Pure Randomness!

Pure Randomness!

Monday, June 11, 2018

Birding in Himalayas: Part 9

East Himalayas to West Himalayas
Green-backed Tit
Over the one week we spent in Arunachal, I saw 163 species of birds, of which 122 were lifers for me. I do not know how many more seasons and how many more places I have to visit in Arunachal Pradesh to spot all the birds that are there. During the trip we also added a species into the Arunachal Pradesh list of birds (Sulphur-bellied warbler), which was hitherto not reported from there.

We reached Nameri at the resort we would be staying for the night, to the ground and trees covered with millions of blinking lights. It took me a moment to realise that they were fireflies. The evening was dark and there were no lights outside the cottages. It was the most amazing sight of the whole trip. There were literally millions of fireflies. I forgave the bad stay at the resort (who would put the outlet of the wash basin into the middle of the bath area?) and the inedible omelette (Calvin and Hobbes had made it, see how he puts 2 eggs, that was exactly how the eggs were added for my omelette) for the fireflies. 

Add 2 eggs and stir! ©Bill Watterson
Next day morning we did some quick birding at the resort itself and headed to Guwahati airport. We didn't stop anywhere on the way for birding. I kept dreaming of some nice food and long rest in Delhi, before we start on the next part of the trip, as we were supposed to reach Delhi by 6pm. That remained a dream as our flight got delayed by 4 hours and we landed up at the hotel at 11.30 pm.
Blue-throated blue flycatcher, posing in studio

The birding in Western Himalayas is unbelievably commercialised. I am used to birding in natural habitats. The only hides I have been to are one in Bangalore and Old Magazine House, if that can be called a hide. But in Sattal, birding in synonymous with bird photography in hides. I should have been warned while we were driving to Sattal from Kathgodam itself. My friend who was attending a bird photography exhibition, was traveling with us to Sattal. When she mentioned that she is traveling with some friends who have come to Sattal for birding, the organiser who was coming to pick her up asked what birding are they going to do, all the hides are booked by them. I was so intoxicated on the roadside birding which we had done in Arunachal I just didn't think this could be much different. 
White-throated laughingthrush, another studio picture

We went to the 'studio' in the evening. Of all the heinous crimes I saw in Sattal, this was the least heinous, as there was no feeding of the birds. It is a small stream with some perches kept for the birds. We sat there for some time and clicked. We pushed off from there when the crowd started growing and called it a day, with 33 species and in that 10 lifers.
Verditer flycatcher, the ultimate sensuous pose

Note: All pictures are taken by me.
eBird lists: 
From Dirang to Nameri: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Nameri resort
Sattal
Previous blog in series: Part 8
Next blog in series: Part 10

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