2010 Tour Narrative
In Brief: We knew instantly what it meant when we heard one of the park guides whistle: people in another vehicle were watching a Tiger! Closing in, we were motioned forwards—not that we needed too much directing as there, walking right up the middle of the jeep track, was our quarry, our first Tiger. It was a fantastic encounter, with the animal in view for almost 15 minutes, walking right up the center of the forest road as if she owned it—which we knew she did. Someone was heard to mutter that any birds we saw after our Tiger would simply be a bonus. This was our third game drive inside Ranthambhore Tiger Sanctuary, and we’d go on to see two more fine beasts on our fifth and last drive, plus a solitary male at Corbett. That makes seven years in a row that we’ve seen Tigers on this tour, but it was particularly fitting that we saw it this year: Valentine’s Day 2010 also marked the start of the Chinese Year of the Tiger.
In Detail: Tigers were far from all that we saw even at Ranthambhore, where ornithological highlights included the hoped-for Painted Spurfowl, two rather elusive White-naped Woodpeckers, and the first of our three encounters with Brown Fish Owl. A pool right beside our hotel held impressive numbers of exquisitely plumaged Painted Sandgrouse, and an excursion farther afield yielded a number of desert species such as Indian Courser, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, and Yellow-wattled Lapwing. But few of us would deny that we saw nothing that came close to those Tigers.
Bharatpur, our next port of call, had suffered badly in the previous year’s very poor monsoon, and there was very little water in the reserve. Nevertheless we still found many of the area’s premier attractions. At a site on the edge of Bharatpur town, we came up trumps almost immediately with Greater Painted-snipe. Inside the reserve we were treated to umpteen other birds, including a day-time roosting Large-tailed Nightjar, a Dusky Eagle-Owl at its nest, an Oriental Scops-Owl, a magnificent pair of Sarus Cranes that flew right up to us, two Imperial Eagles, and not a few Brooks’s Leaf Warblers.
Leaving Bharatpur, we made a day trip to Bund Baretha, a reservoir that still had lots of water and lots of birds. Thousands of ducks, geese, and cormorants were the order of the day, and there were surprises, including a fairly cooperative party of Jungle Bush Quail and both Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans.
Our next port of call was Agra and the Taj Mahal, where a fabulous guided tour around the marble wonder almost did it justice. Photos galore before we spent a while shopping….
The Chambal Safari Lodge boasted the likes of Brown Hawk Owl, and the boat ride down the Chambal River was great fun. Gorgeous scenery, a scattering of raptors, and lots of waterbirds were a highlight, including good numbers of close-range Indian Skimmers, numerous Black-bellied Terns, several Pallas’s Gulls, Brown Crake, and our only Bonelli’s Eagle of the entire tour, as well as excellent looks at two species of crocodile, including some truly impressive Gharial.
Our next hotel was a king’s palace and historic fort close to the mighty Ganges at Unchagaon. Festooned with memorabilia of a by-gone era, the walls of the main lounge were adorned with Tiger trophies and antique pictures of Indian aristocracy—an unusual heritage hotel indeed, and one that we felt privileged to have visited.
Our next important port of call was Ramnagar, where we had lunch before the serious birding started up again. We had fabulous looks at a male Wallcreeper, our first Blue-bearded Bee-eater, and a pair of Collared Falconets, while a talkative party of White-crested Laughingthrushes were close enough to our lodge to effectively welcome us to our rooms. Early the following morning we added Brown Dipper, our first Speckled Piculet, two species of forktail, and myriad new parakeets to our lists—all before a fabulous breakfast on the hotel’s lawn. After that we were treated to some stunning looks at a pair of Puff-throated Babblers and a Long-billed Thrush that fed, exceptionally unconcerned, right out in the open; not much later, we were reveling in a Chestnut-headed Tesia. For many of us this was our favourite site.
On our slow foray into Corbett Park, we were detained by a close Common Green Magpie, then a party of Rufous Woodpeckers, then a pair of Tawny Fish Owls, some White-rumped Needletails, and a party of Smooth-coated Otters at lunch, while an adult Pallas’s Fish Eagle seemed to welcome us to our new lodge. On the afternoon jeep drive we eventually managed to find several male Hodgson’s Bushchats; it’s anybody’s guess just how many Common Stonechats we looked at in the process. The following morning’s elephant ride was great fun. Our final encounter with Tiger had to wait until the afternoon, when another male was spotted walking not far from our jeeps. A lucky few of us were treated to views of a Leopard on the same drive, while everyone saw the two rubythroats and the inquisitive Lesser Coucal that quietly circled us.
Our drive up into the mountains at Nainital was also productive. A couple of stops yielded fabulous looks at umpteen obliging Red-billed Blue Magpies and the bird of the trip—a party of Long-tailed Broadbills that we screeched to a halt for. On our first morning at Nainital, we were even treated to a look at some of the towering snow-capped Himalayan Peaks off to the east, towards the Nepalese and Chinese borders. On our second day there, Nainital yielded a few of its avian gems: another diminutive Speckled Piculet, respectable encounters with Upland Pipit, Black-throated Accentor, Collared Owlet, two Lammergeiers, lots of Black-headed Jays, and a single Red-fronted Serin; nearly the last birds we saw were a party of Kalij Pheasants.
All too soon it was time to head back to Delhi. We split the journey, spending the night about half way back towards the capital, making the now traditional stop besides the Ganges on our final morning. The day yielded impressive numbers of birds, including a few additions to our list, among them Streak-throated Swallow, Striated Babbler, and Yellow-bellied Prinia, all well appreciated. But where were the House Sparrows? We couldn’t find them anywhere.
Last year I wrote “India is undeniably an assault on the senses. There certainly is poverty and yet the country is full of happy, friendly people and home to an enviable array of magnificent birds and mammals. Just how many of us left with fingers crossed that India’s wildlife will continue to survive: there are signs of declines in the numbers of Tigers present in the reserves, and the future is far from certain.” Things haven’t changed much since I wrote that. Not yet.
- Paul Holt
Updated: April 2010