Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015 www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-0514 [email protected]Page 1 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour BHUTAN AND KAZIRANGA 1-26 April 2015 TOUR LEADER: JOSH ENGEL Photos by Josh Engel and Jean Halford One of Bhutan’s most sought-after birds is Ward’s Trogon, a rare denizen of high-quality forests in the eastern Himalayas.
27
Embed
A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE tour BHUTAN … Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015 +1-409-515-0514 [email protected] Page 1 A Tropical Birding SET DEPARTURE
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
Taxonomy follows the Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, through the 2014 update. Birds marked with a “K” were
seen only on the Kaziranga (India) pre-trip. Birds marked with an “H” were heard-only. In Bhutan, we recorded 338
species, including 14 heard-only. On the Kaziranga pre-trip, we recorded 182 species, including 4 heard only. The total
trip list was 437 species, including 17 heard-only.
Lesser Whistling-Duck (K) - Dendrocygna javanica
Graylag Goose (K) - Anser anser
Bar-headed Goose (K) - Anser indicus
Ruddy Shelduck - Tadorna ferruginea
Common Shelduck (K) - Tadorna tadorna
Cotton Pygmy-Goose (K) - Nettapus coromandelianus
Gadwall (K) - Anas strepera
Eurasian Wigeon - Anas penelope
Mallard (K) - Anas platyrhynchos
Indian Spot-billed Duck (K) - Anas poecilorhyncha
Northern Shoveler - Anas clypeata
Northern Pintail - Anas acuta
Garganey (K) - Anas querquedula
Green-winged Teal (K) - Anas crecca
Common Merganser - Mergus merganser
Swamp Francolin (K, VU) - Francolinus gularis
A Kaziranga specialty that we saw just once and heard several other times.
Hill Partridge - Arborophila torqueola Some of the group actually got views of this very difficult-to-see species when we flushed one from the roadside and it scurried away through the bamboo understory.
We had many excellent views of this high-altitude specialist.
Satyr Tragopan (NT)- Tragopan satyra Surely one of the world’s most beautiful birds, we had stunning views of several males, including one running up a rocky hillside and another feeding on the edge of a forest clearing.
Himalayan Monal - Lophophorus impejanus Another outrageously beautiful pheasant, this one gave us the run-around. We finally found a beautiful male at the 11th hour right by the side of the road—on the last birding day of the trip. Red Junglefowl (K) - Gallus gallus It’s always a joy to watch these beautiful pheasants in Kaziranga, where they have the habit of picking insects out of piles of elephant dung.
Kalij Pheasant - Lophura leucomelanos
Several nice views of two different subspecies.
Eared Grebe - Podiceps nigricollis The first record for Bhutan! We found a breeding-plumaged individual in a small natural lake near Pelela. This is the third first country record for Bhutan found on Tropical Birding tours.
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
One of many rare and declining waterbirds that is still common in Kaziranga.
Lesser Adjutant (K, VU) - Leptoptilos javanicus
Greater Adjutant (K, EN) - Leptoptilos dubius A bird whose numbers have declined severely across its range, it is still easy to find in Kaziranga and we had great views several times.
Cinnamon Bittern - Ixobrychus cinnamomeus A major surprise was finding this species near Gelephu in Bhutan, where there may only be one previous record.
Gray Heron - Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron (K) - Ardea purpurea
Great Egret (K) - Ardea alba
Intermediate Egret (K) - Mesophoyx intermedia Little Egret - Egretta garzetta Common as always in Kaziranga, but more unusual was a bird flying around the sewage ponds in Thimphu.
Another one of the threatened Asian waterbirds that is easy to see in Kaziranga.
Osprey (K) - Pandion haliaetus
Black-shouldered Kite (K) - Elanus caeruleus
Lammergeier (NT) - Gypaetus barbatus One of the Bhutan highlights was our incredible, prolonged views of a Lammergeier flying around Pelela, with a stunningly clear view of the Himalayas as the backdrop.
Oriental Honey-buzzard (K) - Pernis ptilorhynchus
Jerdon's Baza (K) - Aviceda jerdoni
A great surprise and a lifer for the guide was a pair of Jerdon’s Baza in a forest near Kaziranga.
Black Baza (K) - Aviceda leuphotes
Slender-billed Vulture (K, CR) - Gyps tenuirostris Vulture numbers have declined precipitously in India, so any vulture sighting is a bonus. We were pleased to have a pair of Slender-billed Vultures fly over us as soon as we arrived in Kaziranga.
Himalayan Griffon (NT) - Gyps himalayensis
Crested Serpent-Eagle - Spilornis cheela
Changeable Hawk-Eagle (K) - Nisaetus limnaeetus
Mountain Hawk-Eagle - Nisaetus nipalensis
Rufous-bellied Eagle - Lophotriorchis kienerii
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
Because of the extensive forest and lack of persecution, forest dwelling raptors are numerous in Bhutan, including this beautiful eagle.
Black Eagle - Ictinaetus malaiensis
Greater Spotted Eagle (K, VU) - Clanga clanga On our final morning in Kaziranga, the sun was shining and raptors came out to play including several Greater Spotted Eagles.
Steppe Eagle (K) - Aquila nipalensis
Crested Goshawk - Accipiter trivirgatus
Imperial Eagle (K, VU) – Aquila heliaca
Shikra (K) - Accipiter badius
Besra - Accipiter virgatus
Eurasian Sparrowhawk - Accipiter nisus
Black Kite - Milvus migrans
Pallas's Fish-Eagle (VU)- Haliaeetus leucoryphus After seeing several in Kaziranga, we had great views of one that appeared to be migrating in central Bhutan.
There were many of this beautiful shorebird along the river near Gelephu.
River Tern (K, NT) - Sterna aurantia
A beautiful tern that is still common in Kaziranga.
Rock Pigeon - Columba livia
Snow Pigeon - Columba leuconota Wonderful views of a flock on a distant cliff-face. It was quite a lucky sighting—we stopped for the Alpine Accentors on the roadside and spotted these after getting out to photograph the accentors.
Speckled Wood-Pigeon - Columba hodgsonii
Great views of a flock near Thimphu.
Oriental Turtle-Dove - Streptopelia orientalis
Red Collared-Dove - Streptopelia tranquebarica
Spotted Dove - Streptopelia chinensis
Barred Cuckoo-Dove - Macropygia unchall
Thick-billed Pigeon (K) - Treron curvirostra
Yellow-footed Pigeon (K) - Treron phoenicopterus
Pin-tailed Pigeon - Treron apicauda
Wedge-tailed Pigeon - Treron sphenurus
Green Imperial-Pigeon - Ducula aenea
Mountain Imperial-Pigeon - Ducula badia
Large Hawk-Cuckoo - Hierococcyx sparverioides
Common Hawk-Cuckoo - Hierococcyx varius
Great views of one near Gelephu.
Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo (H)- Hierococcyx nisicolor
Indian Cuckoo (H) - Cuculus micropterus
Common Cuckoo - Cuculus canorus
Himalayan Cuckoo - Cuculus saturatus
Plaintive Cuckoo - Cacomantis merulinus
Asian Emerald Cuckoo - Chrysococcyx maculatus
We had prolonged views of one sitting in a bare treetop as we searched for Beautiful Nuthatch.
Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo - Surniculus lugubris
Asian Koel - Eudynamys scolopaceus
Green-billed Malkoha - Phaenicophaeus tristis
Greater Coucal - Centropus sinensis
Lesser Coucal - Centropus bengalensis
Mountain Scops-Owl (H) - Otus spilocephalus
Collared Scops-Owl (H) - Otus lettia
Collared Owlet (H) - Glaucidium brodiei
Asian Barred Owlet - Glaucidium cuculoides
Spotted Owlet (K) - Athene brama
Himalayan Owl (H) - Strix nivicolum
Gray Nightjar - Caprimulgus jotaka
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
We had some great views of this striking, particularly aerodynamic swift over our hotel in Paro.
Himalayan Swiftlet - Aerodramus brevirostris
Blyth's Swift - Apus leuconyx
House Swift - Apus nipalensis
Asian Palm-Swift - Cypsiurus balasiensis
Ward's Trogon (NT) - Harpactes wardi There were some tense moments as we searched for the persistently singing trogon, but Peter finally spotted it and we had wonderful views of a female singing from the bamboo.
Our best views of this immense hornbill were in Kaziranga.
Rufous-necked Hornbill (VU) - Aceros nipalensis We had many great views of this species, which is still common in Bhutan despite becoming rare due to deforestation and hunting across much of its range.
Wreathed Hornbill - Aceros undulatus
Coppersmith Barbet - Psilopogon haemacephalus
Blue-eared Barbet (K) - Psilopogon duvaucelii
Great Barbet - Psilopogon virens
Lineated Barbet (K) - Psilopogon lineatus
Golden-throated Barbet - Psilopogon franklinii
Blue-throated Barbet - Psilopogon asiaticus
Yellow-rumped Honeyguide (NT) - Indicator xanthonotus After being told by our local guide that we couldn’t stop near the beehives because it was too dangerous, he changed his tune when we spotted a honeyguide right there! And the bees were fortunately calm at the time, so we got great views.
Speckled Piculet - Picumnus innominatus White-browed Piculet - Sasia ochracea We had amazing, close looks at one, ranking as one of my favorite birds of the trip.
Gray-capped Woodpecker - Dendrocopos canicapillus
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker - Dendrocopos macei
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker - Dendrocopos hyperythrus It’s always a treat to see this unusual looking woodpecker, we watched and photographed a pair for several minutes near Dochula.
Black-rumped Flameback - Dinopium benghalense We got lucky with one as we waited for our paperwork to clear at the Indian immigration checkpoint on our way into Bhutan!
Another “while we waited” bird, this time while waiting for our morning tickets into Kaziranga.
Eurasian Kestrel (K) - Falco tinnunculus
Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus
Alexandrine Parakeet (NT) - Psittacula eupatria
Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri
Blossom-headed Parakeet (K, NT) - Psittacula roseata The least common of the four parakeets, we had very nice views on our first wildlife drive in Kaziranga.
Red-breasted Parakeet (NT) - Psittacula alexandri
Long-tailed Broadbill - Psarisomus dalhousiae
After hearing them many times, we finally got views of a distant bird near Shemgang.
Blue-naped Pitta (K, H) - Hydrornis nipalensis
Large Woodshrike (K) - Tephrodornis gularis
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike - Hemipus picatus
Ashy Woodswallow - Artamus fuscus
Common Iora (K) - Aegithina tiphia
Gray-chinned Minivet - Pericrocotus solaris
Short-billed Minivet - Pericrocotus brevirostris
Long-tailed Minivet - Pericrocotus ethologus
Scarlet Minivet - Pericrocotus speciosus
Large Cuckooshrike - Coracina macei
Black-winged Cuckooshrike - Lalage melaschistos
Brown Shrike - Lanius cristatus
Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach
Gray-backed Shrike - Lanius tephronotus
Blyth's Shrike-Babbler - Pteruthius aeralatus
Green Shrike-Babbler - Pteruthius xanthochlorus
Black-eared Shrike-Babbler - Pteruthius melanotis
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
It was a bit of a surprise to find several of these scarce larks in the riverbed near Gelephu.
Oriental Skylark - Alauda gulgula The high elevation lark in the Himalayas, we had nice views of birds displaying and on the ground in one of the country’s dry central valleys.
It’s always a treat to see this massive, colorful tit. We had great views several times.
Black-throated Tit - Aegithalos concinnus
Black-browed Tit - Aegithalos iouschistos
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch - Sitta cinnamoventris
White-tailed Nuthatch - Sitta himalayensis
Beautiful Nuthatch (H, VU)- Sitta formosa This guy gave us the run-around this trip. We heard it once and we found several mixed flocks in exactly the right areas, but never could find one to give us a view.
Hodgson's Treecreeper - Certhia hodgsoni
Rusty-flanked Treecreeper - Certhia nipalensis
Sikkim Treecreeper - Certhia discolor
Eurasian Wren - Troglodytes troglodytes
Brown Dipper - Cinclus pallasii
Striated Bulbul - Pycnonotus striatus
Black-crested Bulbul - Pycnonotus flaviventris
Red-vented Bulbul - Pycnonotus cafer
Red-whiskered Bulbul - Pycnonotus jocosus
Himalayan Bulbul - Pycnonotus leucogenys
White-throated Bulbul - Alophoixus flaveolus
Black Bulbul - Hypsipetes leucocephalus
Ashy Bulbul - Hemixos flavala
Mountain Bulbul - Ixos mcclellandii
Scaly-breasted Cupwing - Pnoepyga albiventer
Most of the group had very nice views of one near Yotongla.
Pygmy Cupwing - Pnoepyga pusilla After hearing it several times, we had great views along the roadside. One even snuck through a culvert to get to the other side of the road—where it ended up giving us great views.
Gray-bellied Tesia - Tesia cyaniventer
Slaty-bellied Tesia - Tesia olivea
We had such good views of this skulker that we could see its orange mouth lining!
Gray-sided Bush-Warbler - Cettia brunnifrons
Chestnut-headed Tesia - Cettia castaneocoronata After hearing many, we finally had nice views of a very responsive individual in a mess of bamboo near Thimphu.
Black-faced Warbler - Abroscopus schisticeps
Mountain Tailorbird - Phyllergates cucullatus
Broad-billed Warbler (H) – Tickellia hodgsoni
Brownish-flanked Bush-Warbler - Horornis fortipes
Dusky Warbler (K) - Phylloscopus fuscatus
Tickell's Leaf Warbler - Phylloscopus affinis
Buff-barred Warbler - Phylloscopus pulcher
Ashy-throated Warbler - Phylloscopus maculipennis
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
Golden-breasted Fulvetta - Lioparus chrysotis We eked out nice views of this beautiful little guy as we were chasing around Chestnut-headed Tesia near Thimphu.
White-browed Fulvetta - Fulvetta vinipectus
Great Parrotbill - Conostoma oemodium
We had very nice views—and very loud “heards”--of this hulking parrotbill near Thrumsingla.
Brown Parrotbill - Cholornis unicolor After several failed attempts, we came across a very cooperative flock at the botanical gardens at Dochula.
Gray-headed Parrotbill - Psittiparus gularis A first for our Bhutan tour, we had nice views of a pair of these with a laughingthrush flock near Tama Camp.
White-breasted Parrotbill - Psittiparus ruficeps
We had great views several times of these lethargic bamboo-lovers.
Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler (H) - Pomatorhinus superciliaris We found one singing right next to the road, but a truck came by and scared it off before we could get a view.
Red-faced Liocichla - Liocichla phoenicea After several failed attempts, we found one hopping around on the road at a most unexpected time, giving us unlimited views of its red patches.
Hoary-throated Barwing - Actinodura nipalensis
Rusty-fronted Barwing - Actinodura egertoni
Blue-winged Minla - Actinodura cyanouroptera
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
One of Kaziranga’s key passerines, we had great views in one of the forested areas.
Pale Blue-Flycatcher - Cyornis unicolor
Blue-throated Flycatcher - Cyornis rubeculoides
Large Niltava - Niltava grandis
Small Niltava - Niltava macgrigoriae
Rufous-bellied Niltava - Niltava sundara
Pygmy Blue-Flycatcher - Muscicapella hodgsoni We heard many of these diminutive flycatchers before finally seeing one on a side road on our way to Thimphu.
Verditer Flycatcher - Eumyias thalassinus
Lesser Shortwing (H) - Brachypteryx leucophrys
Indian Blue Robin - Larvivora brunnea One of the last passerines to arrive on their breeding grounds, we found it only on the very last day of the tour.
Blue Whistling-Thrush - Myophonus caeruleus
Little Forktail - Enicurus scouleri
Spotted Forktail - Enicurus maculatus
White-tailed Robin (H) - Cinclidium leucurum
Himalayan Bluetail - Tarsiger rufilatus
Rufous-breasted Bush-Robin - Tarsiger hyperythrus Another first for a Tropical Birding Bhutan tour, we had very nice views of a pair near Thrumsingla.
We had brief views of this uncommon species near Sengor.
Western Yellow Wagtail (K) - Motacilla flava
Citrine Wagtail (K) - Motacilla citreola
Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea
White Wagtail - Motacilla alba We saw both the abundant breeding subspecies alboides, with its black head and white mask, as well as the migrant leucopsis, with its black cap and throat and white face.
White-browed Wagtail - Motacilla madaraspatensis
A pair of this Indian subcontinent endemic was in the river near Gelephu.
Oriental Pipit - Anthus rufulus
Rosy Pipit - Anthus roseatus
Olive-backed Pipit - Anthus hodgsoni
Spotted Elachura - Elachura formosa
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015
Recently “elevated” to its own family, we had very nice views of this little skulker—formerly considered a wren-babbler—in the forest below Tamala.
Crested Bunting - Melophus lathami Little Bunting - Emberiza pusilla We saw just one individual of this migrant, in a clearing along the Upper Lingmethang Road.
Plain Mountain-Finch - Leucosticte nemoricola
Gold-naped Finch - Pyrrhoplectes epauletta
We had great views of a male of this uncommon finch with a mixed flock near Sengor.
Crimson-browed Finch - Pinicola subhimachala
Seen a couple of times this year.
Red-headed Bullfinch - Pyrrhula erythrocephala
Seen a couple of times, best was a wonderful male near Thrumsingla.
Blanford's Rosefinch - Carpodacus rubescens
A rare, unpredictable species, we had excellent views near Thrumsingla.
A pair was first seen near Yotongla, then was common at Chelela.
Scarlet Finch - Haematospiza sipahi
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch - Chloris spinoides
Red Crossbill - Loxia curvirostra
We had great views of a male singing at eye level near Sengor.
Collared Grosbeak - Mycerobas affinis
Often a tough one to find, we had great views of a female near Thrumsingla.
Spot-winged Grosbeak - Mycerobas melanozanthos
We found several flocks feeding quietly that allowed us prolonged views of both sexes. White-winged Grosbeak - Mycerobas carnipes We didn’t see this striking finch until our final morning of birding, in the snowy environment of Chelela.
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Russet Sparrow - Passer rutilans
Eurasian Tree Sparrow - Passer montanus
Baya Weaver (K) - Ploceus philippinus
Scaly-breasted Munia - Lonchura punctulata
MAMMAL LIST
Tropical Birding Trip Report Bhutan and Kaziranga: April 2015