Nagaland’s Amazing Amurs and Mishmi Hills

After the international arrival in Delhi, the group transfers to an airport hotel. The overnight stop positions travelers for the next morning’s flight to Assam.

The group flies from Delhi to Guwahati and then drives to Kaziranga National Park for a two-day stay. If the timetable permits, an initial birding stop may be made at Guwahati’s refuse site, an important location for the endangered Greater Adjutant.

Days 2–3 explore Kaziranga’s roughly 480 square kilometres between the Brahmaputra River and the Karbi Hills. The reserve’s tall grass, wetlands and forest make Indian Rhinoceros a primary focus. Herds of Asian Elephant and Wild Water Buffalo add to the large-mammal interest. Different ranges offer varied experiences: the central sector is often productive for mammals, while the eastern sector may add otters and a chance of Tiger. Sohola Bheel can hold waterfowl, Spot-billed Pelican, Greater Adjutant and fish-eagles. The wider bird list may include Falcated or Ferruginous Ducks, Swamp Francolin, Bengal Florican, Black-necked Stork, hornbills, Blue-naped Pitta and Finn’s Weaver.

A final morning outside Kaziranga may focus on Blue-naped Pitta before the drive into Nagaland. The route reaches Pangti in time, conditions permitting, to watch Amur Falcons streaming towards their roost.

Days 5–6 are based around Pangti and Doyang Reservoir. Two full days provide flexibility because the principal Amur Falcon roost can shift between years. The reservoir is a migration staging area for birds travelling from eastern Russia and China towards southern Africa, with tens or hundreds of thousands often present and some autumn estimates reaching a million or more. Local action stopped hunting that had previously been estimated at as many as 140,000 falcons per season. Time with the community adds context to that conservation change. Yellow-throated Laughingthrush and Crested Finchbill are possible nearby. Further searches may find Buff-chested Babbler, Black-throated Prinia or Green-billed Malkoha.

An early departure returns north into Assam, allowing afternoon birding in Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. This remnant of semi-evergreen lowland forest is surrounded by tea country and may hold trogons, hornbills, sibias, Sultan Tit, Collared Treepie, necklaced laughingthrushes and several small flycatchers or sunbirds. It is also an important place for Western Hoolock Gibbon, India’s only ape, alongside six other primate species. The night is spent at a nearby heritage tea-estate bungalow.

A short final session at Hoollongapar is followed by the journey northeast to Tinsukia. Afternoon birding covers grassland near Dibru-Saikhowa and the wetlands of Maguri Beel. Marsh and Jerdon’s Babblers and the wintering Baikal and Spotted Bush Warblers are priorities. Swamp Grass-Babbler and Bristled Grassbird are further possibilities.

Lowland-forest birding precedes the drive to Roing. Depending on access and recent information, the morning may use Jeypore or Soraipong in Dehing Patkai for White-winged Duck, Brown Hornbill and Pale-capped Pigeon, or the Digboi Oilfields forest for Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush and Collared Treepie. Thick-billed Green Pigeon and White-cheeked Partridge are additional possibilities, along with several cuckooshrikes or flycatchers. The route then crosses the Brahmaputra by the Dhola–Sadiya Bridge and reaches Roing below the Mishmi Hills.

The day begins in swampy grasslands reached from branches of the Dibang River, probably near Jia or Nijamgarh. Bengal Florican is the principal objective and may be detected only in flight or from a local watchtower. Coucals, prinias, bush warblers, babblers and Black-breasted Parrotbill form part of the supporting search. Birding then moves to the lower Mishmi elevations around Sally Lake and towards Baramile, within the wider Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary area. Forest possibilities range from White-browed Piculet and Pin-tailed Green Pigeon to Long-tailed Broadbill, Slaty-backed Forktail, Red-faced Liocichla and Silver-eared Mesia.

The route climbs from Roing through middle-elevation forest, with particular attention to Tiwari Gaon. As the bird community changes with altitude, possibilities include Blyth’s Shrike-Babbler and Grey-bellied Tesia. Beautiful Nuthatch, White-gorgeted Flycatcher and either cochoa may occur, while the search also covers Rusty-fronted Barwing, Long-billed Wren-Babbler and Chevron-breasted Babbler. The day ends at Mayodia Coffee House, the base for the next three nights.

Days 12–13 cover higher elevations around Mayodia Pass, approximately 2,666 metres above sea level. Sclater’s Monal is exceptionally difficult in India but has been recorded near the pass. Other objectives include Blyth’s Tragopan, Himalayan Owl, Ward’s Trogon, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, laughingthrushes, shortwings and Fire-tailed Myzornis. Mishmi or Rusty-throated Wren-Babbler is the defining specialty. Known initially from a 1940s specimen and rediscovered in 2004, it can be locally present but remains hard to see clearly.

The descent from the Mishmi Hills remains deliberately flexible. Depending on earlier results, the group may make a final attempt at Mayodia, stop again in middle or lower forest, revisit grassland near Roing, or continue towards Tinsukia for Maguri Beel. Another option is additional lowland birding in Dehing Patkai if the earlier visit was brief.

The tour ends with the transfer to Dibrugarh airport and the onward flight to Delhi.