Ladakh - a high-altitude melting-pot: 2

Nubra Valley
Leave Leh in a northerly direction, cross over the world's highest motorable pass (at an impressive near-5,700 m in altitude), then descend for 2,500 m into the Nubra Valley. A small area, between Hundar in the west to Panamik in the north, is accessible to tourists. Here there are spectacular sand-dunes, small swamps and extensive stands of buckthorn which abound with birds, including a variety of shrikes, warblers (including Whitebrowed Tit Warbler Leptopoecile sophiae ), chats and finches alongside waders, ducks and raptors. Few birdwatchers have visited this place, and there is obvious potential for making exciting discoveries. Mammals include fox, pika, lynx, Bactrian camel (semi-feral), and this is the only place in India where Cape hares (race tibetanus ) can be found.

Puga-Sumdo Valley
In the Puga-Sumdo Valley is a wide diversity of habitats - streams, marshes, meadows, bushcovered valley floors and steep rocky slopes - which results in a rich avifauna, including flagship species such as Tibetan Partridge Perdix hodgsoniae, Tibetan Snowcock, Eurasian Eagle-owl Bubo bubo (race hemachalana), Lammergeier, Upland Buzzard Buteo hemilasius, White-tailed Rubythroat (race tschebaiewi ) and Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis. Wolf, fox, weasel, blue sheep, woolly hare, marmot and pika are frequently recorded.

Tsomoriri Lake
The largest lake in the Rupchu Plains, situated at an altitude of 4,650 m, can be reached in a day's spectacular drive from Leh through beautiful panoramic scenery. The lake is the best-known and most important breeding ground for the Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus in Ladakh, and Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis and Great Crested Grebe P. cristatus can both be found there. Once an Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus was seen chasing a Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus over the lake! Accentors, rosefinches and mountain-finches can be seen in the peashrub-covered northern slopes. Mammals include blue sheep, fox, weasel, marmot, woolly hare and pikas.

Himalayan
Snowcock
Ladakh
(Otto Pfister)

Tsokar Plains
Two lakes in the Tsokas Plains, Tso-Kar (a salt lake) and Startsapuk-Tso (a freshwater lake) are important breeding grounds for Bar-headed Geese, Great Crested Grebe, Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus and various terns and gulls. It is possible to watch Black-necked Cranes foraging in the boggy marshes east of Tso-Kar, or Tibetan Sandgrouse Syrrhaptes tibetanus coming to drink mid-morning in the northern plains. The shores of both lakes are occupied by waders, whilst the adjoining grasslands and barren hillsides host accentors, larks and finches, including Plain-backed Snowfinch Pyrgilauda blanfordi. Resident raptors include Golden Eagle, Upland Buzzard, Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus and Little Owl Athene noctua.

From late August onwards, flocks of migrating waterfowl and waders frequent both lakes, when, occasionally, large flocks of kites, harriers and other raptors appear. Mammals include wolf, fox, weasel, kiang (wild ass), blue sheep, argali, marmot, woolly hare and pika. Some characteristic and rare birds found in Ladakh:

Himalayan Snowcock: A resident of steep, barren hillsides and boulder-strewn highaltitude meadows. Occasionally observed in Hemis National Park, west to Zanskar, and the Nimaling Range to the upper Suru Valley. An altitudinal migrant ranging between 3,500-5,500 m.
Tibetan Snowcock: Encountered in similar habitat to the above, especially around Chang- La, between Rumtse and Taglang-La, eastwards above Tso-Kar and from Tsomoriri to Hanle.
Tibetan Partridge: A resident species, occasionally found feeding in arid peashrub plains and stony slopes in high-altitude eastern Ladakh, particularly in the early mornings and late afternoons around Sumdo-Puga or the side valleys of the Hanle Plain. In summer it occurs between 4,200 - 5,200 m, but descends slightly in winter, although rarely below 4,000 m.
Bar-headed Goose: A gregarious, common summer visitor that breeds on high-altitude lakes, marshes and larger slow-flowing rivers of eastern Ladakh at 4,000-4,700 m. Birds arrive in late April, and locally congregate into large breeding colonies. Good sites include Tsomoriri, Startsapuk-Tso/Tso-Kar, Tsigul-Tso and Lam-Tso Lakes along the upper Indus, east of Mahe, and birds are rarely seen along rivers near Shey and further west in the spring.
Eurasian Eagle Owl: A resident throughout Ladakh, although easily overlooked. It occupies large territories up to 4,400 m. The best localities include Sumdo-Puga, north-eastern Tso-Kar, Lalpari and Hanle in eastern Ladakh, or the moraines along the Indus opposite Leh airport.

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