Himalayan Sojourn - Sattal and Pangot

TRIP DATE: Dec 2016

Avian beauties have always captivated my mind. The thought of seeing 50 plus species and mostly migrants high up at an altitude of 4000 plus with the Himalayas in the backdrop..... well you cannot ask for a better recipe for a nature and a bird lover.

This trip was possible due to my friend Hari Somashekar from WWF and his passion for nature is infectious. I instantly agreed when he gave me a call on 12th Oct 16 and shared the plan. It was exciting and the dates were frozen as 24th Dec to 28th Dec 16. Hari Lama would be our guide for the trip. I quickly booked my flight tickets to Delhi and back. The package included airport transfers to Sattal.

We galvanized 3 more bird lovers for the trip and we were all set. We had a gadget freak Raj who was also a Deputy Director at HUDCO, his spouse Sushma who was a HR by profession like me and last but not the least, Arati the Sherpa from WWF, Himachal.

Sattal Lake

Sattal means land of seven lakes - SAT - TAL. They are all fresh water and interconnected. They are in the midst of Oak and Pine forests and one of the few non polluted lakes. Of the 1440 species of birds in India 500 have been spotted here.

If you are birding in December and up in the Himalayas u better get some accessories to keep u warm.  I picked up a few layers to keep me warm and of course my Old-monk did not let me down too.

The D - day arrived and I had my long holiday kicked off with a wedding at Mumbai and I flew from Mumbai to Delhi. Carried my trusted Canon 1Dx, Canon 500 IS2, and the tripod. Thanks to innovation and these tripods and lenses have become sturdier and lighter. For a person who has a Slip disc like me this is a blessing in disguise. Flight was on time and thankfully the fog did not come in our way. Grabbed the luggage and hopped onto the waiting hatchback. The route planned was going through Ghaziabad- Hapur-Moradabad-Rudrapur-Haldwani- Bhimtal- Sattal.

We started at 1000 Hrs and Hari who was at the airport had been waiting and had belted some 20 odd hot Puris. Me with what ever meager morsel the airline provided hoped that it would sustain till noon. But I was wrong and by 11AM I was ready to kill someone. We stopped at a traditional Dhaba (Moga Punjabi Dhaba) and had some amazing Sarson ka saag and Makke di Roti. Trust me the Paneer, Dal and Dahi is to die for as u start moving up North. 

Dhaba enroute

We reached the railway station at Kathagodam (means Timber Warehouse) around 6 PM where the other group had driven from Delhi. This is the base station for many of the tourist destinations in Kumaon region. We all had some chai and hopped onto the Tavera arranged by Hari Lama. It was 6:30 PM and already dark. The healthy air and winter chill was giving a nice feeling. We passed Bhimtal an it was shimmering in the moonlit night. The temperature must be around 6 degrees and that reminded us that we need to pick our Scotch and Rum.

Kathagodam Station

We entered the Birder's Den where we were staying and were welcomed by some happy faces. They guided us to our rooms on the first floor which over looked into the valley. All I could see was clear star lit skies and some lights down the valley of villages. The room was comfortable with heaters. We quickly went to have our dinner and hot phulkas were served with amazing curries. Glad that we had great veggie options. The fireplace was ideal to ward of the chill. We all hit our shacks awaiting to start capturing the avian beauties the following day. 

Birder's Den

I have been to hides in Bangalore, Shimoga and Dandeli and was really curious how was this hide built. Thanks to efforts of Satish Sarakki and Hari Lama we are able to capture some brilliant bird images through such hides though some may feel its un ethical. At the break of dawn I could only hear chirping sound and it was a beautiful sun rise where I could see the valley and the small villages littered across. The chai and biscuits awaited us near our rooms and off we went to the hide which was housed right below the steps and behind the dining complex. One of the first visitors at the hide were Grey Treepie's, Red Billed Blue Magpie s and Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch. It was amazing to see all these new species and all in all we got 20 odd species before we decided to head for the Studio.

Some of the bird images from the hide:

Blue Whistling Thrush

Greater Yellownape Woodpecker

Red Billed Blue Magpie

Black Francolin

Himalayan Bulbul

Red Billed Leothrix

Khaleej Pair

Great Barbet

    The word "studio" really got me wondering how the set up would be. Was it one more glorified hide or something else. We landed close to a lake and on the right we had to walk down a creek to a stream flowing. There were some perches placed strategically so that birds would come and take a dip. Here too we got some good species of Black Headed Jay, Eurasian Jay and the best was the Niltava which posed only for me and my group missed it completely.

Rufous-bellied Niltava

Back to the log cabin and had a scrumptious meal. By evening we were all excited as to whats in store. Mac our guide told us that we would go looking out for the elusive Dipper near the stream. Enroute we stopped near the woods to get shots of the Tawny Owl. Got some action shots with the magpies trying to shoo him off. Man they were persistent and succeeded too. This got us going and we went to the stream and a little bit of managing the rocky shores we settled at a nice place. Hats off to these bird men they know exactly where to station us to get some good shots. The dippers did emerge and gave us a show.

On Location - Shooting the Dipper

While we were shooting them a Plumbeous Water Redstart perched right next to me and gave a nice shot. Next it was the turn of the Crested Kingfisher to say take my pic too.

Plumbeous Water Redstart

Brown Water Dipper

Our next stop was Pangot. We heard that it had just started to snow and the right time to head for this beautiful place. Its an hour drive from Sattal and it was surprising to see sunlight and snow which was not melting as we went up the hill.

The long winding road to Pangot passes through the prima donna of all hill stations in India - Nainital, and many other smaller hamlets. The road is scenic and well paved and the signboards are helpful. It passes through mixed forests, primarily consisting of Rhododendron, Deodar, Pine and moss laden Oak trees.

Pangot is a hill station situated 15 Km from Nainital. It is a major tourist attraction due to its unsurpassed beauty and rich biodiversity. The drive to here passes through the forested area of Cheena Peak Range via Snow View Point and Kilbury, which are excellent birding spots. The region is characterized by mixed forests dominated by thick ban-oak, pine and rhododendron. A large part of the landscape is characterized by dense vegetation. Numerous perennial creeks and streams crisscross the area. It is a home to over 225 bird species like ultramarine Flycatchers, yellow-breasted greenfinchs, rosefinches, jays, yellownapes and blue magpies.

Kafal House - Pangot

While dining at Kafal House’s dining room, we marveled at the multitudes of bird figurines that adorned the small but cosy room’s shelfs and walls. Rain drops falling outside on dark trees created an orchestra. Dinner, and as we came to experience later, all other meals at Kafal are a sparse but tasty affair.

Hari Lama checking out for bird activity in the valley

One of the amazing things happened at Pangot. Hari Lama ji took us to a road which over saw the cliffs and the mighty Himalayan range. We were wondering how would he shoot birds here where there was absolutely no sign of any bird activity. 

We were passing through a dry area and he pointed out at a Pipit do well camouflaged in the dry shrubs. Anyone could have easily missed it but for Lama ji s trained eyes. He then did something which put me flabbergasted. He pulled a small red gadget and placed it at the edge of the cliff. It started playing sounds of a raptor. Within minutes all the birds surfaced taking perches around us. That was a magical moment.
 

Reaching the hill top on Pangot

Myself, Shushma and Hari Lama

Us shooting around the hills of Pangot

Amazing sunset

All the birds we sighted and photographed:

1. Blue-throated Barbet
2. Blue Throated Flycatcher
3. Brown-fronted Woodpecker
4. Brown Dipper
5. Blue-winged Minla
6. Blue Capped Redstart
7. Black Francolin
8. Black Headed Jay
9. Black Lored Tit
10. Black Throated Sunbird
11. Black Throated Tit
12. Blue-whistling Thrush
13. Bar-tailed Treecreeper
14. Cinerious Vulture
15. Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch
16. Chestnut Crowned Laughing Thrush
17. Common Rose Finch
18. Crested Kingfisher
19. Great Barbet
20. Grey-hooded Woodpecker
21. Grey Backed Shrike
22. Greater Yellownape Woodpecker
23. Grey Treepie
24. Grey Hooded Warbler
25. Green Backed Tit
26. Grey Winged Blackbird
27. Himalayan Griffon Vulture
28. Himalyan Bulbul    
29. Himalayan Blue Tail
30. Himalayan Black Lored Tit
31. White-throated Laughing thrush
32. Plumbeous Water Redstart
33. Rufous Sibia
34. Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher
35. Rufous Chinned Laughing Thrush
36. Red-billed Leothrix
37. Red-billed Blue Magpie
38. Russet’s Sparrow
39. Rufous-bellied Niltava
40. Rock Bunting
41. Long Tailed Thrush
42. Maroon Oriole
43. Khaleej Pheasant
44. Streaked Laughing thrush
45. Slaty Backed Forktail
46. Slaty Blue Flycatcher
47. Slaty Headed Parakeet
48. Spot Winged Grosbeak
49. Spotted Forktail
50. Steppe Eagle
51. Tawny Fishowl
52. Upland Pipit
53. White Capped Redstart
54. Yellow Breasted Green Finch

Some of the links you can refer:

http://harilama.in/birders-den/

http://www.kafalhouse.com