Mishmi trip summary by Hrishu Aravind

Hrishu was the only minor/child on our trip, and gamely put up with our ways, adding a wry comment here and there.  (All others, children at heart, yes yes.)

This is such a beautiful summary - that I want it here, so I can refer to it at anytime.  Added a few pictures here and there.  (Picture captions and sarky comments are mine, so please do not blame "Kutty" (as Raja called him).

MNS Mishmi Hills and Assam Trip Report

September 30 – October 09, 2022

I woke at 1:30 am (to catch the flight for the trip), not too sleepy to be excited. I had jumped at the chance to go on this trip. I mean, initiation into serious birding with a trip to the Northeast?! Two flights, a magnificent view of the Brahmaputra, and 9 hours later we reached Dibrugarh airport.

Brahmaputra Views from Flight 2 - Kolkata to Dibrugarh

Day 0: We were welcomed by Mr Hiranya, one of our tour managers. Each of us were greeted with a traditional gamchha by our car drivers. Vijay uncle had already assigned us into groups and to cars, so all that remained to be done was to board the car. It was a four hour drive from Dibrugarh to Roing. Mr Probin Hatibaruah, our bird guide, joined us on the way. 

Tea plantations once we left Dibrugarh

After a stop for lunch, we reached Bhupen Hazarika Bridge, where we had been assured we would see vultures. We did indeed see them. There were about 10 to 15 individuals each of White rumped vulture and Himalayan griffon vulture. I spent a very happy 15 minutes watching them soar from an unknown position and circle down into the grass. It was quite a spectacular way to start the trip. 

Spectacular shots by Suresh.  There must have ben a carcass in the distance, and the area was like a busy airport, as these magnificent large birds circled and landed.  Once they landed, I could not see them.  They are one of the largest Gyps

Once again, Suresh.

The river and bridge were spectacular.  I loved this patch of grass, in full flower, in the middle of the Lohit.

Sadiya, Assam, on the other side of the bridge - where we stopped for chai.

We all met Probin da at the tea stop.

Arunachal!

A first glimpse of stilt long houses.

The hills!

We reached Yatri Niwas (our hotel in Roing) at about 4:30 PM by which time it was already getting dark. We were met by Mr Pralay, and a flock of Eurasian tree sparrows. After settling in we left for the other base - Dibang Valley Jungle Camp. After a mothing session we had our dinner, and retired for the day. 

Yatri Nivas by night with a panchami moon. (Navaratri week, remember.)

One of the moths we saw that night - see how well it goes with Yuvan's veshti border. The said veshti was burnt by the end of the night.

Day 1: I woke up at 4:30 AM and was surprised to find it bright. We met Mr Jibi Pulu, and left for his camp to learn about his work to save Lower Dibang Valley from a Hydroelectric project. A slightly harrowing drive - five stream crossings - later, we reached the community conserved area created by Jibiji. 

After our breakfast of bread sandwich and puri, we entered the land of giant wood spiders. They were ever-present along the side of the road and made huge webs that caught the sun beautifully. 

Beautiful webs, strung across and above our paths.

Giant wood spiders everywhere, undisturbed webs, marvels of symmetry.

With a catch as well.

Avian fauna was surprisingly nonexistence, but the plethora of butterflies ensured they were not missed. We saw a White dragontail, Orange oakleaf, Golden birdwings, and other species like sailor, bluebottle, and several Mormon species. The most common butterfly was the Large Yeoman. 

Sailor on Suresh's camera.

The camera was busy capturing the Yeoman

The views at the end.  Read about Speed Dialling confusions here.

The endemic forktail which got Yuvan all excited.  A beautiful little butterfly which was busy mud puddling.

All these were seen while walking on the track through tall evergreen forest and, for a short while, grassland. We got to wade through two streams but turned back on Jibiji’s advise. Jibiji told us traditional Mishmi tribal stories of Gibbons, tigers and takins on our return walk. 

It was hot when we returned to the camp, and we spent the afternoon under the shade - one set under that green verandah and another on the opposite side under the trees.

We saw an Oriental honey buzzard during lunch. We left for Sally Lake (for tea), doing birding on the way. The notable sightings were Emerald dove, Blue throated barbet, and Sparrowhawk. 

Suresh captured this beautiful Birdwing on the return.  There were many flitting through the Rees, looking like birds, so huge were they.

The flowers they were nectaring on.

And the Popinjay we saw at regular intervals too.

Sally Lake

At Sally lake the only bird I saw was a Long tailed minivet, and that was the last action of the day. 

Sally Lake - a beautiful little natural lake, which one accesses above, and see the lake and the woodlands around. We were tired, and there was a rather delicious tea that became favourite with the group.

Prayer flags stretched across, and away from the chatter and laughter of our group, the lake was serene, but very quiet, no tweets and chirps, very odd.

there was no one besides us at the lake.  We were happy and tired.  Sat around on the benches and then trooped into our cars and headed back.

Tiwarigaon trails Day 2: The plan for the day was to do roadside birding on the Tiwarigaon trail. The road travelled through dense evergreen forest with tall trees and fishtail palms. 

Every morning we saw a family of ducks either waddling besides the road, or bathing in the little puddles in the road.

A reluctant piggie being taken for a walk- a common sight, but quite amusing on our first morning drive.  

We began the day by seeing a Common buzzard. We saw Grey treepie, Long tailed sibia, Streaked spiderhunter, and Orange bellied leafbird, all before the road went into real dense forest. We also saw a flock of Russet sparrow which we mistook for Rose finch initially. 

Buteo buteo - Common Buzzard - Ravi's picture

Sheila's spectacular shot of the Common Buzzard in flight. I wonder if this is the winter visitor or the resident Himalayan subspecies?

At a nice viewpoint, Probinda pointed out the rivers visible. We had our breakfast then, and I spotted a Crested serpent eagle. 

The river valley with all the rivers.

White Bauhinia on our walk.  The vegetation was "tropical evergreen", at this height.  Several Terminalias and Albizzias

On our drive to the next stop, we heard Hoolock Gibbons and one of the drivers spotted the troop. After a bit we saw them on the opposite slope. One gibbon demonstrated his swinging prowess. A little further another troop treated us to a concert. We couldn’t spot them but we did see a White throated fantail. 

Some of the cars hadn’t stopped and missed the gibbons but they saw several small forest birds and a Mountain hawk eagle. After we joined them, we saw Nepal fulvetta, Hume’s bush warbler, Grey chinned minivet and Small niltava among others. 

Much to Yuvan anna’s delight, the butterflies had come out now that it was hotter. Birdwings we found aplenty, as well as the Red lacewing, Paris Peacock and others. That portion of the day was devoted mostly to butterflies, though we did see the Little spiderhunter and heard the Rufous necked hornbill. 

A stick insect on the roadside led to much "Q&A".  Arjun asked "how do you know its an insect?".  Yuvan says with rolling eyes - it has 6 legs.  Arjun persists (and I had to say I agreed with Arjun) - it could be a stick with 6 branches.  Yuvan gave up and walked away.  The said stick insect walked, at this point, and the argument was settled.

The new Anini Road and viewpoint

The new Anini road is not open for traffic, there is blasting still going on. The hill and rubble looked so fragile.

So while behind us was a blasted and bleak hillside, on the other side was this.  The beautiful grass flowers and the valley below.

In the afternoon we drove to the new anini road. As we were driving Probinda saw a Parrotbill. We heard it but couldn’t spot it. We also saw a Sultan tit. At the new anini road I was surprised to find out that Grey wagtails have a lot of yellow plumage. We had a great view of both male and female Blue rock thrush, and the sunset. 

3:57 PM - the clouds, hills and river below catching the light.  It was a time for pictures, just breathing in the scenery and being humbled by the river valley.

4:47 PM - a blaze of glory above, but dark shadows below.  For some reason I dreamed of the Kaziranga floodplains that I had seen a couple of years earlier.

Cicadas in our dinner and other stories.

Jia Grasslands

Day 3: I woke at what had become my usual wake-up time, ready to see Parrotbills. We were going to Jia grassland to try and spot them. We were unsuccessful. We heard the call but couldn’t spot the bird. We did see the Stonechat, a few Doves and some lovely flowers and dragonflies. Probinda told us about the Parrotbills and how they need three types of grass to survive, and about gibbons. We made our way to a river where we saw White rumped munias. I saw a Marsh babbler (Probinda identified the call). We returned for breakfast during which we saw a Brown shrike. 

The seeds of the grass - beautiful picture by Ramesh.

Hanging back, to go "around the corner", and I saw this - Is it a Common Batwing?

Our next stop was Sally Lake. On the way however, my car (which had Vijay uncle, Ramesh uncle and Yuvan Anna) turned off to the Riwatch museum, which Jibiji had recommended we visit. Jiten bhai (our driver) managed to do a full 360 degree turn when we saw a signboard that said “Monday closed” but decided to continue. Vijay uncle was successful in having the museum opened and we saw Idu Mishmi weapons, headgear and other cultural items. 

Sally Lake again

After we finally reached Sally lake we found it to be a moth paradise. After photographing the moths everyone returned to their rooms. 

My father and I took a walk around Dibang valley jungle camp before lunch and saw several butterflies, including a Common palmfly. 

After lunch, Probinda led us on a walk around the camp. We spotted Maroon oriole, White rumped needletail, Spangled drongo and, best of all, a snake - the Mountain keelback. Around 5:30, we left for sally lake again, this time for a mothing session. The morning’s moths were still in the same position. The light attracted more cicadas than moths but it was an interesting half hour nonetheless. 

Tiwarigaon trail again - further explorations of the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary

Day 4: Having got 20 more minutes of sleep than I expected (the delay in leaving was because of a water problem) I was well rested for the day’s birding. It was a cold and overcast day. We were going to a place called 40 km point and would bird while walking back. It was 1800m high and the vegetation appeared a little different. 

6am - Tiwarigaon and beautiful mist and hills.  Magical and mystical. 

The Gaon was always shut.  Or maybe we were always crossing it at a "shut" time. But the layers of hills and the mist always drew my eyes away from the village.

I think this is the Indian chestnut - "Hingori" - in Assamese.

Every step had wonders like this.  At this height, different vegetations

How to not photograph at every turn?  Honestly, I did not miss the birds, and was too distracted to focus on searching for them.

There were more orchids, ferns, and climbing plants. Some notable birds we sighted in the morning were : Himalayan bluetail, Yellow bellied fantail and several Yuhinas. 

Chekopani bridge - breakfast and rain

As we reached Chekopani bridge (where we had our breakfast) it began raining. Despite that, we saw Plumbeous water redstart, White capped river redstart and Little forktail at the bridge. 

Plumbeous Water Redstart - A lovely photo by Meera

Plumbeous Water Redstart - Photo by Ravi

White capped river redstart - Photo by Ravi

Photo by Ravi - Little Forktail - My lifer.  And my first forktail.

Each of us on our own journey of discovery and delight - Photo by Ramesh.

To get out of the rain and the mist which had rolled in, we drove down and (once we were out of it) began birding again. We spotted Scarlet finch, Red tailed minla, two Sunbirds, Grey headed canary flycatcher and Beautiful sibia. We also saw the Mountain bulbul and Blue throated barbet. 

Scarlet Finch I did not see - Photo by Meera. (one of the many birds I missed as I stared at undergrowth and other such things.)

Further down the Anini Road. A bridge across the river was coming up.  Rubble everywhere, uphill.

Beautiful stones like this ripped from above, and lying exposed.  I mused by how many people will benefit from the bridge.  Was there a better way to do it, though?

Yuvan and Hrishu up on the hill side watching the mud puddling butterflies.

After lunch we left for the new anini road; however this time we were going further than we had two days ago. We found a butterfly-mudpuddling spot on the anini road, and Yuvan anna refused to budge from there, so our car followed the rest minus one person. The area near the bridge had fantastic views, but the only bird we saw was a Collared treepie. When we picked up Yuvan anna later, he showed us both White and Green dragontail butterflies. 

Usha says she just gasped when she saw this moment - discovered by Meera.  Paris Peacocks mud puddling - Photo by Meera

Meera aunty had seen another mudpuddling site and had told the group. We stopped there and found more than half a dozen Paris peacocks and a couple of Yeomans and Bluebottles. I returned to my room dazed from the butterfly sightings. 

Mayudia Pass breakfast encounters here

Day 5: I found that it can be dark in the mornings in Mishmi, when I woke up at 3:15. The plan for the day was to go to Mayodia pass. Unfortunately the only birds I saw were a White and a Grey wagtail. They were the only birds who came out on a day in which only demented penguins should be out and about. It began to rain during our drive and was quite heavy by the time we reached Mayodia. We took shelter in a two room hotel (maya hotel). The grown-ups drank tea while I assuaged my hunger with biscuits - breakfast being in the one car (which also had my dad) that had gone ahead. Eventually the cars’ passengers joined us and we ate. 

Yuvan anna had been talking to the locals in the kitchen about climate change and we learnt that snowfall had reduced over the years. I ventured out after breakfast and got soaked by a horizontal spray of rain. I went to the kitchen to warm myself at the fireplace/stove and found others with the same issue. Yuvan anna’s attempt to find out what wood the fireplace was made from ended in confusion and laughter - “ye konsa ladki hai?” Gayathree aunty fared better and translated the reply, which had Yuvan anna wondering whether to laugh or cry - “it comes from a tree.” We left Mayodia and returned to our rooms because the rain wouldn’t let up. On our way back the breakfast car got a puncture (thank goodness it didn’t have lunch) which delayed them. 

After lunch a group played the wilderness game and I spotted a moth. After a wait, for Yuvan anna to be free, I got the moth ID’d as Jerdon’s window moth. A few people visited the market and the Riwatch museum, but I was done for the day. 

The Wilderness game is available for sale - click here. It was great fun.  Yuvan had a tough time trying to  get us aligned to the rules of the game - each of us wanting our own rules.  Devika insisted she need two turns, Gangapriya wanted to show everyone her cards, Usha kept things close to her chest, I nitpicked over descriptions, and Yuvan tore his hair!  (Easier to teach kids, he must have thought.). Anyway, it was strategic Usha who "won", creating a strong eco system before the rest of us.

Moth on light

Day 6: I woke up late as there was no morning birding and made the 20 minute journey from Yatri Niwas to Dibang valley jungle camp for one last time. We ate breakfast and played wilderness as it was raining relentlessly. Suresh uncle was taking photography classes (I joined for a while), and some others had braved the rain to bird in the camp. 

Elu uncle called me for a walk around the camp. We saw the Red necked laughingthrush, Rufous woodpecker, White rumped munias, Bulbuls, Swallows and more. We also saw several butterflies including the Purple sapphire and a few Five rings. We actually saw the Rufous woodpecker very close to the dining room, but it flew off before anyone else could see it. I spent a little while perusing the Salim Ali 10 volume set (to ID the birds) kept at the camp dining room. 

Moving On and away from Roing

We set off for Digboi after lunch. On the drive we saw Oriental Pied hornbills, Honey buzzard, Green billed malkoha, Hill myna; I saw a Black capped kingfisher as well. Upon entering our rooms (verandas, to be precise) we were greeted by a double rainbow. 

The rainbow at Digboi - I saw a single.

We were in the 3rd floor apartment, along with Ravi and Suresh, and these Asian Pied Starlings were in our eyeline.  Photo by Ravi.

Several people decided to visit the Digboi oil museum. I chose to stay behind and instead saw a Barred owlet in the garden. Unfortunately it was dark and I couldn’t get a good photograph. I had also spotted a Shrike and White throated kingfisher earlier. At dinner, I confirmed (from more knowledgeable people) that I had indeed seen a Black capped kingfisher and a Barred owlet, after checking if the owlet was still in the vicinity. 

Dehing Patkai - and the gibbons

Day 7: We set out for Dehing Patkai at around 5:30 am. As we neared the park, we saw an emerald dove, and a little before the final turning to the national park we saw a group of Hoolock Gibbons. There was a male, a couple of females, and a baby too, feeding. We spent some time watching the antics of the gibbons and observed their feeding. 

The Gibbon male on the kadamba tree, looking at us.  With fruit in hand - Photo by Ramesh

The Gibbon Male - Photo by Meera

The female Gibbon, lighter brown.  Photo by Meera

We also spotted a Lesser yellownape. 

After breakfast at the entrance of Dehing Patkai we set out for the morning walk inside the national park. Three forest guards accompanied us. We walked on a leaf covered path in dense lowland rainforest comprised of tall dipterocarps. There were also a lot of ferns. We spotted a Great hornbill in flight and heard the Brown hornbill. We also saw the Rufous woodpecker, both Lesser and Greater racket tailed drongos, Black headed cuckoo shrike, Sultan tit and Woodshrikes. We heard the Grey peacock pheasant and a few people saw the Khalij pheasant. On our way back for lunch, we spotted a Crested serpent eagle and a troop of Rhesus macaques. A little further down the road we had the luck to see a Pied falconet eat a bulbul and then fly into a tree, possibly to catch something else. 

We returned to Dehing patkai after lunch to look for the Trogon. We were greeted by the sight of mudpuddling butterflies on what Probinda later said was leopard scat. About 5 minutes after we began walking the afternoon bird activity began. We saw Large and Common woodshrikes, Grey headed woodpecker, Chestnut bellied nuthatch, Sultan tits, Blue winged leafbird, and others. We also saw a Tropical swallowtail moth. Earlier in the day we had seen a False tiger moth. Other Lepidoptera we saw included loads of Barons and Archdukes, Grey counts, Golden angle, Yellow helen, Common tit. Suresh uncle photographed a Fluffy tit. After we went a little way up one path we turned back and tried another. This time we did see the Red headed trogon. It was sitting inside the tree but one could still see it. I was delighted to finally spot it after all our efforts. On our way to the car we saw Blue bearded bee-eater When we returned to the car, we found out that Yuvan Anna, who had turned back earlier to see the butterflies, had not only seen a pair of Trogons, but also a Green magpie and Khalij pheasants. Arun uncle had seen the Trogons earlier in the morning as well. 

(My Dehing Patkai narrative here.)

We left Dehing patkai for Tinsukia reluctantly ( at least in my case). As I was in the back seat I dozed off and didn’t spot anything else. 

Maguree beel wetlands and the Dibru Saikowa national park

Day 8: This was the last day of birding on the trip. We were going to the Maguree beel wetlands and the Dibru saikowa national park. We set out with packed breakfast. Neither mine nor Yuvan anna’s lasted the drive. Much to Ramesh uncle’s and Vijay uncle’s relief we left theirs alone. 

We reached Maguree Beel and got into the boats only for it to start raining. We sheltered in the cars and after some discussion, Vijay uncle announced that we would go to Dibru Saikowa first. 

We reached Dibru Saikhowa and got into a big roofed boat. 

The rain had lessened. I was in the lower deck and shortly after we set off saw a Striated heron. After a bit I climbed to the upper deck and was rewarded with the sight of a Greenshank. We also saw Lapwings, Swamp francolins and a Grey headed fishing eagle. A large flock of ducks, comprising Lesser whistling and Indian spot bills, was sighted. Apart from that the trip was uneventful. 

This beautiful picture of the rising mists by Ramesh

Brooms!  Lined up on the banks, from the grasslands

Canebrakes - another unique aspect of Dibru Saikhowa National Park are the little islands of Elephant grass.

The Grey-headed Fishing Eagle- picture by Meera

The mixed forests I am sure had many hidden treasures.

The rain had stopped so we returned to Maguree beel. The boats here were pole boats which looked like canoes. As we boarded them it started drizzling but cleared up as we left. There must have been something about that docking place because it drizzled again when we landed on our return. We set out in spite of the drizzle and it was worth it. I think this must be the best way to bird in a water body. We could get right inside the water body, at water level and moving at a gentle unobtrusive speed without disturbing any bird. Once the sun came out it was even pleasant to sit on a wooden plank. During our boat ride, we saw the Striated grassbird, Ruddy breasted crake, Rusty rumped warbler, Rosy pipits, both the Bronze winged and Pheasant tailed (without the tail) jacanas, Temminck’s stint and a Darter. Naturally there were loads of Herons, Egrets and Cormorants; Barn swallows and Wagtails too. 

Our lunch halt - nice fresh and simple food.  Every meal we thoroughly enjoyed, and  it is best to eat local food rather than the pan Indian ubiquitous PBM. 

After lunch we went on a short walk where we saw Moorhens, Jacanas and saw several dragonflies and damselflies. 

The views on the walk. 

(Picture wing dragonflies in hundreds!)

Some of us went on a second boat ride. This was even better in the afternoon sun, drifting in between water lilies and hyacinth. This time we saw a lot more Jacanas as well as Little Grebe and a pair of Cotton pygmy geese. A Pied kingfisher enthralled us with its dives. 

After some hot pakoras, we said our goodbyes to Probinda and returned to the hotel. That night we had a special Assamese thali in an authentic Assamese family run restaurant.

Day 9: After last minute packing and breakfast we left for the airport. We said our farewells to our drivers, Pralayda and Hiranyada. Also there to see us off was a White wagtail.

A few words on the food.  The food was simple, tasty and filling although a tad spicy to my palate. The local greens were interesting. And curd was provided!

Probinda was a mine of information not only about birds but about the myths and folklore associated with the hills. His mimic of the gibbons was amazing and hilarious. His whistles were awesome. Pralayda had amazingly deep knowledge of trekking and wildlife in addition to his tour management skills. All the drivers, Jiten, Dhanonjay, Thakur, Moon, Mintu, Shamim and Prashanto were very cheerful and helpful and patient with the boisterous group.

This was a memorable trip (not just because it was my first one) and one which I would like to repeat with the same group. There is so much more to see, which we couldn’t this time, for lack of time and a knowledgeable guide — trees, flowers, butterflies, insects and mammals, that many trips are needed."

********

Thank you Hrishu, for that fabulous summary.

Here are some links for photo albums.

Meera

Suresh

Ramesh

Gayathree

Ravi

Ramesh -  butterflies

Meera - insects

Day 7 - Experiencing Dehing Patkai

7th October 6am

We were originally to check out of Namdang in the morning, but the plan changed to an afternoon check out.  So it was a more relaxed morning start, meaning there was no need to pack and take our bags down.  We headed for the Suraipong range of this relatively newer National Park, I think from the Digboi Duliajan Road.

It was a beautiful morning, and the road was so picturesque, with lovely lily ponds and tall trees.

Before we reached the Park, Probinda brought the vehicles to a halt as he had spotted a family of Gibbons up on the kadamba tree, by the roadside.  What a lovely sighting.  And I remembered seeing them on the outskirts of Kaziranga as well.  We had also heard a couple of troops calling to each other on the Tiwarigaon road, in the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary and also seen them brachiating at a distance.  Today, we saw them close enough to see their features, their eyebrows and their behaviour.  Their calls are a characteristic part of the NE forests.

The pictures taken of the Gibbons by Meera and Ramesh are in the main trip report.  We craned our necks as they were high in the canopy, hidden by the thick foliage.  The male was busy contemplating a Cadamba fruit in one hand, the female was keeping an eye on us.  Our excited murmurs and come here, go there caused one of them to brachiate upwards and inside.  Then someone saw the baby near the mother.

Probin had mentioned that the Gibbon males feed after the females and children finish.  Couples are monogamous, and they seem rather gentle and shy.

Photo by Ravi of the male gibbon contemplating the fruit.  Probin mentioned that they are very neat eaters, feeding gently and finishing off the fruit, rather than the messy eaters that Macaques generally are.

The forests and the land and the trees are their homes, and these sensitive creatures are under stress because of our activities.

This essay from Mongabay elaborates on their fragility.

"As an exclusively arboreal species that requires contiguous, closed-canopy forests for survival, the hoolock gibbon is particularly vulnerable to the massive ongoing deforestation across northeastern India.

“When a contiguous habitat is reduced to scattered smaller fragments, they become ‘habitat islands’ in an inhospitable sea of degraded habitat,” said Sharma. These conditions can lead to inbreeding, he adds. “The resultant offspring are often weak, sometimes sterile or may have little reproductive fitness.”

Hoolock gibbons rarely move between forest fragments; they may refuse to cross gaps even as small as 200 meters. On top of that, they’re extremely picky about their food, and a restricted home range means limited food options.

Wildlife biologist Kashmira Kakati, whose doctoral research at the University of Cambridge was on Assam’s hoolock gibbons, recalls a gibbon family she observed during her fieldwork. “An entire portion of their home range became inaccessible via the canopy because a single connecting tree was felled,” she says. “I witnessed severely emaciated juvenile gibbons — a phenomenon that occurs when they’ve to feed on leaves for prolonged periods in the absence of fruits.”"

The essay goes on to say that even the Mishmi Gibbons whom we encountered on our walks in Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary are under threat from "illegal logging, land encroachment and expansion of agriculture, notably oil palm cultivation."  Oil palm cultivation, in the NE!  How can planners be so visionless I wonder.

635 am and we see a board that says 6km to the entrance of the sanctuary - the Suraipong range.

However, there was still a roadblock, quite literally to cross. Efforts to move it failed and it was finally cut.  The drivers all banding together and taking turns with the "aruvaal".  

We walked on in the meanwhile - not that we went far - since every step led a discovery.  

Like this Crested Goshawk which I thought was a Kestrel.  Photo by Ravi

Anyways we meandered on and reached the entrance, and it was close to 8am already.  The original idea was to be in by 630, and do a short and quick walk, and return for breakfast to the entrance, and then head out again for a walk.

So, we started with breakfast then - sandwiches and boiled eggs and bananas - before moving on to our walk.

Photo by Gayathree.  Leech socks, water, binocs...and armed guards at the front and rear.  Supposedly there was an elephant that did not like humans much roaming these parts.  (I don't blame the elephant actually - not much to like about our species.)

Dehing Patkai, under threat from oil fires quite recently, was a name, a remote and wild place, and now here I was walking through it.  Yuvan had been a moving force in the #SaveDehingPatkai movement in Chennai, and it was a relief to note that the planned coal mining has been stalled, for the moment at least.

One of the few remaining rainforests and situated on the banks of the Dehing river, the forest also is in close proximity to the oil mining areas of Digboi.  In fact we saw some closed oil wells as well, as we walked by.  The condensation from oil pipes are subject to theft, and the leaks can lead to fires and flares.

As we walked through in humid and hot conditions, I was struck by the dipterocarps that broke though out of the canopy and formed the overstory.

Mushrooms of different shapes and sizes were everywhere.

A pair of great hornbills flew overhead.  The forest resounded with the temple bell sound of the green cicadas.  Soon, the MNS groups was strung across a wide swathe, despite the early admonitions to stay together.  Arun, Sekar, Ramesh and Arjun had marched ahead along with one armed guard - they were the leading pack.  I was in the middle examining the undergrowth and leaf litter, and exclaiming at every bloom and the beautiful dry leaves.

Dipterocarp seeds on the forest floor, 

as also Hingori, chestnut seeds, 

and were these wild balsam?

Bringing up the rear were Yuvan and co, as they photographed butterflies, herbs, fungi and tried to id the trees.

At some point the decision was made to turn back.  I was worried - no sign of Sekar, where had he reached?  (He usually marches along at a merry pace while I dawdle and malinger).  Anyways a guard was sent to call the leading pack back- the message being that we were returning and they were to turn back. 

We hung around and chatted, waiting for them to return.  Pralay of Help Tourism telling us about all the other spots from Siliguri which we definitely should visit.  

After a length of time, still no sign of the returning troops, Vijay gets restive and begins to mutter and pace.  Finally, Sekar, Arjun and Ramesh return, sans Arun.  Supposedly the message conveyed at the other end was that you guys are too old to make this trip, so let's return!  Chinese Whispers to the power of N!!

And so we dawdled back and into the cars, met up with the local children, and went back to Namdang for a rather nice lunch with excellent Baingan bharta filled with chillies and otenga curry.  The plan was to check out, land our luggage into the cars and then head back to Dehing, and then move on to Tinsukhia.

We headed back to Dehing and walked along the outer road where the guards were not required.

I gasped upon seeing the Sultan Tits - goodness what colours.  A lifer for me.  They were like flashes of sunshine in the canopy, flitting about here and there.  I could not get enough of them, and also it was a challenge to see the whole bird as they moved so quickly and the canopy was so thick.  

Probin then took us down a  path where the Trogon is usually sighted.  We were shushed and excited.  It was sighted through the canopy!  Shh - there's the head - can you see that long tail, wait wait come here, you can see the full bird.  We strained and peered and finally, all of us in that group managed to piece the bird together, bit by bit!

And then we went and excitedly told the others when Yuvan shared this picture.

Red headed Trogon - Pic by Yuvan.  The bird gave him a good Darshan, sitting on the branch out in the open.  How blessed he was!  Harpactes erythrocephalus - another lifer for me.

And he also saw the Khalij Pheasant as did several others, but not me.

Another group had wandered down a third path where they were accosted by what looked like some guards - not Forest - who wanted to know their precedents and antecedents.  And so they left from that road.

The sun was beginning to set, and we set out from Dehing to Tinsukhia.

The last rays of the day were catching the tops of the Dipterocarps

and there was this lovely glow on the bucolic scenery. Everything looked so idyllic, even as I realised that there are hardships and tensions aplenty. 

The legendary Margherita as well.

630 pm - we were checked in at the Aroma Residency, and welcomed with some hot tea and biscuits,

and a Rhino matchbox

to boot!

More rain, Maguri Beel and Dibru Saikhowa awaited us.

Communities join hands to keep alive the hoolock gibbon's song

Her is a 2019 article which speaks of two subspecies of Gibbons. (2021 genetic mapping has negated this idea.)

The essay describes the problems of deforestation and fragmented forests for brachiating Gibbons who are also picky eaters.

Communities join hands to keep alive the hoolock gibbon's song

Not two, only one species of hoolock gibbon in India: study

Not two, only one species of hoolock gibbon in India: study

Not two, only one species of hoolock gibbon in India: study

Sahana

Fourteen years after reports noting that India has two separate species of the gibbon – the hoolock gibbon and the eastern hoolock gibbon – a latest genetic analysis has now proved that there is only one species of ape in India.

Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) is the only gibbon (apes in the family Hylobatidae) found in India, according to the analysis. Earlier, northeastern India was said to be home to two species: eastern (Hoolock leuconedys) and western hoolock (Hoolock hoolock) gibbons. A study led by Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad scientists states that there is no separate species of eastern hoolock gibbon in northeast India, debunking earlier research that had suggested a separate species (the assumed eastern hoolock gibbon) based on coat colour.

The CCMB research team was led by G. Umapathy; the other members of the team were Mihir Trivedi, Shivakumara Manu, Sanjaay Balakrishnan, Jihosuo Biswas, and N. V. K. Asharaf.

“These two populations are kept separately in the zoos and not allowed to breed, now they can be allowed to breed as they belong to single species. Further, a slight coat colour change in any species does not make a separate species. One has to examine genetic characteristics before describing a species,” G. Umapathy, Group Leader, Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES), CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, told Mongabay-India.

“We estimate that gibbon divergence from a common ancestor occurred 8.38 million years ago and that the split between H. hoolock and H. leuconedys occurred 1.49 million years ago,” the authors said.

Hoolock gibbon was described first in 1834, in the erstwhile kingdom of Assam by American naturalist R. Harlan. Previously eastern and western hoolocks were considered as sub-species but were later classified as species in 2005. The first distribution record of eastern hoolock gibbons in India was published in 2006.

Western hoolock gibbon is distributed all over northeast India, south and east of Brahmaputra river; along with Bangladesh and Myanmar. The eastern hoolock gibbon (termed as Mishmi hills hoolock in the paper) is distributed between Nao-Dehing, Lohit and Dibang rivers in Arunachal Pradesh. IUCN states that the presence of H. leuconedys in India is uncertain. In 2013, primatologist Anwaruddin Choudhury proposed H. hoolock mishmiensis, a sub-species of western hoolock gibbon found in the Mishmi hills.

Study co-author Jihosuo Biswas said the genetic analysis was necessary to clear the confusion between two physically different hoolock gibbon populations. The scientists collected blood, tissue, and faecal samples from various populations of H. hoolock and the Mishmi Hills gibbons in the wild, zoos, and rescue centers in northeast India. The study could not find any genetic differences between H. hoolock and the assumed eastern hoolock gibbon population in the region between the Lohit and Dibang rivers in northeast India.

The study suggests that the Mishmi hills hoolock is not a subspecies of H. hoolock but a population that was recently separated from the main H. hoolock population by the Barak river. The population of gibbons in Southern Assam, Mizoram and Bangladesh constitutes a “meta-population”. Metapopulations are populations of subpopulations within some defined area, in which dispersal from one local population (subpopulation) to at least some other habitat patches is possible.

“Our findings will help establish the species identity of the gibbons and can be used to create an effective gibbon conservation breeding program that will be undertaken by many Indian zoos and also aid translocation programmes,” Biswas of Primate Research Centre Northeast India, Guwahati told Mongabay-India.

Known for their vigorous vocal displays, gibbons are unique small apes, with 20 species, all of them endemic to south and southeast Asia. Gibbons play an important role in seed dispersal, which contributes to maintaining the health of the forests they call home, and benefit the communities that also use forest resources, states the International Union for Conservation of Nature, adding that globally, gibbons are one of the most threatened families of primates.

Gibbons are pair-living, usually with a monogamous mating system, and the adult male and female of a group sing prolonged duets. Hoolock gibbon adults exhibit distinct sexual dimorphism in pelage colouration, the males are black overall and the female becomes varying shades of brown and fawn at maturity, the study states. Both H. hoolock and H. leuconedys infants are born with a pale brown natal coat (infants are nearly white) similar in colouration to that of adult females. Infants of both sexes turn black.

Scientists say the identification of species and their distributions is crucial for successful conservation and understanding speciation. Phylogenetics plays an important role in recognising species and understanding their relationships with other taxa. Although new species have been declared based on distribution and morphology, phylogenetic studies are an integral part of describing and delineating a species through integrative taxonomy. In addition to assisting in situ conservation efforts by assessing the phylogenetic diversity of a taxon, phylogenetics is also useful for conservation breeding and captive management strategies and directly affects decisions regarding which individuals to breed, to prevent hybridisation and to maintain genetic diversity.

Primatologist Dilip Chetry who is not associated with the study said there is scope for more research in this direction by taking the samples from higher altitudes from Mishmi hills as well as from plain areas of Sadiya, Wakro, Kamlang and other areas from the north bank of Noadehing river.

Divya Vasudev, a senior scientist with Conservation Initiatives who is not associated with the study said, “The paper is critical for our understanding of the evolution, ecology and conservation status of both the eastern and western hoolock gibbon. We know now that there are populations of the western hoolock gibbon – a highly endangered species – and habitat for the species in Arunachal as well.” Divya has worked in Garo Hills in Meghalaya on gibbons.

“This also emphasises how important community-based conservation is for the western hoolock gibbon. The threats to the species remain though, and this understanding will only support on-ground conservation efforts for gibbons” she added.

Read more: Communities join hands to keep alive the hoolock gibbon’s song

Day 6 - On to Digboi. The Oil Museum.

 6th October 4pm

October ' 22

And so we arrived at Namdang House, Digboi, after navigating hundreds of highway cows that assumed their job was reckless driving control, as they stood across the road, any way they pleased.

Our driver Shamim sombrely mentioned how so many families have lost their young men to insurgency, in this region.  ULFA and Surrendered ULFA - both sides to blame, both sides guilty of coercion and all the same sordid crimes.  Looking around it was hard to believe, that this green and now seemingly peaceful countryside was so wracked and troubled.

Once again, our large group size meant that we were split into two spaces - the hotel itself and some of us into the "service apartment" in the next building.  Sekar and I were told 3rd floor, and I confidently walked into one verandah, where a young hapless man told me rather gingerly, madam these are our Quarters, you see, we live here.  He sounded apologetic for causing this inconvenience to me.  I was impressed with myself, while Sekar had this nonplussed look, turns out we had to go around the building to the other side.  The apartments were new and so nice - Sekar and me in one room and the Tirunelveli Twins Suresh and Ravi in the other.  

We were here to explore Dehing Patkai, the next day.  The Dehing Patkai and the oil stories are very interconnected.  For the moment, I focus on the oil.

The Digboi rainbow

The Starlings that seemed to be curious about our arrival.  The Indian pied myna (Gracupica contra) - there is a NE subspecies that has reduced streaking on the shoulder and nape I believe.  Quite striking.

Raja in his stentorian voice announce that there was an oil museum and it closed at 4 and we should leave immediately.  So, drop bags in the room, enjoy the rainbow and the starlings on the wire and then off we went again.

And the lovely thing of small towns - everywhere you need to go is 5 minutes away, and people are quite willing to open up beyond hours.

We drove along the road we came in on, which seemed filled with many religious buildings.  There also seemed to be a prayer meeting of Srimant Shankardeva.  I came to learn that he has a lot of followers in the Assam region, and I guess could be called a spiritual reformer, breaking the caste barrier and living a simple life.

The sun was setting and the market lights were twinkling.  I was reminded of my geography teacher at school Ms Rohini.  She passed away just a fortnight ago, and I am sure she will be smiling at my delight at seeing my geography lesson come alive.  

We crossed the Digboi Club - it said Established 1922 on the wall, that made it a 100 years old this year, and possibly the "Oil company" area - lawns and flower beds.

 The museum is within the campus of the refinery, and when we alighted there was a strong whiff of the petroleum , like being in a petrol bunk, but a little different.  We were courteously told that we could not take our phones or cameras in.  I wonder why these rules - you would think you want more people to take pictures and spread the word, visit.  

Large models of how the first oil was discovered, and of course the legend of the "dig boy, dig" story was on the walls.  There were a bunch of exhibits which would have interested my father - engines and pumps of various vintages, and a whole bunch of memorabilia of life from decades ago- typewriters, calculators and even tea pots and oil measuring cans.  The story of oil, in the US was also up on the walls.  I scribbled some interesting trivia down about the history of oil exploration on an old boarding pass - since I had no other paper, and of course on return have thrown the said boarding pass away, and now do not remember what those tidbits were.  Something about Rockefeller and Standard Oil.  and Shell.  Oh well.

The Oil Well No 1 was on display outside, where we were allowed to take pictures, and this picture by Gayathree shows the details.

We wandered out, some others went on the WWII cemetery, we went back to Namdang.  Travelling in the car with Arjun led to many fascinating Assam stories that I did not know.  The Stillwell or Ledo Road was one such.  Names like Makum, Assam Oil, Margherita, Mr. Goodenough of McKillop, Stewart & Co. and many such others.  His sense of history of the region was truly remarkable and I learned much from him.  (More in the tea stories, later)

Oil - despite this natural treasure, Assam has remained economically poor.   

Whose Oil Is it in Assam – and Whose 'Development'?

Many regional forces have fought against the privatisation of oil fields, and their struggles represent yet another point where regional aspirations could stand together with the fight against neoliberalism.

Whose Oil Is it in Assam – and Whose 'Development'?

In 1867, in a newly occupied area of the colonial hinterland of British India, an important resource was accidentally discovered that would go on to animate numerous resistance movements in the years to come: oil.

Assam’s oil story is now a century old, but the implications of this resource – used globally and traded in American dollars – comes with issues that are extremely local.

The northeastern part of the Indian subcontinent has become a political frontier where an extraction economy has flourished by the destruction of local resources, tradition and economy. In independent India, the first oil field was discovered in Naharkatiya, in present-day Tinsukia district. The government expected it to yield 2.5 million tonnes of oil per year, meeting one-third of India’s demand. The government of India wanted to install a refinery where crude oil from Naharkatiya would be processed, first at Kolkata first and then at Barauni, Bihar.

But Assam boiled on the issue of wealth drain and demanded the refinery be in Assam itself. At the national level, those were the days of the Nehru-Mahalanobis model of planned economy. When Jawaharlal Nehru visited Assam on October 18, 1956, several hundreds of people demonstrated along his route, demanding the oil refinery be in Assam.

Assam Refinery Action Committee was formed under the leadership of Hareswar Goswami and Hem Barua, and the Assam assembly passed a unanimous resolution in support. Finally, the government established two refineries – one at Barauni and the other at Noonmati, Assam.

But the oil economy continued to have an overriding effect on the articulation of economic demands by various social movements in Assam, rooted in the struggle for indigenous rights. The slogans of the Assam movement (1979-85) were the tip of the nativist sentiment against a ‘drain of wealth’ from Assam, reflected in slogans like, “Tez dim tel nidiu (we shall give blood but not oil)”.

In August 1990, agitators of the Assam Movement prevented crude oil from leaving Assam and then demanded that natural resources must be processed within the state. Several insurgent groups, like the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), also accused the Centre of exploiting resources of ‘Bor Asom’ (Greater Assam, comprising some parts of the Northeast) and creating a ‘backwardness’ in the region. To justify its revolt, the front also demanded that oil and coal be primarily seen as helping improve the economic situation of the region’s people.

However, scholars like Arupjyoti Saikia see this as a form of internal colonialism that functions in the periphery. The politics of resource extraction at peripheries and regional aspiration for right over resources are located in an inherent contradiction of unitary federalism. However, the economic exploitation of the region despite increasing political dissent remains unchanged.

Oil is well!

The ongoing Baghjan inferno that has wreaked havoc in parts of eastern Assam since May 27 has prompted questions of how the politics of exploration of oil neglected the rights, resources and biodiverse rural ecology. The modern economy runs on oil. But while oil has improved travel times and communication of information, it has also created grounds for further oppression in many towns and rural areas. These areas often try hard to compete with their urban counterparts for development, including for jobs, expansion of the local economy, increased trade and better quality of life. But oil has also driven the same population towards disease, environmental devastation, poor healthcare, lack of governance and administrative opacity.

Also read: Javadekar Scuttles Bid to Extend Public Consultation on Controversial Environment Rules

Modern Indian political thought has often failed to address such huge lapses in economic policy, resulting in the further plunder of natural resources and destruction of local livelihoods. Oil is also a leading cause of militarisation in areas where establishing dominance to extract oil and other resources remains contested thanks to indigenous claims to land and resources.

The question of exploitation and economic disparity in the oil debates is located in a larger debate about how Assam has been denied an equitable distribution of profits and oil royalties from oil production. This has perpetuated a regional disparity in the course of capitalist development in India, which saw frontiers as the site of resource extraction only and ignored the demands of higher control over resources by the people, which saw resource extraction through the eyes of cost effectiveness instead of sustainability.

Such “profit before people” developmental policies on the state’s part allowed it to privatise natural resources once it adopted liberalisation policies and integrated itself into the global financial system. Between 1997 and 2012, under the New Exploration and Licensing Policy, the government has privatised 257 oil fields. The process took a break in 2012 for two years; from 2014, marginal oil field auctions allowed the open privatisation of oil fields. The open acreage licensing policy adopted in 2017 has one clause that says the companies that file tenders for auctions don’t require any past experience.

This way, the Baghjan oil field was auctioned to Gujarat-based John Energy, a company said to be a greenhorn vis-à-vis oil extraction, particularly in Assam’s topography. Privatisation is not only handing over natural resources to profit hungry corporates but also undermining the longstanding struggle of Assam’s people for rights over their resources.

Many regional forces have fought against the privatisation of oil fields, and as such, their struggles represent yet another point where regional aspirations could stand together with the fight against neoliberalism. However, privatisation has also continued, as if unstoppable. Not only have many oil fields been privatised but the state has also normalised the outsourcing of drilling and other tasks. Even after the blowout at Baghjan, India did not put together its own expert group but sought the expertise of a Singaporean firm to quench the fire.

The catch-up to ‘development’

The roots of a modernity brought about by the ‘oil regime’ needs to be interrogated continuously. The model of development by colonial powers finished shifting cultivation forever. The post-1947 model of development demonised jhum cultivation – widely practiced in the northeast – and destroyed local food sovereignty, and never understood the importance of the rural commons.

India’s northeast is one of the greenest parts of the country but forest cover has been depleting consistently in the last 18 years. In the last decade, deforestation has doubled, according to data mapped by Global Forest Watch. Net forest loss in the northeast from 2014 to 2018 was an alarming 6,229.25 sq. km, which is nearly the total area of Sikkim, and has only been increasing in the last three years.

The very notion of development, therefore, needs to be questioned and the state needs to invest in exiting the colonial ideas of fossil fuel energy, and find alternatives to oil as a fuel.

Anshuman is a PhD research scholar at Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Mrinal Borah is an MPhil research student at Special Centre for Study of North East India. The authors can be reached at angshumansarma13@mail.com and mrinal.borah123@gmail.com.