Trip Report
Daragaon Bird Survey Bhaskarjyoti Banerjee and Suman Dasgupta.
Trip Summary
Bird watching activities started on 14 March 2025 afternoon and ended after morning session of 16 March 2025.
A two days bird survey by 2 of us observed 47 different species of birds. We could carry out the survey in a part of the forest and wish to explore more in future. There are other parts which are still unexplored.
Locations Visited
Location 1
Daragaon is a small village in Kalimpong District (WB), it is situated at 45 minutes driving distance from Kalimpong city and surrounded by dense vegetation and conifers and other large trees amidst Himalayan mountains. At the end of the village boundary starts a dense forest named “Mongchu Forest”. Part of which is administrated by Cinchona Board, which is a wing of WB Forest Department. Situated at an altitude of 1200mtr (approx 4000+ feet) this place is ideal habitat of different birds, raptors and wild animals.
Group Size – 2 – Bhaskarjyoti Banerjee and Suman Dasgupta.
Bird Species Observed
Total 47 species of Birds observed during 4 birding sessions. Major attraction of was Raptors and Thrushes. Total 7 lifers (for Suman Dasgupta) was observed during this 4 sessions.
Notable observation.
• Coal Tit – (Periparus ater)
• Steppe Eagle – (Aquila nipalensis)
• Himalayan Buzzard – ( Buteo refectus)
• Rusty-fronted Barwing – (Actinodura egertoni)
Arrangements of the Trip
Arrangement made by Suman Dasgupta under the banner of Tour Lovers – a Bird and Wild Life watching tour operator. Transportation arranged by personal car.
Weather Conditions
The weather during our survey remained mostly sunny with sporadic cloud cover and the temperature ranged between 12-24°C. Other seasons may record some different types of avian species other than which we watched and recorded in this survey.
Accommodation
Home stay accommodation provided for Bhaskarjyoti at Daragaon Village. I stayed at my rented house at Daragaon.
Road Conditions
Very Good Road from Kalimpong city
Other Natural Conditions / Arrangements
Trip Highlights
Bhaskarjyoti expressed his interest to visit and survey the birds at the Daragaon – Kalimpong area. After arriving at Daragaon we visited the major bird activities areas. We walked through the trails to record the birds. In one patch of the trail we have observed 3 Steppe Eagle flying. We also found Honey Buzzard and Common Buzzard resting on a tree. We came across an area with Coral Tree in full bloom attracting many bird species. A flock of Rusty-fronted Barwing was sighted on the trail making it 42 bird species in one session.
Personal Reflections
I have been residing at Daragaon for the last 10 months. I have been regularly surveying the various trails and bird-watching. Doing this bird survey with an experienced birder opened up many pointers for me. Specially the habitat based targeting of birds and other pointers to identify birds. I learnt a lot from Bhaskarjyoti during this 2 days survey. Also I could show him the places where I have heard birds and observed activities. For me Bhaskarjyoti’s visit has been a great learning.
Thank you Bird Watcher Society for al the help and encouragement given to me for the bird watching activities. I am really loving the birds. it is an amazing world.