Trip Summary
During October-2024 while celebrating Durga Puja vacation, We went to Meghalaya for family vacation as well as Bird Watching. I dedicated last two days of my trip (16th October to 17th October) for Bird watching and photography. Meghalaya is an important destination for all bird enthusiasts given the presence of endemic species like Tawny-breasted Wren Babbler as well as other sought-after species like Assam Laughingthrush, Spot-breasted Parrotbill etc.
Locations Visited
There is no bird photography hide in Meghalaya and birding activities are concentrated around following locations:
Mawplang along the East Khasi Hills
I explored various roadside locations while going to Mawplang (from Shillong). We remained highly attentive to bird calls while driving and stopped at several places for further exploration and morning sessions were quite productive.
Mawsynram
Another important destination for us was Mawsynram – a small town located about 70Km from Shillong and has emerged as an important tourist destination given that this town receives highest rainfall in India.
Duang Sing Syiem viewpoint
On the second day of the trip, we visited locations like Duang Sing Syiem viewpoint and places around this location, since this is a very popular tourist destination, we reached there by 6 am so as to avoid peak hour tourist activities.
Group Size
During this trip, my wife Jayita who is also a keen bird watcher accompanied me
Bird Species Observed
Some of the important species that I was fortunate to observe and photograph are highlighted below:
Hodgson’s Frogmouth – Batrachostomus hodgsoni
• Himalayan Prinia – Prinia crinigera
• Rufous-crowned Prinia – Prinia khasiana
• Striated Yuhina – Staphida castaniceps
• Tawny-breasted Wren-Babbler- Spelaeornis longicaudatus
• Spot-breasted Scimitar-Babbler – Erythrogenys mcclellandi
• Rusty-capped Fulvetta – Schoeniparus dubius
• Assam Laughingthrush – Trochalopteron chrysopterum
• Gray Sibia – Heterophasia gracilis
• Rusty-fronted Barwing – Actinodura egertoni
Arrangements of the Trip
For this trip, I hired services of a professional bird guide Naba Chaudhuri from Guwahati. He was accompanied by his friend / associate Kamal Ingti.
Weather Conditions
Best month to visit Meghalaya for birding is October to April. However, fellow birders need to be attentive towards weather forecast since some of the birding destinations experience heavy rainfall even in October as well.
Accommodation
My guide arranged for our stay at a place which was equidistant from Mawsynram and Shillong so as to optimise on travel time. We stayed at Hotel Pine Hill. This location also helped us to avoid the infamous traffic condition of Shillong which worsens considerably during evening hours of the day.
Road Conditions
Given the strategic importance of Meghalaya as it shares a long international border with Bangladesh and also being for Eastern Command Head Quarter for Indian Air Force, we noticed considerable amount of work relating to improving / widening of road infrastructure being carried out.
Trip Highlights
This trip was very special for me since it was my first bird photography trip to North East of India and turned out to be very productive. Though it involved a lot of road side walking, weather was very pleasant and therefore, it wasn’t physically that exhaustive. I have a particular fondness for photographing Wren Babblers, Bush Warblers, Warblers and Babblers and therefore being able to observe and photograph the Tawny-breasted Wren Babbler was a very fulfilling experience.
Personal Reflections
Meghalaya is a relatively easier destination in North East of India for bird photography compared to locations in Arunachal Pradesh. One can undertake a comprehensive bird photography tour in two days and while there is no local guide, there are competent tour operators / professional guides from Guwahati who can be hired in this regard.