BIRD of the DAY: Large Niltava
Just as the sun is rising about 6:00am, the Red Palace in Yuksom has an amazing spotlight view of the peak of Mount Kabru, Mountain of the Gods. An hour later it is not visible as the light changes.
From the large deck we could look down on a garden, trellises, trees and grasses. It was a great spotting place. This morning we had good sightings of several birds before breakfast.
A woman was spreading incense as we went in for breakfast. The Nepalese people who live here are Buddhists. Shyam explained that we would be hiking to a monastery above Yuksom this morning.
We drove into Yuksom to a trail leading up to the Dubdi Monastery. It was a challenging uphill climb. The path is mossy cobblestones so we were happy to have our hiking poles. Carol found a hiking stick. We took breaks - and birded - at "rest sheds". Barbara gave a young Buddhist boy pencils for his school (which is just below the monastery).
We were excited to see a pair of Mountain Hawk Eagles soar over us.
We took our last views from the hilltop and headed down the path to a road. We followed the road back to the city. We found several birds in the roadside bushes.
We saw some local families beside the road busily hammering large rocks to turn them into gravel. They smiled as we passed. This busy rock breaking activity contrasted with the peaceful farms nearby.
Back in the city, we toured the Khangchendzonga National Park visitor centre.
That was a busy morning. We enjoyed a good lunch and a rest at the Red Palace. Later in the afternoon, Shyam took us for a backcountry birding walk nearby accompanied by one of the hotel staff. We saw three different kinds of bulbuls.
At the Red Palace, Sharon visited the rabbits. And we all enjoyed some tea. Syham decided to share his special recipe for pakoras (made with cauliflower which was plentiful here).
We enjoyed the delicious fresh pakoras while we were listing. A few of us tested large mugs of another traditional drink, chan goh. We all agreed it was a good day.
Birds in the Photos Today
Large Niltava
Blue Whisling Thrush
Verditer Flycatcher
Long-tailed Shrike
Tickell's Thrush
Green-backed Tit
Olive-backed Pipit
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
White-capped Redstart
Pied Flycatcher
Striated Bulbul
Gray Bushchat
Barn Swallow
Nepal House Martin
Common Redstart
Black Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
Mountain Bulbul
Oriental Turtle Dove