The road between Ura and Limithang in eastern Bhutan: 3Namling to Yongkhala Camp (altitude 2,400-1,500 m) Depending on the prevailing temperature, each year these hills resound to the persistent but evocative songs of 6-7 species of cuckoo: Large Hawk Hierococcyx sparverioides, Hodgson's Hawk H. fugax, Indian Cuculus micropterus, Eurasian C. canorus, Oriental C. saturatus, Lesser C. poliocephalus and Drongo Cuckoos Surniculus lugubris. A great opportunity to learn the calls of these species and how to differentiate between them! Occasionally, one encounters large groups of swifts zooming low at canopy level, permitting excellent views of Himalayan Swiftlets Collocalia brevirostris, White-throated Needletails Hirundapus caudacutus and Fork-tailed Swifts Apus pacificus. Speckled Wood Pigeons Columba hodgsonii and Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons Treron sphenura are circumspect and easy to overlook, whereas Blue-capped Monticola cinclorhynchus and Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrushes M. rufiventris are quite splendidly unmissable. Lesser Brachypteryx leucophrys and White-browed B. montana Shortwings, Little Pied Ficedula westermanni, Ultramarine F. superciliaris, Pygmy Blue Muscicapella hodgsoni Flycatchers, and, with a great deal of luck, the exquisite Sapphire Flycatcher Ficedula sapphira; bush robins Tarsiger spp.; redstarts Phoenicurus spp.; the rare Blue-fronted Robin Cinclidium frontale; Purple Cochoa Cochoa purpurea; Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea; nesting Nepal House Martins Delichon nipalensis; all three tesias - the delightful Chestnut-headed Tesia Tesia castaneocoronata can actually be easy to see right along the roadside; at least four species of bush warbler, of which Grey-sided Bush Warbler Cettia brunnifrons appears to be by far the commonest, are all to be found along this stretch of the roadside. Above all things though, this road is an especially wonderful place for babblers. To date a total of c. 50 species has been recorded including: a dozen laughingthrushes - Grey-sided Laughingthrush Garrulax caerulatus being of special note; Red-faced Liocichla Liocichla phoenicea; four scimitar babblers including the peculiar bamboo-dwelling Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler Xiphirhynchus superciliaris and the striking but difficult to observe Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ferruginosus; five wren babblers including all three species of Spelaeornis so far recorded from Bhutan. Midway down this section of the road, with much diligence, it is possible to find one or two pairs of the threatened Rufous-throated Wren Babbler Spelaeornis caudatus. This extreme skulker appears to favour dense scrub on very steep hillsides, within forest and near small streams. Other species in this section include Cutia Cutia nipalensis; the rare Black-headed Shrike Babbler Pteruthius rufiventer; Golden-breasted Alcippe chrysotis and Yellow-throated Fulvettas A. cinerea; seven yuhinas including the uncommon White-naped Yuhina Yuhina bakeri; at least four parrotbills including such rarities as Great Conostoma oemodium and Greater Paradoxornis ruficeps and Lesser Rufous-headed P. atrosuperciliaris Parrotbills. And surely that gem of gems the Long-billed Wren Babbler Rimator malacoptilus must lurk somewhere here? Encounters with cardueline finches are few and far between, probably because most if not all species encountered are just moving through, refueling en route to their breeding grounds at higher elevations. Occasionally one's breath will be taken away as binoculars stray upon a tree lit up like a Roman candle with Scarlet Finches Haematospiza sipahi. Now and then one bumps into one of the rosefinches (Dark-breasted Carpodacus nipalensis, Dark-rumped C. edwardsii and Crimson-browed Propyrrhula subhimachala) quietly foraging in a dank, bramble-covered gully. As anyone who knows Asian birds will attest, identifying even the sumptuous-looking males is a challenge. All three species of bullfinch, including the uncommon Grey-headed Bullfinch Pyrrhula erythaca, can be found from time to time as can that very special prize, the Gold-naped Finch Pyrrhoplectes epauletta.
Yongkhala to Limithang (altitude 1,500-700 m) The forests below Yongkhala comprise a mosaic of traditional farmlands, relatively dry woodland, scrub and subtropical forest. Although somewhat more disturbed than habitats at higher elevations, these lower-elevation habitats support numerous species that are rarely, if ever, encountered above Yongkhala: Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus; Red-headed Trogon Harpactes erythrocephalus; Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni; Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides; White-crested Laughingthrush Garrulax leucolophus; Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea and White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata. Occasionally mixed flocks of Spot-winged Mycerobas melanozanthos and White-winged Grosbeaks M. carnipes gather to feed in fruiting trees, a spectacular sight against the backdrop of the forest-clad slopes of the area. The narrow Shongkar Chu Valley, bisected by a wild, tumbling stream and surrounded by a patchwork of grazing meadows and terraced fields, delimits the bottom of the Limithang road. Very quickly the road that follows this stream enters increasingly drier, more austere terrain dominated by chir pine. On my first visit to Bhutan I camped alongside the Shongkar Chu, awakening to the incantations of farmers as they prepared prayer flags and a vociferous flock of spectacular Green Magpies Cissa chinensis. White-crested and White-throated Laughingthrushes Garrulax albogularis babbled, countered by the piercing songs of male Plumbeous Redstarts Rhyacornis fuliginosus staking out their linear territories. All was brought to an instant hush as the shadow of a Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis swept by. The evening before, a Black-tailed Crake Porzana bicolor had scuttled across my path as we arrived, presaging the unending excitement of birding the Limithang Road. I cannot wait to return. References
|
