India Day 9 - Pangot

Pangot

For our final morning in Pangot we headed back to the Shaolin Temple to continue working the scrub and river there. As a result we gained a number of new species, some of which were very unexpected. TDJ, SH, EB and I tried to venture downstream into the woods but failed to make progress, due to the lack of real path. The fact that EB was bitten by a dog did not help. Sadly our birding was wrapped up at midday in order for us to make good time on our journey to our next destination, which was a hotel near Corbett National Park, allowing us our only realistic chance of tiger on the trip.

Highlights

Golden Bush Robin - For the third day in a row, Golden Bush Robin makes my highlights. It was not difficult to locate the robin in the morning, as its persistent growling from the undergrowth quickly gave away its position. This time it showed even better, feeding alongside a dried up streambed, moving up and down an area that it had clearly marked as its territory. It was a better encounter than I could have ever hoped for in my wildest dreams.

Chestnut-headed Tesia - These bizarre little birds are notoriously difficult to see, so when a male popped out of the bushes in front of me I was pleasantly surprised. However, as the morning progressed there were many more sightings through the scrub.

Rufous-breasted Accentor - After seeing Black-throated Accentor the previous evening, it was nice to see our third and final Accentor species this morning. Neither of these accentor species is a guarantee in this area so to have them both within 24 hours was a brilliant result. Plus they are both stunning birds.

-Rufous-breasted Accentor

-Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

-Yellow-breasted Greenfinch

-Golden Bush Robin

-Green-tailed Sunbird

Species List:

Pangot: Jungle Babbler, Blue Whistling Thrush, Himalayan Bulbul, Common Myna, Oriental White-eye, Green-backed Tit, Grey Wagtail, Plumbeous Water Redstart, White-capped Water Redstart, Black Francolin, House Sparrow, Small Niltava, Grey-hooded Warbler, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Red-vented Bulbul, Grey-winged Blackbird, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Grey Treepie, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Russet Sparrow, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Golden Bush Robin, Spotted Forktail, Common Tailorbird, Scarlet Rosefinch, Striated Prinia, Yellow-breasted Greenfinch, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler, Long-tailed Shrike, Blue-capped Redstart, Scaly-breasted Munia, Long-tailed Minivet, Black Bulbul, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Green-tailed Sunbird, Hanuman Langur, Indian Red Admiral, Blue Pansy,