A Visit to Paradise!
A birding trip report of Sikkim and Mahananda, April 1-9,
2015
PART 1
Sikkim had always been among the top birding destinations on
my bucket list. Year after year, images of amazing birds from this tiny kingdom
had my mouth watering and I had vowed to visit it, not only to bird but also to
experience the spectacular natural beauty of the place. I had been planning a
trip since 2013, but due to various reasons, it could not take place till this
year. In February, Rajneesh messaged me asking whether I was interested in a
trip to Sikkim. I became quite excited and asked the usual suspects whether
they could join me. But alas, due to family and work obligations they were
unable to make it and the prospects looked grim. Into the void stepped Anuj and
Ameya, who agreed almost immediately to join and so the four of us, Rajneesh
included, started making plans. Flights were an issue, and the debate was
whether to fly from Pune or Mumbai. In the end, Mumbai won out as it was the
cheaper option. Tickets booked, we were eagerly awaiting D-day. But then, the
weather gods decided to play spoilsport and unseasonal rains started all over
the country. Sikkim was not spared and we were staring at the possibility of
the trip being a washout. So with fervent prayers on our lips, we boarded the
flight to Bagdogra from Mumbai. Rajneesh had reached a day earlier and would go
birding nearby.
The flight to Bagdogra via Guwahati was the most boring
flight in my life. The three of us hadn’t got seats together so I spent 3 hours
attempting to sleep or listening to music. A lot of people got off the plane at
Guwahati which gave us the chance to sit together till Bagdogra. The flight to
Bagdogra from Guwahati was joyfully spent sighting (imaginary) Satyr Tragopans,
Baikal Teals and Greater Adjutants, all from the airplane window.
Rajneesh picked us up at Bagdogra and informed us about his
excursion to Mahananda earlier in the day, He had sighted a Blue-bearded
Bee-eater, Jungle Owlets, Black-crested Bulbuls and Greater-necklaced
Laughingthrush in a single session in good weather, which cheered us up
considerably.
The journey to Aritar was long and tedious. The sightings
along the road were few, with only Black and Black-crested Bulbuls, a
Black-rumped Flameback and plenty of Assamese Macaques to start our list. We
reached Aritar at night, after facing rain, fog and blocked roads. After
dinner, we went to bed, hoping that tomorrow would be better and we could
finally start properly birding.
The next morning we woke up to overcast skies and the calls
of Himalayan and Eurasian Cuckoos. After hurriedly getting ready, we set out
hoping to get new species and good images. We birded in the surroundings of our
homestay and were rewarded with good views of Chestnut-crowned and Striated Laughingthrushes,
Rufous Sibia, Russet Sparrow, Blue-capped Rock Thrush, Spangled Drongo, Grey
Bushchat and Green-backed Tit. A couple of female redstarts also popped up and
we later identified as Hodgson’s and Black Redstarts. Our homestay was located
above Aritar Lake so we decided to walk down the trail to the lake. This proved
to be very fruitful as we ticked off Whistler’s and Grey-cheeked Warblers,
Himalayan Bulbuls, Blue Whistling Thrushes, Great Barbets, an Ashy Drongo and a
Verditer Flycatcher. We came to an open patch in the otherwise canopy covered
region to find a pair of Asian Barred Owlets being mobbed by Grey-chinned
Minivets, a single male Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, a mixed hunting party of
Black-chinned Yuhinas, Grey-throated Babblers and Grey-hooded Warblers. On
going ahead, Rajneesh spotted some skulkers and exclaimed, “Laughingthrush!” We
tried hard to focus our lenses/binocs at the location he pointed out. I got
fleeting views of a Black-faced Laughingthrush when suddenly a rare Blue-winged
Laughingthrush came out in the open! It sat there for about 2 seconds and then
disappeared into the undergrowth. Happy that we had seen a highly prized bird,
we proceeded towards the lake. The rest of the journey gave us Greater and
Lesser Yellownape, a flock of White-crested Laughingthrushes, Lemon-rumped,
Buff-barred and Western-crowned Warblers, Red-tailed and Chestnut-tailed Minla,
Grey Treepie, White-tailed Nuthatch and White-bellied Erpornis. Satisfied with
our morning session, we went for breakfast. Post breakfast, we packed our bags
and left for Zuluk, via Rongli and Padamchen.
We had several birding halts along the way, adding Mountain
Bulbul, Scarlet Minivet, Little Swift, Himalayan Swiftlet and the tricolor
race of the Long-tailed Shrike to our list. A halt to check on a calling cuckoo
proved particularly fruitful as we chanced upon a big mixed hunting party.
There were so many birds that each of us tended to focus on a different
individual to id it. By the time the next person tried to find it another had
taken its place, leading to confusion and arguments about the exact id! In the midst of all that, we conclusively
ided Buff-barred, Whistler’s, Yellow-throated and Hume’s Leaf Warblers,
Chestnut-bellied and Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Pale Blue Flycatcher,
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher and White-bellied Erpornis. The cuckoo turned out
to be a Large Hawk Cuckoo with an odd call. Happy with our haul, we proceeded
to Rongli for permission to visit Zuluk.
 |
| Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler |
 |
| Black-throated Parrotbill |
Zuluk and beyond is dominated by the Indian Army. It is basically a transit and acclimatization area for forces travelling to the border. The tourism in the area has developed much later. Our homestay was a wood and aluminium construct and the wind rattled the metal sheets of our room. There were many people living in the homestay, each group having 1-2 rooms depending on the number of people. The four of us shared a room with two double beds and an attached bathroom. After dumping our luggage, we went for lunch, being utterly famished. After ravenously finishing lunch (at 17.15!) and promising to come back for tea in half an hour we set out for a bit of evening birding around the homestay area. Grey Bushchat and Blue-fronted Redstarts were the only birds we spotted along with a friendly Pika, so we called it day and turned in.
 |
| Golden-breasted Fulvetta |
 |
| Little Forktail |
The next morning we travelled to Lungthung and Nathang
Valley. The soldiers from the nearby Army camp were preparing to travel uphill
as well, so we had to hide our photographic equipment for some time. Birding
was scarce early on, with Common Buzzards, Fire-tailed Sunbirds and Rosy Pipits
being seen. As sunlight fell covered more of the rhododendron covered slopes,
activity started picking up. A mixed hunting party of Stripe throated and Rufous-vented
Yuhinas along with a single Dark-rumped Rosefinch provided great views. A Black
Kite (lineatus?) had us scrambling for images thinking it was some other
raptor. We also had excellent views of a pair of Fire-tailed Myzornis foraging
in the undergrowth. This bird was high on my wishlist and all of us had a big
smile on our faces by the time the birds flew away. We stopped for tea and
Maggi at Thambi point just before Lungthung. The point provides a beautiful
panoramic view of Zuluk and the surrounding region, with Mt. Kanchenjunga at
the backdrop. As we sat on the edge, eating our irritatingly salty Maggi, a
flock of about 50 Fire-tailed Sunbirds flew uphill along the cliff edges. Happy
that we were getting birds so easily, we sat sipping our tea, having kept or
lenses in the car. Little did we know that this was just the start. As the
temperature starting rising, so did the raptors. A pair of Common Buzzards
circled over us, before going higher. They were followed by a pair of Upland
Buzzards which made us run to get our lenses. The Uplands were followed in
close succession by 4 Steppe Eagles and surprisingly, a Pallas’s Fish Eagle. It
was amazing to see these big raptors gain altitude slowly. First we viewed them
from above, then they were at eye level and then they went higher so we saw
their underparts. The Pallas’ did not follow the Steppes over the mountains but
just climbed up and turned away to a different direction. The Pallas’s Fish
Eagle is a resident breeder so I was puzzled as to why it was migrating with
the Steppes.
 |
| The view from Thambi point, with Mt. Kanchenjunga in the background |
The Steppes and Pallas’s were followed by a dark morph
Booted Eagle, which is an uncommon sight so far east. It is regularly seen in
western India, but apparently not so common in the eastern parts. A largish
Accipiter made me go on a shooting spree, thinking it was a lifer. It turned
out to be a male Eurasian Sparrowhawk. Common
Kestrels joined the party as well. We were all excited by these sightings and
moved onward toward our homestay so that we could dump our luggage. On the way
Rajneesh and Anuj spotted a Hen Harrier and a pale Northern Goshawk, both of
which I missed as I was on the other side of the car. We moved onward towards
Nathang valley and Kubuk. Kubuk is essentially the Indo-China border, so the
Army has a pervading presence everywhere. Bunkers and rest areas are dotted
along the way and supply trucks frequently dominate the narrow roads. Soon we
hit the snowline and reveled in the magnificent whiteness of it all. We took a
break from birding and played around in snow, clobbering each other with
snowballs. After being reminded by Rajneesh that we still had some way to go,
we got back in the car. There wasn’t much birding on the road to Nathang and
Kubuk and we only saw some Blue-fronted Redstarts, Olive backed and Rosy
Pipits. But the view was simply spectacular!
After having a mandatory hot cup of tea at Kubuk, we
returned to Lungthung. On the way Anuj spotted some white dots on the banks of
the Elephant Lake at Kubuk. These turned out to be a flock of Common Shelducks!
A thorough scan of the lake revealed a few pairs of Ruddy Shelducks and a
single gull, possibly Brown/Black-headed. The lake itself, with its deep blue
water was stunning! The homestay at Lungthung turned out to be a single room
with a double bed and an attached toilet for the four of us. The four of us
would never have fit there so we asked for an extra room. The adjacent rooms
were locked and reserved for someone else. The owner promised us that if the
other people did not arrive by evening, the room would be ours. So having
crossed our fingers, we went for lunch.
 |
| Himalayan Monal male |
