With the after taste of the World Cup victory lingering in my mouth I
decided to go for a morning's birding trip around Guwahati where I am
spending my annual leave. Although I am from Guwahati I have very little
knowledge of the birding areas around the place. Even Google only throws up
Deepor Beel for migratory birds and the mandatory garbage dump visit to see
the Greater Adjutant Stork. With the migratory birds gone and having no
desire to visit a garbage dump I asked a friend for help. She proposed that
I visit the hills surrounding the Basistha Ashram Complex which were once
very rich in wildlife.
[From Wikipedia
Basistha temple, located in the south-east corner of Guwahati city is a
Shiva mandir constructed by Ahom King Rajeswar Singha along with gift of
land 835 Bighas for the ashram. The history of the Basistha Ashram where the
temple is located dates back to the Vedic age. According to legend the
ashram was founded by the great saint Basistha (Vasishtha). The temple in
the ashram stands on the bank of the mountain streams originating from the
hills of Meghalaya, which becomes the rivers Basistha and Bahini/Bharalu
flowing through the city. The ashram is located a few kilometers (10-12)
from Guwahati, on the outskirts of Garbhanga reserve forest which has an
ample population of Elephants. This Garbhanga reserve forest is also a
proposed Butterfly reserve. Although the ashram has a temple but still the
cave in which the Muni Vasistha is believed to have meditated is located 5
K.m. inside the ashram. The ashram also has a Waterfall discovered by some
of the local boys of Guwahati, who were trekking the hills surrounding this
ashram.]
Basistha Ashram is around a 20 minute drive from Dispur in the early morning
hours. The road passes through an army base hospital and residential complex
with good tree cover and I could hear the Asian Koel and Hill Myna.
There is ample space around the temple complex to park your vehicle. Once I
parked I just skirted the temple complex and walked up a narrow path on the
hill to the north of the complex. Although the path was very narrow I could
see signs of elephant dung and I was amazed that these huge beasts could
walk up such narrow paths.
I spotted a White-throated Kingfisher on the banks of the stream that runs
through the Ashram complex. There was a lot of activity on the ridge on the
top of the hill that I was climbing. I spotted a pair of Rufous Treepies and
also a pair of Large Cuckooshrikes ssp nippalensis. As I stopped to take my
breath I spotted various smaller birds. I also spotted a pair of Malkohas
flying away from me but I can't be sure of the identity. I also saw some
Pin-striped Tit Babblers. It's funny how, when you are looking for a bird,
it never appears but always puts in an appearance when you least expect it.
I looked for this babbler in Dibrugarh where I could only hear its call.
Then I managed a glimpse near Kaziranga enroute to Guwahati and here where I
least expected it I saw atleast 4-5 individuals. I also saw a flock of
Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush but couldn't manage clear photos because of
the dense vegetation.
I spent around an hour in the scrubs and bushes on the hillside. Although
the weather was dark and gloomy as it has been here in the past 3-4 days,
mercifully, it did not rain.
The place is full of potential and expert help would be required to fully
explore the place and prepare a checklist (if it has not already been done
so). However the place is also full of thorns and nettles and requires
careful walking to prevent tears in your clothes and skin! Red ants nests
are also a menace and I accidentally brushed my head against one which
resulted in an all out assault on me. One persistent individual was only
finally removed in the shower a good hour later!
The list of birds spotted are as follows:
1. White-throated Kingfisher
2. Asian Koel
3. Hill Myna
4. Puff-throated Babbler (only heard)
5. Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush
6. Pin-striped Tit Babbler
7. Black Drongo
8. Spangled Drongo
9. Greater Coucal
10. Crimson Sunbird
11. Ruby-cheeked Sunbird
12. Black-hooded Oriole
13. Tickell's Leaf Warbler
14. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
15. Spotted Dove
16. Red-vented Bulbul
Plus several species that I could not ID.
It can certainly be worth half a day's birding when stopping over in
Guwahati.
Regards
Raj
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