, NOTES ON BIRDS SEEN IN NEPAL NOVEMBEH/DECEMBER 1981 The primary purpose of our visit was trekking and there was insufficient time to allow much for birdwatching. As a result [many 'common' birds were missed, especially in forest areas. The Dumre-Manang trail passes through some good evergreen broadleaf forest below Bagarcaap which would be well worthwhile investigating in detail. The daily walks suggested by Armington (1980, Trekking in the Himalayas) leave little free time, thus anyone planning on doing the Dumre-Manang-Jomosom-Pokhara trek, which Armington gives as 19 days, should allow about 30 if they want a reasonable amount of birding. Armington recommends one day at Manang for altitude acclimatization - we needed two and even then found the walk to 'base camp' rather hard going, but some people spent no time in Manang and still got over the pass. The walk over Thorong La was not hard going - just a slow steady climb - but had there been much more snow crampons would have been needed. We did not have any porters. Birds were identified using Flemming et al. 1979, Birds of Nepal; King et al. 1975, A field guide to the~irds of South-east Asia; Ali 1Q77, Birds of the Eastern Himalayas. A list of birds seen is given in the attached table - further notes are given for those species marked with a X. Heights are taken from 'Latest Trekking Map. Pokhara to Jomosom, Manang' published 1980 by i"1andala Trekking Maps. Itinerary ~ 'Nov 1,2,3,4,5. Kathmandu Valley (Kathmandu, Gokarna, Godaveri, Tokha Hospital) ')lNov 6. Dumre-Tuture \1\Nov 7. -Philesangu ~ ~r D \ y\ " :Nov 8. -Khudi -r 0\! I"', .ilNov 9. -Bondanda t'%': I,) 1
I Nov 10. Bondanda (sick day) 1<)1 r, " ~'INov 11. -Chanje \, Ll \. \ q Nov 12. -Bagarchap ()~ 1;'),1
1 \ Nov 13. Bagarchap (heavy rain at Bagarchap most of the day, snow higher up) \\ Nov 14. -Chame '/') I" , " Nov 15. -Pisang Nov 16. -Manang , ' )'I Nov 17,18. Manang (river valley, glacial lake, Gunsang) &~Nov 19. -Thorong La 'base camp', 4400m (14400ft) J Podiceps cristatus Phewa Lake, one seen from shore 1 Dec., 6 from boat 2 Dec. podicets " .. ~r",oll (s Phewa ake, three from boat 2 Dec. Ciconia nigra 8 near Tibetan Camp Tadorna ferruginea Bagarchap, four flew up the valley going West in the evening. Muktinath, one flew North in morning. Anas crecca Fhewa Lake, 23 from boat 2 Dec. Anas platyrhynchos Phewa Lake, 1? from boat 2 Dec. Anas strepera ~n smal1partly frozen lake slightly down the valley from Fisang, c9)OOft - a new altitude record? Ayth~a ferrina Oneemale on lake near Pisang. One female Phewa Lake 2 Dec. Aythya nyroca Male in partial eclipse plumage Rani Pokhari, Kathmandu,1 Nov. An Aythya duck observed on Phewa Lake on 2 Dec was similar to this species but had conspicuous white patches on eithe~ side of the face at the base of the bill, similar to a female A. marila. White undertail coverts very conspicous as the bird tended to hold the tail high out of the water, as is fairly common in A. baeri. It was shy and could not be approached very closely in the boat, thus eye and bill coulours not noted. Aberrant A. nyroca or hybrid? Aythya fuligula One male on lake near Pisang. Nettapus coromandelianus One on Rani ~okhari, Kathmandu 1 Nov. Milvus migrans All birds closely observed in Kathmandu had yellow legs and appeared to be M.m. govinda. Birds at Pokhara included both M.m. govinda and M.m. lineatus (blue legs) - Melville in prep. Accipiter sp. One Bagarchap probably A. gentilis but seen very briefly. ~ himalayensis ? at Bondanda seen high up on side of valley and so not a new low altitude record. A sub-adult near Bagarchap seen carrying mesting material. Gallinago pyrrhocorax graculus A flock of about 60 (P. graculus, ~ot young P. pyrrhocorax) below Chame c7700ft - a new low altitude record? There had been a severe blizzard on 13 Nov with heavy snow down to just above Bagarchap and presumably the birds had moved down as a result. 2 Pseu.Jo e'odoces humil j ,s One bird apparently of this species seen in juniper scrub above Manang c13500ft on 17 Nov. It was seen for about 15 seconds after the sun had gone off the valley - a small fawn coloured bird with a long decurved bill which appeared to be pale, whitish sides to tail in flight. (Goodwin, Crows of the World, notes that juveniles have paler bills than adults). Although the bird was only seen briefly there would appear to be no possibility of confusion with any other species. Corvus macrorhynchos ~arge numbers in the lower rhododendron forest feeding on black herries, rather like Ivy (Hedera). Certhia himalayana One near Jharkot c12000ft. Greyish white underparts and very marked barring on tail. Observed down to c30ft feeding on tree in bright sun. A new altitude record?, and only just in the Kaii Gandaki "Valley". Serinus pusillus One (probably two) in thorn scrub above Manang 17 Nov. First record east of the Kali Gandaki? ..l>.S'. M. t V.:T. tf. Full'CC(.. cJ-rtl.. Ot\e. fL~f\" PoiTh,w', /r",Hi ~'-'l I NdV. I I I Po..tr'ap" crM~h)s p~"'tr" tl~fI"t"O"':S f'J.j e,f,'~r"x n~ch(l)r4ll( '/ An>\lol~ "~,, .. '/ Sub ... ! Led .. ~ ,"$ j E!jrtll" j4lrze#tA. C,'Qf\,'", l\~rC( C,'(,,1\1'0\. ft"'! C"Cf~S I ,,,ot ,,",," ft'fr"j ,'fill(. X X (\le /ft,.f rAS (/NI't'f\(I. ..ote/'·Q.f\lAS X Allta,S str('ftr~ X Af'Cd C rtc(~ A"c.U r'tA!J ri-~ (lcJ,os Ajt~J G\ fe,fI'I''\ x A~fh~ ~ "j rac.C4. x Ajthj~ fu-1'jvJC4. X 1Y\,1\1"'j M'~r.,.."s / III {II('(/r~r(J~ rerc(\Of~ervJ (;.j f'Ae tu\: l,o.rl,~~S I 1/ // Cr.jr~ h"1l3o-lens ,.s G-t'jfs ,'f\c.Ue LAS CrjfS ~"M()I'0e",,~ X X/ 11///, / Cr:Jf~ FVolv~s ~Clrco~~ fS c",,1 v\.\5 C,'rcIAS ~"'r'lt'04'" / t1cc'"p'-'''tr 1\,'SLA5 " IX./ n((l"p,'~{'r sr. / BvJeo b",I-e" // IS 1A~t'o r ... ~'""IAS I " /,J,'I\tA.e-/ .. "\l N'p.I~jcnI's A1f"/" rtloft1.x. / fer. Ito t ,'flfI u(\c. .... ILA) / 11 /1/ ~I (lI cl,"c.CfJAtm.. / TeJr~Cf1C\IlL4> t\'~thMLAJ I Al('cJofls c.J'I.4.h-"r / Arhorofh;l,,- CV ~IA/o."'s L-0r-I.\(A,. /(IAIDf't\f./aI'O\. A ff1o..o.4rl1r II"~ rl'"elll·C«AfV.s / r\Jl."c~ "tra. X -/-UOrJ-t'rlJI cl "'vcu" ~t.I,;" l--Io'Ior~t'rvI jl'chtl.tJ I G-().II'"f\a~o / ~,) c) ,f.J , Nw -~ ~\ f"----/'------'\ ( I 11 I I H' , 7 (J ''1 IO~ lI.rz. I!. lit- IS" 16 ,~ I., 20 1.1 2.1. ~ ut z.\'" zI."I.-' 'za:Z1 I t ,,,,~OI oc..hrorlll / Ack~,'s ~jfoJe'Hl1s Colvrw-bOl J,v,'"" / / jl / (.,,1 c.JrY\b '" r Vel,'C.~'1 ""fCAI e.f6,J " /, ,/I A"l-hVJ Mv~e~eela~j'~ A(\~~j hoc1jS'CMI' 1/// m~a..c,'II", c'Mrel.\.. m"b,crllo.. ~lbC\ ;;0 / ;Ylc1~C\(d/l\ 1Yl"J.trQ,qlr4kr1r,~ / CoraCl'i\O\ flOVv,t I-o/Ja.i'CA,'tfoi, Pefl'croco~v.s p"'Mme v; I 1/ // Pl'rl'Crac.o~lA$ elil1lojlA~ 1/'. I p3' lIo/lcltlAf d·('I'C(.~vj Pjc f\o,\"hu 1-£1-\(0.'3 elld) 1/ ~-:jc "OI"O~IAJ ~ (" j//~/ Hjff/,tkJ m~~JCol"'ell.Sl> I , / A~~yl-kft'lt ft'f~\l'o.. cJ../"rops/s h~rclwltlr,· .. I C'"Jw f"'llcO"" / T(D(jloJJ1~eJ ~/oJjleS / Prv(\"IIa. d·('ophlak., Pruflt/lA. f4'~e.r(e,,~ // Prvf\t/lt:\. rv~ ec....,lo,'J ef // LvlC ,'r''II'~ (Q./1 ""fe / 1/1 Co ps jC hl4.) s",,,,1 (),.fI'~ I / s Ph.,eM(urll,S ('(j~II"'ON.s Phcttll"CI4NJ {"u"lto(.tf~11U fJ.oe/ll""(II.1 o~r~'"J fhotlll'c.MrllJ ~htl,s PhOt'III'CI4M S"c.J.I'S~I' ufs Phot{II 'c lAM ert1 #r'!1(1}Ho r 62.~ACO'"':'S tv/~ illllJIIJ S'a)(I'r.l~ for'fiA~ $'(m'(.I.,., capr",+C4.. MIoII'(7f~otltllj c.aU"u.lflU IJ rvf,',III""\ .,.. Torc\uJ r~ f,'rClII,:s "'+'~~IA'lln'S £(\,'CI.INj ""a'~ICA~ClS / TeCl~ '.j~(\ivttlW Ce /I '"A krVM,f, ..... s / Or+hDh,IYI~ S" u ~o,.s / ~el'("rw) hl/rh-." S' e,'c{>tcw )(""~f,k,')1-v / III II 1/ Pl-jlJasc'fus fu/, h.er P~jlloJc0fJti pro~",If.'J // rz.~v.l",j rt'j/.AI u.J L(f~O ro,(de ~"r-ilAt I II II I\II'I~MA IY\d(jrjorlN.. F,'c~1A11.l. +"'c,~r C\I\I'Ct"'LtfOl UjrfYltflSI's {2.hlpl olcA~ k~ fO"(A(\fhta. / / ~ toe~flS p:1'rl.Dfs I ~()r'vlt\lC "'11,~tAlllrl's / (N.rrvl", ( Ie",c..e/ophVJ C-o.rrv/4'1. oceU",h,u / pter~ll.ti ~v"~ctLf IS / mi,"~ Sh~\AIt\, / M\111 A. 'j (I ,,+ ill (Il-l\. He~ero phfAJ,.O\ c"f 15f~-It,., / / Yv t, ,fit\. .p 0.11'" (villi / / '(,,,,(..(,t j /.A/MLr / 'ivk,i\(.t ()cc'"f ,'~~ILs / Y"~"r'lC\. "2{;\tl t~/el-tca.. / A5/'~loS (ClYldf\(wj" / / Pc;1rv..s ../,ck (bu:> / ~ .~~, ~ "'Hi!.... ' .. /-----. '\ NrN i \ IVII . r7 - ,.( G 7 .« ., 10" 11... I~ I.,. If 16 ,t '" 2.0 2.1 z:t. 2.~ '2.Jt- Z\- zJ, 2.1 18 2.1 1 : . Pcuvs rub(..4,'IIentr.:s 1/ '/ . f",NJ Qnr' / PtAN.S ft'I&r f/J(vJ IfIlllll--t'col ~ P~r\lJ XMtIt tlje"tJ,f ~ ,'/Ja. ~cft\I-", /.'S ~ ,'Ht:t cal~p.MIt T,'c.~Jr~,""" MVr'GVIill. Cer-~"", ~"""""''''~~f1~ j),'c",E'v~ W"'fec.fIAJ 2osfer~fJ frJolrebrt1SA. Of/'oluJ fn,.iJl,',' L"'fI/'vS nnadt L-"-",'w te phlUlI~lA.s j),'crvl'lI..f f(I.~cfrJce"cIAJ V,'crvfllJ I flA'OphMIA$ .D,'CNrllJ rf('(l,'Fer ~1'cNrvJ hcM-e"t"fflAs Ur" (,'ss,,- ett.JH. ..r~,j"~ C,S'S'~ vh"lletlSl$ , DerJ.~r:t'~4\ VCA8A~V ... da.. . 1/ / j) erJrOt,'H", ~/fflOJ",e / I PselA.Jo{'oJo(eJ hUlK,""> X: I I\J vc '-rrl1jct CA!) 11 co.J-~ 0// // P~rr~oc.or~~ j (aC"'/uJ ?jrrhor"~~ fjl'l'h,cClM'/. /II~/~ ~I Cof\llAJ j'fle"Je~J (orlllAj fV\(J(lbth~"u£,o.f j Ijljlllll~~/r I (orvlAJ (ora.l( Acr,cJt1~elfJ frM'5 I 1/1II I I/!I II AwJ"t£JPrfJ FUJCMf PLlJJff" ~oW\fJ~flVj III I rCHf<'r (IIt,'lalls P~Jf~ fYlOllft:rol\Llj / IIII IfI; Lo"J.-uro.. fu"J-i.\I",tl.\. ""(\~I'II~ f'M{lh~l~d/~ S'f,,'t'lIA5 Pll),'III4~ I X L(,lAL,,!>~"cte Mm""ol&(, / (~rf0clo.cL\.f pvlJelt/'~w iYI:jC-(( o~aS C(N"II',qs j / C rl\beri2A c ,'et. // 1/