Part 61 - Phobjikha halt, route planning, and bird observations

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SUMMARY:
In Phobjikha, the diarist notes lingering snow on Dungshigang, plans to travel around the 15th, and clarifies that the map’s ‘Sawa La’ likely refers to Lawie La. They record sightings of blood pheasants and quail, praise bread made by Pritiman, note good wireless reception, report heavy overnight rain, and mention Tsongpen Tienduk going north on the 16th May halt day.

CONTENT:
today about taking me on, but I see I won't get far yet. Snow is very much on Dungshigang still, but we plan to go as far as we can on 15th and the following days. I have been asking the names of some of the many villages here. Phobjikha is a District. There are many villages on both sides of the valley. They are approximately as opposite. The main valley leads down at approximately 230°M. The 'Sawa La' of the map must be the Lawie La, but no name Sawa or Sawajohn is known.

Blood Pheasant
We saw a few blood pheasants on the peak today. I have asked many people whether they have ever seen blood pheasant eggs, but no one I have asked has seen any. They have seen day old chicks, as I have, but no sign of egg shells even. There are a lot

Quail
of quail here in the green wheat crops. Pritiman has at last made good bread, out of local wheat which I much prefer to the white fine ground flour I brought. The wireless is doing very well indeed here tonight, and I have it on much more than I had intended to.

Phobjikha
16th May. Halt. Phobjikha Rained hard last night: fine this morning up to 3.0pm, when rain came on pretty heavily. Tsongpen Tienduk went out north of where we were yesterday,