Birdwatching Trip Report from Nepal (Koshi Tappu, Chitwan, Gorkha)

Introduction

This report is based on a two-week trip to the lowlands of Nepal (Terai) and Gorkha (1500 m). Apart from having a good time together, seeing the country life and birding, I aimed to see the river dolphin, gharial crocodile and the tiger. Except for the tiger, the trip was very successful and Nepal can be highly recommended. Friendly people, well organized and many things to see.

In the early winter, temperature at daytime were a comfortable 20 ^oC or more, no wind and no rain. Avoiding the excessive summer heat, snow and the monsoon means that you’ve to accept rather cold nights and evenings (we always went to bed before 21h) and an early morning fog until 9-11h in the Terai. We had no problems at all with mosquito’s (I used Paludrine, but stopped earlier) and tics. At this time of the year there are many migrants, so it’s a good time to visit. In the Terai the open grassland was not yet cut (which hampered observation a little) and in forested areas trees were not flowering yet. February/March seemed therefore to be better for specific species (e.g. cuckoos).

We used Helm Field Guide “Birds of Nepal” by Richard Grimmett, Carol Inskipp and Tim Inskipp and several internet reports.

ATM’s are available in all major towns. Due to regular electric power cuts credit cards were not always useful, but with some cash (euro’s, dollars, pounds), it’s no problem to get around. Except for beer, costs are generally low. One euro was about 110 Nepal rupees. A visa can easily be obtained on arrival at Kathmandu Airport. Two passport photos and downloading and completing the visa form before travel saves a lot of time. Apart from Koshi we made no prior reservations; in fact we saw only about 15 tourists until coming back to Kathmandu.

Itinerary

15 December

We stayed at Sobogaard ecological farm (500 Rp pp, breakfast 300 Rp, taxi from airport 700 Rp; http://www.soebogaardnepal.org & undhungana@yahoo.com). A nice and quiet place outside busy Kathmandu, but still within half an hour from the airport. Spotted Owlet in the garden.

16 – 18 December Koshi Tappu

The following 3 days were perfectly organized by http://www.birdingnepal.com (birdlife@mos.com.np). The flight to Biratnagar, transport to Koshi, 3 nights in comfortable tents, transport back to the main road and arranging the bus to Chitwan costed about 400 euro’s pp. This included the assistance of the excellent birding guide Badri Gaudhari – 18 years of experience in the area – and help of the rest of the friendly staff.

Two and a halve day birding resulted in more than 150 species. Apart from the river dolphin, highlights were Grey Francolin, Streak-throated Woodpecker, Brown Hawk Owl, Laggar Falcon, Black Bittern, Black-headed Cuckooshrike, Ashy Minivet, Siberian Rubythroat, Spot-winged Starling, Great Myna, Ruphous-vented prinia (ssp nepalensis) and many birds of prey and warblers. The highlight of the trip!

19-21 December Chitwan - Sauraha

A 7 h bus trip to Tadi Bazaar. Badri had arranged that we were picked up from the main road by staff from the Jungle Lagoon near Sauraha. The lodge is situated near the river 1.5 km from the town, therefore relatively quiet, and it has a beautiful garden. B&B for 2000 Rp per room (2 p and including transport from/to Tadi Bazaar). Sweet Memory in Sauraha must be mentioned for their real coffee (after all those poor Nescafe’s….) and great orange-soup!

Everybody offers the same trips. I went for a day walk into Chitwan (entrance 1500 Rp, 2 guides 3000 Rp) and we hired bikes for a day to visit the 20,000 Lakes area. Bird Guides are plentiful, but an interview may be needed to find a qualified person. An extra guide is no luxury with all the Rhino’s – we met four of which one within 10 meters. They are better to handle than wild elephants, that killed several locals and destroyed houses the day we arrived.

It’s (good!) policy to close lodges inside the park. So Tiger Tops was closed. Together with the day trip from Meghauli, it is possible to see different habitats inside the park and it’s much cheaper to stay outside the park. Highlights in the park were Falcated Duck, Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Smoky Warbler and Rufous-tailed Lark. In the 20,000 Lakes area we saw Greater Flameback, Greater Adjutant plus a few Mugger Crocodiles.

22-24 December Chitwan - Meghauli

A jeep brought us to Tadi Bazaar (7 km), a local bus to Narayanghat and another to Meghauli. Together less than 40 km, but it took 4 hours. We stayed in Chital Lodge (B&B 550 Rp pp), situated on a nice spot, very basic but therefore charming. Jib is a very friendly and helpful owner. I tried his tobacco under the upper-lip – makes you feel like a drunk elephant.

We walked in the community forest and did a day walk to the Tiger Tops area (1200 Rp+1500Rp entrance pp) with Jib. He knows the spots for specific birds, but you need to look for yourself for all extra’s. Apart from 3 rhino’s and gharial crocodiles, we saw Black Eagle, Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush and Grey-crowned Prinia. Again, we rented bikes and headed north-west to Pipara and followed the Narayani river in south-west direction. A perfect way to see birds and the country. Crested Treeswift and Brown Rock-chat. Tiger footprints everywhere, barking deers in the evening running for the tiger, but no tiger…

We found this place much better to explore Chitwan than the relatively touristic Sauraha.

25-28 December

We decided to take a taxi to Gorkha (4 h; 5000 Rp), this hilly area is a good addition to the lowland habitats. We stayed in the comfortable Gorkha Inn (B&B 2000 Rp per room; bishnurg@yahoo.com); with a great view from the terrace. We made two beautiful day walks (see below). Highlights were Cinereous Vulture, Whistler’s Warbler, White-crested Laughingthrush and Slaty-backed Forktail. More common species were not all noted, so the species list may not be complete. A 5 hours bus trip (350 Rp pp) brought us back to Kathmandu.

Walk 1. From Gorkha Inn go west. Either by passing the bus station and continue along the road or by taking the unpaved road just below the terrace of the hotel. After half an hour following (or just below) the ridge, you will pass a temple/playground on your left. Shortly after that, take a steep path right (north) until you reach a dirt road. Go right and keep height (in north-eastern direction) for about 8-10 km. You’ll pass Gorkha on the opposite of the hill and you have great views to the Annapurna’s. The path goes through farmland with small communities and patches of wet, broadleaved forest where many birds can be found. With birding it took us 4-5 h to reach the town Bhogteni. There is a restaurant near the school (ask locals for ‘school’ if you get lost), which can be seen from far by a red/white iron tower. From here you can walk back to Gorkha in 1.5 hour and even wait for a bus (probably twice a day…). We walked back, and took a signposted trail to the left to the Gorkha Durbar temples and took the 1500 footsteps back to the town. The forest east from the temple is worth a visit too, but may be a little too much in one day.’

Walk 2. Follow walk 1 until the temple/playground, but don’t go right but descent in more or less the same (west) direction. After reaching the river (about 2 h from Gorkha) go left. We lunched in the river-town Hartigauda and followed the river for a couple of kilometers (south-west). The river broadens with beautiful rice-fields. We went left (east) and climbed up the hill until we reached the road, were one of the many buses brought us back up to Gorkha.

Species List (1 = 1, 2 = 2-5, 3 = 6-50, 4 = >50), in total 238 species

			Koshi Tappu	Chitwan Sauraha	Chitwan Meghauli	Gorkha
Black Francolin	francolinus	francolinus			1	1
Swamp Francolin	francolinus	gularis	2
Grey Francolin	francolinus	pondicerianus	1
Red Junglefowl	gallus	gallus		2	2
Common Peafowl	pavo	cristatus		2
Lesser Whistling Duck	dendrocygna	javanica	3
Ruddy Shelduck	tadorna	ferruginea	4	3	3
European Wigeon	anas	penelope	2
Gadwall	anas	strepera	2
Common Teal	anas	crecca		2
Mallard	anas	platyrhynchos	2	2
Falcated Duck	anas	falcata		1
Ferruginous Pochard	aythya	nyroca		2
Common Merganser	mergus	merganser	2	2	2
Eurasian Wryneck	jynx	torquilla	1
Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker	dendrocopos	nanus	1
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker	dendrocopos	canicapillus		2	2
Fulvous Breasted Woodpecker	picoides	macei	2	1	2	1
Lesser Yellownape	picus	chlorolophus			1
Greater Yellownape	picus	flavinucha		1		1
Streak-throated Woodpecker	picus	xanthopygaeus	1
Black Rumped Flameback	dinopium	benghalense	1		1
Greater Flameback	chrysocolaptes	lucidus		1
Great Barbet	megalaima	virens				1
Lineated Barbet	megalaima	lineata		1	1
Blue-throated Barbet	megalaima	asiatica	2		1	1
Oriental Pied Hornbill	anthracoceros	albirostris		2
Green Bee-eater	merops	orientalis	2	2	2
Blue-bearded Bee-eater	nyctyornis	athertoni		2
Indian Roller	coracias	benghalensis	2		2	3
Hoopoe	upupa	epops	1		1
Common Kingfisher	alcedo	atthis	1	1	1
Stork-billed Kingfisher	pelargopsis	capensis	1
White-throated Kingfisher	halcyon	smyrnensis	2	2	2
Pied Kingfisher	ceryle	rudis	2		2
Common Koel	eudynamys	scolopacea	1
Greater Coucal	centropus	sinensis	1
Lesser Coucal	centropus	bengalensis	2	1	2
Alexandrine Parakeet	psittacula	eupatria		1	1
Rose-ringed Parakeet	psittacula	krameri	2		2
Plum-headed Parakeet	psittacula	cyanocephala	4	2	4
Himalayan Swiftlet	collocalia	brevirostris	3			3
White-rumped Needletail	zoonavena	sylvatica	3
Asian Palm Swift	cypsiurus	balasiensis	2
Crested Treeswift	hemiprocne	coronata			3
Short-eared Owl	asio	flammeus	1
Brown Fish Owl	ketupa	zeylonensis	2
Brown Hawk Owl	ninox	scutulata	1
Spotted Owlet	athene	brama	2
Jungle Owlet	glaucidium	radiatum	2
Rock Dove	columba	livia	2			2
Eurasian Collared Dove	streptopelia	decaocto	3
Red Collared Dove	streptopelia	tranquebarica	2	1	2
Spotted Dove	streptopelia	chinensis	3	3	3	3
Emerald Dove	chalcophaps	indica		2	1
Yellow Footed Green Pigeon	treron	phoenicoptera	3
Orange-breasted Green Pigeon	treron	bicincta	2
White-breasted Waterhen	amaurornis	phoenicurus	3	2
Common Moorhen	gallinula	chloropus	3	2
Purple Swamphen	porphyrio	porphyrio	2	2
Common Snipe	gallinago	gallinago	1	1
Common Greenshank	tringa	nebularia	2	2	2
Common Redshank	tringa	totanus		1
Green Sandpiper	tringa	ochropus			1
Common Sandpiper	actitis	hypoleucus	2	1	2
Temminck's Stint	calidris	temminckii		2	2
Bronze-winged Jacana	metopidius	indicus	3	2
River Lapwing	vanellus	duvaucelii	2		1
Red Wattled Lapwing	vanellus	indicus	2	1
Little Ringed Plover	charadrius	dubius	3	2	2
Pallas’s Gull	larus	ichthyaetus			2
Black-bellied Tern	sterna	melanogaster	1
Osprey	pandion	haliaetus	2		1
Black-shouldered Kite	elanus	caeruleus	2		1
Black Kite	milvus	migrans	1		1	3
White-rumped Vulture	gyps	bengalensis	3
Himalayan Griffon	gyps	himalayensis	3	1
Eurasian Griffon	gyps	fulvus	1
Cinereous Vulture	aegypius	monachus				2
Short-toed Snake Eagle	circaetus	gallicus	3	3	1
Crested Serpent Eagle	spilornis	cheela	2	1
Black Eagle	ictinaetus	malayensis			1
Eurasian Marsh Harrier	circus	aeruginosus	1
Hen Harrier	circus	cyaneus	1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	accipiter	nisus		1	1
Oriental Honey-buzzard	pernis	ptilorhynchus	2	1	1
White-eyed Buzzard	butastur	teesa	1
Common Buzzard	buteo	buteo				2
Long Legged Buzzard	buteo	rufinus				1
Greater Spotted Eagle	aquila	clanga	2	1
Indian Spotted Eagle	aquila	hastata				1
Tawny Eagle	aquila	rapax	2
Steppe Eagle	aquila	nipalensis	2
Imperial Eagle	aquila	heliaca	1
Booted Eagle	hieraaetus	pennatus	2
Mountain Hawk Eagle	spizaetus	nipalensis			1
Collared Falconet	microhierax	caerulescens			1
Common Kestrel	falco	tinnunculus	3	1	1
Little Kestrel	falco	naumanni	4
Red-necked Falcon	falco	chicquera	2
Laggar Falcon	falco	jugger	1
Peregrine	falco	peregrinus	2		1
Little Grebe	tachybaptus	ruficollis	2
Great Crested Grebe	podiceps	cristatus	2	1
Great Cormorant	phalacrocorax	carbo	3	2	2
Little Cormorant	phalacrocorax	niger	3	2
Darter	anhinga	melanogaster	1	1	1
Little Egret	egretta	garzetta	3	2	2	2
Intermediate Egret	egretta	intermedia	1		1
Great Egret	ardea	modesta	2	2	1
Cattle Egret	bubulcus	ibis	3	3	2	2
Grey Heron	ardea	cinera	2		1
Indian Pond Heron	ardeola	grayii	3	3	3	2
Little Heron	butorides	striatus			2
Cinnamon Bittern	ixobrychus	cinnamomeus	1
Black Bittern	ixobrychus	flavicollis	1
Black-headed Ibis	threskiornis	melanocephala	2	2	2
Black Ibis	pseudibis	papillosa	2	1
Asian Openbill	anastomus	oscitans	2	2	2
Black Stork	ciconia	nigra	1	1
Woolly-necked Stork	ciconia	episcopus		2
Lesser Adjutant	leptopilos	javanicus	1	2
Greater Adjutant	leptopilos	dubius		2
Brown Shrike	lanius	cristatus	1		1
Long-tailed Shrike	lanius	schach	3	2	2	2
Grey-backed Shrike	lanius	tephronotus	1	2	2	2
Red-billed Blue Magpie	urocissa	erythroryncha				2
Common Green Magpie	cissa	chinensis			1	1
Rufous Treepie	dendrocitta	vagabunda	3	2	2
Grey Treepie	dendrocitta	formosae		1	2	1
House Crow	corvus	splendens	3	3	3	3
Large-billed Crow	corvus	macrorhynchos	3	3	3	2
Ashy Woodswallow	artamus	fuscus	3
Black-hooded Oriole	oriolus	xanthornus	2	2	2
Large Cuckooshrike	coracina	macei	2
Black-winged Cuckooshrike	coracina	melaschistos	2
Black-headed Cuckooshrike	coracina	melanoptera	1
Scarlet Minivet	pericrocotus	flammeus	2		1
Ashy Minivet	pericrocotus	divaricatus	2
White-throated Fantail	rhipidura	albicollis	1		1
Black Drongo	dicrurus	macrocercus	3	3	3	2
Ashy Drongo	dicrurus	leucophaeus	2			2
White-bellied Drongo	dicrurus	caerulescens	2
Bronzed Drongo	dicrurus	aeneus	2	1	2
Spangled Drongo	dicrurus	hottentottus	1
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo	dicrurus	paradiseus	1	1
Common Iora	aegithina	tiphia			1
Common Woodshrike	tephrodornis	pondicerianus		2
Large Woodshrike	tephrodornis	gularis		2	2
Blue Whistling Thrush	myophonus	caeruleus				2
Pale-chinned Flycatcher	cyornis	poliogenys	2	1	2
Red-throated Flycatcher	ficedula	parva	2	2	1
Verditer Flycatcher	eumyias	thalassinus	2	1	1
Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher	culicicapa	ceylonensis	3	1	2	2
Siberian Rubythroat	luscinia	calliope	1
Orange-flanked Bush Robin	luscinia	cyanura				1
Bluethroat	luscinia	svecica	1
Oriental Magpie Robin	copsychus	saularis	2	2	2	1
White-rumped Shama	copsychus	malabaricus			1
White-capped Water Redstart	chaimarrornis	eucocephalus				1
Plumbeous Water Redstart	rhyacornis	fuliginosus				2
Black-backed Forktail	enicurus	immaculatus			1
Slaty-backed Forktail	enicurus	schistaceus				1
Black Redstart	phoenicurius	ochruros	1
Common Stonechat	saxicola	rubicola	3	2	2	1
White-tailed Stonechat	saxicola	leucura	3	2	2
Pied Bushchat	saxicola	caprata		1	2	3
Grey Bushchat	saxicola	ferreus				1
Brown Rock-chat	cercomela	fusca			1
Spot-winged Starling	saroglossa	spiloptera	2
Chestnut-tailed Starling	sturnus	malabaricus	3			3
Brahminity Starling	sturnus	pagodarum
Asian Pied Starling	sturnus	contra	3	2	2
Common Myna	acridotheres	tristis	4	3	3	3
Great Myna	acridotheres	grandis	2
Jungle Myna	acridotheres	fuscus	3	2	2
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch	sitta	castanea		3	1
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch	sitta	frontalis		1
Great Tit	parus	major	2		2	2
Black-lored Tit	parus	xanthogenys				2
Plain Martin	riparia	paludicola	3	3	3	3
Barn Swallow	hirundo	rustica	2	2	2
Red-rumped Swallow	hirundo	daurica	2		2	2
Red-whiskered Bulbul	pycnonotus	jocosus	2
Red-vented Bulbul	pycnonotus	cafer	4	4	3	2
Himalayan Bulbul	pycnonotus	leucogenys			2	3
Black-crested Bulbul	pycnonotus	melanicterus		2
Ashy Prinia	prinia	socialis			1
Grey-breasted Prinia	prinia	hodgsonii			1
Grey-crowned Prinia	prinia	cinereocapilla			1
Yellow-bellied Prinia	Prinia	flaviventris	1
Graceful Prinia	prinia	gracilis	3
Plain Prinia	prinia	inornata	3		2
Ruphous-vented prinia	prinia	burnesii nipalensis	2
Bright-headed Cisticola	cisticola	exilis	1
Zitting Cisticola	cisticola	juncidis			1
Oriental White-eye	zosterops	palpebrosus	2		2
Common Tailorbird	orthotomus	sutorius	3	2	2
Thick-billed Warbler	acrocephalus	aedon	1
Clamorous Reed Warbler	acrocephalus	stetoreus	1
Striated Grassbird	megalurus	palustris	1
Dusky Warbler	phylloscopus	fuscatus	2
Smoky warbler	phylloscopus	fuligiventer		1
Chiffchaff	phylloscopus	collybita			2
Tickell's Leaf Warbler	phylloscopus	affinis	3
Yellow-browed Warbler	phylloscopus	inornatus		1
Hume’s Warbler	phylloscopus	humei	2
Greenish Warbler	phylloscopus	trochiloides	3	2	2
Blyth's Leaf Warbler	phylloscopus	reguloides	1
Yellow-vented Warbler	phylloscopus	cantator	1
Whistler’s Warbler	seicercus	whistleri				1
Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush	garrulax	monileger			3
White-crested Laughingthrush	garrulax	leucolophus				3
White-browed Scimitar Babbler	pomatorhinus	schisticeps			2
Puff-throated Babbler	pellorneum	ruficeps			2	1
Striated Babbler	turdoides	earlei	2
Jungle Babbler	turdoides	striatus	3		2
Chestnut-capped Babbler	timalia	pileata		2
Striped Tit Babbler	macronous	gularis		2	1
Rufous-tailed Lark	ammomanes	phoenicurus			1
Sand Lark	calandrella	raytal	3
Oriental Skylark	alauda	gulgula	2
Crimson Sunbird	aethopyga	siparaja		1	1
House Sparrow	passer	domesticus		2	3	3
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	passer	montanus				2
Citrine Wagtail	motacilla	citreola	1	2	2
Yellow Wagtail	motacilla	flava		1	1
White Wagtail	motacilla	alba	2	2	2
White-browed Wagtail	motacilla	maderaspatensis		2	1
Tree Pipit	anthus	trivalis			2
Tawny Pipit	anthus	campestris			2
Olive-backed Pipit	anthus	hodgsoni	2		2
Rosy Pipit	anthus	roseatus		2
Paddyfield Pipit	anthus	rufulus	2
Baya Weaver	ploceus	philippinus		3
Black-breasted Weaver	ploceus	benghalensis		2
Scaly-breasted Munia	lonchura	punctulata	2
Common Rosefinch	carpodacus	erythrinus	2

Mammals
Rhesus Macaque	macaca	mulatta	2	3	2
Hanuman/Gray Langur	semnopithecus	schistaceus		2	2
Golden Jackal	canis	lupus	1		2
Indian Grey Mongoose	herpestes	edwardsii	1	1		1
Smooth Coated Otter	lutrogale	perspicillata	1
Wild Water Buffalo	bubalus	bubalis	3
Indian Rhinoceros	rhinoceros	unicornis		2	2
Ganges / Indian River Dolphin	platanista	gangetica	3
Spotted Deer / Chital	axis	axis	2	2	3
Hog Deer	hyelaphus	porcinus	2	1	2
Swamp Deer	rucervus	duvauceli		1
Wild boar	sus	scrofa		3	2

Reptiles
Marsh Mugger	crocodylus	palustris		2
Gharial	gavialis	gangeticus
Kashmir Rock Agama	laudakia	tuberculata	1

More info: diedvdm@planet.nl

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