Bhutan 2003 (Birdquest)

Bhutan 2003 (Birdquest) Yet another wonderful Birdquest to Bhutan, where it seems one can hardly fail to have a breath-taking birding experience, immersed in the magic of the best forests on the Asian mainland. We found four Pheasants (all on the road!) including a male Satyr Tragopan that remained in front of our bus for 31 minutes, three Ward?s Trogons, six species of Wren Babbler including good looks at three Wedge-billeds and a Long-billed, four species of Parrotbill, Black-tailed Crakes, the first Egyptian Vulture for Bhutan, Pallas?s Fish Eagles, three flocks of Fire-tailed Myzornis, Blanford?s Rosefinch, four Yellow-rumped Honeyguides, many Rufous-necked Hornbills, Solitary Snipe, 13 species of Laughingthrush, and the jewel in the crown ? Beautiful Nuthatch! Our inbound journey was blessed with clear views of up to eight of the world?s tallest peaks (according to the captain!) with Everest clearly being the daddy! We began our birding immediately upon arrival, with an Ibisbill on the river at the end of the airport car-park. Our next hit was a Black-tailed Crake, that walked out of a swamp flicking its long black tail, while Little Buntings and Hodgson?s Redstart flicked about in the bushes. As we headed for the delightfully tiny capital, we found European Wigeon and Tufted Duck on the same river as Bar-headed Geese and Crested Kingfisher. Our first morning was taken on the high pass above Thimphu, where a Satyr Tragopan male came casually ambling over a bamboo-cloaked slope. That was our second gamebird of the day, after a pair of Kalij Pheasants had joined a pair of Spotted Laughingthrushes on the roadside. The gods of these mountains must have decided that this year?s colours were green and red, because it wasn?t long before we were watching a confiding flock of stunning Fire-tailed Myzornis. We continued downhill, finding flocks of Coal, Rufous-vented, Grey Crested and Rufous-fronted Tits, Green Shrike Babbler, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, White-tailed Nuthatch, Black-faced and Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush. Dropping lower still we found Ultramarine Flycatcher and Maroon Orioles, and another Black-tailed Crake wandering about in a paddyfield. Birding beneath hillsides cloaked with beautiful forest alongside the Mo Chu river, we found Spotted Wren Babbler, Slaty-backed and Ferruginous Flycatchers, Slaty-bellied Tesia, the localised Yellow-vented Warbler, Golden-spectacled Warbler, Rufous-bellied and Mountain Hawk Eagles, and along the broad rivers we found Northern Pintail, Ruddy Shelducks, Osprey, Brown Dippers and more Ibisbills. We took to the high road, and with the blessing of Slender-billed Orioles in the hotel car-park, set off for the east across high passes to our night stop at Jakar. In spite of a long day in the bus, our birding along theway produced our first Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, White-browed Bush Robin, and Blood Pheasants that scuttled across the road. Heading once more into bamboo-rich high altitude forest, we had a lengthy look at a female Himalayan Monal strolling down the road ahead of the bus, then found vocal Collared and White-winged Grosbeaks, Snow Pigeons, Red-headed Bullfinch, Orange-flanked Bush Robins, Beautiful and Dark-rumped Rosefinches, a perky pair of Great Parrotbills and some noisy Spotted Nutcrackers. Then the (soon to become familiar) rain swept in, forcing us to take an early bath at our well-equipped camp. Beautiful mornings with clear visibility were the norm here, and our first provided Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler and Grey-sided Bush Warbler. As we drove downhill we found our fourth jay-walking pheasant species, a male Satyr Tragopan, complete with distended electric-blue throat pouch wobbling about as he ran down the road and up a side valley! We went on to see Chestnut-headed Tesia and Crimson-browed Finches, some beautiful pale-eyed Scaly Laughingthrushes crossing the road, and as we returned to our camp we hit a rather spectacular roadblock ? another male Satyr Tragopan on the road in front of the bus, and we were unable to pass for a full 31 minutes, until we finally had to nose this incredible thing off the road and down the bank! (You lucky lucky people!) Our journey down this incredible ?highway of heavenly birding? just kept getting better. We found Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Crested Goshawk, White-spectacled Warblers, more Golden-breasted Fulvettas alongside dapper Black-throated Parrotbills, Pygmy and Rufous-throated Wren Babblers and a gorgeous Sapphire Flycatcher. The first signs of an epic days birding on the Lingmethang Road came soon after breakfast at our second camp, with the shout of ?Hornbill!? Sure enough, three Rufous-necked Hornbills sat in clear view before gliding out of sight. A flock of Cutias delayed us further from getting on the bus, and then just a kilometre up the road sang a Wedge-billed Wren Babbler, which amazingly decided to show itself to us as it sang from a stem in the herbage. Further up the road we were just in time for the appearance of a pair of Ward?s Trogon. And all this before 8am! The mountains continued to work their magic, with flocks of Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills and Rusty-fronted Barwings, White-naped Yuhina, Brown Bullfinches and Yellow-rumped Honeyguides, Yellow-throated Fulvetta, Black-faced and Grey-cheeked Warbler and Pale Blue Flycatcher. Incredibly, we saw another two Wedge-billed Wren Babblers, which decided to emerge from the herbage and treat us to some more looks of this massively rare bird! Inevitably the birds needed some time off after a day like that, but we still kept finding them. A Long-billed Wren Babbler sang loudly from the roadside and allowed a quick look, White-gorgetted Flycatchers and Lesser Shortwings sang from the undergrowth, we had a good look at Black-eared Shrike Babbler, Brown-throated Treecreeper, and a brief view of a Pygmy Blue Flycatcher. Dropping lower in altitude revealed many more birds, and we had a memorable morning with Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes and Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babblers, an elusive Spotted Wren Babbler, Lesser Yellownapes, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatches, Black-chinned and Striated Yuhina, Drongo Cuckoo, Blue-throated Flycatcher and our first Forktail of the trip in the form of a Slaty-backed, showing nicely on a mountain river. Our camp was usually surrounded by birds too, and here we added Large Hawk Cuckoo, White-browed Shrike Babbler, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Black-throated Tits and Barred Cuckoo Dove, before it was time to head back uphill and off to the west. It was a rewarding journey that saw us delayed by such delights as Grey-sided Laughingthrush, another stunning male Ward?s Trogon, Little Forktail, Black-headed Shrike Babbler, Broad-billed Warbler and Speckled Woodpigeon. Higher up in the moss-drenched fir forest, a strange song drew us to a pair of Blanford?s Rosefinches, and a pair of stunning Blood Pheasants crept along at the roadside. Onwards to Jakar and a soft bed, we paused only to look at some Brown Parrotbills singing in the bamboo. Blessed with clear weather and mountain vistas, on the Yutong La we found more of both Brown and Great Parrotbills, Fire-tailed Myzornis, and a lone Solitary Snipe trying to look furtive as it sat in full sunlight by the road. We headed southwards to our next camp and the rich forests of Shemgang finding a migrant Eurasian Hobby en-route, and gangs of Golden Langurs and Assamese Macaques scrambled off the roadsides at our approach. Our camp was within sight of a treetop nest of a Pallas?s Fish Eagle, and occasionally the adult or a juvenile could be seen sitting on a swaying branch. Birding the lower altitude forest we found Red-headed Trogon, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush, Chestnut-winged Cuckoo, Ashy, Black-crested and White-throated Bulbuls, Pin-tailed and Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons and Grey-throated Babblers. Retreating to cooler higher levels we searched for the leaders ?mojo?, missing since 2000. And suddenly there it was, calling from a dead tree - Beautiful Nuthatch! We found four in all, and had lots of time to apprechiate the full pulchritude of this stunning bird. We also found Sultan Tit, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Grey-bellied, Eurasian, Oriental and Asian Emerald Cuckoos, more Rufous-necked Hornbills and a single Great Hornbill. An Indian Blue Robin sang from a thicket until it was lured out, pausing on its way to its breeding grounds higher up. On a bright morning we travelled north, accompanied by Steppe Eagles and Oriental Honey Buzzards heading the same way. A stunning Himalayan Griffon soared around Shemgang Dzong, harried by a local Peregrine Falcon. We found another Yellow-rumped Honeyguide on our return to Tongsa, where Russet Bush Warblers sang from the hotel garden. Heading homeward we paused on the Pele La where Spotted Laughingthrushes sang sweetly, another Great Parrotbill emerged from the bamboo, and on an early drive to Paro airport we had a splendid look at a Grey Nightjar sitting on the road. The time to depart this magical kingdom always arrives too soon, but we had certainly experienced the magic of spring in these enchanted forests.

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