Sella Pass at 13,700 feet
7th December. Sella Pass at 13,700 feet
Out at 4am into the bitter cold dark and our two vehicles began the long climb towards Sella Pass. We hadn’t gone far when the 2nd vehicle developed engine trouble, and we had to abandon it on the roadside, leaving poor Rofic and the driver to resolve the problem while we carried on in one – much warmer that way though! It soon began to snow and with the low cloud it looked like the birding was going to be pretty grim but we pushed on regardless and as the snow stopped falling, birds appeared. And not just any birds but the incredible spectacle of a flock of 12 Blood Pheasants pushing their way through the snow drifts, providing us with breathtaking views – even Peter in all his many visits to this area had never seen so many of these gorgeous birds together before. These were quickly followed by a gang of Snow Partridges showing equally well. As we reached the summit at 13,700 feet, the clouds parted and the sun broke through revealing a cobalt blue sky. We could see for miles, almost to the Chinese border, in the crystal-clear mountain air. The rest of the day was spent birding this high altitude pass where we enjoyed such wonderful birds as a large flock of Grandalas, Snow Pigeon, White-winged Redstart and Himalayan Monal.
Bird species total: 4183
The Biggest Twitch website will remain online in 2009 to keep you up to date with our birding adventures and let you know how we settle back into normal life, if we do!! We will also share more of our adventures and lots of photos from The Biggest Twitch.