We started making our way up into the Himalayan foothills today with our new guide Lobsang. Our final destination being the town of Tenga. On the way we did a fair bit of birding along various stretches of the NH13 road near to Sessa. The weather wasn't great with rain and low cloud but we did manage a few goodies en-route - a Crested Goshawk and a pair of Slaty-bellied Tesia which were chasing each other about plus 3 Grey-chinned Minivets, 2 White-throated Fantails, Long-tailed Sibia, 2 Yellow-bellied Warblers, a Hoopoe, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Little Pied Flycatcher and 4 stunning Silver-eared Mesias. Best of all (but certainly not in the looks department!) was a Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler - a new bird.
Passing through the military town of Tenga we proceeded to the next village of Rupa and stopped on the large bridge spanning the river there. We hit a real purple patch in the improving weather. We were watching White-capped Water Redstart and Plumbeous Water Redstart when I got onto a Brown Dipper. Then, down below the bridge on the river bank a wader flew in that was the major speciality of the area/habitat - Long-billed Plover. Like an LRP on steroids it went on to show really well on a shingle island. A River Lapwing there did the same. Then, while answering a call of nature I found a stonking male Hodgson's Redstart which despite my predicament I managed to get a nice shot of! A pair of Black-throated Prinias showed nicely by the roadside there too. Moving slightly to further along the river we began a short walk seeing a female Pygmy Blue Flycatcher and Blue Whistling Thrush before we got to a large cliff - and lo and behold a Wallcreeper! Graham in particular wanted to see one and he was dancing for joy.
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