New Tour: West Java & Sumatra 2016

We have just added a new tour to West Java and Sumatra 3rd - 23rd September 2016. 

Beginning in Java we will visit the bird-rich Gunung Gede and Gunung Halimun, plus a number of lowland sites as well. Highlights from our previous tours include Javan Hawk-Eagle, Javan Barred Owlet, Javan Coucal and Javan Tesia amongst others. 

Then it is on to Way Kambas in Sumatra, and what a place that is! This must rank as the premier night-birding site in Asia with Gould's, Sunda and Large Frogmouths, Oriental Bay-Owl, Reddish Scops-Owl, Bonaparte's Nightjar and Malaysian Eared-Nightjar. In fact we recorded 21 species of nightbird during our 2013 tour! During the day we will search for White-winged Wood-Duck, Malayan Banded Pitta, and a huge selection of cracking forest birds. 

Moving on to Gunung Kerinci we will look for Salvadori's Pheasant, Red-billed Partridge, Sumatran Trogon, Schneider's Pitta, Sumatran Wren-Babbler, along with plenty of other crippling birds. 

We'll end up on the Tapan Road, which in my opinion is one of the most exciting birding roads i've been fortunate to visit in Asia. I really enjoyed seeing Marbled Wren-Babbler here in September 2013. 

There are some seriously good birds on this trip and I cannot wait to return.

Take a look at our 2016 tour itinerary: Click here.

2013 tour repot - click here.

2013 photo gallery - click here.

Check out a few photos I took from my last 2 visits:

Cream-striped Bulbul - Tapan Road

Crested Fireback - Way Kambas

Crimson-winged Woodpecker - Way Kambas

Fire-tufted Barbet - Tapan Road

Gould's Frogmouth - Way Kambas

Graceful Pitta has been very obliging on the Tapan Road

Nice view of Gunung Kerinci - Sumatra

Red-bearded Bee-eater at Way Kambas

Reddish Scops-Owl at Way Kambas

Rusty-breasted Wren-Babblers at Gunung Kerinci

Shiny Whistling-Thrush

Sumatran Trogon on the Tapan Road.

Sunda Blue Robin

Sunda Scops-Owl

Sunda Warbler

Whiskered Treeswift on the Tapan Road

Classic Himalayas - They Think It's All Over.....

Following an overnight train journey we arrived in Delhi and went to a nearby hotel for a shower and breakfast before heading to Okhla Bird Sanctuary. We arrived just after sunrise and I was very surprised to see the Yamuna River totally empty – I mean no water at all! However, we picked up numerous new birds for the trip including the four species I always target here. First of all, there were more Yellow-bellied Prinias around than I have ever seen before here, followed by Striated Babbler which was equally as numerous. 

Striated Babbler

Yellow-bellied Prinia

It took a while longer to catch up with Striated Grassbird, but eventually we had decent looks at a displaying bird. The final key species wasn’t seen until we decided to return to the shade of the trees, and boy was it hot here today. But after a distant scope view of a probable female White-tailed Stonechat, a cracking male appeared much closer and began to sing and display by fanning its tail revealing the white inner webs….

Yep, definitely a White-tailed Stonechat...!

There were numerous other good birds this morning and particular favourites were some Red-naped (Indian Black) Ibis, Painted Stork, Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon, flocks of Bar-headed Goose flying over, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Dusky Warbler, Taiga Flycatcher, and Brown-headed Barbet.

Bar-headed Geese

Indian Spot-billed Ducks

There was also Glossy Ibis, Purple Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Asian Koel, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Ashy Prinia, Indian Robin, Baya Weaver, Citrine Wagtail, and some Nilgai as well.

Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon

And that was our birding finished in incredible India and we ended up with 311 species seen in 10 days…   

Looking forward to returning to India next year for a Snow Leopard expedition, as well as our South India & Andamans tour......

Last Day at Sat Tal

We visited a wonderful valley this morning with plenty of birds to keep us occupied, including flocks of Pink-browed Rosefinches. Around the small houses dotted across the hillside were Eurasian Hoopoes, Red-rumped Swallows, Grey Treepie, Red-billed Blue Magpie, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Upland Pipit, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler, Streaked Laughingthrushes, and both Rock and White-capped Buntings.

Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler

 At a narrow gulley we saw another Tytler’s Leaf-Warbler and had really good views of a Maroon Oriole, whilst higher up a Rufous-breasted Accentor fed by the roadside.

Nice views of this Mountain Hawk-Eagle today

Rufous-breasted Accentor

Another record shot of Tytler's Leaf Warbler

In the afternoon we only had a little time but managed to fit in a walk along a forested road and saw a Thick-billed Flowerpecker briefly, along with close Black-chinned Babblers, Blue-winged Minla and Red-billed Leiothrix before returning to the hotel for an early dinner and then going to Kathgodam train station for the overnight sleeper train to Delhi. Oh joy!

Blue-winged Minla

Sat Tal

A very nice morning was spent walking along the road between a couple of the lakes with some beautiful forest all around us, and we founds birds to be numerous and rather cooperative. Better views of a calling Asian Barred Owlet got the ball rolling and the first section of road produced 3 scoped Spot-winged Starlings (a major surprise again), as well as Red-breasted Flycatcher, Mountain Bulbul, Black-throated Sunbird and Fire-breasted Flowerpecker. Michael then found us a pair of Blue-winged Minlas, which we followed with another Sulphur-bellied Warbler and the main prize of the area, a pair of superb Rufous-chinned Laughingthrushes feeding in the leaf litter below us.

Then, after a short drive we followed a path down to a pond and found quite a few birds coming to bathe with Golden Bush-Robin being something of a surprise, with a few Olive-backed Pipits nearby. There was also another pair of Rufous-chinned Laughingthrushes here, two pairs of Ultramarine Flycatchers, male Rufous-bellied Niltava and a female Slaty-blue Flycatcher. Further along a pair of Red-billed Leiothrix showed well eventually and a pair of Whistler’s Warblers appeared in the same bush. A huge number of birds appeared when I played the owlet call here with many Lemon-rumped Warblers and also lots of other common species, but a Speckled Piculet was new. Returning towards the coach a pair of Slaty-headed Parakeets were inspecting a nesting hole and another mega-congregation of passerines included White-throated Fantail and Blyth’s Leaf-Warbler. 

Slaty-headed Parakeet

And finally a pair of Greater Flamebacks were feeding at the top of a dead tree quite avidly and looked fantastic through the telescope. It was very exciting to hear the alarm calls of Langurs and Sambar here, which betrayed the presence of a Leopard moving across the hillside opposite us. And also hearing Rufous-throated Partridge was another surprise for me here.

After lunch we had a siesta and returned to the same place although it was quieter than before. However, we did see an Asian Emerald Dove coming down to drink, along with some more leiothrix, Tickell’s Thrush and further views of previously seen species. A Pygmy Wren-Babbler was also skulking under a fallen tree, and we even had views of the often tricky Chestnut-headed Tesia as well.

Jungle Lore to Sat Tal

Spent the best part of the morning following a track across an open hillside with some tall trees, flowering Rhododendron trees & scrub and enjoyed some quality views of some typical Himalayan birds. Of particular note were the exceptional prolonged looks at a Great Barbet feeding in a flowering Rhododendron tree. 

Great Barbet

A pair of Striated Laughingthrushes also gave crippling views, and we enjoyed several good mixed species flocks coming in to mob the owlet call. 

Striated Laughingthrush

A few male Fire-tailed Sunbirds were new for our lists, and a group of Whiskered Yuhinas were also much appreciated, whilst numerous Buff-barred Warblers were always around, and we had a few Himalayan Bluetails and some really confiding Ultramarine Flycatchers and Rock Buntings.

Fire-tailed Sunbird

Ultramarine Flycatcher

 We also saw Steppe Eagle, Himalayan Griffon Vulture, a migrating Hen Harrier being mobbed by Large-billed Crows, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, yet more Black-throated Bushtits and plenty of other commoner species.

Black-throated Bushtit is very common here.

During the lunchtime period in the lodge gardens we finally had decent views of Striated Prinia, along with Rufous-breasted Accentor, Lesser Yellownape, brief Common Green Magpie, Red-billed Blue Magpies and Siberian Chiffchaff, whilst a male Blue-fronted Redstart posed nicely and a few Spot-winged Grosbeaks were feeding in a fruiting tree.

A few Black-headed Jays were around at lunchtime.

This male Blue-fronted Redstart showed well.

Oriental Turtle Doves at the feeding station.

Rufous-breasted Accentor

Spot-winged Grosbeak - almost too close to photograph..!

After lunch at the wonderful Jungle Lore Birding Lodge we drove down through Nainital and descended lower to a great new hotel at Sat Tal. After dropping our bags into our rooms we drove a short distance and then walked along a road bordering a nice little forest stream where a pair of Spotted Forktails were seen on several occasions. There was also Plumbeous and White-capped Water-Redstarts sitting on boulders mid-stream. 

A displaying Plumbeous Water-Redstart

In the bushes bordering the river were a few Lemon-rumped Warblers, a pair of delightful Small Niltavas found by Martin & the male was seen displaying right in front of us, and we had our first albeit brief view of Chestnut-headed Tesia. 

A very confiding Small Niltava

Further along we scanned a larger boulder-strewn river where Tricia spotted our target, a nice Brown Dipper. Several Crested Kingfishers were also present, and the nearby fields held Grey Treepie, a Tickell’s Thrush feeding in a flowering tree, and an Asian Barred Owlet being mobbed by Green-backed Tits and Black-chinned Babblers and a couple of Eurasian Hoopoes showed well.