Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
for a living. But birds relish them, too, especially large fig eaters such as a bird high on my
hope-to-see list for the day, the great hornbill.
Golden langur (
Trachypithecus geei
) about to feed on an
Albizia
blossom
On the outskirts of Tingtibi, we parked the truck and made straight for the woods. The trail
along the tributary of the great Manas River led through a magnificent unbroken stretch of
lowland forest. For the first time in Bhutan, we were sweating in the heat. Resident breeding
birds were vocalizing everywhere, as this was the peak of the mating season. Along the trail's
border we spied several chestnut-bellied nuthatches trilling away. Nuthatches are a delight
to watch feeding, as they are capable of what in humans would be the ultimate party stunt:
walking on the ceiling. Nuthatches may forage comfortably all day long while upside down.
The riparian forest was brimming with chestnut-bellied nuthatches, right-side-up babblers,
and cuckoos, but sadly, no sign of the rare
Sittaformosa
, or beautiful nuthatch. Around noon,
the heat of the day quieted the chorus and we split up for the afternoon. Ute and I would
drive back with Mincha and his friend in his pickup to spend more time with the langurs and
perhaps encounter a beautiful nuthatch at a slightly higher elevation. Sherub and Nawang re-
mained behind to try again along the river. We would all regroup that evening up the moun-
tain in Trongsa.
We didn't drive far before meeting the golden langurs. As we came around a bend, on a
rock face bordering the road sat a large troop of mothers with infants, subadults, and an adult
