This was primarily a birding trip, but neither of the top two highlights involved a bird. The first was meeting the King of Bhutan on the side of the road and having him shake our hands, say how glad he was that we were enjoying the country's wildlife, talk about Satyr Tragopans responding to tapes of their calls and give us some small gifts (coin sets commemorating his coronation and some candies); and (2) seeing a Red Panda fairly high in a tree and watching it for twenty minutes (including watching it slowly climb down and disappear). There were also numerous birding highlights, including great views of the four large pheasants; several encounters with Rufous-necked Hornbills (each time with pairs); a great assortment and good number of raptors; the endangered White-bellied Heron (at the spot where we met our main guide, Hishey Tschering); Ibisbill in three different cities; nine different woodpeckers; five species of well-seen scimitar-babblers; thirteen species of laughingthrush; four species of parrotbill (and a fifth in Seoul for Andrea and me); eight species of tit (9 including a Great Tit in Seoul) and two of Long-tailed Tit; three species of nuthatch including the wonderful Beautiful; nine species of sunbird, spiderhunter and flowerpecker; 11 species of finch and great photo opportunities for ever so many of the birds, both for ourselves and for the great digiscoper, Hishey's nephew, Dorjee. We saw 272 species of birds and heard another 11. And there was also wonderful scenery, including magnificent broad-leafed forests and a grand variety of colorful rhododendrons. The last king (the current king's father) developed the concept of gross national happiness, which has four underpinnings: good governance, respect for wildlife, sustainable development and respect for cultural traditions. As a result of Buddhist traditional respect for wildlife and policies developed with gross national happiness in mind, the extensive forests and many rivers are in great shape. So, too, are the fortress-temples-administrative centers called dzongs. The one main east-west road winds through the hilly terrain, and every curve offers the promise of a beautiful vista or great wildlife - or both
After reading about Bhutan in 50 Places to Go Birding Before You Die and in a brief note in Budget Travel, which made it seem affordable, Andrea commented how it would make a great trip. Before long, I was looking into a trip on line. At the suggestion of Gail Mackiernan, I chose to go with a local company, Bhutan Birding and HeritageTravels, which is run by Hishey. Hishey has been leading bird tours for almost ten years and is familiar with good places for many specialty birds. He also has assembled a team that does a great job, producing incredible road meals on a 2-burner stove, including pizza, a birthday cake and an apple pie, as well as a variety of meals that included the rice and softening the hardships of camping in mud. From reading trip reports, we had expected the noise of dogs and cows to interfere with sleep when camping or staying in modest guest houses. However, they were never a problem. We never got out the ear plugs that we brought. And Hishey arranged campsites where cows never were near our sleeping tents. Hishey and the team also provided a wealth of information about life in Bhutan, dzongs, the movie Travelers and Magicians and so much more. We got a chance to absorb the wonderful culture as we looked for birds. And there was no premium above the required $200/day minimum payment for traveling in Bhutan.
Jim and Vicki King of Seattle had already booked Bhutan Birding & Heritage for the only period when we would be able to go, but she had indicated that she was willing to add others. After meeting by emails and a phone call, the four of us decided to travel together. Later, one other person, Greg Anderson, joined the group. Coincidentally (?), he is a good friend of Gail's. The tour was sandwiched between two trips Hishey had already booked, so we did not have him for the first four days of the trip - but Dorjee and Sonam filled in very well.
We mainly traveled on and walked along the one east-west road in Bhutan, but also on some spur roads: to Chelila, Punakha, to the Phobjikha Valley for Black-necked Cranes, to Shemgang Province and then a little bit south of Bumthang. Most of the daylight hours of the first 17 of our 20 days in Bhutan were primarily devoted to birding or driving from one birding site to another. Even our longest drives were broken up by stops to look for birds along the road. We would stop at places our guides knew to be promising and would also stop whenever anyone (including the driver, who managed to look for birds while dealing with twisting roads and the constant chance of an oncoming vehicle, which often required one vehicle to get into a position that would allow for at least a partial pass, with the pass often completed after a second adjustment) spotted raptors or mammals or saw evidence of a bird party/feeding flock or any potentially interesting bird.
The routine was to go out before breakfast and bird. Around 8:00 or 9:00, we would round a bend in the road (Bhutan's main road has many bends) and see our road crew with a table (and sometimes a tent) set up for breakfast. The breakfast sites were generally good spots for birds. Just some of the treats that distracted us from eating included Cutia, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Red-tailed and Chestnut-tailed Minla, Rusty-fronted Scimitar-Babbler, Great Parrotbill and an assortment of redstarts, tits and yuhinas. We ate some lunches at restaurants, but usually had them at similar roadside stops or at our campsites. During the first 17 days, we also visited two dzongs: Punakha and Trongsa and also had 3 or 4 brief handicraft shopping opportunities. We ended the trip with visits to the Paro Festival and a climb up to Tiger's Nest Monastery, a climb that proved to be quite good for birds on the way up, but a bit too crowded the way down.
Throughout the trip, our primary targets were birds, which we both watched and photographed. We recorded a total of 284, not counting birds seen or heard only by Hishey or Dorjee. We were all quite eager to see mammals, too, and did quite well, seeing three Yellow-throated Martens, including two that lingered by the side of the road; pikas (of several species); Hodgson's (I believe) Flying Squirrels (first spotlighted in glide by Dorjee as we returned to the camp one evening after dark and relocated in a tree, then found the next evening when we went on a nocturnal walk along the road); Himalayan Striped, Orange-bellied and Palm Squirrels; a Lynx (in the road as we returned from our only nocturnal drive, its bobtail and musculature suggesting it was not a domestic cat and its face clinching the ID); Assamese Macaque; and Gray, Golden and Capped Langurs; Barking Deer (including one out on a cliff during our night drive); Common Goral (we saw this mountain goat-like animal in 3 places); and the Red Panda on a trail at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
In order to get to Bhutan, we needed first to travel to a place from which Druk Air flies. We chose Bangkok. To protect against the risk of flight delays, we built in a day layover. That, in turn, meant an opportunity to see some birds even before getting to Bhutan. At Gail Mackiernan's suggestion (again), I had arranged with Peter Ericsson a trip to Lampakbia to go out on the morning of March 18, 2009 to see shorebirds such as Spoon-billed Sandpiper. All five of the Bhutan tour participants were in Bangkok that morning, Andrea and I having been the last ones to arrive, a little after midnight. We had several hours to get some rest before heading out on an early start (5:00) with breakfasts packed by the hotel. As it turned out, all five of us went out with Peter and had a great time.
As we headed south from Bangkok on a drive of almost two hours, Asian Openbill Storks, Black-winged Stilts and a variety of herons fed in wetlands along the road or flew over the highway to change from one wetland to another. Just about the only other birds were Whiskered Tern, Rock Pigeons, Red-collared Doves, Asian Koels, Oriental Magpie-Robins, Asian Pied Starlings, White-vented Mynas, Long-billed Crows and Eurasian Tree Sparrows. But we all stayed pumped up knowing what the ride would bring.
On the way back to Bangkok, we stopped at Banting Bancha where we added several new birds, including Common Moorhen, 11 Bronze-winged Jacanas (including two fighting), Germain's Swiftlets, Blue-tailed Bee-Eater, Common Stonechat, Ashy Woodswallow and Baya Weaver.
It was dark by the time we got back to our hotel, but we had gotten plenty of sun to help us reset our clocks - and plenty of birds.
To leave Bangkok on a 9:00 a.m. flight, we were going to get up really early again, but decided against it - and it turned out we did not have to. Our flight went first to Kolkata, where many passengers got off, and we were free to take any open seat. We all got in good positions, but the cloud cover was too dense for us to get any views of the Himalayas. We had to settle for the wonderful banking entry into the Paro Valley and down to the runway.
It was 10:30 a.m. local time on March 19 when we landed. It was cloudy, but we expected little, if any, rain that day and throughout the trip. Bhutan had experienced a particularly dry winter. But we and our guides were surprised to have rain almost every day, sometimes during prime birding times, and snow for each of our first visits to high passes. The rain did not prevent us from doing very well with our targets and getting great looks at loads of wonderful birds - and mammals.
When Hishey was not available, one of our guides was Sonam, a cultural guide, who studied to be a monk before changing his mind. In Punakha, Sonam guided us as we visited the dzong and gave us the perspective of an insider as we looked at the beautiful artwork and watched a religious ceremony from the inner courtyard. (His wildlife skills are also good. He spotted the Red Panda.) Dorjee led our tour of the museum and dzong at Trongsa, and Hishey our tour of the dzong in Paro. They took us to a weaving school and to a center where students were painting. They also explained culture as we came upon it, including the way communities came together to build houses and the time (hours) some children have to walk each day (five and a half days a week) to and from school. The books they suggested that we read before the trip also helped put much of what we saw in context. In Paro, we observed part of the first day of the Paro tsechu (festival) which was held inside the dzong and part of the second day which was held in a courtyard with bleachers outside the dzong. Sonam gave us insight on the significance of the various costumes and dances.
Next birding: Seoul
My efforts to find a guide or get some advice about birding near Seoul through Birdchat or Korea Birds or by emailing a Korean guide were unavailing, so Andrea and I read the few trip reports for the country I could find, read about parks and some other sites and downloaded a list of the country's birds from Wikipedia. We had a layover of almost twelve hours of daylight, so we figured we would see some birds. And we did.
It took awhile to find a place to stow our carry-on (Air Korea passengers can by the wall opposite the exit and near the check-in) so we could get out of the airport in Icheon. A walk took us to a train with a route mostly above ground, including as we crossed mudflats and water. When the train reached Gimpo Airport, we bought a new ticket and took a subway to Seoul from which we did not have to transfer. We got off the train at an exit for Yeoido Park.
From the city side of the bridge, we caught a cab to a shopping district and shopped, had a very good lunch and walked around past palaces but decided we did not have time to take the tour that would have brought us to the Secret Garden and a chance for Mandarin Duck, a woodpecker and some passerines. We settled for adding only a Great Tit and got back to the airport in time to partake in some cultural activities (making our own South Korean souvenirs), check the airport's free computer and then prepare to board our flight.
Thailand Birds
Little and Indian Cormorants were on posts near each other, as were Black-capped and Common Kingfishers. The only Collared Kingfisher was in the mangroves we cut through on the boat. Our two rallids were White-breasted Waterhen and Ruddy-breasted Crake, the latter rather common in a ditch heading away from the road.
There were a few passerines at Lampakbia, but they were heavily outnumbered by shorebirds and waders. Between 7:00 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., we drove around, walked on levees and went out in a small boat skippered by a local. The herons we saw were Chinese Egret (out near the sandbar we reached by boat), Pacific Reef Heron (ditto), Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Chinese Pond-Heron, Javan Pond-Heron (at the ponds), Black-crowned Night-Heron and Striated Heron. The shorebirds were even more impressive: Greater Sandplover (at least one); 250 Lesser Sandplover, 35 Kentish (Snowy) Plover, Black-bellied (Gray) Plover, Pacific Golden Plover, Malaysian Plover (on the sandbar), Red-wattled Plover, "White-faced" Plover (on the sandbar - a bird that still lacks a scientific name and even lacks consensus on whether it is a separate species - see the article at http://www.surfbirds.com/Features/plovers1108/malayplovers.html or the longer article in the August 2008 issue of Forktail), Black-winged Stilt, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Curlew, Common Snipe, Nordmann's Greenshank (a group of six out in the pans but seen quite well from near the road with a scope), Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Great Knot, Broad-billed Sandpiper (in the pans and seen well from a levee), Long-toed Stint (just off the road), Red-necked Stint, Sanderling, Ruddy Turnstone and the prize of prizes, one Spoon-billed Sandpiper. All of us got a turn looking in the scope and watching the Spoonbilled turn its head and show off the shape of that marvelous bill.
Brown-headed Gulls and Whiskered Terns were numerous on shore. Our only other gull was large and immature and presented a bit of an identification challenge. We thought it too light to be a Heuglin's and considered the possibility of Vega Gull, a bird that has apparently not been documented as occurring in Thailand. Study of photos confirmed it was a Heuglin's. For a good mix of tens, we swung the boat close to one sandbar/island that had Crested Terns, Lesser Crested Terns, Caspian Terns, Common Terns and Little Terns.
The other birds at Lampakbia were Little Grebe, Brahminy Kite, Spotted, Red-collared and Peaceful Dove, Rock Pigeon, Asian Koel, Greater Coucal, Asian Palm-Swift, Brown Shrike, Barn Swallow, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Pied Fantail, Common Iora, Common Tailorbird, Golden-bellied Gerygone (heard only), Plain Prinia, Streak-eared Bulbul, Black Drongo, Chestnut and Scaly-breasted Munia, Asian Pied Starling and Plain-backed and Eurasian Tree Sparow.
On the way back to Bangkok, we stopped at Banting Bancha where we added several new birds, including Common Moorhen, 11 Bronze-winged Jacanas (including two fighting), Germain's Swiftlets, Blue-tailed Bee-Eater, Common Stonechat, Ashy Woodswallow and Baya Weaver.
It was dark by the time we got back to our hotel, but we had gotten plenty of sun to help us reset our clocks - and plenty of birds.
Bhutan Annotated Species Account:
Great Cormorants were on many of the rivers, including many adults in breeding plumage with mostly white heads. Our only heron was a White-bellied Heron we watched fish in a river near Punakha.
Ducks were at or near the Thimphu sewage ponds and at Punakha: Ruddy Shelduck (82); Gadwall (four); Eurasian Wigeon (nine - two at Changkhar); Mallard (four); Common Teal (twelve); Northern Pintail (three); and Common Merganser (twelve).
Except for the day of our departure, we saw at least one raptor each day. Eurasian (Himalayan) Buzzard was the most frequently sighted (25 over nine days), then Mountain Hawk-Eagle (eleven on eight days - always at mid-level elevations); Black Eagle (nine over six days); Eurasian Sparrowhawk (six, six days); and Eurasian Kestrel (ten, five days). We saw Osprey near Punakha; Pallas's Fish-Eagle (vulnerable) at its nest near Tingtibi; 20 Himalayan Griffin near the pass to Phobjikha Valley and three at a pass bear Bumthang Valley; Crested Serpent Eagle near Wangdue Phodrang (two days); one Hen Harrier at Phobjikha Valley; one Northern Goshawk at Thrumsingla; Long-legged Buzzard near Pelela and Phobjikha Valley (two each); Upland Buzzard near Paro (two); one Steppe Eagle during the return drive from Shemgang to Trongsa; one Peregrine Falcon at Punakha (hunting swifts) and at two higher elevations (one harassing a Mountain Hawk-Eagle); one Oriental Hobby in the Wangdue Phodrang area; and a Collared Falconet at our riverside campsite below Tingtibi.
The most common of the partridges and pheasants was Hill Partridge, which we heard almost everyday but never saw. In Yongkhala, we heard (and Jim glimpsed) Chestnut-breasted Partridge. We saw four Blood Pheasant at Chelila and 39 as we crossed and dropped from Thrumsingla. Satyr Tragopan were at several locations between Sengor and Yongkhala, and we saw two, one spectacularly: in flight, then perched in a bush; then walking across two streams. We saw Himalayan Monal at Chelila and Thrumsingla, including several we watched feed, fly and interact. Our only seven Khalij Pheasants were near Yongkhala.
We saw Black-tailed Crake at Paro (two twice) and Thimphu (fifteen) and one Common Moorhen at Thimphu. At Phobjikha Valley, we saw seven Black-necked Cranes, most of the rest having already left. The stunning Ibisbill were at Paro (three), Thimphu (seven) and Changkhar (two). They were always near stones, but, unfortunately, they were often near discarded plastic.
River Lapwing were at Paro, Thimphu and Punakha, with high counts of 35 (Thimphu) and fifteen (Punakha).
One of two snipe at Paro was Solitary Snipe and one presumed Pin-tailed, with the different body structures especially noticeable in flight. Another Pin-tailed was at Thimphu, as were our only two Green Sandpiper. Common Sandpiper were at Paro (two twice) and Thimphu (three).
Rock Pigeons were quite common in cities and larger towns. Snow Pigeons were less common but more spectacular. We encountered five large groups flying in formation: Thimphu (120); Sengor and near Thrumsingla (160); Changkhar (50); and two sites near Chendbjee (100). Speckled Wood Pigeon were near Yongkhala (one and two). Oriental Turtle-Dove was recorded everyday, from several on up to 50. Spotted Dove were near Punakha (two) and on the drive to Shemgang (one). In Jigme Dorji National Park we had our only three Barred Cuckoo-Dove. Emerald Dove were only at the riverside campsite below Tingtibi (one and two), as was our only flock of Pintail Green Pigeon (ten) and our only Mountain Imperial Pigeon (six and six). We heard Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon near our Beautiful Nuthatch spot near Wangdugang.
We were too early for summer resident cuckoos. We heard Large Hawk-Cuckoos most days, but only saw them near Yongkhala (one) and near Trongsa (two). We heard Oriental Cuckoo on seven days, but only Andrea and I got to see two during a walk on the way back to Trongsa near the end of the trip.
We heard Mountain Scops-Owl most days, Collared Owlet seven days and Tawny Owl twice (Trongsa and near Sengor) but never saw any of them. We saw an Asian Barred Owlet near Tingtibi and heard some on four other days. We saw one Grey Nightjar on our way to the riverside campsite below Tingtibi and saw two more on a cliff face during a night drive from Chendbjee. On the drive back from Shemgang, in the morning we found a recently killed female nightjar that appeared to be a Savanna Nightjar.
Himalayan Swiftlets were commonly encountered in groups up to 60, but more often twenty. Sometimes, they were in with Fork-tailed Swifts, which were seen in groups of from 10 to 60. In the riverside campsite below Tingtibi, we had some dark-looking swifts that gave us the impression of Dark-rumped Swifts, which are vulnerable and rare and only found a good distance from Shemgang. We left them unidentified.
Trogons were one of our few disappointments. We recorded no Red-headed Trogons (although we saw one bird that probably was one) and did not see any Ward's Trogon, hearing only one near Yongkhala, despite making several efforts to see this special bird. (During one attempt I slipped in mud and caught myself with my left hand - unfortunately on top of a spiny plant, leaving me with several spines in my hand.)
We had single White-throated Kingfisher at Punakha, at Tingtibi and at the riverside campsite. At and near Punakha, we also had six Crested Kingfishers. Our only bee-eater was a Blue-bearded heard near Yongkhala.
Common Hoopoes were in towns such as Paro, Thimphu, Bumthang and Trongsa and were often present in the yards of dzongs adding to the decorations.
Great Hornbills (near threatened) were near the riverside campsite below Tingtibi (two one day, twelve the other), as were Rufous-necked Hornbills (vulnerable) (four one day and two the other), but Vicki had found us our first Rufous-necked (two) the day before near where we saw the Beautiful Nuthatch in a beautiful hilly spot near Wangdugang. Each sighting of Rufous-necked was of a close-together pair.
Everywhere except Paro and Thimphu we had Great Barbets (up to twenty in a day - and seven or eight seen that day). Golden-throated Barbets (seen five days, up to six in a day) were from Punakha and near Shemgang. Blue-throated (five days, up to twenty in a day) were in the same general areas, but usually not with the Golden-throateds. We saw and took time to observe one Yellow-rumped Honeyguide near some giant honeybee nests between Wangdue Phodrang and Pele La.
Twice, we had good looks at single Speckled Piculet. The first was during a roadside walk near Wangdue Phodrang. The second was with a great bunch of birds as we breakfasted near Jong Cho chorten on the way back from the camp to Trongsa. We saw or heard Bay Woodpecker six days, usually one but three the day we woke up in Wangdugang (by the Beautiful Nuthatch area) and headed toward Tingtibi. Our only two Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker were near the riverside campsite below Tingtibi. We saw one Rufous-bellied Woodpecker near Jong Cho chorten (in the breakfast flocks) and one during a walk on the trip from Chendbjee back to Thimphu. Darjeeling was our first woodpecker, with two at Chelila. We heard on other between Trongsa and Bumthang and saw another at its nest hole off the road from Yongkhala to Sengor. One Greater Yellownape was near the riverside campsite and another near the Yongkhala campsite. Lesser Yellownape first in a great tree (Sultan Tit, Scarlet Finch, Black-faced Warbler, etc.) near Yongkhala, and then a second on the way back to Thimphu near the end of the trip. And Grey-headed Woodpecker on four days at Yongkhala and at several mid-elevation locations.
In a wet field outside Bumthang, we saw our only Oriental Skylark, which flushed while we looked for snipe. We saw a colony of approximately 100 Nepal House Martins not far from Wangdue Phodrang and later saw 30 from near Paro. Flocks of 30 to 50 Asian House Martin were seen on four days, near the riverside camp below Tingtibi and also near Yongkhala.
White Wagtails were noted on eleven different days, with a maximum of 150 in Paro. Most were at middle elevations, but we had eight in the Phobijkha Valley, too. In Paro, we noticed that there were two subspecies present: Motacilla alba alboides and M.a. baicalensis. In both Paro and Trongsa, we had sole Gray Wagtails. Olive-backed Pipits were at middle, low and high elevations, on the ground and on tops of trees, with maxima of fifteen recorded three different days. Rosy Pipits were at Paro and Thimphu (30), but also much higher near Ura (twelve). Many had nicely rosy breasts.
Single Maroon Orioles were found a short distance past the Royal Botanical Park and then at the Beautiful Nuthatch site. On four different days, we saw single Black-winged Cuckoo-shrikes, near Yongkhala (one singing) and then at Pele La. Every day we had at least one species of beautiful minivet. Four days, we saw Grey-chinned (up to ten); ten days we saw Long-tailed (up to fifteen); eight days we saw Short-billed (up to twenty); and nine days we saw Scarlets (up to fifteen). Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes were seen four different days, with a maximum of four birds as we were heading from Trongsa to Tingtibi.
We saw 25 Striated Bulbul in and near Wangdugang and then seven on the way back from Tingtibi to Trongsa. Red-vented Bulbul was seen nine days, up to 60 in a day. White-throated Bulbul was only recorded between Trongsa and the riverside camp near Tingtibi, with a maximum of ten in one day. Ashy Bulbul in the same range, but smaller numbers, maximum of five one day, total of seven. Mountain Bulbul on four days with 50 near Punakha and 100 total. Our most common bulbul was Black Bulbul, sometimes more than 100 in a day, but never recorded near Yongkhala.
Orange-bellied Leafbird was seen from near Punakha to the riverside camp near Tingtibi, with a maximum of 80 one day, half of which were in a single tree.
Brown Dipper were found in rivers in Dachogang, Thimphu (four), Wangdue, Jigme Dorji National Park and on the way back to Trongsa. Winter Wren were in small numbers on four different days at various elevations, a total of five.
Three Alpine Accentor were found, one at Chelila, one near the Yongkhala campground and one as we headed from Chendbjee to Thimphu. Rufous-breasted Accentors were found at elevations high and low on a total of nine different days, with a maximum of ten near Yongkhala.
Our first Blue-capped Rock-Thrush was near Tingtibi, and we saw six near there the next day and another six near Yongkhala. On eight days we saw Chestnut-bellied Thrush, with a maximum of six near Yongkhala. We saw single Blue Rock Thrush on three days from near Trongsa and then between there and Tingtibi. Everyday we saw Blue Whistling Thrush, sometimes more than 100. We saw Plain-backed Thrush in Jigme Dorji National Park and had the opportunity to study one in early morning near Yongkhala. White-collared Blackbird was common at high and fairly high elevations, with up to 60. Grey-winged Blackbirds were less common, but we had 30 the same day we had 60 White-collared Blackbirds, with both present together in an area not too far from the Royal Botanical Garden. Finally, in a field in Changkhar, Hishey spotted a Dark-throated Thrush with a not-quite complete black throat in a tree that we ended up seeing better (and photographing) when it flew into the bamboo.
Orange-flanked Bush-Robins were mainly from the start of our trip two, two and four the first three days), although singles were recorded by others near Tingtibi. Three members of the group saw White-browed Bush-Robin in Dochula while the other two of us were checking out a short side-path by a stream. Greg found (and photographed) an immature/female Golden Bush-Robin near Yongkhala while on a short walk on his own. We had one Rufous-breasted Bush-Robin near Wangdue, Oriental Magpie-Robin on ten days, Hodgson's Redstart on twelve days (maximum one day was six), White-throated Redstart at Chelila and near Ura (12), Plumbeous Water Redstart 16 days (max 20), White-capped Water Redstart fifteen days (maximum twenty), Blue-fronted Redstart seventeen days (max 300 as they moved through in incredible flocks), Little Forktail (two) in a large waterfall on the way back from Yongkhala, Slaty-backed Forktail (three days, maximum two) near Punakha and Tingtibi and Spotted Forktail near Trongsa and Tingtibi (maximum three), Siberian Stonechat (six in Thimphu) and Grey Bushchat on eleven days (maximum six).
I had the luck to happen upon two Chestnut-headed Tesia in the relative open (popped out on a ground-hugging flowering plant) during a breakfast walk near Wangdue. We heard Grey-bellied Tesia four days (Wangdue and Yongkhala); Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler five days (maximum of two). Yellowish-bellied Warbler was heard at Yongkhala campsite but seen very well singing on top of dwarf bamboo on a pass (Thrumsingla?) as we returned from Yongkhala. Greg (only) spotted Grey-sided Bush-Warbler in bamboo near Yongkhala, where we all a few days later got to see Chestnut-crowned Bush-Warbler. Our only Common Tailorbird was singing in a tree not far from the Beautiful Nuthatch spot. Phylloscopus and other warbler flocks were in most settings, although we had none our first two days in the blue pines around Paro. Tickell's Leaf Warbler 3 days with a maximum of six; Buff-barred Warbler five days with maxima of 20 and 30; Ashy-throated Warbler seven days, with maximum of 12; Lemon-rumped Warbler six days, but maximum only 3; one Large-billed Leaf-Warbler near the breakfast Cutia flock between Tingtibi and Trongsa but at least six singing on the trail up to Tiger's Nest monastery; Blyth's Leaf-Warbler nine days with a maximum of 20; Yellow-vented Warbler four days with never more than 2; Grey-hooded Warbler 13 days with up to 75; White-spectacled Warbler 2 on just one day when we were near Punakha; Grey-cheeked Warbler: 5 on each of 2 days near Yongkhala; Chestnut-crowned Warbler 11 days with a maximum of 15; one Broad-billed Warbler in a big mixed flock not too far from the Royal Botanical Garden (seen only by me); Hume's Warbler in the same flock and another one or two flocks the same day when we saw 25; single Rufous-faced Warblers on the way to Tingtibi and then near Tingtibi; Black-faced Warbler on 3 day with 20 one day with many in the same flock as the Broad-billed. 3 Hill Prinia were in a field at Yongkhala, and a sole Striated Prinia was alongside the road near Tingtibi.
We saw two Dark-sided Flycatchers as we returned from Tingtibi to Trongsa and one other near Yongkhala. Rufous-gorgeted Flycatchers were seen eleven days with a maximum of twelve in Thimphu. Our only Red-throated Flycatcher was at the riverside camp on the road from Tingtibi to Gomphu. We saw Little Pied Flycatcher four different days, with a maximum of four near and on the way to the riverside camp. Two Ultramarine Flycatchers were near the Beautiful Nuthatch site and another was in Trongsa. I spotted our only Sapphire Flycatcher near Chendbjee, but it disappeared before others could see it. On 10 days we saw Verditer Flycatcher, sometimes singing, with a maximum of seven. Small Niltava were near the Beautiful Nuthatch site and near Tingtibi with a maximum of 4 seen one day. Large Niltava were heard eight days, but singles were seen on just two, one between Tingtibi and Trongsa, the other on the way from Chendbjee to Thimphu. Our lone Pale Blue Flycatcher and our only two Blue-throated Flycatchers were both seen March 27 near the riverside camp. Lone Pygmy Blue Flycatchers were at Jigme Dorji National Park and at Yongkhala. Gray-headed Canary-Flycatcher were seen on thirteen days, with up to 30.
On eleven days we saw Yellow-bellied Fantails, up to twenty in a day. On eight days we saw White-throated Fantail, but never more than three in a day.
I saw the first Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler while on the walk near Wangdue that netted the Tesias. We all saw three two days later near Tingtibi, but after that there were only two days when we even heard one. White-browed Scimitar was only heard one day and we saw singles two other days near the riverside camp off the road from Tingtibi to Gomphu. Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler was heard five days and seen on one of them near Tingtibi. We only saw Coral-billed Scimitar-Babblers one day, but we saw 20 of this most dazzling bird that day in a mixed flock with Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills and Rusty-fronted Barwings near our Yongkhala camp. Two days later not far from that site patience allowed us all to get great looks at three of the Slender-billed Scimitar-Babblers, and we had another at Yotung La. According to Inskipps's and Grimmett's Birds of Bhutan, Eye-browed Wren-Babbler is a rare and local resident in the Samdrup Jongkhar district in southeastern Bhutan. Dorji spotted one in Tingtibi and actually handed off the spotting scope to let me track it as it moved along the ground. It showed again briefly, but none of the other participants got to see it well. Everyone got great views (and Jim even some photographs) of the one Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler that responded to a Slaty-bellied Tesia tape we played in the area near Wangdue where I had seen the two Presumably, the tape had a Scaly-breasted song in the background, as they clearly shared the same habitat. We heard but never saw Pygmy Wren Babbler three days around Yongkhala. Rufous-capped Babbler showed on six days and was heard on another, with a maximum of 6. Golden Babbler was also present (and seen) six days, with a maximum of 6 near Yongkhala. We had five Gray-throated Babbler, all the same day near Tingtibi - but I missed them. Striped Tit Babbler was seen once south of Trongsa and heard one other time near Tingtibi. In a flock in a tree by Chuserbuje we had ten Red-billed Leiothrix, but no participant saw any others. Silver-eared Mesia were more common, showing up two days in flocks of 100 and 40 that stayed around long enough for some photographs but then disappeared down the hillside. We saw White-browed Shrike-Babbler on six days and heard one on another with a maximum of thirteen. On each of three days we had two Green Shrike-Babblers with by far our best looks at Chendbjee. On four days we saw Black-eared Shrike-Babbler but only once saw two (at Yongkhala). Very near our riverside campsite by the road from Tingtibi to Gomphu we saw a group of 25 White-hooded Babbler in a giant bamboo. Near Wangdue we had our first four Rusty-fronted Barwings, but we saw most near Yongkhala including 40 in with the flocks of Coral-billed Scimitar and Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbill. Our first Hoary-throated Barwings were at the Royal Botanical Garden (very near the Red Panda), but again most were near Yongkhala with a maximum of twenty. On nine days we saw Blue-winged Minla, including fifteen in the Wangdue region and twelve one day near Yongkhala. Chestnut-tailed Minla were seen six days, with 40 at and near the Royal Botanical Garden and twenty one day near Yongkhala. Our first six Red-tailed Minla were at Jigme Dorji National Park; we saw them nine days with a maximum of 30 near Yongkhala. On our walk from our lunch site near the Royal Botanical Garden we saw 25 of the beautiful Golden-breasted Fulvetta in a large mixed flock. We saw sixteen Yellow-throated Fulvetta one day by Yongkhala and four another day there. Rufous-winged Fulvetta were in the flock with the Golden-breasted and seen on six days with a maximum of 35 (32 in one flock) near Trongsa. White-browed was the fulvetta most often encountered, eleven days with a maximum of 40. Our first Nepal Fulvetta were in the big flock with the Golden-breasted, but of the six days we saw them the maximum of 70 was around the riverside campsite by the road from Tingtibi to Gomphu. Rufous Sibia was one bird seen everyday with a maximum of 40. Near the riverside camp we had our only twelve Long-tailed Sibia. We had 35 Striated Yuhina around Wangdue and ten near the riverside camp. At Dochula, we had our first 40 Stripe-throated Yuhina and saw large groups on six days, a maximum of 80 as we went from Yongkhala to Bumthang. Our first White-naped Yuhina was at Jigme Dorji National ark, but our largest numbers (30) were in the Wangdue region and around Yongkhala. Whiskered Yuhina were our most common yuhina, seen on thirteen days with numbers up to 100. We saw twenty Rufous-vented Yuhina at Dochula, then saw them four other days with a maximum of 40 near Ura. Black-chinned Yuhina were seen four days, each day twenty or more with a maximum of 40 the day we went from Wangdugang to Tingtibi. Greg saw our first White-bellied Yuhina at Jigme Dorji National Park, but we all saw them four other days, including twenty near the riverside camp. White-bellied Yuhina are different in several ways from other yuhinas. Although it keeps its name on the latest Clements checklist, studies show that it most likely is not a yuhina, not even a babbler, so that a better name is White-bellied Erpornis (its old name). We recorded our final babbler just before dark as we were coming back through Dochula on the way to Thimphu, a pair of the striking Fire-tailed Myzornis. Hishey had said that we could find them near the visitor center, but we had almost given up home when he located them.
Two Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch were on day and two the next day near the riverside campsite by the road from Tingtibi to Gomphu. We saw White-tailed Nuthatch twelve days with a maximum of 21 (next highest twelve) on the day that we birded Jigme Dorji National Park, the Royal Botanical Garden and Punakha. We saw two Beautiful Nuthatch shortly after arriving at the hilltop near Wangdugang and then one early the next morning.
We saw a Wallcreeper fly up from the rocks in the river near Punakha as we were observing the White-bellied Heron. We saw one other fluttering on a cliff face near Chendbjee.
On six days we saw Eurasian (Himalayan) Treecreepers, with maxima of five in Chelila and then on the day that we birded Jigme Dorji National Park, the Royal Botanical Garden and Punakha. I saw one Rusty-flanked Treecreeper in Chelila, and we saw two others, one not far from the riverside campsite and one near Yotung La. Twice, we heard one sing. Our only Brown-throated Treecreeper was near the riverside campsite.
We saw Mrs. Gould's Sunbird on eight days, with a maximum of twelve near Thimphu and between there and Wangdue. Green-tailed was our most common sunbird, seen nine days with a maximum of 30. We saw Black-throated Sunbird on seven days, with a maximum of 30 near the riverside campsite and on the way to the campsite. At the campsite, we also saw our only six Crimson Sunbird. Fire-tailed Sunbirds were much higher, including two near Sengor one day and another two days later. Two days near the riverside campsite we saw Streaked Spiderhunter, with a maximum of five.
I saw a lone Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker in a field where we stopped as we headed down to Yongkhala. It turned out to be very near the field where Dorjee had seen one on an earlier trip. Unfortunately, we were unable to relocate the bird. We saw four Plain Flowerpecker at the riverside campsite, being temporarily confused by the reddish coloring from pollen. Our most common flowerpecker was the beautiful Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, which we saw on eight days with a maximum of twenty.
We saw Oriental White-eye on nine days, with a maximum of 30. Our first Grey-backed Shrike was at the airport as we landed, and we had our maximum of six birds that day in and around Paro. We saw them on nine days. We saw Long-tailed Shrike on five days, never more than four.
Our most commonly seen drongo was Ashy Drongo, seen twelve days with a maximum of fifteen as we headed out of the riverside campsite and back toward Trongsa. We only saw Bronzed Drongo four days, but each day in double digits, up to fifteen near the riverside campsite. We saw single Lesser Racket-tailed Drongos three days near Wangdugang and near the riverside campsite. We saw Spangled (aka Hair-crested) Drongos on four days near the low elevation two campsites, with a maximum of six. On just one day near Yongkhala, we saw four Greater Racket-tailed Drongo.
We saw Eurasian Jay on three day, a maximum of six near Trongsa. We saw Yellow-billed Blue Magpie on four days (maximum of twenty on the way from Ura to Yongkhala) and heard them five other days. On twelve days we saw Grey Treepies, maximum of 30. Eurasian (Himalayan Black-billed) Magpie was only near Ura and Chankhar, with maxima of 35 and 40. On ten days we saw many Red-billed Chough, mainly in large groups, including 300 in Paro. Nine days we saw Spotted Nutcracker, twice seeing twelve in a day. We saw single House Crows in Thimphu and in a town on the way back from the riverside camp to Trongsa. Common Myna were common in many towns, with up to 80 in a day (in Bhumtang).
Our maximum count of 60 Russet Sparrow were in Paro, and we recorded the species ten days. Eurasian Tree Sparrows were more common (twelve days, maximum of 50), sometimes alongside Russets.
One day we saw seventeen Yellow-breasted Greenfinch as we drove to Trongsa from the riverside camp, and on another we saw twenty in a field by Yongkhala. We saw Plain Mountain Finch only one day in Chelila, but we saw 400, many in swirling flocks, some close up perched on prayer flags. In a field by Chankhar we saw 8 Beautiful Rosefinch one day and 4 another, and by Yotung La we saw seven and near Pele La twelve. Our only Dark-rumped Rosefinch (a female) was near our lunch spot near the Royal Botanical Garden. We saw fifteen White-browed Rosefinch at Chelila and saw small numbers on four other days.
We saw our first seven Scarlet Finch in a tree at a bend of the road near Tingtibi, saw another 20 nearer to the riverside campsite on the road toward Gomphu and then saw five more near Yongkhala. We had up to nine Red Crossbill as we crossed passes on three days. On two days, we saw Red-headed Bullfinch with a maximum of nine near Sengor. We saw one female Collared Grosbeak at Chelila but then saw 5 on the way from Ura to Yongkhala. We saw 60 White-winged Grosbeak at Chelila, saw five one other day as we headed from Ura to Yongkhala and heard them two other days. As we headed toward Sengor, we saw our only three Gold-naped Finch.
We had one Crested Bunting as we headed from Trongsa toward Tingtibi. Our first Little Bunting was at Paro, and we had six near Wangdugang.
Seoul
From the train to Seoul we saw several birds that we could not identify (including a few shorebirds, several larids and one bunting), Spot-billed Duck (seen better from the bridge over Bird Island), Gray Heron, Intermediate Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Whimbrel, Slaty-backed Gull and Eurasian Magpie (seen in the city, too).
Our first birds after leaving the subway at a Yeoido Park exit were Eurasian Kestrel, Rock Pigeon, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Brown-cheeked Bulbul and Tree Sparrow. We walked in the wrong direction and came to an ecological park where vehicles were doing major landscaping. We saw Vinous-breasted Parrotbill (including one building a nest), a Himalayan Weasel, Eurasian Siskin and Naumann's Thrush (two subspecies). When we finally found the real Yeoido Park, there were very few birds. The same was true of the park bordering the Han River, where it appeared additional landscaping work was in progress. We walked all the way to the bridge over the Han River that overlooks Bird Island. Vega Gull and Black-tailed Gull flew by. The river and Bird Island also had Great Cormorant, Eurasian Wigeon, Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, Common Pochard, Ring-necked Pheasant, Marsh Sandpiper, White (Black-backed) Wagtail and Eurasian Tree-Sparrow.