Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary April-May Itinerary 2018

Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary_April-May_Itinerary 2018

Two back to back tours where four participants from Mahananda continued for Pangoalkha WLS as well. Summer months are considered good for pre-breeding birding season in Mahananda wls and Pangolakha wls in east Sikkim. Most of the bird species are busy making nests or in courtship in entire northern hemisphere. Birding hours starts early (5:30 AM) in the morning and continues till 5 PM in the afternoon. In the meantime, in lower ridges at Mahananda WLS, 10AM to 2 PM is roosting hour for birds. In higher altitude, birding can be conducted throughout the day.

Route Taken: New Jalpaiguri, Sevok, Kalijhora, Karmath, Latpanchar, Sittong, Mana, Ahaldara, Latkothi, Birik, Rongtong, Shivakhola.

P.S. All the stay arrangements were done in home stay.

Driving: Around 360 kms.

Hiking: 36 kms.

Top five birds from this tour: 1. Rufous-necked Hornbill 2. Chestnut-winged Cuckoo 3. Red-headed Trogon 4. Dollarbird 5. Sultan Tit

Daily travel log:

27th April 2018: Two participants were picked up from Orbit Hotel (near Bagdogra), one participant was picked up from New Jalpaiguri. The fourth participant came by flight and additionally arranged for separate pick up based on his arrival of flight (3 PM). First three birders had afternoon birding session; however, the fourth participant could not attend for afternoon birding on day 1. The afternoon birding session had sightings of large Niltava (female), Large Woodshrike, a flock of Nepal Fulvetta (foraging on gooseberries) and a pair of Red-headed Trogon. Trogon sighting was long, almost twenty minutes.

28th April 2018: Next day we started early morning from the homestay. Our primary target was Rufous-necked Hornbill. We started the day around 5:30 in the morning and waited in the roosting sight. After spending almost two hours, male of the species came to feed female (inside the nest) through the lacuna. The process of such care giving of male will go on till the juvenile is mature enough to leave the nest. Such exhaustive caretaking by male is no doubt a magnificent sighting! Later that day in the afternoon session, we

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Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary_April-May_Itinerary 2018 covered Rufous-necked Laughingthrush from Latpanchar and Bahattar (72) area. In the afternoon, list of birds were made for previous two days and assistance given for bird identification.

29th April 2018: Today we had a long way to cover (70 kilometers), as far as birding drive is concerned. Today our target species were Dollar Bird, Common Green Magpie, Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Racket-tailed Drongos etc; all the famous terai broadleaf forest birds. After crossing Shivakhola, we spotted two Dollarbirds very close to us. Pin-tailed Green Pigeons were there too. Beside Rongtong, train track, another pair of Dollarbirds was seen. Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush was spotted beside Norbong Tea Estate, almost few kilometers after; Five Great Hornbill was seen as well. We saw Black Baza as well, near the tea garden; however, we didn't have luck to see Common Green Magpie till the last hour in Rongtong. On the way back, a huge flock of Long-tailed Broadbill was seen. Participants got close up of the green beauties.

30th April 2018: This was the last full day we had. In the morning we planned to cover Mahananda and afternoon session in Nursery area. Just after starting the morning bird watching, call of Red-headed Trogon was heard. The male voice of the bird is loud and deep compared the mellow call of the female. We were dragged near the call, and the brilliantly colored male was sighted again. Around the latkothi boundary, Himalayan Cutia, Silver-eared Mesia, Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike etc were seen. After the morning birding, we returned back to home stay for lunch (we had packed breakfast) at 2 PM in the afternoon. Again we resumed birding from 3 PM in the afternoon.

Before reaching nursery area, adjacent to a bamboo thicket, we saw a Rufous Woodpecker brilliantly positioned; it is considered a rare sighting since these woodpeckers seldom come at such height (1,000 ft). Some regular birds were seen as well in the afternoon - Sultan Tit (a huge flock), Rufous-bellied Eagle, Rusty-cheeked Scimiter Babbler, Black-chinned and Whiskered Yuhina etc.

1st May 2018: We had to depart Mahananda today and had to go Pangolakha (a long drive of 3+ hours), thus as planned we had two hours of birding in hand. Started early in the morning around 5:30 AM - we continued till 7:30-8 AM and after having breakfast we drove up for next tour. In the morning session we covered Latkothi area, birds sighted were - Mountain Imperial PIgeon, Nepal Fulvetta, Black-chinned Yuhina and rare sight of Chestnut-winged Cuckoo. We drove out of greater Mahananda landscape via Ahaldara-Birik road.