Beautiful Sibia from Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, North East India

The birding experience at Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is phenomenal and to add to the charm is the backdrop of the snow capped Eastern Himalayan peaks.  It was during this amazing birding expedition that I got to see the Beautiful Sibia that calls the tropical moist and montane forests its home.

 
This bird is quite a poser and rather brave. In fact, it refused to fly away in spite of me going tantalizingly close to it. And that way I could get a close look at its shiny grey coat of feathers and its thick black lines. Making it a very beautiful fauna species. Below are some pictures that I captured of this beautiful bird.

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Sunrise over the Eastern Himalayas of Arunachal Pradesh

This was possibly one of my best wake-up moments ever. Here is the situation to help you visualize the setting.


I am sleeping inside a canvas tent at Lama birding camp in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary borders the country of Bhutan and falls within the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.


I am sleeping in a East-West position with my toes pointed towards East. Me and my friends had dozed off by 8 pm as it was very nippy and there was a constant drizzle. And when I got up at 4:45 in the morning (sun rises early in India’s North East region) to the chirping of birds, I got treated to the best sunrise of my life.


The first golden rays of the sun was falling on the snow covered peaks of the Eastern Himalayas and it seemed like sunlight could never be more beautiful. All I could do was madly stare and admire the splendid sight of the Eastern Himalayan range (green and snow covered) get drenched in the first rays of the sun.

 
Somehow, in the middle of this unfazed admiration, I found the sense to grab my camera and capture these pristine moments to be shared with the world over. Hope you like it!

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Birds of Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, North East India

Last month, I was at Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary to do some birding and boy, it was a fantastic birding experience. Though, I have to inform you that it was tough going for me as these birds were small and hence either super elusive or very restless.

White tailed Nuthatch

They were hardly stationary and kept themselves busy in undergrowth or in dense thicket. It took me three full days, close to forty (40) kilometres of trek, a couple of jeep safaris, a sore neck (as I kept looking up), biceps in pain (as I was holding my 3 kilogram camera + lens without a tripod) to come up with..if I may, a super rich haul.


Stripe Throated Yuhina

I covered quite a few birding routes from the Lama birding camp. These included: Sundar View (Alpine and Montane Forests), Chakku (Tropical Montane Forests), Bhampu (Bamboo Forests) and a couple of routes that went both uphill and downhill from Lama birding camp.

Golden Bush Robin (Female)

And to see these birds in action, I covered a variety of altitudes varying from 6,000 feet above MSL to about 10,000 feet above MSL. And braved bitter cold temperatures. You can imagine my plight holding my camera steady at close to freezing weather and tracking the bird through my view finder. Next time, I will remember to carry a good pair of camera gloves.

Rufus Vented Yuhina

But, as we all say, all’s well that end’s well. Here is a detailed birding report of my three days at Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.
 
Chestnut Tailed Milna

My rich catch of birds include (though not in any order): Whiskered Yuhina, Striated Laughing thrush, Fire-chested flowerpecker, Chestnut headed Tesia, Black Bulbul, Rufus winged Fulvetta, Verditer Flycatcher, Black throated Tit, Mrs Gould’s Sunbird, Stripe Throated Yuhina, Chestnut Crowned Laughing Thrush, White throated Laughing thrush, Black faced Warbler, Ashy throated Warbler, Lemon rumped Warbler, Green backed Tit, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Rufus Gorgetted Flycatcher, White throated fantail, Slender Bill (only calling), Striated Bulbul, Chestnut Tailed Milna, Green Tailed Sunbird, Rusty Fronted Barwing, Beautiful Sibia, Streak breasted Scimitar Babbler, Yellow Cheeked Tit, Rufus vented Yuhina, Ferrigunous Flycatcher, Hill Partridge, Khalid Pheasant (Female), White Capped Water Redstart, Ashy throated Warbler, Yellow Throated Fulvetta, Orange Bellied Leafbird (calling), Rufus necked Hornbill (calling), Great Barbet, Yellow billed Blue Magpie (calling), Grey Striated Laughing Thrush (calling), Yellow Browed Tit, Paddyfield Pipit, Common Ketrel, Bay Woodpecker (calling), Rufu capped Babbler, White tailed Nuthatch and Golden Bush Robin (Female).

Beautiful Sibia

Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is situated on the Western border of Arunachal Pradesh. It has Bhutan to its West and the town of Tenga to its East. It is located in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Lama birding camp is the only place to offer any sort of accommodation in the near-abouts.

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Lama Birding Camp: The den for birdwatching in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is one that is not well known among the tourist circle. Named after the Indian army post ‘Eaglenest’ bordering Bhutan, it is situated on the western end of Arunachal Pradesh in North East India.

Covering a wide range in altitude, this wildlife sanctuary bordering the famous Pakhui Tiger Reserve is famous for its bird life. It is home to a lot of small birds that include the family of yuhina, laughing thrush, flowerpecker, tesia, fulvetta, flycatcher, nuthatch, sibia, slender bill, warbler, tit, sunbird, milna, babbler, hill partridge, khalid pheasant, Satyr Tragopan, bush robin and others. In fact, some of the species can be hardly found any where else. Many birders come here in search of the ‘Beautiful Nuthatch’. The Bugun Lev Chikla is a bird that was christened here.

One can access the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary from the town of Tenga that is situated on the route to Tawang in the Western Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. A steep 22 kilometre dirt track takes one to the Lama Birding Camp that is the only accommodation currently available in this wildlife sanctuary. The Sessa Orchid sanctuary is to the south west of Eaglenest.

The Lama birding camp offers simple tented accommodation that is set up on wooden stilts. The facilities here are pretty basic with no electricity, a common dining hill and common washrooms. Though this place lacks in facilities, it makes up in sheer natural beauty. One can catch stunning views of the snow capped peaks of the Eastern Himalayas by just looking out from their respective tents. Even better when you can wake up to the melodious songs of the laughing thrushes.

The Lama Birding Camp equipped with very knowledgeable birding guides will take you to all kinds of terrain depending on the birding of your interest. Terrain varies from thick bamboo thickets to high altitude alpine forests. Commute varies from hiring a jeep to your own pair of reliable legs to go deeper into the forests. The best part about this place is its remoteness and hence offers you an experience that cannot be felt elsewhere.

The best way to explore this wildlife sanctuary would be to stay at the Lama Birding Camp for at least for three days, though a week is the best way to do some quality birdwatching. That way, you get to cover all the various spots within this wildlife sanctuary. And if you get lucky, you will spot some of the mammals like elephant, leopard and red panda that are  known to inhabit these jungles.

This place is run by Mr. Indi Glow (locally known as Indi Babu), an ex-forest department employee who himself is a very passionate naturalist and is evergreen in lending a helpful hand to the tourists. I was at the Lama birding camp last month and was very happy with my experience there. Khandu Tamang was my birding guide there and I found him to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

If you are interested in visiting Eaglenest Wildlife sanctuary and wish to stay at Lama Birding Camp, you can reach out to Mr. Indi Glow at +91-94362 51508 or phuarung@gmail.com.

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