In association with Sunrise Birding

The first Sunrise Birding Tour to the ‘Land of the Thunder Dragon’ Bhutan, was much anticipated and oversubscribed immediately we posted it. Well, for those lucky enough to go on this our first trip we all agreed that this was one of the most fascinating and beautiful country’s we have ever visited. With 72% of the country still forested and among the most incredible scenery we saw some absolutely amazing birds and wildlife. A big factor in the huge success of this tour was our local guides and our ground crew who cooked the most awesome breakfasts and lunches in the field, right where the birds were. There is no need to rough it, or camp in Bhutan, and we enjoyed some very comfortable and characterful hotels right near the birding spots. From snowy mountain tops to the hot lowlands, we saw it all, but the biggest memories are of the views we had of just about all the birds we saw. It was unbelievable that so many birds showed so well. Everyone was in full agreement that the sightings of Himalayan Monal, Satyr Tragopan and Blood Pheasant were just outstanding. Another huge and very lucky sighting on the trip was a Red Panda, what a surprise and what a delight to see this cuddly bear up in a tree. Early mornings provide the most activity regarding the birdlife with many species in full song, enable our incredible guide to hone in on our targets. Then we come back to the views! Because of the habitat and from the comfort of roadside birding we were often at eye level with bushes and tree tops, meaning we got wonderful views including many opportunities to see multiple species in flocks right in front of us. In fact, one bush had 14 different species. Another hight was seeing the critically endangered White-bellied Heron on a nest with 2 chicks. With just 24 birds left in the country it is sad to say that this bird unless drastic measures are taken, may no longer be with us. Ibisbill with chicks, 20 Black-throated Parrotbills at point blank range, owls that were found within minutes of looking for them, there are simply too many highlights from this tour to mention here! To add to all this wildlife, we visited many cultural sites including ‘Big Buddha’ and Tigers Nest! As they say in Bhutan ‘we will see you again’.