Bhutan Part 5

Monday 23^rd

We left the hotel at 5.45 with bags packed and headed up the road, making a few stops along the way. Barred Cuckoo-dove was the first new bird of the day and was later followed by Bar-throated Siva and an Asian Barred Owlet that flew over the road and perched up nicely for us.

Cloud in the valleys

Chestnut-tailed Minla

Scarlet Finch

Asian Barred Owlet

We had to get past the bridge construction before work began at 8am and closed the road for three hours. After breakfast on the other side of the works, we slowly climbed up, making a few more stops. The weather was much better than on our descent three days earlier as there was no cloud.

Photographing the breakfast site became a daily routine

Inside shrines like this there are rotating cylinders powered by water

A montane village

At the first stop we heard a Pygmy Cupwing, a small skulking bird that likes to remain in the shadows, but eventually we all managed good views of it. Further stops were made for an Eurasian Wren and a Red-throated Thrush. However, we had a bigger target to look for so we moved on to the panda spot where we had tried before unsuccessfully.

Rufous-winged Fulvetta

Snow Pigeon

Mountain Hawk-Eagle

This time we hit bullseye – a Red Panda curled up asleep on a branch. This was the mammal we all desperately wanted to see even though we knew it could be very difficult. We spent over half-an-hour with this beautiful creature, it occasionally stirred and glanced at us to see what all the fuss was about before dozing off again. Remarkably, another tour bus was in the area and they joined us as we watched the panda. Eventually, it decided to get up and climbed down the tree and disappeared.

Red Panda

The panda twitch

We had a celebratory lunch shortly afterwards at 3,650 metres with snow lying on the ground. 

The afternoon was mainly a long drive as we had a fair way to go to Trongsa although we did stop for a group of Blood Pheasants. 

Blood Pheasants

We dropped down over 1,000 metres before we reached our hotel in the evening.

 

A rural house

Tuesday 24^th

We packed up and left the hotel at 6am. It was raining and it continued throughout the morning which did hamper our birding. Fortunately it wasn’t a critical time as we’d seen most things at this elevation.

Our hotel

Hotel entrance

We drove down a little way and stopped for coffee and biscuits, then a little further and had an early breakfast. The rain had eased to a light drizzle so we did have a stroll down the road but the low cloud made for poor visibility.

A Sikkim Treecreeper showed well working its way up a close tree trunk and around this spot we saw Black-eared Shrike-Babbler, Whiskered Yuhina and Crimson-naped Woodpecker. Further down were Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Brown Bullfinch and a flock of Tibetan Serin. There were a few feeding flocks, one of which held Fire-capped and Yellow-browed Tits.

Sikkim Treecreeper

Crimson-naped Woodpecker

Grey-hooded Warbler

Yellow-browed Tit

Grey Bushchat

As we drove down further a Spotted Forktail was seen on the edge of the road by a waterfall. We stopped for lunch, making use of a shelter where a local cat managed to persuade a few people in donating part of their meal.

It had stopped raining after lunch although the cloud kept coming and going. It meant we could do a bit more walking and see a bit more. New birds included Chestnut-tailed Starling, Grey-throated Babbler, a flypast Black Stork, Himalayan Bulbul, Striated Yuhina (thereby completing the set of Bhutanese Yuhinas) and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush.

Himalayan Bulbul

Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush

A native common 'weed'

A type of tree gooseberry; they weren't that tasty

We walked to our eco lodge, taking the bridge over the river while the bus went the long way around on the road.

Bridge to the eco-lodge

Bhutan Part 4

Saturday 21^st

It almost felt like a lie-in this morning as we met at 5.30 for coffee and biscuits before a 5.45 departure. We spent the whole day birding the local forests from the road, firstly a spur then the main highway which heads to eastern Bhutan. It’s not exactly like the M1 as there is usually very little traffic and the road was closed for much of the day due to bridge repairs.

There was low cloud and the occasional spell of light rain but it didn’t hamper us too much, although at times the light was fairly poor. We heard the ‘brain-fever bird’ before we left the hotel, AKA Large Hawk-Cuckoo and passed a Kalij Pheasant as drove to our first stop.

During the day we’d randomly try different spots and walk for a bit before moving on. Several mixed flocks went through, typically led by a Drongo. It could sometimes be difficult getting on everything in the fast-moving flocks but we caught up with most birds by the end of the day. We did try for a few skulking birds but didn’t have much luck as they refused to break cover.

Golden-throated Barbet

Orange-bellied Leafbird

Greater Yellownape

It proved to be a very productive day with over thirty new birds for the trip including Rusty-fronted Barwing, White-crested Laughingthrush, Himalayan Cutia, Grey-headed and White-breasted Parrotbills, Nepal Fulvetta, Black-chinned Yuhina, Maroon-backed Accentor and Blue-bearded Bee-eater. The two best birds of the day are restricted to this part of the Himalayas: Ward’s Trogon and Rufous-necked Hornbill and we got really long looks at both.

Blue-bearded Bee-eater

Fire-breasted Flowerpecker

Ward's Trogon (female)

Grey-chinned Minivet

Yellow-cheeked Tit - like a punky Blue Tit

Crimson-naped Woodpecker

Crimson-backed Accentor

White-naped Yuhina

Rufous-necked Hornbill

Another monkey was added to the trip list - Capped Langur. We got back at 5.30 and were the only guests in the hotel for dinner. We were also joined by Chris’s missing luggage much to his relief.

Capped Langur

Sunday 22^nd

Our last full day at high elevation on this part of the trip; we had coffee and biscuits at 5.30 and left at 5.45. We drove up the road into the forest, making several stops and walking along the road. Being Sunday, the road wasn’t closed for construction but there was still very little traffic.

Most of these forested ridges are unexplored

Birding along the road

Ashes are often placed on roadside ledges

Terraced farming

The pair of Rufous-necked Hornbills were still in the same tree and Great Barbets perched up high calling continuously. 

Verditer Flycatcher

Rufous-necked Hornbills

A flock of Speckled Woodpigeons also perched up on the treetops before flying off to feed. Several bird flocks were encountered and at long last most of us managed decent looks at Golden Babbler. Black-chinned Prinia was new for the trip, as was a Rufous-bellied Eagle that soared over with a pair of Mountain Hawk-Eagles.

After lunch we drove down past the hotel to a more open area at a lower elevation. On the way we stopped at a viewpoint where we were entertained by a Green Magpie. 

Common Green Magpie

Other new birds lower down included Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Streaked Spiderhunter and a large flock of Himalayan Swiftlets. A vivid splash of colour was provided by very close views of a Crimson Sunbird.

Himalayan Swiftlets

Rufous-necked Laughingthrush

Silhouetted (Streaked) Spiderhunter

Crimson Sunbird

We finished the day with a superb pair of Tawny Fish Owls, roosting high up in gallery forest and as we walked back to the bus, an obliging male Kalij Pheasant by the side of the track. 

Tawny Fish-Owl

Kalij Pheasant

After dinner some of us went out owling. We drove up the road a short way but only heard a Mountain Scops-Owl. However, spotlighting found us two new mammals: a superb Leopard Cat that was busy scoffing down a newly caught squirrel and a Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel. 

Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel

Leopard Cat, filmed by our driver