In search of the Grey Ghost

A trip to the Ladakh Himalayas in order to find a Snow Leopard.

Views of the Himalayas.	Quite forbidding landscape.	Looking over to K2.	Some of those peaks look very close.	We arrive over Leh. How do we get down?	Quickly lose height.
Still coming down.	Oh good. That must be the Indus!	Ooops. I don't like the look of that ridge ahead.	Missed it!	Safely down and at Hidden North Homestay.	My lovely sunny room.
This is Hidden North Homestay.	My first Chukar.	Ibisbill.	Five in one shot.	Northern Pintail.	Northern Pintail.
Gadwall.	Monastry at Sheh Marsh.	Grey Herons	Common Sandpiper.	Eurasian Magpie.	Guldenstadt's Redstart.
Much more worth coming for.	Robin Accentor.	Same one.	My hosts. Christina and Tashi.	Ladakh Urial.	The Sanskar river where it joins the Indus.
On the road to Kargil.	Impressive Himalayan scenery.	The 'road' up to Uley.	At 4000 metres I pose with the Yak and the bag.	Brown Accentor.	Another view of this shy bird.
A Wooly Hare hides in the rocks.	My lunch at Uley.	Rocks.	The road back down.	Eroded soil capped with stone making strange shapes.	The town of Uley in the valley.
More Urial.	Med next bed at the Grand Dragon in Leh.	View of the mountains from my room.	Streaky Rosefinch.	Mystery bird. Is it Red-tailed Wheatear?	Or Black-Redstart?
Redshank and Greenshank.	Greenshank	View over the Indus to Leh.	Redshank.	Big bird!	Black-throated Thrush.
Teal at Mallard point.	The dust devil scared the ducks away.	The Grand Dragon, Leh where we stayed before the trek to Hemis.	The Indus Gorge down from Leh.	Our route ran above the Gorge.	The river is quite low as it has not snowed.
More Urial are sighted.	The dramatic entrance to Hemis National Park.	We off load our bags.	Which is transferred to ponies.	The track through the mountains follows the frozen river.	Just keep following the ponies!
Onwards and upwards.	A local shrine by a Waterfall.	The frozen river looks quite beautiful.	We are now about 12,500 feet above sea level.	We reach camp at 13,000 feet. 3,850 metres.	My home from home. Snug eh?
The interior of my tent.	A Yak comes to call.	He seems fascinated.	Lunch in the Mess Tent.	A Blue Sheep keeps watch.	Rumbak village.
Looking back to Rumbak. Our camp is in the valley.	Red-mantled or Himalayan Rosefinch.	I took several of this bird to aid identification.	No males were in evidence.	Robin Accentors were quite common.	Not a Robin but related to our Hedge Sparrow/Dunnock.
Believe it or not there is a female Snow Leopard and two cubs up there.	I love the ice on the river in the sun.	Chukar.	Fire-fronted Serin.	Another one.	Getting down to serious photography.
Hill Pigeons were common and confiding.		Panorama from our lookout point.	Ladies of Ladakh.	A grand view from the lookout above camp!	The trail up the valley.
Ice melt.	Juvenile Lammergeir.	Looking up to the Yurutse pass.	Blue Sheep.	Red-billed Chough.	Chukar.
Homestay in Rumbak.	Dorma making Snow Leopards for sale.	View up the Rumbak valley from the Homestay.	Rumbak Valley.	Looking down to Rumbak. The white building is the Homestay.	Eating lunch in the sunshine.
More Blue Sheep. They feed on the snow line.	Our campsite in the snow.	Well if we can't find one we can make one!	The Yak is still unimpressed.	Looking up to Yurutse.	Wolf tracks in the snow.
The frozen Waterfall.		Ladakhi Pika.		Back to the car.	We find our fourth and last Snow Leopard.
Fast asleep on its kill.	Or is it?	Not quite. It keeps an eye on us.	A Lammergeier flies over.	The leopard looks up.	There is a noisy magpie nearby.
Back to sleep.	We take lunch while we wait.	Still fast asleep.	He has a stretch.	Cropped in a bit. Magnificent.	Monastery in the sunshine.
And then we leave Leh.	More Himalayas.		My room at Atrios in Delhi.	Common Mynah.	Swimming Pool.
Blackbuck.	Red-wattled Lapwing.	Jungle Babblers.	Common Moorhen.	Spot-billed Duck.	African Elephant in India?
Wolf.	Another Wolf.	White Tiger. OK I confess. I am in Delhi Zoo for the birds.	Here's one! Brown-headed Barbet.