MUCANGCHAI 2022

Mu Cang Chai, Northwest Vietnam, December 12-16, 2022 Callyn Yorke

* Scroll down for Annotated Bird Checklist

Introduction

Northwest Vietnam is a mosaic of high mountains and deep valleys, geologically an extension of the southeastern Himalayas. Temperate and subtropical ecological communities converge, varying with altitude, topography and land use, in complex, interwoven patterns. The result is a stunning diversity of birds and other organisms occupying a comparatively small, remote area. Aside from occasional visits by sport-birding groups, very little ornithology has been done in the region since the French colonial days (for a general review, see Sterling, E. et. al. 2006. Vietnam A Natural History. Yale University Press, New Haven, USA. pp.157-209).

Glenn Morris, Marc Choisy and I, joined Le Quy Minh for a four-day excursion into the Mu Cang Chai mountains of northwest Vietnam. Minh, the co-author of Birds of Vietnam, 2018, Lynx Edicions, and who has extensive field experience throughout the region, was our tour leader. His knowledge of Vietnamese birds and natural history is second to none. Indeed, our final bird list for the trip was significantly enhanced as a result of Minh’s expertise and assistance in the field.

Our winged adventure began in HaNoi. Marc, Glenn and I were a little late arriving by air from Da Lat. For some reason, the initial touch-down at the HaNoi airport was aborted, alarmingly, when only about 30 m above the runway. The Airbus 321 suddenly accelerated and gained altitude, as we watched the airfield disappear below us. The cabin PA system went silent. Everyone remained secured in their seats, still prepared for a landing of some sort. We proceeded northward for about fifteen minutes, then circled back and made a second approach with a successful landing. That was certainly a relief, though quite a few passengers apparently hadn’t noticed the unusual event. I’m fairly certain that Vietnam Airlines intended for things to stay that way.

Quy Minh had been waiting inside the airport, watching our plane coming in. He said that there were no other planes or obstructions visible on the runway during the two landing approaches. When I subsequently inquired about the aborted initial landing, the flight crew insisted it was due to “an unusually high amount of air traffic.” However, that was not really the case, at least according to what Minh witnessed.

A more likely explanation would be mechanical malfunction, pilot error, or a combination of both. When there is a problem with traffic, or foul weather (current conditions in HaNoi were fair and warm) the usual procedure is to maintain a safe distance from of the airfield, fly around and wait for landing clearance from the tower. Whatever the actual reason was for the failed initial landing of VN 1572 on December 12, 2022, the airline kept a lid on it.

The seven-hour drive from Ha-Noi to Mu Cang Chai included a 30-minute lunch break at a highway rest-stop cafe, where we were served a tasty bowl of pho, the only hot meal option. Among the first birds recorded for our trip was a pair of White Wagtail in the parking lot, representing two migratory forms that are quite possibly separate species (Chinese and Black-backed). We continued westward on the ‘new’ freeway, then on a series of secondary roads through heavily farmed mountain communities, arriving at the Mu Cang Chai Homestay after dark.

The owners, Khanh and his wife Lan, greeted us warmly and we were shown to our rooms. Marc and I were assigned separate hillside bungalows; Glenn and Minh stayed in the main building just above street level. Dinner was served by the host family; a meal consisting mainly of rice, boiled vegetables and meat, prepared Vietnamese style.

Our birding trip into the local mountains would begin after breakfast at 0630 hrs. (sunrise) the following morning. The relatively short, cold winter days meant that we needed to be birding almost continuously during daylight hours. We would have a picnic-style lunch in the field and return after dark to the homestay for dinner. That would be our routine for the following three days. Predominately cool, dry weather allowed us to be in the field all day, every day.

The final day of our birding trip, Friday, December 16, began by briefly surveying the gardens and hillside around the homestay, followed by a lengthier visit to the adjacent Mu Cang Chai river valley and rice paddy fields. Since we had been leaving and returning to the homestay mostly in the dark, the local neighborhood, riverbed and paddy fields were largely ignored. The latter locations, at a comparatively low elevation (900 m) produced more than a dozen new species for our bird trip list. By 0900 hrs. we were on our way back to the HaNoi, which would be another long drive, this time in daylight and with splendid views of the famous mountain terraces of Mu Cang Chai.

Materials, Methods and Survey Locations

We used binoculars (e.g. Zeiss 10 x 42) and hand-held digital cameras with telephoto lenses (Olympus and Nikon) for field work, supplemented with cell phone cameras for general photography. Quy Minh used a powerful green laser pointer to assist us with locating birds; he was careful to aim the beam low, directing us to look a certain distance above the beam for a bird.

In an earnest effort to bring birds into view, Quy Minh frequently used playback recordings and vocal imitations of Collared Owlet, which sometimes attracted small songbirds, especially when in mixed species flocks. Additionally, he often used playback recordings of other, rather secretive bird species, e.g. Scaly-bellied Tesia, though rarely with any visible response from the birds. Often the vocalizing bird, hidden somewhere in the forest, went silent. The playback method is commonly used by bird tour guides and, depending on multiple factors, e.g. breeding season and weather, may sometimes bring birds into close proximity of the observers. When that happens, no one is complaining. Indeed, A chance to see and photograph a rare and secretive forest species, is for many birders, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Unfortunately, regular use of playback recordings and sound imitations at popular birding sites, usually results in habituation. Once familiar with the trick, birds become silent, secretive and move away from the sound source.

Field notes and GPS data were recorded in real time, using eBird with Guru Maps Pro (MC) and a pocket notebook (CY). Elevation readings (+/- 15 m) were taken periodically with a Casio Pathfinder watch (CY), and recalibrated with GPS (MC). I recopied my field notes into a loose-leaf binder format later the same evening. Birds of uncertain identity were briefly described in writing and, if photographed, compared with reliable Internet reference images, e.g. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA. Subsequently, I contacted a regional bird expert, Dave Sargeant, for his opinion regarding images of unidentified birds. Remaining species of undetermined identity are listed with a ? in the Annotated Bird List.

Multiple stops were made along an unnamed paved road (dubbed, “Triple B Road” — TBR — reflecting the nearly ubiquitous presence of Brown-breasted Bulbul during our surveys) from the river crossing in central Mu Cang Chai (Elev. 900 m), 22 km to the summit (Elev. 2,100 m), separating the districts of Lao Chai and Che Tao (see following map).

We walked along Triple B Road (TBR) and occasionally a short distance, i.e. < 200 m, on side tracks, observing and photographing birds. Highland habitats surveyed along TBR, varied from extensively terraced agricultural hillsides with patchy shrubland at the lower elevations, to mature cloud forest above about 1,700 m. Deep ravines and canyon drainages occurred throughout the area. Traffic (mostly motorbike) on TBR seemed to correlate with the ambient air temperature (8C to 15C) and cloud cover; the busiest times being during fair weather, i.e. Thursday, December 15, our final day birding TBR. Driving this narrow mountain road was occasionally hazardous, particularly on blind curves at dawn and dusk. Aside from small-scale wood harvesting in the forest, the surveyed areas were mostly quiet and undisturbed by human activities during our visits (December 13, 14, 15: 0645-1730 hrs).

One bird survey was made in the Mu Cang Chai river valley (MCRV), which had been largely converted to farmland. A mosaic of flooded and relatively dry, fallow paddy fields, separated by small berms and homesteads, bordered a rocky riverbed. We walked along the main roadway and berms between the paddy fields in this area, visually covering an area of about 20 ha. The riverbed was only partially visible from our position in the paddy fields and may well have contained additional bird species that we did not observe (December 16, 0700-0900 hrs.).

Annotated Bird List, Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam, December 12-16, 2022, Callyn Yorke

Abundance: Numbers following each species entry are the maximum count for a single survey, when multiple surveys of an area were made; Age, sex and molt (when known): ad = adult; imm = immature; m = male; f = female; bsc plmg = basic (non-breeding plumage; alt plmg = alternate (breeding) plumage.

Frequency: C = Common, i.e. found during all or 2/3 of the surveys in appropriate habitats; UC = found only once (1/3 of the surveys) in appropriate habitat. Note: the Mu Cang Chai river valley and paddy fields (MCRV) were surveyed only once and thus the above nonparametric categories do not apply in that case. The MCC Homestay property and adjacent neighborhood was surveyed mainly aurally, then visually on the morning of December 16, 2022.

Observers: Marc Choisy (MC); Glenn Morris (GM); Le Quy Minh (QM); Callyn Yorke (CY). The observer’s initials are used when one or more of them reported a new bird species for the trip list that was not observed by others in our group.

Localities & Distribution: Triple B Road (TBR) in the Mu Cang Chai highlands, covering by car about 22 km from the river bridge in central Mu Cang Chai @ 900 m to 2,100 m in elevation at the summit; Mu Cang Chai river valley and paddy fields (MCRV); In transit observations from the car (mostly by QM, who was driving), between the HaNoi airport and Mu Cang Chai (IT: December 12 & 16); ubiquitous in the appropriate habitat (ubiq).

Ecology and Behavior: aerial insect hawking (ah); taking fruit, berries or parts of flowers (fr); gleaning insects from foliage (ig); probing into surface (pr); estimated height (m) above ground (agl); gregarious (greg); mixed-species flock (msf).

Systematics and Nomenclature used herein, is an amalgam of Avibase, International Ornithological Congress (IOC) and current (2022) online resources, i.e. Birds of the World, Cornell University, USA.

• Chinese Goose Anser cygnoides 2 domestics around paddy field homestead, MCRV.
• Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata 16 domestics walking around homesteads, IT
• Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 300 + domestic leucistics, in farm ponds around Hanoi, C, IT
• Feral Rock Pigeon Columba livia 20 greg. in larger towns, IT
• Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis 5 greg. usually in pairs on low limbs in trees at edges of farmland clearings and olive orchards,1,500 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• Green-billed Malkoha Phaenicophaeus tristis 1 mid to upper level in transitional cloud forest,1,600 m elev. (possibly at or slightly above the upper limit of its elevational range – see Craik & Minh. 2018, p. 60; UC, TBR
• Large Hawk Cuckoo Hierococcyx sparverioides 1 (ad) in the late afternoon, this bird flew low over open field and roadway, alighting on a utility wire; it was initially mistaken for an accipiter. We discussed the possible adaptive significance of a hawk-like form, (Batesian mimicry) that is possibly related to its effectiveness as a brood parasite, e.g. of Streaked Spiderhunter (Arachnothera magna) and White-browed Laughingthrush (Garrulax sannio). If host birds are frightened off their nest by the sight of a hawk-like bird, then a female hawk cuckoo may gain a selective advantage when hunting for nests in which to deposit an egg; 1,000 m elev. UC, TBR (photo).

• Chinese Pond Heron Ardeola bacchus 20 (ad, imm) greg. frequently seen in a variety of open wetlands, including paddy fields and riverbeds, C, IT, MCRV
• Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta 2 individuals with other egrets (LIEG) in flooded fields, IT
• Intermediate Egret Ardea intermedia ? 10 greg. in flooded fields and distant, relatively undisturbed wetlands, IT
• Little Egret Egretta garzetta 20 + greg. in small flocks, frequenting flooded farmland and other wetlands, IT
• Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 1 (ad) resting and preening on a berm at the edge of a flooded paddy field; flew off and returned to the same spot a few minutes later MCRV (photo).

• Collared Owlet Glaucidium brodiei 1 vocal (unseen) lower elevation to cloud forest, 1,000 -2,000 m, C, TBR
• Accipiter sp. ? c.f. A. nisus 1 (ad) (subsequently examined from one distant, blurry photo – CY) robust frontal profile, light chestnut breast; perched briefly at about 25m agl in partially broken tree canopy with snags, about 1,800 m elev., UC, TBR
• Black Kite Milvus migrans 1 soaring at about 30 m agl above a riverbed, IT
• White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 1 (ad) perched on low limb in a streamside tree, MCRV (CY – identifiable by a distant photo).
• Great Barbet Psilopogon virens 2 vocal (unseen) unresponsive to repeated playback of its vocalizations by QM, 1,800 -1,900 m elev. UC, TBR
• Himalayan Golden-throated Barbet Psilopogon franklinii 2 perched in fruiting tree with Black Bulbul and other bird species in emergent tree canopies and exposed perches on adjacent bare tree limbs, 1,800 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• Blue-throated Barbet Psilopogon asiaticus 3 pairs in emergent fruiting trees, often in msf with bulbuls (e.g. Black Bulbul and Crested Finchbill). The barbets seemed reluctant to leave the vicinity of the fruiting trees and were observed and photographed for at least 15-minutes at the same location. Repeated playback of Great Barbet vocalizations by QM, appeared to attract Blue-throated Barbets to the area, rather than GRBA; 1900 m elev. C, TBR (photo).

• Darjeeling Woodpecker Dendrocopus darjellensis 1 in distant forest tree, 1,800 m elev. UC, TBR (QM)
• White-bellied Erpornis Erpornis zantholeuca 1 roadside second-growth, 1,800 m elev. (QM)
• White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis 1 vocal (unseen) hillside woodland adjacent to MCC Homestay
• Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 1 in flight over farmland on the outskirts of Hanoi, IT (QM)
  • Blackish Drongo Dicrurus longicaudatus 1 early morning on December 16, the bird flew to and perched atop a tall snag, 20 m agl, on the hillside above MCC Homestay, 950 m elev.; this was our only record of a drongo (Dicrurus spp.) in the Mu Cang Chai region during our surveys.
  • Chinese Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 1, noted extensive rufous on sides and flanks; perched on utility wire over riverside clearing, MCRV
  • Himalayan Long-tailed Shrike Lanius tricolor 1, noted entirely black head and a relatively large white wing patch; possibly the same individual seen on two mornings, perched low in shrubs next to a small stream; also on fence and low tree limbs in a hillside olive orchard, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
  • Gray-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus 1 perched on a low shrub, then flying to ploughed ground in fallow field bordering a drainage canal, MCRV
  • Western Gray Treepie Dendrocitta himalayana 2 vocal (heard more often than seen); one bird subsequently, appearing in subcanopy of deciduous tree near the roadway, 1,800 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha 2 greg. a pair vocalizing and flying to a low hillside shrub above a stream, 500 m elev.? IT (QM, MC)
• Northern Jungle Crow Corvus japonensis 12 vocal, greg., flying over roadway and open fields, 1200-1300 m elev., UC, TBR
• Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus 2 in msf with Black-faced Warbler, fern and understory shrubs at edge of forest, 1900 m, UC, TBR
• Yellow-cheeked Tit Machlolophus spilonotus 6 greg. pairs often in msf with Black-throated Tit, Whiskered Yuhina and other small passerines, e.g. Phylloscopus spp. foraging primarily on dry fruits, nuts, in understory of forest edge, 1,800 – 1,900 m elev. C, TBR (photo).

• Double Zitting Cisticola Cisticola tinnabulans 1 (subsequently identified by a photo- CY) partially concealed while preening in dry paddy field, MCRV
• Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius 1 vocal (unseen) in second-growth and garden, MCC Homestay
• Hill Prinia Prinia superciliaris 8 vocal and active in hillside shrubs, 1,500-1,700 m, C, TBR
• Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris 2 a pair, active at edge of partially flooded paddy field next to a homestead, MCRV
• Pygmy Cupwing Pnoepyga pusilla 1 vocal (unseen) in mature transitional montane forest, 1,500 – 1,700 m, C, TBR
• Northern Mountain Bulbul Ixos mcclelandii 4 greg. pairs active in middle to upper levels of forest trees, 1700-1900 m elev., C, TBR
• Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus (about one-third were the white-headed forms usually seen with the numerically dominant black-headed form) 8 greg. small flocks in middle to upper level of forest fruiting trees, often in msf with other bulbuls and barbets, e.g. Crested Finchbill, Blue-throated and Himalayan Golden-throated Barbet, 1600-1900 m elev., C, TBR
• Crested Finchbill Spizixos canifrons 25 highly gregarious at mid to upper levels of forest fruiting trees, often in msf with other birds (see previous entry), 1,500 -1900 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• Striated Bulbul Pycnonotus striatus 3 greg. in msf with other bulbuls and barbets (see previous entries) in the forest canopy, often favoring elevated snag perches, 1800-1900 m elev. C, TBR (photo).

• Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus 1 on outer limbs of trees in hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev.; possibly a new record for this area, C, TBR (photo).

• Brown-breasted Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthorrhous 60 vocal, highly greg. in second-growth, shrubland, edges of agricultural fields; rather shy and difficult to photograph at close range, 1300-1800 m elev. C, ubiq., TBR (photo).

• Northern Sooty-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus chrysorrhoides 2 greg. pairs active in second-growth at edge of forest and in agricultural areas, 1500 m elev. C, TBR
• Flavescent Bulbul Pycnonotus flavescens 8 vocal, greg. in second-growth at edge of forest, 1700 – 1900 m, C, TBR
• Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus 2 active in pines at MCC Homestay; possibly present at high elevations (>1,500 m) on TBR; multiple Phylloscopus sightings were left specifically unassigned.
• Pallas’s Leaf warbler Phylloscopus proregulus 1( subsequently identified with photos – CY) in second-growth at edge of shrubland and agricultural fields, 1,500 m, UC, TBR
• Ashy-throated Warbler Phylloscopus maculipennis 1 active in msf with other small, insectivorous and frugivorous birds, edges of forest along roadway, 1,800 m, UC, TBR
• Buff-throated Warbler Phylloscopus subaffinis 1 in second-growth at edge of woodland and hillside scrub, 1,500 m, UC, TBR (GM).
• Radde’s Warbler Phylloscopus schwarzi 2 staying low in shrubs at edges of clearings, 1,500-1600 m, C, TBR (photo).

• Chestnut-crowned Warbler Phylloscopus castaniceps 1 forest edge second-growth, 1,600 m elev., UC TBR (GM)
• Slaty-bellied Tesia Tesia olivea 1 vocal (unseen and unresponsive to playback recordings by QM) in cloud forest, 1900 m elev, UC, TBR
• Black-faced Warbler Abroscopus schisticeps 10 very active in msf with Phylloscopus sp., Yellow-browed Tit and other small insectivorous passerines, in ferns and forest edge understory near the roadside; a honeybee colony was nearby, 1,800 – 2,000 m elev., C, TBR (photo)

• Mountain Tailorbird Phyllergates cucullatus 1 vocal (unseen) forest edge, second-growth, 1500-1600 m elev, C, TBR
• Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus 10 vocal, highly greg. often in msf with yuhinas, fulvettas and Phylloscopus spp., actively foraging in forest understory, 1500-1900 m elev., C, TBR
• Spot-breasted Parrotbill Paradoxornis guttaticollis 5 greg. pairs and small flocks perched conspicuously in shrubs and tall grass in an olive orchard and hillside scrub, 1500 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• White-collared Yuhina Yuhina diademata 8 greg. in second-growth, low to middle level, 1500-1800 m elev. C, TBR
  • Whiskered Yuhina Yuhina flavicollis 5 greg. in second-growth, low to upper middle levels, 1600-1900 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• Chestnut-flanked White-eye Zosterops erythropleurus 15 vocal, greg. flocks moving quickly through tree canopies, sometimes accompanied by bulbuls, warblers and other small birds, 1,800-1,950 m elev., C, TBR
• Chinese White-eye Zosterops simplex 12 vocal, greg. flocks moving moderately through canopies and subcanopies of flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs at the forest edge, 1,500-1,800 m elev., C, TBR
• Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler Pomatorhinus ruficollis 2 vocal yet rather secretive in undergrowth of hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• Northern Gray-throated Babbler Stachyris nigriceps 1 elev. ? UC, TBR (QM)
• Golden Babbler Cyanoderma chrysaeum 1 (subsequently identified in photos ) in msf with David’s Fulvetta and Phylloscopus sp., middle level of second-growth – a dense stand of young trees, 1,700 m elev., UC, TBR (CY)
• Rufous-capped Babbler Cyanoderma ruficeps 1 in dense undergrowth of hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• Rusty-capped Fulvetta Schoeniparus dubius 4 vocal, pairs active in dense, hillside scrub undergrowth, surfacing and briefly approaching Minh’s portable speaker broadcasting their song, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• David’s Fulvetta Alcippe davidi 3 greg. very active in a dense stand of young trees at roadside, 1,700 m elev. UC, TBR
• White-browed Laughingthrush Garrulax sannio 5 vocal, greg., shy and retiring small flocks in shady understory of trees and tall shrubs in hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev. C, TBR (photo).

• Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush Garrulax pectoralis 5 vocal, greg. shy and secretive in dense understory of hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• Black-headed Sibia Heterophasia desgodinsi 6 greg. in subcanopy at edge of forest, 1700-1900 m elev., C, TBR
• Red-tailed Minla Minla ignotincta 2 a pair at mid to upper level of forest edge, 2,100 m elev. UC, TBR (QM – photo)
• Blue-winged Minla Siva cyanouroptera 2 a pair in middle to upper-middle level at the forest edge, 1,500 -1,800 m elev., C, TBR
• Eastern Spectacled Barwing Actinodura radcliffei 2 in middle level of forest edge, 1,800 m elev. UC, TBR (photo – see Introduction).
• Green Cochoa Cochoa viridis 1 vocal on a distant perch in tall, emergent snag, about 25 m agl in cloud forest, 1,900 m elev., UC, TBR
• Chinese Blackbird Turdus mandarinus 1 (f) flying to conspicuous perch sites at edge of paddy fields, MCRV
• Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis 2 (m) vocal in MCC Homestay yard area; another bird at edge of paddy field and river embankment, MCRV
• Dark-sided Flycatcher Muscicapa cacabata 1 on an exposed perch in an isolated tree at the edge of a clearing, 1,500 m elev., UC, TBR
• Fujian Niltava Niltava davidi 2 (m) sallying from a low limb at the edge of a forest clearing, 1,800 m elev., UC, TBR
• Large Niltava Niltava grandis 1 seen briefly on a mid-level limb perch inside the forest, 1,800 m elev, UC, TBR
• Siberian Rubythroat Calliope calliope 4 vocal (unseen) in concealed location in dense, roadside undergrowth; unresponsive to playback recordings of its song by QM, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• Slaty-backed Forktail Enicurus schistaceus 1 1,800 m (GM)
• Yellow-rumped Flycatcher Ficedula xanthopygia 1 in msf with Phylloscopus sp. and other small passerines, hillside scrub with scattered trees and tall shrubs, 1,500 m elev., UC, TBR
• Sapphire Flycatcher Ficedula sapphira 1 (f) mid- level of roadside second-growth and forest edge, 1,800 m elev., UC, TBR
• Plumbeous Water-redstart Phoenicurus fuliginosus 3 at edge of river through MCC town and an individual on the edge of a rooftop of an adjacent building, MCRV
• Chestnut-bellied Rock-thrush Monticola rufiventris 1 (m) conspicuous roadside perch, 1,400 m elev., UC, TBR
• Gray Bushchat Saxicola ferreus 10 (m,f) individuals on elevated perches in hillside scrub and clearings, 900 m -1,500 m elev., C, TBR, MCRV
• Tibetan Stonechat Saxicola przewalskii 12 (m,f) individuals on elevated perches in hillside scrub and clearings, 900 m – 1,600 m, C, ubiq. TBR, MCRV (photo).

• Orange-bellied Leafbird Chloropsis hardwickii 3 (m,f) pairs active in canopy of fruiting trees at the forest edge; often in msf with barbets and bulbuls, 1,700 -1,900 m elev., C, TBR
• Fire-breasted Flowerpecker Dicaeum ignipectus 2 (m,f) flying over clearings and forest edge to flowering and fruiting trees, 1,500 – 1,800 m elev., C, TBR
• Streaked Spiderhunter Arachnothera magna 1 vocal (unseen) inside of forest, 1,900 m, UC, TBR
• Green-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga nipalensis 3 (m,f) low to mid-level in flowering and fruiting trees at forest edge, 1.600 -1800 m elev., C, TBR
• Scarlet-breasted (Gould’s) Sunbird Aethopyga dabryii 4 (m,f) lower to mid-level at forest edge in flowering and fruiting trees and shrubs, 1,500 -1,900 m elev. C, TBR
• Yellow-bellied Avadavat Amandava flaviventris 1 (m) in msf with Scaly-breasted Munia, roadside scrub and tall grass, 1,000 – 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata 20 greg. in flight and in dry paddy fields, MCRV
• Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura nisoria 10 greg. edge of hillside scrub and tall grasses, 1,300-1,700 m, C, TBR
• Russet Sparrow Passer cinnamomeus 3 on utility wire over paddy field, MCRV (QM)
• Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 10 (m,f) greg. on ground and pavement, on light standards in paddy fields, MCRV
• Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 3 in flight over agricultural hillsides, foraging on side of dirt tracks through hillside scrub, 1,000 – 1,500 m elev., C, TBR, MCRV
• Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus 2 individuals showing variable amounts of buffy-rufous coloration on head; on berms and edges of flooded paddy fields, MCRV (photo)

• Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus 10 individuals walking-foraging – pr, ig, in wet paddy fields and berms, MCRV
• Gray Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 5 individuals on roadways and dirt tracks, 900 – 1,600 m elev., C, TBR, MCRV
• Eastern Yellow Wagtail Motacilla tschutschensis 3 on berms and in wet paddy fields, MCRV
• Siberian Wagtail Motacilla ocularis 1 on paddy field berm, MCRV
• Black-backed Wagtail Motacilla lugens 3 in wet paddy fields and on berms, MCRV; also in paved parking lot, IT
• Chinese Wagtail Motacilla leucopsis 10 in wet paddy fields, roadsides, clearing, C, TBR, MCRV, IT
• Himalayan Wagtail Motacilla alboides 1 (ID based on extensive black feathering) in paddy fields, MCRV (photo).

• Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus 1 in clearings at the edge of hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR
• Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla 4 greg. low in shrubs and on the ground in weedy clearings of hillside scrub, 1,500 m elev., C, TBR (photo).

• Tristram’s Bunting Emberiza tristrami ? 1 a medium-sized emberizid with a dark head was seen briefly with an Olive-backed Pipit on the ground at the edge of dirt track in hillside scrub, 1,550 m elev., UC, TBR

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