17th/18th January 2026
Having arrived at Dhaka Airport and somehow making it through the airport with no issues (this despite a slight panic over the rumour of the Visa on Arrival process being rescinded only days before our arrival), we then had an awfully long drive out to the north-east towards the Indian border where we settled for the night at a rather plush hotel, maybe a 45-minute drive from Satchari NP.
Satchari National Park, although protected, is merely a fragment of forest, or an island would seem more appropriate, as its completely isolated from other forest over the Indian border, however, it does harbour some excellent species, which at the right time of year, would prove a worthwhile visit. The team's main target here was the non-descript Cachar Bulbul (split from Olive Bulbul), plus a few other things like White-throated Bulbul, White-cheeked Partridge and Blue-naped Pitta. The latter two we completely failed on, not helped by group size for the pitta and not helped by the partridges being completely silent.
The park was good though, with a few trails and dry riverbeds allowing plenty of access into the forest. The guide was OK, but he led us straight to the canopy tower soon after dawn, where I'd much rather have been searching for the pitta at the optimum time of day. However, we encountered some nice things from the tower, with highlights being Banded Bay Cuckoo, Golden-fronted Leafbirds, lots of Brown-rumped/Swinhoe's Minivets, Common Hill Mynas, Red-breasted Parakeets. amongst the typical sub-continent treetop stuff.
We then walked the trails as we heard a distant pitta, and despite getting very close, a large group meant we were soon spotted and the pitta had cleared off, this being the theme for the day. A few flocks of birds passed our way and contained White-throated Bulbuls, and both Whistler's and Green-crowned Warblers, but probably the highlight of the visit here were a small family of Western Hoolock Gibbons, hanging as they do in the sub-canopy. During this encounter, our first small flock of Cachar Bulbuls were found, a minor relief but I wouldn't have been too disheartened if we had failed on finding this species.
Another brief look from the tower only revealed a few Crested Goshawks and Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters. After lunch, we walked to a pool inside the forest which attracted much attention, especially from more Cachar and White-throated Bulbuls, a continuous presence of Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, but again the highlight for me close by was a troop of Capped Langur.
The day ended at a different pool, where a Malayan Palm Civet emerged from its daytime roost and a Puff-throated Babbler and Orange-headed Thrush came down to drink.
19th January 2026
Today we had a long journey to Khulna for our 'cruise' into the Sundarban region, but we really wanted to give Satchari one more go, so we arrived soon after dawn and walked a very quiet forest, not really finding much bar a Blue-throated Flycatcher, a Little Pied Flycatcher and two Asian Barred Owlets.
It was then time for a long drive down to Khulna, passing straight through Dhaka which was most enjoyable. Once past the bustling city, the drive was actually quite fast with good roads and much less traffic, something I wasn't expecting!
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| Brown Boobook on our hotel roof |
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| Golden-fronted Leafbird |
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| Banded Bay Cuckoo |
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| Thick-billed Green Pigeon |
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| White-throated Bulbul |
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| Western Hoolock Gibbons |
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| Capped Langurs |
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| Cachar Bulbuls sandwiching a White-throated |
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| Asian Barred Owlet |
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| arrival into a hazy Dhaka |
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| sunrise from the tower |
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| Emily walking the trail |
