TRIP REPORT (May 24-28, 2000)

The main reason for visiting Sitla was to visit Chirag, the NGO that 
works with local villagers. 

Vivek Menon, Kartika, Suchita & I drove to Corbett National Park late 
in the afternoon on May.24, 2000. We broke our journey at Tiger Camp 
which is located on the eastern periphery of the park.

Next morning, after a few meetings with some people in the park, we 
left for Pangot where our ‘birding lodge’ is coming up. Pangot is 
15 km away from Nainital via Kilbury. We stopped on the way to watch
a few birds. We came across vultures, ashy prinia, orange-headed 
thrush etc. At noon we were at Pangot where things had to be 
supervised on the construction site. Our feeders have already started 
attracting a fair number of species such as streaked laughing 
thrushes, black-headed jays, green-backed tits etc. We came 
back to Nainital to spend the night at Hotel Swiss.

Next morning we left for Sitla where Rajesh Thadani works. The drive 
was definitely less forested than Pangot, but fruitful as we saw good
birdlife enroute. The last few kilometers were a dirt track that went 
higher and steeper as we reached the village, with a variety of fruit 
trees on either side. As we discovered the Chirag sign, we enquired 
after our friend and finally reached his place that lay snug in the 
middle of a vast variety of oak. Walking through an undisturbed 
vegetated lawn, strewn with flowers, ripe mulberries bursting from the 
trees, fruits waiting to ripen and a beautiful view of the valley 
beyond, we made our way to the old british bungalow that offered 
comfort against the cool winds.

We sat over coffee spying the evening birdlife, making use of the 
last light of the evening. Wedge-tailed pigeons, verditer flyctacher, 
blue whistling thrush etc. made the last flights of the day as night 
advanced. 

The next morning, we drove up to Mukteswar, stopping by at the Chirag 
clinic, the weaver's workshop, and the oil unit to see the local work 
done by people. Soon after we had a quick meal at the village shop 
which had barn swallows nesting within the building. Suchita & I 
decided to walk from Mukteswar to Sitla through the forest which 
promised to be a revealing walk. Which it did. The pine and oak 
forest was home to blue-winged minlas, black-throated tits, 
grey-hooded warblers etc.

We started for Delhi very early in the morning and stopped at Pangot 
for a few minutes and for lunch at Tiger Camp. It was a long drive and 
we got back at 11:00 pm.

Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis	Corbett National Park
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia	Corbett National Park
Oriental Magpie Robin	Copsychus saularis	Corbett National Park
House Crow	Corvus Splendens	Corbett National Park
Black Kite	Milvus migrans	Corbett National Park
Purple Sunbird	Nectarinia asiatica	Corbett National Park
Indian Grey Hornbill	Ocyceros birostris	Corbett National Park
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Corbett National Park
Red-vented Bulbul	Pycnonotus cafer	Corbett National Park
Red-whiskered Bulbul	Pycnonotus jocosus	Corbett National Park
Eurasian Collard Dove	Streptopelia decaocto	Corbett National Park
Chestnut-tailed Starling	Sturnus malabaricus	Corbett National Park
Asian Paradise Flycatcher	Terpsiphone paradisi	Corbett National Park
Paddyfield pipit	Anthus rufulus	Kaladhungi
Black-shouldered Kite	Elanus caeruleus	Kaladhungi
55 White-rumped Vulture	Gyps bengalensis	Kaladhungi
8-10 Long-billed Vulture	Gyps indicus	Kaladhungi
Scaly-bellied Woodpecker	Picus squamatus	Kaladhungi
Ashy Prinia	Prinia socialis	Kaladhungi
Alexandrine Parakeet	Psittacula eupatria	Kaladhungi
Rose-ringed Parakeet	Psittacula krameri	Kaladhungi
Orange-headed Thrush	Zoothera citrina	Kaladhungi
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch	Carduelis spinoidesPangot
Large-billed Crow	Corvus macrorhynchos	Pangot
Black Drongo	Dicrurus macrocercus	Pangot
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Pangot
Black Francolin	Francolinus francolinus	Pangot
Streaked Laughing Thrush	Garrulax lineatus	Pangot
Black-headed Jay	Garrulus lanceolatus	Pangot
Lammergeier	Gypaetus barbatus	Pangot
Himalayan Griffon	Gyps himalayensis	Pangot
Red-rumped swallow	Hirundo daurica	Pangot
Great Barbet	Megalaima virens	Pangot
Blue-capped Rock Thrush	Monticola cinclorhynchus	Pangot
Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush	Monticola rufiventris	Pangot
Blue Whistling thrush	Myophonus caeruleus	Pangot
Great tit	Parus major	Pangot
Green Backed tit	Parus monticolus	Pangot
Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus	Pangot
Plum-headed Parakeet	Psittacula cyanocephala	Pangot
Slaty-headed Parakeet	Psittacula himalayana	Pangot
Grey bushchat	Saxicola ferrea	Pangot
Grey-hooded Warbler	Seicercus xanthoschistos	Pangot
Spotted dove	Streptopelia chinensis	Pangot
Oriental Turtle Dove	Streptopelia orientalis	Pangot
Grey-winged Blackbird	Turdus boulboul	Pangot
Oriental White-eye	Zosterops palpebrosus	Pangot
Jungle Myna	Acridotheres fuscus	Sitla
Bank Myna	Acridotheres ginginianus	Sitla
Black-throated Tit	Aegithalos concinnus	Sitla
Grey-bellied Cuckoo	Cacomantis passerinus	Sitla
Eurasian Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus	Sitla
Grey Treepie	Dendrocitta formosae	Sitla
Verditer Flycatcher	Eumyias thalassina	Sitla
White-throated Kingfisher	Halcyon smyrnensis	Sitla
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica	Sitla
Black Bulbul	Hypsipetes leucocephalus	Sitla
Crested Kingfisher	Megaceryle lugubris	Sitla
Blue-throated barbet	Megalaima asiatica	Sitla
Crested Bunting	Melophus lathami	Sitla
Blue-winged Minla	Minla cyanouroptera	Sitla
Russet Sparrow	Passer rutilans	Sitla
Long-tailed Minivet	Pericrocotus ethologus	Sitla
Himalayan Bulbul	Pycnonotus leucogenys	Sitla
Asian Pied Starling	Sturnus contra	Sitla
Wedge tailed Pigeon	Treron sphenura	Sitla
Red-billed Blue Magpie	Urocissa erythrorhyncha	Sitla