Trystan's 2017 year list (1 Viewer)

4/11/17

Having arranged my own flights I had today to myself in Kathmandu so booked a taxi to the nearby reserve of Nagarjun. I had hoped to wander round by myself but apparently a guide is compulsory and cost about £20 for the day. As expected, he knew a few key birds but was otherwise of little help although friendly enough. Since I also managed 6 species which were not seen again on the trip it proved to be a good choice.

5. Grey headed canary flycatcher
6. WHITE TAILED NUTHATCH
7. GREY HOODED WARBLER
8. BLACK THROATED TIT
9. BLUE THROATED BARBET
10. GREY TREEPIE
11. HIMALAYAN BULBUL
12. RUFOUS SIDED SCIMITAR BABBLER
13. WHITE BELLIED YUHINA
14. SCALY THRUSH
15. Velvet fronted nuthatch
16. GREY BACKED SHRIKE
17. FULVOUS BREASTED WOODPECKER
18. Red vented bulbul
19. WHISTLER'S WARBLER
20. KALIJ PHEASANT
21. RED BILLED BLUE MAGPIE
22. GREAT BARBET
23. BLACK LORED TIT
24. MOUNTAIN BULBUL
25. Black bulbul
26. Rufous woodpecker
27. ORIENTAL WHITE-EYE
28. LARGE CUCKOO SHRIKE
29. Ashy drongo

I tried my luck in the town in the afternoon where the map showed a greener area by a small river.
Despite the litter and pollution, several species were noted.

30. House sparrow
31. Grey wagtail
32. Common myna
33. Tree sparrow
34. Cattle egret
35. PLUMBEOUS WATER REDSTART
36. White wagtail (leucopsis)
37. House swift
38. Rose ringed parakeet

World 307

5/11/17

Kathmandu

39. Oriental magpie robin

En route

40. Barn swallow
41. JUNGLE MYNA
42. Indian jungle crow

Phulchowki - A little more time in this area would surely have yielded more birds with lifers coming thick and fast at times, we were told that there would be another stop on the way back but this stop never materialised.

43. LEMON RUMPED WARBLER
44. SPECKLED PICULET
45. White throated kingfisher
46. ORIENTAL TURTLE DOVE
47. WHITE CAPPED WATER REDSTART
48. GREEN BACKED TIT
49. GREATER YELLOWNAPE
50. Black eagle
51. Jay
52. FIRE TAILED SUNBIRD
53. Dark sided flycatcher
54. RUFOUS SIBIA
55. FIRE BREASTERD FLOWERPECKER
56. BUFF BARRED WARBLER
57. YELLOW BROWED TIT
58. Large billed crow - At higher altitude than the Jungle crows seen earlier, in flight showing wedge shaped tail. Looking at my previous trips, I have already seen both Indian jungle crow (Sri Lanka) and Large billed crow (Bali) previously but I understand that further splits may be forthcoming.
59. Bonelli's eagle
60. RED GORGETTED FLYCATCHER
61. GREEN SHRIKE BABBLER
62. ASHY THROATED WARBLER
63. YELLOW BREASTED FANTAIL
64. CHESTNUT CROWNED LAUGHINGTHRUSH
65. WHITE BROWED FULVETTA
66. RUFOUS VENTED YUHINA
67. BROWN BULLFINCH
68. LONG TAILED MINIVET
69. BLACK FACED WARBLER
70. MAROON ORIOLE
71. GREEN TAILED SUNBIRD
72. WHITE THROATED LAUGHINGTHRUSH

Kathmandu

73. CINEREOUS TIT

6/11/17

Internal flight today to reach Koshi Tappo wildlife reserve

Kathmandu Airport

74. (ASIAN) Stonechat
75. Long tailed shrike

Biratnagar Airport

76. Collared dove
77. Scaly breasted munia
78. Black drongo
79. Black shouldered kite
80. TICKELL'S LEAF WARBLER
81. CHESTNUT TAILED STARLING

En route

82. Asian pied starling
83. Hoopoe

Birju lake

84. Red wattled lapwing
85. Intermediate egret
86. Purple heron
87. Indian pond heron
88. Pheasant tailed jacana
89. BRONZE WINGED JACANA
90. Pied kingfisher
91. RED NAPED IBIS
92. Tufted duck
93. Pochard
94. Teal
95. COTTON PYGMY GOOSE
96. Lesser whistling duck
97. Gadwall
98. Little grebe
99. Little cormorant
100. Coot
101. Moorhen
102. Wigeon
103. Lesser adjutant
104. Kestrel
105. Grey headed swamphen
106. Brown shrike
107. Little egret

Koshi camp

108. Greenish warbler
109. Green bee-eater
110. JUNGLE BABBLER
111. White breasted waterhen
112. Black hooded oriole
113. Taiga flycatcher
114. VERDITA FLYCATCHER
115. BLACK WINGED CUCKOO SHRIKE
116. RUFOUS TREEPIE
117. COLLARED FALCONET
118. RED WHISKERED BULBUL
119. BRONZED DRONGO
120. Spotted dove
121. SPOTTED OWLET
122. White throated fantail
123. Greater coucal
124. ROSY MINIVET
125. Osprey
126. Ashy woodswallow
127. Red collared dove
128. LESSER GOLDENBACK (BLACK RUMPED FLAMEBACK)
129. Indian roller
130. WATERCOCK - saw a female/juvenile at dusk. Apparently this should be a summer visitor to the area and as a solo sighting, I'm not sure the guide believed me but this isn't a bird you can mistake for anything else.

World 381

7/11/17

Spent the whole day around the Koshi Tappa reserve

131. Great egret
132. Striated heron
133. ORANGE HEADED THRUSH
134. SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT
135. Crested serpent eagle
136. INDIAN WHITE BACKED VULTURE
137. Striated grassbird
138. Grey heron
139. AMUR FALCON
140. THICK BILED WARBLER
141. Short toed eagle
142. Black headed ibis
143. Paddyfield pipit
144. Black stork
145. Long legged buzzard
146. Greenshank
147. Temminck's stint
148. Little ringed plover
149. Common rosefinch
150. Plain martin
151. Yellow wagtail
152. Booted eagle
153. Little stint
154. Marsh harrier
155. ORIENTAL HONEY BUZZARD
156. Pintail
157. Mallard
158. Asian openbill
159. WHITE EYED BUZZARD
160. Green sandpiper
161. Shikra
162. Olive backed pipit
163. COMMON HAWK CUCKOO
164. JUNGLE OWLET
165. YELLOW FOOTED GREEN PIGEON
166. Sparrowhawk
167. Hen harrier
168. STRIATED BABBLER
169. SWAMP FRANCOLIN

World: 407

8/11/17

Travelling north of the main reserve in the morning and down to the dam on the Koshi river in the afternoon where the main target was the Ganges river dolphin, at least 5 were active when we arrived. Birds for the day as follows:

170. Stork billed kingfisher
171. SAND LARK
172. Common sandpiper
173. Tawny pipit
174. Ruddy shelduck
175. INDIAN COURSER
176. RIVER TERN
177. HIMALAYAN BUZZARD
178. Blue rock thrush
179. Richard's pipit
180. Ashy crowned sparrow lark
181. Greater short toed lark - some suggestion that Hume's lark was also present in the flock but I felt from the field guides and the internet that I couldn't confidently tick this species.
182. Oriental skylark
183. BAY BACKED SHRIKE

Back at the camp for lunch.

184. Yellow crowned woodpecker
185. Common iora
186. BLYTHE'S REED WARBLER

Then after the river dolphins we checked out some farm land and ponds in the area.

187. GREY HEADED LAPWING
188. Wood sandpiper
189. Common snipe

World: 424

9/11/17

A long drive today to Chitwan national park with some birding stops along the way, plus the need to call at a hospital to get a rabies shot for one of our party who had contrived to be bitten by a bat in the evening! (Greater short nosed fruit bat)

We only managed two new species for the day, but one was a main target for the trip.

190. HIMALAYAN VULTURE
191. IBISBILL - We tried a location en route which has held this species before but we were a little early for them and our guide had more hope we would get them on the penultimate day's drive back to Kathmandu. As it turned out, I managed to locate one bird here and didn't realise at the time how important it would prove to be.

World: 426

10/11/17

The morning of our first day at CHitwan as walking the edge of the reserve with forest on one side and grass land on the other. About four in the morning, I heard an owl calling outside and was lucky to see it perched in the tree from my balcony, although it proved to be around on and off most evenings I think the rest of the group all managed to catch up with it.

192. INDIAN SCOPS OWL

193. Red junglefowl
194. Indian peafowl
195. White bellied drongo
196. CRESTED BUNTING
197. LESSER YELLOWNAPE
198. Greater racket tailed drongo
199. WHITE TAILED STONECHAT
200. Yellow eyed babbler
201. CHESTNUT CAPPED BABBLER
202. INDIAN GRASSBIRD
203. Kingfisher
204. SMOKY WARBLER
205. BROWN CRAKE
206. SLENDER BILLED BABBLER
207. Pied bushchat
208. GREATER FLAMEBACK
209. Oriental darter
210. Black francolin
211. RIVER LAPWING
212. WHITE BROWED WAGTAIL
213. Oriental pied hornbill
214. Woolly necked stork
215. HIMALAYAN FLAMEBACK
216. GREAT SPOTTED EAGLE

The evening involved an Elephant ride to see Greater on horned rhino, 6 of these were seen plus:

217. Changeable hawk eagle


World: 451

11/11/17

A full day out in a jeep today, I suppose the idea was to maximise our small chance of seeing Tigers but this wasn't to be. A rather uncomfortable day in fact although the species kept ticking over nicely.

218. GREY HEADED PRINIA
219. Small minivet
220. CHESTNUT BELLIED NUTCHATCH
221. Scarlet minivet
221. Alexandrine parakeet
222. Grey breasted prinia
223. GREY CAPPED PYGMY WOODPECKER
224. PUFF THROATED BABBLER
225. WHITE RUMPED SPINETAIL
226. Crested treeswift
227. Grey headed fish eagle
228. PALE CHINNED FLYCATCHER
229. WESTERN CROWNED WARBLER
230. COMMON WOODSHRIKE
231. STREAK THROATED WOODPECKER
232. Baya weaver
233. RED AVADAVAT
234. Grey headed woodpecker

World: 469

13/11/17

The 12/11 proved to be a total disaster. The plan was to drive from Chitwan to Kathmandu, we were aware of ongoing roadworks and the potential for the first part of the journey to be slow, however, the road had been closed overnight and there were 8 hour tailbacks. After travelling about 20 miles in 5 hours, we were turned around and instead took an internal flight back to Kathmandu. This was to be the main day for seeing Ibisbill so there was a sense of relief at having already getting this species, but the opportunity for more birding for the group was lost as they had flights the following morning.

Fortunately for me, my flight was not until 5 in the afternoon so I was able to book an additional half day birding, my main target being the endemic Spiny babbler, we stopped at two locations on the edge of the Kathmandu valley, the first for spiny babbler and the second, along a small stream for forktails and White tailed rubythroat.

235. BESRA
236. SPINY BABBLER - two birds found quickly and taking the pressure off the day.
237. Green billed malkoha
238. ABERRANT BUSH WARBLER
239. SMALL NITIVA
240. Common tailorbird
241. GREY BUSHCHAT

Next stop

242. Wallcreeper
243. HODGSON'S REDSTART
244. SLATY BLUE FLYCATCHER
245. White rumped munia
246. BLUE WHISTLING THRUSH
247. BLACK BACKED FORKTAIL
248. WHITE TAILED RUBYTHROAT
249. Red rumped swallow

A satisfying conclusion to a the trip and very relieved that I sorted my own flights for this one!

World 484, UK 264

Now I've finished cross indexing with my main list, a not insignificant number of omissions found here:

5/11/17

250. BAR THROATED MINLA
251. Eurasian hobby

6/11/17

252. Ferruginous duck
253. Hume's leaf warbler
254. Hair crested drongo
255. Brown capped woodpecker
256. Plum headed parakeet

7/11/17

257. Lesser kestrel
258. Lesser coucal

10/11/17

259. Brown boobok

World: 494

26/11/17

Back in the UK and finally catching up with the influx of Hawfinches. Two birds I wanted to get onto my Yorkshire list this year were Lesser spotted woodpecker and this bird so mission accomplished!

Yorkshire Arboretum (Castle Howard)

265. Hawfinch (1st Yorkshire) - at least 8 birds in 1's and 2's

World 495, UK 265, Yorkshire 227

3/12/17

First upgraded my first UK Lesser yellowlegs from Dorset earlier this year to my first Yorkshire one at Spurn, followed by a stop off at Wheldrake.

Wheldrake

266. American wigeon

World 496, UK 266, Yorkshire 229

17/12/17

It seems as I approach 500 for the year that my luck has really run out. A string of dips on birds such as rough legged buzzard, jacksnipe, glossy ibis and parrot crossbill and snow bunting in recent weeks!

Managed to pull one of them back today along with a red breasted merganser for my Yorkshire year list, while going on to dip Arctic redpoll at Swillington.

Thornwick pools, Flamborough

267. Jacksnipe

World 497, UK 267, Yorkshire 231

23/12/17

Howden reservoir

Another one pulled back

268. Parrot crossbill

World 498

28/12/17

Whitby

269. Desert wheatear

Barmston

270. Snow bunting

In all probability that will be it for the year, delighted to have scraped 500 for my world list, acknowledging that there are a couple of dodgy ones on there by way of the Dorset hooded merganser and the overly tame Shrewsbury night heron.

Final tally:

World 500, UK 270, Yorkshire 233