Man vs Owls!

Owls for some reason, do not like me. Unlike members of my favorite group: raptors, owl clans have somehow always avoided me. I like to think that is because I scare them, the winged predators of the night. But, I kid myself. Owls are wise-asses. They probably think, “There goes another doofus with a camera! No way will he manage to see us. Let him lose his mind over warbler identifications!”. They probably laugh behind my back too. Jerks! Anyway, up to this point, in my four years of serious birding adventures, I had managed to rack up only four owl species: Barn, Spotted, Asian Barred and Brown Fish. Therefore, you see why I get personal about my grudge with the nocturnal nuisances.

So forcefully prying myself away from complaining about owls, which by the way I can do all day, I’ll get to the actual encounter. This was during my December 2017 visit to my elder brother’s place in Tezpur, Assam. These yearly trips are generally packed with great people, good food and promise of exotic wonders of Arunachal, and thus are the most awaited! That year we decided to hit the motherlode: Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (EWS)! Following the discovery of Bugun Liocichla in 2006 and reports of innumerable rarities, this sanctuary has become the stuff of legends in the Indian birding community. So when the plans were chalked out, I picked up my Grimmett copy and mentally picked out the rarest of the rare. I even dared to venture on the “Vagrants” page. That’s how psyched out I was for the trip!

An additional bonus to this particular trip was the little known gem, OKSRT (an acronym for the Orang-Kalaktang-Shergaon-Rupa-Tenga) route. This is a recently opened alternative route to enter Arunachal from Assam, and is astounding in terms of unspoiled beauty and birds. Those not familiar with this wonder, I urge you to check out this article: http://www.saevus.in/a-journey-through-birders-paradise/ (Bragging point: written by my elder brother!)

OKSRT glistens in brilliant weather

Majestic cross-beddings in the OKSRT route

The adventure began promisingly with migration of flying foxes, calls of Jerdon’s Baza and magnificent sedimentary cross-beds. By the time we reached EWS, it was already afternoon and the light was fading. I slept that night with Trogons in my mind and rum in my belly. Over the next two days incessant drizzles, terrible fog covers and an all-penetrating dampness, convinced us that we had to return to Tezpur a day early. This was really happening. My first trip to the mythical EWS and I was returning a day ahead of schedule and with zero lifers. I’m sure the owls had something to do with the weather conspiracy. Jerks!

The Stephen King-esque Mist in ESW

So feeling entirely bummed out, I sat in the car for the journey homewards. We decided to really explore the OKSRT route this time. Well because, we had to do something! The weather brightened up around late noon and we stopped at a junction in the road hearing a number of calls. As soon as we stepped out with our cameras in our hand, a pair of Great Barbets flew on a dead branch and started chirping away. The air around us reverberated with the release of pent-up birding energy! While taking pictures of the Barbet couple, I spotted a raptor flying far away and quickly moved away from the pack towards it. I had locked on with my camera and was snapping away decent images. Suddenly while still looking through the lens, I noticed a smudge on top of the telephone wires in front of me. I put the camera down and saw what appeared to be an owl-like bird. As I am used to do so ever so often, through no fault of my own, I thought that it must one of the four species I had previously seen. Probably, an Asian Barred Owlet. However, it was too small for an Barred Owlet. So, I quickly turned my camera on it and realized with nervous excitement that this one’s new! The characteristic pattern at the back of the head was a dead giveaway and lo and behold, I was face to face with a Collared Owlet (Glaucidium brodiei)! The smallest owl of India. I couldn’t believe it. An owl lifer is like a precious commodity to me. It hardly ever happens. But, not this time! No, this was a pure, unadulterated and breathtaking owl lifer. And as it often happens, it happened to me while I was not looking for it. There’s a lesson there, I think.

Collared Owlet I

Collared Owlet II

Anyway, the rest of the journey was packed with lifers, about 6-7 in 3 hours, I kid you not! I finally got a taste of the exotic avian wonders of Arunachal. The major portion of the trip was ruined, no denying that fact. But as I look back, that day’s journey through the OKSRT will be one of my fondest birding memories. Mostly because of that illusive owl! All their schemes, treachery and diabolical plans could not stop me from adding a new member to my owl list. As I was in that moment, I remember I involuntarily kept saying to myself “I got you, you bastard!”

Collared Owlet III: showing it's characteristic back of the head pattern

Collared Owlet IV

Don’t get me wrong, owls are still winning the war. I just won a battle that day.