The forests of the eastern Himalayas cradle some 800-odd bird species, many of whom are seen nowhere else. Which made it very tempting to lug my 3.5kg camera along on a fairly challenging trek to Goechala pass in Sikkim which runs through the Khangchendzonga National Park. The rocky trail needed all our attention while walking, and it was raining quite often, and so birding was not always a priority let alone possible. And yet, I managed nearly 20 new species on this trip.
Tuesday, 14th May, 2024
Goechala - 2024
The Rhododendron Forests
The highlight of our spring-time visit to the Park was the Rhododendrons that had all flowered in the higher altitudes sparking somewhat of a frenzy among the birds that benefit from that ecosystem. First up are the nectar feeders.
Fire-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga ignicauda)
Green-tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis)
Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch (Carpodacus thura)
Smoky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuligiventer)
From the Alpine Grasslands
Rufous-breasted Accentor (Prunella strophiata)
The male Accentor was performing an elaborate dance in courting the female and seemed oblivious to my presence fairly close to them. The norms of birding dictated that I leave them alone, so I just watched them mate from a distance.
White-winged Grosbeak (Mycerobas carnipes)
This Grosbeak was calling out from the top of a juniper bush near our campsite at Dzongri. It stayed just long enough there for me to get this record shot
Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota)
Blue-fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
From the Broadleaf Forests - Tits
Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
Rufous-fronted Bushtit (Aegithalos iouschistos)
Shot near the woods behind our campsite at Tshoka.
Yellow-cheeked Tit (Machlolophus spilonotus)
Thrushes - Laughing and otherwise
Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum)
Scaly Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron subunicolor)
Spotted Laughingthrush (Ianthocincla ocellata)
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron erythrocephalum)
Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)
Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush (Monticola rufiventris)
Other Forest Birds
Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata)
Lesser Cuckoo (Cuculus poliocephalus)
White-collared Blackbird (Turdus albocinctus)
Whiskered Yuhina (Yuhina flavicollis)
Hoary-throated Barwing (Actinodura nipalensis)
Plumbeous Water Redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus)
Long-tailed Minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus)
From Yuksom
While the diversity inside the Khanghendzonga national park is dizzying you can do a lot of birding just in and around Yuksom.
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea)
This was a lifer for me when I spotted it for the first time after the trek to Dzongri. Once the jinx was broken, I kept spotting more individuals wherever we went for a walk around Yuksom.
Rufous-bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara)
Ferruginous Flycatcher (Muscicapa ferruginea)
Rusty-flanked or Nepal Treecreeper (Certhia nipalensis)
Greater Yellownape (Chrysophlegma flavinucha)
Plumbeous Water Redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus)
Photographed this female with a chick larger than her (behind) at a waterfall near Yuksom.
Both the male and the female were taking turns to feed this demanding chick. She appeared bigger than either of her parents, but she'll probably shed most of her weight once she started flying.
