Few of Bhutan's Cute Little Birds

Bhutan has close to 800 bird species. My favourite are the little fellows - they are cute and flighty and tough as hell to photograph. The following are 10 of the cuties that I have photographed over the years:

Fire-tailed Myzornis

Plumbeous Water Redstart (Juvenile)

Plumbeous Water Redstart - Oldman Dad feeding the chics

Rufous-bellied Niltava

Rufous-fronted Tit

Rufous-vented Tit

Rufous-winged Fulvetta

Ultramarine Flycatcher

Yellow-bellied Flowerpecker

Yellow-browed Tit

Little Forktail

Some of these birds are indicator birds - their existence is proof that our environment is 👍

Taking A Break

Here are some bird images all of which were acquired from the forests in and around Dechencholing, Thimphu during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Brown Parrotbill

Crested Bunting

Himalayan Bluetail

Plumbeous Water Redstart (Juvenile)

Red-vented Bulbul

Rufous-vented Tit

Ultramarine Flycatcher

Yellow-breasted Greenfinch

Acquiring bird images with the least bit of cluster around it requires patience and skill. But frankly, if you have already acquired the skills, obviously you have gone through lots of patience. 😀

Siddhartha Gautama Would Have Made A Lousy Bird Photographer

There is no greater confusion among people that what they mean when they say ….. Birder, Birdwatcher, Bird Guide, Bird Photographer, Ornithologist etc. etc. … I have been trying to help people distinguish one from the other - but with little success. So I gave up - instead I now focus on photographing birds as best as I could - as often as I could - because I am a bird photographer first and foremost, and not an educator!

But everyone knows that photographing birds is not easy - but “not easy” is not the same as “not difficult”. And, it takes fanatical doggedness to succeed at it. You have to be so dogged at it that over time you should begin to develop an uncanny ability to sense the bird - even before you see it or hear it. That is when you know you have arrived - as a bird photographer.

But being able to acquire a bird image is … well, a child’s play. You need the image to be beyond good - it has to be uncluttered, separated from the background and the foreground, the sharpness has to be even throughout, the bird should be positioned in such a way that most of its body should be clearly visible - the head, the beak, eye, belly, wings, and a good bit of the birds back. The lighting should be subdued so that you are able to capture and record its colors - faithfully. Not to forget the twinkle in the eye!

Getting all the above right is still not good enough - the final qualification is the SHARPNESS - the image has to be so sharp that you have to be able to see every single strand of the bird’s whiskers, the subtle color variations, and capture the complex, intricate patterns on the bird’s feathers.

As they say, the taste of the pudding is in the eating. Similarly, the only way to test if you have got your images right is by zooming in for a close-up.

It is for this reason that people like me put in close to two months - every day - day in day out - to attempt to get an image of the quality of the following dainty, pint sized, Winter Wren (Troglodytes hiemalis), measuring all of 9.5 cms/3.74 inches:

I can guarantee you - you do not get a good bird image by brooding under a Mahabodhi Tree like uncle Siddhartha Gautama - trust me, he would have made a lousy bird photographer 😂

Arms Of Steel

Late last year I landed myself a nice little contract to photograph wild birds of Bhutan. Just PERFECT! Finally I can now consider the possibility of upgrading to a camera body with a higher pixel count.

I ordered myself the darling of the present breed of professional camera bodies - the Canon EOS 5D MK IV. Only to realize, too late, that the pixel counts aside, the camera was equipped with a sensor size that was inappropriate for bird photography - it came with a full frame CMOS - not the most ideal for bird photography.

Well, too late to do anything - I had to order yet another body - this time with a CMOS size designed for bird photography - the Canon EOS 90D, equipped with a APS-C sensor, with a form factor of 1.6X.

Disaster yet again - the images produced by the body was grainy and not as sharp as it ought to be. I tried all sorts of settings - to no avail. I gave up and went back to my full-frame EOS 5D MK IV.

It was during the course of running the camera body through a series of tests that I finally derived much satisfaction - about myself - as a photographer. Look at the following image:

Blue-fronted Redstart - near perfect image captured under extreme difficult conditions. Photographed at 3:10 PM yesterday the 20th February, 2023.

Tell me - how many photographers do you know who would dare attempt to shoot an image at this near impossible setting: at aperture f/5.6, ASA 100 and shutter speed of 1/8 - employing M shooting mode? Very, very, very few, if at all! I even got the tail tack sharp - remember a bird's tail is hardly ever still.

You gotta have arms of reinforced steel to be able to produce this sharp image at the given camera settings. Consider further that the lens in use, combined with the camera body, weighed in at a combined weight of over 5 KGs - and NO TRIPOD in use - except that the lens was rested on my car window.

Only a passionate photographer will understand the joy of accomplishment at this level - SIMPLY MIND BLOWING! - although I say it myself 😋.

A Necessary Diversion

After months of futile attempts at sounding knowledgeable and informed about what ticks Bhutan's tourism, I allowed myself the rare opportunity of a diversion - I made a trip to Chhukha Dzongkhag - to scan the areas for birds for an upcoming book.

Historically Chhukha Dzongkhag ranks among the most relevant. It was the most important trade route to, and out of, the Indian plains in the South. Majority of the Western visitors and missions, other than Ashley Eden's mission in 1864, entered Bhutan through present day Chhukha Dzongkhag.

Written records confirm that a village - although in my view wrongly named - has the distinction of being the first village in unified Bhutan to receive potato seed for plantation.

Zhabdung Ngawang Namgyel also received his first silver and gold coins in Chhukha Dzongkhag, although of foreign coinage, in and around 1619AD which he melted down to build a silver reliquary in Chari Monastery, to house the ashes of his deceased father.

The following are some of the images I captured during my three days trip to the Dzongkhag, and areas in the periphery.

ENJOY!

A unique geological formation at a place called Lama Lamani under Dagana Dzongkhag bordering Jemichu in Chhukha Dzongkhag

One of Bhutan's rarest birds and a lifer for me - The Beautiful Nuthatch (Sitta formosa)

Grey-chinned Minivet (Female) (Pericrocotus solaris) - also a lifer for me

Grey-chinned Minivet (Male) (Pericrocotus solaris) - my third lifer in a single day. With such abundance of sightings, Chhukha is all set to be elected the new birding capital of the world!

Bird Watching in Bhutan

Hi Peter,

Greetings from Bhutan. I hope you are keeping well and safe.

The last I read, you are listed at the third place among world's top birders, and your bird count is listed at 9,684 species.

One of the two "life birds" for which Peter Kaestner came to Bhutan.

Have you improved on this? I have been asked to write an article by the Tourism Council of Bhutan (TCB) on birding in Bhutan and you will find mention in the article - having come to Bhutan for two of your life birds. I would like to get my facts right --- thus I would like your confirmation.

By the way, should you wish to come for a repeat visit to Bhutan - I am happy to inform you that we are opening for tourism towards the end of September 2022.

Have you sighted the Beautiful Nuthatch? If not I am happy to report that the vulnerable bird can now be sighted at Chhukha, an area that you can access on the same day of landing in Paro. 

Bye and take care --- and it was an honor to have guided you during your birding trip to Bhutan in 2009.

Yeshey Dorji

.........................................

UPDATE FROM PETER THIS MORNING:

So good to hear from you.  I have wonderful memories of my visit to Bhutan.  You were a wonderful help.

My list today is 9,685, as I saw a new bird on Saturday (Caspian Tit). I would love to come back some day to Bhutan, especially with my wife.  There are not many possible birds for me in your beautiful country.  They are:

Himalayan Thrush, Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, and Blanford’s Rosefinch.

Best wishes,

Peter

Tear Drop From Heaven

My frustrations knew no bound in the past over a month – talking and discussing and blogging on this matter relating to the soon-to-be-enacted “Tourism Levy Bill of Bhutan 2022”. I have spoken to industry players, hotel owners, guides, tour operators and friends - in Bhutan and abroad. Every passing day my heart has been sinking at the apparent futility of my endeavors that has been nothing short of blistering.

To be frank, I do not know why I am so bothered – whichever way the Bill goes, I will not be in the least bit impacted. Thus, this morning I decided I had enough taking on the world’s burden on my shoulders – I decided to go chasing birds – the feathered variety ofcourse.

…………. And what a bounty! I landed a “lifer” – a bird that I had never seen in my life before - let alone photograph it! The bird is called Tickell’s Thrush (Turdus unicolor).

Perhaps the Gods in heaven feel sorry for my ongoing angst. Perhaps they are rewarding me with a new bird – to bolster my spirit that has been down in the dumps.

The Ebb and Flow of Life

Humans have theorized the procreation process of the birds, and everything else. And most often we had to rewrite our theories. But unhindered by our many misconceptions, life goes on ceaselessly – neither the lawlessness in Lunana, nor the perplexity of Ex-Dzongda Lhab Dorji’s case will hinder the march of life - it begins and ends as pre-destined.

For the past over two months, I have been keeping track of a bird couple resident at a small stretch of a stream that dissects Dechenchholing Dangrena – my locality. My attention was drawn to the Plumbeous Water Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginoa) couple – the day I observed that they were on to their mating ritual. Unusually, the game began rather early – early March. My experience is that usually the birds in Bhutan begin their play sometime in early April - but it really depends on species - different species nest and breed at different times. Blame it on global warming – if the Black-necked Cranes can be seen in Gelephu, why can’t the amorous couple begin their game earlier than usual?

By mid April, I realized that the couple had mated, built their home and laid the eggs and even hatched them. I knew exactly where the nest was located – but kept it a secret lest someone go and disturb it. I became aware of the existence of the nest when I noticed that the birds were making repeated trips to a particular location – meaning the chicks have been hatched and they were being nurtured by the parents.

Yesterday I noticed that the chicks – all three of them - were out of the nest and they were put on the path of life – their parents were now teaching them the most important lesson of their lives – the art of gathering food – to survive and to start a new generation of birds – the process of perpetuating life on this planet.

Dad

Mom

One of the three new born chicks

The hard working mom feeding her three chicks

Dad too must contribute to the upbringing of the chicks

Most animals breed during the spring months. The reason is that during this season food is plentiful. Thus bringing up the young is simpler.

Know Your Bja Throong Throong Karm

I have been photographing birds for close to two decades. I had never intended to be a bird photographer - but we have seen that our life’s pattern is not woven in the way we will it, nor do we always arrive where we intended to. Life seems to have a life of its own – distinct from how we desire it. So it has been with my journey of bird photography – of all things, it was set into motion by the accidental capture of an image of a very scrawny, heart-wrenching female bird called Plumbeous Water Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosa). That puny little bird triggered my lifelong passion for bird photography – I never looked back since. My bird images have been featured in publications spanning the glob. One of them have even featured in the “Guinness Book of World Records 2012” – another one is included in a book titled “100 Birds To See Before You Die”.

My image of the White-bellied Heron featured in this book as the world's rarest heron

My image of the Little Forktail featured in this book titled "100 Birds To See Before You Die"

Number of birds found in Bhutan is approaching a whopping 800 species, which is more than most bigger countries. Of this number, I believe that a large number of Bhutanese would have heard of, or know of, the migratory bird called the Black-necked Cranes (Grus nigricollis). The bird is known by the local name of Bja Throong Throong Karm. These birds migrate to Bhutan during the winter months.

In an attempt to enhance the knowledge of the Bhutanese about the famous bird, I present the following images which I have captured over the years. But before the images, let me present some facts of the birds:

Bird Count

Current estimated global count of the birds: 8,000 – 11,000 individuals.

Life Expectancy

Between 20-30 years.

Habitat

Alpine meadows and wetlands

Countries Where They Are Found

Bhutan

India

Tibet China

Vietnam

Physical Attributes Of The Birds

Adults: Head, neck, wings and tail are black - with a red crown and a small light grey spot extending backward from yellow eyes. Body has ashy gray feathers, with tall legs.

Juveniles: black and gray body plumage, with cinnamon-brown head.

Identification Of The Sexes

Both male and female look the same thus rather difficult to make a distinction. However, the male is supposed to be marginally larger than the female.

Threat To The Birds

Loss of habitat due to human pressure on the wetlands and increased grazing on the limited pastures near the wetlands - leading to the degradation of the wetland habitat.

Honor

The Black-necked crane is the State Bird of the Union Territory of Ladakh, India.

Threesome: father, mother and offspring

Riding the thermals to arrive and depart Phobjikha valley, which they make their home during the winter months

Faithless - nevertheless they pass by a Buddhist stupa and white prayer flags fluttering in the winds

A dainty Black-necked Crane lass - welcoming and ready for any male with adequate levels of testosterone

The show-off - preening for attention

Executing the mating dance: a male with adequate levels of testosterone

The birds in front of a traditional Bhutanese house: testimony that these birds are indeed resident in Bhutan. Without the inclusion of the Bhutanese traditional house, the bird could have been photographed in any one of the other three countries where they are also found

On the runway: all set to ride the thermals - to depart for their summer homes

Bhutanese Myth Surrounding The Bird

The Bhutanese people believe – erroneously – that the birds circumambulate the Gangtey Goenpa (Gangtey monastery) in reverence, upon arrival in Phobjikha valley. They are said to do the same – when departing for their principal habitats in the North. That would not be true - the Black-necked Cranes are not Buddhists by religion – all birds are faithless creatures.

The reason why they run circles around the valley is to lose or gain height as they land or begin their long distance flight. In the process of circling the valley upon arrival, they are able to lose height gradually and steadily, so that they are able to land softly or gently – landing at once would kill them. The birds gain height by circling – to get lift and enter the zone of the thermals – which help reduce the amount of energy needed to stay afloat and remain in constant flight.

Testing The Bird Photographers’ Presence of Mind

For casual bird photographers – such as birders, bird guides and ornithologists, just getting an image of a bird will suffice – they only need them for identification purpose, or for record or to study the feather patterns and their colors. But professional bird photographers like myself – we need the images at a different class altogether. We need them clear, sharp, well framed and, above all, UNCLUTTERED. There is where our agony is – getting them uncluttered.

Cluttered and crowded from all sides

Sharp, clear, well framed and UNCLUTTERED!

Birds feed in thick foliage and under dimly lit forest undergrowth. In some cases, many weeks and months and hundreds of hours will go into acquiring an image that is acceptable to a professional. At times we get so frustrated – we are forced to resort to trickery! The following image is an example of a trickery executed by me.

Flipped in a way that is naturally IMPOSSIBLE!

The bird image is that of the pretty and colorful Red-headed Bullfinch. It is portrayed feeding on a plant with a seedhead - called Elsholtzia densa Bentham, as identified by our botanist Ms. Rebecca Pradhan.

Two of the Elsholtzia plant species on which the Red-headed Bullfinch feed during the winter months. They eat the dry seeds found in the seedheads of the plants

A sub-adult Red-headed Bullfinch feeding on the dry seeds of the Elsholtzia Fruticosa (D.Don) Rehder plant

In order to test the presence of mind of the Society Members, I posted the above image in the Group Chat of Bhutan Birdlife Society consisting of current membership of 296, who are either birders, bird photographers or birding guides or ornithologists. I asked them to point out the flaw in the image. One Member – Chencho Wangdi – responded thus:

“Good Morning Yeshey Sir. The photo should be upward”:

Originally shot in a vertical format

He is spot on - meaning that his presence of mind is very good!! I had flipped the image so that the bird is presented feeding on a horizontal Elsholtzia densa Bentham plant. I did this to see if the Members would notice the flaw in the image.

Elsholtzia densa Bentham always grows vertically – not horizontally. Thus it is impossible that the bird is feeding on a vertical Elsholtzia densa Bentham plant.

A cluster of Elsholtzia densa Bentham plants. The plants grow so close to each other that it is near impossible to get an uncluttered image. The plant grows vertically and has no horizontal branches. Thus it is not possible to present an image with the bird perched on a horizontal plant/branch

But there is still a lesson here – that if it is difficult or impossible to shoot a bird aesthetically in the horizontal format, shoot it in a vertical format – and then convert it into a horizontal format, post-shooting. However, make sure that you do not make a silly mistake like my demonstration.

Depending on the placement of the image on a page, I regularly flip images. One reason why I do this is because I do not like vertically oriented images - and I do not like my images facing outward. Thus a bird image that is destined to be placed on the right hand page, I will flip the image so that the bird is looking inward and not outward.

The image on the right is the same as the one on the left - but flipped to face left - so that the image is not facing outwards

As a rule, your image has to always be facing inward. It is for this reason that you allocate more space in the front of the image – to give it space – so that the image is not looking too crammed.