The entire trip plan started with a phone call from dear Subratoda (Subrato Sanyal, one of the well-known birders & photographers from Bengal).
Previously I have been to East Sikkim, especially in the Silk Route Zuluk region multiple times but when I got an opportunity to be there again, that too in the month of May, I thought of grasping it without any second thought. It’s only two of us with our own planning & itinerary. Though I always have a blueprint plan for every trip but I always prefer to customize it based on various conditions in the field. This time also I have done this & I am grateful to my dear elder brother for allowing me to do so.
This time I was rewarded with many memorable bird sightings that I was never thought of before going there. There were no particular target species that I was aiming for but when you travel to Eastern Himalayas and plan to cover various altitudes up to 12,500ft, your mind automatically wishes to see a few high-altitude beauty.

There are two prominent locations where we planned to stay and cover various Himalayan species.

  1. Padamchen (8000ft)
  2. Lungthu (11,300 ft)

Due to rain and bad weather we have to reschedule our day-wise plan multiple times. The entire bird list we saw there has been given below at the end of this write-up.

Here are only a few images to start with ( will process others and share them soon in my STOCK ARCHIVE). 

 

Landscape of East Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India
East Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India
Landscape ofEast Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India
East Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India
Endangered species Himalayan Goral in East Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India
Endangered species Himalayan Goral
Fire tailed Sunbird in East Sikkim by Arindam Bhattacharya Photography
Fire-tailed Sunbird
Himalayan Monal in East Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India by Arindam Bhattacharya Wildlife Photography
Himalayan Monal
Blood Pheasant or Ithaginis cruentus in East Sikkim Himalaya Silk Route India by Arindam Bhattacharya wildlife photographer
Blood Pheasant or Ithaginis cruentus

Here is a short video from this trip. Please make sure your Audio is ‘ON’. Better view in ‘HD’.

A glimpse of East Sikkim.

Click on the images to view them in lightbox


Species List

  • Indian Cuckoo
  • Greater Yellownape Woodpecker
  • Grey Treepie
  • Crimson-breasted Woodpecker
  • Rufous Winged Fulvetta
  • Fire tailed Myzornis
  • Golden bush Robin
  • Buff throated Bush Warbler 
  • White winged Grossbeak
  • Collard Grossbeak
  • Striated Laughingthrush
  • Golden naped Finch
  • Grey bushchat
  • Brownish Flanked Bush Warbler
  • Blood Pheasant
  • Fire tailed Sunbird
  • White-browed Fulvetta
  • Greenish Warbler
  • Black Eagle
  • Chestnut Crowned Laughingthrush
  • Plumbous Water Redstart
  • Varditar Flycatcher 
  • Scarlet Minivet
  • Dark breasted Rosefinch
  • Rufous-vented Tit
  • Dark rumped Rosefinch
  • Chestnut crowned warbler
  • Green tailed Sunbird
  • Small Niltava
  • Grey throated Babbler
  • Rufous vented Tit
  • Red-billed Leiothrix
  • Ashy Drongo
  • Black-throated Sunbird
  • Grey sided bush warbler
  • Bar throated Siva
  • Spotted Nutcracker 
  • Himalayan Shortwing (F)
  • Black-throated Tit
  • Black throated Parrotbill
  • White browed Rosefinch
  • Grey-winged Blackbird (M&F)
  • Russet Sparrow
  • White-tailed Nuthatch
  • Himalayan Monal
  • Scaly laughing thrush
  • Black-faced Laughingthrush
  • Rufous bellied Niltava
  • Chestnut headed Tesia
  • Himalayan Goral (Mammal)
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