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Large Woodshrike Tephrodornis gularis
Excellent views of a feeding flock of 25 birds, subspecies pelvica, that
moved together through the forest on the Mahakal Trail.
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Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush Monticola
rufiventris After a female was seen at Gorumara, single males were
seen at Rishyap, Lava and near the summit of Sandakphu.
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Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
One or two were regularly on the old factory buildings at Gorumara
Jungle Camp.
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Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus
caeruleus Common. Records from Gorumara, the Mahakal Trail, Neora
Valley, Lava, central Darjeeling and Sandakphu as well as a few en-route
sightings.
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Plain-backed Thrush Zoothera mollissima
Brief, sometimes roadside, sightings of birds at Gorumara, Lulagaon,
Rishyap (where there were two) and Lava.
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Scaly Thrush Zoothera dauma Good
views were had of about five nominate race birds fairly high in the
canopy of trees at Bamunpokhri.
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Tickell's Thrush Turdus unicolor
One immature seen on a track at Gorumara on 22/11.
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White-collared Blackbird Turdus
albocinctus One seen by one observer on the Sandakphu Trek.
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Grey-winged Blackbird Turdus boulboul
One female seen at Gorumara.
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Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis
First seen at Rishyap where a spectacular 1000+ were estimated in the
valley in the late afternoon, many of them roosting in the area.
Thereafter good numbers seen at Neora Valley, Lava, the Darjeeling area
and Sandakphu. All seen well were ‘Black-throated’, T. r. atrogularis.
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Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus
Three were heard and then seen by one observer on the Sandakphu Trek on
29/11.
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Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa
dauurica One was seen by one observer and photographed at Lulagaon.
A good sighting for the time of year since they normally only winter
further south.
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Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher Ficedula
strophiata One seen by one observer at Lulagaon.
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Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva
About four were seen at Gorumara with others on the Mahakal Trail, but
no further sightings away from the Gorumara area. None of these birds
were assigned to a particular subspecies.
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Little Pied Flycatcher Ficedula
westermanni Two males seen at Gorumara.
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Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula
tricolour Seen at Lulagaon on both 23/11 and 24/11 but not recorded
elsewhere.
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Sapphire Flycatcher Ficedula sapphire
One first-winter male at Gorumara on 22/11.
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Verditer Flycatcher Eumyias thalassina
One bird was photographed at Rhino Point, Gorumara.
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Small Niltava Niltava macgregoriae
Two were seen at Chapramari.
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Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara
One seen by one observer at Gorumara.
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Pale-chinned Flycatcher Cyornis
poliogenys One seen at Chapramari.
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[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!
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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).
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Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher
Culicicapa ceylonensis Up to two seen at Gorumara Jungle Camp,
Gorumara, Chapramari and the Mahakal Trail.
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Orange-flanked Bush Robin Tarsiger
cyanurus Brief sightings of one at Lulagaon and two or three in the
Neora Valley.
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White-browed Bush Robin Tarsiger
indicus A pair were seen well in the Neora Valley on 25/11.
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Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus
saularis One at Gorumara Jungle Camp and two on the Mahakal Trail
were the only sightings.
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White-rumped Shama Copsychus
malabaricus Seen and heard singing at Gorumara and the nearby
Mahakal Trail.
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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.
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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.
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Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus
frontalis Common in the hill areas, birds were recorded at Lulagaon,
Rishyap, Lava, Darjeeling and Sandakphu.