Nepal 16th Nov to 8th Dec (1 Viewer)

[Arbu]

I'm going to be in Kathmandu from 16th-19th Nov and again on 6th-8th Dec. I'll probably go up to Pulchowki mostly. Between those dates I'm thinking of doing the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek and birding along the way, although nothing is yet fixed in that regard.

If anyone wants to join me, get in touch. Also happy to receive any advice. Here's a list of Nepalese birds that I haven't seen, although I appreciate that quite a few will probably be more easily seen in the spring/lowlands:

Rufous-throated Partridge
Snow Partridge
Swamp Francolin
Satyr Tragopan
Koklass Pheasant
Cheer Pheasant
Falcated Duck
Ashy Woodpigeon
Pin-tailed Green-pigeon
Sirkeer Malkoha
Grey-bellied Cuckoo
Lesser Cuckoo
Brown Crake
Solitary Snipe
Wood Snipe
Collared Owlet
Jungle Owlet
Crested Kingfisher
Yellow-rumped Honeyguide
Slaty-headed Parakeet
Plum-headed Parakeet
Indian Pitta
Sultan Tit
Striated Prinia
Grey-crowned Prinia
Bristled Grassbird
Rufous-rumped Grassbird
Chestnut-headed Tesia
Chestnut-crowned Bush-warbler
Aberrant Bush-warbler
Yellowish-bellied Bush-warbler
Spotted Bush-warbler
Large-billed Leaf-warbler
Slender-billed Scimitar-babbler
Scaly-breasted Wren-babbler
Nepal Wren-babbler
Rufous-throated Wren-babbler
Spotted Wren-babbler
Black-chinned Babbler
Grey-throated Babbler
Jerdon's Babbler
Spiny Babbler
Striated Babbler
Slender-billed Babbler
Spotted Laughingthrush
Grey-sided Laughingthrush
Blue-winged Laughingthrush
Variegated Laughingthrush
Himalayan Cutia
Green Shrike-babbler
Black-eared Shrike-babbler
Hoary-throated Barwing
Rufous-vented Yuhina
Great Parrotbill
Brown Parrotbill
Fire-tailed Myzornis
Kashmir Nuthatch
Pied Thrush
Long-tailed Thrush
Long-billed Thrush
Dark-sided Thrush
White-collared Blackbird
Grey-sided Thrush
Gould's Shortwing
Golden Bush-robin
Rufous-breasted Bush-robin
White-bellied Redstart
Little Forktail
Black-backed Forktail
White-throated Bushchat
White-tailed Stonechat
Blue-capped Rock-thrush
Pale-chinned Blue-flycatcher
Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker
Green-tailed Sunbird
Black-throated Sunbird
Fire-tailed Sunbird
Upland Pipit
Spectacled Finch
Crimson Rosefinch
Pink-browed Rosefinch
Spot-winged Rosefinch
Scarlet Finch
Brown Bullfinch
Red-headed Bullfinch
Collared Grosbeak
Gold-naped Finch
Yellow-breasted Bunting

 

[Andy Adcock]

When we were there 6 years ago, Pulchowki was restricted access due to attacks on foreigners. We were stopped at the police station and held back for almost an hour before they finally agreed to let us go up, provided that we took 2 armed cops with us.

No money was asked or given and the cops happily sat in the car as we drove up.

We had to stop on the way up as our way was blocked by a broken down car, this proved fortuitous as we got out to walk around and found the only brown Bullfinches of the trip.

Solitary Snipe was seen at the marsh near the monastary in Muktinath but that's far from where you intend to be.

Andy

 

[Larry Sweetland]

If Andy's right, and you can't get up the Pulchowki Peak track, then some of the birds on your list used to be present in the scrub and forest edge over the road from the botanical garden at the village at the bottom. I have no idea if the habitat's still there, but we saw Spiny Babbler, Blue-winged Laughingthrush, Black-chinned Babbler, Black-throated Sunbird, and Striated Prinia there many years ago, as well as other birds.

 

[Arbu]

Thanks, I'll give Pulchowki a try at least.

It seems I should have enough time to go to Ghorepani on the way to Annapurna Sanctuary and spend time birding around there so hopefully I can get a reasonable number of my missing Nepal birds.

If anyone has a collection of bird recordings for Nepal that they could upload to Dropbox I'd be eternally grateful. Otherwise I'll be ploughing through xeno-canto.

 

[kb57]

I haven't been to Nepal for decades - spent time there in late 1981, spring 1982 and again in spring 1989. I did the Jomosom trek in '81, and Annapurna circuit in '82, returning via Gorepani / Ulleri, and the Langtang Valley in '89. I've gone through my Scythebill records and checked them against your list. Birds on your list I recorded from the Kathmandu valley / Pulchowki (which I walked up in May '82) and Annapurna region include the following (IOC names):
crested kingfisher - Phewa Tal, Pokhara
slaty-headed parakeet - no site listed but recall quite frequent in hills
chestnut-headed Tesia, chestnut-crowned warbler, green-tailed sunbird - all Pulchowki, the latter recorded from a number of other places e.g. Godaveri
black-chinned babbler, hoary-throated barwing - Godaveri
grey-sided laughingthrush - Dhulikhel
little forktail, black-backed forktail - Birethanti
large-billed leaf-warbler - Gorepani, in damp forested gully (although I heard that rhododendron forests above Gorepani had largely been cleared by '89, so habitat gone)
Species I only have from lowlands (Chitwan NP) include jungle owlet, plum-headed parakeet, sulphur-bellied warbler and pale-chinned blue flycatcher (a 'heard only' with the help of a lodge guide).
Seem to recall the botanical gardens in the KV were really good for birds, hopefully they still are, but I guess a lot of forested habitats have sadly changed for the worse now?

 

[Arbu]

I haven't been to Nepal for decades - spent time there in late 1981, spring 1982 and again in spring 1989. I did the Jomosom trek in '81, and Annapurna circuit in '82, returning via Gorepani / Ulleri, and the Langtang Valley in '89. I've gone through my Scythebill records and checked them against your list. Birds on your list I recorded from the Kathmandu valley / Pulchowki (which I walked up in May '82) and Annapurna region include the following (IOC names):
crested kingfisher - Phewa Tal, Pokhara
slaty-headed parakeet - no site listed but recall quite frequent in hills
chestnut-headed Tesia, chestnut-crowned warbler, green-tailed sunbird - all Pulchowki, the latter recorded from a number of other places e.g. Godaveri
black-chinned babbler, hoary-throated barwing - Godaveri
grey-sided laughingthrush - Dhulikhel
little forktail, black-backed forktail - Birethanti
large-billed leaf-warbler - Gorepani, in damp forested gully (although I heard that rhododendron forests above Gorepani had largely been cleared by '89, so habitat gone)
Species I only have from lowlands (Chitwan NP) include jungle owlet, plum-headed parakeet, sulphur-bellied warbler and pale-chinned blue flycatcher (a 'heard only' with the help of a lodge guide).
Seem to recall the botanical gardens in the KV were really good for birds, hopefully they still are, but I guess a lot of forested habitats have sadly changed for the worse now?

Thanks for that. Ghorepani still looks quite well forested on Google Earth.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Thanks, I'll give Pulchowki a try at least.

It seems I should have enough time to go to Ghorepani on the way to Annapurna Sanctuary and spend time birding around there so hopefully I can get a reasonable number of my missing Nepal birds.

If anyone has a collection of bird recordings for Nepal that they could upload to Dropbox I'd be eternally grateful. Otherwise I'll be ploughing through xeno-canto.

You need the Jelle Scharringa's 'birds of tropical asia' if its still available?

below is the entry for Ghorepani from out 2010 trip.

'15th Departed Chitre 07.40 trekked to Ghorapani arriving 09.50. A very birdy stretch with a flock of around 15 Dark-breasted Rosefinches feeding on the ground and a Maroon-backed Accentor amongst them. Also Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Variegated, Black-faced and Red-headed Laughingthrushes, Hoary-throated Barwing and stunning close views of a Plain-backed Thrush (now Alpine thrush) together with the usual array of species.

Booked into Sunny Hotel R100 per room. (2870M) and In the afternoon we birded the lower slopes of Poon Hill seeing Black Eagle, White-browed Bush Robin, Green Shrike Babbler, our first White-browed Fulvettas of the trip, Red-headed Bullfinches etc. Back in Ghorapani we had a flock of around 70 White-throated Laughingthrushes, a superb male Crimson-browed Finch and a female Pink-browed Rosefinch. From the window of our lodge dining room we had an amazing sighting of two Yellow-throated Martens foraging in the terraced vegetable patch adjoining the lodge garden.

16th Departed 07.50 and covered the ridge to Deorali Tea Rooms before returning to Ghorapani for 15.20. The hoped for parrotbills did not show but we had ample compensation with a female Crimson-breasted Pied Woodpecker, a pair of Hen Harriers, Himalayan Buzzard, 2 male White-browed Bush Robins, amazing views of 6 Spotted Laughingthrushes which responded to tape, a female White-browed Rosefinch together with several of the commoner species. Night Ghorapani. (2870M)

17th Departed Ghorapani 07.50 and walked back over the ridge to Deorali Tea Rooms arriving 10.45. No Parrotbills but great views of a male Darjeeling Woodpecker, 2 Plain-backed Thrushes and 1 Long-tailed Thrush close to Ghorapani. A stunning male White-browed Bush Robin in the ravine below DTR came to within a few feet completely oblivious to our presence. We continued to Tadapani arriving 14.30. Booked into Himalaya Lodge R50 per room. (2710M). Birds seen in the forest from our lodge terrace here included a flock of 25 White-collared Blackbirds which appeared to be all males.

Birded Chhomrong area pm seeing a flock of c70 Ashy Wood Pigeons gathering to roost in the forest, Striated Prinia and, from our dining room window, a male Grey-winged Blackbird and a Cinnamon Sparrow'



Andy

 

[kb57]

Thanks for that. Ghorepani still looks quite well forested on Google Earth.

True, and encouraging - I got the deforestation info. second-hand when I was in Langtang..the only possible change is maybe less forest in the vicinity of the trail NW of Birethanti (above Ulleri, which isn't marked on Google Maps). OK, I can be more specific - large-billed leaf warbler was in the understorey vegetation in the stream valley to the north-west of the trail...think it was the song, but this species has made more of a lasting impression on me than most! Also seem to recall it was a bit of an uphill hike from Birethanti to Ghorepani on the Jomosom trek, a lot easier in the other direction coming down from the Annapurna circuit.

 

[Arbu]

You need the Jelle Scharringa's 'birds of tropical asia' if its still available?

Thanks. I'm getting directed to this page http://www.birdsongs.com/ but can't find it available there or on any of the pages he links to.