Guests: Casper Philip Leijgraaf, Vincent van den Nouland, Jasper van den Nouland, Danny Bregman, Jaap Louis Anders from Netherlands & Mr. Carlos Davies from the UK.
This trip was booked by Casper Leijgraaf and He specially requested BirdingBD Tours to arrange a trip that will cover the Masked Finfoot & White-eared Night Heron in the Sundarban, & Cachar Bulbul in Satchari NP and other goodies as we go. In the End we agreed on an 8 Day Trip in Bangladesh, 4D5N in the Sundarban and 2 nights near Satchari NP and one morning at a Grassland near Dhaka. Casper arranged other tourmates.
Day 1, December 7th: Danny arrived first at dawn and Carlos Davies next. So I picked them up from the Airport on the Car and we went to a nearby Field where few Lapwings and Grassland Birds are found. Time was mid-day so not many birds were active. We walked and kept looking for what we could find. We saw Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Bengal Bushlark, Indochinese Roller, Long-legged Buzzard etc along with Paddyfield, Richard’s & Blyth’s Pipits. We managed to find the Main Target Yellow-wattled Lapwings along with few Red-wattled Lapwings after looking for a while. Meanwhile Casper and others landed so we quickly went to pick them up to continue the Roadtrip towards Khulna. We were hoping to Board the Ship at 11PM so we may arrive at the Finfoot spot before sunrise. Sunday evening traffic in Dhaka proved to be super laggy and we finally exited the City at around 8:30. We continued towards Khulna using the Expressway and everyone was asleep by then. We stopped for Dinner at a Highway Restaurant and had Hot Naan Bread with Kebab & Chicken Curry.
We continued to Khulna and Boarded the Ship and found out we’d be going fully against tide and Captain informed me that we’d arrive not before 7AM in the morning. Everyone had their welcome drinks, chatted a bit and checked into their cabins for Sleep while the ship cruised and I briefed the captain and staff about our plan for next few days. 2nd Guide Ikbal also joined us from Khulna and he just finished a recce trip for our trip.
Day 02, December 08th:
We arrived at The Finfoot Zone at 06:30AM, reported to the Nearest Forest Office and finally started our Birding Trip for first morning session. We’d already spotted one Common Flameback, flock of Small Minivets and a pair of Rufous Treepie from the Boat already.
Inside the Canal we had excellent receding tide running and we were going slowly seeing all the common birds. The Brown-winged Kingfishers gave great views as well as the Black-capped Kingfishers. We saw a foraging pair of Red Junglefowls and one Lesser Adjutant early on. We continued towards the Last Sighted Finfoot spot from out Recce trip two days earlier but sadly after few hours of waiting there the bird did not come out. We found fresh track marks on exposed banks so the Bird must’ve come out minutes before we arrived there. We found a Nest Nearby which was apparently succesful to fledge 2 chicks this season. We had breakfast on the smaller country boat and enjoyed the forest in silence. As High tide started to start we started to return to ship for some down time. We got excellent views of atleast 03 differently sized Saltwater Crocodiles on our way back.
We had our lunch and quickly started again but this time equipped with Flashlights, Thermals and Headlights. We explored another canal, found a flock of Blossom-headed Parakeets & flyover Rose-ringed Parakeets. After dark we used some playback to see if any Buffy Fish Owl or Mangrove Pitta responds but no luck. As receding tide started again we came back to the Main channel and started flowing with the Tide as we carefully scan the large exposed banks for any nocturnal herons. We found few egrets first, one Large-tailed Nightjar was foraging and several rodents got picked up on the Thermal. After about an hour of looking, the Thermal picked up a short looking slender necked bird at distance. We waited a bit to get a little closer and after flashing lights at it, Casper shouted, White-eared Night Heron!!, all Flashlights lit up at it as camera shutters were going off like crazy. It was foraging sitting right by the water and had a fish in it’s beak. An Adult Bird which gave about 30-40 seconds of still view after which it flew off to the other side and we could not spot where it sat. We went further down the canal looking for more and heard Brown Wood Owl calling from nearby. After waiting a bit we saw it cross river few times until it finally landed on a good branch high up on the other side. Everyone got clear but views and Took Photos as best possible considering distance and available light. We called it a night and returned to ship. Next Dawn, we’d planned to go the Finfoot Spot before sunrise for it to come out foraging in front of us at first light. While everyone was finishing dinner and mostly went back inside their cabins, our forest guard felt a the ship suddenly moved a little while being perfectly still previously while anchored. Upon inspection we found that a Bengal Tiger just swam across the Canal well within 20ft of the ship and we saw fresh marks on both sides. Only if we checked the Banks while we were having dinner hehe. Ship Captain suggested we move from that place for nightstay so we did.
Day 03. December 09th:
Next dawn we cruised directly to that Location and arrived well before sunrise and waited for good few hours but no luck, the Finfoot did not come out from there. We heard one weird Night Heron call but no views. We saw one Buffy Fish Owl that flew away as soon as light hit it before dawn, also got Abbott’s Babbler, Velvet-fronted Nuthatches, Speckled Piculet & one fly by Streak-breasted Woodpecker and a Grey-headed Woodpecker. We also got one brief flush of the Mangrove Pitta. We decided to change tactics and look for other previous locations along the canal. We saw a family of Smooth-coated Otters on the way out which gave great excellent views. Then few moments after that we found our first Masked Finfoot, sitting right below a steep bank and gave us great views in the Open. There was another group there that day and they approached from the Other Side and the Finfoot got spooked and flew across the Canal to the Other side. We maintined our distance and stayed on the opposide side of Canal and observed it with Scopes and Binoculars, took photos, videos. The Bird waited a bit and as the other group left, it slowly came out again and gave us excellent views of it foraging across the open bank. We kept our Distance and took all kinds of photos and videos. It came down on the water and swam for a bit, before finally flying across the Canal once more and entering the original side of forest. We suspect this was the same bird we saw tracks of the last day. We then noticed that a tiger has crossed the narrol Canal once again about 500ft from us few hours earlier, possibly at Dawn. We moved our main ship once more lol.
In the Afternoon, We decided to explore some new parts of the Canal hopefully to see the Buffy Fish Owl. Luck was on our side, the Evening session we entered a new Canal, found Pair of Large-tailed Nightjars foraging after evening and finally found a Buffy Fish Owl that came and sat very close to us. It gave Super Views, Photos & Videos for quite some time until we decided to go back to the Ship which took us back to the First Day’s anchor point near the Forest Station. We spotted 2 more Buffy Fish Owls from the Main Boat and a family of Small-clawed Otters with cubs. We heard the Brown Wood Owl again this night. We found one Scops owl with Flashlight and quickly went back with the smaller boat to check on it but sadly could not find it again. One Member got a photo of it, possibly a Collared Scops Owl but unsure.
Day 04, December 10th:
Next Morning at first light we entered the Nearby Forest Boardwalk. Bird activity was very good with dozens of Purple Sunbirds flying around. We got one very friendly Grey-headed Woodpecker, more Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers, Black-rumped Flameback, Common Flamebacks, Speckled Piculet & Orange-bellied Flowerpecker. After trying for sometime for the Mangrove Pitta we finally got one response and were thrilled to see it sit on the forest floor. One Juvenile bird sat calmly on a stump we had to spot it through lot of brush and branches. It gave excellent views until it finally moved and went inside thicker forest. We saw few Wild Boars here aswell. We then Dropped Mr. Ikbal Babu at nearby locality and moved on towards a Temple and Boardwalk about 3 hour cruise from there, main target there was the Mangrove Whistler. We spotted some Dolphin activity along Shibsha River and arrived at Shekhertek Temple of Sundarban. We spotted a flock of Eurasian Wigeons on the Large River and a juvenile Grey-headed Fish Eagle on the Side Canal. We anchored at the Pontoon, had lunch and went for a walk inside the Trails. We were surprised by Fresh and Old Tiger Pugmarks literally everywhere and bird activity was super low, only few Greenish Warblers here and there. Our main target here was the Mangrove Whistler but no luck that afternoon. We returned to ship and went inside the Canal for a night session but activity was zero here again. Not one monkey was seen. This is indicative of Bengal Tiger presence at Close Proximity according to our Forest Guard. He then suggested that it is unsafe to stay the night here so we moved the ship 2 hours to the nearest Forest Station and came back again at dawn.
Day 05, December 11th:
We enterer the Trail again at first light and found more Tiger Pugmarks, even on the Boardwalk Watchtower Base. But Bird Activity picked up as sun rose and we managed to find several species here around the Temple. Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Pale-billed Flowerpecker, Crimson Sunbird etc. gave good views but no sign of the Mangrove Whistler. We had a brief meeting back at the Ship that what shall be done for the remainder of the final day at Sundarban because Either we’ll have to go to Karamjal and try our luck for the Ruddy Kingfisher and better view of the Streak-breasted Woodpecker or stay here a bit longer for the Mangrove Whistler. We decided to go inside the Trails one last time and after checking for sometime we finally got one Mangrove Whistler which was first spotted by Mr. Carlos Davies. The Bird called a few times and foraged around the temple few times as we followed it and we all got great photos. Jasper was feeling a little sick and stayed back at the ship that morning, he was alse sent for and came rushing to see the Bird. We then headed back to the Ship and started our return journey towards Khulna City at around lunch. Few of us sat in the Front and kept checking both sides for new birds to be added to List. Highlights were Several Green Bee-eaters, Grey-headed Lapwings, One fly by Indian Paradise Flycatcher, more Verditer Flycatchers, Pied Kingfishers etc. We arrived at Khulna at around 7PM but as discussed, we’d sleep the few more hours in the ship and start our return roadtrip towards Dhaka after 12.
Our new Car arrived from Dhaka and we started our Return Journey back to Dhaka to catch first light at the Kamargaon Grassland Bush Warbler Location.
Day 06, December 12th:
We arrived there about an hour before dawn and took a nap. Then as surroundings got brighter we got out and went walking towards the Location while the Sun broke through. We were welcomed by Striated Grassbirds, Striated Babblers & Black-winged Kite. We were checking for Warblers inside a lot of Green Thicket and found Thick-billed Warbler, Paddyfield Warbler, Heard Clamorous Reed Warbler etc. Saw flocks of Baya Weavers, Jungle Mynas and Bank Mynas. We then heard a West Himalayan Bush Warbler singing clearly from close proximity and rushed towards that Bush. After looking for sometime one bird emerged from inside and gave us excellent views while singing. We all got photos and videos. We saw a mixed flock of Common and Pin-tailed Snipes there also. Purple-rumped Sunbird & Grey-backed Shrike gave nice views while walking out of there.
We hiked a different route now looking for the White-tailed Stonechat. After a bit of hiking we got one gorgeous male along with a pair of Siberian Stonechats also. Some of the members were a bit skeptic about it being White-tailed as the White is only visible when they spread their tail so we spent some time to get confirmed tail spread shots of the Bird. Other notable birds from here were more Bengal Bushlarks, Blyth’s Pipits and one flyby Red-necked Falcon. We returned back to Dhaka, picked up a luggage that Danny missed at the Airport the previous day and continued towards Satchari NP. Rest of the Day was boring as we tried to travel as fast as we could but lots of construction work along the road stopped us. We had Brunch at a good Highway Restaurant and directly went to Satchari NP but sadly sun had already set. Local Eco Guide Mr. Russel helped us there for some night exploring inside the Forest. We saw one foraging Barking Deer, Large Indian Civet and good views of Collared Scops Owl and brief views of Brown Boobook. We returned to our Hotel!, not really a hotel but more of a guest house. Conveniently Located at 10 minute distance from The Park, Spaceous AC Rooms, Twin Beds, Clean and Western Style Toilets but the Hot Water Situation was a bit tricky. They promised to prepare Hot Water manually but turned out they prepared enough for only two of us. We had Dinner at a nearby Highway Restaurant and slept the night well at the Hotel.
Day 07, December 13th:
Next Day we started right before dawn and arrived at the Park and went straight towards the Watchtower. We heard beautiful songs of the Abbotts, Puff-throated and Pin-striped Tit Babblers. We saw a flock of Minivets consisting of Small, Rosy, Scarlet and Brown-rumped Minivets, Saw Coppersmith, Blue-throated, Lineated & Blue-eared Barbets, Golden-fronted Leafbirds, Greater and Lesser Racket-tailed Drongos, Pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills flyby, Lots of Blossom-headed and Red-breasted Parakeets & stuff. The Team was getting lifers left and right. As the Sun broke through well, we spotted a pair of Cachar Bulbuls foraging on the smaller flowering trees, along with Black-crested, Red-whiskered, Black-headed and Red-vented Bulbuls. We also saw a pair of Black-winged Cuckooshrikes nearby. We found one Banded Bay Cuckoo and one Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo from the Tower as well as a group of Capped Langurs on a distant tree. Some of us found a Blue-throated Flycatcher female at the Tower Base. We had some snacks as Breakfast and entered the Trails. We walked part of the 1 hour Trail and checked out the Small Pond deep inside forest. On the Way we found few White-throated Bulbuls and one hovering Crested Goshawk that part of the group missed. We came out of the Park, saw one Assamese Macaque among group of Rhesus Macaques and went back to the Restaurant for Lunch.
We stopped a bit at the Hotel and came back to the Park again as afternoon approached. We directly went back to the Small Pond and started waiting for small passerines that come to drink and bathe there. Several White-throated Bulbuls came along with few Black-naped Monarchs. Pair of White-tailed Robins and pair of Blue-throated Flycatchers along with few Taiga and one Snowy-browed Flycatcher came. Few Puff-throated Babblers & Tit Babblers came also while we spotted Common Hill Mynas flying over us as well as a Large-tailed Nightjar right after sunset.
We explored a bit inside the forest looking for the Asian Barred Owlet, it kept responding to our playback but sadly we did not get a look. We found a White-lipped/Red-tailed Bamboo Pit Viper there, apparently there are some dispute among local researchers about which one occurs in this area. We went back to the Hotel, had dinner there and went to bed.
Day 08, December 14th:
The Last Morning was our final session at Satchari NP and we straight went inside the area where White-cheeked Partridge was heard yesterday by the other group. We managed to hear them singing from close proximity but only half of our group managed to see the bird, no one got photo. On our walk back we saw one family of Hoolock Gibbons which was easily the best sighting of that day. As most of the group had to catch 06:15PM flight later that day we decided to start our return journey at 09:30AM. We only stopped once for Brunch and arrived Dhaka a bit earlier than expected so we stopped at Purbachal Grassland again looking for the Yellow-wattled Lapwings but sadly they were not there that day. We found a group of Red-wattled Lapwings, One Eurasian Kestrel, One Long-legged Buzzard and One Oriental Honey Buzzard. I dropped 05 of the guests at the Airport 2.5hours before their Flight, said goodbye and dropped Danny Bregman at his Hotel for his flight on the following morning.
We reported about 180 species of Birds in this Trip including all our Primary Targets and most of our secondary targets, Only missed was the Ruddy Kingfisher and Blue-naped Pitta. Guests got 15 to 85 Lifers each and hopefully went towards their next destination happy.
