Birding Bhutan
Satyr Tragopan.....we saw several on the trip and watched this male at close quarters for half an hour.
This is a selection of Andy's snaps of this super country. They were taken between bouts of birding as he travelled across the country. His goal was to establish a super birding tour and so obviously a lot of his time was spent checking hotels, meeting various guides and agents as well as seeing the key species that the country has to offer; this was a great success.
Andy is not known for his photographic skills, but his little compact recorded a flavour of the country for you to enjoy. He will leave the bird recording to those that travel with him in to Bhutan in 2010.
View of Mount Everest during the flight to Thimphu, Bhutan's capital
One of many mountain passes on the journey east.
There are countless monasteries scattered around Bhutan and they make very photogenic pictures.
There are no traffic lights even in the capital. They tried one set for a while but did not like them as they were 'too impersonal' and were replaced by the policeman, shown above.
Yellow-rumped Honeyguide. We have several reliable sites for this species.
Thimphu Dzong. The dzongs doubled as monasteries and fortresses but now double as monasteries and administrative centres.
A bridge over the Thimphu River, typically adorned with prayer flags.
Nutcrackers are very common here.
Inside a dzong.
The views are breathtaking. When clear you can see the snow-capped mountains and when it is not clear the clouds give the landscape an ethereal quality like a Japanese painting.
The dzong at Punakha, one of the many places where we saw Ibisbill by the river.
Punakha Dzong, where we saw four species of eagle at close range; Black, Crested Serpent, Golden and Pallas's Fish Eagle.
Yaks are common on the high passes.
Despite its name the Malayan Giant Squirrel is a native species.
We had great views of the Rufous-necked Hornbill on several occasions, including this one from our campground.
Ward's Trogon. One of the birds everybody wants to see. We had great views of the male and female.
A typical domestic scene and not one put on for tourists.
It was cold here at the top of a pass but most of the time the weather was warm and sunny!
Elaborate decorations on houses and other buildings are the norm in Bhutan. This is the restaurant of one of the hotels I stayed at.