Guest Name- Luc Lens
(By Deepak kumar For Asian Adventures )
Our recent trip to the youngest union territories of India-
Kashmir, and Ladakh exposed us to the undisturbed avian life throbbing in the
region. There can hardly be any greater contrast than this nine days birdingtrip that took place in two of India's most distinct topography. While the
scenic valley of Kashmir is covered by the thick foliage of the coniferous
forest, the rugged terrains of Ladakh unfold the cryptic world of birds living
an unperturbed life in the region.
Day-1: I headed towards the airport early in the morning to
receive my guests who were scheduled to arrive at 11:30 AM. Post the completion
of the immigration process we moved directly Ibrahim House Boat which was going
to be our accommodation for three days. After having lunch without wasting a
minute we moved towards Shankaracharya Temple. Perched at the height of 6,077
feet, this is one of the ancient temples in Kashmir dedicated to Lord Shiva.
However, our motive was to explore a wide variety of winged species roosting
inside the dense forest behind the temple. While traversing through the forest
we came across many gorgeous birds such as Great Barbet, Rusty-tailed
flycatcher, Black-eared Kite. By evening we came back to the boat had our
dinner and chalked out a strategy for our next day journey.
Day-2: We left the boat early in the morning with packed
lunch and headed towards Gulmarg approximately fifty kilometers drive from
Srinagar. Gulmarg also dubbed as the land of flowery meadows is a hotspot to
sight many rare and beautiful Himalayan species. Trailing the calls of these
beautiful and shy winged species brought us to the roosting point of Kashmir
Nutcracker, Kashmir Nuthatch, White-cheeked nuthatch, Himalayan Vulture,
Himalayan Woodpecker, Scaly-bellied woodpecker, and Slaty-headed parakeet but
failed to sight our key target species, Spectacled Finch. However, later that
day as we were moving downwards to Srinagar we saw this very bird sitting on a
dead tree. Not only did we sight Spectacled Finch from close quarters but our
guest also got a chance to photograph them from various angles. We spent some
time in the region before heading towards our houseboat near Dull Lake.
Day-3: Yusmarg was our next destination to be covered in
this enchanting journey. With packed breakfast and packed lunch, we left for
the destination early in the morning. Just an hour's drive from Srinagar,
Yusmarg is an unsullied landscape of Kashmir valley filled with beautiful
meadows, coniferous trees, along with the serpentine flow of the river
navigating through its topsy-turvy terrains. Paving way through its untamed
region made us cross path with Rufous-naped tit, White-bellied redstart, Coal
tit, Slaty-blue flycatcher, Rufous-breasted accentor. While following the
peculiar call echoing in the region we got fantastic sight of Tytler's leaf
warbler one of our target species, We took an hour's break for lunch before
resuming birding in this scenic terrain. We got a nice sight of Tickell's thrush, Scaly-bellied woodpecker,
Paradise flycatcher, and Golden oriole before returning to Srinagar for an
overnight stay at Ibrahim House Boat.
Day-4: Next morning we did birding in the nearby area of
Negin lake witnessing the amazing spectacle of Booted eagle, Himalayan Buzzard,
Red-fronted Serin, and European goldfinch. After breakfast, we continued our
journey for the second leg of the tour that was about to kickstart in the
rugged terrains of Ladakh. Approximately five hours drive from Srinagar brought
us to the quaint land of Kargil- a place that is etched in Indian History after
India triumph war against Pakistan forces in this very region. En-route we
visited Kargil War Memorial before checked in at The Kargil Hotel.
Day-5: Today morning after breakfast we drove towards Leh,
en-route we got the opportunity to sight Mountain chiffchaff, and Hume's
whitethroat and tick off from our list of target species. We also seized the
opportunity to visit one of Ladakh's ancient monasteries Lamayuru Monastery and
Gurudwara Shri Pathar Sahib where we had tea and Pakodas (Indian Snacks) before
entering the tranquil region of Leh. We were fatigued and therefore checked in
at a hotel for an overnight stay revive our energy for next day birding.
Day-6: Today morning we drove towards Tsokar Lake, en-route
we seized the opportunity to visit Taglag La Pass- the second-largest pass on
this planet. While birding in the region we spotted Eurasian Magpie, Robin
accentor, Tibetan snowcock, Golden Eagle, and Lammergeier. Post lunch we
reached Tsokar Lake came across some of the rare and gorgeous birds of the
Himalayas including Great Rosefinch, Tibetian Snowfinch, and Brandt's mountain
finch. As the dusk was falling rapidly, we returned to our hotel.
Day-7: We woke up early morning with a motive to sight the
endemic species living in the region. But as we stepped out from the hotel we
were flabbergasted by the sudden snowfall that formed a shimmering white sheet
in the precinct. However, we were lucky to get mesmerizing views of Little Owl,
Blacked Necked Crane, and Ground Tit. We returned to the hotel for breakfast
before continuing our search to unfold the unique avian life living around the
vast expanse of Tsokar Lake. Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Common
greenshank, Blanford's Snowfinch, Saker falcon were the species we spotted
before returning to our hotel.
Day-8: Next day we begin morning birding trail around Tsokar
Lake and were bewitched by the wonderful displays of Long-legged buzzard,
Upland buzzard, Streaked rosefinch, Bar-headed geese, Great crested grebe,
Black-necked grebe, Brown-headed Gull, Common Tern, Lesser Sandplover. Our tour
was culminated by the wonderful flock of Tibetian Sandgrouse was also part of
our target species list.
Phone: +91 8010450000
Email: info@asianadventures.in
https://linktr.ee/aatoursandlodges
No comments:
Post a Comment