Pangoot - a birders paradise

 

Pangoot Post Office

‘A rose by any name smells just as sweet’, so does Pangoot/Pangot.  The locals call it Pangoot whereas at many places it is spelt as Pangot.  The post office calls it Pangoot and so shall I through this blog.  

Streaked Laughingthrush
A very common bird and I found them everywhere...

...Striated Laughingthrush

This is my third time visiting this place, and the first time in winter.  Earlier I had stayed at The Great Barbet hotel, but this time I stayed in Kamal Joshi’s homestay. For blogs on my earlier trips there please go links Naina Peak and Brahmasthali -The Top of Kumaon (in June 2021)  and Pangot, Chanfi and Sattal: Walking with nature (in May 2022)

Red-rumped Swallow gathering wet mud for its nest at Pangot...

...White-throated Laughingthrush bathing and
drinking water at a bird hide. 

The number of homestays has increased manifold, there were two to three earlier but now there are many (more than fifteen?). Each has its hide, feeds birds, grow trees that attract birds, then trims these trees.  It has got so that there aren’t too many birds in the forests.

A Macaque looks inquisitively at me

There is substantial wildlife here too, many leopards (though I didn’t get to see one at Pangoot), barking deer (of which I got to see many), ghural (blue sheep) of which I saw a kid freshly killed by a leopard and the mischievous Macaque which were everywhere.

Brown-fronted Woodpecker....

...Rufous-bellied Woodpecker

Woodpecker Point was aptly named, a small pond in the forest, about two kilometres from Pangoot, earlier I had been going there regularly and had seen many birds and animals.  This time too I went there twice, but no dice, as apart from the different types of Woodpecker drumming away looking for insects under the bark of trees, I saw nothing.

Snow at Cheer Point

On one day I hired a car, old wine in new bottles, the driver was Harish, an old friend, but he had bought another car. That day we went to Cheer Point (pronounced chir) and drove beyond looking for the elusive Cheer Pheasant and Koklass, we saw neither but it was a lovely snow bedecked drive.

A school boy looks wistfully at the nala as he crosses the bridge at Chanfi...

Then I went with Harish to Chanfi and Sattal, another birders paradise where I photographed the elusive Forktail and locals crossing a bridge over a stream. 

White-throated Fantail at the studio

Mountain Bulbul wondering what this photographer is at, one can see bits of the studio. 

White-throated Laughingthrush having a bath at a pool near a hide

Earlier one homestay had a hide, now so many have hides that very few photographers come to the ‘studio’.  The ‘studio’ is a few twigs placed across a running stream where birds come to bathe and drink water. On the way I saw one of the ubiquitous  Kalij Pheasants in the bushes.

Kalij Pheasant (female) in the bushes

Barking Deer at Sattal

While going to the ‘studio’ in the evening that a got a record pic of a Barking Deer, there were two of them and when they saw us, they clambered up the mountain behind.

Brown Wood-owl

At Sattal I hooked up with a group to see a Brown Wood-owl some distance away from the stream. 

The sarai had about seven separate rooms

Once I walked down a road that went on to a village in the distance, and  it was a lovely walk with a sarai (for want of a better word) a place where travelers used to spend the night.

Kavadias hurrying to where they have to go

It was Shivratri on one of the days that I was there and Kavadias were busy carrying holi water (from Haridwar?) to their villages.  Generally pleasant people (as almost all hill folk are) they didn't mind their pictures being taken.  

Niraj and his friend as we climbed up to China Peak. , 

One day I took my companion Niraj, and his friend another young boy, and climbed up to China (Naina) Peak.  With me huffing and puffing up, these two youngsters ran up like mountain goats.  From Pangoot it is about 20 kms round trip, 12 seeming vertical kilometres while going and the return is 8 very steep kilometres.

Chandan Singh Ka Dhaba

It was, regretably, time to return, so Harish and I started at 10.30am, and stopped for an almost mandatory lunch at Chandan Singh ka Dhaba.  Only meat-chawal (meat curry and rice) cooked on a wood fire, is served and it is so crowded there is nary a place to sit. From when I went before, the meat-chawal is not the same, maybe because his son makes it, maybe because I have a jaded palette, maybe because he is so famous that he couldn't care less...maybe, maybe...

Farewell to the mountains, till we meet again

Mukteshwar - a great view of the Kumaon Himalayas

 

The rays of the sun illuminate Trishul and Nanda Devi.  I could see peaks to the left and right of this massif.

Maybe it was so destined and I just couldn’t get my breath back, the complete Kumaon range was so clear.  Complete with Badrinath and Kedarnath to the left and Panchacholi to the right before the range went into Nepal. But then I am getting ahead of myself.

Part of the view from my room

When I reached Mukteshwar it was snowing, actually snowing!! The snow would melt as soon as it touched the ground and it was magical. The next morning it was clear but cold, I got my eyes full of the Himalaya. I then realized that the view from Vineet’s Homestay (where I was staying) and the KMVN rest house was the best.

A langur pondering about its next meal?

Mukteshwar is dominated by the Veterinary Institute, I could not go anywhere without encountering some branch of this institute. The Vet Inst and langurs were all pervasive.

A family of Langur monkeys.
Other hill stations are dominated by macaques, (colloquially bunder) but Mukteshwar has predominantly langurs  

 

Madan, my guide, on the many walks i went for

Madan, came at about 10 am and took me for the first of the “jungle walks”. There are a lot of forests around Mukteshwar and so we went on many jungle walks. Though I suspect he was a "guide" for the many tourists that infest the place in season.

Oak forests abound

Large parts of Mukteshwar were built by the British and so the houses were archaic, with chimneys and corrugated tin roofs. In fact, major parts of Mukteshwar were made by them, though now “modernization” is creeping in. 

Sunset silhouettes the western part of the range 

I could never get enough of the view of the mountain range, whenever it was clear I would go out and look at the peaks. Though a clear view of the peaks meant strong winds and often  inclement weather. Mostly the clouds would rise and by midday obscure the view or make the range hazy. 

Bhaalugaad Waterfall

On two days I did the touristy thing, one day hiring a car and driving to the Bhaalugaad Waterfalls, a major tourist draw in season judging by the cafes and "adventure" activities along the route. Being mostly bereft of tourists at this time, very early and "out of season", I had the waterfall to mainly to myself.  It is a nice place when alone.

Mukteshwar Post Office

Post offices did thriving business in the days that people wrote letters and actually mailed them, now speed post and other schemes have taken over. This post office was made in 1905, I wonder what stories the walls could tell?

A Methodist Church I found along the way

On the second day I walked (with my guide of course), about 15 kms, going to Chauli Ki Jali, Mukteshwar temple and ending at the “organic goat farm” (whatever that is), on the way back we took a small diversion to see a Methodist Church. And yes...they do need donations for the roof...

Sunrise over Trishul with clouds about to obscure the peak

I was walking every day that the weather permitted which was almost five days of the week I was there. When the Great Indian Tourist is not there, making it "a home away from home" it is an achingly beautiful place.

My annual sojourn in the mountains-Joshi's Cottage revisited

Start of the path to Joshi's Cottage.  It is two Kilometers from here

Lemmings all, multitudes of tired, over-civilised people feel that going to the mountains is like going home. Crowds, loud music, parties, traffic jams and garbage, all go towards making it feel homely. Crowds bring waste, plastic waste, and all the villages, including Dalar, are slowly becoming a rubbish dumps.  

Nature, peace and quiet is the last thing on their minds.

Dalar Village is about two kilometers from the Binsar WLS road.

Until now I have to walk about two kilometres to Dalar, this keeps most of the party animals, except the most adventurous, at bay. I have told Santhosh that once a road comes up count me out. In any case being retired I go at the “off season” when there are the least people. 

The same cottage that I had stayed on my previous visit, now with a verandah.  See the mist in the background.

From my last trip here almost exactly a year ago, I can see visible signs of change to the old homestay, a new verandah, changes to the family cottage, the more expensive homestay is now ready, work begun on a new one and on it goes.

all construction is on mule or human back

The food is absolutely delicious, and Kewal outdoes himself in providing a variety of food which is piping hot. Earlier he was a chef at a nearby resort, but now he provides the same delicacies at his family's homestay.

The old Lady of the house.

This is the second time I go to Joshi’s Cottage and it is like coming home; the entire family is there to meet me. With everyone pitching in and making me feel welcome, there is Santhosh and his two brothers, his mother, his wife, sister-in-law, his nephews and niece. Meals are at a central facility, the only concession given me is that I get a chair to sit on as I cannot sit for long periods on the floor.

The path to Dalar

The Path to Dalar is through the Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary.  There is so much wildlife to see, we saw a leopard and her cubs twice, Barking Deer, Ghural, wild boar and lots of birds. In fact iI was advised not to go out on the path in hours of darkness for fear that a wayward wild boar or leopard make a substantial meal out of me (well fed that I am).

Sunrise on Trishul and Nanda Devi

One of the most beautiful walks is up the hill at the back, from the top I could see the sun rising on the Kumaon Himalayas. I must have been up at least four times, though I got to see the sun rising only once. It is a beautiful natural light show, the best I have seen.

Rain soaked sweet limes at a working village

It rained more on than off, often hail stones would fall and the mud would get gooey. Santhosh and his family bemoan the fact that there has been no rain or snow this year and that the crop is less because of this. 

Raindrops on a wire 

It rained almost every three days, in fact there was a storm on two days and when it cleared the drops had tiny, upside down images in them.

The school where I would walk

There are plenty of places to walk, and I would walk for three days and rest for one.  The rain automatically made me rest, so I followed a natural rhythm. 

Mist at near the water and clear above, a view from my room

It is curious to see that mist or fog sticks to the valleys where there is generally water and that the upper reaches are quite clear.

Silhouette of a Black-headed Jay with a oak nut

There are many birds close to the village and each sunny morning I would be treated with birds on the tops of trees, basking in the early morning sun.

Himalayan Woodpecker

Woodpeckers would embed nuts in a walnut tree and eat them at leisure. These appeared in mist or sunlight, this bold one, looking at us curiously, is in the mist. 

A pair of Slaty-headed Parakeets basking in the sun

Each morning a flock of Slaty-headed Parakeets would feed on the trees nearby, then, as if on a signal, they would cry noisily and fly away together. There is strength in numbers I guess.

A Himalayan Griffon resting on a tree...

Kamal, (Santhosh’s brother) once showed me a Himalayan Griffon sitting patiently on a tree, tired of soaring or was it waiting patiently for its next meal? 

...It didn't fly

It did not fly as long as I kept a distance, though it was alert all the while and looking at me. I saw many Himalayan Griffon soaring on thermals or flying above dead animals, but just this once I saw one sitting.

Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons are beginning to grow in this season, bright scarlet (at this altitude) punctuation marks in an otherwise multi-hued green forest. 

The view from my room on the last evening 

Keep close to Nature’s heart… and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir  

I did both.