Birding Tour Bhutan: Spring Birding in The Eastern Himalayas

Himalayan Monal is one of several exciting pheasants we saw on this trip – and our many views always took our breath away!

Overview

Bhutan is a fabled country with a rich history, and a place that has often been shrouded in mystery. It is of course one of the founding places of Buddhism, and has embodied the very fabric of life around these traditions. Focusing on its birdlife, Bhutan is also a particularly important destination for world birders, as it offers relatively easy access to the birdlife restricted to the eastern Himalayas. Combining this with the fact that more than half of Bhutan is still untouched and preserves a vast amount of habitat, makes this country raw, exciting, and full of birds!

This was our Bhutan in Spring set departure tour which saw a contingent of close friends joining. Constraints within the group, however, meant the timing of the tour had to be adjusted, and was thus moved forward in the year – technically falling into the latter stages of winter, and not in the most ideal spring birding period, when this tour typically takes place. After arriving into Paro, this quick-paced itinerary heads eastwards through the country, taking in overnights at Punakha and Trongsa, for its excellent forest birding, before dropping to the lower-lying reaches of Tingtibi and Panbang, in the very south of the country, close to the Indian border. From here, a long trip is made heading back inland to Yongkhola – one of the premier birding areas in Bhutan. After several days here, we begin the long road trip back to Paro, with several overnights along the way in the higher-lying alpine reaches around Bumthang, Chumey and Pelela Pass, which brings the tour to an end, after 2.5 weeks.

Ibisbill is a major target whilst in Bhutan – fortunately, they are usually one of the first species seen in the country, and this tour again produced the goods.

The tour ran smoothly, with no major logistical challenges – bar an unplanned change in accommodation venue to a less suitable alternative which we had no control over, sadly – which resulted in us changing the itinerary on the fly. The birding on the tour was also excellent, with most of the main specials found in Bhutan being seen. There were a few notable misses, with major birds like White-bellied Heron completely absent, and Satyr Tragopan playing difficult and remaining heard only. Sought-after birds like Beautiful Nuthatch, Wallcreeper, Ibisbill, Ward’s Trogon, Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant, Fire-tailed Myzornis, Rufous-necked Hornbill and Spotted Elachura were all seen well, on top of a great many others. Mammals are always few and far between in Bhutan, though we did thoroughly enjoy our encounters with Yellow-throated Martens and (Gee’s) Golden Langurs, and marveled at a most unexpected and incredible sighting of an Asian Golden Cat.

Following the conclusion of this Bhutan set departure tour, the group had also opted for a private extension to India’s Kaziranga National Park – for a different array of birds, and some of Asia’s charismatic megafauna. We flew straight from Paro at the end of the tour, to Guwahati in India, from where we spent five days at Kaziranga. This allowed us to explore the park thoroughly, and we notched up an exciting list of species, with specials like Greater and Lesser Adjutants, Swamp Francolin, Striated Grassbird, Slender-billed Vulture, Bengal Bushlark, Blossom-headed Parakeet, Chestnut-crowned Babbler, Finn’s Weaver and so many others. Greater One-horned Rhinoceros was remarkably common, and we enjoyed multiple encounters with wild Asian Elephants,along with several sightings of the most-wanted (Bengal) Tiger. This was a wonderful end to an all-round exciting tour.

A Greater One-horned Rhinoceros crosses the road in Kaziranga – a typical scene in this wonderful park.

A detailed daily account can be read below, and the various species lists are located at the end of the report. *Note that the lists are divided into Bhutan and India segments respectively.

Detailed Report

Day 1, 27^th February 2025. Arrival into Bhutan

With entry into Bhutan controlled, the group met up the previous day in New Delhi, India, in preparation for the start of the tour. After but a few hours of sleep, we were up at an unreasonably early hour in the morning, before checking in at the Delhi Airport, bound for our flight to Bhutan. We enjoyed a spectacular approach on the plane into Bhutan, and once all safely into the country, we did a small bit of birding down to our hotel. Here we quickly connected with some prized birds like Brown Dipper and the mega Ibisbill, both of which showed well and gave us extended views! The Ibisbill in particular is always a big target, given its monotypic status, and it was a relief to have this species under our belt within the first 30-minutes of being in the country. We also enjoyed other more widespread species like Oriental Turtle Dove, Grey-backed Shrike, Plumbeous Water Redstart and Russet Sparrow. We checked into our hotel nice and early, and immediately headed for our rooms for a few hours of rest (after our grueling and nearly sleepless past few days). We resurfaced for lunch, and headed out to a nearby restaurant, and followed it with a good spell of afternoon birding. As we admired the massive Rinpung Paro Dzong, filled with masses of Red-billed Choughs, we also got our first looks at other birds like Blue Whistling Thrush and White-capped Redstart. We tried hard at a nearby marsh for the sought-after Black-tailed Crake – and just as we were starting to plan alternatives, we saw a small figure dash across. After some patience and careful maneuvering from Namgay, our trusty Bhutan guide, we enjoyed some good, albeit brief, looks at this skulker.

We watched as this Wallcreeper worked its way up the steep rocky cliffs, flashing its beautiful red wings. This is another important target bird whilst in Bhutan.

A vocal Green-backed Tit seemed rather out of place in the riverine shrubbery. With the crake seen, we headed off to search for Wallcreeper on some nearby cliffs, and struck gold after having barely left the vehicle. We picked up on the telltale movements of this strange bird – another big target, considering it is also a monotypic family (like the Ibisbill). We spent some time enjoying the antics of the bird, as it crept around, flashing its bright red wings frequently. After having had our fill, we focused the remaining part of the day on birding the nearby riverbed. Large numbers of Ruddy Shelduck were present, and in between them we picked up others like Common Merganser and two of the scarce Eastern Spot-billed Ducks, along with another pair of Ibisbills, for good measure. Our final birding sighting went to a heated encounter when a Himalayan Buzzard came flying low overhead, and set off in chase of a Eurasian Sparrowhawk – not much turned out from the “fight” as the sparrowhawk easily slipped away in some trees. We settled in for an early evening and some much-needed rest, after an exciting first day in Bhutan.

Day 2, 28^th February 2025. Birding Chelela Pass

An early breakfast kicked things off, before we got going just as it started to get light. Soon, we were on the lower slopes of the wonderful Chelela Pass, enjoying our first sightings of Kalij Pheasants. Though our views left a bit to be desired, we found a much showier group later in the morning that left us fully sated. Birding around some scrubby thickets also produced a busy group of Spotted and Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrushes, which we watched at length. A Spotted Forktail in a nearby stream was a surprise, and we also enjoyed our first views of the distinct race of Eurasian Jay, along with the long-tailed Yellow-billed Blue Magpie. As we headed higher up the pass, we started finding our first groups of Coal and Grey-crested Tits. Watching them also gave us the snazzy Rufous-fronted Bushtit (Black-browed Tit) and White-browed Fulvetta.

The wonderful Black-faced Laughingthrush was a highlight of our time at high elevations.

A large flock of Plain Mountain Finches flitted about nervously, while small numbers of Red Crossbills called from the treetops, and a small group of Common Rosefinches showed well. A Blood Pheasant that crossed the road, sadly didn’t hang around for very long and left us wanting a bit more. Black-faced Laughingthrush and Southern Nutcracker gave us extended views on multiple occasions. Once we neared the top of the pass, we were blanketed in thick mist, and sadly couldn’t see more than a few yards in front of us. We headed up and over the pass, and down towards the cultural hamlet of Haa, hoping for a break in the mist. It eventually came, and as soon as we got out the vehicle for a spot of birding, we ran into a group of showy Rufous-vented Tits, before a Himalayan Monal called. We headed in the direction of the call, and were able to get onto a female Himalayan Monal that showed reasonably well, albeit briefly. We tried hard for repeat views after the bird slunk away into some thicker areas, but sadly couldn’t find it again. Nearby, a fine Himalayan White-browed Rosefinch and White-winged Grosbeak showed well, before the light started to brighten up a touch – and we decided to head back up towards the top of the pass. Stops along the way netted us some raptors including a brief Black Eagle for some, and a Hen Harrier floating about.

The top of the pass wasn’t shrouded in thick mist anymore, allowing us to appreciate the surrounds a bit more – but it must be said that the entire day was very overcast, with mist and cloud widespread over the area, and with intermittent light snowfall. Another calling monal brought us to a rapid stop, and we latched onto an incredible male Himalayan Monal walking about in an open area. The bird proceeded to perch up onto an exposed stump surveying the area, giving us all incredible views. We also noted a female wandering about in thicker vegetation nearby, and after having had our fill of this special bird, we saddled up, and continued to make our way back down the pass once again. A busy party of birds held Coal, Rufous-vented and Grey-crested Tits,along with several fidgety Goldcrests, and the tiny Hodgson’s Treecreeper. As we worked our way down, we rounded a bend and stopped for our incredible picnic lunch, complete with table, chairs and warm food! After a lovely lunch, and seeing distant Snow Pigeons perched on the cliffs above the nunnery, we slowly made our way back down to Paro. Birding was very slow on the way down, with increased vehicle activity, and we added only the likes of Rufous Sibia as a new bird, but enjoyed repeat views of others like Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush. A much-deserved afternoon rest was well enjoyed, following a superb though cold day in the Himalayas.

Day 3, 1^st March 2025. Birding Dochula, en-route to Punakha

Delightful Red-headed Bullfinches were seen on a few occasions around Dochula.

We pressed on down the other side of the pass, bound for the Royal Botanical Park, pausing for a bustling group of birds. Here, a large party of Whiskered Yuhinas seemed to have everything riled up, and we netted Yellow-browed Tit, White-browed Fulvetta, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Striated Laughingthrush and Bar-throated (Chestnut-tailed) Minla in the chaos that ensued. The botanical park itself was on the quieter side, with Blue-fronted Redstart and Rufous Sibia keeping us company throughout. A Black Eagle put on a great show, and was a welcome break on the birding front. We stumbled across two Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrushes, and this led us to a few of the shy White-browed Scimitar Babblers and the scarce Grey-sided Laughingthrushes. We also added mammals like Nepal Sacred Langur and our first of many Assamese Macaques. With little else seemingly active, we paused for lunch on the lower slopes, before resuming our birding in the broad-leaved forests nearby. Although the afternoon segment was rather quiet again, we pulled out a few new birds, including great views of a pair of Streak-breasted Scimitar Babblers, our first party of Black-throated Bushtits, White-tailed Nuthatch and both Green-tailed and Black-throated Sunbirds. With most of the day done, we started making our way down to Punakha, pausing for a few roadside species, such as Great Barbet and Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush. An opportunistic stop gave us an incredibly confiding Yellow-rumped Honeyguide and a lovely Chestnut-headed Tesia that wandered about in the open for a few short hops, and an exciting low-flying Mountain Hawk-Eagle. We arrived at our comfortable Punakha hotel, and settled in for the evening.

Day 4, 2^nd March 2025. Birding the forests of Jigme Dorji National Park

We started our day off with our now usual early morning breakfast, before we set off to the forested hills of the vast Jigme Dorji National Park, where we would spend the morning. We were halted with some roadworks right across from the spectacular Punakha Dzong – and making the most of our unplanned stop, saw us netting our first White-throated and Crested Kingfishers, amongst other widespread species. Soon we found ourselves entering into the forests, and immediately began enjoying the likes of Long-tailed Minivet, Grey Treepie and Golden-throated Barbet. It took a few attempts before we managed to get the much-sought-after Spotted Elachura calling back to us. This master skulker gave us the run-around, with only bits of moving vegetation being all that we could muster.

Continuing on, various bird parties came roving through, and in between them, we managed to eke out the likes of a shy Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, a bright Golden Babbler and a vocal Red-tailed Minla. Our first woodpeckers turned out to be a group of three Greater Yellownapes, which showed well, as did our first owl – an Asian Barred Owlet perched on some roadside wires. We enjoyed watching the active warblers, with Grey-hooded Warbler being the most numerous, alongside fewer numbers of Lemon-rumped and Ashy-throated Warblers. Yellow-bellied (Fairy) Fantail proved to be a popular bird, as did a vivid Verditer Flycatcher. Carefully searching the various streams running through the area gave us a pair of Slaty-backed Forktails, along with a confiding Little Forktail. With the sun up and the temperature beginning to warm up, our first Crested Serpent Eagles began showing overhead, as did a fast-moving flock of Blyth’s Swifts. We began retreating our way back to Punakha around midday, pausing for the likes of Grey Wagtail, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler and Scaly-breasted Munia along the way. After renegotiating the same roadworks as earlier, we arrived at our beautiful lunch stop, with the Punakha Dzong in the background. After a hearty meal, we set off with Namgay, our trusty local guide, on a tour of the Dzong, listening to its history, and the fascinating history of Buddhism and Buddhism in Bhutan. With the time of day being late once we were finished, we headed back to our hotel, and settled in for the evening.

Ruddy Shelduck were common on the rivers around Punakha.

Day 5, 3^rd March 2025. Birding Nobding and Phobjikha, en-route to Trongsa

Geared up for a long birding travel day ahead, we set off from our hotel just as it was getting light, and soon found ourselves along the banks of the Puna Tsang Chu (river), running through the Punakha Valley, shortly after light. We immediately began slowly working the river for the highly sought-after White-bellied Heron, stopping and scanning frequently – though there were no recent reports in this area. Waterbirds were aplenty, and aside from the hundreds of Ruddy Shelduck scattered all along its bank, we picked up most other possible waterfowl including Red-crested Pochard, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon and Gadwall, amongst others. We also did well to find an overwintering flock of Northern Lapwings, along with the regionally scarce Black-headed Gull. After working a decent strip of the river, we had to call it time on this item, sadly without finding our most hoped for White-bellied Heron quarry.

We then began ascending to the higher elevations of the Nobding area, where we would spend the rest of the morning in the mixed broad-leaved forests. Early stops netted us a fine Crimson-naped Woodpecker, alongside favorites like Great Barbet. We also stopped to look for Yellow-rumped Honeyguide, which eventually showed. We also did well to lure out a few of the ultra-shy Scaly-breasted Cupwings for the usual very-brief views. We heard Himalayan Cutia at several stops as we worked our way up, but just couldn’t seem to bring any of them in – perhaps due to the recent clearing of most of the large trees adjoining the roadside – now leaving a large gap of open space from the edge of the road. We persisted, birding our way up, though it was a quiet morning generally speaking. We enjoyed a few new birds like White-throated Fantail and Chestnut-capped Warbler, alongside other birds we were familiar with like Green-tailed Sunbirds and White-tailed Nuthatches. Our final sighting couldn’t have been better though, when the scarce Black-headed Shrike-babbler popped out into the open right in front of us, very unexpectedly.

We had a great, close-up sighting of the uncommon Black-headed Shrike-babbler.

With most of the morning gone, we ascended to the top of the Pelela Pass, and immediately proceeded down into the Phobjikha Valley, where we would set out to find the winter-visiting Black-necked Cranes. Although this was towards the end of the season, a few stragglers should still be present. After navigating our way down into the valley, we soon located a small wild flock of five of these special cranes – which we enjoyed through the scope. Content, we proceeded back out the valley, and down the other end of Pelela Pass (opting to bird it on our return trip in about ten days’ time, when we spend a night in the area, and can dedicate the early morning to this productive area). The likes of Himalayan Vulture made its way onto our list, before we called in for our lunch stop farther down. Our birding time was limited in the afternoon, as we still had some ground to cover, though we made a few stops and enjoyed new birds including Rufous-capped Babbler and Orange-bellied Leafbird, alongside refreshing ourselves with the snazzy Bar-throated Minla and Whiskered Yuhina. After a long day out, we eventually arrived at our comfortable hotel on the outskirts of Trongsa, and settled down for the evening.

Blue-throated Barbets were a regular sight and sound in the lower elevation forests in Bhutan – we didn’t mind though, as they are gorgeous birds!

Day 6, 4^th March 2025. Birding down to Tingtibi

A cool misty morning greeted us, as we departed Trongsa – ultimately bound for the lowlands of Tingtibi. We barely made it out the hotel when a Brown-flanked Bush Warbler brought us to a halt. Further down the road, the real birding started with a vocal Bay Woodpecker that took some time to track down – eventually though, we were rewarded with excellent views! We then turned our attention to a massive flock of Black-throated Parrotbills that were moving through the nearby bamboo, bringing with them the likes of Rufous-winged Fulvetta and both Golden and Rufous-capped Babblers. After catching our breath, further small stops were made for various other bird flocks, which netted us species such as Black-eared Shrike-babbler, Grey-chinned Minivet, Yellow-browed Tit and an agile pair of Black-faced Warblers, amongst many others we were now familiar with. Our mid-morning coffee and tea break coincided perfectly with a large flock of Tibetan Serins that were moving about in the area, along with a few flocks of Speckled Wood Pigeons.

We started to make some ground on the road, and stopped at a local restaurant for lunch along the way, and followed this up with a spell of birding in the lower lying broad-leafed forests in the area. The birding was slow to start off, with only a vocal Blue-throated Barbet being present. A bit of movement led us to a party of the feisty Black-chinned Yuhinas, before the Blue-throated Barbet itself showed – giving us unbeatable looks! We also finally picked up a new bulbul – Ashy Bulbul, before some further activity gave up a pile of stuff in a blur of motion. First up was a pair of fidgety White-bellied Erpornis, which showed with Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher and others like Yellow-bellied Fantail and several warblers we had seen already. A female Fiery-breasted Flowerpecker also showed, before noisy White-crested Laughingthrushes moved into the picture. Though the laughingthrushes were shy, we all got some views of them, and just as we were about to get back into the bus, a large flock of Nepal House Martins came overhead, along with a large family of (Gee’s) Golden Langurs. We continued on our way, pausing for a fine Collared Owlet perched up next to the road, along with our first Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes. The birding slowed up towards the end of the day, though one final stop saw us finding a few of the shy Grey-throated Babblers hopping through the scrub, along with some much friendlier Rusty-fronted Barwings. An evening owling session produced only some distantly calling Mountain Scops Owls.

We made the trip up to the Zhemgang area whilst in Tingtibi to try for the incomparable Beautiful Nuthatch. We were rewarded with great views of this exciting species in the end.

Day 7, 5^th March 2025. Beautiful Nuthatch and the bamboo lowlands

Up with our customary early breakfast start, we soon found ourselves on the road and bound for the higher lying broad-leafed forests of Zhemgang, up above Tingtibi. Our first stop was for a flock that contained Black-chinned Yuhinas, our first Streaked Spiderhunter and several Large Woodshrikes, along with our first Yellow-vented Warbler. Both Red Junglefowl and Kalij Pheasants were seen on the road edge, as we made our way higher still. Our main quarry for the morning was the highly sought-after Beautiful Nuthatch. Eventually, we reached the appropriate area, and soon found ourselves out the bus, and slowly walking along the road. It was oddly quiet earlier on, with only birds like Striated Bulbul and the vocal and common Orange-bellied Leafbirds hanging around. Both Rufous-bellied Eagle and Mountain Hawk-Eagle gave us some good views, along with some showy Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrushes. After a coffee and tea break, we carried on, pulling out a vocal group of Yellow-cheeked Tits and a shy Grey-sided Bush Warbler for some brief views, before we heard the tell-tale call of a Beautiful Nuthatch. We rushed ahead, and found the birds in a massive group of trees. Two then materialized, which moved up to three, and finally, four of these incredible birds, giving us the most wonderful show.

After soaking up our views, we let the nuthatches be, and focused on some calling Sultan Tits nearby. They proved rather tricky to see, though whilst we were trying to get them in view, we lucked onto a few other species which sadly were also just as tricky – Black-crowned (Coral-billed) Scimitar Babbler, White-browed Shrike-babbler and Common Green Magpie all showed to a greater or lesser degree. We eventually forced ourselves away, and tried still farther along the road. A skulking Himalayan Bluetail finally showed to all in the group, before we picked up on a perched Collared Owlet nearby, and also got our first looks at Bronzed Drongo. Some birds picked up on the owlet though, and soon we had Scarlet and Grey-chinned Minivets flitting about, before a small group of Sultan Tits moved in, which was followed by a fine Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo. With all the added attention, the owlet didn’t hang around for very long, and soon moved off. With the day warming up, we started working our way back down the mountain, and a final flock gave us a few shy Nepal Fulvettas, along with very brief Whistler’s and White-spectacled Warblers for some, alongside large numbers of Rusty-fronted Barwings and a few Golden Babblers. We also found our first Black Giant Squirrel during the course of the morning. We had a short rest following lunch, before setting out to the Goling area nearer town. Several scans for White-bellied Heron were unsuccessful, and a quick stint of birding in the bamboo area gave us our first Yellow-bellied Warblers, along with a fine group of White-hooded Babblers and White-breasted Parrotbills. We improved on our views of birds like Grey Treepie, while also adding new ones like Hair-crested Drongo. With daylight fading, we made our way back to town, not before finding an excellent Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl perched up right on the roadside edge. What a fine way to end the day!

Day 8, 6^th March 2025. Birding Tingtibi, and transfer to Panbang

We found ourselves in the Goling area again during the early morning, as we would ultimately bird our way to Panbang over the course of the day. We had a birdy morning, with lots of activity. Our first stop saw us getting onto a large party of Nepal Fulvettas, which showed well, and also brought in loads of other birds like the stunning Silver-eared Mesia, Striated Yuhina, White-breasted Parrotbill, Golden Babbler and a very uncooperative Mountain Tailorbird, which needed repeat views of. A large flock of Long-tailed Sibias foraged in the canopy along with our first Maroon Oriole. The bamboo gave us repeat views of the lovely White-hooded Babbler again, along with the stunning Crimson Sunbird and a confiding Small Niltava, before we picked up on a calling Rufous-necked Hornbill and rushed along. We found a pair of these massive birds perched up, and enjoyed great scope views of them, before they flew off up the hill and out of sight. As we continued on our way, we tried for Mountain Tailorbird though could only hear them. A tiny Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker was a welcome distraction as was a stunning Little Pied Flycatcher, before we stumbled into a small group of Great Hornbills feeding in a massive tree. We watched them for some time and, content with our sightings, carried onwards.

White-hooded Babbler is a scarce bamboo special – to which we were treated with great views around Tingtibi on several occasions.

We made stops along the way for further species like Asian Barred Owlet, which was perched up next to the road, and a Fire-breasted Flowerpecker. We paused for lunch along the way, and resumed our afternoon birding further along. Activity certainly quietened down, but we enjoyed a few parties which importantly gave us a few of the scarce Rufous-faced Warblers, along with others we were well acquainted with, like Yellow-vented Warbler, Whiskered Yuhina, Black-throated Sunbird and Streaked Spiderhunter. A Pygmy Cupwing refused to show from its dense undergrowth. Rather curiously, we found a few successive groups of Black-chinned Yuhinas that all seemed to show a bright white forehead spot – we thus dubbed them the “Third-eye” Yuhina hereafter. Opportunistic stops were made further along for excellent looks at Barred Cuckoo-Dove, along with a showy group of White-browed Scimitar Babblers, before we halted for a stunning Collared Falconet perched right over the road. As we neared Panbang, we added a few more widespread Asian species to our list, like Asian Palm Swift and Spotted Dove, before heading to our lodge. Rather frustratingly, our reservation had been usurped by the local government, and meant we had to check into the much more basic eco camp instead. Although this was scenically set on the riverbank, the basic nature of this establishment forced us to reconsider our plans for the next day – we agreed to change our plans accordingly. We settled in for the evening after a good, but long day out.

Day 9, 7^th March 2025. Birding en route to Yongkhola

After yesterday’s unplanned change, we agreed to move forward our long travel day to Yongkhola to today – cutting out our full day in the Panbang surrounds.  We had an early start, and just as it got light, we had a pair of the scarce and sought-after Wreathed Hornbills flying overhead – what a great start to the day. A short walk around the camp environs followed, which netted us a confiding Pin-striped Tit-Babbler and a Sambar (Deer) attempting to cross the river, before we finally loaded up. Stops while heading through the Panbang ‘town’ gave us further new birds like the common Jungle Babbler and Chestnut-tailed Starlings, to others like Ashy Woodswallow, Lineated Barbet and Greater Racket-tailed Drongo. We gradually began making our way towards Nganglam (and eventually Yongkhola), and were soon in the birdy mid-elevation broad-leafed forests. A fine Mountain Imperial Pigeon perched up gave us good views, before we bumped into a massive party of birds led by several Sultan Tits. We spent some time here, trying to get onto everything, and did very well. Large numbers of Blue-winged Minlas were never far away, and in between bouts of Indian White-eyes and Black-chinned Yuhinas, we eked out birds like Whistler’s Warbler and both Speckled and White-browed Piculets. We also enjoyed the likes of Striated Yuhinas and Grey-throated Babblers, while now-familiar birds like Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Nepal Fulvetta and Golden Babbler were enjoyed, as always. We also did well to find a Grey-cheeked Warbler, while a Common Green Magpie perched up briefly.

We saw both Greater and Lesser Racket-tailed Drongos (pictured) during the day.

Grey Peacock-Pheasant was an exciting bird we had calling at multiple points and, despite some birds being close to us, the thick and impenetrable forests would count against us, and prevented us from laying eyes on this bird. A calling Spotted Elachura then drew our attention, and we spent quite some time trying to entice this shy bird out. Just as we were getting ready to give up, we picked up on some movement, and some in the group managed to pick the bird out in the undergrowth – though the views left much to be desired to those that saw the ‘movement’. We vowed to fight another day. The good birding continued post our mid-morning coffee and tea break, when a Red-headed Trogon gave us brief views, while others like White-browed Piculet showed again. A Grey-bellied Tesia gave some in the group typical brief tesia views, before we finally loaded up into the bus again and headed a little further along. A few final stops before we arrived into Nganglam for our late lunch had us enjoying birds like Large Woodshrike and Maroon Oriole, along with a mega party of Grey-headed Parrotbills that were roving through. A close-calling Chestnut-breasted Partridge had us quickly strategize how to best see this skulker, and given this precise location of the bird, Namgay agreed to try and walk the bird towards us. Just as the bird was coming out into the open, it caught sight of us, and then promptly took off and flew over the road and deep into the forest.

Following our lunch, the remainder of the afternoon was spent traveling, as we had a long road ahead to get to our end point in Yongkhola. A few stops here and there gave us some fine Great Hornbills dramatically flying along through, at the same time enjoying the spectacular scenery en route (and the death-defying mountain roads cutting directly across the sheer cliff faces). We rolled into our comfortable lodge in the early evening just as it was getting dark, and settled in for an enjoyable evening.

Delightful and busy Black-faced Warblers were a common member of bird flocks in the forests.

Day 10, 8^th March 2025. Birding around Yongkhola

We awoke refreshed from our long travel the previous day, and looked forward to some birding close by with minimal travel. We started the day with our customary early breakfast, before heading out. Dark clouds and some intermittent drizzle greeted us, and stuck with us through the entire morning, and fortunately didn’t seem to worsen the birding. Some open areas gave us our first new birds, like Grey Bush Chat and Black-throated Prinia, while some scrubby thickets held a shy Dusky Warbler, which we were able to lure out. We then ran into a massive feeding flock in the forest which milled around us for some time. Warblers dominated the numbers with Ashy-throated, Lemon-rumped and Grey-hooded Warblers comprising most of the birds. Smaller Red-tailed Minlas moved through, accompanied by the odd Blue-winged Minla, Sikkim Treecreeper, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo and Black-eared Shrike-babbler. The tail end of the party seemed to be entirely composed of the snazzy White-browed Shrike-babbler – with a crazily high number of these birds about. We eventually carried on along the track, and enjoyed groups of friendly Rusty-fronted Barwings and Whiskered Yuhinas, before running into a fine Large Niltava and an impeccable Red-headed Trogon. We had our mid-morning coffee and tea break overlooking the impressive landscapes, before resuming – this time on a quest for Spotted Elachura. We birded hard, though couldn’t find our main target – when we heard from a fellow birder that there was an elachura further along the track. We headed off and, right on cue, heard the tell-tale call of this shy bird. It was fortunately in an area that had a mostly open understory, and over the next 30 minutes or so, we had views of this master skulker walking, hopping, jumping and even perching for the briefest of moments, on the dark ground underneath us. The use of our thermal imager helped in keeping track of where the bird had “disappeared” off to. Content, we had some quick celebrations as this was an important target for the group, being a monotypic family – the last of the family targets we had in Bhutan!

Later in the evening, a fine Brown Wood Owl awaited and put on an excellent show for us.

We ran into a few more flocks as we began our return trip to our lodge, which gave us Yellow-cheeked Tit, Grey-headed Parrotbill, White-bellied Erpornis, Rufous-winged Fulvetta and some fidgety Grey-cheeked Warblers, amongst some of the party regulars. A large flock of Yellow-breasted Greenfinches and Capped Langurs brought us to a halt on the road, and before long, we were enjoying a warm lunch and coffee and tea to warm up. Rain was sadly the order of the rest of the afternoon, and we enjoyed this unplanned, but much-welcomed rest. By the evening, the rain had stopped, and we headed out for some owling nearby. Although things were a bit quiet after the rain, we stumbled into a fine Brown Wood Owl perched next to the road, while also enjoyed our first Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel.

Day 11, 9^th March 2025. Birding Jainala Pass

After our elachura success the previous day, we opted to head to the nearby Jainala Pass, where we would spend the bulk of the day out – armed with a packed lunch. A few groups of White-crested Laughingthrushes showed well on the lower slopes, but we pressed on to get to the more productive higher reaches of the pass. We rolled into our area, and immediately set off on foot. Hill Partridges were heard calling from close to the track, and we set up to try and lure them into the open – but were thwarted, and eventually had to call it with the birds not coming in. One of our main targets was Long-billed Wren-Babbler, and soon after getting into suitable habitat, we heard one call. Like with the partridges, we set up into position, and attempted to lure the bird in. Those who know wren-babblers, know they can be awfully difficult birds, and this particular individual lived up to its reputation. It took a massive amount of time, patience and effort, but we finally got the bird out for a short moment of time, allowing us to put Long-billed Wren-Babbler out of our minds.

A large and noisy flock of Black-crowned Scimitar Babblers showed in all their glory.

We had good birding throughout the morning, and as we continued our way along, a noisy group of Black-crowned (Coral-billed) Scimitar Babblers gave us all excellent views, before a large flock of snazzy White-naped Yuhinas turned up and stole the limelight for a bit. The highly sought-after Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler then began calling, and we spent the next little while trying to get views of this species, sadly though in vain, as we just couldn’t get eyes on the bird as it called down the slope below us. Roving warbler flocks held species we were well acquainted with, like Grey-cheeked, Yellow-vented and Black-faced Warblers all commonly encountered, amongst others, with groups of Sultan Tits moving into view every now and again. A stunning Pygmy Flycatcher brought us to a halt, before a noisy and feisty group of Yellow-throated Fulvettas came working through, giving us all very close views.

Just as we had gotten over our horror Long-billed Wren-Babbler, we heard Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, another species of the same category, and set up for another long vigil. This time, however, we were to go without any views, despite another long and concerted session. Perhaps a combination of early in the season and over-taping in this area? As we started working our way back down the pass, we worked for species like White-gorgeted Flycatcher and Himalayan Cutia, but these were heard only and remained unseen. We did significantly improve on our Grey-sided Laughingthrush sighting, and enjoyed repeat views of other species like Red-headed Trogon, Large Niltava and Himalayan Bluetail. The lower slopes gave us a massive party of Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes, a superb Bay Woodpecker and, finally, a Himalayan Bulbul. Following dinner, we headed out owling again and were rewarded with an excellent sighting of Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel – even watching it glide away down the valley. A distantly calling Hodgson’s Frogmouth was as close as we got to this species, and Mountain Scops Owl were again heard hooting in the distance, with none being seen.

Though the night birds played hardball – this Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel showed well.

Day 12, 10^th March 2025. Birding on the Lingmethang Road

Our last full day of birding in the Yongkhola area was devoted to exploring the lower half of the once-famous Lingmethang Road. I say once famous, because in the years pre-Covid, the Lingmethang Road was perhaps the most famed (and best) birding spot in Bhutan, however, the road was widened during Covid, and this caused untold destruction to much of the lower half of this road, making the birding that is now possible, a shadow of its former glory. Nevertheless, there are still good birds to be found, and top of our list would go to the mega Ward’s Trogon. We started our morning off just outside Yongkhola where we were finally able to get onto the secretive and stunning Red-faced Liocichla – after a few failed attempts over the previous days. Content, we carried on further up, heading into prime trogon territory. It was a hard morning, as we explored every tract of remaining forest after the road expansion, without any sight or sound of our target. We explored a segment of bamboo higher up, which was birdy, and gave us the scarce Broad-billed Warbler, alongside others like Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Rufous-capped Babbler and White-browed Scimitar Babbler. A few Bhutan Laughingthrushes scampered about nearby whilst we enjoyed our customary mid-morning coffee and tea break.

The massive, and localized Rufous-necked Hornbill is a prized bird in Bhutan – we had several sightings during the course of our tour.

Slightly despondent, we returned to the trogon zone, and could scarcely believe our luck when we picked up on a calling Ward’s Trogon. In no time, the bird had come down the valley, and then crossed over the road just in front of us, before alighting. It took a little while to locate its hidden perch, and it did involve some precarious clambering about on the steep slopes, but before long, we had all seen this most sought-after species. Farther along, we paused for a vocal Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler, that again was proving to be difficult. Some in the group managed to get onto the bird, as it crossed a gap hopping along the rocks before crossing over the road, but we endeavored to continue trying. A large mixed flock of low-flying Himalayan Swiftlets and Blyth’s Swifts were finally enjoyed by everyone (we’d had several very distant sightings previously). We returned back to our lodge for lunch and a midday break.

Later in the afternoon, we headed out to the nearby Tsamang area, where we would spend the rest of the day, and early evening out. The forest was quiet in the late afternoon, with the surrounding scrubby vegetation giving us more looks at Red-faced Liocichla, while the hoped-for Rufous-chinned Laughingthrushes could not be coaxed into view. A large, restless party of Rufous-winged Fulvettas came through, before we heard the distinct whistle of a Blue-naped Pitta. The bird was not far off the road, and we set ourselves up trying to lure it into view, all the while as the light was rapidly fading. Unfortunately, with it being all but dark now, the bird remained unseen. It was another evening of ‘heard bird’, as the likes of Hodgson’s Frogmouth and Collared Scops Owls were heard calling in the distance, and while we got much closer to Mountain Scops Owl this evening, it was still not to be.

Day 13, 11^th March 2025. Birding Lingmethang, Sengor and Thrumsingla

We had another long travel day ahead of us, as we departed the fabulous Yongkhola after a four-night stay, and began the long journey (over the course of the next few days) back to Paro – today though, we were reaching Bumthang. We headed immediately onto the lower reaches of the Lingmethang Road, and our first stop was to look for another dreaded wren-babbler. We had heard another Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler calling next to the road, and loaded out. Our battles with this group continued, and we struggled to get the bird in the open, with again only frustratingly brief views, for some, materializing. Distractions whilst we were wren-babblering went to a close Bay Woodpecker, along with a large party of Yellow-throated Fulvettas and a lone Grey-throated Babbler. We continued up, stopping opportunistically for our first Wedge-tailed Green-Pigeon, along with a pair of Rufous-necked Hornbills perched up and calling – stunning birds! Lots of other birds we were well acquainted with, like Crimson-naped Woodpecker, White-browed Shrike-babbler, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo and Black-faced Warbler were seen, along with a new Rusty-flanked Treecreeper.

We reached the bamboo zone from yesterday, and immediately heard another of our targets – Golden-breasted Fulvetta. We had to be a bit patient, but eventually a small party of these came down and put on quite the show in the end. The first views, however, were rather frantic, as the Golden-breasted Fulvettas were preceded by a massive grouping of Golden and Rufous-capped Babblers, Rufous-winged Fulvettas and Chestnut-crowned Warbler – with one Golden-breasted Fulvetta showing with them. With upwards of 50 birds jumping in the bamboo in front of us not everyone got on it initially, but order was restored when a few more joined the fray, and everyone ended up enjoying this delightful bird!

We pressed onwards, continuing higher up and bypassing the spectacular Namling area, until we reached the Sengor area. This upper segment of the Lingmethang Road, like the lower slopes, has been affected by the roadworks, and formerly reliable special birds like Satyr Tragopan and Bar-winged Wren-Babbler are no longer possible (or extremely unlikely). Nevertheless, there is still some good habitat, and flowering rhododendrons held masses of Stripe-throated and Rufous-vented Yuhinas – the latter species, our final possible yuhina. These also held a few of the prized Fire-tailed Sunbird. Another bird party stop further along gave us a fine Green Shrike-babbler, before we heard Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler calling. Suddenly, a pair of scimitar babblers were in front of us, and we reveled in excellent views of these scarce and highly sought-after birds. After a busy, excellent (and cold) morning, we broke for lunch in Sengor.

We had a wonderful morning of birding that culminated in this exceptional Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler (one of a pair which we found).

After suitably warming up we resumed our birding. We made our way onto the Thrumsingla Pass, rounded a corner, and came to a halt for a small dark cat sat perched in the road and then scurried off. We quickly offloaded, and watched the cat walk away in the scrub below us, giving us all excellent views. We had to do a bit of research to figure out exactly what we had seen and, after some due diligence, it was clearly a fine Asian Golden Cat. Elated from our unexpected and excellent cat sighting, we targeted Great Parrotbill next, and played hide-and-seek with a vocal bird, before eventually all getting onto it – finding a much more cooperative pair further along. We also got reacquainted with highland species like Grey-crested Tit, White-collared Blackbird and Plain Mountain Finch.

The upper reaches of the pass were covered in snow, and it made for a spectacular scene. We scanned, walked and scanned some more for quite some time, hoping for a Red Panda but, frozen to the bone and with some distance to travel, we had to depart the area panda-less. We took it carefully over the rest of the pass and down the other side, since the road was very tricky with the snow and snow melt – we settled in for a long drive for the remainder of the day. Our final sighting went to a female Himalayan Monal we bumped into on the edge of the road. We reached our comfortable Bumthang hotel in the late afternoon, and settled in for the evening.

Day 14, 12^th March 2025. Birding Sheytangla Pass and transfer to Chumey

We had a very early start, as we headed off pre-dawn, for the Sheytangla Pass – where we would be trying for Satyr Tragopan. It is a long road from Bumthang to get here, and we picked up our first Black-rumped Magpies en route as it was just getting light. Once we got onto the slopes, we enjoyed several groups of confiding Blood Pheasants, which showed extremely well. Somewhat buoyed by this, we pressed onto the top of the pass, enjoying yet more high-altitude species like Black-faced Laughingthrush, Rufous-vented Tit, Southern Nutcracker and large numbers of Red-throated Thrushes, with a few Black-throated Thrushes thrown in for good measure. There was no tragopan however, and none were heard calling. We didn’t give up, and carried on, finding yet more good birds like Collared and White-winged Grosbeaks, Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch and Red Crossbill. We did also enjoy our first Large-eared Pikas. Eventually, we had to call it, and start the journey back down the pass.

We encountered good numbers of Blood Pheasants up the pass.

We paused to enjoy the Black-rumped Magpies in proper light, and also enjoyed close-up views of Red-billed Choughs, before we rounded a corner to find some 20 Himalayan Vultures in the road, feasting on a carcass. We enjoyed excellent views of these massive birds – only when you see these birds up close can you truly appreciate their immense size. Large numbers of Large-billed Crows and Black-rumped Magpies were also present here. We returned back to our Bumthang hotel for lunch, which also allowed us to warm up suitably from the cold morning.

We had a much more leisurely afternoon, following a fairly intense two weeks of travel and birding. We had a short distance to travel to reach our next port of call, Chumey, and arrived in the early afternoon and had a few hours of downtime. Some folks met for a late afternoon walk around the area, which produced Oriental Skylark as a new species, and delivered other species like Rufous-breasted Accentor and Himalayan Beautiful Rosefinch. Following dinner we had an exciting owling session, finding an excellent pair of Himalayan Owls nearby. Scrambling up the steep, pine needle-covered slopes in the dark was tricky, but well worth it to see these fabulous birds.

Day 15, 13^th March 2025. Himalayan Monals and highland specials

We had an exciting day in store, as we made our way up to the Tharpaling Monastery, looming over the Chumey valley. The monastery is known for its confiding Himalayan Monals, which come to feed on the scraps thrown out by the monks here. We duly arrived and, as we set our feet outside the bus, immediately saw our first male Himalayan Monal strutting about at the entrance way. Thick mist began rolling in, and we continued upwards on foot to reach the higher monasteries. Here we easily found a further five monals, but the mist somewhat obstructed the views. We also took in the resident Snow Pigeons here and found our first White-throated Redstarts as well. We returned down from the top, just in time because the mist cleared almost instantly, and we promptly found another group of three male monals lurking about. This time, we were absolutely blown away by these birds – their colors were on full show as they ambled past us, almost within touching distance at times.

The Himalayan Monals of Tharpaling Monastery put on the most incredible showing – the colors of the males truly need to be seen to be believed.

Content with the amazing show by these gorgeous birds, we headed further down the pass where we enjoyed our lovely (and customary) coffee break, along with a few birds to keep us company. We soon found ourselves heading up the Yotongla Pass, and our first stop for Brown Parrotbill produced the goods. We had a very vocal pair, but it took some careful positioning to get them to come into the open and out of the thick bamboo, to a point where we could see them. In the end, we all had wonderful views of this scarce bird. The top of the pass was rather quiet, with some of the typical species showing – including the expected yuhinas and tits. Lower down, however, was bustling with birds, and we did very well, finding many of our outstanding targets. First a Hoary-throated Barwing came to the tops of a tree and called away at us, before some tapping led us to a fine Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, which showed at length. A flowering group of rhododendrons was also a hive of activity, and importantly, held our much-wanted Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird – with several males putting on fine shows. We enjoyed many other species, with the likes of Collared Owlet, White-browed Fulvetta, Bar-throated Minla and Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher all showing as well.

A bright Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, with a red matching the flowering rhododendrons behind it.

After a very welcome hearty and warm lunch, we set off for Nobding, via the famed Pelela Pass, which we had bypassed earlier on in the trip. We made good progress on the trip, stopping for Himalayan Goral (a type of sheep) en route. We arrived at Pelela and immediately started our birding. Pelela is home to a great many upland species and is, importantly, a reliable site to find Satyr Tragopan. We started off well, finding a fabulous male Himalayan Monal, before hearing the tell-tale call of a Satyr Tragopan. The bird was close by, and we knew we were in with a chance – and then our hearts sank when, not one minute after hearing the bird, thick mist rolled in and covered the entire area – mist thick enough that we could barely see two yards in front of us. We couldn’t believe it, but also didn’t give up, and carried on trying to see it, even though it was likely impossible. It was a pretty ethereal experience nevertheless, having this very loud call coming from the mist, not very far away! Eventually, the mist started clearing and we could see five yards in front, then ten, and so on, until it was all open once more. Sadly, the bird had long since stopped calling, and we fanned out to scan the surrounding areas.

We latched onto an excellent Darjeerling Woodpecker and, whilst still enjoying our views, the cry came up from Namgay, “Satyr”. Namgay was fairly far away, and luck seemed to have deserted us, as, by the time we arrived in view, the bird had slunk back into the thickets. We tried for a while, without success, to bring the bird back out. As a final attempt, with darkness closing in, Namgay and our driver tried to walk the bird out towards us, but this didn’t work. We eventually called it a day and made the trip down to our nearby hotel, where we spent the night.

Day 16, 14^th March 2025. Final Pelela birding, and transfer back to Paro

Bhutan is a scenically dramatic country, with non-stop mountains, forests, windy roads and awe-inspiring vistas. This is a typical roadside birding scene.

We made a few stops of the Nobding Pass here and there, getting repeat views of Hoary-throated Barwing and Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird, along with some of our usual suspects. After lunch in Punakha, and a stop or two along the Dochula Pass, we rolled into our familiar Paro hotel in the late afternoon, where we took it easy, reflecting on a fabulous trip – and getting ready for our upcoming India adventure, starting tomorrow. We had a lovely final dinner with our local guide, Namgay, and driver, Turkten – who had become part of the furniture.

With a bit of energy to burn, we did our final bit of owling after dinner, and enjoyed a few sightings of Eastern Barn Owls, along with several Grey Nightjars that showed well in the end, around Paro.

Day 17, 15^th March 2025. Flight to India, and to Kaziranga National Park

With an early-morning flight to Guwahati, India (for a customized extension to Kaziranga National Park for some mammals and different birds) we said our final goodbyes to Namgay and Turkten – who had done an incredible job in looking after us, getting us good birds, and making sure we had a fabulous time. The short flight was uneventful, though we did get some good views of some of the high Himalayas, including Kachenjunga – the third highest peak in the world. We arrived into Guwahati, and were soon through customs and into India. Here we met up with our local team, before starting the long drive to get to Kaziranga National Park.

Rare Greater Adjutants were common at the ‘otherworldly’ Guwahati dump.

We made several stops on the way – the first being at the infamous waste disposal facility. In this otherworldly scene, with a backdrop as if from some futuristic apocalypse movie, we found our wanted Greater Adjutant – which were present in big numbers. We also picked up on at least a single Lesser Adjutant, which offered good comparative views, along with a few others, before resuming the drive. Stops gave us new waterbirds like Asian Openbill, Oriental Darter, Bronze-winged Jacana and Indian Pond Heron, along with others like Ashy Woodswallow, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Indochinese Roller, Great Hornbill, Red-breasted Parakeet and Indian Pied Myna. While passing through Kaziranga, we also saw our first Greater One-horned Rhinoceros – though we would see many more over the coming days. We checked into our lovely lodge, set atop a hill, in the afternoon, and took it easy, preparing for our next stint of birding in India.

Days 18 – 21, 16^th – 19^th March 2025. Birds and mammals of Kaziranga National Park

We had four full days of morning and afternoon safaris within Kaziranga National Park, and naturally saw a very similar suite of species, both birds and mammals throughout each of these safaris, resulting in all the days being discussed as one account below.

A typical scene in Kaziranga National Park – animals galore, along with plenty of birds.

Kaziranga National Park is world-famous primarily as the stronghold for the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, and having played a crucial role in helping this species recover from the edge of extinction. As a whole, the park itself is excellent for mammals in general, and is arguably one of India’s most productive national parks in this sense. Indeed, as we went about our many safaris through this park, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros were a regular and frequent sight – which was just fabulous to see – made even better by multiple close encounters with these strange armored-looking beasts. Asian Elephant, another megafauna, was also seen regularly, with several large family herds showing well, including some impressive male “tuskers”. Sizing down somewhat, the likes of Asian Wild Buffalo and the tiny Hog Deer were exceedingly common, and it was refreshing to see vast numbers of these animals, on a very regular basis. We also enjoyed a few large herds of the scarce and very localized Barasingha (Swamp Deer) – another species for which Kaziranga is known, along with Northern Red Muntjac, Sambar, and Eurasian Wild Pig. The various wetlands and waterbodies also gave us a few families of Smooth-coated Otters.

Not to be forgotten is easily India’s most famed and sought-after animal – (Bengal) Tiger. Kaziranga is widely known to have a sizeable population of Tigers, but the nature of the park’s topography, with its vast and tall grasslands and limited access roads, makes seeing this cat here very challenging. It naturally featured high up on our target list, and it took until the last few safaris before we finally encountered one. Our first sighting saw us getting wind of the Tiger having been seen from where we had come, and involved a mad rush to the site, only to be swamped by other jeeps, and views blocked. We backed up, and with some careful positioning, managed to pick up the Tiger sitting in the open, and then walking out of view, in the distance, and through an awful lot of vegetation. Our first views, though, if we were honest, were ones we would dearly like to improve. Our next sighting was far more authentic and special – we heard some barking Hog Deer in a vast grassy clearing, and got comfortable for a long vigil. After a long while of scanning the obvious open patches, a glorious Tiger appeared – not where we were looking though, but rather just off the road right next to us. The cat froze once we had locked onto it, hissed at us, and scuttled back into the long grass – melting away out of sight in no time. We managed to see this individual later that same drive, crossing the road right after an Asian Elephant had crossed.

The much wanted (Bengal) Tiger was high on our wish lists for Kaziranga. After several safari drives, we eventually found our first, and then had several more sightings of this mega cat!

Our last sighting of Tiger was easily our most prolonged, and perhaps best. We had been having a relaxed, final drive in Kaziranga, when we turned around and were working our way slowly back towards the gate with the sun low in the sky. We bumped into an excited jeep who had just seen a Tiger walking on the river bank a short distance ahead of us, and we picked a suitable clearing, and before we knew it, a massive male Tiger strolled out into the open, and walked along the river bank for a bit, before melting back into the grass. To say we were elated would be an understatement!

Onto the birding front – our superbly appointed lodge was always packed with birds. We were able to get in short morning excursions before our Kaziranga safaris on most mornings, along with short spells of birding around midday. Noisy flocks of Red-breasted Parakeets were a common sight, joined by the occasional Alexandrine Parakeet. The treetops were usually busy with the likes of Tickell’s Leaf and Blyth’s Leaf Warblers, along with Indian White-eye. Keeping an eye on these revealed many others like Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Scaly-breasted Munia and Golden-fronted Leafbird. A Daurain Redstart was resident around the lodge, as were a pair of Greater Coucals – which showed well. Working the scrubby thickets gave us the likes of Puff-throated Babbler and widespread Common Tailorbird. We also enjoyed seeing species like Green-billed Malkoha, Blue-eared and Coppersmith Barbets, Oriental Pied Hornbills and Black-winged Cuckooshrike, amongst others. At night, the lodge also proved reliable for Brown Boobook and Oriental Scops-Owl.

This pair of Brown Boobooks were regular visitors to our lodge in the evenings.

Our safari drives into the park were always packed with birds, especially as vast numbers of waterbirds were present, which always adds to the number of species seen. Ducks were well represented, and we enjoyed several sought-after species like Bar-headed Goose, Garganey, Cotton Pygmy Goose and Indian Spot-billed Duck alongside many other more widespread Eurasian species. Herons, egrets and storks were also well covered, with large numbers of the stately Black-necked Storks being a regular highlight, along with sporadic sightings of both Greater and Lesser Adjutants (away from the Guwahati dump) and Asian Woolly-necked Stork. Rafts of Spot-billed Pelicans were seen feeding over more open waterways. The surrounding mudflats and plains were often full of shorebirds of varying degrees. The antics of lapwings is always interesting – we enjoyed watching Northern, Grey-headed and Red-wattled Lapwings, while Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas vied for attention at the edges. A large segment of Eurasia’s waders was noted, with special mention going to regular sightings of Spotted Redshank and Temminck’s Stint standing out, along with several Common Snipe sightings. Masses of wagtails frequented these areas as well, with Eastern Yellow Wagtail and Citrine Wagtail noteworthy. Elegant River Terns patrolled the waterways, along with the likes of White-throated, Common and Stork-billed Kingfishers, and then, of course, the massive Grey-headed and Pallas’s Fish Eagles.

Nearby, we enjoyed sightings of localized Swamp Francolins coming out of the long grass into clearings and large numbers of Red Junglefowls. These areas also delivered some further fine birds including the snazzy Chestnut-capped Babbler and Striated Grassbird (the latter being quite common). We tried for other specials of the reserve, like Bengal Florican, without luck. More open, lightly wooded areas were also good, and gave us everything from stunning Asian Green and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, to fabulous Indochinese Rollers, and woodpeckers like Black-rumped and Greater Flamebacks. We also found several of the more uncommon Blossom-headed Parakeet to go with the rare Finn’s Weaver, which we were stoked to find.

All rollers are stunning, and these Indochinese Rollers were no exception. They were delightfully common in Kaziranga, and we saw them on multiple occasions.

Raptors were pretty well represented and regulars like Oriental Honey Buzzard, Himalayan Vulture, Crested Serpent Eagle and Changeable Hawk-Eagle (and Grey-headed Fish Eagle mentioned above) were frequent. Scarcer birds like White-rumped, Red-headed and Slender-billed Vultures, Greater Spotted Eagle and Steppe Eagle were more special sightings. Remarkably, Asian Barred Owlets were seen on most of our drives in more wooded areas, along with the occasional Spotted Owlet and we also did well to find a lovely Brown Fish Owl in some dense riverine woodland. The denser, more forested segments also produced some different species like an incredible nesting Great Hornbill as well as Common Emerald Dove, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Black-naped Monarch, Kalij Pheasant, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker and a stunning Small Niltava.

Raptors were pleasantly common in Kaziranga – and we loved this nesting Slender-billed Vulture in particular. This is a rare and Critically Endangered (IUCN red list) species.

There were even a few reptiles to keep us occupied on our drives, with regular Bengal Monitors, including a massive specimen, Common Water Monitor, a large Burmese Python and the scarce Assam Roofed Turtle all being seen. It is safe to say we had a wonderful four full days of safari drives in Kaziranga, and certainly were able to see the bulk of what the reserve has to offer.

Day 12, 20^th March 2025. Final birding, and departure

Our final day dawned, and saw us setting off on foot for a walk around the lodge surrounds, making the most of the few hours we had available. Although there were several new species possible, we targeted Blue-naped Pitta as out main one, and headed off in search. We had a great walk, starting off with several regulars like Green-billed Malkoha, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Blue-eared Barbet, Red-breasted Parakeet and Golden-fronted Leafbird, right at our lodge. An open area delivered a pair of Bengal Bushlarks, along with a Plaintive Cuckoo – our first cuckoo seen all trip! We tried for a calling Abbott’s Babbler, but this skulking species didn’t come in. With no luck at the initial sites for the pitta, we veered off the beaten path to a distant tea estate, where we would have a final go. This area was incredibly birdy as well – a noisy group of Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes came roving through, while Rufous Treepies called from the treetops, with all manners of birds in between. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Oriental Cuckooshrike, Large Woodshrike, Common Iora, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, White-rumped Shama, and even a surprise Black-backed Forktail were all present. Try as we might, however, there was no sight or sound of Blue-naped Pitta.

We made the walk back to the lodge, and said our goodbyes to Nekib, our local guide, and thanked him for his time and expertise, as he wouldn’t be joining us for the trip back to Guwahati. Following breakfast, we had a bit of time to pack and sort ourselves out, before having to load up into our cars, and settle in for the long drive back to Guwahati. We arrived in good time, and after having dealt with the airport formalities, waited for our flight back to Delhi, and from there, onwards back home.

This male Great Hornbill was perched at the entrance to the nest hole, feeding the female who was deep inside the nest cavity. What a sighting – and one of the ultimate highlights!

I would like to thank the group for all the good times and exciting memories that we’ll keep from this tour. Overall, the tour was successful, with loads of excellent, localized and rare birds being seen – along with enjoying a heap of Asian mammals along the way. The trip’s top birds are too many and diverse to mention, but all are thoroughly conveyed in the above text. Onwards and upwards to more exciting adventures.

Bhutan Bird List – Following IOC (15.1 / March 2025)

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen.

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

India Bird List – Following IOC 15.1

Birds ‘heard only’ are marked with (H) after the common name, all other species were seen.

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
CR = Critically Endangered, EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

Bhutan & India combined Bird List summary – Following IOC 15.1

Bhutan Mammal List – Following Mammalwatching.com (January 2024)

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

India Mammal List – Following Mammalwatching.com (January 2024)

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
EN = Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.

India Reptile List

The following notation after species names is used to show conservation status following the IUCN Red List:
CR = Critically Endangered, VU = Vulnerable.