WildWings “In Search of Snow Leopards” 2015 Tour report · rocks conspired to hide a Snow Leopard in full view. We searched and walked onwards with every turn in the trail revealing

WildWings “In Search of Snow Leopards” tour – trip report 2015 © Dick Filby Page 1

WildWings “In Search of Snow Leopards”

2015 Tour report By Dick Filby, WildWings Tour Leader

“Success! Celebrated by our group, guides and porters” Dick Filby

Following on from the success in 2014 of a private trip organised by Richard Webb, the first WildWings Tour proved to be a very successful “In search of Snow Leopards” adventure. We saw seven different Snow Leopards! It all ran very well, and everyone in the group thought it very worthwhile. Whilst we had eight days in camp at the beginning with no Snow Leopard sightings and which was a bit trying (!), we still had good sightings of several birds and other mammals to keep us entertained, and the wait certainly made our eventual sightings (of seven Snow Leopards in total) all the much more appreciated. We had a great Indian team looking after us, and a varied and eager international group of participants. Well done everyone! With an average age of 60, a rather fit 60 I hasten to add, you all did really well! Also, I think we all got along very well, and it was a very convivial and sociable group. Whilst I am sure that everyone was worried if they might be fit enough, actually the walking was not such a challenge for anyone with a sense of balance, decent boots and strong knees. We just took the uphill bits nice and slow (and I mean slow), rejoiced when the kitchen porter arrived with the hot tea and biscuits, and spent lots of time looking and scanning. We had plenty of nice views of several mammals other than the Snow Leopards, and many birds too. The landscapes were stunningly wild and bleak, occasionally dusted with fresh snow, and the temperatures were not quite as cold as we had prepared for (always a good way to be!) I am certainly looking forward to repeating this trip again next year when it will be for the same duration, again giving us the best possible chance of rewarding our efforts with sightings of this near mythical big cat.


Journeys to Leh were uneventful and we all met up at breakfast at the hotel on the morning of Feb 27th. Whilst many of us flew up from Delhi that morning, Mike and Rose, and Jim and Sue had all arrived a day earlier to give themselves even longer to acclimatise. There followed two leisurely days trying to avoid any exercise beyond very gentle walks in the Indus valley, to ensure the best possible acclimatisation to the 12,500 ft (3,800m) altitude. We saw many birds, most notably amongst them were Ibisbills, a major icon of the Himalayan region. They inhabit the braided river banks, and we found them in a couple of spots. Also along the river banks were large numbers of Guldenstadt’s Redstarts, and after some diligent searching we found another of the iconic regional birds when Hugh spotted a Solitary Snipe right next to the van - and we all had prolonged and very close views. Also, at one point a Northern Goshawk flew over allowing for good albeit brief views. Close to the hotel there was a nice flock of Red-fronted Serins, and closer still, in the garden, both the wintering accentors: Robin and Brown. Overhead, occasional Lammergeiers and Golden Eagles were joined by Choughs – Red-billed and Yellow-billed. The first White Wagtails of summer had arrived, and as usual the early ones were of the grey-backed form “personata”, although we did see one “alboides” by the Indus River whilst searching for Ibisbills.

On the 1st we drove out of Leh and headed up to our camp in Hemis National Park. Pausing at the Indus River we saw yet more Ibisbills, and several Mountain Weasels darting around the rocky walls alongside the river. Our first good mammal of the trip! Soon we were looking down on the Indus River from on high, looking down the gorge to the confluence with the Zanskar, pausing whilst our team made good luck offerings at a Buddhist shrine. We then turned south to head deeper into the park and to the best area to find Snow Leopards. We looked in vain for Urial (Red Sheep) in a couple of valleys, finding Blue Sheep instead as well as Brown Dippers and even a brief, flyby Wallcreeper. We came to the end of the road and got out of the vehicles at the trailhead, donned scopes and daypacks (or gave them to the porters) and started the walk to camp. Our main bags had preceded us earlier in the morning and had already left on the mules and horses bound for camp at a good pace. For us, even though the gradient is gentle and we had already spent two days acclimatising at this altitude (we were no higher than the hotel at this point), it took some getting used to walking at slow speed to avoid getting out of breath.

There were plenty of distractions to cause us to pause. A flock of Tibetan Snowfinches passed us like a snow flurry across the mountainside just above the path. Blue Sheep grazed on impossibly steep slopes on unseen vegetation. Brown and Robin Accentors inhabited the bushes by the frozen stream. Lammergeiers and Golden Eagles soared on high, and everywhere the fractured and lichen covered rocks conspired to hide a Snow Leopard in full view. We searched and walked onwards with every turn in the trail revealing new gullies and crags, patterned rocks to turn the ‘scopes onto, focus and express exasperation of being fooled again. This was to be the nature of our endeavour for the days to come. Tibetan Snowcock males gave their wailing territorial cries from high ridges at dawn and dusk. Covies of Tibetan Partridge buried themselves in tiny bushes in search of seed, scurrying, calling, and thrilling with their fantastic cryptic plumage, chestnut necks, spotted flanks and barred backs. Chukars, native here, their staccato calls audible over great distance – in this thin and often silent air, all sounds carries far. Great Tits, much less green and yellow than their European cousins, and sounding different too, roamed the bushes in the valley floor, and occasionally joined by the outrageously purple, chestnut and grey White-browed Tit-warblers, forever on the move and not lingering for photos. We reflected how much more romantic was it’s former name of Stoliczka’s Tit-warbler.


We had ascended one or other ridge behind our camp every morning pre-breakfast, watched in the cold for a couple of hours, returned for a wash and brekkie, then spent the day in either Husing, Rumbak or Tarbung valleys, before concluding each day with a final two hour watch from above camp again. It was not so cold as last year.. only a couple of really cold mornings down to -16C or so, and we even had running water at the Mahey on arrival! Smanla and his team did a sterling job and finally, in the morning on day nine in camp, he spotted 2 Snow Leopards from the ridge before breakfast. Most of us were there, and I was dashing around setting up scopes before looking ... but I, along with those present, missed them! It was all too brief an encounter. Smanla, our great guide, waited a few minutes, then said we had to dash down to Tarbung valley and look across for them from there, which we all did at an impressive speed, even the chap who will be 77 in a few days. Within 40 minutes or less we were in position and all scored great scope views – mum and two cubs that watched us for 20 minutes or so, before walking off out of sight. I delivered Passion Fruit chocolates to all present! We lingered for a “delivered” breakfast, but no further sign of the three cats. We had a relaxed middle of the day, luxuriating in our success, and taking it “easy” around camp. Late afternoon we again walked up the 100 metres (vertical feet) to the “high ridge” above camp. We were all looking hard in the hope that the mum and two cubs would have walked this way during the day but it wasn’t to be. No matter how hard we all looked, guides and us, we couldn’t find them – they must have headed a different way. However, suddenly Hugh spotted a Snow Leopard about 800m away, walking along a nearby ridge. There it was, in his ‘scope, large as life! And he had spotted it before anyone else, even the guides! Finding your very own Snow Leopard is surely one of the best possible thrills of your life! Hugh did not disagree! For the next hour, yes, a whole hour, we all watched it as it patrolled and hunted. At one point it paused by some rocks, sniffing intently, before licking them and finally it sprayed them before it continued. A light snow fell, and it paused occasionally, staring intently. At one point it spotted four Blue Sheep crossing the hillside at fairly close range to it. It adopted a stalking mode, moving on lowered, bent legs, and tail, long, and outstretched behind it for balance. Pausing frequently it moved away from us and towards the sheep, its pale tipped tail sometimes the only visible sign of it. We were all spellbound with excitement and anticipation, before a passing snow shower obscured the view, we speculated (and cursed), eager for the shower to pass and reveal perhaps a successful kill, or at least an ongoing hunt. However, the dramas had only played out in our minds, and we saw that the Snow Leopard was continuing up the hill with no sign of the sheep. Finally it paused atop a crag, silhouetted against the clouds behind, before stepping out of sight.. A suitably noble and very fulfilling final view! Celebrations continued through dinner and beyond the arrival and sharing of the chef’s celebratory “Snow Leopard” cake. We found no more Snow Leopards during the remainder of the main part of the trip.

We all headed back to Leh, enjoyed hot showers and the hotel facilities, and seeing as the internet was working, we had a chance to tell everyone of our success! A celebratory dinner and a few beers made the evening complete. The following morning we bade farewell to those not going on the extension before we set off for the next part of our adventure – three nights in a remote homestay at over 14,000 feet.

The following day we had a shout from across the valley that we should “come now”. We piled into the minibus, down the mountain track, across the now flowing stream, and to the householder who had shouted to us. Her news filled us with hope. “There had been three Snow Leopards sighted in the next valley today”.. We needed no encouragement and set off immediately. We drove down the track, all the way out of the valley, around to the next one and arrived in time to watch three large, nearly


one year-old, cubs as they snoozed on a ledge late afternoon, and then wake up and start gambolling around. Mike said it was “the best twitch of my life”. We stayed until nearly dark watching them clearly in the ‘scopes as they chased each other, tumbling and play fighting. For me it was the best birthday present I could have wished for! Whilst they were not close, and we were indeed truly grateful to have the 70x magnification that my new Swarovski scope offered, everyone was totally thrilled, enthralled and rejoicing for the hour and a half that we spent with them. It was great to have so many scopes as all of them were in constant use as we watched them.

As for other mammals on the trip……. we also saw Wolf - at a kill near the road, on the first day of the extension, followed by two more a couple of days later, eyeing us cautiously from the ridge above the house. Also on the extension we had some good sightings of Ladakh Urial (Red Sheep), and plenty of Siberian Ibex which also gave good views. On the main trip, in addition to frequent and excellent sightings of Blue Sheep, we saw several Mountain Weasels very well, a single Woolly Hare, and what appear to be Large-eared Pikas near camp. Some great birds too – and notably quite a few more species than last year. Best birds again included sightings of Solitary Snipe and Ibisbill near Leh, Tibetan Partridges were ‘everywhere’ in the hills this year, plus lots of Brandt’s and Tibetan Snow Finches, several Wallcreeper sightings, two Northern Goshawks – one at Sheh marshes and one from our Snow Leopard camp. Most notable bird for some was a Northern Lapwing on the outskirts of Leh which was a new bird for the local guides. Pfister’s “Birds and Mammals of Ladakh” lists it as a rare autumn migrant, not known in spring.

Alas, no great Snow Leopard photos this year, but some great viewing and great times! We were all thrilled that heat haze did not detract from any of the viewing this year, and that too would certainly have aided digiscoping, a tip for future departures.

Species recorded on the 2015 tour

Mammals Large-eared Pika Ochotona macrotis Woolly Hare Lepus oiostolus Wolf Canis lupus Red Fox Vulpes vulpes Snow Leopard Panthera uncia


Mountain Weasel Mustela altaica Asiatic (Siberian) Ibex Capra sibirica Ladakh Urial (Red Sheep) Ovis vignei Blue Sheep (Bharal) Pseudois nayaur

Birds Himalayan Snowcock Tetraogallus himalayensis Tibetan Partridge Perdix hodgsoniae Chukar Alectoris chukar Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Gadwall Anas strepera Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Northern Pintail Anas acuta Common Teal Anas crecca Goosander


Mergus merganser Rock Dove Columba livia Hill Pigeon Columba rupestris Water Rail Rallus aquaticus Common Coot Fulica atra Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria Common Redshank Tringa totanus Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier) Gypaetus barbatus Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis


Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis Buzzard spp Buteo spp Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Common (Eurasian) Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Common (Eurasian) Magpie Pica pica Red-billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax Yellow-billed (Alpine) Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus Carrion Crow Corvus corone White-throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus


Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii Blue Whistling-thrush Myophonus caeruleus Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis Güldenstädt's (White-winged) Redstart Phoenicurus erythrogastrus Common (Eurasian) Starling Sturnus vulgaris Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Great Tit Parus major White-browed (Stoliczka’s) Tit-Warbler Leptopoecile sophiae Horned (Shore) Lark Eremophila alpestris House Sparrow Passer domesticus Tibetan Snowfinch Montifringilla henrici White Wagtail Motacilla alba Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta


Robin Accentor Prunella rubeculoides Brown Accentor Prunella fulvescens Red-fronted Serin Serinus pusillus Brandt’s Mountain-finch Leucosticte brandti Mongolian Finch Eremopsaltria mongolica Great Rosefinch Carpodacus rubicilla www.wildwings.co.uk

http://www.wildwings.co.uk

Documents

WildWings “In Search of Snow Leopards” 2015 Tour report · rocks conspired to hide a Snow Leopard in full view. We searched and walked onwards with every turn in the trail revealing