Let’s start with the Barbets.  A few years ago, all Barbets were just Barbets.  Recently, however, they were divided up into 3 families:  Asian, African and South American.  The 3 species of Asian Barbet we found in Bhutan were colorful and vocal.  Here they are:

Golden-Throated Barbet

 

Great Barbet

 

Blue-throated Barbet

 

Eurasian Jays have a huge range, so it was no surprise that we found some in Bhutan.

 

Scarlet Minivets, (only the males are scarlet, the females are bright yellow) represented one of several very similar Minivet species seen.

 

Rufous Sibias were common and vocal all day long.

 

Birds with blue were frequently encountered.  Here are a couple of the prettiest:

Blue-fronted Redstart

 

Blue-capped Rock Thrush

 

Birds were not the only animate objects of attraction.  Along the way we saw Capped Langurs, many more Golden Langur Monkeys,

 

Macaques (both Assamese and Rhesus), Barking Deer,

 

Yellow-throated Martens, Otters and 4 species of Squirrel, including this impressive Giant Pied Squirrel

 

This is not a trip for wimps.  We survived 7 nights in tents in the mountains several of them quite cold, and a lot of long, hard drives.  But for the service of our guides and the crew that made our meals, erected our tents and tended to our comfort, it would not have been doable.  Birding was mostly from the road.  Physically, we were not put to a hard test.  Most of the walking was either flat or down-mountain, with only a few gentle up-mountain hikes.  Some of the facilities were marginal.  We highly recommend it.

In my last report, I’ll focus on the history, culture, and current life in Bhutan.