Namdapha-Mishmi-Dehing: A Trip of a Lifetime, Grand Birding Experience-Part 4

 Trip Summary

This trip was an exploration through Assam and Arunachal Pradesh for birdwatching. I visited these states during late April 2026 during peak season for Mishmi Hills and Dihing-Patkai National Park. We visited 3 bird hotspots (Namdapha National Park, Dihing-Patkai National Park and Mishmi Hills) and saw quite a few birds between the hotspots. This blog is about my trip and how the birding went. In the trip I saw 40 lifers which boosted me to 721 bird species observed in India, the rarest being the Silver Backed Needletail.

Sec-D: Dehing-Patkai National Park and Elephant Reserve

As we took our open-gypsy out and descend into the forests, we heard a Hainan Blue Flycatcher almost immediately. We started looking for it and eventually found it. I was surprised to see robin-like behaviour in flycatchers but maybe they do behave like that, they might just hide it. Next up, we did a difficult trek through forest streams and slippery leaves with massive leeches and steep climbs we went through the dense rainforests on trails made by elephants to find the Brown Hornbill. We saw a huge group feeding a nest with fruits from the nearest fruits. The Brown Hornbill is the only Hornbill in the world where large flocks feed the female and chicks. After a tough trek we were back on the path, where we went ahead to spot the Grey Lored Broadbill (Silver Breasted Broadbill) sitting motionless on a short tree. We went forward and our naturalist spotted a Dark Necked Tailorbird, while the Tailorbird was a near miss for me, I spotted and Identified a Ruby Cheeked Sunbird, a special thing to identify a lifer. We then went on to go inside the rainforest again. We tried to see the White Winged Duck but we went out of season. In the same area, after some waiting we saw the White Crowned Forktail, a bird which we near missed in Namadapha and Mishmi. We decided to take rest at our stay at Soraipung before a productive evening session.

Soraipung Resort near Dehing Patkai

We departed for our evening session where we saw a Plaintive Cuckoo near an oil well. In the same area we saw a Dollarbird and unfortunately it did not give us money. We moved on to a different area to see the Silver Backed Needletails in flight, the rarest bird of the trip and it was a delight to see it. While standing in the same spot we found a Scarlet Backed Flowerpecker, I have only seen it in Bangkok before so it was an India lifer. On the next day we decided to go to Digboi and in the region we found a Chestnut Backed Laughingthrush, a rarity I have always wanted to see. We later saw a Striated Grassbird in the grasslands near the National Park. Afte that we came back to Soraipung resort and packed up to leave. We then drove to Dibrugarh airport and boarded our flight back to Bombay.

Most reliable checklist to tick lifers in no-signal areas

Trip List Mishmi Namdapha Dihing Apr-26


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