INDIA Eaglenest 1–16 March 2009 Leaders: Leio De Souza and Vaughan Ashby

The unique location of this region in India’s north-east corner, at the meeting place of Palearctic, Indo-Malayan and Himalayan species, where the Himalayas rise from the plains to peaks of over 7000m, has created a startling avifaunal diversity. The montane rainforest of the eastern Himalayas in Arunachal Pradesh and the floodplain of the Brahmaputra in the Assam Valley are recognised as two of the most significant endemic bird areas in Asia. We will travel through each of these regions, as we visit Nameri and Kaziranga National Parks in search of lowland species before heading up into the Himalayas to Eagle Nest Wildlife Sanctuary where we will augment our list with a plethora of exciting eastern Himalayan specialities.

Day 1 Depart from London on an overnight flight to Delhi, arriving in the morning of Day 2.

Day 2 Arriving in Delhi in the early hours of the morning, we connect with an onward flight to Guwahati, the capital of the state of Assam. On arrival we will set out on the drive north to Kaziranga National Park in the heart of the fertile floodplains of the Brahmaputra River. Along the way we will have the chance to see some of our first regional specialities of the tour including Greater Adjutant, an endangered species now restricted almost entirely to the Assam Valley, and White-vented Myna among a host of commoner Indian species. We will arrive by mid-afternoon to settle in to our comfortable wildlife resort located on the edge of the sanctuary and begin our exploration of the reserve and surrounding areas.

Days 3–5 Kaziranga is the largest undisturbed area of the Brahmaputra and the birdlife on the floodplain is incredible – it hosts the second highest number of species in the whole of India. Three full days here will enable us to thoroughly explore the three distinct ranges that comprise the park, where we should see a wide variety of species including Black-necked, Woolly-necked, Painted and Black Storks, Asian Openbill, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Bar-headed Goose, Great White and Spot-billed Pelicans, Grey-headed Lapwing, Kalij Pheasant, Red Junglefowl, Grey-headed and Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers, Blue-eared and Great Barbets, Alexandrine and Red-breasted Parakeets, Pallas’s and Grey-headed Fish-eagles, Dusky and Smoky Warblers, Zitting Cisticola, Black-headed Munia, Red Avadavat, Bengal Bushlark, Streaked and Black-breasted Weavers and Spot-winged Starling.

Birding here will be from open jeeps due to the presence of potentially dangerous large mammals, and this will allow us to penetrate the park’s more remote areas in search of more elusive species such as Rufous-rumped Grassbird, Swamp Francolin and the secretive and highly prized Bengal Florican (from Elephant-back) as we take an early morning ride through the grasslands. In the course of our birding we will also see a whole host of mammals as a welcome bonus, most significantly Barasingha, Water Buffalo and Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, all of which find a vital refuge in Kaziranga, which supports the majority of the remaining wild populations. In the elevated areas surrounding Kaziranga much of the original forest has been replaced by tea estates, yet patches of scrub interspersed with the tea plants provide valuable habitat for more opportunistic species including Green Magpie, Greater-necklaced, Lesser-necklaced and Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes and Siberian Rubythroat. For this reason we will make a visit to one estate adjacent to our lodge. We will also visit one of the remaining patches of mature forest – Panbari Reserved Forest – where species such as Speckled Piculet, Rufous Woodpecker, White-browed Scimitar-babbler, White-rumped Shama, Verditer Flycatcher, Emerald Dove and Maroon Oriole are possible.

Day 6 After an early breakfast we will set out on the long drive through the Assamese plains and across the Brahmaputra as we make our way up into the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the neighbouring state of Arunachal Pradesh. The journey will clearly demonstrate the interesting transition from the degraded vegetation of the lowlands, through secondary forest and scrub to mid-altitudes, where verdant montane forests sustain a distinct yet diverse avifauna. We will break our journey with frequent stops at various elevations for roadside birding, which should allow us to see a broad cross-section of more common species. We will arrive at Lama Camp, situated at 2350m on the edge of Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, by dusk to settle in to the comfortable tented accommodation that is to be our base for the next three nights.

Days 7–11 We have five exhilarating days of birding within Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, a small, relatively unexplored reserve that is fast establishing itself as a ‘must visit’ destination. Arunachal Pradesh is endowed with the richest biodiversity in India, with topography that rises from barely above sea level to peaks of 7000m at the Himalayan watershed and Indo–Tibetan border in less than 150km. Although it encompasses an area of only 218 sq km, the major advantage of Eaglenest is a jeep track cutting through almost all of the sanctuary’s altitudinal range from the pass at 2780m down into the floodplains of Assam. Our time here will be spent birding among evergreen broadleaved forests interspersed with conifers, rhododendron, bamboo groves and scrub, giving way to more sub-tropical forests as we descend. This mid-altitude range is truly rich in species and during winter and early spring many species associated with higher altitudes move down to the more temperate conditions of these elevations, grouping together in roving flocks. We hope to find many of the region’s star attractions including Blue-winged and Bar-throated Minlas, Long-tailed and Beautiful Sibias, Red-faced Liocichla, Cutia, Fire-tailed Myzornis, a host of yuhinas (most notably White-naped, Whiskered and Rufous-vented), Streak-throated and Rusty-fronted Barwings, Green-tailed and Black-throated Sunbirds, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Spotted Nutcracker, Bay and Rufous-bellied Woodpeckers, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Beautiful Nuthatch, Fire-capped, Rufous-vented and Sultan Tits, Brown, Rufous-headed and Black-breasted Parrotbills, Golden-throated Barbet, Ward’s and Red-headed Trogons, Gold-billed Magpie, Golden, Rufous-breasted and White-browed Bush-robins, Short-billed and Grey-chinned Minivets, Mountain and Ashy Bulbuls, Coral-billed and Slender-billed Scimitar-babblers, White-headed and Golden Babblers, White-browed, Black-eared and Green Shrike-babblers, White-collared Blackbird, various laughingthrushes including Blue-winged, Striated and Black-faced, Silver-eared Mesia, Hill Prinia, Mountain Tailorbird, Red-billed Leiothrix, White-gorgeted, Rufous-gorgeted, Pygmy and Pale Blue-flycatchers, Small, Rufous-bellied and Large Niltavas, Grey-headed and Red-headed Bullfinches, Rufous-breasted and Maroon-backed Accentors, Gold-naped and Scarlet Finches, Dark-breasted and Dark-rumped Rosefinches, Rufous-necked Hornbill and Collared Owlet. The dense undergrowth harbours some of the more retiring of the region’s inhabitants including White-browed and Gould’s Shortwings, Chestnut-headed and Slaty-bellied Tesias, numerous wren-babblers including Pygmy and Scaly-breasted, Brownish-flanked Bush-warbler, Long-tailed and Plain-backed Thrushes, Blyth’s Tragopan and Hill Partridge, which will take luck and persistence to pin down. We will also spend some time searching for the recently discovered Bugun Liocichla, known only from two locations, both within the sanctuary. Warblers are numerous and striking and include Black-faced, Broad-billed, Grey-cheeked and Golden-spectacled. The area is also home to some distinctive mammals, and we have a chance of finding Arunachal Macaque and even Red Panda if we are extremely lucky. To enable us to explore the full range of altitudes here we will divide our six-night stay between two camps, with a further two nights at Lama Camp followed by three nights at Bompu (1940m), and will make some longer daily drives to explore the higher and lower altitudes. Since road access here is good, we do not need to trek and walking will generally be easy with our jeeps always at our disposal.

Day 12 We will leave Eaglenest this morning, making our way down from the foothills to Nameri National Park for a three-night stay. Following numerous birding stops en route we will arrive by evening to settle into our comfortable (permanent) tented camp, conveniently situated on the edge of the sanctuary, for a three-night stay. We may arrive in time to search for night birds in the camp compound.

Days 13–14 Nameri protects vital remnants of sub-Himalayan mature swamp forest in Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. We have two full days here, which will be spent birding on foot along the forest trails and in the boundary scrub on the banks of the river. Mixed flocks contain such delights as Streaked Spiderhunter, Crimson and Ruby-cheeked Sunbirds, Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Golden-fronted, Blue-winged and Orange-bellied Leafbirds, Chestnut-bellied and Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Common Iora, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Large Woodshrike, Dollarbird, Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike, Green-billed Malkoha, White-browed Piculet and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, with the more elusive Grey-bellied Tesia, Abbott’s and Rufous-fronted Babblers, Striped Tit-babbler, Pale-chinned Flycatcher and Dark-sided Ground-thrush skulking in the undergrowth. Along the Jia Bhorelli River we should see Small Pratincole, River Tern, Red-wattled and River Lapwings, Great Thick-knee, Sand Lark, Crested Kingfisher and Striated Grassbird. Ibisbill winter here and are often seen in considerable numbers so we will make an inflatable raft trip to search for this sought-after species. Nameri is perhaps most famed for its small population of White-winged Duck, an endangered species found in secluded forest wetlands, and we will make every effort to locate this highly elusive bird. Other notable species here include Great and Wreathed Hornbills, Pied Falconet, Oriental Hobby, Pied Harrier, Barred Cuckoo-dove, Emerald Dove, Pin-tailed Green-pigeon, Blue and Blue-capped Rock-thrushes, Grey-winged Blackbird, Black Bulbul, Lineated and Blue-throated Barbets, Daurian Redstart, Black-backed Forktail and Blue-bearded Bee-eater.

Day 15 We will leave Nameri this morning for the drive to Guwahati. From here we will take an evening flight back to Delhi, where we will spend the night.

Day 16 Departure from Delhi on a morning flight to London.

General Information The climate varies from very cold in the mountains to hot in the lowlands with some rain/snow possible. The pace is moderate and on most days we will take a break at midday to relax; there is no trekking involved. However, a moderate degree of fitness is required for walks of up to five miles, mainly on good paths with gentle inclines. The maximum altitude is about 2800 metres. Accommodation ranges from medium-standard hotels with en-suite facilities to more basic permanent camps. The camps do, however, all have showers, WCs and electricity; some have en-suite facilities, others are shared. Transport is by minibus and four-wheel drive. There are some health requirements and you should contact your GP. Photographic opportunities are excellent. Visas are required.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders.

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