Northeast India 2023

As his final stop before leaving India, Ethan spent several weeks birding in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in 2023. Despite unseasonal rain, elephants, and Ethan’s delicate constitution, the trip resulted in a large number of new birds, some of which can be seen below.

This, the Greater Adjutant, is the bird that Ethan was looking foreword to seeing the most. It is probably the nastiest, sickest looking bird on Earth and unfortunately it is endangered.

They seem to understand that they look like garbage and fittingly enjoy congregating in landfills.  

This very shy White-Winged Duck is another endangered boy. Ethan wasn’t able to get very close but was still able to make out what Ebird calls its “distinctly farmyard appearance.”

The Ibisbill is a nice bird. It belongs to a monotypic family which is always a plus. Ethan saw this one while rafting down the Kameng River with his camera which probably wasn’t the smartest move.

Ethan spent a few days around Sela Pass which at over 4200 meters was the highest altitude he had experienced. Predictably, he got sick but in the moments that he wasn’t trying to avoid throwing up or passing out, he was able to photograph this Blood Pheasant (left) and distant Himalayan Monal (right). 

Ethan hadn’t previously associated high altitude birding with Charadriiformes but he had two good gets in the Long-Billed Plover and Solitary Snipe during his time in the mountains.

Here is Blyth’s Tragopan crossing a road. It was a misty morning which explains the haze. Ethan is actually amazed this one turned out as well as it did given the conditions. 

Ethan was not prepared for the massive size of Ward’s Trogon. More like a quetzal than a trogon. An absolute unit of a bird.

Ethan spent much of his birding time waiting for babbler or wren-babbler type birds to emerge from bushes, reeds, and thickets. Fast moving and hidden by branches, leaves, and darkness they at first seem impossibly elusive, but if you wait long enough, they eventually reveal themselves a surprising amount of the time and sometimes even pose. This Sikkim Wedge-Billed Babbler was very accommodating.  

Here are some more that didn’t feel as comfortable revealing themselves. Ethan enjoys pulling these hidden birds from the shadows and thinks there is something especially satisfying about capturing them. From left to right: Marsh Babbler, Gray-Throated Babbler, and Cachar Wedge-Billed Babbler.

Here are a couple more that decided to come out in the open. On the left is a Bar-Winged Wren-Babbler and on the right a Streaked Wren-Babbler.

Cupwings (Scaly on the left and Pygmy on the right) are the epitome of this type of bird. Ethan finds these Boschian fellows equal parts adorable and terrifying. 

“And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” This scary old man (Slender-Billed Scimitar-Babbler) was just the sort of thing that Nietzsche was warning about in his famous quote. 

One of the biggest disappointments of the trip for Ethan was his failure to get a clean picture of a the critically endangered and severely range restricted Bugun liocichla although he felt a lot better after he discovered that he had at least managed to get this record shot. 

Here are some other Leiothrichids that decided to comfort Ethan by being more cooperative. On the left is a Streak-Throated Barwing (B-Dub) and on the right the Chestnut-Tailed Minla.

Ethan would like you to appreciate what sweet boys these Shrike-Babblers are. (Black-Eared Shrike-Babbler on the left and Green Shrike-Babbler on the right)

The Golden-Breasted Fulvetta on the left and the Brown-Throated Fulvetta on the right are not even in the same family apparently. Check out the Golden Breasted’s ice.   

A Yellow-Browed Tit on the left. The Yellow-Cheeked Tit on the right was the 1000th bird Ethan has seen.

More tits. A Gray-Crested Tit on the left and the magnificant Sultan Tit on the right.

A menacing Black-Browed Tit.

Phylloscopus Warblers are a nightmare for Ethan and this was one of the few good pictures he got of one despite their ubiquity. It is (hopefully) a Yellow-Browed Warbler.

The White-Rumped Shama. An Old World Flycatcher with a hip new style.

The threatened Red-Breasted Parakeet. 

An elusive Blue-Naped Pita. You can just make out the blue nape on this girl.

Ethan always enjoys seeing some hornbills. In this case Oriental Pied Hornbills.

Some assorted birds from the hills. From left to right the Great Barbet, an uncooperative Beautiful Nuthatch, and the Orange-Bellied Leafbird.

Ethan views Sunbirds as discount Hummingbirds but he still appreciates them. On the left is the Green-Tailed Sunbird and on the right is Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird which Ethan was especially hyped about getting.

Here are a couple more Sunbirds with a Streaked Spiderhunter (center) thrown in. On the left is the Black-Throated Sunbird and on the right is a particularly nasty Fire-Tailed Sunbird. 

This White-Browed Piculet was manically rocking foreword and backward when Ethan saw it and had some serious crackhead energy. 

This Hodgson’s Frogmouth is also a bit wack.

Here are some reed birds. On the left is the Chestnut-Capped Babbler and on the right is an excited Jerdon’s Babbler.

Ethan had some bad luck with Parrotbills on the trip but at least he got this majestic King of the Reeds, the Black-Breasted Parrotbill.

At Kaziranga National Park, Ethan got to see some of his favorite storks. From left to right the Lesser Adjutant, the Asian Wooly-Necked Stork, and the Asian Openbill. If you took the Openbill’s bill, Wooly-necked’s Eyes, and Adjutant’s head, “hair,” and body, you could create the hypothetical perfect stork.

Some poor, sweet Fish-Eagles. On the left is the endangered Pallas’s Fish-Eagle and on the right the threatened Gray-Headed Fish-Eagle.

Ethan enjoys watching birds having the sex the normal amount. Way on the other side of the spectrum from Max Ernst. (Collared Falconets)

Ethan was only vaguely aware of the existence of the Broadbills before he saw these guys but they are now some of his favorites and he can’t wait to track down the rest of them. On the left is the SIlver-Breasted Broadbill and on the right is the Long-Tailed Broadbill.

Fittingly, Ethan’s time in India ended much the same way as it began. By seeing a critically endangered Bustard. It was well hidden and flushed before it could be spotted but decided to fly in a full semi-circle around Ethan allowing him to take this photograph. The low light of dusk impacted the quality of the image but at least it looks retro or something.