Monday, 10 October 2022

Birdwatching In Dharamshala & Pong Dam

"Happiness is meeting an old friend after long time, it becomes double when he is bird watching expert in his region and it triples when you are planning to visit that place from long. "

There was time when Piyush Dogra use to stay in Gurgaon and we use to go bird watching every weekend. Piyush being natively from Dharamshala, use to share his stories of birdwatching around Dharmshala. For me birdwatching with him was very precious moment of life, I can also say with him I learnt a lot about birds in the field. I use to ask him pointers of every commonly found bird as well and he would always help me with the same. With him I also published 3 of Snapshot Sighting in Indian Birds Journal which were sighted after long time in NCR. Jungle Bush Quails , Whimbrel and Persian Wheatear were those wonderful sightings with him.From long time I wanted to visit this place and Nawal called me and asked me for plans for visiting Dharamshala in 2021 Winters. We planned the trip for Nov first week, kind of perfect week since migration was ongoing and we can get some surprises in Pong Dam. Post checking availability from Piyush we booked our flight tickets. 
About Dharamshala
Planned Itinerary

Dharamshala is a city in the upper reaches of the Kangra Valley and is surrounded by dense coniferous forest consisting mainly of stately Deodar cedar trees. The City is winter capital for Himachal Pradesh State. This place is also famous for its Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (2003) and McLeod Ganj town, lying in the upper reaches, is known worldwide for being the home of the Dalai Lama. 

One can see the Dhauladhar Range from Dharamshala , also known as The White Range. The Dhauladhar range is one of the ranges of the Middle Himalayas. They begin from near Dalhousie at the northwest end of Himachal Pradesh and pass through the state to the vicinity of the bank of the Beas River in the Kulu district of Himachal Pradesh. They begin to merge with the Pir Panjal near Manali. They are entirely in Himachal Pradesh. They are distinctive in their typical dark granite rocky formations with a remarkably steep rise culminating in sharp streaks of snow and ice at the top of their crested peaks. This distinctive profile is best seen from the Kangra Valley from where they seem to shoot up almost vertically.

During our visit, we tend to explore Dharamshala surroundings and Pong Dam. Following was planned itinerary


05-Nov-2021(Friday)- Reach Dharamshala from Delhi and Birdwatching around Paragliding Fields
06-Nov-2021(Saturday) Birdwatching around Ghallu Devi Temple Area
07-Nov-2021(Sunday) Birdwatching in Pong Dam
08-Nov-2021(Monday) Morning Birdwatching in Paragliding Fields and evening around St John Church
09-Nov-2021(Tuesday) Morning Session in Tea Gardens and Departure to Delhi

Myself and Nawal booked our flights for 05-Nov morning departure. Piyush and myself checked with Hemant as well, he told he cannot join but later he agreed to join but he travelled by car to Palampur with his friend and then joined us till 07 Nov afternoon. I reached airport at 5:30 AM morning , bag drop and check in was really quick. Flight departed at its scheduled time of 07:30 AM. It was SpiceJet propeller flight with 2 by 2 siting. We landed at Gaggal Kangra airport at 9 AM. 

Day 1 -Arrival at Dharamshala and Birdwatching around Paragliding Fields

The moment I shifted my phone from Airplane Mode , it started buzzing with messages of miss call alerts and WhatsApp Notification. They all were from Hemant. I called him and he asked me where are you and he has seen around thousands of Common Wood Pigeons near Paragliding fields. One of the rare Pigeon found in Indian Subcontinent. The numbers were very good . I took my luggage and called the driver. Before settling in car, got my gear out and put birdwatching shoes on.

Gaggal Airport or Kangra Airport is around 13 Kms from Dharamshala , instead of going to hotel we went directly towards paragliding fields which was around 15 Km a 35 minutes journey from Airport. We reached their around at 10 AM and sunlight was quite bright by that time. We had our breakfast first since Piyush has to leave for his Office Work. We were gonna spend our entire day around this place only with Hemant along with us. He has already seen the area with Piyush in morning. 


Yellow-Breasted Greenfinch

After breakfast we started our session around paragliding fields. Sun was quite bright but still I could feel the chill in the breeze. The area was quite rich with shrubs on the slopes and tall trees as well. Some common Himalayan birds like Yellow Breasted Green Finches, Egyptian Vultures, Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Great Barbets, Blue Throated Barbets, Green Backed Tits, Cinerous Tits, Variegated laughing Thrushes and Yellow-Bellied Fairy Fantails were seen occasionally.





Common Chaffinch
Around 1 and half hour passed and I witnessed the huge flock of Common Wood Pigeon passed over my head and circled in the valley. It would be thousands of Common Wood Pigeons and was quite a sight to remember. A blissful moment of the day , they circled for 15 minutes and then sat on the tree way behind. We keep on searching the vicinity for our prime target Common Chaffinch. After quite a struggle I spotted a couple of  females on the tree which was followed by a male. They stayed for couple of minutes and then moved. Chaffinch males are quite distinctive in field with Pink face and breast while females are drabber. Common Chaffinch was lifer for all three of us and we were so happy to see this beauty on the first day . Dharamshala is considered as hotspot for Common Chaffinch and Bramblings. Though Chaffinches are seen at lot of other places, but Bramblings are seen in Dharamshala and Kashmir mostly. 







Black-Throated Accentor
Around a small puddle of mud their was water and observed the accentors are coming to drink water their. Rufous Breasted Accentors and Black Throated Accentors were commonly seen their as well.










Rufous-Breasted Accentor
Accentors remain in small bushes under the trees. They move quite swiftly and rarely will come out in open and sit on the branch. Accentors are fairly drab species with thin sharp bills. They feed on small ground-dwelling insects in summer while seeds and berries in Winters. We took a break for lunch since sun was at its full bloom. We took lunch at same restaurant and he cooked fresh food for us . Lunch was followed by tea and some rest sitting in sunshade with cool breeze blowing around. 





Common Wood Pigeons
Second half started at around 2:30 around same area but different trail this time. We were searching for Red Headed Bull Finch , a spot was suggested by Piyush so we were looking for it. We went downhill from one side and come uphill from other side and on the way we spot Common Wood Pigeons sitting on tree and ground. Managed to get some decent shots of them in good light. Apart from Wood Pigeons, we get to see Steppe Eagle soaring in the clean skies, Griffons,  Blue Throated and Great Barbets feeding on berries, Lemon Rumped Warblers and other commoners. At around 4:30 we started back and stopped on the way to check another area on the way to Dharamshala.






Asian Barred Owlet
Common birds with likes of Gray Bushchat, Blue-fronted Redstart, Plumbeous Redstart, White-capped Redstart, Long Tailed Shrike were spotted their. Asian Barred Owlet was sitting on beautiful perch watching us and not feeling disturbed of our presence.  

With Asian Barred Owlet, we summed up our Day 1 and left for our accommodation. Piyush booked one of his relative's place for us. We checked into Funky Town hotel in Norbulinka slightly outside of Dharamshala. After taking bath I had talk with family and ordered food. It was quite cold in night but I managed to sleep well due to fatigue from entire day. Since it was gonna be early birdwatching and shops doesn't open quite early, we asked restaurant to boil eggs and prepare some sandwiches for us. 

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97142169
https://ebird.org/checklist/S97143430
https://ebird.org/checklist/S97144441




Day 2 -Birdwatching around Ghallu Temple


Coal Tit
I woke up at 4AM and left from hotel at 4:30 AM. We met Piyush on the way , Naval got into his car while I was with Hemant in his car. It was terrible road to Ghallu Temple, in fact it was not a road just a mud path to reach at temple. 

Ghallu is one of the budding hotspot around Dharamshala to observer Himalayan species. Due to high altitude difference between Ghallu and Dharamshala , makes it more promising birdwatching destinations. 





Green-Backed Tit
Piyush took us to the trail toward Temple . In morning session in this trail we observed 34 species and highlights being collared owlet, Himalayan Griffon, Steppe Eagles, Yellow Billed and Red Billed magpies, coal tits, green backed tits, buff-barred warblers, Lemon Rumped warblers, gray hooded warbler, chestnut-tailed minla, white tailed nuthatch, chestnut thrushes, pink browed rose finches and chaffinch. It was fun filled session indeed with multiple of lifers over their. With hilly train we were able to see birds at eye level as well, which make it easier to photograph and observe them. With sun light coming the place was very happening indeed. After spending 3 hours, we came back on the road for breakfast. We had sandwiches along with fresh tea . 




Collared Owlet
Around 11 AM we took the other route around and went on exploring the other trail. Though activity was less due to sunlight but the session lit up when we saw a small accipiter flying over us. It appeared like a Eurasian Sparrow hawk, but with dark gular stripe visible we were certain it to be Besra. Besra is rarely seen accipiter. Along with that we also saw Griffon Vultures and steppe eagles gliding over us multiple times. A Single bearded vulture was also spotted. 







Black-Headed Jay
On one fruiting tree I also witnessed slaty headed parakeets, rufous sibias and Himalayan bulbuls feeding on berries. I sat their for around 30 minutes witnessing them feeding on berries. Same place we also got amazing views of striated and variegated laughing thrushes. Around one restaurant which was closed in afternoon we say Eurasian jay feeding on left outs. In afternoon, activity dropped since light was very harsh and we came back for lunch. We stopped into restaurant and ordered food for us. The guy freshly prepared the food and we has wonderful lunch followed by Tea. We rested in restaurant for a bit since sun light was very bright and activity was also very less . 




Brownish-Flanked Bush Warbler
We started evening session around 3PM and we were welcomed in field by flock of 25 common wood pigeons. I can still remember the sound of them going over the head . Around the temple trail we heard Brownish Flanked Bush Warbler calling from undergrowth bushes. With couple of playbacks it came in open . It was lifer for me and it stayed out for a while. It gave us ample amount of time to observe and photograph it. With the sunset approaching, it was getting dark and we observe lot of thrushes going for roosting. We wrapped up our session around 6 PM and came back to hotel. Today Piyush has joined us in hotel and we had drinks and dinner together. I ordered Thupka for myself since I wanted to keep it less oily for dinner. We slept at around 11 PM and breakfast was ordered in night for tomorrow morning. 



Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97178847
https://ebird.org/checklist/S97180361
https://ebird.org/checklist/S97183362


Day 3 -Birdwatching in Pong Dam

Sunrise & Pong landscape
Today was the day to appreciate birds at Pong Dam, one of the famous hotspot in North India which is declared as International wetland site by Ramsar Sammel India. Pong Dam is constructed on River Beas in the Wet Land of Shivalik hills of Kangra District and also known as Maharana Pratap Sagar . The reservoir stretches to an area of 24,529 hectares and part of lake is 15,662 hectares. 



Jackal
We left from hotel at 4:30 AM since it was gonna take around 1 hour to reach Pong Dam. I was with Hemant in his car while Nawal settled in Piyush's car. Piyush told Dr. Abhinav is also going to join today. We were also expecting David Stanton , a birdwatcher from Goa who travels a lot. Reaching at Pong Dam we were first welcomed by couple of Golden Jackals in the open field. They were quire bold and let us took wonderful clicks of them. A moments later Piyush called us and told Imperial Eagle is sitting on left side near the carcass. It was quite a bold fellow let us appreciate it from quite close with wonderful shots of it. 



Imperial Eagle
Imperial Eagle was on migration route and it halts at Pong Dam for few days before moving lower parts of India. Some individuals also winter in Haryana state , where we see them every weekend in outskirts of Sultanpur National Park. Abhinav called Piyush and told he has located a huge flock of Eurasian Skylarks and Bimaculated Larks, both turned out to be my lifers. Their were plenty of them and to my estimation around 100 of Eurasian Skylarks and 70 Bimaculated larks in beautiful morning light. 







Eurasian Skylark
Next we stop nearby water body to scan the area . We decided to split up , otherwise covering up entire area would be quite difficult. Myself and Hemant accompanied Abhinav in his car while Piyush & Nawal stayed near water body to scan for ducks and waders. We drove towards the scrubs inside the dam and spotted Variable Wheatear, Snipes, Shrikes, Indian Roller and other grassland species in the area. 







Kentish Plover
If u are doing birdwatching for spotting waterfowls, spotting scope is must have indeed. Due to large waterbody u definitely need a good spotting scope. In the marshy areas we get to see lot of   Little ringed and Kentish plovers. Kentish were in beautiful breeding plumage with rufous on their head. In first time I get to see more than 60 great crested grebes siting in one line. Around 12 PM Hemant bid adieu to us and left for Faridabad since it was gonna be long drive for him back home. On another side Piyush lost his phone somewhere. While having a walk by the shore I bumped into great Thick-Knee. They breed here in pong dam.  





Great Thicknee
Piyush told me Eurasian Oystercatcher is also reported few days ago from Pong Dam. Oystercatcher can be seen easily around the coast in India but for inline records are quite rare and one could see them in migration only. My friend Piyush lost is mobile somewhere in the grassland, we were continously trying to find it by visiting the spots again and again. 

We met David Stanton at Pong Dam and had morning session with him. He came all the way from Goa by driving along with her wife for birdwatching in North India. He had tent setup on the roof of his car Scorpio which they transform to sleep at night. He was also carrying drone with him and he recorded some amazing pictures of Pong Landscape. David left at afternoon since he has to drive till Haiderpur Wetlands. 



Red-Throated Pipit
Pong used to get a lot of water and buff-bellied pipits every season. Buff-Bellied was lifer for me so I was continuously scanning the field for them and light was quite harsh as well. Suddenly I saw 3 pipits which has lot of streaking and appeared red in color to me. I was certain they were not rosy and Piyush told me they are red-throated pipits. Red-Throated Pipits are recorded from very less places in India. Most of birdwatcher go to Andamans to observe them and they are seen in reverse migration in Pong Dam as well. I was feeling very lucky to see them, they feeding on insects on the ground. I managed some decent shots of it in habitat and one video of its feeding behavior. 





Eurasian Oystercatcher
Along the shore while I was scanning the waders, I managed to spot a single Eurasian Oystercatcher. It is also known with name of Common Pied Oystercatcher or Palearctic Oystercatcher. Name is due to behavior of eating oysters. I was able to easily spot him since I have seen plenty of them in Goa earlier. The sun was shining quite bright and we could feel the heat of it. Also the activity of birds fell drastically. We took a break and went to restaurant nearby the Pong Dam to have some food and refreshments. We spend around 1 hour their , while checking the pics which we have recorded till now. 





White-Rumped Vulture
Around 3 PM after having tea, we went back inside the grassland for our evening session. Piyush asked me to drive the car and scan the area while he will search for the phone around the shore where we have spend most of our time since morning. Myself and Nawal were scanning the area and I saw one Pipit on left side and it looked like Water to me. I asked Nawal to took pictures since it was closer to him, though he was not convinced it to be Water Pipit. Few meters ahead we get to see 5 Eurasian Curlews settling from flight in the ground and one Eurasian Kestrel as well. After some time I received a call from Piyush's number and realized he has found his phone. We came back and pick him up and he told us let us scan for vultures around the carcass. Their were couple of Egyptian Vultures as well as 4 White-Rumped Vultures feeding on carcass. 

In evening everything was looking like golden around me due to golden light from sun. I got some good shots of Bimaculated larks in golden light. Peregrine falcon and osprey were also seen before we wind up our session. We had some snacks packed for on the way. We reached Hotel around 7 PM and Piyush left after that. We had dinner in our rooms and went to sleep. 

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97235968

Day 4 -Birdwatching around Ghallu Temple & around McLeod Ganj


Great Barbet
Today was extended day of our trip and we hired a cab to visit multiple hotspots for birdwatching. First we went towards paragliding fields, though we have covered this place on first day today we wanted to explore it a bit early. We reached at 6PM and sun was about to rise. On the slopes bumped into couple of Khalij Pheasants. With sun rays coming up bird were actively foraging around us. Common species like black throated tits, coal tits, Himalayan bulbuls, mountain bulbuls, Whiskered Yuhina , russet sparrows and pink browed rose-finches were seen in beautiful morning light. 

We took a trail trail going from village which we have not explored on first day. On the way get to see 15 common wood pigeons rested on ground and trees which were quite adjacent to houses. I observed them sitting in ground in shade and feeding on seeds dispersed there. Nawal went ahead for exploring while I was observing wood pigeons. After sometime he called me and told he has spotted spot-winged gross beaks on the tree. I immediately rushed towards him to see them since it was a lifer for me. We get to see 3 of them their. Male, female and a juvenile. Juvenile was quite bold to come close to us while adults were feeding at top of the trees feeding on berries. 





We came back at starting spot to have breakfast. It was close to 10 AM and we ordered our food. While
Asian-Barred Owlet
they were preparing food i was observing butterflies in the vicinity. Suddenly a huge flock of wood pigeons went over me. They may be around 500 of them and i still remember the sound of their wings going over me. After beak fast and morning tea we spend couple of more hours here and we could spot black throated thrush, variegated laughing thrushes, streaked laughing thrushes, rufous breasted accentors, Black throated accentors , blue capped redstarts , blue fronted redstarts , common chaffinches and other common birds. Our prime target for today's morning was Brambling , but looks like they have not arrived till now. Brambling is sighted at very less number of hotspots in India and Dharamshala is one of the hotspot where they do their wintering. Other place is Kashmir where it is seen in abundance along with pine buntings and few yellowhammers. 





We observed activity died down and we wanted to explore some other hotspot for evening. So we left from here and went to Mcleod Ganj. McLeod Ganj was named after Sir Donald Friell McLeod, a Lieutenant Governor of Punjab; the suffix ganj is a common Persian word used for "neighborhood". It is known also as "Little Lhasa" or "Dhasa" 
(a short form of Dharamshala used mainly by Tibetans) because of its large population of Tibetans.

In March 1959, Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, fled to India after the failed uprising in 1959 in Tibet against the Chinese Communist Party. The Indian Government offered him refuge in Dharamshala, where he set up the Government of Tibet in exile in 1960, while McLeod Ganj became his official residence and also home to several Buddhist monasteries and thousands of Tibetan refugees. Over the years, McLeod Ganj evolved into an important tourist and pilgrimage destination, and has since grown substantially in population.

While we roam in Mcleod Ganj, I did some shopping for my family. Good place to purchase shawls and woolen stuff. I also purchased a Tibetan mug for myself. We had our lunch at Italian restaurant named Jimmy's Italian Kitchen a cozy eatery with mountain views. We secured our place on the roof in peaceful and silence. Everything we ordered was authentic in taste and served hot. Post Lunch we had expresso coffee and enjoyed having it in on street bench. 



At 2:30 PM we reached St John Church in McLeod Ganj for our evening session. Set amidst deodar forest was built in 1852. Beside the church in deodar trees, we were looking for birds. In small 2 hours session we could observer multiple hunting mixed flocks hovering in the trees and stopping for some beautiful poses for us. Yellow-billed Blue-Magpie, Red-billed Blue-Magpie, Coal Tit, Green-backed Tit, Himalayan Black-lored Tit, Himalayan Bulbul, Ashy-throated Warbler, Buff-barred Warbler, Gray-hooded Warbler, Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, Black-throated Tit, Whiskered Yuhina, Gray-winged Blackbird, Pink-browed Rosefinch and Rock Bunting were names we were able to spot their. 

In the evening while we were leaving, I called Piyush and asked him whether he is free to meet us. Since he was available , we drove to his home . We had tea together and he told about his sighting of spotted flycatcher from his terrace. Like on one morning he woke up and went to terrace for a small walk and it was sitting over their one twig. Probably first sighting from Himachal. I also took his help in Id some of the birds which I was not able to do. Later we discussed about what could be tomorrow's place before we leave for airport and he suggested to cover Dharamshala Tea Gardens for that. We left from his house and reached hotel. We had our dinner outside in Tibetan Restaurant. It was totally  delicious and authentic meal for us. After reaching hotel I packed my stuff and slept for night. 


Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97288514
https://ebird.org/checklist/S97285857

Day 5 -Birdwatching in Dharamshala Tea Gardens and Departure

On the last day of trip, we visited Dharamshala Tea garden for one and half hour session. Session was quite nice with memorable photographs by Himalayan Rubythroat and surprise lifer Yellow Bush Robin. Along with them common birds like Great Barbet, Blue-Throated Barbet, Black-Chinned Babblers, Rufous-Bellied Nil tawa, Fire-Breasted flower pecker, Buff-Barred warblers, Lemon Rumped Warblers were also spotted. We left for Airport from Dharamshala Tea Estate and boarded our flight back to Delhi . Flight landed on scheduled time and reached home safely. 









Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S97285857

Special thanks and gratitude to my friend Piyush Dogra, without his help and guidance this trip wouldn't have been fruitful. Group Pic(Left to Right) of Piyush Dogra. Nawal Ahuja, Mohit Mehta, Dr. Abhinav Chaudhary, Hemant Kirola and David Stanton. 

It was amazing trip with all of you. 
Do Let me know how you like my trip report. It will be great if you share your experience visiting Dharamshala . Please feel free to reach out in case of any queries or help needed for planning a trip to Dharamshala. I can be reached out at

1) Email - mohitmehta.pro@gmail.com
2) Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mohitm13
3) Twitter Handle - @13mohitm
4) Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/mohitsclicks/

Saturday, 27 August 2022

Birdwatching in WB (Mahananda & Senchal WLS)

"In every walk in nature one recieves far more than he seeks "

What Inspired me for this trip ?

It was July first week when Nawal called me and told about his recent trip to West Bengal. He told me about beauty of mahananda ,senchal,latpanchar and neora. I was excited to cover this region already and with his captures it took me no time to say yes to him. As he mentioned this is one of the best place to do photography of north east species and the scenic beauty of the place cannot be explained in words.He told me about his small plan to cover mahanada and senchal wildlife sanctuaries. First target being fulvous parrotbills and senchal is only place where subsequent sighting has happened for this species. Along with that I counted around 10 more lifers for me. I checked my schedule and post approval from home ministry I agreed to went along with nawal to explore new state.

We booked our tickets and make booking with guide Ritesh Pradhan who was referred to Nawal by Harish Thangaraj. From 3 days and 2 nights plan we stretched this to 3 night 4 days plan since in monsoon 1-2 sessions can easily washout.

Planned Itinerary

28-July-2022(Thrusday) Reach Bagdogra from Delhi
29-July-2022(Friday) Morning Birdwatching at Mahananda Wildlife Sanctury and leave for Senchal and Birding on the way
30-July Birdwatching at Senchal Wilelife Sanctuary
31-July Morning Birdwatching at Senchal WS & Evening on the way to Mahananda
01-Aug Morning Birdwatching around Mahananda and departure from Bagdogra in afternoon

Areas Covered and Species Observed

Primarily various divisions of Mahananda Wild life sanctuary (Rongtong, Shivakhola and Sukna) and Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary were explored.
Total Species Observed - 76
Lifers - 9



Day-1 28-July-2022 Thursday


I left from home at 10:30 AM and reached airport at 11:15 AM. A busy day at airport , took around 30-40 minutes to clear bag drop and security check in. I had my lunch at Subway a nice sandwich and black coffee from some other outlet. During any birdwatching trip, 
I usually feel home sickness . Miss my daughters a lot. I reached Bagdogra at 4 PM, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. I was lucky this time to get return ticket in 6700 INR. Thanks to Avneet my office colleague who recommended me to use Skyscanner for booking ticket. The same flight was 14K on Yatra and Makemytrip.


Bagdogra Airport is managed by Military so photography is prohibited. Naval was scheduled to land earlier than me, but he arrived 15 minutes later. We took our luggage and met our guide Ritesh Pradhan.

Still we had some time to sunset, so we asked Ritesh to stop at Birdwatching hotspots on the way. It was very beautiful and scenic journey. I realized this is the same route which is used by Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Toy Train, which runs between New Jalpaiguriand Darjeeling. The 88 Km long railway line climbs from 330ft to 7200ft with ending at Ghum (the highest station in India and once in world)

We were going to stay in 14th Mile Homestay , which is managed by Ritesh Pradhan and his family. 3 KM Before reaching our destination (14th mile homestay) , I asked driver to stop the car post spotting a bird, though light was poor it was black-winged cuckoo shrike. Later Ritesh spotted rufous-necked laughing thrush at same spot. Though we didn't get the photographs but recorded call and got good sights of the beauty. We took the oldest road NH 55 to homestay. Very less traffic since people go to Darjeeling via different road these days. First lifer of the trip for me and a peaceful journey

We reached our homestay at 6:30 pm. The rooms were nice and clean, with Balcony. Dinner was served at 7:30 PM. Glad to see home cooked food by Ritesh's aunt. It was very delicious, less oily and spice. Post dinner I completed by office work , talk to family and slept.

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S115896146
https://ebird.org/checklist/S115899751

Day-2 29-July-2022 Friday

I woke up at 4 AM and it was foggy and raining. Freshened up and had green tea. I reviewed the recent sightings on Ebird and saw people reported emerald cuckoo, rufescent prinia , black throated prinia , Hooded pitta and others common species from Mahananda. We left from homestay at 5:20 towards Shivkola.

Large Hawk Cuckoo
First stop going to be tea estate around nurbong bungalow. I spotted a cuckoo while in the car and it was common cuckoo. The cuckoo was at eye level so we got some decent clicks of it. Few meters ahead we got Lesser Cuckoo and Large Hawk cuckoo on same tree and on nice perch.





Lesser Cuckoo

This was first time that I had seen them at eye level, earlier this year I saw both of them in Eaglenest Sanctuary but at significant height. I was able to photograph and video graph them.







Green-Billed Malkoha
While I was observing them, Ritesh called me and told he has spotted a Green Billed Malkoha, without any second thought I rushed toward him to see this for first time. It was there moving on the tree. It stayed around for 15 minutes and let me observe and photograph it. First lifer of the day for me .


Next Ritesh took us to spot where Jerdon's Baza shows up. He mentioned nest is nearby and they come around 7:30 to 8:00 AM on these trees. Another group was waiting for it there and post waiting for an hour we asked Ritesh to let us look at other location and he can ask other guide to call us when they see Jerdon's Baza.

We moved to other area where Black Baza is being sighted and this is same area where Emerald Cuckoo is also sighted. On the way we sighted 5 collared falconets, first time I have seen these many together. Though light was poor to photograph, but to see them in good number was a good feeling indeed. After reaching ,we scanned the vicinity got some common bird species but no luck with Emerald Cuckoo and Black Baza . We had our breakfast in anticipation of activity once there is some sunlight out. Breakfast was Egg and bread accompanied by home made Theplas which Nawal brought with him.


Jerdon's Baza
After breakfast while I was checking minivets, Ritesh got a call from his friend, Jerdon's baza has come up. We rushed toward it and reached in about 15 minutes. The guide told it had moved and I saw it perching on the tree. So we drove in front of that and it was sitting their on branch of naked tree. Though it was bit far but was happy to get good views of it. There were around 10 people photographing it and after few minutes it went into woods and I realized it was just in front of my eyes feeding on worms. I took a small video of it at that time, while others were reviewing their pictures.



After witnessing the Jerdon's Baza show, we get to see a pair of great hornbills . They were feeding on fruit tree in the back. Soon they took a great flight in front of my eyes. It was so serene that I forgot to click it. Just few moments later, Jerdon Baza also comes in flight just few meters in front, it circled over my head and went back to woods.


We started back for other spot now, with some bright light Nawal went up in Tea Garden to check the birds there. He called me from there and I could see a black baza flying along with Rufous Bellied Eagle. They were very close to me that I was able to record the video using my phone. Black Baza was continuously calling , flying on top of the Eagle.

Rufescent Prinia
We saw Black Baza perched on the tree inside the tea garden, I joined Nawal uphill to check for it, while we were approaching it Hill Myna's disturbed the Black Baza again and it went back in woods. I came down while Nawal was checking activity there only. I saw a small warbler like bird moving in the tea bushes. It looked like a prinia and it was rufescent prinia. Got decent clicks of this one and there were 4-5 in the bushes. I was lucky to spot this lifer and got some beautiful pictures as well. Apart from this I also get to see couple of long tailed broadbills and other common birds there.

It was 11:45 AM and we thought of calling it and return back to homestay since I had 12:30 PM office call. We reached homestay I finished my work and took bath. Post bath we had lunch and it was again a delicious meal cooked by Aunt.

Since our target species for Mahananda were done, we left for Darjeeling on same day. On the way we took route of Bhagoda road which is not the usual way to reach Darjeeling. It is a very peaceful , unexplored, beautiful forest patch. The entire road was covered with trees on both sides and with lot of bird activity around it. We get to see 2 Rufous-Throated wren babblers, spotted ellachura, plenty of lesser shorwings, green tailed sunbirds , rufous wined fulvetta, rufous capped babblers and whiskered Yuhinas. Nawal was trying to capture Lesser Shortwing while I was attending office call in car, it sat in front of my car window . A beautiful male and female.
Toy Train
Soon It started raining heavy so we started towards ghum.
On the way we got glimpse of Toy Train and ghum station which is highest elevation station in India once it was in the world .


I would like to do this train journey once in my life for sure as it would be lifetime experience.





We reached our homestay (Tamang homestay) at 6 pm. We took separate rooms and they were on top floor. Nice cozy rooms and it was bit colder and pleasant than lower altitude.

We were served with local black tea and pakodas for snacks. We discussed about morning plans and had dinner at 7:30 pm. Dinner was good all home cooked food and that is benefit of staying at homestay that you get home cooked food.


After the dinner I had video call with parents, wife and kids. The network and internet connectivity was good here than in Mahananda.



Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S115942498
https://ebird.org/checklist/S115959454

Day-3 30-July-2022 Sunday

White-Browed Fulvetta
I expected this day to be eventful birdwatching day at tiger hill which comes under Senchal wildlife sanctuary plastic free zone and well conserved place. Playing bird calls here , you will be fined for 10k and speaker will be confiscated. Prime targets were Fulvous ,Great and Brown Parrotbills. Most importantly Fulvous Parrotbill was reported from here last year and only specific place where it is sighted again this year. Very handful of places where it is reported but all incidental sightings. Great parrotbill have sighting locations but not ample amount of them. Brown is seeing quite commonly. Since it is habitat of bamboo and Parrotbill feed on bambo leaves , they also nest in bamboo.


Fire-Tailed Sunbird
It was all fogged out entire time sometime dense sometime less but entire day was like this as we expected. We tried for fulvous and great parrotbill at location where it is sighted but no luck. In the mean while we get to see fire-tailed sunbird , rufous capped babbler , gray sided bush warbler , white browed fulvettas , black throated parrotbill , hume’s bush warbler , aberrant bush warbler and other common species available here.






Great Parrotbill
After doing up and down twice we went to peak and got excellent view of great parrotbills. 2 of them and totally astounding to see such huge parrotbills. It was all fogged out and I took couple of record shot of the beauty and observed them with Binoc for 10-15 minutes. The third round on tiger hill upside we saw 2 birds flying to left and to me they looked fulvous due to Color and size. We observed them and they were fulvous but no clicks and they went into Bamboo in no time. It is very hard to see them, since spot is not fixed for them. They keep on moving all through the Tiger Hill and one has to be very attentive to hear their call and movement in the bamboo.

Fulvous Parrotbill
We did the same up down twice and Praveen another guide (Ritesh’s friend) joined us. I was going with both of them and Nawal was resting in car since we already had done 4 rounds with over 10k steps on hill we were feeling tired. Suddenly I saw the fulvous parrotbill couple again feeding on bamboo leaves. Called Nawal and ask him to come in car and I was trying to get some shots in mean time. The couple was quite kind to us for let us photograph and have views of it for 15-20 minutes. It seemed like a great coincidence when we get brightest of the weather for those 15-20 minutes in entire day today.

After successful sighting of all targets fulvous, great and brown parrotbills, clouds came all over the place and we were feeling hungry and thought of having lunch. First we see off Praveen and then went to temple. We were expecting to get food their since we didn't have breakfast today. The homestay guy didn't give packed breakfast since it was early. The plan was while they will cook the food we will do birdwatching around that space, but after reaching we came to know no food is there . Soon the downpour started and we started back for Ghum to have lunch in town. 

We drove back to Ghum and it was quite busy at this time due to tourists traffic and road is quite narrow as well. Nawal suggested to have lunch at Tibetan Restaurant where he stopped on his last visit. We checked in and I ordered Momos and Thupka there. The weather was cold and Hot Thupka Soup was perfect meal . Along with nicely cooked momos it was true indulgence. It continued to rain heavily and we also came to know about alert by ministry about heavy rain around Darjeeling. We were quite lucky to complete our target species in first half of the day. We returned back to hotel since there was no point to go back in this heavy rain. Also I was feeling tired as well with 6 rounds of Tiger hill I wanted to rest. 

I reviewed the sightings and compiled Ebird Lists of the day . I was remembering how lucky we had been on both the days, in first half session we were able to see the target species. With weather being uncertain in region in monsoons still we were able to photograph and see the birds. Credit for this also goes to Ritesh who have been trying really hard on the field. 

In evening we had Pakodas with Local Tea and some roasted jackfruit chips which Nawal brought. We had dinner at 7:30 PM in homestay and it was home cooked food . I packed my stuff post dinner since we had to leave early tomorrow. Before sleeping I had a nice catch up call with family . Also spoke to Hemant about Lifers from the trip. 

Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S115996834

Day-4 31-July-2022 Sunday

It rained whole night and it was pouring in morning as well. Though we planned to have morning session in Senchal WLS , but with targets completed and continuous rain we started back for Mahananda. Around 5:30 AM we left from Homestay and started to descend . 

On the way Ritesh heard call of lesser Shortwing and with couple of playback male and female short wings come in open. Light was poor but we managed to get record shot of it. Very difficult bird to photograph which will stay in low lying bushes in dense foliage. 

Black-Throated Parrotbill
We took Bhagoda forest route only for our return. Due to rain activity was quite less but we got hunting flock at once place and plenty of black throated parrotbills in that mixed hunting flock. We stopped at Paglajhoda forest belt of Mahananda, though we were planned to reach here in evening but due to rain we reach at 11 AM. We were able to get couple of Black-Throated Prinias here. Then we stopped directly at homestay as it was still raining. We had lunch in homestay and slept for sometime. 

Woke up in evening and it was still raining. I was feeling bored in the room so went to kitchen where Ritesh't aunt was cooking. I offered her some help, but she asked me to sit there on the table and we were discussing about life in a metro and in small towns. She made us some snacks for evening and we enjoyed them with green tea. His husband brought silver needle green tea which was really awesome. 


We had our dinner at 8 PM, post which I packed my stuff and read the book for some time and slept. 

Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S116053590


Day-5 28-July-2022 Monday

Thick-Billed Pigeon
It rained whole last night and I woke up at 4:30 AM. We left from homestay at 5:30 AM. It was cloudy and drizzling as well. We proceeded towards Norbung Tea estate for birdwatching. On the way we stopped at big fruiting tree and could see lot of pigeons on the tree. Their were Pin-Tailed Green Pigeons and Thick Billed Green Pigeons . A flock of over 50 pigeons all feeding on fruits. Along with Pigeons hill mynas and white-eyes were also feeding on berries. 







Pin-Tailed Green Pigeon
First time I had seen Thick-Billed Pigeons and they look so astounding, beautiful eye ring and red in their bill looks very beautiful. Pin-Tailed Pigeon I saw one on my Eaglenest trip this year, but at that time it was very far and I couldn't manage to see it properly. But this time in Mahananda it was a pleasant sighting.

Since light was not good, we thought of coming back in hope light will get better with time and we can get some good pictures as well.

Few moments ahead Nawal asked to stop the car as there were cuckoo's on the tree by his side. They were Lesser and Large-Hawk Cuckoo sitting on open perch at eye level. A true delight for the eyes. It was 10 minutes in that sighting and the downpour started. and we move towards Gitangy tea estate forest for rest of the session. 

At Gitange the workforce was coming to pluck the tea leaves. Lots of ladies wearing rain coats and gum boots coming with tokri on their back. They started plucking tea leaves and we were checking birds around them. Though activity was poor due to drizzle but there was flock of 7 chestnut headed bee-eaters , some of them preening and some feeding on the flies. Couple of Long-Tailed Broadbills , pair of black bazas, hair crested drongos, chestnut winged cuckoo, greater yellownape and other common species were sighted as well . 

It started raining heavily and we went to hut for breakfast. We had our breakfast and rested for 30-40 minutes there only. It didn't stop raining and we thought of staying back . On the way we stopped to check Jerdon's Baza and Pigeons but we couldn't find them at their usual spots. We left for airport from there and had lunch at restaurant on the way. Around 1 PM we reached airport. After security check-in, Nawal stopped to look for local tea which I went searching something for daughters and family. On one of the local handicraft shop I purchased hand made clips , woolen frocks and sling bags. 

I boarded my flight at 4:10 PM and it departed on schedule at 4:30 PM. Around 8 PM I reached home . 

Checklists of the day
https://ebird.org/checklist/S116134467

Do Let me know how you like my trip report. It will be great if you share your experience visiting Mahananda or Senchal . Please feel free to reach out in case of any queries or help needed for planning a trip to Mahananda & Senchal. I can be reached out at

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