It was the 3rd prize for the
Saevus sponsored
Himalayan Hill Birds Photo Contest which gave me a chance to participate in the first Arunachal Bird Festival at Eaglenest WLS from
2nd to 4th February 2014. Apart from the participation in the fest, the other attraction was to get a chance to visit the famous forest of the north-east India and photograph some of it's star birds like
Bugun Liocichla,
Ward's Trogon,
Beautiful Nuthatch,
Wedge-billed Babbler,
Blyth's Tragopan to name a few.
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| The photograph of 3 Tibetan Sandgrouse in flight clicked by me at Tso Kar, Ladakh, J&K, India which won the prize. |
The fest was well organized, with the prize distribution and many other performances, speeches etc. hosted well by the
Bugun Welfare Society and the
Forest Department.
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| Receiving the Saevus prize from Eaglenest DFO Millo Tasser at Eaglenest during the Arunachal Bird Festival 2014 |
Next in agenda was some quality birding and bird photography. Over the next 3 days (I got an additional day due to a curfew declared because of some communal tensions in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam) I covered the famous areas like Ramalingam (my base camp), Lama Camp, Alubari, Eaglenest Pass, Bompu Camp, Sessni and few other locations. Though I was able to get a glimpse of the star attraction
Bugun Liocichla (Liocichla bugunorum) on the Day 1 itself, photography could not be done as it remained inside the thickets. However, the
Ward's Trogon (Harpactes wardi) obliged me with a quality image. Glimpses of
Blyth's Trgopan (Tragopan blythii molesworthi),
Beautiful Nuthatch (Sitta formosa) and
Grey Peacock Pheasant (Polyplectron bicalcaratum) made my trip. There were few more species which I could photograph.
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| Whiskered Yuhina |
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| Ward's Trogon |
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| Fire-tailed Myzornis |
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| Eurasian Sparrowhawk |
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| Rufous-breasted Bush Robin |
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| Stripe-throated Yuhina |
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| Olive-backed Pipit |
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Maroon-backed Accentor
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Some random images clicked by my mobile during the birding excursions:
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| At Eaglenest Pass |
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| View from Eaglenest Pass |
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| Birding team at Eaglenest Pass |
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| A random view of the forest type |
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| Typical Ward's Trogon habitat |
Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area of India in the Himalayan foothills of
West Kameng District, Arunachal Pradesh. My travel route was Sealdah (Kolkata) to Guwahati by train, Guwahati to Tejpur by bus, Tejpur to Tenga by share jeep where organizers had arranged for a vehicle to pick me up for my further travel into the WLS.
There are only limited options of stay inside the sanctuary. Basic camping facilities are available at
Ramalingam,
Lama and
Bompu which have tented accommodations with common toilet facility. Best way to travel inside the park is by a 4WD SUV. Trekking is one another option of exploring the WLS, but beware of the elephants. March-April is the best season to explore this birding wonderland.
Inner Line Permit is required for Indian nationals to enter Arunachal Pradesh.
