Ladakh trip from March 20 to April 9, 2000
by
Otto Pfister, 10.10.2000 < ottopfister@hotmail.com >

Summary of Observation

Our late winter-early spring visit to Ladakh from 20 March to 9 April
2000 was conducted primarily to
observe the changes in bird species distribution during the change of the
cold to the pre-spring season.
After two days acclimatisation in Leh, the places surveyed (in sequence of
their visit) included Tikse-Shey
marshes, upper Indus valley up to Mahe bridge, Sumdo, Tso-Kar,
Chinzan-Rumbak, Kardung-La, Nubra valley
incl. Diskit and Sumur. We travelled by hired jeep from Ladakh Taxi Union
(very expensive, but sole possibility
to move around independently) except for the visit to Rumbak where we hiked.
The climate was still cold to very cold (Sumdo -30oC at night), partly sunny
but mostly overcast and we got also
snowed in while in Nubra. Kardung-La was kept open by the army throughout
winter, apart from temporary
closing due to snowfall - where we also got stuck for one day. Indus river
was partly to fully frozen from Upshi
up-streams, whereas the smaller feeder-rivers in the side valleys were
thickly frozen, appearing like glaciers;
also both, Tso-Kar and Startsapuk-Tso appeared thick frozen.  The usual
tourist permits were obtained directly
from the DC-office and the "National Park Entry Permit" from the Wildlife
office both at Leh.
Species identification followed the "Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the
Oriental Region" by Inskipp et all.
Totally 68 bird-species were encountered during this survey.

20-22 March 2000, Leh area incl. Trisul lake, 3250-3600 m
Chukar		Alectoris chukar	3 above Leh water reservoir
Ruddy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	1 , Trisul lake
Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope		6 , Trisul lake
Mallard		Anas platyrhynchos	> 10 , Trisul lake
Common Teal	Anas crecca		4 , Trisul lake
Garganey	Anas querquedula	> 20 , Trisul lake
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta	< 30 , Trisul lake
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata	> 10 , Trisul lake
Common Pochard	Aythya ferina		8 , Trisul lake
Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	5 , Trisul lake
Rock Pigeon		Columba livia		common
Common Coot		Fulica atra		1 , Trisul lake
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		common
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	occasional
Carrion Crow		Corvus corone		occasional
White-throated Dipper	Cinclus cinclus		2 above Leh
Great Tit		Parus major		common in Leh
Winter Wren		Troglodytes troglodytes (neglectus)	1 in Leh
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus		common
White Wagtail	Montacilla alba (personata)	occasional
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides		occasional
Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens		2 above Leh
Fire-fronted Serin	Serinus pusillus	abundant above Leh

23 March , Tikse to Shey (along Indus), 3350 m
Gadwall			Anas strepera		1 pair
Garganey		Anas querquedula	2 flocks (>20 each)
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata		occasional
Red-crested Pochard	Aythya rufina		1 pair
Common Hoopoe		Upupa epops		1
Common Coot		Fulica atra		2
Green Sandpiper		Tringa ochropus		2
Himalayan Griffon	Gyps himalayensis	1 soaring over
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		common
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax		occasional
Carrion Crow		Corvus corone				occasional
Dark-throated Thrush	Turdus ruficollis (atrogularis)	1 ?, 1 ?
Dark-throated Thrush	Turdus ruficollis (ruficollis)	2 ?
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	abundant on Buckthorn
Winter Wren		Troglodytes troglodytes (neglectus)		3
House Sparrow		Passer domesticus		common
White Wagtail		Montacilla alba (personata)	occasional
Streaked Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilloides	occasional

24 March, Shey marsh, 3350
Ruddy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	1
Gadwall		Anas strepera		1 pair
Mallard		Anas platyrhynchos	flock > 100
Common Teal		Anas crecca		1 pair
Garganey		Anas querquedula	occasional
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata		1 pair
Red-crested Pochard	Aythya rufina		5
Common Merganser	Mergus merganser	1 ?, 2 ?
Snipe Sp.		Gallinago Sp.		2
Common Redshank		Tringa totanus		3
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia	1
Green Sandpiper		Tringa ochropus		3
Ruff			Philomachus pugnax	1
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus		2
Great Cormorant		Phalacrocorax carbo	2 ?, 1 ?
Grey Heron		Ardea cinerea		7
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		common
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	4
Carrion Crow		Corvus corone		occasional
Dark-throated Thrush	Turdus ruficollis (atrogularis)	1 ?
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	abundant
Winter Wren		Troglodytes troglodytes (neglectus)	3
White Wagtail		Montacilla alba (personata)	common
Water Pipit		Anthus spinoletta		5
Brown Accentor		Prunella fulvescens		occasional
Streaked Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilloides	common

26 March, Upshi to Mahe bridge along Indus, 3600-4000 m
Chukar			Alectoris chukar	common
Eurasian Wigeon		Anas penelope		1 ?
Common Merganser (1)	Mergus merganser	11 ?, 8 ?
Hill Pigeon		Columba rupestris	common
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		common
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	occasional
Brown Dipper (2)	Cinclus pallasii	occasional up to 3670 m
White Wagtail		Montacilla alba (personata)	common
Robin Accentor		Prunella rubeculoides	common
Fire-fronted Rosefinch				common

27 and 29 March, Sumdo , 4400 m
Tibetan Partride	Perdix hodgsoniae		1 pair and group 12
Ruddy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	1 pair
Common Mergansar	Mergus merganser	1
Eurasian Eagle Owl	Bubo bubo (hemachalana)	1 pair
Hill Pigeon	Columba rupestris 		common
Lammergeier	Gypaetus barbatus			3
Golden Eagle (3)	Aquila chrysaetos		1 pair
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus		1 ?
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	occasional
Common Raven	Corvus corax		occasional
White-throated Dipper	Cinclus cinclus	1
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	2 ?
Horned Lark		Eremophila alpestris	3
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus		2
Tibetan Snowfinch	Montifringilla adamsi	occasional
White Wagtail	Montacilla alba (personata)	common
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides	abundant
Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens	common
Twite			Carduelis flavirostris	common
Brandt's Mountain Finch	Leucosticte brandti	7
Great Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilla	1 pair

28 March, Puga, 4400 m
Ruddy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea	200 >
Common Teal		Anas crecca			3
Upland Buzzard (4)	Buteo hemilasius	1 pair
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	1
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	common
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	1 ?
Horned Lark		Eremophila alpestris	common
Tibetan Snowfinch	Montifringilla adamsi	common
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides	abundant

28 March, Tso-Kar, 4600 m
Ruddy Shelduck(5)	Tadorna ferruginea	abundant
Hill Pigeon		Columba rupestris		common
Lammergeier		Gypaetus barbatus		1
Upland Buzzard	Buteo hemilasius		1
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	occasional
Common Raven	Corvus corax		occasional
Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris		common
Tibetan Snowfinch	Montifringilla adamsi	occasional
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides	common
Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens	1
Brandt's Mountain Finch	Leucosticte brandti	occasional
Great Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilla	occasional

30 March, Indus Plain - entrance Rumbak valley, 3300 m
Plain Martin	Riparia paludicola	1
Mongolian Finch	Bucanetes mongolicus	flocks of 10 - 15 birds

30 March - 2 April, Chinzan - Rumbak, 3500 - 4000
Chukar		Alectoris chukar		abundant, groups 20 - 30 birds
Hill Pigeon		Columba rupestris		common
Lammergeier (6)	Gypaetus barbatus		1 and 1 pair
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		occasional
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	common
White-throated Dipper (7)	Cinclus cinclus	3
Brown Dipper (7)	Cinclus pallasii		2
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus		common
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides	common
Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens	1

3 April, Leh, 3600 m
Rock Pigeon		Columba livia		common
Black Kite		Milvus migrans		2, just migrated
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		common
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	occasional
Carrion Crow	Corvus corone		occasional
Great Tit		Parus major			common
Mountain Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus sindianus	1
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus		common
White Wagtail	Montacilla alba (personata)	common
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides	common
Fire-fronted Serin	Serinus pusillus	common

4 April, Shey marshes, 3350 m
Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope		12
Common Teal		Anas crecca			14
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta			6
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata		common
Tufted Duck		Aythya fuligula		8
Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis		1
Rock Pigeon		Columba livia		common
Water Rail		Rallus aquaticus		1
Common Coot		Fulica atra			3
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia		1
Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus		4
Long-legged Buzzard	Buteo rufinus	1
Grey Heron		Ardea cinerea		1
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica		common, carrying nestmat.
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	2, courtesy feeding
Carrion Crow	Corvus corone		occasional
Tickell’s Thrush	Turdus unicolor		1 ?
Dark-throated Thrush	Turdus ruficollis (atrogularis)	13
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	abundant, yet reduced number
Great Tit		Parus major			common
Winter Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes (neglectus)	5
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica		1
Mountain Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus sindianus	common, inward migrat. starts
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus		common
White Wagtail	Montacilla alba (alboides)	4
White Wagtail	Montacilla alba (personata)	common
Citrine Wagtail	Montacilla citreola	1
Rosy Pipit		Anthus roseatus		3
Water Pipit		Anthus spinoletta		3
Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens	1
Fire-fronted Serin	Serinus pusillus			occasional
Streaked Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilloides	occasional

5 Arpil, Kardung-La (south-face), 4000-5700 m
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica				occasional (at 4000 m)
Red-billed Chough		Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	occasional (4000-4800 m)
Yellow-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax graculus		common (4200-5700 m)
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	2 (4200 and 5200 m)
Horned Lark			Eremophila alpestris		1 (4700 m)
Alpine Accentor		Prunella collaris	occasional (4800-5000 m)
Robin Accentor		Prunella rubeculoides		occasional (4000-5000 m)
Brandt's Mountain Finch	Leucosticte brandti		common  (4600-5700 m)

6 April, Diskit / Nubra, 3200 m
Chukar	Alectoris chukar		common
Gadwall	Anas strepera		1 pair
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	3 pairs
Common Teal	Anas crecca			3 pairs
Garganey	Anas querquedula		1 flock of 13
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata	8 pairs
Common Pochard	Aythya ferina	1 pair
Common Coot		Fulica atra		12
Snipe Sp.		Gallinago Sp.	1
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	1 ?
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica	common
Red-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	common
Dark-throated Thrush	Turdus ruficollis (atrogularis)	occasional
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	abundant, in Buckthorn
Great Tit		Parus major					common
Mountain Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus sindianus		1
White-browed Tit-Warbler	Leptopoecile sophiae	3
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus				common
White Wagtail	Montacilla alba (personata)		common
Citrine Wagtail	Montacilla citreola			1, moult
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides			1
Brown Accentor	Prunella fulvescens			5
Fire-fronted Serin	Serinus pusillus			common
Streaked Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilloides	occasional

7 April, Sumur / Nubra, 3250 m
Lammergeier	Gypaetus barbatus	1
Common Kestrel		Falco tinnunculus			1 ?
Black-billed Magpie	Pica pica				common
White-winged Redstart	Phoenicurus erythrogaster	common
Mountain Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus sindianus		1
White-browed Tit-Warbler	Leptopoecile sophiae	5
House Sparrow		Passer domesticus			common
White Wagtail		Montacilla alba (personata)	occasional
Brown Accentor		Prunella fulvescens		occasional
Streaked Rosefinch	Carpodacus rubicilloides	common

9 April, Kardung-La (north-face), 3300-5700 m
Chukar			Alectoris chukar			occasional (3300 m)
Rock Pigeon			Columba livia			locally common (4600)
Hill Pigeon			Columba rupestris			l.common (3300-4600 m)
Red-billed Chough		Pyrrhocorax pyrrhorcorax	common  (4000-4600 m)
Yellow-billed Chough	Pyrrhocorax graculus		common (3500-5700 m)
Horned Lark		Eremophila alpestris			locally common (4600 m)
Alpine Accentor	Prunella collaris			occasional (4400-5600 m)
Robin Accentor	Prunella rubeculoides		locally common (4600 m)
Brandt's Mountain Finch	Leucosticte brandti	locally abundant (4600 m)

Special Observation:
(1) increasingly common the more up-steam we moved, usually in small groups
of 3 to 5 birds, ? (mostly in
breeding plumage) dominating in numbers, encountered even in small openings
of  Indus completely
surrounded by ice for hundreds of meters
(2) a pair was observed carrying nesting material, constructing their nest
below a totally ice-covered water-fall
after Naik in a tributary of Indus at 3670 m
(3) first watched soaring in twosome along the cliffs, thereafter, still in
the morning the pair was observed in
nest inspection and rehabilitation, one bird was carrying in a
(Caragana)-twig while its mate was sitting in
the nest receiving the incoming bird with exciting "gui-gui-gui" calls,
(4) the pair in display flights, soaring, circling in twosome than
nose-diving after each other, all underlined with
frequent exciting calls. Thereafter one bird darting in high speed towards
the nest, located on a rock-ledge,
dropping into the nest - laying flat with half-opened wings - the 2nd bird
reached the nest-edge some seconds
later while the 1st bird turned, facing the arriving partner and jumped out
into the air, the 2nd bird following a
few moments later. Thereafter the twosome took over display flights as
described above.
(5) inward migration in full activity, flocks of 10 to 15 birds landing
(skating) on the blank ice of the frozen lake
in exciting calls
(6) in display flight : flying close to each other in large circles, one
above the other, parallel, than suddenly
nose-diving and up-tossing to soar again spiralling high up into the sky,
repeating the earlier activities
(7) distribution of Brown- (BD) versus White-throated Dipper (WD) along the
Rumbak river : WD was
observed more up-river from 3650 up to 3950m whenever the river was not
totally covered by ice. BD was
seen at the lower sections of the same river between 3350 and 3500 m.
As a general observation including the encounters in the other areas as
described above, it can be suggested
that BD occupies during this time of the year slightly larger, bigger
boulder spread rivers up to probably not
much higher than 3600 m, whereas WD is met along smaller, faster waters even
if they are still covered
with ice and only some sections are open from elevations between 3600 m and
4400 m. Both species are
found venturing below the ice in search for food.

Key to Abundance:
Occasional	= (4-10 sightings)
Common		= found in loose distribution
Abundant	= strong concentration of individuals