I began in January with a short business trip to Korea, where Nial Moores helped me find several really great birds, including Relict Gull, Baikal Teal, and Scaly-sided Merganser.
The big trip of the year was my R&R trip to Cental Asia. The highlight was a week in Kasakhstan with Hank, continuing a tradition that we have kept alive for over three decades. We did the standard route, with time in the mountains south of Almaty, the deserts to the north, and two days in the steppe near Astana. Because of the uncertainty of independent travel in Central Asia, we arranged for a car and driver through a bird tour company. Our driver had instructions to arrive at the locations to look for the staked out species, but he didn't know why he was stopping at the particular spot. Hank and I would get out of the car, size up the habitat and then try to guess what bird we were supposed to see there. It was kinda fun, and we ended up getting just about everything we needed. Indeed, I only missed two birds that I needed, Black-headed Penduline Tit and Pin-tailed Sandgrouse.
A perky White-tailed Rubythroat at the observatory above Almaty.
The rare Pallas' Sandgrouse in the desert east of Almaty.
The handsome Sociable Lapwing seen in the steppe was not a lifer.
After leaving Hank, I went to Uzbekistan and western China, with the primary goal of seeing ground jays. I was very lucky, and managed to find both possible species including the local Biddulph's Ground Jay in Xinjiang (photo).
In September the girls and I went to Ladakh over the Labor Day weekend. The main targets were the Tibetan Sandgrouse and Black-necked Crane. The sandgrouse, a Tibetan plateau endemic, is probably the most difficult Tibetan speciality to find in the usual part of Tibet where birders visit. With only that and the European Pin-tailed Sandgrouse left to complete the family, going to Ladakh was key to my success. The crane would finish out the family for me and seeing it on its breeding grounds would be a real treat.
The idea was to visit the area SE of Tso Kar, a lake situated at 4600m (15,000ft). After acclimatizing for one night in Ladakh's capital Leh, the three of us headed for the roof of the world. The two lifers were easy, and both were in the bag within an hour of arrival.
The Tibetan Sandgrouse along the road was very cooperative.
Finding the Black-necked Crane was easy, but I kept my distance so not to disturb them.
In July, I was getting close to 8100, and was hoping to get a memorable bird for the milestone. The Cheer Pheasant, a bird that both Kimberly and my brother Hank had seen -- and I had not, was a good choice, but my trip to the Himalayas at Nani Tal came up one bird short. The endangered pheasant was number 8099. I next tried the monsoon grasslands of Gujarat for the nomadic Lesser Florican, a bird that performs a wonderful display, popping out of the grass like a black and white Jack-in-the-Box. The florican was outstanding!
A Lesser Florican, number 8100, popping out of the grass at Velevadar NP.
The same image, with the florican magnified.
In addition to these great trips, I also had an opportunity to visit the Andaman Islands on business (where I got all but one of the possible endemcs) and I was able to make a weekend trip to Sri Lanka where I caught up with all but one of the traditional endemics there. (I detect a trend and I'll have to fix!)
My last lifer trip was a great voyage to Pushkar, with my brother Reed and his family. The targets were one bird that I've wanted for a long time (White-bellied Minivet), and another that is fairly widespread but rarely reported (Rock Bush Quail). Fortunately, both cooperated.
So as the year 2007 ends, I am looking forward to the year ahead. I've got only 11 birds to see in pennsular India, including seven potential lifers in the South. Apart from that, I will be trying to focus on the north-east, home of some 100 possible lifers. On New Years day my family and I are flying to Kaziranga for four days. While there are 15 potential species in the park, I'm only likely to get five or six, since I won't be birding that seriously.
I am also planning a trip to EagleNest Reserve and Shillong in March with Hank, where I should pick up over 30 new species. When added to a summer swing through NE Tibet to twitch the Pink-tailed Bunting (a recently recognized family -- I need to get it to keep my record perfect) I should again meet my goal of 50 lifers a year.
Here's hoping that your birds are cooperative and that your travels are safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment