After an epic overnight
bus ride (nine hours predicted…fourteen hours really!) battling the ridiculous
Indian traffic, the thickest fog / smog I’ve ever seen and no sleep we arrived
up in the Nanital / Pangot area in the Himalayan foothills early morning –
compensated by incredible vista like views of distant, massive, snow-capped
mountain ranges. We were dropped off
near our accommodation and while we waited to get picked up there were good
numbers of forest birds seen with plenty of BLUE WHISTLING THRUSHES, several KALIJ PHEASANTS
seen from the bus, flocks of RUFOUS SIBIA, some gorgeous GREY-HOODED WARBLERS, WHITE-TAILED
NUTHATCH, Green-backed Tits, BAR-TAILED
TREECREEPER, Eurasian Jays (of the distinctive bispecularis race), Black-throated Tits,
BROWN-FRONTED
WOODPECKER, a cracking GREATER YELLOWNAPE, BLACK-LORED TIT, the first of many STREAKED
LAUGHINGTHRUSHES (shuffling around
like big Dunnocks), a female-type HIMALAYAN BLUETAIL (a
potential split from Red-flanked Bluetail) and a cracking adult male BESRA
with prey – the only one I saw on the trip.
During refreshments at our new accommodation a pair
of Golden Eagles were flying over the valley along with three MOUNTAIN
HAWK-EAGLES, an INDIAN BLACK EAGLE and
the first couple of HIMALAYAN GRIFFON VULTURES.
The afternoon was spent birding the forests around
the accommodation with plenty of new birds added including flocks of BLACK-HEADED JAYS,
BLUE-FRONTED
REDSTART, HIMALAYAN BULBULS, one group of STRIATED
LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, several LEMON-RUMPED WARBLERS (washed
out Pallas’s Warbler) and BUFF-BARRED WARBLERS (a
bright Yellow-browed with orange wing-bars), amazing RED-BILLED BLUE MAGPIES, BLACK-CHINNED
BABBLERS, a GREY-BACKED SHRIKE, BLUE-CAPPED REDSTARTS, one group of CHESTNUT-CROWNED
LAUGHINGTHRUSHES, a cracking RUFOUS-GORGETED FLYCATCHER, another Himalayan
Bluetail, this time an amazing adult male, flocks of RUSSET SPARROWS, lovely GREY BUSHCHATS,
STRIATED PRINIA and female FIRE-TAILED SUNBIRD.
Jay ssp. bispecularis
Besra
Grey-hooded Warbler
Greater Yellownape
Bar-tailed Treecreeper
Mountain Hawk Eagle
Black-headed Jay
Himalayan Bulbul
Red-billed Blue Magpie
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