BHUTAN APRIL 8–30, 2017 Yellow-rumped Honeyguide by Ansar Khan LEADERS: MACHIEL VALKENBURG & ANSAR KHAN LIST COMPILED BY: MACHIEL VALKENBURG VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM BHUTAN APRIL 8–30, 2017 By Machiel Valkenburg Before starting our thrilling exploration of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, we all arrived early into the lavish comforts of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Delhi, India. From Delhi Airport we flew with Druk Air, the national airline company of Bhutan, to Paro. We were lucky with clear weather, and all had good looks at Mount Everest. After clearing customs and changing some money, we were on our way. Not long after, we discovered our first classy bird, an Ibisbill that was foraging along the nearby river at a distance of no more than 15 yards. In the gorgeous green countryside, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Gray-backed Shrike, Green-backed Tit, Black Bulbul, and Blyth’s Leaf Warbler proved common throughout the tour. In a marshy patch we did our best for the challenging Black-tailed Crake; we were lucky, and all of us got more than acceptable views! Brown Parrotbill by Machiel Valkenburg An early rise saw us driving up the Cheli La (La meaning pass in Bhutanese) and reaching its top at 12,000 feet. During the drive up, many goodies were seen; Blood Pheasant and Rufous- chinned, Spotted, and Black-faced laughingthrushes were most stunning. A Mountain Scops-Owl and a Gray Nightjar were heard. At the top, we quickly found a Himalayan Monal, which gave distant but stunning scope views. In the scrub on top, the amazing Blue-fronted Redstart proved common, as were Alpine Accentor and White-winged Grosbeak. A female Dark-rumped Rosefinch was very skulky and seen by only a few lucky ones. While descending, we walked leisurely down and noted many good birds: Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Gray-crested Tit, Hodgson’s Treecreeper, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, White-browed Fulvetta, and the exquisite Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Bhutan, 2017 Himalayan Bluetail! In the evening we arrived in the tiny capitol of Bhutan, the town of Thimphu. Near Thimphu is a lush valley with wooded slopes and stands of Blue Pine; here we birded a full day, finding some gorgeous birds along the main road. We started with a distant Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, which was the main catch of the day. Near the bus, a couple of lovely Kalij Pheasants showed themselves, a Darjeeling Woodpecker was foraging in a tree, a small party of Yellow-browed Tits with a Black-browed Tit, Ashy-throated Warbler, and our first of many Chestnut-crowned Warblers gave wonderful views. While searching and finding a Gray-sided Bush-Warbler, a Brown Parrotbill proved very obliging, and we made excellent photographs of this intriguing bird. White-browed Fulvetta by Machiel Valkenburg We continued our journey through this remarkable country to the Tashithang Valley, where a comfortable fieldcamp was erected especially for us; this included a wonderful cook who made the most delicious meals for us. We birded the surroundings and had a great time finding many colorful species. During the drive to the valley we passed along the Dochu La, where we quickly found, during breakfast, the beautiful Fire-tailed Myzornis! We encountered a large group of no less than 50 individuals. Some of the most notable other species were Black Eagle, Slender- billed Scimitar-Babbler, and Gray-bellied Cuckoo. In the valley itself we spent most of our time walking along the road, which proved the best method to find many desirable species. We came across Great Barbet, Golden-throated Barbet, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, White-bellied Erpornis, Gray-headed Canary-Flycatcher, Mountain Bulbul, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Whiskered Yuhina, Nepal Fulvetta, Small Niltava, Little Forktail, and Orange-bellied Leafbird. At the camp we were surprised to find a juvenile Crimson-browed Finch! In the impressive woods, a wide selection of warblers were constantly present; we found Greenish, Blyth’s Leaf, Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Bhutan, 2017 Yellow-vented, Gray-hooded, Golden-spectacled, Whistler’s, White-spectacled, and more Chestnut-crowned foraging in the many layers of greenery. By way of Punakha, we visited the Punakha Dzong. This gorgeous fortress was built in 1637, and we explored it thoroughly with a knowledgeable guide who told us all the ins and outs. Along the Punakha River we were fortunate to find a group of foraging Common Otters, a sighting we will remember forever. We camped here at almost 11,000 feet, with one of the biggest targets on our minds. The Satyr Tragopan is maybe the most beautiful pheasant on earth, and we consider ourselves very lucky to have come eye-to-eye with two males, on our first morning drive, at around 10 yards from the bus. We also found another Himalayan Monal, again giving good views. Other birds worth mentioning are White-tailed Nuthatch, White-naped Yuhina, Chestnut-tailed Minla, Rufous-breasted and Maroon accentors, Green-tailed Sunbird, and Brown and Red-headed bullfinches. Satyr Tragopan by Ansar Khan To get to the fantastic birding regions of Yongkola, we passed Trongsa and Sengor, birding en- route, picking up some good birds like Black-throated Tit, Goldcrest, Hume’s Bush-Warbler, Lemon-rumped Warbler, Buff-barred Warbler, the first of many Rufous-winged Fulvettas, Red- billed Leiothrix, Rufous-bellied Niltava, a superb White-browed Bush-Robin, and the exquisite Fire-tailed Sunbird! A female Oriental Honey-buzzard soared over the bus, giving some close views. While descending towards the evergreen forests of Yongkola, a very obliging Yellow- rumped Honeyguide was seen wonderfully in the first light rain of the tour. The main show, however, belonged to the Scaly-breasted Cupwing that was performing superbly for all the photographers on the tour. Please find the result on the next page; the photo speaks for itself! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Bhutan, 2017 The following days in the Yonkola region were spectacular; the combination of the mountains covered in clouds with the special avifauna made this one of the best parts of the trip. The lower elevation of Yonkola harbors many splendid birds in truly amazing broad-leaved forest. Along the Limithang Road we saw more Satyr Tragopans; Deborah and Machiel were lucky to catch a quick glimpse of the shy Ward’s Trogon; we had numerous sightings of colorful Gray-chinned Minivet and Short-billed Minivet; and in a large group of foraging birds we discovered some Black-eared Shrike-Babblers, an obliging Sultan Tit, more amazing Yellow-cheeked Tits, the incredible and cute Beautiful Nuthatch (one of the top sightings of the tour), the rare Gray- cheeked Warbler, and a cheeky but gorgeous Golden Babbler! Other great birds included Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Nepal House-Martin, Fire-capped Tit, Chestnut-headed Tesia, White- breasted Parrotbill, Scaly and Blue-winged laughingthrushes, the skulky White-tailed Robin, and with the exquisite Scarlet Finch we ended our visit in Yonkola. Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler by Machiel Valkenburg By way of Trongsa we reached the village of Zhemgang in the Mangde Chu Valley, where our camp was erected for 3 nights. In these lower grounds, the temperature is warm/hot, and again many different species occur in these forests. Just outside of Trongsa, a couple of Yellow- throated Martens ran fast past us; these mammals occur throughout large parts of eastern Asia, and we were very fortunate to come across these fine animals. In the canopy we found Large- billed Leaf Warbler and the majestic Sapphire Flycatcher! Another mammal in these parts is the Golden Langur, and we encountered many groups feeding along the road. A great advantage of camping in the wild is that the wild comes closer to you. Around the camp, a large amount of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Bhutan, 2017 birds were found with White-throated Needletail a constant presence in the skies, Great Hornbill crossing the valley during every breakfast, close views of the magnificent Rufous-necked Hornbill, our common Blue-bearded Bee-eater on the electricity wire, and many Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes around the cooking tent. In a nearby fruiting tree we had a lot of fun and found Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon, Pin-tailed Green-Pigeon, and Wedge- tailed Green-Pigeon foraging on the many ripe berries. The biggest treasure of this trip was found along the river where we found a single White-bellied Heron; of this very rare heron species, only 200 individuals occur, and we were more than thrilled to find one. It was the first sighting of the species since 2004 in Zhemgang! Another spectacle was the finding of a nest of Long-tailed Broadbills; these gorgeous birds were building a nest until they were disrupted by an Assamese Macaque who, after various attempts, found a way to the nest and ripped it apart in search of some delicacies. The last part of our tour was right on the border of India where we birded the plains surrounding Gelephu. In the Sal forests and surrounding agricultural fields we quickly found many new birds for our list such as Citrine Wagtail, Brown Shrike, White-breasted Waterhen, Black Francolin, Asian Pied Starling, Hill Myna, and Golden-fronted Leafbird. After saying our goodbyes to our Bhutanese staff, we drove to the airport of Guwahati, from where we flew back to Delhi and enjoyed our fantastic final dinner in the Radisson Blu. I’d like to thank our staff in Bhutan for all their good care during our trip, and I’d like to give praise to my good friend and co-leader of the trip Ansar Khan.