Tirthan Valley, Himachal Pradesh (India), March 12-15, 1999
Tom and Margot Southerland, 282 Western Way, Princeton, NJ 08540 USA
princetonnaturetours@msn.com
Background
The state of Himachal Pradesh lies just south of the state of Jammu and
Kashmir, northeast of the Punjab and northwest of Uttar Pradesh. Tibet
borders it to its east. Within its borders are both foothills and high
peaks of the Himalayas. Because Himachal Pradesh offers the visitor lush
valleys, roaring streams and splendid snow-capped peaks, it is popular with
outsiders as a place for trekking, mountain climbing, sightseeing and, more
recently, skiing. The religion is Tibetan Buddhism and small shrines are
often seen along the roads. The people are very friendly and seem both
curious and interested in the few visitors they see. Not surprisingly, the
gravel roads in the rural areas are winding ones and seem tighter than they
are when buses come barreling along and want to pass.
There were seven of us -- three couples and a single -- visiting the scenic
Tirthan Valley. All of us were from the USA except our friends from Delhi
who are birders and are frequent summer vacationers in the area. To reach
our destination, we flew in a commuter-type airplane from Delhi and landed
in central Himachal Pradesh at the thriving town of Kullu. We then rode
southward in two jeep-like vehicles along some twisting gravel roads for
about three hours to our comfortable lodge located just outside the small
village of Goshaini. The area is the starting point for the treks to
Bachleo Pass and the Great Himalayan National Park.
The lodge, known locally as a 'bungalow', is located alongside the
white-water, rocky river Tirthan. Some 15 metres behind the lodge is a pear
orchard planted in terraces cut high up into the steep hillside. Many of
the trees were blooming and added to the valley's beauty. We had to cross
the river one at a time via a trolley consisting of an overhead cable with a
pulley attached to our makeshift seat resembling a basket. This arrangement
was installed and maintained by the lodge. The pulling of a hemp line by
someone on the destination side provided us the locomotion to get across.
We averaged about four crossings each day returning for meals and in between
birding trips. Several times, however, we made a loop by walking along a
path behind the lodge, crossing over the river on the bridge at Goshaini,
walking back along the road and then re-crossing the river by the
cable-pulley system to reach the lodge.
We found the weather delightful -- cool in the evenings and early mornings.
And, we greatly enjoyed sleeping under blankets at night but if you wanted
more heat, each room even had its own fireplace. On the other hand, the
electricity was a bit temperamental as it was controlled by the town
generator. We had both sun and clouds but no rain. A windbreaker or
sweatshirt was sufficient during the day except the one day we went up to
about 2,600 metres (8,500 feet) when we did wear winter jackets. Gloves and
a hat were not necessary although we took them.
Birding and Birds
The Tirthan Valley, and its surrounding countryside, offers the birder a
variety of habitats to explore, ranging from temperate vegetation up to
subalpine forests. Although this narrow valley is dominated by the river
knifing its way through steep rock-strewn cliffs, there are numerous patches
of woods and shrubs plus the human cultivation of apple and pear orchards
and small farm plots. At certain places along the road we could
occasionally see the snow-covered Himalayan peaks that were not too far
away. Besides the seven of us and two drivers, a ranger from Jim Corbett
National Park in Uttar Pradesh joined us on some of the days including the
trip to the high country.
Birds are numerous enough but not the numbers of species as in warmer
climes. After you have seen some of the more common birds you have to put
in time just to pick up one or two new species here and one or two there.
Some of the birds, such as the tits, do travel in mixed flocks so that
helps. Birding alongside the river offers redstarts, Crested Kingfisher and
a number of other species. Upon occasion an Ibisbill will appear along the
river's stony shores but we were probably too late. And when out in the
open it pays to look upward for a raptor such as Lammergeier or Himalayan
Griffon, birds spotted within the valley. One bird that paid our lodge
several close visits was the spectacular Gold-billed Magpie and we later saw
even more. At the higher elevations in subalpine and upper temperate zones
in forests of oak, rhododendron, fir and hemlock (and with snow on the
ground in the subalpine) we enjoyed gorgeous views of the Himalayas all
around. It was not a surprise to find a number of new trip species
including Eurasian Nutcracker, White-collared Blackbird and Black-and-yellow
Grosbeak.
We did dip on one special bird in the higher elevations that we wanted to
see. It was the brilliantly garbed pheasant, the Himalayan Monal. Late in
the afternoon while the light was still good, we went to an area to looked
up the slopes of a grassy hill, an area where these wary birds supposedly
come out of the woods late in the day. After waiting for about fifteen
minutes we suddenly saw two men appear off to the left of the area we were
searching. Each carried a long, old-fashioned gun. Fortunately, they were
not carrying any birds. But nevertheless, it was unfortunate for us. We
knew we would not see any Monals. It also explained why we saw several
large Hindu signs in the valley with a painting of the Monal and words to
the effect that these birds have a right to live as we. So much for the
written word being helpful.
Bird Books
* A Birdwatchers' Guide to India by Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh
(Prion Series) covers the area but Where to Watch Birds in Asia by Nigel
Wheatley does not.
* Our bird book of choice this year was the new (1999) A Guide to the
Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the
Maldives by Gimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp. We did carry, and refer to
occasionally, Salim Ali's The Book of Indian Birds (1996). The new guide
covers the 1300 species found on the Indian subcontinent resulting in a
five-pound weight that makes it touch to carry in the field. Another
handicap is that the birds shown on the plates are often crammed too close
together and with twelve artists contributing to some plates, it's not
surprising some illustrations are better than others. Also, the small range
maps are difficult to interpret because they rely only on shading --
understandable because of the costs to use color in the maps. Finally, an
annoying problem for visiting birders is the strange order of the birds
(text and plates) because it doesn't follow Clements or any familiar bird
book. For example, woodpeckers are found near the beginning before grebes,
cormorants and pigeons.
But, most important for all birders, overall the art work on the
153 plates is great, the species accounts are top-notch,
and the introduction is helpful and thoughtful. It is our
understanding that eventually the book will be converted to a true field
guide, perhaps for each country, and be released in soft cover.
To get around the weight problem, we took out the plates and had
them spiral-bound together. We did bring along the rest of
the book to take advantage of its detailed descriptions and
species accounts after being in the field.
* A Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent by Krys
Kazmierczak and illustrated by Ber van Perlo (Pic Press) covering all the
species in India may be available later in the year. Presumably it will be
similar in format to van Perlo's handy Birds of Eastern Africa (Harper
Collins).
Mammals
Snow Leopards can be found as well as both Himalayan Black Bear (more
common) and Brown Bears but all would be difficult to find unless one was
willing to devote great effort -- time and expense. We did not even see
deer or antelope but were not in the best areas for them and we had seen so
many in other locations in India that there was no need to try.
Sightings
Note 1: We use a number for 50-100 birds
Note 2: Our field list was only a partial one for days 2 and 3 so numbers
of the more common birds seen will be greater than shown below.
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
(1)
Great Grebe Podiceps major (1 or 2)
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus (3, great
views)
Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (14)
Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus (1)
F Snow Pigeon Columba leuconota (2 on the
ground)
F Speckled Wood Pigeon Columba hodgsonii (several)
Slaty-headed Parakeet Psittacula himalayana (2)
Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum (1)
Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris (2)
F Brown-fronted Woodpecker Dendrocopos auriceps (1, great
view)
F Yellow-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hypoxantha (1, nice
views)
F Gold-billed Magpie Urocissa flavirostris (12)
Eurasian Nutcracker Nucifraga caryocatactes (1)
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos (a
number)
Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii (6)
Blue Whistling-Thrush Myiophonus caeruleus (at least
10)
F White-collared Blackbird Turdus albocinctus (1sitting in
tree)
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus (1
sitting in tree)
Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina (male)
Gray-headed Canary-flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis (1)
F Orange-flanked Bush-Robin Tarsiger cyanurus (male, great
view)
F Blue-capped Redstart Phoenicurus caeruleocephalus
(male in the open)
White-capped Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus (at
least 6)
Plumbeous Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus (over
10)
F Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus (1 near
lodge)
Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata (female)
Gray Bushchat Saxicola ferrea (about 5)
Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria (1
fairly close to road)
F Bar-tailed Treecreeper Certhia himalayana (two pair)
F White-cheeked Tit Aegithalos leucogenys (3 or
4)
F Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus (1,
nice views)
Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys (4)
F Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
(about 10)
Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus
(several)
Gray-hooded Warbler Seicercus xanthoschistus (at
least 12)
F Streaked Laughingthrush Garrulax lineatus (3, nominate
race)
F Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler Pnoepyga albiventer (adult and imm.)
F Black-chinned Babbler Stachyris pyrrhops (3)
F White-browed Fulvetta Alcippe vinipectus (1)
Great Tit Parus major (1)
F Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus (at least
10)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus (several)
Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus (a number)
F Pink-browed Rosefinch Carpodacus rhodochrous (male, 4
females)
F Black-and-yellow Grosbeak Mycerobas icteriodes (5 - 8)
F Rock Bunting Emberiza cia (2 males, 2
females)
47 SPECIES
Tom and Margot Southerland
Princeton Nature Tours, Inc.
282 Western Way
Princeton, NJ 08540 USA
609-683-1111
609-924-0023 (fax)
princetonnaturetours@msn.com
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