We were really looking forward to birding this seldom visited site and the day got off to a good start with a flock of Brown-winged Parrotbills found whilst the coach was being fixed over some mechanical problem! A flyby Wallcreeper followed before we eventually approached the pass way later in the morning than I was happy with. But a sleeping Red Panda in the bright sunshine at 3200m was absolutely fantastic and I thought things would only get better from there, but as it turned out the pass area was hard going and the birding was very slow.
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| This cute red Panda was definitely 'bird of the day'. |
We did find Black Eagle, a gang of Black-faced Laughingthrushes, White-browed Fulvetta, White-winged Grosbeak and a couple of Alpine Accentors but that was it so we drove a few kilometres lower.
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| Alpine Accentor |
The habitat was freaking unbelievable with huge swathes of bamboo and then great moss-encrusted forest lower down but it was still slow going.
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| It's certainly a fabulous setting for a bird tour..... |
Leading up to our picnic lunch we saw very little apart from an Eurasian Wren and several White-browed Fulvettas.
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| White-browed Fulvetta |
But during lunch a Himalayan Griffon drifted over, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Great and Golden-throated Barbets were spotted. Then we had a real Collared Owlet teed up in the scope with Stripe-throated Yuhinas and Coal Tits mobbing it.
We then drove lower and began walking and things picked up with more Black-faced Laughingthrushes, several Assam Laughingthrushes, Himalayan Cutia, Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Whiskered Yuhina, Streak-throated and Rusty-fronted Barwings, Dark-rumped Rosefinch, 3 Crimson-browed Finches, and a Spotted Forktail being the highlights.
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