Tiger Camp to Riverine Woods
15th November. The morning was spent birding upstream along the Kosi River from Tiger Camp. Peter and local guide Hari Lama just kept finding amazing birds throughout. The weather was perfect, cobalt blue sky; calm and lovely warm sunshine giving us every opportunity to enjoy the birds and scenery. A feeding flock just yards from the camp entrance had us transfixed for ages as new birds moved through the forest edge. A Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch was immediately followed by a Grey-headed Warbler so close you could barely focus your bins! Peter was very excited to see a Slaty-blue Flycatcher – not easy here – but was soon abandoned as a Black-lored Tit popped up. So it went on bird after bird!
We eventually reached the river, a whole half mile away, and again we were treated to some very special birds. A White-tailed Rubythroat played hide and seek in a hedge but eventually surrendered and gave amazing views. Amongst the shingle beds by the fast flowing river we found River Lapwings feeding alongside Rosy Pipits. Suddenly Ruth was shouting and pointing – Ibisbill!! Where? We three were in total panic as we tried to follow the directions on a huge featureless plain of gravel. Then yes we all saw it an Ibisbill stood quietly preening amongst the rocks, what a mega bird! We slowly moved forward and enjoyed stunning views of this weird wader with its long decurved red bill. As we watched we realised a second bird was standing nearby, amazing, none had been seen in the area for sometime and we did not expect to see them here.
Further upstream we searched an area of river side forest and we were rewarded with the most wonderful views of a pair of roosting Tawny-fish Owls, huge birds sat out on a branch in full view. More was to come with a Brown-fish Owl also roosting in the same woodland, what a place! We then turned back to the river and watched a Brown Dipper feeding amongst the rapids as Plumbeous Redstarts skipped from rock to rock.In the afternoon we set off for Riverine Camp, a fishing lodge in a remote valley where we hiked in just taking overnight bags. The scenery was wonderful though we were gutted to discover that a Tiger had been seen from the trail just 90 minutes before we walked it. A huge Pallas’s Fish Eagle soaring overhead helped ease the pain. We birded the riverside scrub and forest around the lodge until dark picking up a good mix of new birds. A tiny Chestnut-headed Tesia hopped around under bushes, a Mountain Hawk Eagle crossed the valley as Crested Tree-swifts swept overhead.
34 new birds added
Bird species total 3976