Bhutan Birding Trip

Welcome to Bhutan! Arrive at the airport in Paro, then head straight for Bhutan's capital city: Thimphu. The best birding areas in the capital are suburbs like Upper-Motithang and the northern end of the valley (Cheri, Doedena, and Begana), so stow your bags at the hotel and venture outside the city center for an afternoon of birdwatching.

Start with the Upper-Motithang area, a good place to see species like the Rufous-fronted Tit. Sparrow Hawks, Rufous-bellied Woodpeckers, Hoopoes, Nepal House Martin, and Hill Myna are also common here. In between birdwatching, visit the Tashichu Dzong and the Giant Buddha Statue before heading back to your hotel for the night.

Visit some of important place in Thimpphu and Later explore this beautiful upland valley. Relatively dry, Thimphu valley is surrounded by fine stands of Blue Pine and temperate evergreen forests. The increasing human settlement has pushed birding spots at least 10 km and now the ideal areas for birding are around the stream near Motithang and in and around Begana and Cheri villages.

Few of the bird species recorded here are: Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos), Redrumped Swallow (Hirunda daurica), Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus melaschistos), Grackle or Hill Myna (Gracula religiosa), Grey Wagtail (Motacilla caspica), Whitebellied Yuhina (Yuhina xanthoteuca), Upland Pipit (Anthus sylvanus), Plumbeous Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosus).

Dochula (3,100m) is the most scenic mountain pass in Bhutan, surrounded by forests of hemlock, fir, rhododendron and evergreen oak. With the mighty peaks of the eastern Himalayas as the backdrop, we begin to look for White-throated, Striated and Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrushes, Darjeeling Woodpecker, Rufous Sibia,
Hoary-throated Barwing, Stripe-throated Yuhina, Rufous-winged Fulvettas, Lemon-rumped and Ashy-throated Warblers, Whistler’s Warbler, Yellow-browed Tit, Rusty-flanked Treecreeper, Green-tailed Sunbird, Common Crossbill, Dark-breasted Rosefinch and Red-headed Bullfinch. We may even spot the beautiful Fire-tailed Myzornis here.
Towards the evening we descend to Punakha (1,350m).

This sub-tropical valley has its crown jewel, the splendid Punakha Dzong, the ancient capital flanked by male and female rivers, Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu. We hike up the Mo Chhu, and along a wide stretch of forests along the river bank and its tributaries, we look for Crested Kingfisher, Great Cormorant, and Slaty-backed Forktail. In particular we will be keen to see, among numerous other species, Yellow-vented Warbler, Spotted Wren-Babbler and, if lucky be on our side, the extremely rare White-bellied Heron, and Pallas’s Fish Eagle. Other species found in this area include Grey-headed Woodpecker, Greater and Lesser Yellownapes, Maroon Oriole, Ashy and Hair-crested Drongos, Common Myna, Grey Treepie, Black-winged Cuckoo-Shrike, Mountain Bulbul, Ultramarine, Verditer and Grey-headed Flycatchers, Small Niltava, Slaty-bellied Tesia, Blyth’s Leaf, Green-crowned and Grey-hooded Warblers, Black-throated Tit, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Crested Serpent Eagle, Spotted Dove, Himalayan Cuckoo, Himalayan Swiftlet, House Swift, White-throated Kingfisher, Great and Golden-throated Barbets, and Black-throated Sunbird. We will also look for babblers including Rufous-capped Babbler, Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush, Red-tailed and Blue-winged Minlas, Whiskered Yuhina and Nepal Fulvetta.
 

Today, we head into the interior, from Wangdue all the way to Phobjikha valley. The route is thickly forested and we will be birding along this way amongst ever-changing vegetation from the sub-tropics to the temperate to the alpine. We will look out for the elusive Yellow-rumped Honeyguide among hives of Rock Bees. Other birds usually found in this stretch include Grey-sided Bush Warbler, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Fork-tailed Swift, Chestnut-bellied and Blue-capped Rock Thrushes, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Fire-tailed Sunbird Himalayan Griffon, Lammergeier, Indian Blue Robin, and Hume’s Bush Warbler.
Day 6: Phojikha-Bumthang (2,600m)
We continue eastward, along what is locally termed as “lateral highway,” crossing two mountain passes, Pele La (3,300m) and Yotong La (3,400m) We will try to spot Himalayan Wood Owl, the rare Wood Snipe, and high altitude species such as Alpine Accentor, White-browed Bush Robin, Great and Brown Parrotbills, and Fulvous Parrotbill. Other new birds along this stretch may include Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Spotted Forktail, and Speckled Woodpigeon. We finally reach the wide pine-forested Bumthang valley, considered one of the most beautiful in Bhutan.

Say goodbye to Phobjikha and its cranes as you drive east to Pele La Pass, where the morning is the best time to spot the area's most beloved birds: Satyrs Tragopan, Blood Pheasant, Khalij Pheasant, Himalayan Monal, Yellow-Billed Magpie, Chest-Tailed Minla, Collard Blackbird, and Ultramarine Flycatcher. Then head back to the car for a  leisurely drive — with many birding stops along the way — to Paro. The most elusive find on this drive is the Shriek Babbler.

After breakfast excursion to Taktshang Monastery or Tiger’s Nest (approx. 5 hours walk):  It is one of the most famous of Bhutan’s monasteries, perched on the side of a cliff 900m above the Paro valley floor. It is said that Guru Rinpoche arrived here on the back of a tigress and meditated at this monastery and hence it is called ‘Tiger’s Nest’. This site has been recognised as a most sacred place and visited by ShabdrungNgawangNamgyal in 1646 and now visited by all Bhutanese at least once in their lifetime. On 19 April, 1998, a fire severely damaged the main structure of building but now this Bhutanese jewel has been restored to its original splendour.

After early breakfast at the hotel, drive to the airport for flight to your onward destination. Our representative will help you with exit formalities and then bid you farewell.