Northern INDIA: Himalayas, Bharatpur and the Taj Mahal
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Northern INDIA: Himalayas, Bharatpur and the Taj Mahal A Tropical Birding Set Departure Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 Guides: Keith Barnes & Ken Behrens Report by Ken Behrens and Keith Barnes; Photos by Ken Behrens unless noted otherwise INTRODUCTION This trip continues to be one of our very best. Not only did some of the group see an amazing Tiger but we also scored a delectable set of 389 birds. Some of the real stars included a ridiculously close Ibisbill, Jungle Bush Quail, Lesser Adjutant, White-naped and Rufous-bellied amongst 18 species of woodpecker, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Black-bellied Tern, Indian Skimmer, Ashy-crowned Sparrowlark, Altai Accentor, Chestnut-headed Tesia, Red-fronted Prinia, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Black-faced Warbler, Siberian and White-tailed Rubythroats, Tawny-bellied Babbler, Indian Scimitar-Babbler, Wallcreeper, Green Magpie, and an incredible ten owl species all seen in broad daylight. Although Bharatpur was mostly dry, there were still some impressive concentrations of waterbirds here and at the nearby Bund Baretha. We saw impressive numbers of most of the palearctic ducks along with jacanas, Waterhens, stately Sarus Cranes, Bar-headed Goose, and hoardes of bush birds, plus spectacular raptors such as Imperial and Greater Spotted Eagles. Entering the Himalayan foothills at Naini Tal we were based at a fabulous little resort town that is full of charm. Highlights included several startling redstarts, dazzling Northern India: Himalayas, Bharatpur, and the Taj Mahal Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 sapphire-and-chestnut rock-thrushes, superb flocks of gorgeous Himalayan tits with nuthatches, leaf-warblers and others interspersed. Some skulkers included a feast of six laughing-thrushes including the snow-white capped White-crested, the bulbous-headed Striated, the elegant mottled and scaled Rufous-chinned and common Streaked. Added to this was the superb Great Barbet, omnipresent Black-headed Jay and magnificent Blue Magpie. The final days of the trip held one of the most sought-after wildlife experience of them all: an encounter with an incredible Tiger. Although not everyone in the group got to see the Tiger at Kanha NP, emphasising the wild and elusive nature of this great cat, we did all see a phenomenal group of Indian Wild Dog (Dhole) rip apart a small Sambar foal; a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife spectacle. We also had a Leopard stroll across the road as we were heading up into the foothills of the Himalayas in pretty densely populated hillsides. Gaur and Swamp Deer were other “great” mammalian finds of the tour. Oh, apart from all the birds and wildlife we also managed to fit in the Taj Mahal and the ancient city of Fatepuhr Sikri while we were in India. The final tally for the three-week trip of 389 bird species and 22 mammal species was excellent. However, what was more impressive was the fact that when we added in the Goa: South India custom add-on we were able to amass a grand total of exactly 501 birds and 26 mammals including Tiger, Leopard, Indian Wild Dog (Dhole), Indian Elephant, and Ganges River Dolphin recorded on our four-week India Megafari, a tidy little haul indeed. Red-billed Leothrix (left) was seen in the Himalayas, while we found Black-rumped Flameback (right) in the lowlands of Bharatpur, just one of many great woodpeckers for the trip. Northern India: Himalayas, Bharatpur, and the Taj Mahal Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 ITINERARY November 28 Morning Sultanpur Jheel, afternoon Qutub Minar. Night in Delhi. November 29 Delhi to Naini Tal via Okhla Barrage and Ganges River. November 30 Morning at Sattal, afternoon at Kainchidam December 1 Upper Sat Tal and Pangot December 2 Vinayak and Pangot Road December 3 Ramnagar Area December 4 Forktail Creek, Kumeria, and Kosi River December 5 Corbett NP December 6 Corbett NP to Delhi December 7 Delhi to Bharatpur December 8 Keoladeo Ghana NP December 9 Bayena and Bund Baretha December 10 Chambal River, Talabshai and Dolphur December 11 Cultural Day: Fatepur Sikri, Taj Mahal, and Agra Fort December 12 Morning Chambal River Cruise, afternoon to Agra station and train to Kahna NP December 13 Drive to Kanha, afternoon game and tiger tracking. December 14-15 Kanha NP: game and tiger tracking. December 16 Morning in Kanha NP: game and tiger tracking. Afternoon to Nagpur and flight to Delhi. December 17 Transfer to Delhi International Airport Great Barbet is a fantastic Himalayan bird that we saw near Sat Tal. Northern India: Himalayas, Bharatpur, and the Taj Mahal Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 TOUR NARRATIVE 28 Nov: Delhi (Sultanpur Jheel and Qutub Minar) With everyone arriving earlier than expected, this normal 'arrival day', turned into a full birding day around Delhi. India's remarkable capital is arguably the best birding city in the world. As if to prove this, we scored over 100 bird species on our first day alone by visiting just one site – the impressive Sultanpur Jheel, which is about an hour and a halfʼs drive from the city centre. We started on the outskirts of the wetlands where there are many dry country species, and it is particularly good for larks, wheatears and pipits. Tawny Pipits sat alongside Indian Bush-lark and Variable Wheatears were seen next to Yellow-wattled Lapwings. After this heady start we went inside the wetlands complex which brought us a host of waterbirds, including our first Indian Spot- billed Ducks, White-tailed Lapwings, Pied Avocets, Purple Swamphens, and Western Marsh- Harriers cruising the reedbeds. Other birds that we only recorded there, included an ivory-billed Asian Koel and the accipiter-like Common Hawk-Cuckoo (bizarrely also commonly known as the The impressive Qutub Minar (left), sculpted by Mogul craftsmen in 1192, held some Alexandrine Parakeets (right). Keith Barnes. 'Brainf ever Bird' to Indian birders). The reedbeds held our first Red Avadavats and Indian Silverbills, while several 'sibes', in the form of gorgeous Bluethroats, hopped in and out of the undergrowth below them. Painted Storks flew too and fro from their nesting and roosting areas and we were blessed by a great view of a dark-morph Booted Eagle. We also located many widespread Indian plains birds, including Black Kite, Red-wattled Lapwing, Little Swift, White-throated Kingfisher, Black Northern India: Himalayas, Bharatpur, and the Taj Mahal Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 Drongo, Asian Pied Starling, Common and Bank Mynas, House Crow and Red-vented Bulbul. We headed into the restaurant at the park which delivered a hearty Indian Curry ʻfeedʼ including our first taste of one of India's awesome tandooris, before we headed for the Qutub Minar, a great antiquities site right in the middle of New Delhi. The red sandstone walls carved by great Mogul craftsmen in 1192 played host to a whole bunch of Dusky Crag Matins, large groups of Yellow-footed Green Pigeons passed overhead on their way to roost in the city and the noisy Rose-ringed Parakeets were joined by the bulkier Alexandrine Parakeets. With over 100 species seen on this first day alone we 'off to a flyer' as they say, and we retired to a quiet retreat on the outskirts of Delhi. 29 Nov: Delhi to Naini Tal via Okhla Barrage and Ganges River Okhla Barrage is a good wetland preserve on the northern outskirts of Delhi. A pre-dawn start from our hotel put us at the preserve gates at dawn, and ensured that we escaped the traffic that would ravage the city later in the morning. Walking through some scrub verged by marsh brought us some nice birds like Yellow-footed Pigeon, Green Bee-eater, Ashy and Plain Prinias, Humeʼs Warbler, and Common Rosefinch. We eventually arrived at a point overlooking a wide expanse of A good-looking pair of Yellow-footed Pigeons that we saw during our birding at Okhla Barrage. Northern India: Himalayas, Bharatpur, and the Taj Mahal Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 marsh and open water. Here highlights included a Comb Duck, several Common Pochard, and a flyby flock of Black-tailed Godwits. On another trail that delved into some deep reedbeds, we focused on the specialty birds of the reserve: Yellow-bellied Prinia and Striated Babbler. Though it took some searching, we eventually located both species, along with some other good marsh species like the hefty Greater Coucal, dinky Indian Silverbill, and gem-like Red Avadavat. On our way out, we saw a flock of European Starlings that would prove to be the only ones of the trip! Birding the Okhla reedbeds turned up Indian Silverbill, plus several other great species. We knew all along that driving to the Himalayan foothills would take most of the day, but an unusual amount of traffic along with some construction and an accident or two made this quite a long journey. At mid-day, our trip was broken up by a stop at the famous Ganges River. Birds were strangely scarce on the river, with the normal gulls completely absent. A short walk along the shores of the sacred river did turn up River Lapwing, an outstandingly good-looking bird even among the generally attractive lapwings. Most of our drive was through the incredibly densely populated Ganges Plain. The sheer mass of humanity on this stretch of the earth is difficult to fathom. Hour after hour we drove along, never seeming to leave what is essentially one huge village covering 1000s of square kilometers. You never truly ʻescapeʼ into the countryside here. We did spot one nice bird in this kind of setting: a little group of Black Ibis. By the time we arrived in the Himalayan Northern India: Himalayas, Bharatpur, and the Taj Mahal Nov 28 – Dec 17, 2010 foothills, it was already dark, but our tardiness paid off when a leopard streaked across the road to the delight of the people in the first half of the bus who managed to see it.