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NORTHERN INDIA
27 JANUARY - 12 FEBRUARY 2001
S. J. DARK, D. M. HANFORD & R. A. HERBERT
Contact: Darks@UK.IBM.COM
Introduction
Northern India in general and Bharatpur in particular have been a major part of my birding
consciousness for over 20 years. I cant even remember where or when I first heard or
read of this Maharaja's hunting area now given over to wildlife. I did promise myself that
one day God willing I would pay a visit to this site now acknowledged as one of the
foremost birding Mecca's in the world. 2000 coinciding with my 50th was all the excuse I
needed so together with 2 intrepid friends Dave Hanford and Richard Herbert, in late 1999
I started my fact gathering research. In this respect the Internet came into its own. I was
amazed at how much information there was out there in the ether. We all wanted to go
independently but after reading more it soon became apparent that in the limited time
available to us (17 days), we would loose to much time trying to make all the necessary
travel arrangements in India. We also wanted to spend as much of our money in India as
was possible. I quickly found Vivek Tiwari’s site of Indian Bird Reports at
HTTP://www.ee.princeton.edu/~vivek/indian-birds.html
After reading through the many reports available my itinerery was becoming more and
more biased towards North West India for our first foray into the Indian Sub Continent. I
fired off an e-mail to Vivek for some advice and he suggested I contact his friend Mohit
Aggarwal. Mohit is the director of ‘Asian Adventures’ so another e-mail was sent off
asking for details. Mohit can be contacted on wildindian tours@vsnl.com The company
has its own site at Http://www.indianwildlife.com Mohit responded immediately and we
discussed our ideas and likely birding venues. Within 2 days Mohit had come back with
an outline itinerery for our 17 day tour. This included Bharatpur, Ranthambhor, Corbett,
Kosi River (for Ibisbill), Nainital, Mangoli Valley, Chambal River (for Indian Skimmer)
and sites in and around Delhi. Two further sites were added Betalghat and Pangot, more
on these sites later.. The itinerery was circulated and after a minor change we all agreed
that although a potentially tiring trip it was the only way that we would be able to get
around the major sites in the North West in the time given.
So we decided:
That it was so much easier to employ the services of a local company namely ‘Asian
Adventures’. This satisfied our spend money in the country criteria but weighed heavily
on the travelling independently side of things. As it turned out we think we got the balance
absolutely right. Asain Adventures crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s sorted out all
the logistics, and we just birded. Almost 10 hours a day for the full 15 days. Long
travelling sessions were primarily taken at night in Train sleeper accommoation, and the
cost of the trip was still over a £1000 less that most prominent birding companies were
charging for similar trips.
We all agreed that the trip was a complete success and that we would go back some day
to once again enjoy the unique birding experience which India is.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my friend Gruff Dodd whos trip report format I have copied
unashamedly. Many thanks to our guides who were excellent, in particular we must thank
Ratan Singh who spent 10 days with us guiding us around Bharatpur, Corbett, Nainital
and Delhi. He was a wonderful companion and bird guide and he certainly brightened our
days and enhanced our trip list. His knowledge of his local birds is awesome with over 25
years in the field its not to surprising. Perhaps what is is his enthusiasm which burns as
bright today as it did all those years ago when he was escorting Salim Ali around his
beloved Bharatpur. Ratans richshaw is No.9 try to secure his services if you can. If Ratan
isnt available try his pupil and nephew Bhirinda Singh, he is a young man but more
importantly an ace birder. Thanks also to the many birders we met in India including
Howard and Thias Armstrong and John and Janet Martin. We are also grateful to the
following who provided great help and advice in the planning of the trip - Tom and
Margot Southerland, Vivek Tiwari, Anthony Disley and Richard Titus. Trip reports from
many other were gleaned from the following internet sites:
Urs Geisers Trip Report Collection -
http://www.crosswinds.net/~birdtrips/tripreports.html
Birdlinks to the World - http://www.bsc-eoc.org/links/index.html
Birdwatching Trip Report Collection - http://www.birdtours.co.uk
Birdchat Archive - http://listserv.arizona.edu/lsv/www/birdtrip.html
Where do you want to go birding today -
http:/www.camacdonald.com/birding/birding.htm
and not forgeting where it all started
Vivek Tiwari's Indian Trip Report Collection Http://www.ee.princeton.edu/~vivek/indian-
birds.html
My gracious thanks to everyone who went to the trouble of writing a trip report so that
we could share in your enthusiasm and learn from your experiences.
Strategy:
Our aim was simply to taste first hand the unique birding experience that India can offer.
See as many bird species as was possible, which would hopefully include a very high
percentage of ‘lifers’. There was also the little matter of seeing Tigers and visiting the Taj
Mahal. Several birds became targeted species these included: Siberian Crane, Ibisbill,
Indian Skimmer, and a couple of new genera were also high on the wanted list. We
therefore choose the usual site options Bharatpur, Corbett, Ranthambhor, Nainital, Delhi.
This we hoped would enable us to see the maxim return in bird species terms for our
limited time and effort. Having said that if we had much more time the sites visited
wouldn’t have changed much but obviously we would have spent more time at each.
Getting there:
We flew from London Heathrow to Vienna and onward to Delhi with Austrian Airlines.
Flights were booked well in advance with Flightbookers e-mail sales@flightbookers.co.uk
Tel.No.0171 757 2444. The original quote for this reeturn flight was UKP 350. We paid a
deposit up front and I assumed this did two things:
(1) it booked your tickets and (2) it quaranteed the price. It appears that I was wrong on
both accounts as the following tale will explain. After making contact with Flightbookers
6 weeks before we were due to fly to settle the account and pay the outstanding balance,
flightbookers told me that the airline Austrain Airlines had withdrawn the original tickets
and if we still wanted to fly with Austrian we would have to pay the new price which was
exactly UKP 100 more than was first quoted. I was absolutely furious and let rip with the
poor girl on the telephone. I threatened all sorts of actions against flightbookers, who
throughout this acted completely professionally. I immediately imformed the internet
birding community via Birdchat, European Birdnet and Ukbirdnet. Flightbookers came
back with a couple of flight options non of which were really acceptable. Finally having
gone to director level with the company flightbookers came back once more with a
compromise, they agreed to forgo any profit on the deal if we paid the true price hike. It
meant us having to pay just UKP 35 extra. This we agreed to immediately and for the first
and last time we flew Austrian Airlines. We all wanted to fly direct but the only cheap deal
we could find meant that we had to stop off enroute. The options were, where would we
want to stop off and for how long. The Vienna trip was our best option. The stop off in
Vienna was non existant on the way out as we were whisked from our Heathrow flight
straight on the Dehi flight. On the return trip the stop over in Vienna was just 2 hours and
easily managed.
Travelling around:
All our travel arrangements were taken care of by our tour company ‘Asian Adventures’.
All we did was turn up at Delhi arrivals and we were met and escorted to a car to take us
to our hotel. We were then in Asian Adventures hands and they carried out there itinerery
flawlessly. We travelled on 2 overnight train journeys first class air conditioned sleepers.
No security problems as the compartment was lockable. We also travelled on a train
during the day, a short trip from Ranthambhor to Bharatpur and again no problem as we
were escorted to our seats by an Asian Adventures rep. We were also met the other end
by our guide and guru Ratan Singh. The rest of the travelling was done in a four wheel
drive jeep.
Money:
The local currency is the Indian Rupee (IR). Current exchange rates were
UKP 1 = 65 IR
USD 1 = 48 IR
These were more or less fixed wherever we exchanged currency. we all took UKP and
USD plus several credit cards. Most of the big hotels and restaurants took all major credit
cards and usually excepted payment in UKP or USD. We exchanged our currency in
several hotels without any problem. Changing money in a bank was a tedious business and
regularly took over 30 minutes or more. The beauracracy was astonishing.
Accommodation and food:
The quality of the accommodation was generally good, where it was less than that we had
been warned in our itinerery. The one exception was the Swiss Hotel in Nainital it was
dire. You are in the Himalayan foothills its winter and the hotel didnt have any heating to
speak of. The service was also appalling and by far the worst experience we had in all out
trip. The restaurant was a joke and we expected Basil Fawlty to roll out from behind the
kitchen screen at any moment. In retrospect it was probably to bad even for Basil. To
add insult to injury they had a disco organised that went on till 4:30 a.m. and they let off
huge fireworks till well past midnight. Thankfully we were only booked in for the one
night. All our accomodation was organised by Asian Adventures and details of the other
lodges can be found on their web site www.indianwildlife.com. Sunbird Hotel at
Bharatpur is mentioned in Krys’s book as a good place to say and I can only concur. The
White Apartments in Delhi was just a basic hotel no frills but it was clean and comfortable.
Food was one of the great joys of India, naturally we heeded all the warnings and avoided
salads and fruit that may have been washed. We also decided that meat of any kind was
better left alone. So for our duration in India we became experts on vegetable currys. The
currys with home made bread in its various forms was always a good basis for our evening
meals. Peelable fruit in the form of bananas oranges etc were also very enjoyable.
Breakfast usually consisted of scrambled eggs, toast, coffee or tea and fruit of your
choice. All in all we ate very well while in India, sometimes in very humble surroundings at
other times like at the Jaypee Palace Hotel in Agra or the Imperial Garden Restaurant in
Delhi we ate royally. The cost of the meals also varied considerably from less that 300IR
for an evening meal with drinks to1500IR for something a bit more lavish. We tended to
stick with the 300IR tariff as the norm and splashed out when the need arose.
Red tape:
If its one thing Indians love its red tape. It was really frustrating at times even though our
tour company had done everything to limit its impact. Everywhere you stayed there were
several forms to fill in. At the end of our holiday we all knew our passport and visa
numbers off pat.we had filled them in so many times it was ridiculous. Changing money at
a bank was another time wasting activity. We didnt have to but I heard from several
birders who were travelling independantly that booking train and bus tickets was
nightmareish. You always encountered 5 people to do a job when 1 would have sufficed
and each one had to make sure that he did his job properly and that the persons before him
in the chain had done their job properly also. Immigration was on the other hand was
quite trouble free as long as your passport and visa were ok.
Weather:
The weather was superb throughout our trip. The days were always hot and the nights
much cooler. When we reached Nainital the overnight temperature dropped below
freezing but again during the day it was surprisingly warm. It was light by 6:30am and
dark by 6:30pm which made it ideal for at least 10 hours a day birding.
Health and safety:
Advised to have tetanus, typhoid, polio and hepatitis A jabs before we went. We also took
our anti malaria tablets although mozzies were conspicious by there absence. We all
stopped taking them on our return to England. We didnt encounter any human problems
although we were alway vigilant in crowded areas. The beggar problem wasnt a problem
and we would normally experience more requests for a hand out in London than we had in
Delhi. Having an Indian guide or driver constantly with you seemed to deter all but the
most inquisitive who in the main just stared at you like the alien you certainly were.
References:
Books:
Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent - Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp was
our prefered guide and I certainly gave my copy a bashing. So much so that I bought an
additional copy in India. The Indian price 10UKP as against 18UKP in the UK. I had
printed out a plate guide before we left and this was a very welcome addition to the book.
The plate guide can be found in Vivek Tiwari's Indian Trip Report Site in the books
section. Thanks to Tom Southerland for that. On the whole the book performed very well
and we didnt have any complaints.
A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent - Kazmierczak and Van Perlo. We
did take this recent addition to the guide book but we found the illustration a bit less
friendly than in the Grimmett et al book. For instance a lot of the male birds stand in front
of and obscure much of the female in many of the plates. The plates are also quite
crowded but it was worth taking both just to get another illustration because so many of
the birds were new to us all.
A Fiels Guide to the Waterbirds of Asia - Bharat, Bhushan et al. Published by the Wild
Bird Society of Japan. This is a lovely little book and although we didnt use it extensively
during our trip when needed it proved its worth.
A Birdwatchers’ Guide to India - Krys Kazmierczak & Raj Singh the definitive guide to
where to watch birds in India, cram packed with good gen and an absolute must if visiting
India for the first time. Even the tour company reps use it.
The Book of Indian Birds - Salim Ali published by the Bombay Natural History Society.
Not a modern guide with just 64 plates and only 538 species depicted it doesnt really
stand up on its own merits any more. The text however for the species described is very
good and you must have one of Salim Ali’s books. I bought mine at Corbett for 450IR
about 7UKP a real bargain and it takes pride of place on my book shelf and adds
sentimenatal value to my bird book collection
Lonely Planet Delhi includes the Taj Mahal and Jaipur. This covered everything I needed
before travelling to India. It is full of useful tips and information and was enough for our
limited needs.
On the Brink travels in the wilds of India - Vivek Menon this book isnt necessary but I can
recommend it. Its a good read and does go a long way to expain the difficulties
experienced by even the most fervent conservationists in India.
Published by Penguin ISBN 0-14-027826-5
Maps:
In truth we didnt take one with us, we did however purchase a tourist & trekkers guide of
Kumaon which is the area which includes Corbett, Nainital and the other Himalayan
foothill sites like Mongoli Valley. In all other respects we managed with the details in
Krys’s book and the Lonely Planet book mentioned earlier.
Sites Visited
All the sites visited, and mentioned below in the itinerery, are all well documented in Krys
Kazmierczak’s book. Apart from Betalghat which is detailed in Asian Adventures web site
www.indianwildlife.com and Pangot. Pangot is another Asian Adventures lodge but as yet
is not on their site. I can tell you its not far from Nainital its situated in the middle of
Himalayan jungle and its half way up a valley. It is excellent for altitudinal migrants as the
birds funnel down the valley.
Itinerary
Saturday 27th January
Left Heathrow at 06:30 hrs. on a flight bound for Vienna (Austrian Airlines) After a short
stop over we were onward bound for Delhi. Arrived at Delhi International Airport 22:30
hrs. where we were met by our driver from ‘Asain Adventures’ Iqbal Ahmed. We were
then taken to our overnight accommodation the White Apartments. After a quick coffee
and some sandwiches we crashed out.
Sunday 28th January
Our accommodation was clean and comfortable but with little sleep we were up and about
by 06:00hrs. We were cruelly woken by the incessant calling of a House Crow, other birds
noted from the hotel balcony:- House Sparrow, Red Vented Bulbul, Black Kite, Rose
Ringed Parakeets, Common Myna and Laughing Dove. Our driver Iqbal collected us at
7am and took us to Okhla. and the Yamuna River Barrage. Birds noted:
Purple Swamp Hen, Red Wattled Lapwing, Wood Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Indian Pond
Heron, Great Cormorant, Little Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Great White Egret, Little
Egret, Cattle Egret, Moorhen, Pochard, Gadwall, Teal, Shoveller, Pintail, Tufted Duck,
Ferruginous Duck, Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Black-Headed Ibis, Open billed
Stork, Painted Stork, Common Snipe, Little Ringed Plover, Temnicks Stint, Little Stint,
Common Sndpiper, Green Sandpiper, Redshank, Black-Tailed Godwit, Marsh Harrier,
Black-Shouldered Kite, White Wagtail, Black Drongo, Thick Billed Crow, Indian
Spoonbill, Littel Grebe, Greater Flamingo, River Tern, Brown-Headed Gull, Black-
Headed Gull, Bank Myna, Asain Pied Starling, Plain Prinia, Ashy Headed Prinia, Lesser
Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, Blue Throat, Barn Swallow and Plain
Martin. We took our breakfast at 09:30 after which we returned to the hotel to catch up
on some ZZZ’s. Afternoon birding on Delhi Ridge with Mohit Aggrawal. Birds noted:
Black-Rumped Flameback, Tailor Bird, Jungle Babbler, Common Babbler, Coppersmith
Barbet, Brown-Headed Barbet, Little Minivet, Grey Francolin, Indian Robin, Oriental
Magpie Robin, Purple Sunbird, Rose Ronged Parakeet, Hoopoe, Grey Wagtail, Silverbill,
Common Rosefinch, Bramany Starling, White-Eared Bulbul, Red-Whiskered Bulbul.
Mohit then took us into the city centre where we had a tour of the presidential buildings.
Later we were entertained at the ‘Habitat Centre’ a private club and restaurant. We had a
wonderful meal there before boarding our overnight sleeper train at Delhi Railway Station
at 20:10 for Sawai Madhopur, the railhead for Ranthambhor. The journey was dreadfully
uncomfortable bumpy and noisey but we were secure in a four berth lockable air
conditioned cabin.
Monday 29th January
Arrived later than expected at 06:00. We were then rushed in an open top jeep to our
hotel (Tiger Den Resort). After a coffee we walked around the hotel grounds and the semi
desert outside. Birds noted: Ashy Ground Sparrow, Southern Grey Shrike, Variable
Wheatear, Painted Sandgrouse and Tawny Pipit. We breakfasted early on scrambled eggs
on toast with lots of coffee in a vain attempt to ward off the rigours of last nights train
journey. More birding in the immediate vicinity of the hotel produced: Isabelline
Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Shrikeer Malkoha, Indian Roller, Pied Bushchat, Stonechat,
Black Redstart, Plain Martin, Purple Sunbird, Blue Rock Thrush, India Robin and
Intermediate Egret. Dave had had enough and retired to his bed for a couple of hours of
shut eye before we took our jeep safari into the park at 14:00. Richard and I decided to
hire a car and driver for a couple of hours to explore outside the park (Ranthambhor
National Park). We proceeded to cruise the road up to the park entrance stopping at likey
birding area or where we had seen something interesting from the car. This little trip
turned up: Common Iora, Great Tit, Brown Rock-Chat, Dusky Crag Martin, White
Bellied Drongo, Little Green Bee Eater, Roufous Treepie, Kestrel, Long Billed Vulture,
White Backed Vulture, White Breasted Kingfisher, Kingfisher, Avocet, Greenshank and
Bar-Tailed Godwit. Straight back to the hotel to pick up Dave for our trip into the park.
Three hours of dusty bumpy tigerless roads produced the following birds: Spotted Dove,
Painted Spurfowl, Plum Headed Parakeet, Brown-Headed Pygmy Woodpecker, Spotted
Owlet, Collared Scops Owl, Darter, Black Ibis, White-Fronted Waterhen, Bronze-Winged
Jacana, Pied Kingfisher, Black Stork, Shirkeer, Red-Crested Pochard, Crested Serpent
Eagle, Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon, White-Browed Fantail and Brown Crake. All over
by 17:00 whence we retired to our hotel, where we showered before dinner and retired
early, but not before several ‘Kingfishers’.
Tuesday 30th January
We breakfasted at 06:30 to catch the 07:00 Gypsie back into Ranthambhor National Park.
Although the conditions were considered favourable the Tiger gods let us down.
However, we did add the following birds to our list: Wooly-Necked Stork, Pygmy Cotton
Goose, Indian Honey Buzzard, and White-Browed Wagtail. Over and above these we also
saw almost everything we had on the previous day. At 10:00 we rerurned to the hotel
where we picked up Pallid Harrier and Yellow-Wattled Lapwing. Caught the 13:00 train
to Bharatpur. We were met off the train by our guide for the rest of the trip Ratan Singh.
We had a quick coffee before having a stroll around outside the park (Bharatpur). A nice
walk that gave us great views of Grey Hornbill and Yellow Wattled Lapwing, but it didnt
tun up any new birds. Retired to our Hotel ‘Sunbird’ at 18:00. We enjoyd a vegetable
curry and wonderful nan bread made in a clay oven as you watched.
Wednesday 31st January
Bharatpur National Park. Up at 06:30 not feeling great had a quick shower and was ready
for breakfast at 07:00. While enjoying our breakfast we added Chestnut-Shouldered
Petronia and Long-Tailed Minivet to our trip list. Ratan Singh arrived at 08:00 prompt
and we were off on his Rickshaw (No.9) into the park. Took the Nursery Loop before
lunch. We had our lunch sitting on the grass watching the monkeys play havoc with
unsuspecting picnicers. After lunch we took the circular route the other side of the main
road through the park. Highlights:Lesser Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Imperial
Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, White-Tailed Eagle, Orange-Headed Thrush,
Tickels Thrush, Dusky Eagle Owl, Siberian Crane, White Pelican, Sarus Cranes, Common
Woodshrike. We eventually ended the day with quite a repectable 121 species in the park.
Our trip list now totals 173ish.
Thursday 1st February
Opened the birthday cards that I brought with me from home this morning. Reading the
messages made me feel quite emotional. Everyone joined in a and sang a chorus of Happy
Birthday to me at breakfast, including a group of Danish birders. Ratan again met us at
08:00 and we entered the park on Richshaw. As we approached the ticket office there
was a bit of a commotion on our left. After about 10 minutes searching the object of all
the fuss was revealed a stunning male Siberian Rubythroat. Crippling views were enjoyed
by everyone. What a magnificent first bird for my birthday. We proceeded into the park
past the forest lodges towards Ratans home village Mallah then veered south further into
the park. We were joined on this trek by Howard and Thais Armstrong and their guide
Bhirinda Singh (Ratans pupil and Nephew). The Armstrongs were an amazing couple who
took off six years earlier to visit Australia originally for a year but enjoyed themselves so
much they didnt stop. We were hoping to find the nightjars but with no luck. Apparently
they hadn’t been seen for a week or so. Ratan even picked one up off the floor of the
forest and it died dispite his attempts to warm the bird up. Unseasonal cold weather the
likely cause of the nightjars demise. Disturbance from the monkeys was another problem
the nightjars faced. We did have spendid views of the parks Pythons though. We finished
the morning scanning the Sapan Mari for the Dowitcher that had been reported there but
failed to find this vagrant. Bird highlights this morning: Siberian Rubythroat, Oriental
Whiteye, Grey-Headed Flycatcher, Brooks Leaf Warbler, Clamorour Reed Warbler. Had
several opportunities to get close to some wonderful birds. After lunch it was off to get a
closer look at the Sib Cranes. On the long walk out we met up with a group of Swiss
birders who were looking at a very elusive Black Bittern. We all eventually saw it but not
well. Further down the track we stopped to scan the pelicans and picked up a Dalmation
Pelican as well as Pallas Gull. We took a short cut across the Jheel (only possible because
of the lack of water) and we spotted a rather drab warbler in a small bush it was an
exciting find because it was our first Booted Warbler. We eventually stopped not more
than 50 yards away from the Cranes in ‘wonderful light’. Richard was revelling in his role
as photographer and made the most of this opportunity. On the long slog back we had
much better views of the Black Bittern and quick glimpse of a Yellow Bittern. We also
found House Swifts and Needle-Tailed Swifts among a throng of swifts and martins
wheeling overhead. Finally in the Rickshaw home we stopped for a closer look at the
Demoiselle Cranes and a scan through the large number of Eagles. The big surprise was a
Golden Eagle sat on a dead tree stump not more than 20 yards from the road. At dinner
the owner of our hotel ‘Sunbird’ came over to our table, which we were sharing with John
and Janet Martin a couple from Bristol and Ratan Singh, and he poured us all a large drink
and wished me a happy birthday. He even left the bottles for us to help ourselves. We
didnt leave the table all night and I stayed up much later than usual to telephone home to
speak to my wife and daughter. 122 species in the park today.
Friday 2nd February
Ratan met us at 08:00 and we hired bicycles from the hotel and we proceeded to cycle
past the entrance of the park (still no sign of the Cinnamon Bittern) and on to Ratan
village Mallah. We tried for Painted Snipe which had been seen at the village pond but it
wasnt there this morning. We then cycled through the village into the cultivation beyond.
Birds seen here included: Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse, Bimaculated Lark, Rufous-Tailed
Lark, Yellow Wattled Lapwing, Spanish Sparrow, Humes Short-Toed Lark, Desert Lark,
Desert Wheatear, Short-Toed Lark and Blyths Pipit. We stopped for an early lunch at
11:00 as Ratans young son had brought us out our picnic lunch. It was very graciously
received and consited of potatoes,, peas, spices and herbs (Aloo Mateer) with loads of
Chapatis. It was all rather delicious. After lunch we cycled out to the dam, first going
right and later further left. The only new bird was a Black-Breasted Weaver. We did have
a very brief rear end view of a falcon disappearing into a tree. Ratan had just told us that
a Red-Necked Falcon can usually be found in one of these three trees and woosh there it
was, unfortuntely we didnt get enough on it to list it, and none of us were contemplating
cycling back the half mile or so to the tree involved. While we were at our furthest from
the village I had a puncture in my rear wheel. It was agony trying to cycle over the rough
terrain and it was a long way back. It was baking hot and it had already been a long day in
the field. Ratan and I swopped bikes and he cycled it the last couple of miles into his
village and the local tyre repair shop. While sitting around waiting for the tyre repair we
were entertained by the loacl strong man who proceeded to lift the cycle up off the floor
using just his teeth. We were all suitably impressed. The tyre had in fact 3 punctures and
the repairs were carried out very efficiently. We cycled back past the park entrance (still
no sign of the Cinnamon Bittern), and got back to the hotel at 18:00. Early evening meal
onsited of vegetable curry, egg fried rice, chips and plain pitta bread. All washed down
with copious amounts of ‘Kingfisher’.
Saturday 3rd January
Up at 04:30 to leave for the Chambral River trip. Left the Sunbird at 05:00 enroute for the
Chambral. Arrived at the river side at 08:00. We then boraded our tender which took us
out to a small island mid river. Fro here we transfered to our river transport for the trip up
river. It was an amazing experience, the river was like a mill pond and the birds didnt
disappoint. Birds noted: Indian Skimmer (57), Greater Thickknee, Black-Bellied Tern,
River Tern, Osprey, Long-Legged Buzzard, Kentish Plover, Little-Ringed Plover, Plain
Martin, Lesser Whistling Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Teal, Spot-Billed Duck, Wigeon, Indian
Cormorant, Rock Thrush, Great Cormorant, Little Cormorant, White-Browed Wagtail,
Pied Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Redshank, Greenshank, Black-Winged Stilt, Little Stint,
Egyptian Vulture, Black Kite, Crested Lark and River Lapwing. A wonderful trip and one
more of my ‘wanted list’ namely Indian Skimmer ticked off. I think this is the only place
left where you can quarantee Skimmers and it ought to be on everyone itinerery. returned
to the car at 12:00 for the drive to Agra. Arrived in Agra at 14:00 and had lunch in the
JayPee Palace Hotel. The hotel was quite wonderful and while waiting for our car we
picked up: Brown Rock-Chat, Egyptian Vultures, Black Kites, White-Rumped Vultures
and Oriental Turtle Dove. We then left to visit the Taj Mahal. It was major splendid. No
new birds to bother with. The $20 entrance fee for all aliens is perhaps a little pricey
especially as you have to pay extra for your video camera. Dinner was back at the JayPee
Palace where we used the facilities to send e-mails and clean up. Dinner was excellent
another mainly indian cuisine. Left the JayPee at 20:45 for the train to Corbett. Eventually
left Agra station at 21:30.
Sunday 4th February
Arrived Lal Kuan at 08:30 after another eventful overnight sleeper trip. At Lal Kuan we
were met by our Driver Pratap Singh who drove us to our new accommodation ‘Tiger
Moon Resort’. Enroute we stopped off for a coffee at a cafe on Corbett Corner. Here in
the space of 5 minutes we added 4 new birds: Ashy Drongo, Collared Falconet, Green
Fronted Leafbird and Black Hooded Oriole. At Tiger Moon we were shown to our
bungalow and while enjoying the grounds we noted: Barred Owlet, Velvet-Backed
Nuthatch, Great Tit, Little Pied Flycatcher, Grey-Headed Flyctcher, Red-Whiskered
Bulbul, Brown-Headed Barbet and Oriental Whiteye. We had an early lunch and at 13:45
we left for the Kosi River. Where we noted Red-Crested Pochard, Little Grebe, Ruddy
Shelduck, Great Cormorant, Little-Ringed Plover, Redshank, Greenshank, Red-Wattled
Lapwing, River Lapwing, Plumerous Redstart, White-Capped Redstart, Pied Wagtail,
Grey Wagtail, Merganser, Spotted Dove, Ashy Prinia, White-Browed Fantail, Blue-Rock
Thrush, Brown Rock Chat, Blue-Whistling Thrush, Crested Serpent Eagle, Red-Headed
Vulture, White-Backed Vulture, Plain Martin, Barn Swallow, Needle-Tailed Swift, Black
Kite, Cinerous Vulture, Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, White-Breasted Kingfisher, Stork-
Billed Kingfisher,Thickknee, Greater Thickknee, Humes Warbler, Chiffchaff, Wallcreeper
and IbisBill. Another ‘most wanted’ was crossed off the list namely IBISBILL. We had
good views of both birds. We found them feeding at the bend in the river and later saw
them fly back down past us towards the river barrage. Later back at Tiger Moon we once
again met up with Mohit and while in conversation with him 4 Great Hornbills flew
overhead. Finished the day with 218ish species.
Monday 5th February
Left Tiger Moon after breakfast 08:00, took the jeep with Pratap driving through the
Corbett National Park to Dhikala where we were due to spend the night. We stopped
several times enroute to look at birds, several birds noted including: Scarlet Minivet, Kalij
Pheasant, Red Jungle Fowl, Lemon-Rumped Warbler, Crested Tree Swift, Great Pied
Hornbill, Himalayan Kingfisher, Darter, Black Stork, Lesser Whistling Teal, Black Kite,
Honey Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Red-Headed Vulture, Short-Toed Eagle, Grey
Pygmy Woodpecker, Green Magpie and amazingly White-Bellied Sea Eagle. This last bird
caused a lot of debate among others we informed of our sighting. Mainly because all the
books say that its distributed along the coast only, although in Salim Ali’s book it say
vagrant to Rajasthan. Everyone of us present all agreed that the bird we saw was and
could only be a White-Bellied Sea Eagle. The bird was a carbon copy of the illustrations in
the book being a full adult plumaged bird. It also soared in a most unusual way ( with its
wings held slighly forward but in a deep V. Unlike any other raptor I have seen before).
The bird was observed for about 5 minutes before it disappeared from view. This was a
new bird for everyone including both or guide Ratan and our driver Pratap (who is a keen
birder). A Full description is in prep. We eventually arrived at Dhikala at 13:30.
Immediately had a Pallas’s Fish Eagle and another Collared Falconet. After lunch we took
our elephant ride through the jungle. Our elephant Molly was 50 years old. The ride was
interesting and we had some amazing close ups of the deer species, but not many birds and
no tigers to record. We finished the ride at 18:00. Before dinner we watched a film show
about the nature reserves of INDIA. Bed by 21:00, finished the day on 270ish species.
Tuesday 6th February
Called at 06:30 and we made our way to the watch tower arriving there at 07:00. Lots of
birds noted including: Ashy Bulbul, Alexandrine Parakeet, Slaty-Headed Parakeet,Black-
Throated Tit, Winter Wren, Yellow-Vented Warbler, Grey-Hooded Warbler and Rufous-
Bellied Woodpecker. We had allowed ourselves 2 hours at the watch tower and we had
just about given up any hope of ever seeing a tiger when Ratan and everyone else was
watching the ‘pecker’ (Stipe-Breasted Woodpecker) when Ratan cried TIGER. We all
swirled around to see a magnificent male Tiger not 30 yards away walking in unobscured
view past the water hole. It walked slowly past looked up at us with distain, sprayed the
bushed in urine and then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared . Only one word to
describe everyones feeling MAGIC. We all walked back from the watch tower at least a
foot taller than when we walked out. Left Dhikala at 10:00. We drove leisurely through
the park and out of the main gate. We stopped and had a drink at the Quality Inn where
we met up with the group from ‘Naturetrek’. We discussed India and birding over our
drink and we were told that a White-Tailed Rubythroat was about just over the boundary
wall. I picked up the female almost immediately but on returning with Richard and Dave I
couldn’t relocate it. A rather dull female but still a new bird. We left there for the ‘Forktail
Stream’, we did pick up Small Forktail and Tawny Fish Eagle but coudnt locate the other
2 species of Forktail. It appears from other trip reports that we probably didnt go far
enough up the stream. Moving on to Betalghat enroute we picked up Blue-Capped
Redstart, Red-Billed Blue Magpie, Green Tit and Black-Lored Tit. Arrived Betalghat at
17:30 had coffee over looking the valley and the Himalayan foothills. Dinner was at 19:00,
retired to bed at 20:10.
Wednesday 7th February
Up at 06:30, coffee on the terrace at 07:00. Birds noted in the garden: Hill Prinia,
Himalayan Bulbul, Green-Tailed Sunbird. and Rufour Treepie. Off out of the gate we
went a short distance right to a small water gulley where we saw Spotted Forktail. We
then went left and followed the road for a couple of miles. Birds noted: Hill Prinia, Rusty-
Checked Scimitar Babbler, Streak-Breasted Scimiter Babbler, Chestnut Thrush, Rufous-
Bellied Niltava, and Mrs Goulds Sunbird. Back to the hotel for breakfast at 10:00. In the
hotel garden we had Crimson Sunbird. Later we went for a walk along the River (Kosi).
Birds noted: Plumerous Redstart, White-Capped Water Redstart, Wall Creeper, Crested
Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, River Lapwing, Red-Wattled Lapwing, Grey Wagtail, Pied
Wagtail, White-Browed Wagtail and Lammergier. returning to the hotel for cold drinks.
Later we left the hotel for a drive through the countryside, Birds noted enroute included:
Himalayan Griffon, Jungle Owlet, Chestnut-Eared Bunting, Small Niltava and Slaty-Blue
Flycatcher. Arrived back at the hotel ’Call of the Wild Safari Lodge’ at 17:00. Sat on the
terrace enjoying a cola when Ratan spotted a bird in the fruiting fig tree a Blue-Throated
Barbet. Nice end to a good days birding. Finished the day on 310ish species listed.
Thursday 8th February
Left our lodge at 07:00 enroute for Nainital. The journey was long and cold with frequent
stops for birding. Stopped in Nainital to change of our cash. It took forever. We also
bumped into Mohit in the main street. We drove out of Nainital stopping at various
interesting spots including a vantage viewing area where the Himalayan peaks including
Nanda Devi at 7820 meters, where snow covered in the distance. A very good stop was at
Kilbury where we strolled up to the ranger station. We eventually arrived at Pangot at
14:00 where we were made to feel very welcome. We all had a cola and at 15:30 Mohit,
Ratan and a local guide took us on a long walk through the forest. Several new birds here
including: Bar-Tailed Treecreeper, Green-Backed Tit, Yellow-Browed Tit, Black Bulbul,
Jungle Prinia, Streaked Laughing Thrush, Russet Sparrow, Great Barbet, Oriental Turtle
Dove, Grey-Backed Shrike, Black-Headed Jay, Eurasian Jay, Common Raven, Mistle
Thrush, Orange-Flanked Bush Robin, White-Rumped Shama, White-Tailed Nuthatch and
Eurasian Tree Sparrow. We returned at 18:00 for a coffee or beer. We never left the
lodge and went straight through to dinner. Mohit has really pulled out all the stops and
dinner was great. Retired to bed at 20:30 sated in all respects.
Friday 9th February
We were woken at 06:00 with tea, breakfast at 06:30 eggs, toast and coffee. Left Pangot
at 7 for Kilbury where we arrived at 07:30 from here it was onward and upward to
Cheena Peak. We eventually got to the top after a very arduous trek at 12:30. Birds noted
during the climb: Brown-Fronted Woodpecker, Changeable Hawk Eagle, Mountain Hawk
Eagle, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Griffon and superb views of a very inquisitive
Lammagier. Mohit had organised lunch at the top. After lunch we decided to look over
the rubbish tip in Nainital but we got hopelessly lost and walked miles up and down
various valleys. We eventually dropped down through the outskirts of Nainital to meet up
with Pratap. We arrived at the Swiss Hotel at 18:30 absolutely knackered. The less said
about the Swiss Hotel the better it was horrible. No heating and a disco that went on until
04:30!!!!!!
Saturday 10th February
Breakfast at 06:30 feeling like death after yesterdays exertions and last nights disco and
fireworks. Pratap drove us to the Mongoli Valley. Pratap dropped us off at the tea rooms
and we followed the path mentioned in ‘A Birders Guide to India’. We had 4 species of
Laughing Thrush, Lesser Yellownape and a Rufous-Breasted Accentor. It was a great
couple of hours. Pratap was waiting for us as we climbed back up the valley. Left here for
our return trip to Delhi. We arrived back at our Delhi base ’The White Apartments at
19:30 very tired. We all showered, had a meal and retired to bed.
Sunday 11th February
Left the hotel at 08:00 for Okhla. Spent the morning running around various sites in
Okhla, several new birds: Northern Lapwing, Red-Rumped Swallow, Red Avadavat,
Yellow-Legged Gull and Curlew Sandpiper. Finished birding at 13:00 for lunch with
Mohit and his charmimg wife at the Pot Pourri in Noida. Spent the rest of the day
shopping for presents and sight seeing in Delhi. Had a Chinese meal at the Imperial
Garden Restaurant, very plush, with it seemed more waiters than customers. Left for the
airport at 21:00.
Monday 12th February
Arrived London Heathrow at 09:30 for the long drive home. A quick count up on the
plane suggested about 350ish birds listed with perhaps 250 lifers.
Sytematic List
My apologies to those expecting counts of birds. Counting numbers of birds has never
been one of my priorities. Relative abundance/scarcity is more than adequately covered in
all the field guides
1 Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus)
Corbett National Park
2 Painted Francolin (Francolinus pictus)
Corbett National Park
3 Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerrianus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
4 Jungle Bush Quail (Perdicula asiatica)
Corbett National Park..
5 Painted Spurfowl (Galloperdix lunulata)
Ranthambhor
6 Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
Corbett National Park
7 Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)
Corbett National Park
8 Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
9 Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
10 Bar Headed Goose (Anser indicus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
11 Lesser Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna javanica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park .
12 Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
Okhla
13 Cotton Pygmy Goose (Nettapus coromandelianus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
14 Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla .
15 Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla .
16 Mallard (Anas platyrynchos)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
17 Spot Billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. at Okhla .
18 Common Teal (Anas crecca)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
19 Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla
20 Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla .
21 Red Crested Pochard (Rhodonessa rufina)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
22 Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla
23 Ferruginous Pochard (Aythya nyroca)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
24 Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)
Okhla.
25 Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
River Kosi, Ramnagar
26 Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
27 Rufous Woodpecker (Celeus brachyurus)
Nainital.
28 Brown Capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos nanus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
29 Grey Capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos canicapillus)
Corbett National Park
30 Brown Fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos auriceps)
Nainital
31 Stripe-Breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos atratus)
Corbett National Park.
32 Yellow Crowned Woodpecker (Dendrocopos mahrattensis)
Corbett National Park
33 Rufous Bellied Woodpecker (Dendrocopos hyperythrus)
Nainital
34 Himalayan Woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis)
Nainital
35 Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
Nainital
36 Greater Yellownape (Picus flavinucha)
Corbett National Park
37 Scaly Bellied Woodpecker (Picus squamatus)
Nainital.
38 Grey Headed Woodpecker (Picus canus)
Corbett National Park
39 Black Rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park.
40 Great Barbet (Megalaima virens)
The Mangoli Valley
41 Brown Headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
42 Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata)
Corbett National Park
43 Blue-Throated Barbet (Megalaima asiatica)
Betalghat
44 Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
45 Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park .
46 Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
Corbett National Park
47 Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park .
48 Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
49 Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Corbett National Park, Okhla.
50 Stork Billed Kingfisher (Halcyon capensis)
Corbett National Park
51 White Throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla .
52 Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris)
Corbett National Park
53 Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Corbett National Park.
54 Green Bee Eater (Merops orientalis)
Ranthambhor. Okhla
55 Sirkeer Malkoha (Phaeniocophaeus leschenaultii)
Ranthambhor
56 Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
57 Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria)
Corbett National Park .
58 Rose Ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park,
59 Slaty Headed Parakeet (Psittacula himalayana)
Dhikala Watchtower, Corbett National Park .
60 Plum Headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala)
Ranthambhor
61 Red-Breasted Parakeet (Psittaculla alexandri)
Corbett National Park.
62 White Rumped Needletail (Zoonavena sylvatica)
Corbett National Park
63 House Swift (Apus affinis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
64 Crested Treeswift (Hemiprocne coronata)
Corbett National Park.
65 Collared Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Ranthambhor.
66 Dusky Eagle Owl (Bubo coromandus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
67 Brown-Fish Owl (Keputa zeylonensis)
Corbett National Park
68 Tawny-Fish Owl (Keputa flavipes)
Fork-tail stream
69 Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides)
Corbett National Park.
70 Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum)
Corbett National Park
71 Spotted Owlet (Athene brama)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
72 Rock Pigeon (Columba livia)
Seen at most sites
.
73 Green Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea)
Corbett National Park
74 Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)
Nainital
75 Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
76 Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
77 Red Collared Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
78 Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
79 Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
Corbett National Park.
80 Yellow Footed Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera)
Ranthambhor,Keoladeo Ghana National Park
81 Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus)
The regular two wintering individuals were seen at Keoladeo Ghana National
Park on the Mansarovar behind Keoladeo Temple .
82 Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
83 Demoiselle Crane (Grus virgo)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
84 Common Crane (Grus grus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
85 Brown Crake (Amaurornis akool)
Ranthambhor,Keoladeo Ghana National Park and Okhla.
86 White Breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.Okhla.
87 Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla.
88 Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
89 Common Coot (Fulica atra)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla
90 Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus)
Keoladeo National Park.
91 Painted Sandgrouse (Pterocles indicus)
Keoladeo National Park.
92 Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla.
93 Black Tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
Ranthambhor, Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
94 Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
95 Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.River Yamuna by The Taj Mahal .
96 Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
Keoldeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park.
97 Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
98 Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
99 Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Okhla.
100 Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla.
101 Temmincks Stint (Calidris temminckii)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla.
102 Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
Okhla
103 Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla.
104 Eurasian Thick Knee (Burhinus oedicnemus)
Keokadeo Ghana National Park
105 Great Thick Knee (Burhinus recurvirostris)
River Kosi, Chambral River.
106 Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii)
Excellent views were had of the two regular wintering individuals on the River
Kosi.
107 Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Okhla.
108 Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
Ranthambhor, Okhla.
109 Bronze Winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
110 Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Chambral River, Okhla.
111 Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Chambral River.
112 Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Okhla.
113 Yellow-Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malarbaricus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
114 River Lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelii)
Chambral River, River Kosi, Corbett National Park, Okhla.
115 Red Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
116 White Tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
117 Yellow Legged Gull (Larus cachinnans)
Okhla
118 Pallas’s Gull (Larus ichthyaetus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
119 Brown Headed Gull (Larus brunnicephalus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
120 Black Headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
121 River Tern (Sterna aurantia)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
122 Black Bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
123 Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
124 Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)
Chambral River.
125 Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
Corbett National Park 4/12.
126 Black Shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Corbett National Park Okhla .
127 Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Everywhere.
128 White-Bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster)
Corbett national Park.
129 Pallas’s Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus)
Corbett National Park.
130 White-Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Corbett National Park.
131 Lesser Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga humilis)
Corbett National Park.
132 Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
133 Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Taj Mahal, Delhi.
134 White Rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
135 Long Billed Vulture (Gyps indicus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
136 Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis)
Nainital.
137 Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus)
Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
138 Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
Corbett National Park.
139 Red Headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
Keoladeo Ghana Natioinal Park, Corbett National Park.
140 Short Toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
141 Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett.
142 Eurasian Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
143 Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus)
A juvenile/first winter Ranthambhor.
144 Shikra (Accipiter badius)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
145 Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Nainital.
146 Oriental Honey Buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
147 Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Mangoli Valley .
148 Long-Legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)
Chambral River.
149 Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park .
150 Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
151 Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
152 Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax)
Keoladeo Ghana national Park.
153 Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park.
154 Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
155 Changeable Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus)
Nainital.
156 Mountain Hawk Eagle (Spizaetus nipalensis)
Nainital.
157 Collared Falconet (Microhierax caerulescens)
Corbett National Park.
158 Common Kestrel (Falco tinniculus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
159 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Nainital.
160 Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
161 Darter (Anhinga melanogastor)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla .
162 Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
163 Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
164 Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Okhla.
165 Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park,
166 Great Egret (Casmerodius albus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Okhla.
167 Intermediate Egret (Mesophoyx intermedia)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
168 Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
169 Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
170 Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Okhla.
171 Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Okhla.
172 Little Heron (Butorides striatus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
173 Black Crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
174 Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
175 Black Bittern (Dupetor flavicollis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
176 Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)
Okhla.
177 Black Headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
178 Black Ibis (Pseudibis papilosa)
Ranthambhor.
179 Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
180 Great White Pelican (Peeicanus onocrotalus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
181 Dalmation Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
182 Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
183 Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
184 Wooly Necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
185 Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)
Corbett National Park.
186 Black Necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
187 Golden Fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons)
Corbett National Park.
188 Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)
Corbett National Park.
189 Bay Backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
190 Long Tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Corbett National Park, Okhla.
191 Grey Backed Shrike (Lanius tephronotus)
Pangot.
192 Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
Keoladeo Ghanan National Park.
193 Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Nainital.
194 Black Headed Jay (Garrulus lanceolatus)
Pangot, Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
195 Red Billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha)
Betalghat, Mangoli Valley.
196 Common Green Magpie (Cissa chinensis)
Pangot.
197 Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta Vagabunda)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
198 Grey Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae)
Corbett National Park.
199 House Crow (Corvus splendens)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
200 Large Billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
201 Common Raven (Corvus corax)
Nainital.
202 Black Hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus)
Corbett National Park.
203 Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii)
Corbett National Park.
204 Small Minivet (Pericrocotus cinnamomeus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park.
205 Long Tailed Minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park .
206 Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
Corbett National Park.
207 Bar Winged Flycatcher Shrike (Hemipus picatus)
Corbett National Park.
208 Yellow Bellied Fantail (Rhipidura hypoxantha)
Corbett National Park.
209 White Throated Fantail (Rhipidura albicollis)
Corbett national Park, Mangoli Valley.
210 White Browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park.
211 Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
212 Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
213 Lesser Racket-Tailed Drongo (Dicrurus remifer)
Corbett National Park)
214 Spangled Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)
Corbett National Park
215 Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
Ranthambhor
216 Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
217 Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
River Kosi, Corbett National Park.
218 Blue Whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)
Corbett National Park, Mangoli Valley, Pangot, Betalghat.
219 Orange Headed Thrush (Zoothera wardii)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
220 Tickells Thrush (Turdus unicolor)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
221 Chestnut Thrush (Turdus rubrocanus)
Betalghat.
222 Dark Throated Thrush (Turdus Ruficollis)
Corbett National Park, Nainital, Pangot.
223 Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
Pangot.
224 Rufous-Gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata)
Mangoli Valley.
225 Red Throated Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
226 Little Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula westermanni)
Corbett National Park.
227 Slaty Blue Flycatcher (Ficedula tricolor)
Betalghat.
228 Small Niltava (Niltava macgrigoriae)
Betalghat, Pangot.
229 Rufous Bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara)
Betalghat.
230 Vivid Niltava (Niltava vivida)
Mangoli Valley.
231 Hill Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis banyumas)
Betalghat, Nainital.
232 Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park.
233 Siberian Rubythroat (Luscinia calliope)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
234 White-Tailed Rubythroat (Luscinia pectoralis)
Quality Inn, Corbett National Park.
235 Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
236 Orange Flanked Bush Robin (Tarsiger cyanurus)
Nainital road to Pangot.
237 Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
238 White-Rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
Nainital road to Pangot.
239 Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
240 Blue Capped Redstart (Phoenicurus coeruleocephalus)
Betalghat, Mangoli Valley.
241 Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
242 Blue Fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
Nainital, Mangoli Valley .
243 White Capped Water Redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)
River Kosi, Corbett National Park, Forktail Stream, Betalghat, Nainital, Mangoli
Valley. .
244 Plumbeous Water Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosus)
River Kosi, Corbett National Park, Forktail Stream, Betalghat.
245 Little Forktail (Enicurus scouleri)
Forktail Stream near the Quality Inn, Kumeria.
246 Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus)
Betalghat, Mangoli Valley.
247 Common Stonechat (Saxicola torquata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park. Corbett National Park.Okhla.
248 Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
249 Grey Bushchat (Saxicola ferrea)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Mangoli Valley.
250 Brown Rock Chat (Cercomela fusca)
Ranthambhor, River Kosi at Ramnagar.
251 Variable Wheatear (Oenanthe picata)
Ranthambhor.
252 Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
Bharatpur
253 Isbelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)
Ranthambhor
254 Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
255 Rosy Starling (Sturnus roseus)
Road to Delhi.
256 Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Okhla.
257 Asian Pied Starling (Sturnus contra)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
258 Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Betalghat, Pangot,
Mangoli Valley, Okhla.
259 Bank Myna (Acridotheres ginginianus)
Okhla.
260 Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch (Sitta castanea)
Corbett National Park, Magoli Valley.
261 White Tailed Nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis)
Mangoli Valley.
262 Velvet Fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis)
Corbett National Park .
263 Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
River Kosi, Betaghat, Road to Pangot.
264 Bar Tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana)
Pangot. Mangoli Valley.
265 Rufous-Naped Tit (Parus rufonuchalis)
Nainital
266 Rufous-Vented Tit (Parus rubidiventris)
Nainital
267 Spot Winged Tit (Parus melanolophus)
Pangot.
268 Great Tit (Parus major)
Corbett National Park, Betalghat, Mangoli Valley.
269 Green Backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
Road to Betalghat, Mangoli Valley.
270 Winter Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Dhikala Watch Tower.
271 Black Lored Tit (Parus xanthogenys)
Road to Betalghat, Mangoli Valley.
272 Yellow-Browed Tit (Sylviparus modestus)
Pangot.
273 Black Throated Tit (Aegithalos concinnus)
Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
274 Plain Martin (Riparia paludicola)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Dhikala Watchtower, Corbett National Park.
275 Dusky Crag Martin (Hirundo concolor)
Corbett National Park.
276 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Okhla.
277 Wire Tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
278 Red Rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)
Okhla.
279 Black-Headed Bulbul (Pycnonotus atriceps)
Corbett National Park.
280 Black Crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus)
Dhikala Watchtower, Corbett National Park.
281 Red Whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
Dhikala Watchtower, Corbett National Park.
282 White Eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
283 Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)
Dhikala Watchtower, Corbett National Park, Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
284 Red Vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Mangoli Valley, Okhla .
285 Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala)
Dhikala Watchtower in Corbett National Park.
286 Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
Pangot, Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
287 Hill Prinia (Prinia atrogularis)
Mangoli Valley.
288 Striated Prinia (Prinia criniger)
Betalghat
289 Rufous-Fronted Prinia (Prinia buchanani)
Betalghat
290 Grey Breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii)
Corbett National Park.
291 Jungle Prinia (Prinia sylvatica)
Betalghat.
292 Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Okhla.
293 Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Corbett National Park.
294 Oriental White Eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Nainital, Mangoli Valley.
295 Blyth’s Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
296 Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
297 Booted Warbler (Hippolais caligata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
298 Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Okhla.
299 Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
300 Siberian Chifchaff (Phylloscopus collybita tristis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Corbett National Park, Mangoli Valley, Okhla.
301 Tickells Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus affinis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
302 Lemon Rumped Warbler (Phylloscopus chloronatus)
Corbett National Park
303 Brook’s Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus subviridis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
304 Humes Warbler (Phylloscopus humei)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
305 Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
306 Yellow-Vented Warbler (Phylloscopus cantator)
Corbett National Park.
307 Grey Hooded Warbler (Seicercus xanthoschistos)
Corbett National Park.
308 White Throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax albogularis)
Mangoli Valley.
309 White Crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus)
Mangoli Valley.
310 Striated Laughingthrush (Garrulax striatus)
Mangoli Valley.
311 Streaked Laughingthrush (Garrulax lineatus)
Mangoli Valley.
312 Chestnut Crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax erythrocephalus)
Mangoli Valley.
313 Rusty-Cheeked Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus erythrogenys)
Betalghat
314 Streak-Breasted Scimitar Babbler (Pomatorhinus ruficollis)
Betalghat.
315 Yellow Eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
316 Common Babbler (Turdoides caudatus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
317 Striated Babbler (Turdoides earlei)
Okhla.
318 Large Grey Babbler (Turdoides malcolmi)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur.
319 Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striatus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Bharatpur, Corbett National Park
320 White-Browed Shrike Babbler (Pteruthius flaviscapis)
Kilburry
321 Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata)
Kilburry.
322 Long-Tailed Sibia (Heterophasia picaoides)
Corbett National Park.
323 Black-Throated Parrotbill (Paradoxornis nipalensis)
Nainital
324 Ashy-Crowned Sparrow (Eremopterix grisea)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
325 Rufous-Tailed Lark (Ammomanes phoenicurus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
326 Bimaculated Lark (Melanocorypha bimaculata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
327 Greater Short-Toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
328 Hume’s Short-Toed Lark (Calandrella acutirostris)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
329 Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
330 Purple Sunbird (Nectarinia asiatica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Betalghat.
331 Mrs Goulds Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae)
Betalghat
332 Green Tailed Sunbird (Aethopyga nipalensis)
Betalghat
333 Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)
Betalghat
334 House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
335 Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)
Ranthambhor
336 Russet Sparrow (Passer rutilans)
Pangot, Mangoli Valley.
337 Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer Montanus)
Pangot.
338 Chestnut Shouldered Petronia (Petronia xanthocollis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
339 White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
340 White Browed Wagtail (Motacilla maderaspatensis)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
341 Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
342 Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Okhla.
343 Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park, River Kosi, Ramnagar, Forktail Stream
344 Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)
Bharatpur.
345 Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
Bharatpur .
346 Olive Backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
347 Rufous Breasted Accentor (Prunella strophiata)
Mangoli Valley .
348 Black Breasted Weaver (Ploceus benghalensis)
Bharatpur.
349 Baya Weaver (Ploecus philippinus)
Bharatpur.
350 Red Avadavat (Amandava amandava)
Okhla.
351 Indian Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica)
Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
352 Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)
Pangot, Delhi Ridge.
353 Pink Browed Rosefinch (Carpodacus rodochrus)
Pangot.
354 Chestnut Eared Bunting (Emberiza fucata)
Betalghat.
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