MYANMAR

BURMA

Saturday 10th November to Friday 30th November 2007

Leader : Ian Burrows

Group size limit : 9

Myanmar (formerly Burma) has been a closed country to birdwatchers and otherr travellers since 1962 when a military junta took control of the government. The harsh policies of the military regime and particularly the detention since 1990 of the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi have attracted strong criticism from the international community. The junta are now trying to attract tourism against this backdrop and the country is slowly opening up to show what has been hidden from the outside world for so long. Many parts of the country are still off-limits to outsiders and birdwatchers have to be on an escorted package tour with a pre-arranged itinerary and visas. Our justification for visiting Myanmar is that just by meeting the local people and using local facilities we are making a positive contribution to the local economy which might help induce political change in the future. Whatever your opinion, if you visit this country you will be warmly welcomed and you will have a wonderful time as the birding is fantastic.

Myanmar is remarkably diverse ornithologically and may be regarded as something of a last frontier. It is a large country with large areas of intact forest, huge rivers, semi-desert wilderness, tree-clad hills and huge mountains. We will visit these habitats and more during our stay and we are very likely to make significant observations since the country is practically unexplored by birdwatchers.

We begin in Yangon (formerly Rangoon) with a visit to Hlawgar Wildlife Park, a small wetland and forest reserve. Here we are very likely to see Red Junglefowl, Green, Blue-tailed and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, Red-wattled Lapwing, Lesser Whistling Duck, Spot-billed Duck, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Racket-tailed Treepie, Green-billed Malkoha, Black-naped and Black-hooded Orioles, Black-headed and Black-crested Bulbuls, Ruby-cheeked and Olive-backed Sunbirds and if we are lucky, Ashy and Rosy Minivets. This is also a site for the elusive Pale-capped Pigeon.

Next we visit Moeyungyi Bird Sanctuary which holds impressive numbers of waterbirds including thousands of Purple Swamphens and hundreds of Northern Pintail, Garganey, Asian Openbill and Oriental Pratincole. Eastern Marsh Harriers are numerous and other raptors to be seen here include Pied Harrier, Black Kite and Greater Spotted Eagle. Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas are also present and Common Stonechats of the eastern race are abundant. This is also an excellent opportunity to see Black-browed and Oriental Reed Warblers at close quarters. Afterwards we drive to Ngalaik Reservoir which we explore the following day. In the surrounding forest we expect to see Grey-headed and Red-breasted Parakeets, Grey-headed Lapwing, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Rufous Treepie, Crested Treeswift, Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Common Iora, Red-vented and Streak-eared Bulbuls, Rufous-capped and Abbott's Babblers and Purple Sunbird among many other species. The small fields below the reservoir hold Chestnut and Yellow-breasted Bunting, Olive-backed Pipit, Citrine Wagtail and should provide our best chance of seeing Pintail Snipe.

Next day we drive to Pyay visiting a diverse range of habitats along the way. Mixed deciduous forest by the roadside gives us the chance of seeing many new birds including Oriental Pied Hornbill, Coppersmith Barbet, Thick-billed Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Scarlet Minivet, Bronzed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch and an interesting range of Phylloscopus warblers. Further along we will walk along a dry river bed which gives us a great chance of seeing Greater and Lesser Yellownape, Lineated Barbet, Ashy Minivet, Ashy Drongo and Chestnut-bellied and Velvet-fronted Nuthatches among other species.

Next day we drive to Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest on the way is very productive and woodpeckers there include Common, Greater and Himalayan Yellownapes and Streak-throated and Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers. The endemic Hooded Treepie occurs here in good numbers and Yellow-eyed and White-throated Babblers are common. Greater and Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrushes leap noisily through the undergrowth but can be frustratingly difficult to see. The more cultivated areas further on give good chances of seeing raptors such as White-eyed and Rufous-winged Buzzard and Black-shouldered Kite and more open-country birds such as Red Collared Dove and Burmese Shrike.

A morning exploration of the river and forest in the Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary should produce Pied Kingfisher, Alexandrine and Blossom-headed Parakeets, River Lapwing, White-browed Fantail, Bluethroat, Siberian Rubythroat, Siberian Blue Robin, Common Woodshrike, Wire-tailed Swallow, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Pied Stonechat, and Paddyfield Pipit among many others. The afternoon drive to Bagan includes a stop by the Ayeyarwady River which gives us our first chance of seeing the very rare Black-bellied Tern.

Bagan is a remarkable archaeological area with thousands of pagodas and other Buddhist monuments standing in a 40 sq km area along the banks of the Ayeyarwady River. The religious buildings made of stone are all that remain of a vast royal capital that was built between 1057 and 1287. Old Bagan is also a fascinating place to go birding and in the dry scrub around the temples we will encounter two more endemics, Burmese Bushlark and White-throated Babbler. Both are common and the latter can even be found around the outdoor restaurant of our hotel. The scrub also holds Rain Quail, Eurasian Wryneck, Hoopoe, Yellow-streaked, Tickell's and Thick-billed Warblers, Blue Rock Thrush, Long-tailed Shrike and Spotted Owlet. There is also a good chance of seeing the exquisite semi-nomadic White-bellied Minivet in this area. A trip on the Ayeyarwady River, the "Road to Mandalay", should produce a good range of South East Asia's "big river" birds, Small Pratincole and Sand Lark inhabit the sand bars and there is a chance of seeing River and Black-bellied Terns and Indian Skimmer. Ruddy Shelduck abound and good numbers of waders are to be seen here including Temminck's Stint, Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper. Hundreds of Plain Martins breed in the riverside cliffs and there is a chance of seeing the local pair of Laggar Falcons which hunt them over the river.

After our exploration of Bagan we will travel westwards threough the hilly semi-desert country. Here we should see Long-billed Pipit which is something of a harsh habitat specialist. We also visit areas of dry deciduous forest where we may encounter Kalij Pheasant, Crested Serpent Eagle, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, Blue-winged Leafbird, Large Woodshrike, and White-rumped Shama among many others. Towards evening we will arrive at Old Kanpetlet, on the lower slopes of Mt Victoria.

This is a major focal point of the tour as Mt Victoria is the highest peak in the Chin Hills and it holds a great variety of southern Himalayan species. At its highest levels the alpine vegetation consists of stunted oaks, rhododendrons and short grassland and it holds a specialised avifauna. The extremely localised endemic White-browed Nuthatch, the emblem of Namataung National Park, occurs here along with the rare and elusive Blyth's Tragopan, Brown-capped Laughingthrush, Green Shrike-Babbler, Streak-throated Barwing, Fire-tailed Sunbird, White-browed Shortwing, Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler and Ashy-throated, Buff-barred and Buff-throated Warblers among many others. Further down in the pine forest Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Chestnut-bellied Rock-Thrush, Black-bibbed Tit, Blue-fronted Redstart, Grey Bushchat and Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher can be found and there is also a good chance of seeing Spot-winged Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Greenfinch and Spot-breasted Parrotbills.

The evergreen forest holds a large number of species, notably Mrs Hume's Pheasant, White-tailed Nuthatch, Wedge-tailed Green Pigeon, Grey-chinned and Long-tailed Minivets, Black-throated and Black-browed Tits, Maroon Oriole, Cutia, Black-headed and White-browed Shrike-Babbler Mrs Gould's and Green-tailed Sunbirds and a host of flycatchers including Slaty-backed, Slaty-blue, Snowy-browed, Pygmy Blue, Little Pied and Verditer. Mixed feeding flocks of Blue-winged, Chestnut-tailed and Red-tailed Minlas are often to be seen in the treetops along with Rusty-fronted Barwings, Whiskered and Stripe-throated Yuhinas, the ever-present Grey Sibia and many more. If we are fortunate enough to find a fruiting tree in the forest this can be the key to seeing the rare and little known Grey-sided Thrush. Other fruit eaters such as Ashy Wood Pigeon, Mountain Bulbul, Crested Finchbill and Eyebrowed and Black-breasted Thrushes may also be attracted.

Lower down the deciduous forest holds a different array of birds. Bay Woodpeckers give themselves away with their noisy calls, Streak-breasted Scimitar Babbler, Red-faced Liocichla, and Blue-winged Laughingthrushes lurk in the shrubbery while Grey Treepies work their way furtively through the bushes. The more open areas hold Silver-eared Mesia, Brownish-flanked and Russet Bush-Warblers, Little and Chestnut Buntings, Flavescent Bulbul and Striped Laughingthrush.

Mt Victoria holds an excellent array of raptors and during our stay we may expect to see Black Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Changeable and Mountain Hawk Eagle, Common Buzzard, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Besra, Shikra, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Kestrel and Oriental Hobby.

We will also be making an effort to see nocturnal species and we have an excellent chance of seeing the little-known Hodgson's Frogmouth and Grey Nightjar in the deciduous forest zone.

When we leave Mt Victoria we drive back to Bagan for an overnight stay. We then fly a short distance to Heho and make a short drive to the small town of Kalaw. Kalaw is in Southern Shan State and is noted for its pleasant weather, attractive buildings and scenery. Next day we will visit Yay-aye Kan, a reservoir built to supply Kalaw; evergreen forest surrounds the lake and here we will search for such gems as Giant Nuthatch, Spectacled Barwing, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler, Dark-backed Sibia, White-browed Laughingthrush, White-capped Redstart, Brown-breasted Bulbul, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Burmese Yuhina and Pin-tailed and Pale-capped Pigeons among many other species.

After the morning spent birding near Kalaw, next day we drive to the beautiful Lake Inle which is famous for its peculiar leg-rowers who propel their flat-bottomed boats by standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This offers relief to the arms and enables the rower to navigate easier. Most of our exploration will be by boat and during the afternoon and the following morning we should see large numbers of mostly migrant ducks including Baer's Pochard; several eagles including Steppe, Imperial and Greater Spotted, Sarus Crane, Brown-headed Gull, the very local Jerdon's Bushchat, White-tailed Stonechat and a host of challenging warblers. We wil also search for the patchily distributed Collared Myna in nearby woodland. In the afternoon we will drive to Heho and fly to Yangon.

ITINERARY

Day 1 Depart London Heathrow.

Day 2 Arrive Yangon via Bangkok, visit Hlawgar Wildlife Park.

Day 3 Drive to Moeyungyi Bird Sanctuary, then to Ngalaik Reservoir

Day 4 Birding Ngalaik Reservoir and surrounds.

Day 5 Drive to Pyay, visiting Gwegyo village area and Toneyay Forest Reserve.

Day 6 Drive to Shwesettaw Wildlife sanctuary, visiting Gyobin village area and

Kanthit and Kapaing village ponds.

Day 7 Morning birding Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary, afternoon drive to Bagan.

Day 8 Morning birding Old Bagan and afternoon visit to temples.

Day 9 Morning birding riverside, afternoon boat along the Ayeyarwady River.

Day 10 Drive to Mt Victoria, visiting Nagapwet and Pyone forests.

Days 11 to 15 Birding Mt Victoria.

Day 16 Drive back to Bagan.

Day 17 Fly to Heho and drive to Kalaw.

Day 18 Birding kalaw area, Yay-aye Kan Reservoir.

Day 19 Drive to Lake Inle, birding there in the afternoon.

Day 20 Morning at Lake Inle, afternoon drive to Heho and flight to Yangon.

Day 21 Morning flight to London via Bangkok.

Tour price : £3250

Single room supplement

where applicable £350

The cost includes all travel, accommodation, meals, excursions leader services, local guides and landowner fees. Individual requirements for passports, visas, travel insurance, drinks and items of a purely personal nature are not included.

Recommended reading :

Robson, C. R. A Field Guide to the Birds of South-East Asia. 2000.

New Holland, London ISBN 1 85368 313 2

An excellent field guide covering all the birds of the region; the recommended field guide for the tour.

Robson, C. R., Buck, H., Farrow, D. S., Fisher, T. and King, B. F. A birdwatching vivit to the Chin Hills, West Burma (Myanmar), with notes from nearby areas.

Forktail 13 (1998) : 109-120

A very useful article for information on the Bagan and Mt Victoria areas

Myanmar (Burma) trip report 1 - 19 March 2003 Ian Burrows

Sicklebill Safaris Ltd website www.sicklebill.com