ASIA 1982: Trip highlights

It is hard to pick highlights from a long trip in which I saw about 870 species but the following that I managed to photograph were amongst them:

4 February: Colin Winyard, me and Steve Gantlett rafting for finfoots at Taman Negara, unsuccessfully but great fun (photo taken by Dave Mills)

10 February: Hooded Pitta in 'the ravine' at Taman Negara, I saw six new pittas on the trip

18 February: Lanceolated Warbler in Thailand, one of many wintering 'Sibes' seen

18 March: Guldenstadt's Redstart on the Jomson Trek, perhaps the most striking of the 10 redstart species seen

18 March (again): Wallcreeper on the Jomson Trek, an all time favourite of mine

4 April: White's Thrush in the Kathmandu Valley, the commonest of 8 species of Zoothera seen

11 April: Indian Courser at Kosi Barrage

22 April: Thyangboche Monastery, Everest Trek, the most atmospheric place I've been

23 April: Impeyan Pheasant on the Everest Trek, along with Satyr Tragopan this was the most spectacular pheasant we saw

24 April: Tibetan Snowcock on the Everest Trek, we also saw Himalayan in Ladakh

25 April: Rufous-breasted Accentor on the Everest Trek.  Nepal is perhaps the place to see a variety of accentors

26 April: Chomolongma (Earth Mother), Mount Everest to us in the west

27 April: Blood Pheasant on the Everest Trek

3 May: Pied Ground Thrush on the Everest walk-out

11 May: Nepal Cutia near Kathmandu

14 May: Indian Pitta at Chitwan, the only pitta I've got an identifiable photograph of

23 May: Ibisbill at the top of the Langtang Trek

29 May: Snow Partridge at Gosainkund

29 May: Nick Preston, me and Dave Mills at Gosainkund

29 May (again): Grandala at Gosainkund

29 May (a very good day!): Gould's Shortwing near Gosainkund, a poor photo of a stunning species

30 May: very remote country near Gosainkund, and our 'accommodation'

15 June: White-cheeked Nuthatch near Manali

24 June: Tikse Monastery, Ladakh from afar

30 June: Hemis festival about to begin

4 July: Lesser Sandplover breeding in Zanskar

4 July (again): Great Rosefinch in Zanskar

14 July: Orange Bullfinch in Kashmir, another photo that doesn't do the species justice

 

[blogged January-July 2012]