2011 Tour Narrative
After four years of failed monsoons and drought it was good to see water and waterbirds back at Bharatphur: Lesser Whistling Ducks, Cotton Pygmy-Geese, Spot-billed Ducks, Sarus Cranes, Purple Swamphens, Oriental Darters, three cormorant species, various egrets and herons, Black-headed Ibis, Spoonbills, Painted and Woolly-necked and Black-necked Storks, Asian Openbills, and finally the first White Stork in seven years. Raptors included Black-shouldered Kites, Shikras, White-eyed Buzzard, and Greater Spotted, Steppe, and Imperial Eagles. And an exciting range of extras kept us entertained every day: Large-tailed Nightjar, Common Hawk Cuckoo, Black-rumped Flameback, White-tailed Lapwing, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Spotted Owlet, Dusky Eagle Owl, Brown-headed Barbet, Long-tailed Shrike, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Purple Sunbird, Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Hoopoe, Roller … Best of all, maybe, was the bird which welcomed us on our first morning: the almost-mythical Siberian Rubythroat. But perhaps the bird of Bharatphur had to be Jungle Cat - because of the unprecedently sustained and ever closer views.
The garden of the Bagh also provided Indian Grey Hornbill, Collared Scops Owl, and the normally difficult Brown Hawk Owl. And the town canal added Greater Painted Snipe, Temminck’s Stint, and Citrine and White-browed Wagtails. Our day excursion to Bund Bharata and Bayana also paid off with Rosy Starling, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Long-billed Pipit, White-capped Bunting, Red-headed Bunting, Plum-headed Parakeet, Brown Crake, Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas, and Indian and White-backed Vultures.
By contrast the Thar desert provided us with a virtually complete set of complementary species: Variable, Desert, Isabelline, and Rufous-tailed Wheatears; Isabelline and Southern Grey Shrikes; Cream-coloured Coursers; Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse; Greater Short-toed, Bimaculated, Desert, and Black-crowned Sparrow-larks; Tawny Pipits; Grey-necked and House Buntings; Egyptian, Slender-billed and Eurasian Griffon Vultures; Lagger Falcons; Long-legged Buzzards; Montagu’s Harrier; Tawny Eagle; and Short-toed Snake Eagle. We were lucky on our first day to see both Great Indian Bustard (which at a Birdlife International function the evening before the tour I had been told we had little chance of seeing as they had just upgraded it to Critically Endangered status – ie. ‘facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future’) and that other globally threatened rarity of the area (and another Indian endemic) Stoliczka’s Bushchat - and, what’s more, a male in full breeding plumage: in fact not only full but overflowing (far more striking than any fieldguide illustration and looking more like Hodgson’s Chat but for the diagnostic supercilium). Despite this embarrassment of riches none of these specialities was voted Bird of the Trip. Proportional representation awarded that accolade to Demoiselle Crane – no doubt because the spectacle of 8000 birds at Keechan (crowded into the paddock below us and flying overhead almost close enough to snatch out of the air) could not be bettered.
As memorable as the birds was the architecture and history. After beating the fog to see the Taj Mahal in all its glory, we enjoyed visits to Agra fort, Akbar’s tomb, Fatephur Sikri, Dig water palace, Bayana fort, the Amber fort, city palace, and observatory at Jaipur, Jaisalmer citadel, Khabha fort and abandoned village, the Bada Bagh royal cenotaphs, the Jain temple at Osian, Mehrangarh fort at Jodhpur, the cenotaphs and hall of heroes in Mandore gardens, the Friday mosque and Red fort in Delhi, Ghandi’s memorial, Humayan’s tomb, and the Qatab Minar. And a more first-hand and more intimate experience of the lifestyle of the Raj was gained from our nights at the Bagh, the Balsamand lake palace, and the Narian Niwas palace at Jaiphur (built by General Amar Singh, Thakur of Kanota, Commander of the Jaipur State Force, confidant of the then Maharaja Sawai Man Singh, and the first Indian to gain the King’s commission in the British army). Our history guides were lucid and informative and we particularly enjoyed our discussions with dear friend and erudite scholar Colonel Singh, great, great (etc) grandson of the first Maharajah of Bharatphur. Fascinating also were our visits to the Bishnoi villages and the various arts and crafts venues and retail therapy outlets: the Shams tapestries, marble workshops, block printing, durry rug weaving, and potter. It would indeed have been difficult in just fifteen days to experience more of the wildlife and culture of this amazing country with its one billion inhabitants, 33,000 gods, and 400 languages whilst still allowing that free time for showering, eating, and sleeping. Bryan Bland
Updated: February 2012