10/16 Bangkok
10/17 Paro to Thimphu
10/18 Thimphu
10/19 Dochu La
10/20 Jigme Dorji N.P.
10/21 Punakha/Pele La/Trongsa
10/22 Trongsa/Yotong La/Bumthang
10/23 Jonkar
10/24 Yotong La/Phobjika/Punakha
10/25 Dochu La/Thimphu/Paro
10/26 Paro/Tigers Nest
10/27 Paro/Bangkok
10/28 Lumphini Park
Bhutan as a bird watching destination is fast becoming somewhat of a Himalayan birding Mecca. The country is the size of Switzerland and is covered in forest. 25% of the country is national parks and the population is small. Some places are difficult to get to but the main road through the country allows you to get to the best birding spots. All arrangements must be made through a local Bhutanese company and flights into and out of Bhutan are only on Druk Air, nice airline by the way. It is advisable to enquire some time in advance so you can get visa's as the government strictly controls the amount of tourists into the country. We decided on October in the chance that we would get to see Black-necked Cranes but we also wanted to see some of the culture of the magnificent country. We also decided to stay in Bangkok for a couple of days on each end to break up the flights. I booked a day of birding with Wild Watch Thailand and was given the services of Mr. Pinit, who is a fantastic guide and very passionate about birding. He is very knowledgeable about the birds and speaks good English. In Bhutan we booked with Windhorse who arranged our itinerary around birding and culture. Our guide Karma was very good with the culture and knew the best spots to bird. Our driver, Thinley, was a master at navigating the tight turns and twists of the roads and got us everywhere safely.
10/16 We arrived in Bangkok after a long flight and crashed hard but woke expectantly and were met by Mr. Pinit at 6:00 a.m. as promised. He recommended we head south along the coast to look for shorebirds as our first choice of Kaeng Krachen was closed for the rainy season and Khao Yai our second choice was rained in. We took the advice of Mr. Pinit and headed south. We birded the salt pans, coastal waterways and rivers not following any particular plan but going where Mr. Pinit thought to find the birds.
Our first stop were the salt pans famous for Spoonbilled Sandpiper but the one found earlier in the week was not there. We did see Little Cormorant, Black-winged Stilt, Red-necked Stint, Lesser Sandplover, Long-toed Stint, Little Ringed Plover, Whiskered Tern, Eastern Marsh Harrier and Common Sandpiper there were also plenty of White-vented Mynas, Common Mynas and Streak-eared Bulbuls in the trees and on power lines. Driving farther south we stopped for some breakfast at a local restaurant and while eating saw Pied Fantail, Oriental Honey-buzzard and Fork-taild Swifts. After breakfast we headed farther south along the highway and pulled over near some marshy ponds to find Bronze-winged Jacana, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Asian Openbills, Plain Prinia and Little Grebe. From here we drove south to a place along some fields and a river where there is a long road seldom traveled by traffic where we were able to get out and bird easily. I never got the names of the places as I think Mr. Pinit was hitting the local spots more than specific areas. Along the road we had Green Bee-eater, Common Stonechat, Greater Coucal, Richard's Pipit, Paddyfield Pipit, Plain-backed Sparrow, Indian Roller, Brown Shirke, Long Tailed Shrike, Ashy Woodswallow, Red-wattled Lapwing, Asian Openbills and plenty of Egrets. Our next stop was a botanical garden spot where Mr. Pinit had found Temmink's Stint and some of the water treatment plant pools were good for shorebirds and Monitor Lizards. We took the loop road round the facility where we found Temmink's Stint, Kentish Plover, Long-toed Stint, Common Snipe and other shorebirds. It was getting hot now so we headed east towards the ocean and birded several small estuaries where we found Painted Stork, Black-capped Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Blue-throated Bee-eater, Blue-tailed Bee-eater and Pacific Golden Plover. We followed this road out to the coast and stopped for lunch where we found Common Iora and Scaly-breasted Munia's before heading down the coast road to bird more saltpans. As we drove along the road we were inundated by a huge flock of Oriental Pratincoles mixed with sandpipers and a Brahminy Kite. We pulled over farther down and scanned the saltpans for shorebirds coming up with Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Grey Plover, Common Greenshank, Heuglin's Gull and Little and Common Tern's. We ended up taking a dirt road out to the farthest saltpans near the end of the day and walked along the dykes to the ocean where we found Greater Crested Tern, Brown-headed Gulls and Whiskered Terns. On the walk back along the dykes we found Great Knot, Gull-billed Tern, Racket-tailed Treepie in the mangroves, Common Tailorbird, Greater Sandplover and Dunlin showing some black on the belly and several more shorebirds. Still no sign of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper but a great day for shorebirds and some extras.
10/17 We woke early and caught a flight from Bangkok to Paro via Calcutta. We passed Kangchenjunga, the worlds third highest peak, on the way into Paro and once we cleared customs and met our guides and began the two hour drive to Thimpu. We did stop along the way where we found Long Legged Buzzard and Spotted Nutcracker before continuing on. There was a traffic stop an hour later for construction which handily was next to a river so we got out and birded for 10 minutes and got Small Niltava, Oriental White-eye, White Wagtail before moving on. We arrived in Thimpu and got settled in and had some lunch. In the afternoon we birded along the river on the edge of town and was pleased to find Ibisbill, White-capped Water Redstart, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Long-billed Plover, Blue-whistling Thrush, Common Merganser, Shikra, Grey Bush-chat, River Lapwing and Brown Dipper.
10/18 This morning we toured Thimphu so not much birding but did get a Tickel's Leaf Warbler in the grounds of the museum flitting about in the orchard. There were also some Green-backed Tit's in the bamboo. On the drive out spotted a Grey-backed Shrike on one of the phone wires. We drove north to Jigme Dorji National Park at Dodona. Here cool broadleaf and mixed deciduous forest was cut by a river and a winding path. No sooner had we got out of the vehicle we were onto some birds. Long-tailed Minivets grouped in the trees while Hodgson's Redstart, Rufous-fronted Tits and Water Redstarts bounded around in the trees and rocks in the river. We walked for an hour into the lush forest always along the river and in cool moist air. We stopped several times for birds and calls finding Rufous Sibia, Golden Spectacled Warlber, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Greyish-sided Bushwarbler, Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush.
10/19 Before breakfast I scanned the pines for birds finding, with some difficulty, several Himalayan Greenfinches. From Thimpu we drove upwards to the pass of Dochu La. Several snow capped mounts could be seen in the distance and Large-billed crows filled the trees. We parked at the chorten and looked at the smaller stupas and admired the prayer flags before we crossed over and stopped for tea at a little shop. From the tea house I watched a mixed flock of Green-backed Tits, warblers and Leafbirds before we drove down a ways and got out to bird the road. Here the winding road slopes down into the valley past steep banks of verdant green and passes tree filled gullies. There were birds everywhere. As soon as we got out there was a mixed flock of Whiskered Yuhinas, Hume's Leaf Warblers, White-browed Fulvettas, Rufous-vented Yuhinas, Grey-crested Tits, and Buff-barred Warblers. Farther down the road we came across a mixed flock in some pines and got White-tailed Nuthatch, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, more tits, yuhinas and warblers. In some hemlock farther down the road we found Whistlers Warbler, Yellow-browed Tits, Gold-billed Blue Magpies. We spent about two hours here with great birds but had to move on to get lunch. As we drove farther down the forest changed to deciduous and after another hour we stopped when I heard a large canopy flock where we found Scarlet Minivet, Chestnut-capped Warlber, White-browed Shrike-babbler and Yellow-throated Fulvetta. From here we continued on to Punakha with a stop for lunch and went to the Dzong of the divine madman. Really quaint, small Dzong on a hill overlooking the small village. Did see Olive-backed Pipit on the walk to the Dzong in open fields.
10/20 I got up early and birded the road up the hill behind our lodge where there was a bush filled gulley and trees lining the hill behind. Found Ashy Drongo, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler, Hoopoe, Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Short-billed Minivet, Red-vented Bulbul, Grey Treepie, Grey-capped Warbler and Grey-backed Shrike. Today we spent the whole day in Jigme Dorji National Park north of Tashitang this time at lower elevation in deciduous forest. On the drive in we saw a White-bellied Heron flying over the river but couldn't stop for long as we were blocking traffic. When we arrived we drove the trail for several miles then stopped and walked back along the river scouting for mixed flocks. Through out the day we came across them and had mad minutes of 50-150 birds passing at once. We found Hoary-throated Barwing, Great Barbet, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Nepal Fulvetta, Black-throated Sunbird, Little Forktail, Slaty-backed Forktail, Red-tailed Minla, Pygmy-blue Flycatcher, Greater Yellownape, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Striated Laughingthrush and many species of warblers. Our greatest finds were a Asian Barred Owlet on the way out which perched long enough for us to scope before it flew off. Ten minutes later as we were almost to the end of the road a large bird over flew us. It appeared to be a hawk and it landed close by on a limb overlooking the river. I got the scope on it but it was facing away from us but looked like an owl. It was a massive bird, then it turned its head towards us and stared right at me. Huge black eyes with brownish/orange edges, huge yellow bill and big eyebrown horns. We consulted the guide and concluded with the large size, yellow bill and white edged down the wing coverts it had to be a Spot-bellied Eagle-owl. The guide didn't mention them being this high up and not in this section of Bhutan but we had long looks at the bird through the scope and when satisfied we moved right under the tree and scoped it again where we could see the front of the bird and the heavily spotted white belly, huge claws and facial disk with yellow bill and eyehorns. The bird remained perched and even managed to be seen by a passing local who enjoyed a quick look through the scope. I consulted the Birds in Bhutan: status and distribution book back at the hotel and there are only three records for the bird so they are not often seen, we were truly lucky to see this bird in daylight. It was approaching dusk but the light was still good. Definitly bird of the trip. On the drive back we found the White-bellied Heron, this time searching for dinner along one of the shoals in the middle of the river. The neck on this bird is as longer than the body. It is much longer than it appears in the guide. Great to see such a rare bird.
10/21 The night before there was a massive rainstorm and thunder and lightning woke us booming all around. We woke to cloud cover and fog. We drove to Wangdue Dzong then up to Pele La. The whole place was fogged in so we didn't stop and even lower down around Chendebji where we stopped for lunch it was cold, cloudy and wet. We continued on along the road towards Trongsa not seeing much at all. We arrived at the Yangkil lodge and did a little birding along the road over looking the river gorge. Found Chestnut-tailed Minla, Streak-chested Scimitar-babbler, Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, House Swift it was still cold and overcast so not much to see.
10/22 Woke early and birded the gorge again. This time the weather had cleared somewhat and the birding was better. Saw Red-billed Lieothrix, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Hill Prinia, Striated Prinia, Oriental White-eye, Green-backed Tit, White-throated Laughingthrush, Whiskered Yuhina and several warblers. We went to visit the Dzong and continued on east through Yotong La where it was cold and windy. We stopped on the other side and birded for a couple of hours but there wasn't much as the cold kept many birds down. We did find Red Crossbill, Common Rosefich, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Rufous-fronted Tit, Red-headed Bullfinch, Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Chestnut-vented Yuhinas, ubiquitous warblers and tits. We arrived in a very cold Bumthang valley late in the afternoon and I had a quick look behind our resort on a trail through some pine forest where I found, Rufous-bellied Niltava, White-browed Shortwing and Chestnut-headed Tesia.
10/23 I birded the pine forest trail and up the road along a bush shrouded gulley and spooked up a Eurasian Woodcock and found a Little Bunting along the river. We went to Jonkar Dzong and walked along the river to a monastery where I found Brown Parrotbill and Black-faced Parrotbills in several reedbeds along the river. In the afternoon we walked along the river on the edge of town but cold wind and cloudy skies kept everything down. Nothing new to report.
10/24 Today we drove back out of the Bumthang valley through Yotong La and stopped again at Chendebji for lunch. Saw some House Swifts along the river. Continued on to Trongsa and stopped outside of town for a picture and found a Mrs.Gould's Sunbird. We drove farther on till I found a large mixed flock and found Black Bulbul, Striated Laughingthrush, Red-tailed Minla and Whiskered Yuhina along with warblers and tits.We drove up again to Pele La and headed down into the Phobjika valley to look for Black-necked Cranes. Thinley stopped a man who was walking up the road and asked him. The man nodded and pointed into the valley. Thinley translated for us and we were overjoyed. Three were there. We drove on farther until Thinley stopped at a farm and asked the farmer who was outside and he pointed into the marshy valley and Thinley said this was the place. We sprang out of the car and scanned the distant rolling grasses and there they were three Black-necked Cranes. I got the scope on them and enjoyed them for a while local children queued up to see them too. It was fantastic. The cranes had arrived at noon and we got there around 3pm. We were lucky they had come when they did. We feared they might not be there yet. We continued on through the valley to the pass and towards Punakha. We stopped on the way to see a grotto where scenes from the film Travelers Magician had been filmed and scared up two Wallcreepers which I was pleased about.
10/25 We continued west today stopping a Dochu La where we found Black-throated Tit among several Minivets, tits, warblers, nuthatches and fulvettas. We did find a pair of Black Eagles as they soared past near the top of Dochu La.We stopped in Thimpu for lunch and drove on to Paro.
10/26 Today we hiked up to the Tigers Nest which is an amzing monastery perched on the side of a cliff. The trail to the monastery starts around 7,000ft and works it way up to over 9,000 through pine and deciduous forest. Along the way we found Green Shrike-babbler, Spotted Laughingthrush, Wallcreeper, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Chestnut-tailed Minla, but I missed a flock of finches. This was the last birding we had in Bhutan apart from a Blue Rock Thrush on the building across from our hotel in the evening.
10/27 Morning flight to Bangkok. Did see Everest from the window.
10/28 Spent a couple of hours in Lumphini Park before touring the Grand Palace and found Asian Koel, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Olive-backed Sunbird, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Coppersmith Barbet along with mynas and sparrows. We flew out that night.
Overall an amazing trip with some great birds. I found the Birds in Bhutan: status and distribution a great help in doing research for the trip. I used the Guide to the Birds of Bhutan by Inskipp and Grimmett which was easy to use and carry. Birds in Bhutan is a hardback book so left it in the room most of the time but did take it as it was a valuable resource while there. It is available from the OBC, go to www.orientalbirdclub.org and you can order it from there. It has distribution maps and altitude charts which the Guide doesn't. The guide has limited information but good plates so the Birds in Bhutan book is a must for reference. Most people go in March/April and usually miss the cranes but as they are so much a part of the Buddhist culture in Phobjika valley we really wanted to see them when they first arrived as it is a good portent for these people, so much so that the whole valley has no electricity because the government fears powerlines might scare off the cranes. The country is beautiful, the people are wonderful and the culture is geared to the environment. It was a privilege to bird here and our guides were fantastic. For the Thailand birdwatching day we booked through www.wildwatchthailand.com, they have plenty of itineraries from one day to twelve days. Ask for Mr. Pinit as he knows his stuff. For the Bhutan leg we booked through www.windhorse.com. Feel free to email me with any questions.
Tashi Dalek
In order of appearance:
Thailand:
Fork-tailed Swift
Little-ringed Plover
Little Cormorant
Streak-eared Bulbul
Eastern Marsh-Harrier
Common Tern
Little Tern
Whiskered Tern
Black-winged Stilt
White-vented Myna
Lesser Sandplover
Red-necked Stint
Spotted Dove
Common Myna
Black Drongo
White-brested Waterhen
Long-toed Stint
Zebra Dove
Pied Fantail
Oriental Honey Buzzard
Asian Pied Starling
Bronze-winged Jacana
Brown Shrike
Plain Prinia
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Little Grebe
Chinese Pond-Heron
Javan Pond-Heron
Asian Openbilled Stork
Oriental Magpie-robin
Red-rumped Swallow
Common Tailorbird
Scaly-breasted Munia
Asian Palm Swift
Common Stonechat
Red-wattled Lapwing
Japanese Sparrowhawk
Green Bee-eater
Intermediate Egret
White-throated Kingfisher
Paddyfield Pipit
Plain-backed Sparrow
Greater Coucal
Red Collared Dove
Ashy Woodswallow
Long-tailed Shrike
Indian Roller
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Black-capped Kingfisher
Blue-throated Bee-eater
German's Swiftlet
Edibble Nest Swiftlet
Collared Kingfisher
Painted Stork
Common Iora
Common Redshank
Oriental Pratincole
Brahminy Kite
Black-tailed Godwit
Black-naped Tern
Brown-headed Gull
Little Tern
Indian Cormorant
Temminck's Stint
Pacific Golden Plover
Kentish Plover
Common Snipe
Heuglin's Gull
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Common Greenshank
Greater Sandplover
Eurasian Curlew
Gull-billed Tern
Great Crested Tern
Dunlin
Curlew Sandpiper
Great Knot
Racket-tailed Treepie
Bhutan:
Long-legged Buzzard
Spotted Wood-Pigeon
Large-billed Crow
Spotted Nutcracker
Small Niltava
White Wagtail (ssp:leucopsis)
Oriental White-eye
Grey Bush-chat
Green-backed Tit
Blue-Whistling Thrush
Brown Dipper
Ibisbill
White-capped Water Redstart
Long-billed Plover
Red-billed Chough
Shikra
Plumbeous Water Redstart
Himalayan Greenfinch
Gold-billed Blue Magpie
Oriental Turtle-Dove
White-throated Laughingthrush
Tickell's Leaf Warbler
Grey-backed Shrike
Hodgson's Redstart
Rufous Sibia
White-spectacled Warbler
Rufous-fronted Tit
Long-tailed Minivet
Rusty-flanked Treecreeper
Golden-spectacled Warbler
Ashy-throated Warbler
Grey-sided Bushwarbler
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush
Orange-bellied Leafbird
Buff-barred Warbler
Grey-crested Tit
Blyth's Leaf Warbler
Stripe-throated Yuhina
White-browed Fulvetta
Whiskered Yuhina
Rufous-vented Yuhina
White-tailed Nuthatch
Hume's Leaf Warbler
Lemon-rumped Warbler
Yellow-browed Tit
Greenish Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Scarlet Minivet
Whistler's Warbler
Chestnut-crowned Warbler
White-browed Shrike-Babbler
Yellow-throated Fulvetta
Large Niltava
Daurian Redstart
Olive-backed Pipit
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler
Red-vented Bulbul
Short-billed Minivet
Grey-hooded Warbler
Grey Treepie
Ashy Drongo
Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike
White-bellied Heron
Little Forktail
Crested Serpent-Eagle
Himalayan Swiftlet
Great Barbet
Mountain Hawk-eagle
Black-throated Sunbird
Striated Laughingthrush
Hair-crested Drongo
Hoary-throated Barwing
Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler
Mountain Bulbul
Slaty-backed Forktail
Rusty-fronted Barwing
Rufous-winged Fulvetta
Asian Barred Owlet
Nepal Fulvetta
Pygmy Blue Flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Fantail
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Spot-bellied Eagle Owl
Greater Yellownape
Dark-sided Flycatcher
Russet Sparrow
Spotted Forktail
Verditer Flycatcher
Purple Cochoa
Asian House Martin
Chestnut-tailed Minla
Ultra-marine Flycatcher
Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush
Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler
Striated Prinia
Grey-faced Woodpecker
Streaked Laughingthrush
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
Hill Prinia
Red-billed Leiothrix
Red-tailed Minla
Abberant Bush-warbler
Orange-flanked Bush-Robin
White-browed Bush-Robin
Blue-fronted Redstart
Slaty-backed Flycatcher
Red-headed Bullfinch
Golden-breasted Fulvetta
Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher
Black-faced Laughingthrush
Common Rosefinch
Red Crossbill
Rufous-breasted Accentor
Great Cormorant
Rufous-bellied Niltava
Chestnut-headed Tesia
White-browed Shortwing
Grey-chinned Minivet
Little Bunting
Eurasian Woodcock
Brown Parrotbill
Black-throated Parrotbill
Eurasian Treecreeper
Black Bulbul
Mrs Gould's Sunbird
Nepal House Martin
Wallcreeper
Black-necked Crane
Black-throated Tit
Black Eagle
Green Shrike-Babbler
Spotted Laughingthrush
Snow Pigeon
Rock Dove
Darjeeling Woodpecker
Blue Rock Thrush
Lumphini Park:
Common Myna
White-vented Myna
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Coppersmith Barbet
Dusky Warbler
Asian Koel
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
House Swift
Olive-backed Sunbird
Eastern Crowned Warbler