ECOWATCH
Magical Eaglenest
SWARNA V. AND S. RAMAKRISHNAN
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Clothed with tropical, subtropical and temperate forests, home to many rare and endemic species, this corner of Arunachal Pradesh is indeed a haven.
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PHOTO: SWARNA V. & S. RAMAKRISHNAN
Stunning: The Eaglenest Sanctuary and its inhabitants.
Info desk
Guwahati is six hours from Eaglenest via Bhalukpong and eight hours via Kamenbari (Assam). Tourists need to obtain Forest Permits from Chief Wildlife Warden of Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar, or from the Divisional Forest Officer in charge of Pakke and Eaglenest at Seijusa in East Kameng district.
Indian Nationals need to obtain Inner Line Permits from the Secretary (Political), Arunachal Pradesh, Itanagar, or Arunachal Pradesh Resident Commissioners in Kolkata, New Delhi, Guwahati and several other places in northeast India or District Administration (Circle Officer, Assistant Commisioner) inside Arunachal Pradesh but only for their own districts. Foreign Nationals require Restricted Area Permits from Indian embassies/consulates or Home Ministry, Government of India or Home Commissioner, Arunachal Pradesh. Tour operators can obtain permits on behalf of clients, both Indian and Foreign. These permits are checked at the entry point for Eaglenest.
Renting a jeep for the duration of the visit is a convenient option and works out to be reasonable for groups of 4-6 visitors.
For bird and other specialised eco-tours and to volunteer for the documentation of the faunal diversity in Eaglenest contact Ramana Athreya at rathreya@ncra.tifr.res.in or kaati_tours@vsnl.net
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TUCKED away in the western bend of Arunachal Pradesh lies a truly enchanting and magical land. A land bordered by Bhutan to the west, Tibet to the north and Myanmar to the east. A land that is forest-cloaked with an inviting name — Eaglenest. So alluring was the name that we decided our very next annual birding trip to the North East India had to include Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.
There is many a story on how the Sanctuary acquired its name; the most credible is from the Indian Army regiment, Eagle, stationed here years ago while trying to make a road to reach the India-China border. Even today, abandoned and ruined military outposts are scattered along this arterial road in the Sanctuary.
New bird species
Clothed with tropical, subtropical and temperate forests, Eaglenest's geographical location makes it extremely rich in biodiversity and especially for endemic species like Trogopans, Pheasants, Red Panda, Golden Cat and Clouded Leopard. Our excitement knew no bounds after reading reports of the discovery of a new bird species here. To top it, the person who discovered the new bird, Ramana Athreya, had agreed to lead our group! Ramana Athreya, a radio astrophysicist by profession and ace bird watcher, spotted this mystery bird in 1995. When it did not fit any known descriptions, he went back to Eaglenest in 2004 and finally uncovered the mystery in May 2006. His discovery is a shot in the arm for wildlife lovers and conservationists alike across the world.
The bird was a babbler, almost always skulking in the thick undergrowth in pairs or small flocks. Ramana had seen about 14 before he made his discovery public.
He named the new bird Bugun Liocichla (Boo-goon Lee-o-sick-la) after the Bugun tribe who live in the vicinity of the Sanctuary. A close-knit community with its own village-level Welfare Society, the Bugun tribe is gentle and hospitable. In fact, Ramana attributes his success to the help and support rendered by the Buguns and the other locals.
The formal start was in Guwahati airport where we were joined by two other birders from Mumbai and Pune. An uneventful, yet demanding and cold, six-hour drive from Guwahati, with a quick stop at a roadside dhaba for dinner, took us to Lama Camp, 10 km outside the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary. Earlier that evening, we were introduced to Indi Glow, the head of the Bugun Welfare Society, who was the key person in organising eco-tours in this area. A soft-spoken, fun-loving, yet uncompromising, gentleman, Indi Babu (as he is locally known) helped us get all our permits even before we set foot into Arunachal Pradesh.
At Lama Camp
Lama Camp, located in the cloud forest zone at an altitude of about 2300m above sea level, was a rustic campsite with five mid-sized walk-in tents set up and run by the local community. The open-to-sides dining area was covered with synthetic sheets to keep the cold wind at bay and the fire place — an indigenously built cylindrical contraption with a long chimney on one side and a small opening on the other — kept the area warm. We retired for a very cold night! Next morning we were up at the crack of dawn. Our focus was to photograph the Bugun Liocichla. As we readied ourselves, we witnessed a stunning and glorious sight — the morning sunlight highlighting the snow-capped peaks of the Arunachal Himalaya.
In search of the bugun
Our first attempt to look for the Bugun was right behind the camp, but after an hour's unyielding effort we decided to take a break for breakfast. We then continued along the road from Lama Camp down towards the town of Tenga, where we saw Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Orange-flanked Bush Robin, Rufous-breasted Bush Robin, Blue-fronted Robin, Golden Bush Robin and many other birds. After this wonderful start, we decided to head into the sanctuary in the jeep, often stopping when we heard or saw mixed flocks of laughing thrushes, yuhinas, barwings and sibias. Though flock after flock crossed our trail, we were focused on the Bugun.
Later in the day we stopped at a spot where Ramana had earlier sighted this bird. Patience, keen ears and eyes were all that were required. The outcome: excellent views of this tiny rarity! A black-capped olive-green bird with a flash of flame-red on its tail and sides and prominent yellow spots near its eyes, the flock of four Bugun Liocichla was active and very shy. The sighting of this bird and the subsequent satisfactory photograph gave us such a high that we were on cloud nine the rest of the day.
Our next adventure was a trek in the trail above Lama Camp, which Ramana fondly called the Trago-Panda Route, as a result of his frequent sightings of both the Tragopan (a brilliantly coloured pheasant) and the Red Panda. However, a cloudy day ensured that we returned disappointed with only a sighting of the Bar-winged wren babbler, again a tiny bird hiding in the bush.
Back-to-back sightings
Our plan for the next day was to reach Bompu Camp about 10 km from Lama, set inside the sanctuary at a slightly lower altitude than Lama. Bompu was earlier the principal military labour camp, now almost reduced to rubble. The locals have, however, made the camp liveable by creating ingenious shacks. Several large tents are also pitched on the flat hill nearby depending on the size of the group. Bompu was extremely productive and we were lucky to sight most of our birds below this camp. The routine was to have an early breakfast, pack ourselves into the jeep and head along the road. Our back-to-back sighting one afternoon of a pair of brilliantly coloured Fire-tailed Myzornis and a male Ward's Trogon was proof that our prayers were answered.
Our bird list is never-ending with over 150 species including Red-faced Liocichla, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Red-billed Leothrix, Silver-eared Mesia, Tesia, Hoary-throated Barwing, Northern Goshawk, and more in just a span of just five days! As we bid adieu to Eaglenest we knew for sure that we would return to this magical land. However, one question loomed large: how long will the wilderness last? With so little knowledge about this expanse of green and with so few people working to protect it, will it survive at all? Given what is happening in its foothills, in Assam, it is a very scary thought.
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