather and humid atmosphere I could feel the smell caused by dampness inside the tents. Nearby open washrooms and bathrooms are setup on one side other side we have kitchen area. Since there is no electricity in the camps we were provided with one solar light inside the tent. In evening , using generator we get some light in kitchen area to charge our camera batteries and mobile phones. There is scarcity of mobile network in the area as well. Though special sitting arrangement is done at one spot where network comes. One has to keep their phone for couple of minutes at spot and network comes for talking and some light internet browsing. I was using Lobsang's phone to make phone calls with family since he had BSNL carrier which is available mostly.
After half an hour we had our lunch which was dal, rice, roti , green vegetables and salad. Lunch was good. It is very tough to get the raw material in Bhompu Camp as it needs to be sourced from villages nearby. With rain and mud road it is quite difficult and time consuming as well. We had cup of tea post lunch and discussed about plan ahead. Though rain has stopped but it was still fog all around us.
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| Rufous-Winged Fulvetta |
We went for a small session in evening. Since it was quite foggy and light was poor as well I took my binoculars and left camera in tent for this session. Activity was poor as well due to cloudy weather. We managed to see short wings and Fulvetta in the dense undergrowth. Soon we returned back to Camp rested for a while in tents and had our evening tea with veg pakodas. Pakodas always feel tasty in rainy weather with hot tea. We reviewed the checklist with Lobsang and so far I had got 32 lifers on my trip. While we discussed the targets and next day plan was to cover lower altitude species. From 1800 Mts to 700 Mts altitude range to be explored tomorrow and we targeted 72 lifers for everyone of us. Generator was switched on and we put on our gadgets for charging.
At 8 we came for dinner. Dinner was 3 course meal which started with hot soup . A hot soup was totally a compliment to weather of Bhompu Camp. Soup was followed by Dal, Roti and Green Vegetables. It's really difficult to source all these food items at Bhompu Camp since it is so remote . On top of it, unavailability of electricity make it difficult to cook. Still they managed to serve hot and well cooked food for us. So grateful to them for freshly prepared meals.
After dinner I did some walk in area to give some fresh air to legs since they were whole day trapped inside leech socks. I borrowed Lobsang's phone and spoke to family for some time. I took one solar lamp to keep in the room.
Before sleeping, Hemant draw a Lakshman Rekha using salt in order to keep leeches away from the beds. We discussed how the day has ended and slept after that. In the night I could hear the rain drops outside the camp. Since it was camp, I could clearly feel the intensity of rain outside.
Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110557114
Day -3(16-May ) Birdwatching around Bhompu Camp. Night stay Bhompu Camp
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| Celebrating Rainy Weather |
Sleep in tent was not sound, as it continue to rain whole night . I woke up at 3:45 AM and it was raining heavily so we stayed in bed for a while Light started to come out at 4:30 AM and we had morning coffee. Clouds were all over the place and it was continuously pouring. We stayed in kitchen area for while and had breakfast at 6:30 AM. It was one of rare occasions I had breakfast before morning birdwatching session. We had bread omelette served along with porridge in breakfast. With a thought of less rain at lower altitude we moved out at 7:30 AM. We had to return back since due to heavy rain last night, road was blocked with one big tree. Lobsang told he has to go back to Bhompu and ask someone to come and clear the path before we could move out. During this small time we managed to spot some imperial pigeons, Golden throated barbet, White-Spectacled Warbler, Gray-Cheeked warbler, yellow-throated warbler, long-billed wren babbler, beautiful sibia, large niltava and spot-winged gross beaks. Photography was not possible due to poor light and cloudy weather.
After coming back to camp, I met some research students who were staying there in camp. They have separate hut setup for them and they sleep in sleeping bags. They cook there food and come to kitchen area for mobile network. They stay during September to May month the time camp is there. We stayed in tents for sometime and had lunch after that. We stepped out for like an hour and returned with spotting 5 species Hill Partridge, Large Hawk Cuckoo, Broad-Billed Warbler, Alpine Thrush and Large Niltava. Birds were not coming out in open due to rain so were very difficult to sight and photograph.
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| After Sikkim Wedge-Billed Warbler |
In the evening around 4 PM, it stopped raining and weather got cleared. We went for a walk and Lobsang used play back of Sikkim Wedge Billed Babbler and it responded within the bushes. It was quite hard to get record shot of the bird since it was moving very fast inside the dense undergrowth. I managed to see it nicely using my binoculars. The species is put into near threatened classification due to habitat loss. Earlier the species was known as Wedge Billed Babbler and now its split across Sikkim Wedge Billed Babbler and Cachar Wedge Billed Babbler. We observed the bird for like 10-15 minutes and then moved to check for chestnut-breasted partridge. We heard the call of it and spend like 20 minutes but it didn't come up. Looked like it was roosting on one place and calling from there. Sun was setting and it turned dark we started towards the camp. On the way back we saw one Eurasian Hobby near the camp.
I had quick bath and had dinner. Today dinner started with Mushroom Soup which was very good . Main course had Scrambled Eggs, Dal, Karela Bhajji , Rice and roti. After dinner and charging the devices we went to our tents and went to bed post checking the room for leeches.
Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110559448
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560077
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560172
Day -4(17-May ) Birdwatching around Bhompu & Lama Camp. Night Stay at Tenga
I woke up at 3:45 AM and had tea at 4:15AM. Rain was pouring very heavily so we decided to drive towards tenga via chakko -- sundar view -- eagle nest pass & lama camp. Although, initial plan was to stay in Bhompu and cover the nearby areas as per target species, but we don't want to waste the day sitting in camp. We keep on birding on the way stopping at placed which have or suspected to have some activity. Fog was all over the place with rain in patches, due to which activity in forest was very low with very less activity.
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| Blyth's Tragopan |
Though it was raining very heavily with dense fog. But I consider myself lucky, that I get to see 3 Blyth's Tragopan on the road in open. They were all male, they might have come from there nests due to heavy rain . I got some good pics of them with small video of them walking on the road. Thought the moment lasted for 5 minutes, but it was definitely a moment of the my trip. So thankful and grateful to God for this pleasant sighing. Though it was drizzling and foggy weather with no perfect light for photography, but still getting Tragopan in open itself is spellbinding to see. Those colors of these beautiful birds with display of there wings is totally unforgettable. Also, this was my first Tragopan experience in field.
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| Blyth's Tragopan |
Blyth's Tragopan also known as Grey-Bellied Tragopan is vulnerable species with its name commemorating Edward Blyth. It is state bird of Nagaland. Blyth's Tragopan is located in many different areas including Bhutan through north-east India and north Myanmar to south-east Tibet and also China. The population of Tragopan is small and is decreasing at rapid rate. They normally flocks to wooded areas as it prefers the undergrowth of evergreen oak and rhododendron forests and other dark quiet places. They feed on variety of seeds ,berries, fruits and buds.
Like most pheasants the male is brightly colored. It is recognized by its rusty red head, yellow facial skin, and that it is spotted with small white dots on its back called ocelli. A black band extends from the base of the bill to the crown couple with another black band extends behind the eyes.
Females are not as brightly colored as the male Tragopan, for they don’t need the extravagant appearance to attract a male counterpart. Overall they are dark brown with a mixture of black, buff and white mottling. Their simple and dull look is a protection mechanism from other animals. It also allows the females to protect their young that are in the early stages of life.
Blyth’s Tragopan starts mating in April and continues well into May. The Males advertise themselves with all sorts of antics and displays to try to attract a female counterpart. They try to attract females by bowing and scrapping the ground with their wings slightly raised and their flesh horns fully dilated while projected forward. More the male acts out and cause a scene the more likely they are to attract a female counterpart. When the female does not respond, the male intensifies this wild behavior to drawl more attention to him.
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| Ward's Trogon |
We were crossing through forest which was surrounded by big moss trees. While seeing them first name come to my mind is Ward's Trogon. It's the perfect habitat for them and we heard call of it. Though it was coming from deep woods but we were able to see it with some struggle. It was female bird . Lobsang used playback and it came out in open. We get to see it in open perched on moss tree and we managed to get some shots of it. Ward's Trogon is bird of hill tropical forests. They are very still , sluggish with hard to detect on a low or mid-lvel perch. Male has a wine-purple back , a scarlet belly and a red plush patch on the forehead. Female is brownish with a yellow cap and underparts.
Nearby the place we encountered a mixed flock with Golden Babbler, Rusty-Fronted Barwings, Stripe-Throated Yuhinas, Whiskered Yuhinas and ashy throated warblers .
Around Chaku we met researchers and came to know one of the guy has got hurt his leg while putting a net for birds. They were putting net for ringing the birds and he had his foot landed on axe and got a big scar. We helped the guy with some pain killers and protein bars. They were moving back towards camp now to get proper aid.
We reached lama camp and stopped in camp to fresh up and had tea over there. While going towards Bhompu few days ago, there was good activity around Lama Camp but there was no activity today. Myself and Aditya clicked some photographs as wonderful entrance of Lama Camp. After a stay of 30 minutes we moved towards Allu Baari for checking Bugun to get some shots of it. There was no activity in the area, due to rainy weather. We spent some time checking for russet-bush warbler. With some playback we were able to see it, but it keep skulking inside the bushes making is impossible to click it. It has mouse-like appearance with brownish appearance overall.
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| Tenga Market |
We came back to hotel and bought some snacks from the outside market. We sourced some bandages to treat Hemant's leech wound. Lobsang told the walking conditions are very damp and muddy in Sela Pass and suggest us to purchase gum boots which will be of good help for us. We all purchased gum boots from local market. Myself and Hemant got identical pairs from market. Later we met Maitreya and Anitha discussed about the sightings and discussed with Anitha and Maithreya how was my experience in Eaglenest so far. Anitha got bit scared with leech encounters which we had in Eaglenest and she also purchased gum boots from the market. Shashank Dalvi also came with his clients. He told the gentlemen has seen 8900 species of birds and came for 5 targets in Eaglenest. We had tea with Shashank and others folks in common area of hotel and left for our room after that. We reviewed the targets left which we can cover tomorrow and had dinner at 8. After dinner I recalled the wonderful memories which I had so far in the trip. My first experience birdwatching in Eaglenest and some wonderful sightings. Also, I get to meet Shashank on this trip and thought of clicking a pic with him tomorrow to keep this memory alive.
Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560338
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560264
Day -5(18-May ) Birdwatching around Lama Camp & Sangti Valley
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| Beautiful Sunrise |
A new day with new hopes of wonderful sightings and memories. Last night sleep was not sound as I was feeling home sick and missing my family a lot. I woke at 3:40 AM before the alarm buzzed at 3:45 AM. After completing morning rituals I had black coffee to kick start the day with caffeine boost. We left from hotel at 3:45 AM, picked up Lobsang on the way and reached Allu Bari at 4:15 AM. Morning was misty . Around 4:30 AM , the sky was painted with orange and red with sun starting to pop-out. As I could feel the warmth of sun , the surroundings lighten up with beautiful green colours with water drops on them along with beautiful sound of the birds. To me every sunrise is different in its own way a very special moment of my day. On these beautiful locations during birdwatching it is even more special since locations are remote the sky will be clear from air pollution so you get to see the beautiful actual colours of sky. So on any birdwatching trip of mine, its always on the high on my list of to-do things. A beautiful sunrise is a perfect dose of Beauty, Magic, Inspiration and Hope.
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| With Shashank |
While I get off from car and i saw Shashank standing there alone and waiting for his guest. I took the opportunity to click a photograph with living legend. He is first one to complete Indian Big year in 2016. A big year is a personal challenge or an informal competition among birders who attempt to identify as many species of birds as possible by sight or sound, within a single calendar year and within a specific geographic area. It takes a lot of planning and effort to complete this. During his Big year, Shashank recorded some of the rarest species which are found in India and documenting 1190 species in his big year. He has done stupendous work in conservation spaces for avian world as well. He was one of the key contributor in stopping the mass hunting of Amur Falcons in Nagaland. The film recorded by him resulted in online campaign to stop this massacre of Amur Falcons.So it was totally a pleasure to meet him on the field and have a wonderful memory clicked with him in Eaglenest. I definitely look forward to bird with him on the field someday. We moved inside the vicinity and Lobsang tried for Bugun Liochicla first. It was responding to the playback from inside and we went searching inside the vicinity. Since we had already ticked Bugun on first day of visit here , we went inside and thought of trying for different birds for now. We went at end of trail and I saw a bird with red colour. With red colour it camed to my mind , it being Red-Faced Liochicla. There were couple of them feeding in the undergrowth bushes.
Red-Faced Liochicla is Brightly-colored medium-sized laughingthrush. Brownish overall with a sooty-black eyebrow and bright red face and wing panel. Shy and difficult to see; moves through dense undergrowth of tropical broadleaf forest singly, in pairs, or in flocks (sometimes with other species). Myself and Hemant went uphill to get closer look of it and we managed to get decent view of it with all its features seen with naked eye. There were couple of them foraging in area. While we ticked off this species we heard the call of Purple Cochoa from outside. We came out of the valley, on reaching the trail Shashank told Purple Cochoa was there and suggested Lobsang to look for it as it will be around only.
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| Bugun Liochicla |
While Lobsang went looking for Purple Cochoa we get to see 2 Buguns sitting in front of us. They were calling and we took the opportunity to click this beauty. From eye level sitting in front of us calling. We grabbed on opportunity to photograph them with full zeal. The first day sightings was through Binocs in the bushes, but today it was front of my eyes. The species was described in 2006 after being discovered in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary by Ramana Athreya. It was first spotted in 1995, followed by no sighting for next ten years. But in Jan 2005 Ramana spotted them again but it was not publicize. Later in May 2006 full description was finally made and due to apparent rarity of the species no type specimen was collected instead feathers from the mist nets, photographs and notes were used as holotype. So Bugun is endemic to Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary and I will feel privileged to have seen this beautiful bird .
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| Purple Cochoa |
Soon after Lobsang called us since he had spotted the Purple Cochoa, it was wading up in the trees I saw it with my Binocs but couldn't photograph it. It's known to be extremely shy and difficult to see in well shaded forests. At first I could see the black face, soft purple crown of its. A few moment later it sat on top of a barren tree. It was quite far for photography but good to observe with Bino. We went ahead with Lobsang toward end of trail to look out for Sikkim Treecreeper and Yellow-Rump Honey guide. Sikkim Treecreeper also goes with name of Brown-Throated Treecreeper. It's very darker in appearance overall, with thin eye-brow and brownish chest. They inhabits broadleaf and mixed forests, where it usually forages at middle and upper levels. We got it around with just one playback and it remained there for 10-15 minutes and then we started back for breakfast.
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| White-Breasted Parrotbill |
Aditya and Kavi went ahead with Lobsang while me and Hemant were walking slowly. I was totally famished and had no energy left. Small trail to outside was looking to be very difficult. We were scanning the vicinity for birds and we saw a small flock of white-breasted parrotbills. They were feeding on small flowers on a tree. Maitreya and Anita also joined us to see the feeding party on the tree. They were quickly moving up and down, fluttering there wings to pluck those seeds from flowers and consume. While we were coming back we saw couple of Barwings sitting in front of us. They appear to be Streak-Throated Barwings, but still there throat appeared gray to Hemant. Later when we confirmed the id they were indeed Hoary Throated Barwings. We came back walking slowly and realized Suresh (our driver) has brought the breakfast inside the forest. We had bread omelette, boiled and tea in the breakfast. We wrapped up the morning session around 10 AM . On the way back we were scanning the pine trees to check for Slender-Billed Oriole but we were not able to see one. We reached our hotel in Tenga. I took a refreshing bath and packed my stuff.
We left from hotel after 1 hours towards Dirang. We will have next couple of days night stay in Dirang to visit Mandala and Sela Pass. The weather was pleasant and ride was filled with majestic views of valleys and Tenga River . Tenga river flow thorough the Himalayan ranges of Arunachal Pradesh . Geographically it flows through Kalktang, Rupa, Singchung and Jamiri circles in West Kameng ditrict of Arunachal Pradesh. It joins Bichom river which happens to be major tributary of Kameng River. Tenga river originates from the glacier peaks in the Sakteng region of Bhutan.
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| Black-Throated Parrotbill |
We stopped after bomdila opposite to Kiren Rijiju residence (Cabinet Minister of Law and Justice in the Government) to observe the activity. 5 Black-Throated parrotbills were coming from valley. I was totally stunned to see them as this was my first experience. So delicate birds with extraordinary features. Small black and orange parrotbill found in mid to high elevation broadleaf forests. Overall it will give orangish look with black on eyebrows, throat and wingtips. They are seen on bamboo stands, where it roves in fast moving flocks , giving high buzzy calls. Also sometime in mixed flocks with other species. We saw 6 of them in a flock. They crossed the road and went uphill.
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| Grey-Cheeked Warbler |
We took a stroll ahead on the road and observing the area. A hunting flock catches our eye. Couple of Gray-Cheeked Warblers catch my eye inside the small bush on the road. It flushed from there and sat on the tree . Such a beautiful and striking warbler with white spectacles around dark eyes. Dark grey head is distinctive for this bird. Active primarily in the lower levels of broadleaf forests. They look quite similar to White-Spectacled warblers, but it has white throat and later has yellowish throat. Also Gray-Cheeked will have white spectacled while later will have paler spectacle.
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| Chestnut-Crowned Warbler |
In the same flock there were couple of green-tailed sunbirds actively calling and feeding on small flowers. A pair of Mrs. Gould's Sunbird was also seen. A very bright and colourful sunbirds species of hill and montane forests. The forehead to crown, supercilium and throat is deep violet for Mrs. Gould's Sunbird. The lore, nape, mantle and side is bright red to deep scarlet with belly and vent Yellowish-Green. Another phylloscopus catch our eyes , it was foraging lower in bushes. We photographed s chestnut-crowned warbler with combination of orange crown, white throat, green wings and yellow belly . Along with mixed flock we also sighted Blyth's leaf warblers, black-faced warblers, brownish-flanked bush warbler, golden-breasted fulvetta, green-tailed sunbird and Mrs. gould's sunbird as well feeding actively around.
After all these sightings on the way we stopped at 6th Mile for Lunch. We ordered Arunachal thali for lunch. It had local vegetables, karela bhajji, dal, rice, papad, chutney and salad. It was quite sumptuous meal. Usually I prefer to have local cuisine as per the location since its freshly prepared and always it is nicely cooked. It is delivered instantly since most of the dishes are ready to be served. Entire meal was served on brass utensils. You can ask for anything if you need. The place was filled with locals having same thali. We had cup of tea followed by dinner .
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| Sangti Valley |
We left towards Sangti Valley and reached around 4 PM. A peaceful place with mountains on one side and village on another side. A sere stream of Sangti river flowing with total area covered with beautiful grassland. Sangti Valley is at distance of around 11 Km from Balukpong-Tawang road and 14 Km from Dirang. With and altitude of about 1500 m , the winters here are cold and dry. The landscape is that of a wide open valley with paddy fields, some of which are marshy along the river on one side. This open valley has been an ideal habitat for the wintering black-necked crane, now an endangered species. These birds have been regularly visiting the valley since the early 1950s.
It is an ideal breeding ground for these avian visitors and the marshy lowlands act as a good source of food supply for
them. The black-necked cranes arrive towards the end of November or early December and leave the area by early February (this coincides with the lean period of the villagers).
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| Long-Billed Plover |
The main reason for us to visit Sangti Valley was to sight Long-Billed Plover. We were scanning the habitat and Kavi spotted it within 5 minutes. It was very well camouflaged in stones around the bank of river. They resemble a larger version of Little Ringed Plover—similarly brown, white below, with black neck band, white collar, and white supercilium—but lacks the yellow eye ring of Little and is much larger, with longer wings and tail giving Long-billed a very different shape. Often difficult to spot, as it is well camouflaged among rocks and pebbles, and often first detected by its sharp alarm call, “piwee”, given when flushed. We could managed only couple of shots of the birds and then it flew away to other side of stream. Apart from Long-Billed we get to see common cuckoo, long-tailed minivet, tricolour sub species of long-tailed shrike, green backed tit, white-capped redstart, plumbeous redstart, blue-capped rock thrush, russet sparrow, Eurasian tree sparrows , crested bunting and yellow breasted greenfinches in same area.
After a brief session of 45 minutes we left towards Mandala road to check for black-tailed crake. We waited for while till the sunlight permitted but it didn't come out. We reached out hotel around 5:30 PM in Dirang and relaxed for some time. We were called by Lobsang at 7:30 PM for dinner. We had traditional dinner today. We had momos filled with soya and onion served along with Thupka made as per local recipe. Thupka complimented the cold weather in Dirang. We discussed about tomorrow's plan and Lobsang told to meet at 3 AM and we have to leave by 3:15 AM.
Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560506
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560556
https://ebird.org/checklist/S110560621
As I head towards Sela Pass(will cover in another post) next morning followed by conclusion of my trip to Eaglenest, I can really say it was quite an adventure for me. This was my first trip to Eaglenest and Arunachal Pradesh , indeed beyond my imagination.
Special thanks and gratitude to Lobsang Tshering for his guiding and hard work on the field. Hospitality was really nice as well. I always loved the company of Hemant Kirola and Kavi Nanda on the field , with more eyes on field you get to see more birds. Because of Aditya , we have lot of humour on the trip . All those childhood stories of Aditya & Kavi brought lot of smiles. It was amazing trip with you all.
Do Let me know how you like my trip report. It will be great if you share your experience visiting Eaglenest . Please feel free to reach out in case of any queries or help needed for planning a trip to Eaglenest. I can be reached out at
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