Home to nearly 900 bird species, Arunachal Pradesh (and this part of the Himalayas, in general) have such a dizzying array of birds that they are only rivalled by the cloud forests of the lower Andes in species diversity. In a region like this, birding doesn't happen at one destination, but has to be incorporated into the journey. Our chauffeur on the trip, Lama, seemed to understand this well, and kept spotting while he was driving. Somehow, in this land of treacherously winding roads which demand 100% attention, Lama was skilled enough to keep his eyes on the road as well as to spot birds by the side. Towards the end of the trip he even got pretty good at identifying the birds he saw and had developed his own system of nomenclature; so laal-wala was Scarlet Minivet, Junglee Hara kaboothar was wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, and so on. As scary as Lama's split attention was it left us with a long list of birds for the trip, most of them lifers. Although I've grouped the birds under four locations for simplicity these pictures were shot all along our drive between Guwahati and Tawang and back.
Arunachal Pradesh - 2022
Eagle Nest Sanctuary
Eagle Nest Sanctuary is home to one of the rarest endemics in India, the Bugun Liocichla, which probably numbers in the dozens. An incessant drizzle made birding difficult and photography impossible, I still managed a few record shots whenever the rain let up.
Beautiful Sibia (Heterophasia pulchella)
It rained almost the entire time we were at Eagle's nest, and in the smallest window of time when the rains let up, I managed to shoot this record shot.
Black-throated Bushtit (Aegithalos concinnus)
This Black-throated Bushtit was one in a boisterous mixed flock of tits, babbler and other species, foraging by the side of the road on our way to Dirang.
Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)
Russet or Cinnamon Sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus)
Mrs. Gould's Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae)
Rufous-capped Babbler (Cyanoderma ruficeps)
Whiskered Yuhina (Yuhina flavicollis)
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch (Chloris spinoides)
Striated Bulbul (Alcurus striatus)
Jang Falls
There seem to be so many waterfalls along the way to Tawang. Even among so many, Jung falls sticks out for being particularly spectacular.
Plumbeous Water Redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus)
The female...
... and the male.
Dirang
Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata)
Little Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula westermanni)
Spotted or Eurasian Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes)
Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus)
Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon (Treron sphenurus)
Indian Blue Robin (Luscinia brunnea)
Tawang
Home to one of Tibetan Buddhism's holiest shrines. The birds in this section were shot both at Tawang town as well as on our trips to Sungetsar lake and Bumla pass.
Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
Bhutan Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron imbricatum)
Black-faced Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron affine)
Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
Rufous-breasted Accentor (Prunella strophiata)
White-collared Blackbird (Turdus albocinctus)
