Trip report, Ladakh (from 3rd to 8th October, 2006)
Got a chance to travel to Ladakh along with a friend. Incidentally his first name is same as mine; Rajiv Sharma. We flew in to Leh on the 3rd and landed there at around 10 am. To acclimatise to the high altitude and lower oxygen, we were advised a rest of 48 hours by the local army doctor. Therefore a day and half were spent lying in the bed and looking longingly out of the window.
We ventured out on the 4th afternoon, for a visit to Gurudwara Kala Pathar and Magnetic hill and further on to a small oasis of greenery, Nimmu village. All these places are on the national highway that leads to Srinagar. Needless to say, the landscape is breathtaking and so very different. At Kala Pathar, a few White Wagtails and at Nimmu (Nyemo), House Sparrows, Black-billed Magpies and Black Redstart were sighted. Near the Magnetic hill I sighted a pair of unidentified falcons. On the way back I managed to spot a small group of the elusive Ladakh Urial (Ovis vignei). We had to drive off the road on four wheel drive to get a few photographs.
The next day, that is 5th, we drove to the Khardung La pass (5700 m). On the way up we saw Chukar Partridge, Robin Accentor. We also saw the quite a few Long-tailed Mormots. Right on the top of the pass there were at least three pair of Yellow-billed Choughs. On the way back we spotted a flock of Red-billed Chough (20 c), Chukar Partridges (Two adults and about 5 sub-adults), Robin Accentors (2 pair) and a single Rosy Pipit.
Later in the afternoon photographed a pair of Eurasian Curlew at the Shey marshes.
On October 6 we went to the famous Pangong Tso lake, crossing the Chang La pass (5300 m) on the way. This day was the most rewarding for me as far as bird watching is concerned. About 3 km below Chang La, I spotted a pair of Himalayan Snowcocks and managed to photograph one. About 2 km further up, just before the pass, a flock of Tibetan Snowcocks (6-8 c) was spotted. I photographed a few individuals separately and captured 4 in one shot. Moving down on the road to Pangong Tso, saw Robin Accentors, Black Redstarts and a single Alpine Accentor. Also photographed some more Long-tailed Mormots. At the lake itself, there were no birds except for a couple of Gulls and a few Horned Larks. The gulls were quite far, but I did manage to take some, not-very-good-shots. As far as I can make out, these were the Brown-headed Gulls. On the way back from Pangong Tso, to the place we made our night halt, we were lucky to spot and photograph three Kiangs, also called Tibetan Wild Ass (Equus kiang).
We returned to Leh on the 7th. There is a patch on the Leh-Chang La road where a stream runs along the road for some distance. On this semi-frozen stream, I saw something white bobbing up and down and requested the driver to stop the car. Closer examination revealed a single White-throated Dipper feeding in the water. I had to walk across on the tricky stream bed to get closer and managed to get a few long distance shots.
More later...
Some of the notable birds seen and photographed:
01. Black-billed Magpie
02. House Sparrow
03. Black Redstart
04. Ibisbill
05. Eurasian Curlew
06. Chukar Partridge
07. Tibetan Snowcock
08. Himalayan Snowcock
09. Common Coot
10. White-throated Dipper
11. Mountain Chiffchaff
12. Horned Lark
13. Red-billed Chough
14. Yellow-billed Chough
15. Large-billed Crow
16. White Wagtail
17. Robin Accentor
18. Alpine Accentor
19. Rosy Pipit
20. White-capped Water Redstart
21. Common Sandpiper
22. Brown-headed Gull
Rajiv Lather
Nice report, I hope you put some of the pictures in the gallery.
[QUOTE=joannechattaway]Nice report, I hope you put some of the pictures in the gallery.[/QUOTE]
Have a look at page 4 in the landscapes section of the gallery for a superb shot Rajiv took on his trip.