ASSAM & THE NORTHEAST FRONTIER

Transcription

1 1 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Assam & The Northeast Frontier ASSAM & THE NORTHEAST FRONTIER Main Tour Duration: 16 days Kaziranga & Shillong Extension: 7 days Group Size Limit: 9 Tour Category: Easy at times, but mostly Moderate (and one optional fairly Demanding hike) Most of us have a fantasy birding destination. Somewhere remote and largely off-limits to foreign travellers, where the beautiful surroundings are home to rare endemics and regional specialities. Tucked-away in the northeast corner of the Indian subcontinent, is one such place, encompassing the little-visited and culturally varied states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya. Dominating this remote area, the mighty Brahmaputra River sweeps down from southeast Tibet and through the fertile Assam plains before bending south around the hills of Meghalaya towards the Bay of Bengal in Bangladesh. Only recently has the Indian government allowed access to certain parts of this remote area. Arunachal Pradesh and Assam comprise one of the most biologically diverse parts of Asia, where a meeting place of Himalayan and Indo-Malayan species forms Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush (Nik Borrow) an extremely rich and varied avifauna. This special tour is a must for anyone with a keen interest in eastern Himalayan birds and is the only Birdquest which takes in the endemics of the Assam Plains Endemic Bird Area. Very much a journey for those more adventurous birders who want to reap the rich avian rewards of this remotest corner of India, and also enjoy seeing some great mammals as a bonus. During the first part of the tour we will visit the huge Namdapha National Park bordering northern Myanmar (Burma), one of India s largest protected areas. Still largely unexplored, the superb evergreen forests and river systems within the park are home to such sought-after specialties as White-bellied Heron, White-winged Duck, Pied Falconet, White-cheeked Partridge, Ibisbill, Hodgson s Frogmouth, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Blue-naped Pitta, Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Snowythroated Babbler, Whitenaped Yuhina, Beautiful Sibia, Green Cochoa, Beautiful Nuthatch and Collared Treepie. Further west, in the plains of Assam, we will explore Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and the Digboi oilfields. Wedged between the Brahmaputra and Dibru Rivers, Dibru-Saikhowa is a newly created park which holds some of the last remnants of a once extensive grassland and seasonallywet-forest mosaic. Here we will search for such rare endemics as Swamp Prinia, Marsh Babbler and the feisty Black-breasted Parrotbill, as well as some other rare and threatened species, including Jerdon s Babbler and Smoky Warbler. The much-logged forests at Digboi are an excellent place for Chestnutbacked Laughingthrush and Collared Treepie. From Dibru Saikhowa we will travel northeast and, by way of a small ferry across the vast Brahmaputra River, make our way back into Arunachal Pradesh, this time to the remote and little explored Mishmi Hills, which rise steeply above the small town of Roing to an elevation of about 3000m above the Mayodia Pass. This superb place, which very much rivals the famed Eaglenest region in terms of its huge range of eastern Himalayan specialities, is the new frontier of Himalayan birding. Amazingly, we are likely to be the only birders along the 90km forest-flanked paved road that stretches from Roing to Hunli. Although our main target here will be the endemic Mishmi (or Rusty-throated) Wren- Babbler, which was only rediscovered in December 2004, after having not been definitely recorded since its discovery in 1947, there will be many more exciting species to look for, including Blyth s Tragopan, Sclater s Monal, Ward s Trogon, Rustybellied Shortwing, Slenderbilled Scimitar-Babbler, Long-billed and Bar-winged Wren-Babblers, Cachar Wedge-billed Babbler, Firetailed Myzornis and Beautiful Nuthatch. During the optional extension we will first explore the magnificent Kaziranga National Park. This famous park needs little introduction, what with its world-famous populations of Indian Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer and wild Water Buffalo, as well as Indian Elephants. The extensive wetlands and grasslands of Kaziranga also provide vital habitat for such rarities as Greater Adjutant, Swamp Francolin, Bengal Florican, Slenderbilled Babbler, and Bristled Grassbird. Leaving the plains behind, we will ascend to 1500m at the old hill-station of Shillong in Meghalaya. The

2 2 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Assam & The Northeast Frontier uplands around Shillong are sometimes referred to as the Scotland of the east and the wonderful mixed evergreen and pine forests which clothe the ridge above the town harbour a good range of interesting montane species and, along with the magnificent wooded cliffs and waterfalls of the Cherrapunjee escarpment, are home to three particular specialities, Dark-rumped Swift, Tawnybreasted Wren Babbler and the near-endemic Assam Laughingthrush, as well as other good birds such as Grey Sibia, Rusty-capped Fulvetta and Brown Bush Warbler. Birdquest has operated tours to northeast India since Itinerary Day 1 The tour begins in the early afternoon in Dibrugarh in extreme northeast Assam. From here we will drive across the border into Arunachal Pradesh and proceed to Namdapha National Park for a seven nights stay. Our first two nights and our last night will be spent at the simple but wonderfully-situated Deban resthouse, with the other four nights under canvas as we explore the park. Days 2-7 Namdapha National Park is a most remarkable place. Almost 2000 square kilometres (about 770 square miles) in extent, this immense sanctuary is the only protected area on earth that has an altitudinal variation from only 200m (656ft) above sea-level to over 4500m (14,765ft)! Habitats range from virgin lowland broadleaved evergreen forest to hill evergreen forest, temperate mixed forest, alpine meadows, rhododendron scrub and rocky, snow-covered mountain tops. It is this remarkable diversity, together with the park s strategic position in the far eastern Himalayas, adjacent to northern Myanmar and not far from the hills of Nagaland, that accounts for the richness of its avifauna, amounting to perhaps 300 species or more. The virtual lack of roads or even trails in most of the park means that the higher altitude habitats are effectively out of reach, but in any event many montane species occur at remarkably low altitudes in this area. During our stay at Namdapha we will trek to Hornbill Camp and back via Haldibari. The pace will be fairly easy going, and our luggage will be carried for us by local porters. Our accommodation will be in tents erected for us by our local outfitters and we will dine under the stars. On clear days, the view from our base at Deban (at about 305m or 1001ft) is stunning. Continuous forest stretches into the distance over the rolling hills, forming a vast haven for Eastern Himalayan bird specialities, and the fastflowing Noa Dihing River sweeps down through this landscape before opening into a broad stony riverbed. Along the river we will search for wintering Ibisbills, for Long-billed Plovers and especially for the little known White-bellied Heron, which is regularly seen here, but is very erratic in occurrence. We should also find Great Cormorant, Goosander (or Common Merganser), River Lapwing, Green and Common Sandpipers, Pallas s Gull, Crested and Common Kingfishers, jaunty Brown Dippers, Blue Whistling Thrush and smart Whitecapped River-Chats and Plumbeous Water-Redstarts, while Little, Slaty-backed and Spotted Forktails are all possible. Overhead, we will keep a lookout for raptors such as Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Rufousbellied and Mountain Hawk-Eagles, and also for Himalayan Swiftlet, the skinny Asian Palm-Swift, Silver-backed Needletail, and Nepal House Martin. Entering the forest, the bird possibilities dramatically increase. There is only one main trail and we are unlikely to encounter any other humans! To begin with the forest is fairly light, with clearings and patches of bamboo, as far as our first camp at Haldibari (situated at about 475m or 1558ft), some five kilometres from Deban. The forest becomes more primary, with taller trees, during the six kilometres walk from Haldibari to our second camp at Hornbill (at about 610m or 2001ft). Hornbill has a wonderful and very remote feel, being just a small clearing by a stream amidst a huge expanse of primary forest. We will spend three nights here, exploring low forested ridges and an excellent area of bamboo beyond our camp (reaching a maximum of about 910m or 2986ft elevation). Some of the more colourful and attractive species that we should encounter include Red-headed Trogon, Silverbreasted and Long-tailed Broadbills, the dazzling Asian Fairy-Bluebird, Bluewinged, Gold-fronted and Orange-bellied Leafbirds, dashing Scarlet Minivets, Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Sultan Tit, Maroon Oriole and the pea-green Common Green Magpie. Feeding in the treetops will be Ashyheaded and Pin-tailed Green-Pigeons (the former split from Pompadour), Mountain Imperial-Pigeon, cackling Blue-bearded Beeeaters, Great, Blue-throated and Blue-eared Barbets, magnificent Great, Wreathed and Rufous-necked Hornbills, the rarer White-throated Brown (or Rusty-cheeked) Hornbill (split from Brown), Ashy and Himalayan Black Bulbuls, Ashy and Bronzed Drongos, Common Hill-Myna and the restless Streaked Spiderhunter. A good variety of woodpeckers occur here and we should find Greycapped Pygmy, Rufous, Greyheaded, Bay and Great Slaty Woodpeckers, Speckled and White-browed Piculets, Lesser and Greater Yellownapes, and Greater Flameback. As usual, mixed-species feeding flocks form an important component of the forest avifauna and often include such species as Greychinned Minivet, Large and Black-winged Cuckooshrikes, Large Woodshrike, Barwinged Flycatcher-Shrike, Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo, Yellow-bellied and Whitethroated Fantails, Golden and Grey-throated Babblers, Silver-eared Mesia, Whitebrowed and Black-eared Shrike-Babblers, Rustyfronted Barwing, Blue-winged and Red-tailed Minlas, Nepal Fulvetta, Rufous-backed and Long-tailed Sibias, Striated, Black-chinned and Whiskered Yuhinas, Whitebellied Erpornis, Grey-headed Parrotbill, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch and, sometimes, the much sought-after Beautiful Ward s Trogons (Craig Robson)

3 3 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Assam & The Northeast Frontier Nuthatch and White-naped Yuhina. Some of the birds that we will be trying to find live on the ground or skulk in low undergrowth. Nevertheless we have a good chance of finding White-cheeked Partridge, Grey Peacock- Pheasant, Lesser Shortwing, White-tailed Blue-Robin, Scaly Thrush, the perky Chestnut-headed, Slatybellied and Grey-bellied Tesias, Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Puff-throated Babbler, the near-endemic Snowy-throated Babbler (one of the prime specialities of Namdapha), Large Scimitar-Babbler, Streaked, Eyebrowed, Pygmy and Spotted Wren-Babblers, and Rufous-throated Fulvetta. Flycatchers are very well represented, with Asian Paradise-Flycatcher, Rufousgorgeted, Red-throated (or Taiga), Snowy-browed, Little Pied, Slaty-blue, Sapphire, White-tailed, Pale Blue, Pygmy Blue and Grey-headed Canary Flycatchers and Large, Small and Rufous-bellied Niltavas all possible. There is also an incredible variety of warblers at Namdapha, including Yellow-browed, Blyth s Leaf, Yellow-vented, Grey-hooded, Grey-cheeked, White-spectacled, Chestnutcrowned, Rufous-faced, and Black-breasted Parrotbill (Craig Robson) Yellow-bellied, and Mountain and Common Tailorbirds. Bamboo provides habitat for an interesting range of seldom-seen species, including Pale-headed Woodpecker, Red-billed and Coral-billed Scimitar- Babblers, White-hooded Babbler and both Lesser and Greater Rufous-headed Parrotbills, while clearings and more open areas typically hold Olive-backed Pipit, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Grey Bushchat, Siberian Stonechat, Striped (or Pin-striped) Tit- Babbler, Grey-backed Shrike and Eastern Jungle Crow (split from Large-billed). With luck we will also come across the localized Pied Falconet. We will make night-time sorties in search of Oriental Bay-Owl, Mountain and Collared Scops-Owls, Brown Boobook (or Brown Hawk-Owl) and Grey Nightjar, while Collared and Asian Barred Owlets are crepuscular or even diurnal. Other species that we should see during our stay in Namdapha include the rare Collared Treepie and Beautiful Sibia, as well as Green-billed Malkoha, Barred Cuckoo-Dove, Emerald Dove, Grey Treepie, Hair-crested and Greater Racket-tailed Drongos, Common Iora, Blue Rock-Thrush, Himalayan Redflanked Bluetail (split from Northern), White-crowned Forktail, Black-crested, Redvented and White-throated Bulbuls, White-crested, Lesser Necklaced and Greater Necklaced Laughingthrushes, and Black-breasted Sunbird. If we are lucky, we will find one or more of the park s more elusive inhabitants such as White-winged Duck, Lesser Fish-Eagle, Oriental Hobby, Blyth s Kingfisher, Blue-naped Pitta or Green Cochoa. Day 8 After some final birding at Namdapha we will drive to the bustling town of Tinsukia in eastern Assam, our base for sorties into Dibru-Saikhowa National Park and to the Digboi oilfields, for a two nights stay. Day 9 Situated in the Brahmaputra flood plain and wedged between two major rivers, the Dibru and the mighty Brahmaputra, is the recently gazetted Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, which protects an extensive mosaic of swamp forest, grassland and shallow wetlands. With a motorized boat at our disposal, most of our time in and around the park will be spent in search of the grassland specialities along the ever-changing banks of the Dibru River, particularly three northeast Indian endemics, Swamp Prinia (formerly often lumped in Rufous-vented), the highly skulking Marsh Babbler and the impressive Black-breasted Parrotbill, as well as the somewhat more widespread Jerdon s Babbler. Other interesting residents include Indian Spot-billed Duck, and Sand Lark, as well as grass-loving species like Lesser Coucal, Zitting Cisticola, Yellow-bellied and Plain Prinias, and Chestnutcapped and Striated Babblers. The open wetlands and rivers inside the park usually hold a variety of wintering waterfowl, waders and large waterbirds, and we should find Little Cormorant, Oriental Darter, Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets, Indian Pond-Heron, Striated (or Little) Heron, Black Stork, Asian Openbill, Ruddy Shelduck, Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Pintail Snipe, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck s Stint and Brown-headed Gull. There will be a whole new range of raptors to scan for and we may well see Oriental Honey-Buzzard, Black-shouldered Kite, Whiterumped Vulture, the rare and restricted-range Slender-billed Vulture, Shikra, Common Kestrel and the sleek Rednecked Falcon. A host of interesting passerine migrants winter here, including the restricted range Smoky Warbler, and we will also be on the lookout for Richard s, Paddyfield and Rosy Pipits, Citrine and Greyheaded Wagtails, Bluethroat, Chestnut-crowned and Grey-sided Bush Warblers, Paddyfield, Dusky and Smoky Warblers, and Black-faced Bunting. Other species that we should encounter include Spotted Dove, White-throated and Pied Kingfishers, Indian Roller, Oriental Skylark, Grey-throated Sand-Martin (split from Brown-throated), Red-whiskered Bulbul, Long-tailed Shrike, Striated Grassbird, Grey Tit (split from Great), Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker, Black Drongo, Asian Pied Starling, Common Myna and House Crow. The Dibru River, which forms the southern boundary of the park, is an excellent site for the scarce Gangetic River Dolphin. Day 10 This morning we will visit the Digboi Oilfields, some of the oldest in the world, and still with some interesting relics of the original infrastructure. The logged but nowadays undisturbed forests here are

4 4 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Assam & The Northeast Frontier one of the best places to see the little-known Chestnutbacked Laughingthrush, as well as Rufous-necked Laughingthrush and Collared Treepie. The rare Whitewinged Duck is also a possibility. Later in the day we will travel to the Mayodia Pass in the Mishmi Hills, situated in eastern Arunachal Pradesh, for a five nights stay. After driving northeast from Tinsukia, we will cross the huge expanse of the Brahmaputra River on a small ferry at Saikhowa Ghat, before continuing across the plains to the state border post and then continuing to the pass beyond the town of Roing. En route we may see Himalayan Griffon Vulture, and we also have another chance for Slender-billed Vulture. Days The rugged Mishmi Hills have barely been explored ornithologically. During a post-war expedition led by Salim Ali and S. Dillon Ripley, to a different part of the hills, the discovery was made of a bird endemic to the region, the Mishmi (or Rusty-throated) Wren- Babbler. Although quite common in these remote Mishmi or Rusty-throated Wren-Babbler (Tony Disley) hills, it remained unrecorded again until December 2004! Based at our simple lodge, we will have four full days to explore the still extensive broadleaved evergreen forest along the 90km Roing-Hunli road, reaching a maximum elevation of about 3000m (so far exceeding the elevations we reached at Namdapha). Consequently, we will find a huge range of Eastern Himalayan specialities not accessible there. At the upper levels there are extensive areas of bamboo, which provide habitat for the superb Blyth s Tragopan, and we will make a special effort to try and find this rare pheasant. This high elevation bamboo and roadside vegetation is also home to the restricted-range Manipur and Ludlow s Fulvettas, and to Bar-winged Wren-Babbler, and the numerous flowering rhododendrons sometimes attract the amazing Fire-tailed Myzornis, which may join stunning groups of Fire-tailed Sunbirds to seek out the colourful blooms. There is still little or no traffic along the narrow paved road here, and a number of interesting species like Maroon and Rufous-breasted Accentors, Golden and Rufous-breasted Bush Robins, Blue-fronted Redstart, and Dark-rumped Rosefinch can be rather confiding. A wide range of species occur in the regularly encountered mixed species flocks, including Rufous-capped Babbler, Green Shrike-Babbler, Streak-throated Barwing, Bar-throated Minla, Yellowthroated and Rufous-winged Fulvettas, the stunning Golden-breasted Fulvetta, White-naped, Stripe-throated and Rufous-vented Yuhinas, Beautiful Sibia, Ashy-throated and Black-faced Warblers, Black-throated and Yellowbrowed Tits, White-tailed Nuthatch and Green-tailed Sunbird. Mid-elevation gullies hold both the almost kiwi-like Long-billed Wren-Babbler and the equally strange Cachar wedge-billed (or Chevron-breasted) Babbler. Black Eagles are common in the area, as are Common and Rufous-throated Hill- Partridges, though the latter are more often heard than seen. Other good birds that we should see are the gorgeous Ward s Trogon, Golden-throated Barbet, Darjeeling and Crimsonbreasted Woodpeckers, White-collared Blackbird, Chestnut Thrush, Striated Bulbul, Streak-breasted, Coral-billed and Slenderbilled (or Sickle-billed) Scimitar Babblers, Blackfaced Laughingthrush, Brownthroated Fulvetta, Whitegorgeted Flycatcher, Striated, Blue-winged and Chestnutcrowned Laughingthrushes (the latter represented here by the distinctive nigrimentum race), Hume s Bush Warbler (split from Yellowish-bellied), Eurasian Jay and Gold-billed Magpie. We also have a good chance of finding two or three of the scarcer species that occur here, which include Chestnut-breasted Partridge, Purple Cochoa, Rusty-bellied Shortwing, Himalayan Cutia, Black-headed Shrike- Babbler, Brown and Blackthroated Parrotbills, Beautiful Nuthatch, Crimson-browed Finch, Grey-headed Bullfinch, Collared Grosbeak and Goldnaped Finch. We even have a slim chance to see Sclater s Monal here, although it is fair hike (over 3 kilometres or 2 miles) uphill to its habitat. Day 15 After some final birding in the Mishmi Hills we will head back to Tinsukia for an overnight stay. Day 16 After some more birding in the Tinsukia area we will travel to Dibrugarh where the tour ends early this afternoon. Kaziranga & Shillong Extension Itinerary Day 16 From Dibrugarh we will proceed to Kaziranga Sclater s Monal (Nik Borrow)

5 5 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Assam & The Northeast Frontier Greater Adjutant (Tony Disley) National Park for a three nights stay, arriving at our accommodation in the early evening. Days The fantastic Kaziranga National Park needs little introduction. It is one of the most important reserves in the world, let alone the Indian subcontinent, being one of the last refuges for large numbers of Indian (or Asian One-horned) Rhinoceros, Swamp Deer and wild Water Buffalo. Roughly threequarters of the surviving populations of each of these species live in the park. We will have opportunities to admire these impressive animals along with Indian (or Asian) Elephant, which is still common here. (Tigers still occur at Kaziranga, but we would really count ourselves extremely lucky if we came across one!) All of our excursions into the park will be by open-topped jeep, with regular stops at watch-towers and other vantage points, where we will be treated to some superb panoramic views of the grassland, marshes and lakes dotted with herds of large mammals and an impressive array of waterbirds. Although annually burnt to provide grazing for mammals, the extensive grassland in the park holds some rare and restricted-range birds. We will have a very good chance of seeing three threatened species, Swamp Partridge, Slender-billed Vulture and Bengal Florican, and may also come across more skulking and rarely seen birds such as Slender-billed Babbler and Bristled Grassbird. The rare and localized Finn s Weaver is an outside possibility. Scattered throughout the grassland tracts are a series of shallow wetlands which support good numbers of waterfowl, waders and other waterbirds during the winter months, including the endangered Spot-billed Pelican, Grey and Purple Herons, Eastern Cattle Egret (split from Western), Woollynecked and Black-necked Storks, Lesser Adjutant, the critically endangered and decidedly ugly Greater Adjutant (now largely restricted to Assam and Cambodia), Lesser Whistling Duck, Bar-headed Goose, Garganey, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Whitebreasted Waterhen, Greyheaded Swamphen, Bronzewinged Jacana, Grey-headed and Red-wattled Lapwings, Spotted and Common Redshanks, Marsh Sandpiper, and River and Whiskered Terns. There is a good chance that we will come across one of the park s rarer visitors, such as Falcated Duck. The sky will be filled with yet more new raptors and we will be on the lookout for Osprey, Black Baza, Black, Blackeared and Brahminy Kites, Pallas s and Grey-headed Fish-Eagles (both still fairly common here), Red-headed Vulture, Short-toed Eagle, Eastern Marsh, Hen and Pied Harriers, Greater Spotted Eagle, Changeable Hawk- Eagle and Peregrine Falcon. Small areas of open woodland and belts of trees shelter plenty of interesting landbirds and we have a good chance of seeing Kalij Pheasant, Red Junglefowl, Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon, Green Imperial-Pigeon, Oriental Turtle-Dove, Banded Bay and Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoos, Alexandrine, Roseringed, Red-breasted and Blossom-headed Parakeets, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Lineated and Coppersmith Barbets, Streak-throated and Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers, Black-rumped Flameback, Black-hooded Oriole, Rufous Treepie, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Ruby-cheeked and Crimson Sunbirds, Ashy Woodswallow and Baya Weaver. The large number of red-flowered Bombax trees attract flocks of Jungle Mynas and Chestnuttailed Starlings and the rarer, restricted-range Spot-winged Starling. Other species likely at Kaziranga include Red Collared-Dove, Plaintive Cuckoo, Greater Coucal, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Green Bee-eater, Eurasian Hoopoe, Bengal Bushlark, Small Minivet, Brown Shrike, Greenish and Tickell s Leaf Warblers, White-tailed (or Himalayan) Rubythroat, White-rumped Shama, Blacknaped Monarch, Abbott s Babbler, Yellow-vented Flowerpecker and Whitevented Myna. Nightbirds include Dusky Eagle-Owl, Brown Fish-Owl and Spotted Owlet, and we will endeavour to find some of these at their daytime roosts. Venturing further afield to some tea gardens, scrub and secondary forest adjacent to the park, we will search for Pale-chinned Flycatcher, Siberian Rubythroat, Blackbacked Forktail, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Lesser Necklaced and Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes, and Rufous-fronted Babbler. Day 19 After some early morning birding at Kaziranga we will drive to Shillong for a three nights stay. Days Situated in the mountainous state of Meghalaya, Shillong is home to the largely Christian Khasi people and is a popular hill station and regional education centre. The fresh mountain air, variable weather and mosaic of pine and broadleaved forests have given rise to the rather grand title Scotland of the east for the Shillong uplands. Much of our time here will be spent exploring pockets of montane broadleaved evergreen forest, Great Indian Rhinoceros (Nik Borrow)

6 6 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Assam & The Northeast Frontier focussing on a search for the enigmatic endemic Tawnybreasted Wren-Babbler. Typical montane, mainly Himalayan, species that we should encounter are Short-billed Minivet, Crested Finchbill, Flavescent and Mountain Bulbuls, Chestnutbellied Rock-Thrush, Striated and Black-throated Prinias (the latter split from Hill), Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler, Buff-barred (or Orange-barred), Lemonrumped and Hume s Leaf Fire-tailed Myzornis (Nik Borrow) Warblers, the near-endemic Assam Laughingthrush (split from Chestnut-crowned), Red-billed Leiothrix, Rustycapped Fulvetta, Grey Sibia, Green-backed and Yellowcheeked Tits, Fire-breasted (or Buff-bellied) Flowerpecker, Mrs Gould s Sunbird and Russet Sparrow. We should also find House Swift, Striated Swallow, Grey Wagtail and Little Bunting. We should also see one or two of the more difficult inhabitants of the area, which include Russet Bush Warbler, Crimson- faced Liocichla (split from Red-faced), Spot-breasted Scimitar Babbler and Yellowbellied Flowerpecker. During our stay at Shillong we will also make an excursion to the small town of Cherrapunjee, which is perched on a plateau bounded by dramatic steep wooded slopes and cliffs, cut-through by numerous spectacular waterfalls, overlooking the plains of Bangladesh. The cliffs in this area are the best-known breeding area of one of the world s rarest Apus species, the Dark-rumped Swift, and nearby habitat holds Brown Bush Warbler. Day 22 After some final birding in Meghalaya we will leave the hills behind and descend to Guwahati where the extension ends in the late afternoon. Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/lodges at Tinsukia, Kaziranga and Shillong are of medium to good standard. The resthouse at Deban in Namdapha National Park and the small lodge at the Mayodia Pass are pleasantly situated but very basic, although the rooms have private bathrooms. For four nights at Namdapha we will stay in simple tented camps specially erected by our friendly local camp staff. Sleeping tents are 2-person size (but are available for single occupancy) and we will also have a toilet tent and a large dining tent, so the whole experience is quite comfortable and the settings often delightful. Road transport is by large, jeep-like cars and roads are variable in quality (on average mediocre). Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy to moderate (with some quite long walks). There will be one optional harder hike at the Mayodia Pass. Climate: Conditions at this season in the plains are cool and overcast to hot, dry and sunny. In the hills it is cold to warm, and sunny periods alternate with occasional wet and overcast spells. Bird/Mammal Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.