In Search of Snow Leopards and birds
Join Rare Bird Alert founder Dick Filby on this early spring trip that has been enjoying incredible success in recent years. The gripping videos and photos speak for themselves...
I believe that the remote mountain valleys of Ladakh in northern India are probably the most reliable and beautiful place in the world to find the enigmatic Snow Leopard and I have been to this incredible destination almost every year since 2014, with a 100% success rate: I simply cannot imagine ever tiring of watching these near-mythical cats, and I am never more-thrilled than when watching them hunt. Why not join me next March?
Key to the success of this trip is being embedded (quite literally) in the core habitat. Snow Leopards are most active at dawn and dusk, so being on watch st s prime site just a few yards from your bed at first light gives us the best possible chance of being “in” on the action. To see a Snow Leopard on the move is a thousand times more exhilarating than to watch a snoozing cat in the middle of the day. Early Spring is the best time of the year to see Snow Leopards as this is their mating season, and in recent years we have been fortunate to see several mating pairs. Indeed once we found a male and female calling to each other across a gorge a few hundred metres from camp one afternoon, and she was so eager to meet him that she descended very close to us in the gathering dusk, her eerie cries echoing loudly, his return calls more muted and occasional : measured patience. The two met overnight and we watched them for the next three days until the male summarily walked off late afternoon, up a ridge, and over the mountain, pausing only to stare into the distance.
My trip starts in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, where two nights are spent based in a comfortable hotel, acclimatising and enjoying excursions by minibus, looking for wildlife along the banks of the mighty Indus river or in the nearby hills. Here, I often have found iconic birds such as Ibisbill and Solitary Snipe as well as many Güldenstädt’s (White-winged) Redstarts with small flocks festooning the bushes like Christmas ornaments.
We will then head into Hemis National Park for an eight night stay in our ever-more-comfortable Snow Leopard camp, in the core area where we have always previously enjoyed success, watching either from actual camp itself (yes, some participants truly have seen Snow Leopards from their bed), or, more usually, watching from a three-valley overlook, only a couple of hundred yards walk away.
This area has sweeping vistas into adjacent valleys and nearby hillsides and we are perfectly positioned to witness action at the best times of the day: dawn and dusk. Being early Spring the days and nights are of almost equal length, so we have plenty of opportunity to rest well, snug in heated tents with hot water bottles and a morning delivery of hot drinks and snacks before more of the same as we watch for Snow Leopards before a hearty breakfast. Key to our success is our expert team of local guides and excellent spotters who are highly experienced at locating Snow Leopards, and like myself and every participant, are highly motivated to be the one that spots the Leopard. Over the years I believe that we can reasonably expect to see Snow Leopards on multiple occasions during our stay. I always have thus far. Plus, if we are extremely lucky, may have a repeat of the March day in 2024 when, just after dawn, we watched with baited breath as a female and her two large cubs suddenly appeared close to a group of Blue Sheep (Bharal) and within minutes had dramatically ambushed and killed a large one. It only took them until mid-afternoon to devour it – in full view – and the bones and skin were all that remained for the Bearded and Himalayan Vultures to pick over the next day.
The birds we usually see is filled with mouthwatering species, and includes: Himalayan Snowcock, Tibetan Partridge, Hill Pigeon, Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier), Himalayan Vulture, Ibisbill, Upland Buzzard, Saker, Yellow-billed (Alpine) Chough, Brown Dipper, Blue Whistling Thrush, Black-throated Thrush, White-capped Redstart, Wallcreeper, Cinereous Tit, White-browed (Stoliczka’s) Tit-Warbler, Black-winged Snowfinch, Robin Accentor, Brown Accentor, Red-fronted Serin, Brandt’s Mountain-Finch, Mongolian Finch and Great Rosefinch, so many excellent Himalayan bird specialities to enjoy.
Other mammals we have regularly seen include Eurasian Lynx, Tibetan (Grey) Wolf, Greater Blue Sheep (Bharal), Asiatic (Siberian) Ibex, Ladakh Urial (Red Sheep), Mountain Weasel, Woolly Hare and Large-eared Pika.
More recently there’s a new, excellent, optional five-night extension to the Changthang Plateau, based at a guesthouse very close to the Tibetan border, giving us the opportunity to look for several iconic species which are not available on the main trip, with varied splendid new landscapes to enjoy. This part of the trip has been very successful too, with us enjoying good sightings of all the key species.
The principal target mammals on the extension include the dramatic-looking Kiang, the largest species of wild ass in the world, the much desired Pallas’s Cat and Tibetan Gazelle. We have excellent opportunities to see all three, as well as Argali, the world’s largest wild sheep.
The supporting cast often includes Tibetan (Grey) Wolf, Tibetan Fox, Ladakh Pika and a fine selection of birds including specialities such as Tibetan Snowcock, Tibetan Sandgrouse, Eurasian Eagle Owl of the Tibetan form, Tibetan Larks songflighting, Ground Tit (Hume’s Groundpecker), Blanford’s and Black-winged Snowfinches, Brandt’s (Black-headed) Mountain Finch and Great Rosefinch.
Join me in early March for a trip of a lifetime
For more information, please visit the WildWings website. Download the Tour Information Pack here
Dick Filby
26 November 2024
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