Nepal, Langtang and Pulchowki.  9 October – 1 November 2006

Report by Stijn De Win

Itinerary   October 2006 -9th  flight Bangkok – Kathmandu with Royal Nepal Airlines, check logistics with company and meet porter/guide, check in Moonlight Hotel -10th start 7h00 with 4WD, arrive 10h00 Trisuli Bazaar, arrive 14h00 Dunche.  Walk below checkpoint 15h00 – 18h00.  (Hotel Tibet Mountain View) -11th 6h30 - 9h30 walk till 3,5 kms before checkpoint (towards Trisuli Bazaar), start trekking 10h50, at Thulo Barkhu 13h00, arrive Thulo Syabru 17h40 (Lama Hotel) -12th 6h30 – 10h00 walk on trail back towards Dunche until prayer flags, start trekking 10h50, arrive Bamboo lodge 15h00 (Tibet Guesthouse)

Langtang Lirung dominates the landscape with 7225m.                           A closer look through the tele-lens.

-13th start trekking 9h00, at Lama Hotel (Changtang) 12h00, arrive Ghoratabela 16h00 (Hotel Tibetan) -14th birding in forest and scrub Ghoratabela 6h00-11h30, start trekking 12h45, arrive Langtang 16h20 (Village view hotel) -15th walk Langtang village vicinity 6h30-9h00, start trekking 10h00, arrive Kyanjin at 13h00, walk towards Ibisbill flats 15h00-17h00 (Hotel Yala Peak) -16th 6h30-11h00 walk to Ibisbill flats and birds seen! 14h15-17h00 walk to wood opposite river from Kyanjin. -17th 6h45-9h30 climb hill behind Kyanjin until 4285m altitude, start trekking 10h45, arrive Langtang village 12h15, after lunch start to Ghoratabela (13h45-16h00) (Hotel Tibetan) -18th birding Ghoratabela until 11h45, start trekking 13h00 and arrive Hotel Langtang View at 16h20.

Track and forest near Dunche at the start of the trek.       A little rest with Langtang Lirung in the distance.

-19th 7h00 till 11h30 slowly to Bamboo lodge, 11h45 till 13h35 slowly to café on top, arrive 15h45 at Thulo Syabru (Lama Hotel) -20th start trekking 7h35, Danda Tea shops at 11h45,  start here 14h00 and arrive Shin Gompa 15h00 (Hotel Lhasa) -21st 6h45 until 13h45 birding to Danda Tea shops and back, 16h00 until 17h45 walk towards Laurabina up to 200m higher than Shin Gompa. -22th short walk in wood near Shin Gompa, rest day, snow from 16h30. -23th birding walk to Cholangpati and 100m higher beyond until snowline, then return to Shin Gompa, start trekking 13h50 and arrive 16h00 at Deurali

Ibisbill breeds on the Langtang Khola stone flats near Kyanjin Gompa.     Hanuman Langur are common lower down.

-24th birding near Deurali, start trekking 9h30 and arrive Duncha at 12h30, walk below checkpoint 16h00-18h00 -25th 7h45 until 11h00 slowly to Thare with birding, start trekking Thare at 11h30, Kalikastan at 15h30 and arrive Betrawati at 17h25. -26th birding river at Betrawati, minibus to Kathmandu at 8h00 and arrive 11h45 (Nature Hotel, very good for 10 USD) -27th day trip to Nagarkot -28th 6h20 leave for Godaveri, start walking up Pulchowki 7h10 and arrive at summit 13h10 (6 hours with birding, ascending 1100 meters, some trekkers did it in 4,5 hours), back down at Godaveri at 17h00.  -29th all day birding at Godaveri -30th and 31st rest in Kathmandu -1st November flight to Bangkok

On the Phawo Khola bridge.                                       Impressive forests near Dursagang.

Trip list   Kalij Pheasant ; one near Thulu Syabru, several near Nagarkot and Pulchowki Yellow-rumped Honeyguide ; 1 male on bee-nests 200m up from Landslide lodge. Speckled Piculet ; near Landslide and 7 birds in a few hours at Godaveri Brown-fronted Woodpecker ; near Landslide, Deurali and Dunche Rufous-bellied Woodpecker ; male Ghoratabela and pair Danda Tea shops Crimson-breasted Woodpecker ; 1 near Pulchowki summit Darjeeling Woodpecker ; pair near Landslide Scaly-bellied Woodpecker ; fairly common Danda Tea shop – Shin Gompa – Deurali Great Barbet Golden-throated Barbet Blue-throated Barbet Common Hoopoe ; one Dunche Common Kingfisher White-throated Kingfisher Crested Kingfisher ; one from car near Trisuli Bazaar Chestnut-headed Bee-eater Asian Koel Rose-ringed Parakeet Himalayan Swiftlet ; not many, near Langtang and Thulu Syabru House Swift ; Kathmandu only Mountain Scops Owl ; 1 heard Deurali Collared Owlet ; heard only Rock Pigeon ; the real stuff at river near Bamboo Snow Pigeon ; big groups Langtang village, seen nowhere else Speckled Wood Pigeon ; 5 and 1 in flight Ghoratabela Oriental Turtle Dove Eurasian Woodcock ; several in forest at Shin Gompa Common Sandpiper Ibisbill ; 1 adult and 1 juvenile near the end of the stone flats beyond Kyanjin Gompa, where the flats become one single river again near Marku. = 1 hour walk from Kyanjin. Black Kite Lammergeier ; a pair seen several times near Kyanjin Himalayan Griffon ; 2 +1 seen near Kyanjin, 1 near Langtang Eurasian Griffon ; approx. 10 Trisuli river valley near Betrawati Black Eagle ; Thulo Syabru, Nagarkot, Pulchowki, Dunche Northern Goshawk Oriental Honey-Buzzard Common/Upland Buzzard ; a dark morph present 3 days at Shin Gompa Long-legged Buzzard ; one on descent to Betrawati Steppe Eagle ; 2 on descent to Betrawati, 1 Nagarkot Bonelli’s Eagle ; one enroute Dunche – Betrawati Booted Eagle ; one Nagarkot Mountain Hawk Eagle ; one near Lama Hotel, 1 above Thulu Syabru, Deurali Common Kestrel Peregrine Falcon ; one Dunche Little Egret Cattle Egret Indian Pond Heron Orange-bellied Leafbird Long-tailed Shrike Grey-backed Shrike Eurasian Jay Yellow-billed Blue Magpie ; common Dunche up to Ghoratabela Red-billed Blue Magpie ; Godaveri only Grey Treepie ; Dunche area and extremely common Godaveri-Pulchowki Red-billed Chough ; Langtang and Kyanjin Yellow-billed Chough ; Kyanjin House Crow Large-billed Crow Common Raven ; only seen twice, Langtang and Kyanjin Maroon Oriole ; Dunche Long-tailed Minivet Scarlet Minivet Yellow-bellied Fantail White-throated Fantail Black Drongo Ashy Drongo Brown Dipper ; 1 beyond Kyanjin, 1 Betrawati Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush ; Dunche, Deurali, Ghoratabela, … Blue Whistling Thrush White-collared Blackbird ; 1 male only on descent from Shin Gompa to Deurali at 2900m Grey-winged Blackbird ; 1 male only between Brabal and Thulu Syabru Dark-sided Flycatcher ; several seen Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher ; common, common, common Slaty-blue Flycatcher ; 2 males Ghoratabela, a female Deurali Verditer Flycatcher ; Dunche, Thulo Syabru Small Niltava ; 2 Dunche, 1 enroute Thulo Syabru Rufous-bellied Niltava ; few Bamboo lodge to Lama Hotel, Dunche Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Orange-flanked Bush Robin ; common Ghoratabela and Shin Gompa area Golden Bush Robin ; very common Ghoratabela and Shin Gompa, but only 3 nice males seen, 1 Shin Gompa, 1 Deurali and 1 Pulchowki summit Oriental Mapie Robin Black Redstart Hodgon’s Redstart ; few Bamboo lodge, Ghoratabela Blue-fronted Redstart ; common at higher altitudes White-capped Redstart Plumbeous Water Redstart White-tailed Robin ; Dunche Little Forktail ; at bridge up from Bamboo and Phalaku river at Betrawati Spotted Forktail ; fairly common Siberian Stonechat Pied Bushchat Grey Bushchat Common Myna Jungle Myna Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch ; 1 near Shin Gompa, few Langtang valley White-tailed Nuthatch ; common Wallcreeper ; one from Bamboo lodge and one near Langtang village Rusty-flanked Treecreeper ; Ghoratabela and Shin Gompa

View on Langtang Lirung from the Ibisbill spot.           Terraces near Dunche at the start of the trek.

Brown-throated Treecreeper ; Dunche Rufous-vented Tit ; Ghoratabela, forest opposite river at Kyanjin and Shin Gompa Coal Tit ; few near Lama Hotel Grey-crested Tit ; Danda Tea Shops and Shin Gompa area Great Tit ; Godaveri Green-backed Tit ; common Black-lored Tit ; near Landslide lodge and Pulchowki Yellow-browed Tit ; few near Dunche, Pulchowki Black-throated Tit ; common Dunche, Thulu Syabru to Bamboo, Godaveri Rufous-fronted Tit ; Ghoratabela and Shin Gompa Winter Wren ; Kyanjin and Shin Gompa (dark nipalensis) Red-rumped Swallow Asian House Martin ; few Langtang village Nepal House Martin ; common Dunche etc. Himalayan bulbul ; common Dunche, few Thulo Syabru, Nagarkot Red-vented Bulbul ; Kathmandu valley Mountain Bulbul ; near Landslide, Deurali and Pulchowki Black Bulbul ; common Striated Prinia ; Thulo Syabru Oriental White-eye Chestnut-headed Tesia ; 2 Langtang valley, Dunche, Pulchowki Slaty-bellied Tesia ; 2 near Bamboo lodge Aberrant Bush Warbler ; Shin Gompa and Pulchowki Grey-sided Bush Warbler ; common Ghoratabela, Shin Gompa Tickell’s Leaf Warbler ; Dunche, common Langtang valley and Shin Gompa area Buff-barred Warbler Ashy-throated Warbler Lemon (Pale)-rumped Warbler ; common Hume’s Warbler ; few Ghoratabela Yellow-browed Warbler Western Crowned Warbler ; only 1 near Landslide Blyth’s Leaf Warbler ; only few Thulu Syabru area Whistler’s Warbler ; common Grey-hooded warbler ; common Chestnut-crowned Warbler ; common Black-faced Warbler ; group at Landslide lodge and group near Pawo Khola bridge Goldcrest ; Shin Gompa only White-throated Laughingthrush ; Dunche, Langtang valley, Godaveri White-crested LT ; Godaveri Striated LT ; few Dunche, Deurali, Langtang View hotel Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush ; 3 in shrub Nagarkot Spotted LT ; 5 Ghoratabela and 2 near Danda Tea Shop Grey-sided LT ; 6-7 on lower slopes Pulchowki Streaked LT ; Dunche, Langtang valley, Deurali Variegated LT ; Dunche, Langtang valley, Shin Gompa area Black-faced LT ; 1 Ghoratabela Chestnut-crowned LT ; common Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler ; Godaveri Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler ; Dunche and Pulchowki Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler ; 1 near Landslide, on climb up towards Pawo Khola bridge Pygmy Wren Babbler ; white and fulvous morph Pulchowki

View over Kathmandu from the hotel roof top.                                       Scaly Thrush photographed at Godaveri.

Black-chinned Babbler ; near Landslide and Godaveri Grey-throated Babbler ; Godaveri Red-billed Leiothrix ; Dunche and Godaveri White-browed Shrike Babbler ; Deurali Hoary-throated Barwing ; near Deurali and Pulchowki Chestnut-tailed Minla ; common Rufous-winged Fulvetta ; Dunche White-browed Fulvetta ; Ghoratabela, Shin Gompa and Pulchowki Nepal Fulvetta ; Pulchowki and Godaveri Whiskered Yuhina ; Deurali and Pulchowki Stipe-throated Yuhina ; Ghoratabela and Pulchowki near summit Rufous-vented Yuhina ; Ghoratabela, Shin Gompa and Pulchowki near summit Rufous Sibia ; very common up to 2700m Black-throated Parrotbill ; group near Pawo Khola bridge Fire-breasted Flowerpecker ; few Dunche Mrs Gould’s Sunbird ; few Thulu Syabru Green-tailed Sunbird ; few Langtang valley, Deurali Fire-tailed Sunbird ; Deurali and Pulchowki House Sparrow Eurasian Tree Sparrow White Wagtail ; Betrawati White-browed Wagtail ; Betrawati Citrine Wagtail ; one in marshy area near wood opposite river from Kyanjin Grey Wagtail Olive-backed Pipit ; few Rosy Pipit ; only 1 above Shin Gompa Alpine Accentor ; one Kyanjin Rufous-breasted Accentor ; common near Langtang village, Ghoratabela, Shin Gompa, Deurali Yellow-breasted Greenfinch ; common Dunche, Thulo Syabru, enroute Betrawati Red Crossbill ; Danda Tea Shops Dark-breasted Rosefinch ; Ghoratabela and Shin Gompa Common Rosefinch ; Dunche Beautiful Rosefinch ; common around Langtang village Pink-browed Rosefinch ; male and female on descent from Shin Gompa to Deurali at 2900m,  females Ghoratabela Spot-winged Rosefinch ; group inclusive a few males above Deurali at 2900m White-browed Rosefinch ; 2-3 between Shin Gompa – Cholangpati Crimson-browed Finch ; one female near Danda Tea Shops Scarlet Finch ; one female near Landslide, on climb up towards Pawo Khola bridge Collared Grosbeak ; one group in forest between Shin Gompa and Danda Tea Shops White-winged Grosbeak ; few groups between Shin Gompa and Cholangpati Gold-naped Finch ; one female 150m up from Shin Gompa (to Cholangpati)

Stijn De Win / Birding2asia.com has published this information page on 5 September 2009.