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SITTIDAE
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta cinnamoventris: A single appeared along the Mo Chu, another in
the warmer forest below Yongkola, then several were seen around Deothang and
Samdrup Jongkhar. Note that the ‘old’ Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch has been split three
ways, this one found in the Himalayas and its foothills retains the same English and
scientific names.
White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis: Our first encounter was on the Dochu La, then odd birds
were noted along our route, with several appearing in rather open woodland on the Kori
La.
Beautiful Nuthatch Sitta formosa: Often hard to find, some news from friends of a nest near Morong
was gratefully received, although it took a while to find it! The nest was a large football
sized ball of leaves, presumably previously an ant’s nest, with a side entrance cavity. The
pair appeared fairly soon after we began watching it, and both birds took turns to enter
the cavity, the other posing for us on the nearside. With such a rare sight in our hands,
we made sure we spent more time with the nest, gathering data on the spectacle. We
observed the pair bringing some fine grasses, and also what appeared to be a grub with
bristly hairs (or perhaps some vegetable matter), which it proceeded to dust the
surroundings of the nest with. Following this extraordinarily fortunate encounter, one
actually flew low through our Morong camp, and another three were seen in huge trees
further down the valley. Clearly all that chanting paid off!
CERTHIIDAE
Himalayan Treecreeper (Hodgson’s Treecreeper) Certhia hodgsoni: At least three were seen in the
high forest on the Chele La, and then another was seen on the Ura-Sheltang La. This has
recently been split from the Eurasian Treecreeper C. familiaris, however, C. hodgsoni
includes the western race hodgsoni and the eastern mandelli, which could be separate
species themselves. On this trip we saw mandelli.
Rusty-flanked Treecreeper Certhia nipalensis: A good look at a single bird on the Dochu La, the
only sighting of the tour.
Brown-throated Treecreeper Certhia discolor: A songster showed fairly well near our Yongkola
camp, the only sighting on the whole trip. There is another split here: Brown-throated
Treecreeper C. discolor that occurs in the Himalayas is split from the races found in
South-east Asia and South-western China which are now called Manipur Treecreeper C.
manipurensis.
DICAEIDAE
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker Dicaeum chrysorrheum (LO): A brief view of one in some mistletoe
near Samdrup Jongkhar.
Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum melanoxanthum: A scarce bird not usually encountered, we
had a good look at an obliging pair near Sengor.
Plain Flowerpecker Dicaeum minullum: A couple of singles of this demure fellow seen near
Samdrup Jongkhar.
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus: Often audibly zipping about, we had several looks
at these attractive birds, typically in the cooler mid-elevation forests.
NECTARINIIDAE
Mrs Gould’s Sunbird Aethopyga gouldiae: Some scattered sightings of this jewel, with our first in
flowering trees on the Dochu La, some at the roadside near Sengor, and a single male on
the Yonphu La.
24 Birdquest: Bhutan 2012