Editors note: This is not a post on beautiful “Bird Photography”, rather to encourage similar trip and field reports from birders. Check the original report published on eBirds here.
We (Avisek Chatterjee, Dipabali Paul and Subhajit Chaudhuri) started our journey on 29th Sep 2016 from Kolkata on Darjeeling Mail and reached NJP on 30th Sep 2016. Then we took a car ride to reach Yuksom, our trek base. HIMALAYA TREKKERS looked after our trek and other logistics arrangements.
Trip Highlights:
Location: Dzongri Goecha La trek, West Sikkim, inside Kanchendzongha National Park.
Trail Length: Nearly 80 Km.
Trail Altitude variation: From Yuksom (1710 m/5600 ft) to Goecha La 1st View Point (4600 m/15100 ft).
Time of visit: 1st Oct to 8th Oct 2016.
Bird species found: 84 species (+5 other taxa)
Continuous rain and accompanied cloud cover hampered the mountain peak views and bird watching to a great extent. The trail became extremely slippery and muddy along with yak and horse dung everywhere. However overall terrain is fantastic and great for birding. We were disappointed by the adverse weather due to a sudden depression formed in bay of Bengal. To give you an idea, below are some photos of the trek. All documentation purpose and records shots are shared by Dipabali Paul.
We followed the below itinerary:
Trek Day 1 – 01st Oct: Yuksom (1710 m/5600 ft) – Sachen (2200 m/7200 ft) – Bakhim (2620 m/8600 ft). [Good weather]
Trek Day 2 – 02nd Oct: Bakhim – Tsokha (2960 m/9700 ft). [Good weather]
Trek Day 3 – 03rd Oct: Tsokha – Phedang – Deorali Top – Dzongri (3950 m/12,950 ft). [Rainy and Cloudy]
Trek Day 4 – 04th Oct: Dzongri – Kokchurang (3700 m/12,135 ft) – Thansing (3940 m/ 12,920 ft). [Rainy and Cloudy]
Trek Day 5 – 05th Oct: Stay Thansing. [Rainy and Cloudy] (we can’t camp at Lamuney due to heavy rain)
Trek Day 6 – 06th Oct: Thansing – Lamuney – Samity Lake (4320 m/14,170 ft) – View Point 1 (4600 m/15100 ft) – Thansing – Kokchurang. [Rainy and Cloudy]
Trek Day 7 – 07th Oct : Kokchurang – Phedang – Tsokha. [Rainy and Cloudy]
Trek Day 8 – 08th Oct: Tsokha – Bakhim – Sachen – Yuksom. [Rainy and Cloudy]
Here is the list of bird species that we observed on the trail. I hope that this will give you a fair understanding of the avifauna distribution on this trail during autumn.
| Common name (Scientific name) – Numbers observed – Remarks/place |
| Hill Partridge (Arborophila torqueola) 1 Continuous calls at Tsokha and Bakhim |
| Tibetan Snowcock (Tetraogallus tibetanus) X Call heard while going from Samity Lake to View Point 1. |
| Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) 8 Seen 7 (5 Male 2 Female) on the way from Phedong to Deorali Top on 03rd Oct 2016, Seen 1 Male on the way from Kokchurang to Phedong. Head calls near Dzongri Top 0n 04th Oct 2016 |
| Himalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus) X Call heard at Tsokha, Bakhim and Thansing |
| Rufous-bellied Eagle (Lophotriorchis kienerii) 1 On the way from Dzongri to Kokchurang. |
| Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota) X Plenty in Thansing. Few in Dzongri and Tsokha. |
| Oriental Turtle-Dove (Streptopelia orientalis) 5 Tsokha |
| House Swift (Nepal House Swift) (Apus nipalensis) 1 Seen quite a few in Yuksom 1st Bridge over Pha Khola 01st Oct |
| Great Barbet (Psilopogon virens) 3 Sachen to Bakhim and Tsokha – Bakhim while coming back. |
| Darjeeling Woodpecker (Dendrocopos darjellensis) 1 Yuksom – Sachen |
| Long-tailed Minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus) X Phedong to Dzongri |
| Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus speciosus) X Sachen |
| Black-eared Shrike-Babbler (Pteruthius melanotis) 1 Bakhim – Tsokha |
| Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus) 2 Sachen – Bakhim |
| White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) 2 Bakhim |
| Yellow-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa flavirostris) X Plenty at Tsokha |
| Eurasian Nutcracker (Spotted Nutcracker) (Nucifraga caryocatactes) X Plenty at Tsokha |
| Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) X |
| Common Raven (Northern Raven) (Corvus corax) X quite a few above Samity Lake to View Point 1 [14,500 ft – 15,100 ft] |
| Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis) 1 Bakhim – Tsokha |
| Yellow-browed Tit (Sylviparus modestus) 2 Tsokha |
| Coal Tit (Periparus ater) X Tsokha and above |
| Rufous-vented Tit (Periparus rubidiventris) 2 |
| Grey-crested Tit (Lophophanes dichrous) X Bakhim – Tsokha, Tsokha, Phedong. At Phedong they came very close to Trekkers Hut in search of food. |
| Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus) 3 Bakhim – Tsokha |
| Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta cinnamoventris) 2 Sachen – Yuksom. In a hunting flock. |
| nuthatch sp. (Sitta sp.) 1 |
| treecreeper sp. (Certhia sp.) 1 Phedong |
| Striated Bulbul (Pycnonotus striatus) 1 Tsokha |
| Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) X Yuksom |
| Himalayan Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus) 1 Yuksom – Tsokha |
| Chestnut-crowned Bush-Warbler (Cettia major) 1 Bakhim |
| Aberrant Bush-Warbler (Horornis flavolivaceus) X Dzongri, Thansing. |
| Tickell’s Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis) X Plenty in Bakhim, Tsokha. |
| Ashy-throated Warbler (Phylloscopus maculipennis) 2 Tsokha |
| Pale-rumped Warbler (Lemon-rumped Warbler) (Phylloscopus chloronotus) 1 Bakhim |
| Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides) 2 Thansing |
| Western Crowned Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus occipitalis) 1 Bakhim |
| Whistler’s Warbler (Seicercus whistleri) 1 Seen 1 at Tsokha. Eyering was not broken. |
| Chestnut-crowned Warbler (Seicercus castaniceps) 4 Bakhim – Tsokha, Tsokha |
| White-browed Fulvetta (Fulvetta vinipectus) X Plenty Bakhim – Tsokha, Tsokha, Tsokha – Phedong and Phedong – Dzongri. |
| Striated Yuhina (Yuhina castaniceps) 1 cantaniceps subspecies. Bakhim – Tsokha |
| Whiskered Yuhina (Yuhina flavicollis) X Sachen, Bakhim – Tsokha, Tsokha |
| Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) X Sachen |
| Rufous-capped Babbler (Cyanoderma ruficeps) X Yuksom – Sachen |
| Rufous-winged Fulvetta (Schoeniparus castaneceps) X Everywhere from Yuksom to Tsokha |
| Spotted Laughingthrush (Ianthocincla ocellata) X Head calls continuously at Bakhim |
| Black-faced Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron affine) 6 Phedong and Tsokha. Comes very near to Phedong Hut for food |
| Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron erythrocephalum) X Seen few. heard at Bakhim and Bakhim – Tsokha. |
| Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata) X Everywhere from Yuksom to Tsokha |
| Red-tailed Minla (Minla ignotincta) 5 Yuksom – Sachen, Tsokha |
| Hoary-throated Barwing (Actinodura nipalensis) 1 Bakhim – Tsokha |
| Blue-winged Minla (Actinodura cyanouroptera) 1 Phedong |
| Chestnut-tailed Minla (Bar-throated Siva) (Actinodura strigula) 1 Yuksom – Tsokha |
| Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis) 2 Yuksom |
| Rufous-bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara) 1 Tsokha – Phedong |
| Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) X Sachen, Bakhim, Tsokha. Not many were present. |
| Blue Whistling-Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus) X Everywhere from Yuksom to Tsokha |
| Black-backed Forktail (Enicurus immaculatus) 1 Yuksom to Sachen near 3rd bridge |
| Rufous-breasted Bush-Robin (Tarsiger hyperythrus) 1 At Dzongri |
| Snowy-browed Flycatcher (Ficedula hyperythra) 1 Tsokha – Phedong |
| Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata) X Sachen – Bakhim, Sachen, Kokchurang |
| Little Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula westermanni) 1 Tsokha – Phedong |
| Blue-fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis) X Tsokha, Dzongri |
| White-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus) 2 Kokchurang, Thansing |
| Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) 1 Tsokha |
| Grey Bushchat (Saxicola ferreus) X Bakhim, Tsokha |
| thrush sp. (Turdidae sp.) 1 Thrush with scales and big white eyebrow roaming on ground. Tsokha – Phedong |
| Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus) 1 Tsokha – Phedong |
| Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata) X Sachen – Yuksom |
| Gould’s Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae) X Sachen – Yuksom |
| Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis) X Sachen – Bakhim, Sachen – Yuksom |
| sunbird sp. (Nectariniidae sp. (sunbird sp.)) X |
| Little Spiderhunter (Arachnothera longirostra) 1 Yuksom – Sachen |
| Alpine Accentor (Prunella collaris) X Dzongri – Kokchurang |
| Rufous-breasted Accentor (Prunella strophiata) 1 Dzongri |
| Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola) X calerata 1st Winter. Plenty at Thansing and Samity Lake |
| White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) 1 At Tsokha |
| Rosy Pipit (Anthus roseatus) 1 Dzongri |
| Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni) X Dzongri |
| Plain Mountain-Finch (Leucosticte nemoricola) 2 Dzongri – Kokchurang |
| Black-headed Mountain-Finch (Brandt’s Mountain Finch) (Leucosticte brandti) 1 Samity Lake – View Point 1. This individual just sat in front of me. |
| Red-headed Bullfinch (Pyrrhula erythrocephala) 10 Phedong, Kokchurang, Kokchurang – Phedong. |
| Dark-breasted Rosefinch (Carpodacus nipalensis) 10 The group was having meal on forest bed from Kokchurang – Thansing. Mostly female. |
| Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus) 20 Bakhim, Bakhim – Tsokha. Just a little down from Bakhim TH they come in plenty with Greenfinches. |
| Scarlet Finch (Haematospiza sipahi) 1 Yuksom – Sachen. Unlike Scarlet finch, this individual sat for quite long time unmoved. |
| Yellow-breasted Greenfinch (Chloris spinoides) 2 Bakhim. |
| finch sp. (Fringillidae sp.) 2 One male and female finch at Phedong could not be identified or photographed. |
| Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus) 4 Yuksom |
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