Birding
Hotspot: Ladakh - a high-altitude melting-pot
by Otto Pfister from BirdingASIA 1, June 2004.
Introduction
Ladakh, the isolated high-altitude western extension of the vast Tibetan Plateau
in the northwestern Trans-Himalayas, part of India's Jammu and Kashmir
states, is almost 100,000 km2 in area and stretches from approximately 75°50'E
to 80°E and 32°30'N to 37°N. Two major mountain chains, the Himalayas to the
south and west, and the Karakoram to the north, define Ladakh's natural
boundaries, whilst the Zanskar and Ladakh ranges run through its centre. The
limited annual rainfall of around 500-1,000 mm in the western region occurs
mainly in winter, when the rugged valleys become covered by heavy snow. The
eastern and north-eastern areas bordering Tibet are dominated by high-altitude,
cold, windswept plains with some extended marshes and a few lakes, rolling
hills and wider valleys. There the vegetation is desert-like with annual rainfall
rarely exceeding 100 mm per year. During winter, the climate is Arctic, frequently
falling
below -30°C in the upper plains, yet the region enjoys a short but pleasant summer
from the end of June until mid-September. Ladakh's population is estimated
to be fewer than 150,000, mostly living in scattered hamlets within the Indus
Valley.
Ladakh's birds
Ladakh is not regarded as a birding paradise. Its vastness and remoteness,
combined with its difficult and limited accessibility, have encouraged few
to spend sufficient time studying the birds in its hostile valleys, hills
and plains. However, lying as it does on the boundary of the Palearctic -
Oriental zoogeographic regions, and also partly within the Tibetan biome,
Ladakh has a diverse avifauna. Many species are breeding migrants and the
region is an important staging post for birds crossing the mighty Himalayan
range during their spring and autumn migrations. To date, around 310 species
have been recorded. Resident species are mainly altitudinal migrants, breeding
at high elevations, but descending in winter. Breeding summer migrants arrive
during April and May, and most have departed by the end of August. A few
species, mainly breeding in the northern Palearctic, arrive between October
and early December to winter in Ladakh.
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Great
Rosefinch
Ladakh
(Otto Pfister) |
The most diverse group, however,
are the passage migrants, which pass through Ladakh on spring migration
from late March to May, and from the end of August to November in the
autumn.
Autumn migration includes wetland species which tend to avoid Ladakh in
spring when the marshes and lakes are still ice-bound. Generally, migrants
are commoner
in central and eastern Ladakh than in the west. Little is known about migration
through the region, but observations suggest that most species migrate
at night, directly crossing the Himalayas, whereas a few species follow
the
Indus Valley. Sudden changes in weather conditions can produce spectacular
falls of migrants, especially at key stopover sites such as Hanle, Chumur,
Tso-Kar and the Shey-Tikse region.
Wildlife hotspots in Ladakh
Below are some locations that are accessible to foreign visitors, where it
is possible to see a wide variety of species.
The Suru Valley
Visitors travelling through Kashmir and entering Ladakh from the
west usually stop overnight at Kargil (at 2,700 m elevation, the lowest
part of Ladakh). From here, a road leads south alongside the Suru River
from which it is possible to explore the meadows, scrub and fields along
the main and side valleys. The best birdwatching areas are between Sanko
and Parakachik, and the stretch leading to Rungdum. Here, specialities
include Firecapped Tit Cephalopyrus flammiceps, White-tailed
Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis (nominate race), several warblers,
including the mysterious Longbilled Bush Warbler Bradypterus major and
Little Forktail Enicurus scouleri. The upper, higher parts of
the valley are drier and hold fewer species, generally those found in
eastern Ladakh.
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Hume's
Groundpecker
Ladakh
(Otto Pfister) |
The Rizong Monastery
Monks protect the area around the picturesque Rizong Monastery. Around
the poplar and apricot groves, and alongside the small river, it is possible
to find a rich variety of Ladakh's “lowland” species,
including Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii, Wallcreeper Tichodroma
muraria and Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus. The area,
however, is most famous as one of the best places to see Ladakh urial,
and further up towards Ulle ibex has been seen.
Hemis National Park and the Rumbak Valley
About 10 km west of Leh a small side-valley off the main Indus Valley
leads south to Rumbak. The willow- and buckthorn-covered slopes hold
many bird species, whilst towards the Ganda-La Pass higher-elevation
species are found. Sought-after birds include Brown and White-throated Cinclus
cinclus Dippers, Wallcreeper, Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos,
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, Himalayan Snowcock Tetraogallus
himalayensis, Rock Bunting Emberiza cia, rosefinches and
mountain finches. It is an excellent place to find mammals, notably urial,
blue sheep around Rumbak, and argali above Yurutse.
Shey marshes from Choglamsar to Tikse (including Agling, near Leh)
The area is a must for any birdwatcher in Ladakh, and can be reached
by following the river upstream from the bridge at Choglamsar, 7 km east
of Leh, or by continuing to Shey and turning right off the main road
at the fishponds 18 km east of Leh, passing through the marshes and crossing
the irrigation channels to reach the river. Explore the wetlands and
riverbanks along the Indus, including the thick buckthorn patches, the
shoreline and grazing land. These areas are excellent for many species
including Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, Water Anthus spinoletta and
Rosy A. roseatus Pipits, Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus
oriolus, Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii and Hobby in
summer, or Water Rail Rallus aquaticus, White-winged Redstart Phoenicurus
erythrogaster and Streaked Rosefinch Carpodacus rubicilloides in
winter.
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