A WALK IN THE WOODS - HIMALAYAN TREK SERIES 2

A brief stop at the pristine Chitrey Monastery on the Indo Nepal border, and what followed was a gradual ascent and level walks through an undulating meadow. The wind was strong and the wind chill was creeping into my bones.

I gazed down the valley as the fog briefly cleared and large bird sad smugly and still on a rock a few meters away. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the majestic Himalayan Griffon gazing back piercingly at me.

Himalayan Griffon Vulture

It was the first time I had seen one of this. I stopped to savour the hypnotising moment. It was as though the bird was dressed up for a formal event with a feather bow tie and a sandy coloured coat looking absolutely dashing. The griffon didn’t waste time and soon hopped and took flight as I still watched with awe at its expanse.

Blue Fronted Redstart

Something, however, caught my attention, small and bright, a Blue Fronted Redstart flitted across on the forest floor and perched with his back to me on a branch, looking like a superhero with a blue cape and contrasting chestnut orange underparts, it was a picture of beauty.

Olive-Backed Pipits

The trail seemed endless and I was enraptured by the sheer solitude and spaciousness of the mountains. But I was not alone, I noticed movement on the open grassy area beside me. Walking me were a couple of Olive-backed Pipits lost in their food hunt.

Grey Bushchat

The day was finally getting over with arrival at Tumling, and standing guard on the entrance to the village was a Grey Bushchat on a pretty perch. The altitude gain had been significant, we were at 10,000ft ( 2970m), and, it had been a challenging trek with rain, snow and strong winds. Tired and cold, it was a welcome relief to hog down hot soup and thaw in the heat of the tea house kitchen. We called it a day and recharged all the batteries including ourselves.

It was a bright beautiful morning, our guide hurried us to see the Kanchendzonga range and the Sleeping Buddha configuration in all its breathtaking glory. A nearby Rhododendron tree had burst into bright pink flowers and was flocked by birds I d never seen before, all butting their heads into the flower and coming out fully pollen faced. As if on a ramp walk, each bird sat on the porch of a nearby pine tree and tweeted before flying away. A White Collared blackbird, Rufous-breasted Accentor, Grey wagtail, Streak Throated Yuhina, Fire Tailed Sunbird, Chestnut Bellied Rock Thrush…I was overwhelmed and decided to soak at the moment putting my camera aside. To Be Continued…