70 Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

Photogallery:birdsofArunachalPradeshRamki Sreenivasan

Sreenivasan,R.2009.Photogallery:birdsofArunachalPradesh,Indian Birds 5 (3):70—79.

Photos: Ramki Sreenivasan

Top:ThisisthefirstrecordofthemysteriousBlack-tailedCrakePorzana bicolorfromEaglenest.ItwasphotographedatRamaling(betweenLamaCampandTenga)at0400hrs.ThoughoccasionallyseeninsomepartsoftheAssamplains(likeManas),thisbirdiskeenlysoughtbybirders.Bottom:OneofArunachal’srarespecialties(nottomentionIndia!),Ward’sTrogonHarpactes wardiicanoftenbeseeninEaglenest—especiallyinthecloudforestsnearBompu.IronicallythesewerethefirstofthetrogonsIphotographed,thoughIliveveryclosetoitsMalabarcousins!Wespentoveranhourwiththismale,whichwasbusyhawkinginsects,andsometimeswould

landjustaboveourheads.

71Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

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Top: L:ThelackofrufousearcovertsseparatestheBhutanLaughingthrushTrochalopteron imbricatum from the Streaked Laughingthrush T. lineatum found in the western Himalaya.ItisbestseeninEaglenest,inthedeepravinenexttoLamaCamp,ofteninthecompanyoftheEaglenestspecialty—theBugunLiocichla.R: The Beautiful

Sibia Heterophasia pulchella isoneofthecommonestbirdsofArunachal.Gregariousandomnipresent,itisbestseennearLamaCampinEaglenest.Middle: L: One of the ‘maskedZorros’oftheNEHills,theBlack-facedFlycatcher-WarblerAbroscopus schisticepscloselyresemblesYellow-belliedFantail-FlycatcherRhipidura hypoxantha.

R:TheYellow-throatedFulvettaAlcippe cinereaisthecommonestfulvettainEaglenest.Oneseesandhearsthesebirdssomuchthattheirchirpskeepresoundingeveninsleep!Bottom: L: The Mountain Tailorbird Orthotomus cuculatusisastrikingbirdsimilartotheBroad-billedWarbler,andhasaglorioussong.ItisseentypicallyinthethickundergrowthoftheNErainforest.R:Veryattractive,vocal,butseldomseen,theBroad-billedFlycatcher-WarblerTickellia hodgsoniisfoundatmid-altitudesnextto

BompuCampinEaglenest.

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72 Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

Photos: Ramki Sreenivasan

Top: L:Brown-throatedFulvettaAlcippe ludlowi. PhotographingsmallerbirdsisoneofthemanythrillsoftheNEHills.AfteradayortwointheNEonestartsrememberingthefieldguideplatenumbersforfulvettas,wren-babblers,yuhinas,minlas,andshrike-babblers!R:Astrikinghigh-altitudebamboospecialist,theBrown

Parrotbill Paradoxornis unicolorisinvariablyfoundnearEaglenestPass(2,800m).Middle: L:VerycommoninEaglenest,thesefire-breastedFlowerpeckersDicaeum ignipectus,at8cm,areoneofthesmallestbirdsoftheIndianSubcontinent.R: This beautiful Bar-throated Minla Minla strigulapossiblyhadanestnearby,giventhefooditwascarrying,anditsbelligerentbehaviour.Bottom: L:WespenttwoverycoldandsleepyearlymorningsinMayodiaPass(2,655m)intheMishmiHillswaitingformonalsandtragopans.WedrewablankonthemandtheonlyconsolationwasaflockoftheseboldYellow-billedBlueMagpiesUrocissa flavirostris that surrounded our jeep.R: Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei—thesmallestofourowl(et)s,thesewereearlieraptlynamedPygmyOwlet.ConstantlyheardacrosstheNEHills,thismostunfortunatebirdisincessantlymobbedbybirdsofalltypes–fromtheforestfloortothecanopy!Playingitscallisoneofthemosteffectivewaystoattractbirds.

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73Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

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Top: L:Rufous-wingedFulvettaAlcippe castaneceps. R: TheEasternHimalayanraceoftheRed-headed(Chestnut-crowned)LaughingthrushGarrulax erythrocephalus, likethisEaglenestpair,actuallydoesnothaveachestnutcrownbutagrayhead,chestnutnapeandsilvercheeks.Middle: L:EarlierknownastheNepalorHimalayanCutia, this male Cutia Cutia nipalensis isastrikingHimalayanbirdwithstrikingsexualdimorphism.R: Female Cutia. Bottom: L:Thejet-blackmaleGold-napedBlackFinchPyrrhoplectes epaulettaisverystrikingwithitsgold-nape.LikemostfinchestheyareveryshyandIwasluckytogetthispair(withan800mmlens)completely

engrossedindevouringthesetinyfig-likefruit. R:TheGreen-backedTitParus monticolusisthecommonesttitoftheNE.

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Top: L:Easilythemoststrikingofthefulvettas,whichbreakstheirtypicallybrown/greyuniform,thisveryagitatedGolden-breastedFulvettaAlcippe chrysotis was photographedinMishmiHills.R: The Gold-headed Babbler Stachyris chrysaeaisasmall(10cm)andverystrikingbabblerpresentinmostmixedhuntingflocks.

Middle: L:Rufous-neckedScimitarBabblersPomatorhinus ruficollisareveryhandsomebirdsandIfoundthemfarbolderinMaythanduringmyearlierwintervisitsto Eaglenest. R:AluckyimagewhenthissplendidmaleGrey-chinnedMinivetPericrocotus solarislandedinfrontofmeasweweregettingintothejeepandIstillhadmy rig mounted. Bottom: L:ThecommonestsunbirdinEaglenest,theGreen-tailedAethopyga nipalensisisalsothemostinquisitive!Thisfull-frameimagewastakenatminimumfocusdistance.R:ThemaleMrsGould’sSunbirdAethopyga gouldiaeistrulyspectacularandislikeasplashofcolorintheevergreenjungle.Itisnamedafter

ElizabethGould(1804–1841)—wifeofthelegendaryJohnGould(1804–1881).

Photos: Ramki Sreenivasan

Sreenivasan:ArunachalPradesh:photogallery

75Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

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Top: L:Oneofthemost-seenwarblersinArunachal,theGrey-cheekedFlycatcher-WarblerSeicercus poliogenyshasadistinctivecall.R:Silver-earedLeiothrixLeiothrix argentariusisaverycolorfulbirdandisverycommoninArunachalwherewefoundflocksbothinEaglenestandMishmiHills.Middle: L:TheAlpineAccentorPrunella collarisisaresidentofbaremountainareaswithlowvegetation.HerephotographedintheMayodiaPass(2655m)areainMishmiHills.R:ParrotbillsareNEspecialties.ThisismyfirstcleanimageoftheGreaterRufous-headedParrotbillParadoxornis ruficeps from Eaglenest. Bottom: L: The largest of wren-babblers, the Sikkim Wedge-

billed Wren-Babbler Sphenocichla humei, alongtimetargetofmine,hasahistoryoftaxonomicwranglingwiththeraceS. robertifoundbelowtheBrahmaputra.Eaglenestisoneofthebestplacesintheworldtoseethisamazinglyrarebird.InMay,thisbirdwasatitsvocalbest—werecordedasmanyas11differentvocalizationsfromthisindividual.Thisimagewasmadeat1600ISO—theundergrowthwasprettydenseandalmostpitchdark!R:ThisRed-facedLiocichlaLiocichla phoenicea isinfinitely

moredifficulttophotographthanitsmoreglamorous‘Bugun’cousin!

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76 Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

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Top: L:OneofthecommonerfulvettasofMishmiHills,theManipur

FulvettaAlcippe manipurensis has a poorlydefinedrangeintheNEandthebirdbooksomittheirextensionintoArunachal.R: A north-eastern Indiaspecialty,theBayWoodpecker

Blythipicus pyrrhotissulksinthicktallbamboo—thisonemightbea

juvenilefemale.Middle: L:Imissedthe beautiful Long-tailed Broadbill

Psarisomus dalhousiae multipletimesinPanbari,Kaziranga,andfinallyfoundplentyoftheminthelowerreachesofEaglenest,especiallynearSessni,andRamalingcamps.R: Sibias are bulbul-sizedbabblers.TheRufous-backedSibia

Heterophasia annectans,aspecialtyofEaglenest,isthescarcestandsmallestofsibias,andtypically,areliableindicatorofthepresenceofaBeautifulNuthatch

Sitta formosa—anotherEaglenestspecialty!Bottom: ThediscoveryofHodgson’sFrogmouthBatrachostomus hodgsoni,byShashankDalvi,catalyzedme to make another trek to Eaglenest in May 2009 just as the monsoon was breaking.Wespentanentiredayinpouringrainona60°slopeindensebamboo to take some images of this female.ThisdiscoveryisexceedinglysignificantasthisenigmaticbirdhasveryfewrecordsintheEastern

Himalaya—mostlyfromeasternBhutanandNamdhapa.

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77Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

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Top: L:TheMountainImperial-PigeonDucula badiaisacommonpigeonintheNEasitisacrossthehillsoftheIndianSubcontinent.TheNEraceismuchpalerthanitspeninsularcousins.R:TheRufous-cappedBabblerStachyris ruficepsiscommonintheNEHillsthoughitisheardmorethanseen.BelongstothesametribeasthestrikingGoldenandthenear-identicalRufous-fronted.Middle: L:WefoundthisamazingSlender-billedScimitarBabblerXiphirhynchus superciliaris near the Eaglenest pass(~2,800m)andgotafewframesafteralongchaseacrossthedwarfbamboo.R:TheOrange-gorgetedFlycatcherFicedula strophiataisthecommonestflycatcheroftheNEHillsthoughittookmeyearstogetacleanshot!Igotthisbirdwhilewaitinginsub-zerotemperaturesforthemythicalSclater’sMonalLophophorus sclateri and Blyth’sTragopanTragopan blythiiatMayodiaPass(2,655m)inMishmiHills.Bottom: L: The Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis caudatusislocallycommon,butdifficulttoseeandcircumventliketherestofthefamily.R:ThethreebarwingsarequitecommonintheNEandformthefulcrumformostmixedhuntingflocks.This

Rusty-fronted Barwing Actinodura egertoniwasabouttocrossthetrail.

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78 Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

Photos: Ramki Sreenivasan

Top: L:InMay,everypatchofjunglewasfilledwithSmallNiltavaNiltava macgrigoriaesongthoughthebirdsseldomcameoutintotheopen.Iwasluckytofirewhenthismalepoppedintoashaftoftheearlymorningsun.R: The Hoary-throated Actinodura nipalensisisthecommonestBarwing,andlikeitssiblings,curious,inquisitive,

andeveractive.Middle: L:Black-throatedParrotbillParadoxornis nipalensis,anotherofthosediminutivenorth-easternbullets(allof10cm)fromthelegendaryArunachalforests,whichdisappearbeforeyoucanraiseyourcamera.Impossibletophotographinwinter,whentheyarepartofhyperactivemixedflocks,theyslowdownabitinsummerastheyleavemixedflockstogosolo.R:ThePaleBlue-FlycatcherCyornis unicolorwasthelastbirdIshotinEaglenestinMay2009.IwasalreadylateandhadpackedandunpackedmygeartwicewhenShashankcalledoutforthisfromthebottomofaslope!Bottom: The Sultan Tit Melanochlora sultanea is a leading

memberofthefamedmixedhuntingflocksofArunachal.Thoughnotuncommon,itwasadreamspeciesforme,asInevermanagedtophotographitearlier.

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79Indian Birds Vol. 5 No. 3 (Publ. 1st August 2009)

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Top: L: The unusual Striated Bulbul Pycnonotus striatus,thoughnotuncommon,isalwaysadelighttosee.R:TheNEisthebestplaceinIndiatoseethediminutiveStripe-throatedYuhinaYuhina gularisalongwithitsmyriadcousins.Middle: L:Yellow-napedYuhinaYuhina flavicollis—oneofthewidelyseenbirdsoftheEastern

Himalayas. R: The Bar-winged Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis troglodytoidesisoneofthemoststrikingwren-babblers—commonbutdifficulttosee,andispresentatmostaltitudes at Eaglenest.Bottom: Gould’sShortwingBrachypteryx stellata.

Sreenivasan:ArunachalPradesh:photogallery