The Mystical Monal Of Mishmi

A trip to the enigmatic Mishmi Hills proves why it is paradise for several exotic bird species, including the rare Sclater’s Monal, and an absolute delight for birders.

- Bikram Grewal

Many years ago, I wrote an article declaring, with a brazenness that comes with being both young and foolish, that the Lava region of North Bengal was the best birding hotspot in India. But I had not visited the Mishmi Hills then and when I did so a few years later, I was forced to be unfaithful and declare that I had found a new love. My curiosity was first aroused when I was told that Julian Donahue and James Eaton had ‘rediscovered’ the enigmatic Rustythroated Wren-babbler in 2004. The now rechristened Mishmi Wren Babbler was known from a single mist-netted female during Salim Ali and S Dillon Ripley’s famed bird survey of the Assam Hills. The bird remained unseen thereafter, till the venerable duo managed to find it again. This was far too much of a temptation to resist. I started making enquires about the place and found that precious little was known. I roped in my friends Sumit Sen, Alpana Khare and Bill Harvey and seriously started to plan the journey. We managed to contact Julian, who could not have been more helpful. He gave us general advice, letting us know that it would be a difficult trip and even basic infrastructure was non-existent. He did, however, provide coordinates of where the bird was found.

The little information about the birdlife of the region still proved to be mouth-watering and the almost mythical Sclater’s Monal led the pack, with no photograph of it being available. This large bird was the dream of every serious birder and only a few records existed. So with this scanty information we rather bravely embarked on our adventure. We flew in to Dibrugarh – India’s easternmost airport – where we were met by a jeep and a mid-sized truck, carrying, inter alia, a generator and livestock for our meals. In the event the generator did not oblige, we spent many freezing nights up in the hills.