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.
- Padamchen (8000ft)
- 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).






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





