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By
Mike Prince on
31 December 2002
141. Small Niltava Niltava macgregoriae Two were seen at Chapramari.
142. Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara One seen by one observer at Gorumara.
143. Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis poliogenys One seen at Chapramari.
144. [Pale Blue Flycatcher Cyornis unicolor ] One bird was seen at Rhino Point, although photographs clearly showed a Verditer at the same place. Since no-one can recall two different birds it is safest to consider the Pale Blue a possible – may well have been the case of none of us paying close attention to the flycatcher because there were too many other birds around at the same time!
145. Pygmy Blue Flycatcher Muscicapella hodgsoni One male seen well, low down in bamboo, when we stopped en-route from Sandakphu to Bagdogra (not far past the village of Mirik).
146. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis Up to two seen at Gorumara Jungle Camp, Gorumara, Chapramari and the Mahakal Trail.
147. Orange-flanked Bush Robin Tarsiger cyanurus Brief sightings of one at Lulagaon and two or three in the Neora Valley.
148. White-browed Bush Robin Tarsiger indicus A pair were seen well in the Neora Valley on 25/11.
149. Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis One at Gorumara Jungle Camp and two on the Mahakal Trail were the only sightings.
150. White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus Seen and heard singing at Gorumara and the nearby Mahakal Trail.
151. Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros One female at Lulagaon was the only sighting. Very similar to female Blue-fronted Redstart in plumage, although not showing such an obvious white eye-ring and without the black tip to the tail. The subspecies was presumably rufiventris based on range.
152. White-throated Redstart Phoenicurus schisticeps Somewhat of a surprise since other reports do not seem to mention this species, but we saw several near the Sandakphu summit. Both males and females were quite striking birds, often perching prominently on the top of bushes but equally could be quite unobtrusive.
153. Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis Common in the hill areas, birds were recorded at Lulagaon, Rishyap, Lava, Darjeeling and Sandakphu.
154. White-capped Water Redstart Phoenicurus leucocephalus One bird was seen en-route near the Teesta river on 21/11 and two along the river on the way to Lava from Gorumara on 23/11.
155. Plumbeous Water Redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus Two along the river on the way to Lava from Gorumara on 23/11 were the only ones seen.
156. White-tailed Robin Cinclidium leucurum One pair and another male nearby were seen at Lava, in the area between Km4 and Km6, on 26/11.
157. Black-backed Forktail Enicurus immaculatus One bird was seen, and photographed, by one observer near a small stream on the Mahakal Trail.
158. Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata Two birds at Gorumara and one at Bamunpokhri.
159. Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata One seen en-route from Gorumara to Lava on 23/11 was the only sighting of the trip.
160. Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea A pair at Lulagaon on 24/11 and one on the Sandakphu trek on 29/11 were the only ones seen.
161. Chestnut-tailed Starling Sturnus malabaricus Common at Gorumara where a maximum of about 60 was recorded on 22/11.
162. Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra Very common in lowland areas, including Gorumara, Mahakal Trail and Phulbari Barrage.
163. Common Myna Acridotheres tristis Very common in lowland areas, with records from Gorumara and Mahakal Trail, and also seen at Sandakphu.
164. Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus Two seen near Gorumara Jungle Camp on 21/11 and two en-route from there to Lava on 23/11.
165. Hill Myna Gracula religiosa First seen were 12 at Gorumara Jungle Camp on 21/11 with sightings also from Gorumara National Park and Chapramari the following day. A most spectacular sighting was of a flock, estimated at about 600, between Lava and Lulagaon on 23/11. They were feeding in a heavily-forested valley and were seen together in flight on a number of occasions, their calls echoing against the hills. A flock of this size may be unprecedented in India? Large numbers were also present there the following day. The only other sighting was of one near Darjeeling Zoo. Note that Hill Myna G. religiosa has been split from Southern Hill Myna G. indica. Those birds seen would have been G. r. intermedia.
166. Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta castanea Two seen at Gorumara, two at Chapramari and two on the Mahakal Trail. Two also seen at Sandakphu on 28/11.
167. White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis Several at Lulagaon, with 10 estimated there on 24/11, and smaller numbers at Neora Valley and Lava, with one also at Sandakphu.
168. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis Only recorded from Gorumara with two there on 22/11.
169. Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Two or three seen at various places on the Sandakphu trek, including in trees at the summit, on both 27/11 and 28/11.
170. Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Seen or heard daily from 27/11 to 29/11 at various places on the Sandakphu trek. Those birds seen were very dark all over, typical of the nipalensis subspecies.