Northeast India; Day 21 - Namdapha National Park & Dihing Patkai National Park

  Today would be our final day in India, but most of the day would be spent travelling to the airport from our lodging in Namdapha National Park. Our guides, and the information we had, suggested it could take up to six hours, so in order to be safe for our 14:20 flight we left the National Park at 05:15, but this meant we had the exciting experience of driving through the extensively forested National Park before sunrise. Sadly, no interesting mammals materialised but as daylight broke, as we made a couple of stops of park formalities, we picked up a few birds including our first Coppersmith Barbet of the trip, and a small group of Ashy-headed Green Pigeons.

  Our progress on the road was very good, and so we could afford time for a short stop in an area of forest near Dihing Patkai National Park to maybe have a chance to pick out some of the targets that we had missed. In the hour that we spent there we managed to get a few interesting birds, such as a Small Niltava and Little Spiderhunter, but sadly I missed the Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush that made a frustratingly brief appearance, one of the main targets for this site. Still, it was nice to be able to get some final birding done on the trip.

  In the end we arrived at the airport at 11:20, three hours early for our flight and leaving us with plenty of time to get ourselves organised. This was only the first flight of the day, flying from Dibrugarh Airport near Tinsukia to Delhi. Then we had an eight hour stop in Delhi, before our flight back to Europe at 03:00 the following day, taking us to Frankfurt. It would not be until 17:00 on the 13^th that I would finally arrive back in Manchester, after a very enjoyable trip. 

Northeast India; Day 20 - Namdapha National Park

  For our final full day in India, and our last day birding on this trip, we had a relaxed walk up and down the road in the Namdapha National Park. Although we had a few species we wanted to target, we thought that a day of bumping into mixed flocks would turn up the majority. But we were wrong, as the day was really quite slow on the birding front and we only managed a couple of our targets.

  Over the course of the day we managed to find both the Pale-headed Woodpecker and the White-tailed Flycatcher. Our planning on bumping into mixed species flocks did not transpire as we had hoped, with only a few Yellow-bellied Warblers and a few different Yuhina species encountered. Our main target was the Snowy-throated Babbler which is nearly endemic to the park. Sadly over the full day we only heard a couple of individuals distantly, with one other coming close but not showing well.

  On the mammal front we did a little better. In the early morning we had a small group of at least four Otter species playing in the rapids on the river below, but they were distant and identification was not possible. Still they were fun to watch as they were running around and sitting on the rocks. There was another new mammal species for me with Northern Treeshrew which was feeding on a fruiting tree. And then at night, as we rounded off the day, we had another showing of the Giant Red Flying Squirrel. Additionally there was a Muntjac Deer calling somewhere in the forest, but not close enough to find and we did not venture into the woodland due to the possibility of a large cat on the prowl. 

Northeast India; Day 19 - Namdapha National Park

  For our second full day in Namdapha National Park we had hired a 4x4 from the forest rangers, for the small price of 4000 rupees. This would allow us to go further into the park than we had the previous day, and as such give us access to other areas where we might be able to search for the heron, including another watchtower at the 32^nd mile that overlooked a large area of floodplain with main braids in the river, although the tower was over a kilometre from the river.

  The first port of call we made was to the same watchtower as the previous day, but a quick check here showed no sign of the heron. Rather than waiting for the bird here we continued on our way as it would take us more than an hour to reach the 32^nd Mile Watchtower. This ended up taking even longer thanks to our car getting stuck in the mud for around 10 minutes, and a few birding stops thanks to an Oriental Hobby and a flock of Long-tailed Broadbills that flew across the road. This second stop also produced a short birding walk and we also had a mixed flock of Common Hill Myna and a few female Golden-crested Myna.

  Once we finally reached the watchtower it was already 09:00 and our hopes to another blow when we spotted a group of forest rangers camping on the side of the river. Given the herons complete aversion to humans, this did not bode well and despite scanning all we could see for a good half an hour, we decided to carry on up the road in the hopes of finding other viewpoints from which to check.

  Our next port of call was just a few kilometres further, although it took time to get there thanks to the state of the road. Although the viewshed of the river was impressive, it was very distant. Sadly once again we failed to find the heron despite our best efforts. It had also begun to rain which dampened the mood further. Fortunately they were lifted a little by a lively mixed-species flock that passed through, containing one of the targets of the site with Brown-crowned Scimitar Babbler which showed well but always on the move. Perhaps more entertaining was a group of Yellow-bellied Warblers, once of which had seemingly bitten the rump of another and was being dragged around as the first bird flew between the bushes in attempt to dislodge the attack.

  Because the next viewpoint was quite some drive away, and the condition of the road had taken its toll on our optimism, we decided to return to the 32^nd Mile Watchtower and scan from there for the rest of the day. The rangers had since moved on but our initial scans did not pick anything out, so we settled in for the rest of the day. Fortunately, not too much time later, I was scanning when I picked out an odd shaped tall rock sitting in the rapids. It took a second to process, but there it was. The White-bellied Heron! All hell broke loose! I quickly announced that I had the bird, much to the aggrievance of Max who had left the tower for wee, and made tracks to set the other scopes onto the bird and grab some photos. But maddeningly, before most people could get onto it, the bird took off and started flying downriver. Whilst I was able to grab some precious photos, it was lost behind the forest as it flew!

  The direction of the bird should have meant we would have picked it up coming out on the other side of the trees, but we never did. To us, this meant that it must have landed on the river within the 200 metre stretch obscured by the trees. It was a nervous wait, but after 40 minutes I again spotted it perched in another area of rapids exactly where we had expected to find it. With relief all round we could all now watch the bird in a more relaxed setting, which we did for the best part of 90 minutes. It spent a lot of time not doing much, but at times we could see it preening and walking around, although obviously always distant. Still, we were thrilled to have seen the bird, our main target for this section of the trip and one of two species that we had developed the itinerary for. We were over the moon!

  After 90 minutes we were very satisfied with our morning, so began the long journey back, knowing that there would be a few stops along the way for various birds. However, our first stop was a more unexpected and unwanted; with a car stuck in the area we had been unable to clear earlier in the morning. Although we had struggled to get out of the ditch, this vehicle was fully entrenched in the mud, holding up two vehicles already when we arrived.

  Gauging that this was going to take some time, our guide suggested we continuing walking along the road for a kilometre and a half to our actual intended destination where there was a bridge over a river with a good stakeout for Blyths Kingfisher. When we reached the river there was no sign of the bird, and walking down the river to check behind the corner produced the same result. However we waited, with Little Forktails and Slaty-backed Forktails for company, during which time our car made it through the mud and joined us. After a short break back at the car we returned to the bridge and were rewarded with excellent but brief views of the Kingfisher as it perched up on a rock in front of us for a few seconds before it did a 180 and flew back upriver.

  And with that we continued our journey back to camp, arriving after dark having completed an absolutely brilliant day having connected with our main target. 

Northeast India; Day 18 - Namdapha National Park

  The quest for the White-bellied Heron really began today! We started our day at 05:00 but at that point it was still dark so we spent a little time scanning the river from the Deban Forest Camp, before we headed down to the beach where we had searched the previous evening and checked around the corner. However, after half an hour there our guide decided that it was time for a change of location and that we would travel further into the National Park to a watchtower that overlooked another section of the river.

  And from that watchtower we waited, and watched, until 12:30. In the morning sun it was pretty brutal and once again we had no joy with the heron, entertaining ourselves with the limited other species there were on offer. Hill Prinia was a good species for India, although it was common around the tower. Overhead we had a few Himalayan Griffon Vultures and a pair of Wreathed Hornbills, as well as close encounters with Orange-bellied Leafbird and Streaked Spiderhunter. However it was a disappointing and frustrating few hours as our optimism slowly faded away.

  After lunch back at the Deban Forest Camp, at around 14:30 we returned to the river beach here, but this time crossed the bamboo bridge and began exploring the other side of the river where we had not visited. Although it did not offer much in the way of new river areas to check for the heron, the variety was appreciated and we were rewarded with a few interesting species. The highlight was undoubtedly three Ibisbill feeding in the rocks in front of us. In addition we had a nice flock of around 70 Pin-tailed Green Pigeons, perched more open than yesterdays birds but also more distant, and a Blue Rock Thrush enjoying the rocky habitat. And we did not find the White-bellied Heron.

  In the evening we had more fun with the same mammal species we had seen the previous evening, with another nice showing from the Masked Palm Civet and more frustratingly quick views of the Particoloured Flying Squirrel. In the Giant Red Flying Squirrel tree we found three individuals all feeding at the same time, licking sap from different bits of the tree. They were not as low as the individual the previous evening (assuming one of them was that individual) but it was still great to see, and in addition we also got to see one of them fly, which was very impressive.

 

Northeast India; Day 17 - Namdapha National Park

  Having met our new guide the previous evening, we set off from Tinsukia at 06:00 and made our way to our next and final destination: the Namdapha National Park. This was a journey of a few hours, and with a logistical stop for supplies and the necessary paperwork to enter the Arunachal Pradesh state, we did not reach the park entrance gate until 10:30.

  Fortunately our first stop within the park was not far from the gate, as we walked a stretch of river hoping to find the Blyths Kingfisher. While we failed to find this main target, we still had some enjoyable birding with four different species of Forktail on just this short stretch of river; Little, Black-backed, Slate-crowned and finally White-crowned. Much of our time here was spent photographing the multiple species of stunning butterflies frequenting the riverbank whilst we were there. And just as we were leaving we had a small group of Assam Macaque on the other side of the river, although they did not show well. This was our most achievable mammal target for this site, so was a good to see so early into our time here.

  It was almost midday when we left the river but we continued to search for targets as we drove along the road towards our lodging deep in the camp forest. First a fruiting tree proved very productive with common species, but also plenty of Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, one of the few Green Pigeon species we needed for the trip and a tricky one to connect with. A little further along the road, at a known spot, we tried and succeeded in finding the Austen’s Brown Hornbill, although they were always distant and never showed well. And finally, just before the camp, we had a pair of Western Hoolock Gibbon.

  Our camp, the Deban Forest Camp, was very nice, situated right on the border of the river where we would search for our main target; the White-bellied Heron. Unfortunately the strategy for this bird was not very exciting, and so we spent the rest of our afternoon staking out the river just around the corner from the site. We did not find the heron, but we had allowed three full days to see it so all was not lost on this first evening failure. We did have our first Crested Kingfisher of the trip, as well as two distant flyover Wreathed Hornbills.

  At night we had a fantastic time exploring the camp. We knew that there was a good probability to see Giant Red Flying Squirrel in one of the trees near the lodging, but when the time came we were absolutely not prepared for just how well we would see the animal, as it licked sap from the tree, at times as low as eye-level, whilst being completely unfussed by the light we were shining on it. In the end we were able to spend around half an hour with it, before we left it to its own devices. Although Tiger was undoubtedly the best animal we will see on this trip, this was arguably a better mammal encounter, watching it so close feeding on its own accord and without dozens of vehicles causing chaos around us.

  That was not the end of the excitement for the evening, as we also found another Giant Red Flying Squirrel at the top of a nearby tree although nowhere near as well. In the same tree we had a hyperactive Particolored Flying Squirrel which was much more difficult to get on to and not possible to photograph well. And then later, once again in the same tree, we found a Masked Palm Civet which showed very nicely as well. A brilliant end to the day, leaving us very excited for the next few days in this National Park would hold. 

Northeast India; Day 16 - Dihing Patkai National Park

  Todays plan was to spend the full day exploring the Dihing Patkai National Park, mopping up the targets we had missed on our previous visit here, of which there were only a handful, but the park promised some nice general birding with an outside chance of an interesting mammal species on the quiet forest roads. The day certainly started well when we spotted two White-winged Ducks flying away as we drove down the road early in the morning.

  Our first port of call was a clearing just off the main road, which we had visited on our previous visit but failed to find the target; the Pale-capped Pigeon. This was never going to be the most stunning bird, but fortunately it did not make us wait too long, and whilst we were waiting I had a new species of Forktail, with a White-crowned Forktail on the small trickle of water there, along with two Black-backed Forktail.

  After this early success we headed into the main National Park but this is where the day started to slow down, with very little seen. Despite our best efforts, we failed to locate our main targets and birding generally was very slow, probably the slowest of our entire trip thus far. We had a nice male Western Hoolock Gibbon to liven things up, but otherwise very little of note occurred.

  After lunch we tried another area on the outskirts of the park where our main target, the Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush had been seen a few days prior. Again despite our best efforts we could not get even a sniff of this species and although livelier than the morning, we still laboured with birding in general. A pair of Velvet-fronted Nuthatch and our first Oriental Turtle Dove were the most noteworthy species we managed to record.

  In the evening we said goodbye to Papu, our guide for the trip thus far, due to him being pre-booked for another tour. An excellent guide and fun to have around, he made a huge contribution to our trip. We were introduced to our new guide Palap over dinner, before we tackled the last few days our the trip. 

Northeast India; Day 15 - Jia Grasslands & Tensukia

  We returned to the Jia Grasslands early in the morning and spent the first part of the day here exploring. The day was overcast, and even started raining as we were leaving. The area we explored was different to the area we had visited the previous day, and this did unfortunately mean that we missed out on some good potential bunting hunting, with a flyover male Black-faced Bunting the only one I was able to clinch with the camera, but sadly not likely to be much use when it comes to birding in the UK.

  Our targets proved tricky to get hold of, with the only main target we were able to find being Spot-throated Scimitar Babbler, with the Jerdon’s Babbler not showing at all. The Scimitar Babbler on the other hand showed very well, and we also had another species with White-browed Scimitar Babbler, which was new for me. And to complete the new babblers I picked up in the morning, there was also some very showy Striated Babblers. The Black-breasted Parrotbill that we had first seen yesterday showed much better today, although it was still a little tricky to get hold of.

  We left the site mid-morning, fairly satisfied with our work and ready to drive back to the town of Tinsukia, with a few stops on the way. The first of these was a brilliant roost of Indian Flying Foxes. Unlike last time when I saw these massive bats, these were actively flying around despite it being daylight, and we got some incredible views of them as they circled low over the bamboo they were roosting in.

  Next we stopped off at a small forest fragment not far from Tinsukia itself, where our guide knew to check for Rusty-bellied Shortwing. We had initially planned for this species at Namdapha National Park, our final stop, but had just learned playback was not allowed there, so had to make this quick change in our itinerary. It did not take too long to track down an individual, although it did not show especially openly, always skulking in the undergrowth. A nice bonus bird here was Slaty-bellied Tesia, which showed much better but was too quick for photos.

  After lunch we headed to Baghjan Grasslands on the shores of the mighty Brahmaputra river, bordering the forested island of the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park. In the middle of the sandy beach there was an area of grassland that held a last chance for a few of the birds we had missed in the morning. We failed to find any, but I had a new species regardless when we picked up a Sand Lark on the beach. The afternoon peaked during the evening however, with a spectacular roost of wagtails all heading upriver. Although it was impossible to judge the species ratio due to the numbers, the bulk where White Wagtails and Eastern Yellow Wagtails, and they numbered in the thousands! It was truly fantastic to witness! 

Northeast India; Day 14 - Mishmi Hills & Jia Grasslands

  Today would be our final attempt to see the Scalters Monal high up at Mayudiya Pass. This time the 02:30 start really was a struggle, and the entire drive up the mountain was an ordeal that improved significantly when a Mainland Leopard Cat ran across the road in front of us. Although too quick for photos, the pattern and size were clear even as it ran. That certainly helped wake us up, but sadly the day peaked at that point. Once again, despite the addition of cloud cover for the morning, there was not a sniff of the Monal, meaning that we were set to leave the trip without our main target!

  Still we persevered with birding. At the higher altitude there were few species left for us to find, but a few nice mixed-species flocks kept things interesting and one of them contained a new bird for me with Black-eared Shrike-Babbler, although it was difficult to keep track of in the mobile flock. Lower down we had more mixed species flocks, and here I had two more new birds, although common species that I had just never connected with before; Lesser Raquet-tailed Drongo and Lesser Yellownape. Other goodies at this stage included Golden Babbler, Rufous-backed Sibia and Slaty-backed Forktail.

  We had a short break for lunch early in the afternoon, before we headed out for the end-of-the-day session. This time we returned to the Jia Grasslands, which had been a frustrating experience before but this time fared better. The two main targets that we found were the Black-breasted Parrotbill which was elusive and difficult to see, and then Marsh Babbler which showed brilliantly well. In addition we were constantly surrounded by the calls of Black-faced Bunting, which was another new species for me when I finally got onto a female in the vegetation. We will return to this site in the morning to pick up our remaining targets before we head off from Mishmi Hills. 

Northeast India; Day 13 - Mishmi Hills

  For the second day in a row, we awoke at 02:30 and headed up the mountains in Mishmi Hills to try to find the Sclaters Monal. But once again luck was not on our side, despite being joined by three additional Indian birders, there was no Monal to be seen or heard. The weather was at least not as perishingly cold, or so it seemed, so that was a silver lining. But by 06:00 it was already clear the bird was not coming, so we continued with the days birding.

  We continued to bird the upland area until our breakfast time. This worked out fantastically well and helped offset the disappointment of the early start and missing the Monal again. We had some excellent activity around a rubbish tip just down the road. It started with a Eurasian Jay, obviously a different subspecies to the one I am more familiar with in the UK, followed by the highlights of the day with a smashing male White-collared Blackbird and two Chestnut Thrushes, the latter a great bonus bird for our trip and the former just a complete stunner! We rounded it off with a small feeding flock of Dark-rumped Rosefinch.

  The morning then hit a slow stretch as we birded slightly further down to try and find the Black-throated Parrotbill, but alas we could not find any despite searching for two hours. This would not have been particularly galling were the general birding not so slow, with only a few species of note and activity generally very limited. The highlights were a showy Crimson-naped Woodpecker, a few different Fulvetta species, and a nice Eurasian Wren.

  We progressed slightly further down the mountain late morning, and continued exploring this lower area until the late afternoon. From here activity improved markedly and we had a few lively mixed species flocks featuring confiding Yellow-throated Fulvetta and a large group of Silver-eared Mesia. A trio of Blue-winged Minla were new for me, and it was nice to have other smart species such as Golden Babbler and another Red-faced Liocichla. However, as the afternoon progressed the birding got slower, so we continued down the mountain to the lowest elevations to try pick up our remaining targets at that altitude.

  It was already early evening when we reached this final elevation but managed to find the majority of our targets regardless, with a mixed species flock containing two of them; Pale-billed Parrotbill and Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler. The flock was mobile and difficult to predict, but at least both of these targets I was able to get on to. Another species in the flock I managed to miss, and a couple of other targets we only heard, but it is a good omen for when we can commit more time there tomorrow. Otherwise, a Common Green Magpie that flew over was a standout species.

  The day was rounded off by a simply fantastic sunset over the Brahmaputra floodplain, with the Himalayas in the background! Tomorrow, we will go once again! 

Northeast India; Day 12 - Mishmi Hills

 Today was the start of the most important phase of our trip, since it would be the first day in which we would try to see the Sclaters Monal, the species for which the entire itinerary was designed. This rare species appears only for a few weeks each autumn in the Mishmi Hills area just below the Mayudiya Pass on the north side. It passes an open area of landslide just after first light, and that is your only chance to see it. Unfortunately, the site is a two hour drive from the nearest accommodation in the town of Roing, and so to get there well before first light, we had to leave our lodging at 03:00, meaning at 02:30 start! It was unsurprisingly, absolutely brutal!

The drive up was helped by two Masked Palm Civets feeding on the road, although only one showed well. Sadly I had left my camera in my backpack in the boot, and by the time I retrieved it the animal was already walking away. Once we reached the stakeout for the bird, it was perishingly cold, possibly the coldest temperature of the trip so far. Despite waiting the bird did not show by 06:30, by which time it was already too late for it to make an appearance. This disappointment was offset somewhere by a fantastic Yellow-throated Marten running along the road, which was a fantastic mammal addition to our trip list. We would still have an additional two mornings to try for the Monal, both of which would require the same brutal start to the day.

Once we moved on from our disappointment we started birding the road, with a few target species we wanted to track down. Although the birding was generally quite slow, we started to make progress with our targets and quickly found Crimson-browed Finch and Manipur Fulvetta. Our main target for now was the Mishmi Wren-Babbler, and while we could not track any down, we had a brilliant bonus species with a Gould’s Shortwing, a species that is extremely difficult at this time of year and not one we had planned on encountering. We continued and had a nice showing Scaly-breasted Cupwing, as well as another key target with Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler. Although the first pair we found we elusive and tricky to get onto, the second pair were very showy at times.

Putting the Wren-Babbler on hold for a short while, we descended in elevation late morning to try pick up a few other outstanding targets. Although activity was even lower now, we eventually found a brief Yellow-rumped Honeyguide and our main target for this section with a showy Long-billed Wren-Babbler. After frustrating views of this species earlier in our trip, it was good to finally get onto this one.

After lunch we returned to the slightly higher elevation as we started on the road back over the pass and to return to our lodging. We continued to try to find the Mishmi Wren-Babbler and finally got a response at this time. The bird was very Tapaculo-esque in its mannerisms, keeping low to the ground and moving quickly like a small mouse, very difficult to get onto and keep track of. Fortunately it was a little less frantic than many of my tapaculo experiences and as such we eventually all got good views of the bird. We finished off this section with a brilliant flock of showy Streak-throated Barwings.

Our descent was uneventful, although the scenery overlooking the Bharmaputra floodplain was pretty spectacular. We tried to find night birds after dark but failed to get a response and eventually returned to our lodging at 18:00 ready for dinner and to do it all again tomorrow…