NORTH BURMA (MYANMAR) HIMALAYAN EXPEDITION

30 days

This is one of the most exciting trips we offer. On our 2 previous expeditions to this area, we saw the rare and little known White-bellied Heron, White-cheeked Partridge, Ibisbill, Blyth's Kingfisher, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Rusty-bellied Shortwing, Coral-billed, Red-billed and Slender-billed Scimitar Babblers, Wedge-billed and Spotted Wren-Babblers, Snowy-throated Babbler, Rufous-vented, Chestnut-backed and Spot-breasted Laughingthrushes, Black-headed Shrike-Babbler, Brown-headed and Streak-throated Fulvettas, Beautiful Sibia, Fire-tailed Myzornis, and Collared Treepie. Blyth's and Temminck's Tragopans and Sclater's Monal are also present and were seen, but are very difficult--we'll need some luck to see them. Most of Burma has been closed to foreigners for many years, and until our 2 recent exploratory expeditions, there hadn't been a western ornithologist in northern Burma since before World War II. We'll fly to Putao (formerly Fort Hertz) which is only 140 km. from the northern tip of Burma, where it wedges into SE Tibet. Then we'll drive 15-20 km. to the northwest, where we'll set out on a trek to the northwest into the Himalayas, reaching a maximum elevation slightly above 3,000 meters (10,000 ft.), only 3 km. from the border of Arunachal Pradesh in extreme NE India. The center of montane bird distribution in Asia is in the southeastern Himalayas, that is; extreme northern Burma, eastern Arunachal Pradesh, SE Tibet, and extreme NW Yunnan, and on this expedition, we'll get right to the core of this special place. Because this entire area was closed to travel for many years, little is known about bird distribution there and much remains to be learned. So far we've found 5 new species for Burma there, all but one of which were new to SE Asia as well. We can expect more discoveries and can hope for other interesting birds we've missed so far. This is a rugged expedition involving camping and trekking, with some steep difficult walking. Join us for an exciting trip with great potential for discovery. 1999 participant Ted Buhl said, "I look at our expedition in Burma as one of my life's highlights." Leader: Ben King.