[turboNath]

It is July 27th, 2021 and I am starting this travelogue from our hotel room in Leh, a city located amidst some of the highest passes of our beautiful country. It was raining just a few moments back. There's a calmness in the air and the distant mountains seem to be covered in a fresh layer of snow that oddly reminds me of infinite scoops of vanilla ice-cream. I pause for a bit to recollect on the last 8 days spent in 'The Land of high passes' and decide to go ahead with the flow , egged on by the innumerable Willow trees swaying in unison.

This amazing forum has some of the finest travelogues on Leh-Ladakh and I have enjoyed reading them repeatedly. However this time I have decided to tell a story of Ladakh that is seldom experienced and shared. It has been a long time dream to photograph some of the most unique and elusive species native to the Trans Himalayas and this trip has fulfilled that to the brim.
Ladakh, as a birding destination is very less explored and yet it presents a bouquet of avifauna that excites each and every wildlife enthusiast. In the hunt for such mysterious species, we chanced upon the magical landscape of Ladakh and it was extremely difficult to stop gazing at the horizon and concentrate upon our feathered pals.
I will try my best to limit the number of landscape shots and focus on the winged marvels of Leh-Ladakh.

Now, let the expedition begin !

Planning:

Mid July (16th to be precise), I was transitioning between two companies and I had 2 weeks to spare as my joining date was on 02nd August. Monsoon season keeps a lot of famous National Parks out of bounds for most tourists and this meant I had very few options in mind. Since our birding guide was stationed in Leh, I contacted him about the faint possibility of getting a slot for a Trans Himalayan birding odyssey and he immediately confirmed that he could guide us for a 8N 9D trip. I was elated and quickly coaxed my father and his friend to join me for this epic birding trip. I informed my HR about this trip and got the green signal very easily ! The next obstacle was getting the RTPCR report since Covid-19 protocols in Leh mandated that tourists need to carry a -ve RTPCR report (valid for 72 hours from sample collection time). With butterflies in our stomachs, we went ahead and got ourselves tested from Pulse Diagnostics in Kolkata. We received the reports through email at 2am and I booked the flight tickets at 2:30am on 18th July.
Our guide was quick to share the itinerary and it looked something like this -

Day 1 - Kolkata to Leh via Delhi
Day 2 - Acclimatization and local birding in and around Leh
Day 3 - Leh to Maan/Merak villages (near Pangong)
Day 4 - Man/Merak to Nyoma through a secret route (more on this later)
Day 5 - Nyoma to Hanle
Day 6 - Hanle to Tso Moriri
Day 7 - Tso Moriri to to Tso Kar
Day 8 - Tso Kar to Leh + Rumbak
Day 9 - Leh to Kolkata

The long haul:

Thankfully both the flights were on time and we touched down at Leh through a heavy cloud cover that hid most of the terrain behind a snowy white curtain.
The exit process was pretty smooth with the airport personnel glancing down at our reports and allowing us to step outside.
Finally, the 'Ladakhi' sun shone brightly down on us and it was time to embark on a dream tour in search of fairytale creatures !

The warm up session:

Our second morning at Leh was reserved for local birding. We explored Sindhu Ghat first, located around 10kms from Upper Karzoo. It gave us a glimpse of the tour ahead and a chance to fire away our shutters which had mostly remained closed due to the pandemic.
The very first bird was an excited Mountain Chiffchaff which greeted us from every possible perch with breathtaking backgrounds.

A Lesser Whitethroat soon joined his pal and gave us beautiful poses.

Next we spotted a happy Common Rosefinch couple who decided to pose with the lofty snowclad peaks in the background.

If you wanted a closer look at those gorgeous feathers -

As we went click-happy on full steam, a pretty Bluethroat decided to pay us a visit. I think I must have taken around 100+ pictures of this bird previously and yet couldn't stop myself from clicking some more !

A Citrine Wagtail showed up in a bright yellow plumage and we had to take at least a couple of shots of this 'commoner' !

Post Sindhu Ghat, we proceeded towards Shey Marshes, another birding hotspot near Leh. It provided us with a unique mirror like backdrop for our stories.

Few of the common species spotted were Large billed Crow , Eurasian Magpie and Eurasian Hoopoe.

We were also lucky to witness a feeding session involving an adult & juvenile Hoopoe.

We thoroughly enjoyed the warm up session and geared up for the actual expedition that lay ahead.


The expedition

Day 3 started quite early even before the sun was up. We left our hotel at 5am just as the eastern sky was starting to radiate mixed hues of royal blue and orange. Our destination was Merak/Man Village located just beside the Pangong Lake. As we started gaining altitude, we scanned the surroundings for signs of high altitude birds. The first bird to welcome us at an altitude of around 15000 feet was a family of cute Chukars. They belong to the Partridge family and are usually found in plenty throughout medium to high altitude regions. The brownish mountains served as beautiful backgrounds and we were able to click pictures of around 5-7 Chukars with relative ease and speed.

With the rising altitude, the temperature dipped further and we were also experiencing labored breathing since we needed to follow them up and down the mountainside.

As we neared our first pass, the mighty Chang La (located at an altitude of 17250 feet), our guide spotted the Himalayan Snowcock. This would be a lifer for all of us ! The weather was cloudy and we had to operate with pathetic lighting condition.

We spotted a flock of 4 Himalayan snowcocks and it was absolutely delightful to capture them from close quarters. However this meant I had to clumsily climb rocks in-order to get close up shots of those elusive creatures.

The dark reddish moss covered rocks added dollops of charm to the beautiful frames of these mysterious birds.

Further down the path, we were greeted by a pair of Tibetan Snowcocks, the true masters of camouflage.

As we got busy in shooting them from various angles, the clouds opened up for a moment. This allowed some surreal backlit images of these elusive birds.

Soon an Indian Army convoy approached us and the birds took to the skies to escape with lightning fast speeds.

We stopped at Chang La Pass for a quick and light breakfast before resuming our journey. All the mountain tops in our peripheral vision seemed to be covered with fresh snow and the hot cup of coffee in our hands felt like a blessing in such a cold climate.

Once we descended from the pass, our route took us through a scenic green valley where we stopped to take photographs of Alpine Chough and the Alpine Accentor.

Another juvenile Alpine accentor was busy devouring a huge insect. It gave us a fraction of second to freeze the frame before vanishing off to uncharted territories.

[turboNath]

This valley with it’s fresh stream of water was extremely productive for all of us since we got the chance to observe and click photographs of many rare Himalayan birds.
First was a couple of White throated dippers. We had shot their relatives (Brown Dipper) in Sattal last year and it felt great to observe their similar traits in Ladakh as well!

Afterwards, we spotted a Brandt's mountain finch busy showcasing his beautiful plumage while perched on a rock.

Nearby, an adult Robin Accentor was busy enjoying a high protein diet !

A commoner showed up next in the form of Twite.

Enroute Pangong, we came across this completely frozen lake which looked straight out of a cold winter's tale.

As our Innova went along happily munching up the smooth tarmac, another valley came up in the horizon and we lost no time in getting down and exploring it fully.
Ladakh has this unique way of throwing up 'surprises' in a good away. Our quest for exploration was rewarded with fantastic sightings of a juvenile White throated dipper, Grey Wagtail, White winged Redstart and a couple of Horned Larks.

Countless shutter clicks had taken their toll on our tummies and soon it was time for a quick lunch break at Durpuk village. The Egg-Chowmein tasted heavenly and we continued towards Pangong, eager to reach by 4pm so as to complete the evening session well on time.
However, Ladakh still had one more trick up its sleeve and this was one of my favourite Cranes of all time, the majestic Black necked Crane.

We spotted it accidentally while it was casually strolling along a marshy land in search of fishes. It looked resplendent under diffused sunlight and seemed perfectly oblivious of our incessant continuous shutter.

It was very hard to bid goodbye to our new found superstar but the rule of the road is that you never stop. You pause, take in the beauty and the magic of Ladakh and then resume once more.
As we neared Pangong, the mountains seemed to stand tall and the sky was changing colors. From an erstwhile grey & sombre look, it seemed to transform into an ocean of blue.

The very first view of the Pangong Lake followed soon after and it left us completely awestruck and mesmerized. I can't possibly explain the feeling of standing at an altitude of 14000 feet and gazing into an endless sea that seemed to be changing colors every moment. It was closely guarded by a loyal sentry comprising lofty peaks with few adorning snow tops as well. The whole experience was just surreal. Before I again get carried away by the birds, here are some pictures straight out of my phone camera.

We were completely in a trance which was rudely broken by a flock of juvenile Brown headed gulls that seemed to be scolding us for not paying attention towards them.

The next bird was a rare one, the Mongolian Finch. Although they are generally shy, they let us photograph them from a distance of about 15-20 feet.

That concluded our birding session for the day and very soon we checked into a homestay at a small village called 'Merak', located just beside the blue waters of Pangong.

[turboNath]

For the very next day, our initial plan was to travel to a village called Nyoma by backtracking our route till Chang La and then following the route upto the village since the Army had closed the regular shorter route. However, luckily for us, our driver managed to strike a conversation with another driver who claimed to know of a secret route via Chushul that had opened recently and hence remained outside the knowledge of most travelers. This route would knock off 5 straight hours from our journey with the additional benefit of butter smooth smooths unlike Chang La. We were thrilled to hear about this route and immediately got on board !
The new plan was to depart really early and enjoy a 2 hour photography session beside Pangong Lake and then meet up with the other vehicle at 7:30 AM near Chushul.

We woke up even before the alarm sounded as the glorious sun rays, penetrating through a colored glass window wiped away the last traces of sleep from our eyelids. We promptly got decked up and rushed towards the lakefront. Enroute, we met up with this beautiful Himalayan Woolly Hare resting on an acre of green. The backlit image of this shy creature will remain forever etched in our hearts !

As we explored further, our guide spotted two pointy ears sticking up from behind a shrub in the distance. It was the Himalayan Red Fox ! We were ecstatic and jumped out of the car immediately.

As we started to walk towards the furry fox, two more heads propped up ! It was a group or a 'skulk' of foxes !

However, they were constantly observing our movements and bolted away in a few moments. Although they were far away, thanks to the 500mm focal length, I could still salvage some of the shots.

Strangely enough, bird activity was extremely sparse and we didn't get to spot any new species. We also couldn't spot The Himalayan Wolf(next time, maybe ?).
As our clocks edged towards 7:30AM, we had to bid adieu to Pangong and proceed towards the rendezvous point.
The last image of Pangong from that blissful morning -

If you look closely, you can see towards the right edge of the picture, the Pangong Lake takes a left turn into China. Our guide informed us that Galwan Valley is located just behind that mountain and the surrounding peaks constitute the famous '8 fingers' of Pangong (resembling a knuckle).

The road post Chushul was a long winding road that took us crisscrossing through the mountains on a perfect black top road. There were Army camps all along the way due to the highly sensitive nature of that region.

We discovered two hidden lakes of Ladakh while travelling through that region - Nepal Tso & Yaksa(probably I am misspelling it) Tso.

Along the way, my father spotted a small owl-like bird and immediately asked the driver to stop. As it turned out, this was the first of many 'Little Owls' to grace our viewfinders. Also know as the owl of Athena, it looked incredibly beautiful from close quarters.

Most of the birds were extremely well camouflaged with the terrain which made them really difficult to spot. And then there were times like this when you just happened to catch a sighting. Generally speaking it’s easier to spot a bird that is on the move rather than one which is sitting sedately on a rock/perch.

The road continued with a fair amount of twists and turns and finally met up with a newly constructed highway that led straight to Nyoma. This drive was a very special one as the landscape on both sides of the road seemed magical. All the mountains had different colours that surpassed all our expectations and imagination! Add to that view, a lush green meadow with herds of Tibetan Wild Ass dotting the scene.

We reached Nyoma at around 11AM and took a lunch break after checking into our Homestay. Our guide asked us to take some rest before attending the evening birding session scheduled at 4PM.

Nyoma gifted us with many brilliant and rare sightings of both mammals and birds.
The ‘sighting streak’ started with a herd of Himalayan Blue Sheep and continued with the Himalayan Marmot before culminating in a list of ‘lifers’.

We were extremely lucky to find the Great Spotted Rosefinch perched atop a rock that gave us a beautiful green background.

The Chinese Rubythroat followed soon after and it gave us multiple poses and ample time to create memories forever!

Next up were two high altitude birds - the Brown Accentor and Robin Accentor.

A disgruntled looked Twite reluctantly posed for a photograph while a black Redstart watched us pensively.

With so many 'lifers', the evening birding session appeared to have ended on a high note !

Or did it?

Just as we were close to entering our homestay our guide spotted a small sparrow like bird, only infinitely more colorful! It was a Fire fronted Serin and it ranked high up on our target list. We immediately got down on the ground and took some lovely low angle shots. He even posed with his wings stretched out for us to admire !

What a perfect ending to a great session !

The next morning, we set out for Hanle after profusely thanking Nyoma for the hospitality and sightings.

[turboNath]

Right from the very first time I heard that Hanle has the darkest sky in India, I had always wanted to visit with high hopes of capturing the Milky Way. Located in the Changthang region of ladakh, it is home to one of the world's highest observatories. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed near the observatory due to Covid-19 restrictions and had to remain content with a long distance shot of the facility.

Hanle is also a pilgrimage site for landscape shooters. And as we would find out soon enough, it has some of the most amazing raptors !

Our guide was constantly scanning the horizon for signs of bird activity when he chanced upon these two, basking in the golden sun rays. It was a couple of Upland Buzzard, a large bird of prey native to expansive open spaces such as steppe, pastures, and semi-deserts.

As soon as we got down, we hit two snags -
1)the birds were very far away and
2)there was a stream cutting across the valley which was impossible to cross on foot.

Hence we drove a bit further away and started a long hike from the other corner of the grassland for close up shots.
Although we approached them very stealthily, the birds noticed us and were readying up for a flight.

We shot these pictures completely lying down on a grassy patch and as soon as our shutters fired, with one gigantic sweeping motion, these predators took to the skies.

It crossed the grassland and flew parallel to us along a cliff before finally deciding to perch atop a rocky ridge.

Once it landed, it retracted its wings in the most stunning fashion !

Oh boy ! Oh boy ! Oh boy !

The 1.5 kilometer hike back to the car didn't seem like much since we were completely engrossed with the great sighting. We resumed our journey and started the hunt for one of our prime target birds - the super elusive Eurasian Eagle Owl.

Our guide first spotted the young owl at the highest point of a cliff. We strained our eyes to see it through the view-finder and kept missing it randomly.

This was the closest we could get from the ground and needless to say I was not at all happy with the pictures.
There was this huge cliffside between us and the bird which meant only one thing - it was time to recall the rock climbing sessions back in school and attempt to scale it. After much deliberation we chose a path that was very steep but it gave us complete cover so that we remained hidden from the bird's sight for 80% of the climb.

Our guide and I decided to climb up, while my father and his friend stayed firmly put on the 'ground'. Unknown to me, my father had clicked the following images while we were climbing up.

So now you might ask why did we take such a huge risk for a bird shot ? I would say the result is the following series of pictures which made the climb 1000 times worth it.

Would we do it again ? A thousand times, yes !

When you're standing precariously at an incline of 45 degrees, 200 feet above ground, supporting a heavy lens and simultaneously clicking pictures of an object above you, it seems really difficult at first.
But it definitely gets easier !
As we started the descent, I paused after a short while to catch my breath. This was halfway down -

There was another surprise waiting for us. The adult Eurasian Eagle Owl was sitting on a perch on the opposite cliff and it gave us a few moments to cherish before flying away abruptly!

I think it was keeping a close watch right from the very beginning !
Ecstatic at the shots and the whole experience, we climbed down feeling as if we had just conquered Mt. Everest !

The morning session had been simply epic! Afterwards, we quickly checked into our homestay, had lunch and geared up for the evening session.

[turboNath]

The evening session also turned out to be immensely fruitful as I finally managed to capture two Black necked Cranes singing in unison. It was such a profound moment for all of us to witness the magic.

A little bit further away, we also caught this adult crane lamenting after a failed attempt to catch a fish !

After scanning the grasslands for a couple of hours, we finally spotted another rare species- the Tibetan Lark. It just sat there in all of its magnificence soaking in the afternoon sun.

Further down the road, we came across a scrubland where we were thrilled to find Tickell's Leaf Warbler. We observed the antics of an adult and juvenile warbler from close quarters and loved every bit of it.

Next, we captured the Desert Wheatear, another bird commonly found throughout the Tibetan Plateau including Ladakh.

Meanwhile, we chanced upon this playful herd of Tibetan Wild Asses running around like free souls.

Hanle, in all its glory had spoiled us silly and it was very hard to bid goodbye to its eternal dreamscape.

Eventually we had to pack our bags with a heavy heart and proceed towards our next destination - Tso Moriri.

The road to Tso Moriri was not in great shape, especially after Mahe bridge. The terrain also looked a lot less greener and lifeless. But that region is the breeding ground for Brown headed gulls and we suddenly found an adult specimen perched right beside the road. It didn't seem to mind the distraction and continued to stay put.

It took us almost 5 hours to cover the 160+km distance but when we finally caught a glimpse of the lake, all our exhaustion seemed to just vanish. Tso Moriri is not a designated birding destination but we had included it in the itinerary for a taste of its landscape shots.

We found few species along the banks including Bar headed Goose, Brahminy or Ruddy shelduck and the Great Crested Grebe.
All of them consider Tso Moriri as their common breeding ground and their camaraderie can be heard clearly through the countless calls that drifted back to us, gently carried by the cool breeze. It's good to know that the entire area surrounding the lake are protected under 'Tso Moriri Wetland Conservation Reserve'.

Here's a few habitat shots of the ducks clicked at 15000 feet.

The clouds cast a greyish tone over the entire lake and we decided to come back to the lake shore once again after lunch for landscapes.

Post lunch, the clouds started rolling away leaving behind a lake that radiated all the hues of the blue color. We spotted the Great Crested Grebe once again and this time it was accompanied by three ducklings.

Even before zooming in, I wanted to take a vertical frame keeping the mountains in the backdrop along with the happy family.

I couldn't wait to get a close up shot and promptly plonked myself down.

Just as I was shooting them, a Common Redshank flew past me.

A Lesser Sand Plover followed it closely but managed to stay out of my single auto-focus point.

After a lot of bird photography, it was time to sit back and enjoy the gorgeous views of the lake. The white and grey clouds added a dash of drama to the already picturesque scene and I terribly wished that I had carried a wide lens instead of my trusted 50mm. Wherever I looked, it seemed to be a great landscape shot. And I literally don't know anything about shooting landscape shots. Hence I just went on with the flow, trigger-happy.

Frame after frame, we fell head over heels in love with Tso Moriri and its grandeur. Goodbyes are always hard and this time it was particularly heartbreaking. But Tso Kar was calling out to us and we had to respond. And thus began the very last leg of the journey.

[turboNath]

Tso Kar or the 'white lake' belongs to the high altitude 'Rupshu' plateau region of Ladakh and is frequently left out of common itineraries. However we wanted to visit for a few target species. The road from Tso Moriri to Tso Kar goes through this place called Chumathang which is famous for hot springs.

If you look closely, you will be able to spot one such hot spring in the picture above.
Enroute, we also spotted a flock of jolly Brahminy ducks and a family of Black Necked Crane.

We took around 3 hours to cover the 90 odd kms between the two lakes and when we first saw the edge of the vast white landscape, our jaws almost dropped on the ground. There was this huge expanse of white salt foam that seemed to extend across the horizon.

Despite the high salinity of the water, the lake is a great habitat for some rare bird species. And the very first one to show up was a rock star - Hume's Ground-Pecker. It had unearthed three juicy grubs and was eager to feast on them.

A Black winged Snowfinch had to remain satisfied with a smaller breakfast but was polite enough to pose with a bunch of flowers.

We also spotted a Short toed Lark perched on a rock close by.

The next sighting was incredible as we chanced upon a 'parliament' of little owls. They observed us curiously for a bit and gave us the opportunity to photograph some of their unique moods !

Just before our departure from Tso Kar, another bird of prey (Upland Buzzard) came to say hi !

From Tso Kar, we took the Leh Manali highway and reached another high altitude pass, Tanglang La.

Here we were extremely delighted to get a glimpse of the Tibetan Snowcock once again with chicks.

Unlike Chang La, the weather at Tanglang La was extremely bright and sunny. There weren't any clouds in the sky and hence the shots seem like they have been captured inside the confines of a studio ! Such is the beauty of Ladakh !

The Leh-Manali highway was butter smooth and the entire journey from Tso Kar to Leh hardly took around 4 hours with occasional breaks.
Coming back to Leh felt like we were back inside civilization after 7-8 days in the wild ! It took us a moment to get used to the creature comforts and the great food after a week long hiatus.

For the next day, we had a plan to visit Rumbak Valley (a part of Hemis High Altitude National Park), located around 40kms from Leh. It was mostly uneventful in terms of rare bird sightings but gave us a glimpse of Hemis National Park (the abode of the Snow Leopard).

Throughout the short trip to Rumbak, we had extremely high hopes of catching the sight of a fluffy greyish feline tail but that seemed to elude us completely.
This simply made our resolution to come back even stronger !

This entire birding expedition has been the most epic of all such trips that we have been on till date. But I have a feeling that it's going to get much bigger than this. Ladakh has truly cast a spell on us. And we will keep on going back time after time until we have discovered the last of her secrets, carefully tucked behind those lofty peaks and high passes. The mountains will always speak to us. We will just have to be patient enough to listen and preserve their ancient words of wisdom.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[arvindmanju]

Wow beautiful set of picture, love them all!
Very well narrated.

[//M]

What a way to start a Monday morning !

Dramatic landscapes, breathtaking pictures, alpine lakes and such colourful fauna. Ladakh has always been the must-go destination for most of us and with the breadth of knowledge about Ladakh available across the forum, it seems we have a fair idea of what all to expect in Ladakh. But then rarely we come across travelogues like these which makes us wonder how much more Ladakh has to offer. Thank you for sharing this gem of a travelogue !

I wish there was an option to rate a travelogue 10-stars, as this one truly deserves so.

Originally Posted by turboNath

Day 4 - Man/Merak to Nyoma through a secret route (more on this later)

Originally Posted by turboNath

For the very next day, our initial plan was to travel to a village called Nyoma by backtracking our route till Chang La and then following the route upto the village since the Army had closed the regular shorter route. However, luckily for us, our driver managed to strike a conversation with another driver who claimed to know of a secret route via Chushul that had opened recently and hence remained outside the knowledge of most travelers. This route would knock off 5 straight hours from our journey with the additional benefit of butter smooth smooths unlike Chang La. We were thrilled to hear about this route and immediately got on board !
.
.
The road post Chushul was a long winding road that took us crisscrossing through the mountains on a perfect black top road.
.
.
We discovered two hidden lakes of Ladakh while travelling through that region - Nepal Tso & Yaksa(probably I am misspelling it) Tso.

[center]Attachment 2189582

Is this the road that goes via Kaksang La and Hor La passes and Mirpal Tso and Yaye Tso lakes?

[gmhossain]

Originally Posted by turboNath

Hanle, in all its glory had spoiled us silly and it was very hard to bid goodbye to its eternal dreamscape.

Wah! What a brilliant travelogue! You have made a day for us. Truly, the pictures appears to be from the other world!

If one observes carefully then one would notice how colour of the birds smoothly blends with their surrounding. I guess, in these barren landscapes, without such natural camouflaging these birds would have been spotted from far, making them easy target for the predators!

[Trojan]

Fantastic! What a beautiful travelogue and such lovely pictures, great shots there buddy! Being a birder myself, I thoroughly enjoyed going through each of the pics.
One never imagines Birds in a cold desert like Ladakh, but nature always surprises the most when one least expects.
Thank you for sharing these gems!

[amol4184]

Hot damn, these are some pictures man! So beautiful. LOVED the Eurasian Eagle Owl pictures. Getting sharp, in focus BIF pictures is such a skill and results look incredible.

This travelogue has put Ladakh as top destination on my list of to-visit places.

[gypsygenes]

Absolutely marvelous! The photos are worth a coffee table book on Birding in Ladakh. I can totally imagine the thrill... especially in the Eurasian Eagle Owl sequence. Years ago, when I first spotted a Himalayan Griffon near Gaumukh, I ran mad behind it, to get a better look and partly because I was so thrilled by the appearance of that bird.

Your sequence on Eagle-Owl is very well done. Considering the geographical distribution of this species (with Indian Himalayas barely making it), the odds of sighting it in Ladakh seems such a rare privilege. Very sharp and observant bunch of birders, I must add.

Thank you for sharing these photos. They are just so full of life!

[turboNath]

Originally Posted by Aditya

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

Thanks a ton Aditya for the wonderful news !

Originally Posted by arvindmanju

Wow beautiful set of picture, love them all!
Very well narrated.

Thanks arvindmanju !

Originally Posted by //M

What a way to start a Monday morning !

Dramatic landscapes, breathtaking pictures, alpine lakes and such colourful fauna. Ladakh has always been the must-go destination for most of us and with the breadth of knowledge about Ladakh available across the forum, it seems we have a fair idea of what all to expect in Ladakh. But then rarely we come across travelogues like these which makes us wonder how much more Ladakh has to offer. Thank you for sharing this gem of a travelogue !

I wish there was an option to rate a travelogue 10-stars, as this one truly deserves so.





Is this the road that goes via Kaksang La and Hor La passes and Mirpal Tso and Yaye Tso lakes?

Thank you so much //M for the kind words. Yes, you're right. Ladakh is an incredible and promising cold desert full of surprises. There seems to be a frame present in each and every nook and cranny of that region. And each time you revisit it, you will find something new to explore !

I think we took the same route that you have mentioned. I remember our guide mentioning Nepal Tso and Yaksa Tso which in hindsight resemble the names that you have just quoted. We might have misheard the names. Thanks for pointing it out !

Originally Posted by gmhossain

Wah! What a brilliant travelogue! You have made a day for us. Truly, the pictures appears to be from the other world!

If one observes carefully then one would notice how colour of the birds smoothly blends with their surrounding. I guess, in these barren landscapes, without such natural camouflaging these birds would have been spotted from far, making them easy target for the predators!

Thank you gmhossain! Barring few, the fauna in that region is extremely well endowed in the camouflaging department. And this makes them incredibly hard to spot without trained eyes. Without our brilliant guide, I swear we would have hardly spotted 10-20% of the photographed species !

Originally Posted by Trojan

Fantastic! What a beautiful travelogue and such lovely pictures, great shots there buddy! Being a birder myself, I thoroughly enjoyed going through each of the pics.
One never imagines Birds in a cold desert like Ladakh, but nature always surprises the most when one least expects.
Thank you for sharing these gems!

Thank you for your kind words Trojan. As a fellow birder, I have to recommend you to go on a 'birding pilgrimage' to Ladakh real soon. If you plan it in August, you might get some exciting passage migrants as well !

Originally Posted by amol4184

Hot damn, these are some pictures man! So beautiful. LOVED the Eurasian Eagle Owl pictures. Getting sharp, in focus BIF pictures is such a skill and results look incredible.

This travelogue has put Ladakh as top destination on my list of to-visit places.

Thank you so much amol4184 ! Yes BIFs are always challenging but one good thing about Ladakh is that you will mostly have great light conditions from 6am till 6pm which means that most of the times you can crank up your shutter speeds at relatively low ISO(and decent f numbers) to get a higher hit rate on birds in flight captures.

[vsathyap]

I'm gobsmacked! As it is, Ladakh is such a lovely destination and a Photographer's dream come true. Add bird photography to that and it just makes it a real treat! I was gaping wide-eyed and wide-mouthed while going through your photo-logue and man! What pictures! Take a a bow sir! It has been a visual treat this Monday morning!

And your adventures climbing the steep face of a cliff to get that one in a million shot - priceless! If at all you venture into the Land of the Lamas again, please drop me a PM - I' surely be interested to travel with you as I'm an avid hobbyist photographer too.

Can I bother you with what glass you used? Surely must have had a 200-500 or the 600mm beast! Carrying this heft at those altitudes - man! You are surely dedicated to bird photography! Loved the BIF ones! Hats off! I am ending my post..still spellbound by your TL.. and I'm sure I will be scrolling through these pictures over and over in the coming days!