Trip Report Bhutan II th th 16 April to 5 May 2015 (20 days) Ibisbill by Wayne Jones Trip report compiled by tour leader Wayne Jones Trip Report - RBT Bhutan II 2015 2 Our Bhutan tour kicked off at 350m above sea level in Samdrup Jongkhar, the border town close to Assam. The town's quiet gentility was quite a contrast to the hubbub of the Indian province in which we had just spent the last five days. Our arrival was in the late afternoon, so after settling into our hotel and meeting for dinner there wasn't much scope for birding. After supper, attempts to draw in a calling Collared Scops Owl were not entertained by the bird in question and a thunderstorm gently encouraged us to head to our rooms. This was to be the first of many encounters with rain in Bhutan! Crimson Sunbird by Wayne Jones The next morning we began our birding day with a walk along the main road on the outskirts of town while our bus went ahead to collect us later, the general modus operandi of birding in Bhutan. We glimpsed Red Junglefowl, Striated and Indian Pond Herons, Crested Honey Buzzard – one of which perched in a tree for good views, a Black Eagle cruising low over the treetops, Crested Goshawk, Green-billed Malkoha, House Swift, Wreathed Hornbill, Oriental Dollarbird, Lesser Yellownape, White-throated Kingfisher, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Scarlet Minivet, Long-tailed Shrike, Ashy and Bronzed Drongos, Black-crested Bulbul, Red-rumped Swallow, Greenish Warbler, Rufescent Prinia, a gorgeous Asian Fairy-bluebird, a fleeting White-rumped Shama, common but beautiful Verditer Flycatcher, Black-backed Forktail, Blue Whistling Thrush, White- capped Redstart, Crimson Sunbird, Streaked Spiderhunter and Chestnut-tailed Starling. Back on the bus we started to climb higher, stopping near Dewathang for a tasty cooked lunch before proceeding on to the Morong area where we would camp for the next two nights. Exploring the forest down the road (i.e. at lower altitudes) we were introduced to some of the country's mid-altitude birdlife including Himalayan Cuckoo, Bar- winged Flycatcher-shrike, Grey- chinned Minivet, Green-backed Tit, Striated Bulbul, Black-throated Bushtit, Black-throated Prinia, the beautiful Blue-winged Minla, Silver- eared Mesia, Rufous and scarce Blue-winged Minla by John Gordon Long-tailed Sibias, our first Yuhinas – White-naped and Whiskered, Little Pied Flycatcher, Grey Bush Chat, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Black-throated Sunbird, Spot-winged Grosbeak and the elusive Scarlet Finch. Trip Report - RBT Bhutan II 2015 3 The next morning we again walked the highway that hugged the mountainside below our campsite. Our intended quarry was the beautiful Beautiful Nuthatch, but nobody had informed any of them of our presence, and none showed up. Despite three attempts (over three days) in its usual patch we came away empty- handed. Of course we did see some marvellous other birds in the Morong area in the process, such as the vulnerable Rufous-necked Hornbill, Great and Golden- throated Barbets, Blyth's Shrike-Babbler, White- throated Fantail, Grey Treepie, the dainty Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Mountain Bulbul, a generally uncooperative Mountain Tailorbird, a much more confiding Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Grey-hooded Warbler, Streak-throated Scimitar Babbler, a shy Rufous-throated Wren- Babbler, Striated and Bhutan Laughingthrushes, Rusty-fronted Barwing, Sikkim Treecreeper, Small Niltava, Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush and Yellow- breasted Greenfinch. The bird of the day was Beautiful Sibia by Wayne Jones undoubtedly a Beautiful Sibia, which was possibly the first or one of only a handful of records for the country! In between our morning and afternoon excursions in the Morong area – and just as we were about to start birding – the wind picked up and rain started bucketing down. We gathered in the bus while the camp site staff ran around securing tents and ensuring luggage was safely on top of the cots inside. A roaring cascade formed where before there were steps leading to the lower section of the campsite. Tent interiors felt like waterbeds underfoot as the torrent passed beneath. Heavy raindrops continued to be buffeted by the wind until, about 40 minutes later, it all subsided. The newly-made streams quickly disappeared and all our stuff was dry and alright so we quickly resumed with our mission: to bird! By all accounts the rainstorm was a highly unusual and rare event; it certainly injected a little extra excitement into our day! Following our third unsuccessful nuthatch hunt the next morning we set out for the town of Trashigang. We stopped at the town/mountain pass of Narphung La (1,698m) and got our first feel of Bhutanese village Rusty-fronted Barwing by Wayne Jones life in the small market. Yongphu La (2,190m) took us down through the university town of Kanlung. The valleys and mountain passes yielded Himalayan Buzzard, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Greater Coucal, Black-tailed Crake in some rice paddies, Common Cuckoo, Blyth's Swift, Himalayan Swiftlet, Common Kestrel, the resplendent Trip Report - RBT Bhutan II 2015 4 Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Barn Swallow, a host of warblers including Tickell's Leaf, Ashy- throated, Blyth's Leaf and Chestnut-crowned, Rufous-capped Babbler, Rufous-winged Fulvetta, the soon-to-be-common White-throated Laughingthrush, the exquisite little Golden-breasted Fulvetta, White-tailed Nuthatch, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Blue, Chestnut-bellied and Blue-capped Rock Thrushes, Siberian Stonechat, Green-tailed Sunbird and Grey Wagtail. A cluster of alien-like discs protruding from a rock-face above the road at one point were massive Rock Bee honeycombs. A quick search of the area revealed a pair of tiny Yellow- rumped Honeyguides. We were too late to do a trip to the Trashigang Dzong full justice so we visited the quaint town instead, marvelling at the uniquely Bhutanese mix of new and old: intricately decorated traditional shop windows displaying their modern merchandise; gho- and kira-wearing schoolchildren passing by townsfolk in jeans and t-shirts. Himalayan Bulbul by Wayne Jones From Trashigang we passed through the dry Dangme Chhu and Sheri Chhu Valleys whose slopes were coated with grassland and patches of conifers. This dry, scrubby habitat produced Himalayan Bulbul, Striated Prinia, Crested Bunting and Slender-billed Oriole (in the pines) while Common Sandpiper and Common and White-throated Kingfishers were found along the fast-flowing waters on the valley floors. The cool broad-leaved forests returned as we climbed toward the 2,400m-high Kori La. Highlights along the way included Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Grey-winged Blackbird and sensational looks at Red-billed Leiothrix, a bogey bird for one participant. A bit further on we scoped a Peregrine Falcon that was feasting on a small passerine about 60m away. As feathers flew this way and that we watched as two drifted serenely towards us, one landing on the road a metre in front of us and the other alighting on a guest's shoulder. How bizarrely incredible! Up at Kori La itself we found Yellow- browed Tit, Black-faced and Whistler's Warblers, Grey-sided Bush Warbler, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Bar- throated Minla, electrifying Large Niltava and Buff- barred Warbler. The undisputed highlight, however, was when our fantastic eagle-eyed driver found us a pair of Ward's Trogon! The dichromatic twosome came to the forest edge and spoiled us with simply incredible views for about five minutes. What a way to Ward’s Trogon by John Gordon see this sought-after Bhutan specialty! Trip Report - RBT Bhutan II 2015 5 We passed through Mongar before climbing again to our base for the next three nights on Yongko La (1,800m), finding White-crested Laughingthrush along the way. In the late afternoon a pair of Kalij Pheasant pecked away on the far corner of a crop field adjacent to our campsite, an activity they were to repeat over the next two days. After dark the call of a Mountain Scops Owl sounded from the nearby forest, but this secretive species remained hidden. Over the next two days we explored the lower and middle Lingmethang Road, widely regarded as providing some of the best birding in the Himalayas. The road passes through Thrumsingla National Park which protects vast tracts of pristine old-growth forest. In the park we eventually obtained views of Large Hawk- Cuckoo, which had been taunting us for days with its continuous calling, as well as great views of Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo and Himalayan and Common Cuckoos. Also seen were a bedraggled Blue-bearded Bee-eater (did I mention that it rained a lot on this tour?!), more Rufous-necked Hornbills, terrific knee-level Crimson- breasted Woodpecker, Bay Woodpecker, gorgeous Long-tailed Broadbill, Grey-chinned and Short-billed Blue-bearded Bee-eater by Wayne Jones Minivets, exquisite little Black-eared Shrike-Babbler, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, furtive Common Green Magpie, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Grey- cheeked Warbler, Rusty-cheeked and Coral-billed Scimitar Babblers, Rufous-throated Wren- Babbler, Golden Babbler, Nepal, Yellow-throated and Rufous-winged Fulvettas, Rufous-necked, Grey-sided and Blue-winged Laughingthrushes, Red-tailed Minla, Black-throated and White- breasted Parrotbills, Dark-sided Flycatcher, the dramatic Greater Yellownape, Lesser Shortwing, Pygmy Flycatcher, the incredible Mrs Gould's Sunbird and more Scarlet Finches. We saw our first Satyr Tragopan when a male flew out of the forest and landed on a path that cut through short vegetation on the slope below us. What an incredible sighting! The bird stood there for what felt like ages, seemingly trying to figure out if he was in the right place before deciding that he probably wasn't and moving on.