Introduction
John Pegden and I had visited Goa the previous winter (for trip report see Goa trip report) and had both visited some sites on the traditional North India ‘golden triangle’ on separate non-birding visits. My previous visit had consisted of a three week business trip based in Delhi, which had given me the opportunity to spend weekends at both Bharatpur and Corbett NP, albeit out of season. Although I had actually been rather under whelmed by Bharatpur (due to visiting in one of the driest years in recent times) these short trips had served to whet my appetite for revisiting these fantastic areas at the prime time of year for a longer period.
It has been well documented that probably the two most wanted species by visiting Western birders in North India – Siberian White Crane and Ibisbill – are no longer available, the sad demise of the wintering population of the Cranes at Bharatpur unfortunately looks to be a permanent loss to India’s avifauna, although the disappearance of the Ibisbills from the Kosi River may hopefully be more temporary. Despite this, there is still a multitude of fantastic species to be observed in the area such as Koklass Pheasant, Indian Skimmer and Long-billed Thrush, and couple this with the possibility of coming across a Tiger in the wild and it’s easy to see why North India appeals to so many birders.
Flights
John’s profession as a teacher meant that our choice of dates was rather limited, even using the maximum amount of time only gave us 11 full days of birding, not quite the two weeks we were looking for but enough we felt to do justice to all the sites we wanted to visit. Additionally the festive timing of our trip had the effect of bumping the price of flights up and thus we booked the cheapest flights we could find through Lastminute.com, using Alitalia at £612 per person, although this meant that we had to go from Heathrow to Delhi via Milan and vice versa.
Logistics
Indians do love their red tape, and this makes having a knowledgeable ground agent essential as they are able to save time by organising everything in advance. This was particularly necessary for John and I as we weren’t flushed with time and couldn’t afford to spend hours filling out paperwork when we could be birding! On my previous trip to Delhi I had contacted Mohit Agarwal of Asian Adventures who had organised a driver and guide for a weekend around Corbett extremely quickly and efficiently. So impressed had I been with Mohit’s organisational skills and the guide provided that we had no hesitation in contacting him for use on this trip. Asian Adventures were able to plan the trip to our specifications, providing drivers, accommodation, guides and food.
The accommodation, with the exception of Bharatpur where we stayed at the Sunbird Hotel, was at various lodges - Tiger Camp on the outskirts of Corbett NP, Jungle Lore Birding Lodge at Pangot and Green Glen Lodge at Sat Tal, all of which can be seen at http://www.himalayanlodges.com These were all of an excellent standard and the quality of food provided was also high.
Our original plan was to spend nine days between Corbett NP and the Nainital/Pangot area, with the remaining two days spent on the Chambal River and birding marshes around Chambal. We hadn’t originally planned to bird Bharatpur due to the increasing lack of water in recent years and the lack of time remaining on our trip. However, we had been keeping up-to-date with the latest information from India so when news filtered through of the wettest monsoon in India for several years, we reconsidered our plans. The high water levels meant that the situation at Bharatpur had drastically improved with an excellent breeding season for the many waterbirds and thus this boded well for a good winter.
After contacting Mohit again he agreed that the outlook for the winter at Bharatpur was the best for many years and so John and I decided we had to alter our itinerary to include as much time there as possible. As we didn’t want to exclude the boat safari at Chambal Mohit re-jigged the last day and a half so we would spend it birding at Bharatpur instead.
The price for the tour provided by Asian Adventures was £665 per person, this included guides in the form of Lokesh Singh at Corbett NP and Pangot and his father Ratan Singh for our full day at Bharatpur. Both were excellent and have a superb local knowledge of the area, Lokesh has been living in Pangot for five years whilst Ratan has been birding at Bharatpur for 25 years, and is surely one of the best and most knowledgeable guides you can find at this reserve. The price also included all our food, drivers throughout the trip, all overnight accommodation and the train journey from Lal Kuan to Mathura. As expected we were looked after superbly for the duration of our trip by Asian Adventures and I would thoroughly recommend them to anyone thinking of travelling to this area of India.
References
‘Birds of the Indian Subcontinent’ by Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp is an essential pocket guide for birding in India. The accompanying ‘Birds of Northern India’ by Grimmett and Inskipp contains the same plates but only shows those birds occurring in the north, this has the benefit that more text can be incorporated for each species. If you can get hold of it the full size ‘A Guide to Birds of India’ by the same authors is useful for reference simply due to the amount of information it holds on each species – unfortunately though this is out of print at the moment. Finally we also used ‘A Birdwatcher’s Guide to India’ by Krys Kazmierczak and Raj Singh, especially invaluable if you are birding in India without guides but still a very useful reference regardless.
Itinerary
Wednesday 21st: Arrived Delhi airport c12:00am, drove straight to Kuchesar Fort for a few hours sleep.
Thursday 22nd: Left Kuchesar Fort pre-dawn, drove to Tiger Camp on edge of Corbett NP, arrived late morning. Drove via jeep to Dhikala, arriving at the rest house late afternoon. Night at Dhikala Rest House.
Friday 23rd: Morning safari around the grasslands at Dhikala. Drove back to Tiger Camp early afternoon, arriving at dusk. Night at Tiger Camp.
Saturday 24th: Early morning spent birding briefly at Corbett Riverside Resort then in forest around Mohan, afternoon at Kumeria with another stop at Corbett Riverside Resort en-route back to Tiger Camp. Night at Tiger Camp.
Sunday 25th: Drove early morning to Jhirna Gate, arriving midday. Afternoon spent on safari around Jhirna area. Night at Tiger Camp.
Monday 26th: Morning spent birding Kosi River, left midday and drove to Pangot with stops at Dabka Causeway and Corbett Falls en-route. Night at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge.
Tuesday 27th: Birded around Pangot all day. Night at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge.
Wednesday 28th: Early morning spent birding in high areas near Pangot, afternoon in lower area, again near Pangot. Night at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge.
Thursday 29th: All day spent birding at Sat Tal. Night at Green Glen Lodge.
Friday 30th: Morning and early afternoon spent birding at Sat Tal. Drove mid afternoon to Lal Kuan. Night in a/c sleeper train.
Saturday 31st: Arrived 4:00am at Mathura train station. Drove Mathura to Chambal Safari Lodge, birded around the Lodge briefly then took boat cruise on river until midday. Drove to Bharatpur, arriving Keoladeo Ghana NP late afternoon. Night at Sunbird hotel.
Sunday 1st: All day birding at Keoladeo Ghana NP. Drove late afternoon to Delhi airport, arriving late evening to connect with return flight.
Day 1 - Thursday 22nd
We arrived in Delhi very early in the morning on the 22nd. We had originally wanted to head straight to Corbett catching up on sleep in the car, but Mohit had rather we stopped at Kuchesar Fort, (approximately ⅓ of the way en-route to Ramnagar), due to the unpredictability of driving this route at night. This is mainly down to thick patches of fog which can develop and the fact that you can encounter numerous vehicles without lights on at any point on the journey – although having had plenty of experience of the driving conditions in Delhi I doubt there is much difference with the levels of danger involved! So it was that we had a very brief stop over at Kuchesar Fort before moving on at the earliest possible opportunity towards Corbett. We arrived at Tiger Camp late morning and quickly transferred to an open top Gypsy, an excellent if somewhat chilly way of exploring the park.
The drive to Dhikala was punctuated by several stops, mostly when we encountered a mixed feeding flock. Highlights from the journey included a female Stripe-breasted Woodpecker, 2 White-rumped Vultures, male Rufous-gorgetted and Snowy-browed Flycatchers, a female White-rumped Shama, a Whiskered Yuhina and 2 Puff-throated Babblers.
The undoubted highlight of the drive though was shortly before approaching Dhikala. An unusual period of inactivity came to an abrupt halt when a male Tiger suddenly rose from the undergrowth ahead of the road not more than 20 metres in front of us! After moving away from the road, it stood motionless watching us whilst quietly growling, until the noise from a Gypsy coming from the other direction caused it to walk into forest and out of sight. Obviously we were elated with this sighting as we hadn’t given ourselves too much hope of seeing a Tiger during our short time inside the park.
We arrived at the Dhikala rest house shortly before dark, which gave us just enough time to observe 1 Black-necked and 5 Woolly-necked Storks feeding on the islands on the Ramganga Reservoir.
Day 2 - Friday 23rd
We left the rest house shortly after first light on the Gypsy to embark on a morning long safari around the grassland and periphery of the forest adjacent to the rest house and reservoir.
One of the first birds noted was a perched adult male Besra giving extremely good views, our only one of the trip. Shortly after this a stunning Brown Fish Owl was observed in the trees above us, the half-eaten fish between it’s talons indicating that we had just interrupted it’s meal.
Unsurprisingly the drive through the grasslands offers the chance of a different variety of species, and highlights for us included 4 Bright-headed Cisticolas, 5 Lesser Coucals and a flock of 16 Yellow-eyed Babblers, whilst careful scanning of dozens of Stonechats eventually yielded 2 Hodgson’s Bushchats, a species that is now known to winter here in small numbers. One of the most unexpected sightings was of a Water Rail that walked out of the grasslands to feed around a puddle on the track ahead of us.
The best part of the drive though came in the space of two minutes when we rounded a corner to find a Chestnut-eared Bunting, a cracking male Siberian Rubythroat, 2 Blue-throated Barbets and a Crested Bunting all along twenty metres of track.
As the morning stretched on and we approached Dhikala several raptors had begun to take to the air on the thermals. 2 Pallas’ Fish Eagles were the highlight although 3 Steppe Eagles, 3 Himalayan Griffons, 4 Cinerous and c5 Red-headed Vultures provided a decent backup. Back at the rest house a Collared Falconet performed immaculately as it hunted dragonflies on the trees next to the viewing platform over the reservoir. After a short stop for lunch we said goodbye to Dhikala and headed back towards Tiger Camp on board the now familiar Gypsy.
As with the journey the day before several stops were made on the way back with an extended stop at the Sarapduli Rest house. Here a Lesser Fish Eagle was observed on a dead tree overlooking the river whilst the more open habitat meant that the composition of species within the familiar feeding flocks was different with a pair of Scarlet Minivets, a White-bellied Drongo and several Common Iora’s amongst the new birds added.
The remainder of the drive was mostly uneventful although another Lesser Fish Eagle was observed in flight along a stretch of the Ramganga river known as ‘High Bank’. We arrived back at Tiger Camp just after dusk and were met by Lokesh who would be guiding us over the next few days in Corbett and Pangot.
Day 3 – Saturday 24th
We started the day early, first heading to an area of the Kosi River behind the Corbett Riverside Resort in attempt to look for Wallcreeper. Fleeting glimpses were had of a bird on the far side of the river but somehow it managed to completely vanish before we could get satisfactory views! Other birds of note here were a Blue Rock Thrush, also present on the cliffs bordering the river, and at least 6 Black-chinned Babblers moving through the undergrowth.
From here we drove to the forest reserve around the village of Mohan, although two of the days best birds were seen before we had even arrived at the main site. An abrupt stop produced stunning views of a Green Magpie as we watched from the back of the Gypsy, whilst a more scheduled stop then let us observe a roosting pair of Tawny Fish Owls, one of which was sat out in full view allowing close scrutiny of this magnificent owl.
The birding in the general area here is superb, with feeding flocks encountered all the time, each containing new species. Highlights included a Chestnut-headed Tesia, at least 4 White-bellied Yuhinas, 4 Yellow-bellied Fantails, the only Ultramarine Flycatcher of the trip and a Spotted Forktail.
We very nearly hit the jackpot when a couple of locals informed Lokesh and our driver that they had just seen a Leopard cross the road and move into the undergrowth about 50 yards ahead of us – obviously we darted straight up the road but despite our driver being able to find fresh pugmarks the Leopard appeared to have completely departed. After this brief adrenaline rush we drove to the river at Kumeria where we spent most of the afternoon.
The stretch of river here is very good for Little Forktail, Wallcreeper and Brown Dipper and whilst the latter proved easy to see the other two species really gave us the run-around. Eventually we managed to gain decent views of a Little Forktail but Wallcreeper totally eluded us, this turned out to be the only time Lokesh had ever dipped this species at this site! 4 Crested Kingfishers were also very vocal along the river and a Mountain Hawk-eagle showed well soaring over the nearby hill.
On the way back to Tiger Camp 2 Collared Falconets were observed perched on the tops of dead trees next to the road and a return visit to the Kosi River behind Corbett Riverside Resort finally produced decent, if somewhat distant, views of Wallcreeper on the cliffs on the opposite side of the river.
Day 4 – Sunday 25th
Christmas day – and our last full day at Corbett before heading into the nearby Himalayas. The morning was spent driving to the access gate at Jhirna, some 30 km west of Ramnagar, making frequent stops at areas that looked promising or when something of interest was observed. About 10 km west of Ramnagar we stopped to look at a fruiting tree that Lokesh was aware of, unsurprisingly this was full of birds including several Fire-breasted and Thick-billed Flowerpeckers, whilst shortly afterwards a more unscheduled stop produced a Rufous-bellied Eagle high in thermals. Another stop, this time for a toilet break, proved to be very well chosen as wondering into the undergrowth we managed to find two more male Sibe Rubythroats, bringing the trip total to three!
A small plantation of poplar-like trees surrounded by Sal forest (on the main road approximately 10 km east of the access gate at Jhirna) that Lokesh knew of was a good site for Drongo’s, and although the hoped for Racket-tailed’s couldn’t be found Spangled Drongo’s seemed to be everywhere with at least 30 individuals. Whilst admiring these birds some large shapes flying through the trees towards us eventually turned out to be 4 Great Hornbill’s, a sighting that gave us much satisfaction as we had missed them on the drive to and from Dhikala.
The plan had been to enter the park proper via the access gate at midday for an afternoon long safari, however we were to suffer slightly at the hands of Indian bureaucracy as the park wardens had deemed that for whatever reason the gate wasn’t to open until 2pm. This meant we had to wait over 2 hours in a relatively birdless area before we could move on, but after what seemed like an age, the wardens finally opened the gate and let us through. Unfortunately the safari wasn’t the best from a birding point of view, although we did observe our first Maroon Oriole and what proved to be our only Northern Goshawk before we headed back to Tiger camp and our Christmas curry.
Day 5 – Monday 26th
Apparently the Christmas curry that we had enjoyed the previous evening had seriously disagreed with me, and I found myself spending the best part of the night being very ill. This was not good news as we had a tight schedule to keep and were due to be heading up to Pangot mid-morning via twisty mountain roads. As it was John went out first thing with Lokesh alone and birded on the Kosi River at Ramnagar. The only real sightings of note I missed were Great Thick-knee, which was a bit frustrating as I had been hoping to get some photos of these bizarre looking birds, and a Wallcreeper feeding on the dry riverbed. Still, by late morning I was feeling a bit better so we decided to crack on towards Pangot with stops scheduled en-route at Dabka Causeway and Corbett Falls. The bumpy nature of the Indian roads and the erratic driving did nothing to help my condition, and by the time we arrived at Dabka Causeway I was decidedly ropey again leaving John and Lokesh to do the searching. News that they had found the target quarry meant I decided to get out of the car, just in time to be sick, look through John’s scope at a pair of Ashy-crowned Sparrow Larks and a single Sand Lark and pick up a Laggar Falcon that flew low over us and circled a couple of times before getting back in the car and trying to sleep.
I failed in my attempt to get any sleep, but we did arrive at Corbett Falls not long afterward so I had the chance of a bit of fresh air again. It was a shame I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the birding highlights here, firstly a Slaty-backed Forktail that fed around the rocks under the waterfall, and then even better a Long-billed Thrush skulking in the damp undergrowth on the far side of the fall that eventually gave itself up after initially giving us the run-around.
The remainder of the journey to Pangot was torturous and seemed to take an eternity but in reality probably didn’t last longer than a couple of hours. The journey was enlivened somewhat by the snow that had fallen four days earlier which had yet to melt on the shadier parts of the mountains. Whilst trying to negotiate one particular incline the car got stuck meaning John, Lokesh and some helpful locals had to attempt to push the car free. The first attempt wasn’t very successful though, and when the car started sliding towards an unguarded precipitous mountain edge we didn’t feel too safe! Eventually though they were able to push the car out and we continued to Pangot, arriving at Jungle Lore Birding Lodge an hour or so before dark. I retired straight to bed but John used the remaining light to explore the compound picking up Upland Pipit, Grey-backed Shrike and White-browed Shrike Babbler before calling it a day.
Day 6 – Tuesday 27th
After an unpleasant and sleep deprived night I was still feeling ropey but as the day’s plan only involved several undemanding walks in and around Pangot I felt I would give it a try. We started off looking around the Lodge compound picking up common species such as Pink-browed Rosefinch, Black-headed Jay and Striated Prinia, and I was very pleased to grip back Upland Pipit and Grey-backed Shrike, both sightings probably involving the same individuals as John had observed the previous evening. We then headed out of the compound and walked slowly through the lightly wooded area along the road. Several feeding flocks were encountered, now having a very ‘Himalayan feel’ to them with White-tailed Nuthatch, Bar-tailed Treecreeper and Green-backed, Spot-winged and the delightful Black-throated Tits all commonly encountered. Other species observed included Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Blue-capped and Blue-fronted Redstarts, a female Orange-flanked Bush Robin (or Red-flanked Bluetail if you prefer!) and Whiskered Yuhina. The best sighing though was a large flock of Spot-winged Grosbeaks that Lokesh located flying into the top of a pine tree. They quickly settled and started feeding allowing good views of this unexpected sighting.
Returning to the Lodge compound late morning allowed John to have a spot of lunch (I was still not feeling well and was most definitely off food…) and we also caught up with the resident flock of White-throated Laughingthrushes coming to the bird tables, amongst which 2 Striated and 2 Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrushes were also located. A search of the ploughed fields opposite the Lodge failed to produce any accentors.
The afternoon’s birding was spent in an area of pine woodland about 3 km north of Pangot that Lokesh knew to be good for woodpeckers. Whilst activity was pretty subdued we did observe 1 Rufous-bellied and 3 Himalayan Woodpeckers as well as a pair of atrogularis Dark-throated Thrushes.
I again opted out of any food in the evening and decided to go straight to bed leaving John to dine on his lonesome!
Day 7 – Wednesday 28th
For a third night in a row I had struggled to get any decent sleep but I was definitely on the mend by the time morning came. This was a very good thing as we had an early start in order to look for Koklass Pheasant on the road en-route from Pangot to the nearby summit. Seeing the birds is dependant on being highly vigilant of the roadsides ahead of the car and ideally being the first car along the road that morning. After driving for about ten tense minutes we struck gold when a pair of Koklass Pheasants were seen feeding on the edge of the road about 30 metres in front of the car. As soon as we approached the birds crossed the road and headed into the undergrowth and out of sight. We were all pretty chuffed after this sighting (Lokesh reckons there is about a 25% success rate with the pheasants) and carried on heading to the summit.
Above the tree line we quickly observed the target species, a flock of c100 Altai Accentors, mostly feeding on the road ahead of us although they proved to be very mobile, frequently flying onto the adjacent slopes. In an attempt to get some photographs I walked the short distance back to the car to grab my camera only to suddenly hear Lokesh exclaim something very excitedly and see John running towards him. I sprinted back to the two of them just in time to catch poor views of a pair of Cheer Pheasants running down the hillside and into cover! Disappointment at not getting good views soon turned to elation when a third bird took off not more than ten metres away from us giving great flight views as it flew to join the other two. Amazed by our luck it took a few minutes for our feet to touch the ground again, a feeling enforced by the fact that Lokesh has only observed Cheer Pheasant a handful of times in the five years he has been living at Pangot. All of his previous sightings have been extremely early in the morning (it was now after 8am) so this had to go down as the most unexpected event of the trip. As if to add to this a male Bharal (Blue Sheep) was also seen on the slopes, another hard-to-see species. We then spent a couple of hours birding on the road back down to Pangot, picking up more new species in the form of Yellow-browed Tit, Blyth’s Leaf Warbler and Lesser Yellownape, whilst I particularly enjoyed 2 male White-browed Shrike Babblers after missing the species two days earlier. A vantage point of the distant Cheena Peak prompted a half hour raptor watch with at least 5 Steppe Eagles, a Bonelli’s Eagle and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk noted amongst the more numerous vultures.
Back at the Lodge for lunch (which I again skipped) produced a repeat performance of the resident Upland Pipit whilst finally catching up with a Lammergeir (albeit distantly) was very satisfying. We were also joined by a group of German birders so used the opportunity to swap a bit of gen and discuss sightings so far.
With the excitement of the morning behind us, we felt that it would be difficult for the afternoon’s birding activities to match the quality we had seen so far today – how wrong we were! Lokesh took us to an area about 6km south of Pangot containing more scrubby and open habitat, bordering a small valley with a fast-flowing stream. Within minutes of exiting the car we had seen 4 Grey-crowned Prinia, a species we had not been expecting to see (let alone at such high elevations). Close views were obtained and the combination of orange-buff fore supercilium, extending beyond the eye where it became more white, together with the obvious contrast between the blue-grey crown and nape and rufous-brown mantle were diagnostic. This, combined with the obvious short tail, easily ruled out the superficially similar Ashy Prinia.
A thorough check of the scrub a few metres further down the road then revealed a superb male Golden Bush Robin which gave brief but good views. Grassy fields on the other side of the road held a White-capped Bunting and more surprisingly a female Pine Bunting, whilst a pair of calling Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babblers showed uncharacteristically well and ensured that another of our target species was ‘in the bag’. The pace didn’t let up and a movement in some brambles soon turned out to be an absolutely stunning male White-tailed Rubythroat, giving us a Rubythroat double for the trip! We then turned our attention to a constant light tapping and after much searching Lokesh located a well concealed Speckled Piculet, yet another much wanted bird for John and myself.
After the constant stream of new species the proceedings then inevitably quietened down, although we still located a pair of Mrs Gould’s Sunbirds and had another pair of Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babblers before retiring back to the lodge for the night.
With such a high quality day behind us and now that I seemed to have fully recovered from my ailment, I decided to join John for dinner that evening and went all out with some black tea and dry toast, a welcome change from water and rehydration salts.
Day 8 – Thursday 29th
For the first time in days I had been able to get a decent sleep and so it was with high hopes that we embarked on the short journey to Sat Tal. We started our birding in the fields next to the road south east of the Eureka Forbes factory marked on the map on page 96 in ‘A Birdwatcher’s Guide to India’ (BGTI). After a bit of searching we eventually located 4 Black-throated and 4 Rufous-breasted Accentors and another White-tailed Rubythroat, this time a 1st winter male showing very well. Carrying on down the road we arrived at the very hospitable Green Glen Lodge, our base for the night. 5 Mountain Bulbuls noted in the grounds of the lodge were the first of our trip.
We then headed down past the Sat Tal estate, walking the remainder of the way to the camp site. A large feeding flock encountered in the wood contained the usual tits, warblers and flycatchers, whilst another White-bellied Yuhina was noted as were 2 Greater Yellownapes. Most excitingly of all though, after scanning through innumerable phylloscs and siercircus warblers just reward was had when a Chestnut-crowned Warbler was located and proceeded to give good views, where as well as the differences in plumage the different feeding action could be observed, with the bird much more prone to hovering than its congeners.
On reaching the campsite we started walking on the path due west. After twenty metres or so is a good spot for Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler, we observed an individual here creeping through the undergrowth. The exact area can be found by locating a patch of muddy pools on the right (north side) of the path, it is the undergrowth opposite these pools on the left of the path were the bird can be regularly observed. The pools also contained a Spotted Forktail and 3 Rufous-chinned Laughingthrushes were noted in the surrounding undergrowth. We followed the path further west for about another 200 metres, coming to an area of bushes that Lokesh knew to be good for cettia warblers. This certainly proved true as we were able to fairly quickly locate 3 calling birds, although typically for the genus getting a decent view proved difficult. Perseverance paid off though and we were eventually rewarded with excellent views of Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler. A flash of yellow resolved itself into our second male Golden Bush Robin of the trip, this was quickly joined by a female and we then observed two female Orange-flanked Bush Robins in the same area.
The walk back to the campsite produced a calling Chestnut-headed Tesia but was otherwise uneventful. Before driving back to the lodge for lunch we moved on to the tea stalls, (shown on the map in BGTI next to the rest house), or more specifically to an area of bushes directly behind the stalls. Aesthetically the bushes aren’t very pleasing on the eye, with certain parts giving the impression of a human toilet! The birds do make up for the smell though with excellent close up views of yet another male Golden Bush Robin and male White-tailed Rubythroat. A brief view of a female Grey-winged Blackbird was followed up with better views of a flock of seven in the surrounding area, including 3 males. We then took a late lunch back at Green Glen Lodge, (more dry toast for me!).
We spent the afternoon birding along the valley marked on the Sat Tal map in BGTI where the highlights were 3 Aberrant Bush Warblers, another Chestnut-crowned Bush Warbler and a pair of Emerald Doves that we eventually observed feeding on the path and not just the usual flight views that are normally had of this skulking species. Dark-throated Thrushes were also very common along this path with at least 12 birds noted.
We said our goodbyes to Lokesh this evening as he left to take on another group back at Pangot.
Day 9 – Friday 30th
A flock of 10 Red-billed Leiothrix on the bird tables at the lodge made a good start to the day, before we headed back to the ‘dump’ area behind the tea stalls in the hope of picking up some thrushes. Yesterdays Golden Bush Robin was still present and performing admirably as were 3 male White-tailed Rubythroats. Taking one as a repeat of yesterday this brought our rubythroat total up to 8, (3 Sibe’s and 5 White-tailed’s), at the beginning of the trip we thought we would do well to get one! A Rusty-tailed Flycatcher also put in a brief appearance and a tantalisingly brief view of a zoothera thrush wasn’t enough to confirm an identification, despite further searching the bird managed to totally elude us.
We then walked the same path behind the campsite as the previous morning, and although no new species were added we gained further views of Scaly-breasted Wren Babbler and Chestnut-headed Tesia.
As we had to head to Lal Kuan to catch an overnight train to Mathura in the afternoon we took an early lunch before starting the journey. We stopped in a decent looking wooded valley approximately 5km from Sat Tal, a worthwhile stop as we finally caught up with White-crested Laughingthrush and had another sighting of a male Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, as well as having brief views of our fifth Golden Bush Robin of the trip. The remainder of the journey to Lal Kuan was pretty uneventful, as was the train journey to Mathura.
Day 10 – Saturday 31st
We arrived at Mathura at about 4am and were able to meet our new driver after negotiating the chaos of the train station and managing to locate the exit (no easy task!).
A slow journey to Chambal Safari Lodge then ensued with us arriving around 8am. A stroll around the gardens of the lodge produced 2 Yellow-wattled Lapwings in the fields by the entrance track and 2 Jungle Prinias were identified in the scrub before we continued onto the river safari. The baked mudflats surrounding the river Yamuna held several new birds for the trip, a flock of 15+ Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse took flight just as we arrived, whilst 2 Desert Wheatears, 2 Crested Larks and an Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark were noted on the ground.
Before even getting onto the boat 2 River Terns and a Black-bellied Tern were noted roosting on small islands, and it wasn’t long into the boat journey before we observed the main target, a flock of 32 Indian Skimmers. Bar-headed Geese were numerous along the river with over 150 birds noted amongst other wildfowl including Red-crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck and Lesser Whistling Duck. Up to 4 Great Thick Knees were observed on various islands along the journey whilst several Temminck’s Stints and a Marsh Sandpiper were observed feeding on the river edge and more River and Black-bellied Terns brought the total up to 4 and 5 respectively. Gharials and Marsh Crocodiles were common on the river whilst we were lucky to gain several brief views of a Ganges Dolphin. On the return to the landing quay 11 Black Ibis could be observed feeding on the far bank and a Brown Crake was an excellent if somewhat elusive final sighting on the river.
We then began an extremely slow and arduous journey towards Bharatpur. Driving in India is never a quick experience but this particular journey took hours, and we didn’t arrive at the reserve until 4:30pm, with barely an hour of light left. We did a quick sweep of some areas picking up roosting Large-tailed and Grey Nightjars, 3 Dusky Eagle Owls (2 of which were by a nest), a juvenile Black Bittern and 4 flyover Great White Pelicans. As dusk drew in we were forced to call it a day but what had been clear in our short spell there was that Bharatpur was absolutely teeming with wildlife, the water levels were high and the sheer quantity of birds was a joy to behold – roll on tomorrow.
Day 11 – Sunday 1st
As we wanted to cover a wide range of habitats over the course of the day we decided that the best course of action would be to hire bikes. We had met up the previous evening with our guide for the day, the extremely knowledgeable Ratan Singh. We checked with Ratan to make sure he was ok with our chosen method of transport and he was keen to assure us that despite his wizened looks he still had the body of a fit young man!
We started off at the nursery, where after a little searching both Orange-headed and Tickell’s Thrushes were located feeding amongst the leaf litter. We then moved on to the temple, Ratan locating an adult Black Bittern to add to yesterdays sighting, along with a pair of Sarus Cranes. The trail to Kadam Kunj produced a flock of 30 Dalmation Pelicans, and a little further on we eventually managed to locate the wintering flock of Sociable Plovers. Up to six birds were reportedly in the area but we could only confidently claim five. 2 Indian Coursers were also in the same area as was a Rosy Pipit, although even rarer was John’s find of 9 Dunlin, a patch tick for Ratan.
We continued on beyond the fort at Kadam Kunj, where the area was much dryer. A walk out onto the fields produced 6 Yellow-wattled Lapwings and 11 more Indian Coursers, some showing extremely well.
We returned to the temple after this, picking up a Baillon’s Crake en-route, and proceeded to take the Sapanmori trail looping back to the visitor centre. An Indian Rock Python sunning itself was a superb sight although pride of place went to a perched adult Imperial Eagle. Pure lists of birds can’t do justice to the experience of witnessing the marshes in full swing but over the course of the day we recorded thousands of duck, mainly Pintail and Teal but also 2 Comb Duck, over 30 Spot-billed Duck, 5 Common Shelduck and a Garganey. Herons, Ibises, Egrets and Storks of 18 species were observed, with Painted Storks especially numerous, along with 12 different species of raptor and 20 species of wader (including 4 White-tailed Plovers). John and I were surprised to see over 14 Whiskered Terns, and 2 River Terns further boosted our trip tally for this species.
The accolade for last bird of the day, and indeed the trip, fell to Collared Scop’s Owl with a single bird observed roosting away from the main track.
It was with some regret that we said goodbye to Ratan and the Keoladeo National Park, as we could quite easily have spent a few more days there. As it was we headed off early evening towards the airport, a superb trip behind us with 364 species encountered in only 11 full days birding.
KNP = Keoladeo National Park
1. Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
1 Chambal 31/12/05
2. Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
1 Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
3. Great White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus)
4 KNP 31/12/05, 40+ KNP 1/1/06
4. Dalmation Pelican (Pelecanus crispus)
30 KNP 1/1/06
5. Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 3 Kosi River 26/12/05, 20+ KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
6. Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)
2 KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
7. Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)
3 en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
8. Oriental Darter (Anhinga melanogaster)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
9. Black Bittern (Dupetor flavicollis)
1 KNP 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
10. Striated Heron (Butorides striatus)
1 Kosi River 26/12/05
11. Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
Several en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, abundant KNP 1/1/06
12. Intermediate Egret (Egretta intermedia)
Several en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, several Dhikala 23/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
13. Great Egret (Egretta alba)
2 Dhikala 22/12/05, several Dhikala 23/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
14. Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)
Common at most sites visited
15. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Common at most sites visited
16. Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
1 Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 4 Chambal 31/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, c20 KNP 1/1/06
17. Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea)
1 Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
18. Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
37 KNP 1/1/06
19. Black Stork (Ciconia nigra)
3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
20. Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus)
5 Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
21. Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala)
Common KNP 31/12/05, abundant KNP 1/1/06
22. Asian Openbill (Anastomus oscitans)
2 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
23. Black-necked Stork (Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus)
1 Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, c4 KNP 1/1/06
24. Black-headed Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)
Common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
25. Red-naped (Black) Ibis (Pseudibis papillosa)
11 Chambal 31/12/05, 3 en-route Chambal to Bharatpur
26. Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
12 KNP 1/1/06
27. Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
8 KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
28. Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
c50 KNP 1/1/06
29. Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus)
150+ Chambal 31/12/05, c200 KNP 1/1/06
30. Lesser Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna javanica)
30-40 Chambal 31/12/05
31. Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
5 KNP 1/1/06
32. Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
43 Kosi River 26/12/05, c30 Chambal 31/12/05, c50 KNP 1/1/06
33. Comb Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos)
2 KNP 1/1/06
34. Gadwall (Anas strepera)
6 Chambal 31/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, c40 KNP 1/1/06
35. Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
3+ KNP 1/1/06
36. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
37. Spot-billed Duck (Anas poecilorhyncha)
6 KNP 31/12/05, c30 KNP 1/1/06
38. Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
8 KNP 31/12/05, c50 KNP 1/1/06
39. Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
1 Kosi River 26/12/05, 3 Chambal 31/12/05, abundant KNP 31/12/05, abundant KNP 1/1/06
40. Garganey (Anas querquedula)
1 KNP 1/1/06
41. Common Teal (Anas crecca)
14+ Chambal 31/12/05, abundant KNP 31/12/05, abundant KNP 1/1/06
42. Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina)
30+ Chambal 31/12/05
43. Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
1 Pangot 28/12/05
44. Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
8 Ramnagar 25/12/05, 2 Kosi River 26/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05, 10 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
45. White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
2 Tiger Camp 22/12/05
46. Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)
3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 5 Jhirna 25/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05, 5 Sat Tal 29/12/05
47. Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
2 Jhirna 25/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05,
48. Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
4 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05,
49. Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
5+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
50. Pallas's Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoryphus)
3 Dhikala 23/12/05
51. Lesser Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga humilis)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05
52. Bonelli's Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus)
1 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05, pair Chambal 31/12/05
53. Rufous-bellied Eagle (Hieraaetus kienerii)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05
54. Crested Serpent-Eagle (Spilornis cheela)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
55. Indian Spotted Eagle (Aquila [pomarina] hastata)
1 KNP 1/1/06
56. Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)
1 KNP 31/12/05, 4 KNP 1/1/06
57. Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 3 en-route Pangot 26/12/05, 5 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05,
58. Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
1 KNP 1/1/06
59. Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05,
60. Mountain Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus nipalensis)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Pangot 27/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05
61. Oriental Honey-buzzard (Pernis ptilorhyncus)
2 Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
62. Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05
63. Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05
64. Shikra (Accipiter badius) Bharatpur (KGNP)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
65. Besra (Accipiter virgatus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05
66. Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
Very common in towns and cities
67. Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)
2 KNP 1/1/06
68. Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
69. Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
2 KNP 1/1/06
70. Hen Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
3 Dhikala 23/12/05
71. Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05,
72. Collared Falconet (Microhierax caerulescens)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05,
73. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
1 Pangot 27/12/05 (of race peregrinator – Shaheen Falcon)
74. Laggar Falcon (Falco jugger)
1 Dabka Causeway 26/12/05
75. Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Pangot 27/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
76. Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus)
4 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, pair Pangot 27/12/05
77. Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus)
4 Chambal 31/12/05, 6 KNP 31/12/05, 4 KNP 1/1/06
78. Koklass Pheasant (Pucrasia macrolopha)
Pair Pangot 28/12/05
79. Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 6 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 4 Jhirna 25/12/05
80. Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05,
81. Cheer Pheasant (Catreus wallichi)
3 Pangot 28/12/05
82. Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 9 Dhikala 23/12/05, common Jhirna 25/12/05, 6 Chambal 31/12/05, several Chambal to Bharatpur, several KNP 31/12/05
83. Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)
2 en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 6 KNP 1/1/06
84. Common Crane (Grus grus)
14 KNP 1/1/06
85. Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05
86. Brown Crake (Amaurornis akool)
1 Chambal 31/12/05
87. White-breasted Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
88. Baillon’s Crake (Porzana pusilla)
1 KNP 1/1/06
89. Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
4+ Bhimtal Lake 30/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
90. Common Coot (Fulica atra)
12+ Bhimtal Lake 3/12/05, 4 Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, abundant KNP 1/1/06
91. Pheasant-tailed Jacana (Hydrophasianus chirurgus)
2 KNP 1/1/06
92. Bronze-winged Jacana (Metopidius indicus)
2 en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05
93. Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
Common en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 1 Kosi River 26/12/05, common Chambal 31/12/05, common en-route Chambal to Bharatpur, common KNP 1/1/06
94. Great Thick-knee (Burhinus recurvirostris)
3 Kosi River 26/12/05, 4 Chambal 31/12/05
95. Indian Courser (Cursorius coromandelicus)
13 KNP 1/1/06
96. River Lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelii)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 5 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 5 Kosi River 26/12/05, common Chambal 31/12/05
97. Yellow-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus)
2 Chambal 31/12/05, 6 KNP 1/1/06
98. Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)
Several en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, common Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05, common Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
99. Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarious)
5 KNP 1/1/06
100. White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)
1 KNP 31/12/05, 4 KNP 1/1/06
101. Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Kosi River 26/12/05
102. Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)
5 Chambal 31/12/05, 4 KNP 1/1/06
103. Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
6 KNP 31/12/05, 10+ KNP 1/1/06
104. Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
50+ KNP 1/1/06
105. Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
8 KNP 1/1/06
106. Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
107. Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
108. Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Kosi River 26/12/05, 3 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
109. Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Kosi River 26/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, several KNP 1/1/06
110. Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
5 KNP 31/12/05, c25 KNP 1/1/06
111. Common Sandpiper (Tringa hypoleucos)
2 en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Kosi River 26/12/05, 3 Chambal 31/12/05
112. Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
5 KNP 1/1/06
113. Temminck's Stint (Calidris temminckii)
3 Chambal 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
114. Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)
4 KNP 1/1/06
115. Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
9 KNP 1/1/06
116. Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
1 KNP 1/1/06
117. River Tern (Sterna aurantia)
4 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
118. Black-bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda)
5 Chambal 31/12/05
119. Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus)
12+ KNP 1/1/06
120. Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)
32 Chambal 31/12/05
121. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles exustus)
15+ Chambal 31/12/05
122. Rock Dove (Columba livia)
Semi-feral birds encountered around Corbett and Pangot.
123. Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
1 Tiger Camp 26/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05
124. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Common in most lowland areas, although mainly absent around Corbett NP
125. Red Collared Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica)
3 Chambal 31/12/05
126. Spotted Dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, several Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
127. Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis)
Common en-route Chambal to Bharatpur
128. Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica)
Pair Sat Tal 29/12/05
129. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera)
c11 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
130. Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 4+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05,
131. Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)
Common in most lowland areas
132. Slaty-headed Parakeet (Psittacula himalayana)
12 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, several Pangot 27/12/05, common Sat Tal 29/12/05, several Sat Tal 30/12/05
133. Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala)
18+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 3 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, common Jhirna 25/12/05,
134. Red-breasted Parakeet (Psittacula alexandri)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05,
135. Greater Coucal (Centropus sinensis)
2 KNP 1/1/06
136. Lesser Coucal (Centropus bengalensis)
5 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Tiger Camp 24/12/05,
137. Dusky Eagle Owl (Bubo coromandus)
3 KNP 31/12/05
138. Brown Fish Owl (Ketupa zeylonensis)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05
139. Tawny Fish Owl (Ketupa flavipes)
2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05,
140. Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena)
1 KNP 1/1/06
141. Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
142. Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 4 Jhirna 25/12/05,
143. Spotted Owlet (Athene brama)
8 KNP 1/1/06
144. Grey Nightjar (Caprimulgus indicus)
2 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 28/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05
145. Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus)
1 KNP 31/12/05
146. Himalayan Swiftlet (Aerodramus brevirostris)
8+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05
147. White-rumped Needletail (Zoonavena sylvatica)
20+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 20+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 5 Jhirna 25/12/05,
148. Little Swift (Apus affinis)
4 KNP 1/1/06
149. Crested Treeswift (Hemiprocne coronata)
3 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, common Dhikala 23/12/05, 50+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05, common Jhirna 25/12/05
150. Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 3 Kosi River 26/12/05, 1 Corbett Falls 26/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
151. White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
Common en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 3 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, c10 KNP 1/1/06
152. Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris)
6 Dhikala 23/12/05, 4 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, pair Kosi River 26/12/05,
153. Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)
3 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Kosi River 26/12/05, 3 Chambal 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
154. Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 3 Chambal 31/12/05, several en-route Chambal to Bharatpur, 6+ KNP 1/1/06
155. Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 3 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Tiger Camp 26/12/05, 12 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
156. Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris)
2 Ramnagar 25/12/05, 2 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
157. Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Tiger Camp 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Kosi River 26/12/05, 1 Corbett Falls 26/12/05
158. Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
4 Jhirna 25/12/05
159. Great Barbet (Megalaima virens)
12 Pangot 27/12/05, 3 Pangot 28/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05
160. Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
161. Lineated Barbet (Megalaima lineata)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05,
162. Blue-throated Barbet (Megalaima asiatica)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05,
163. Coppersmith Barbet (Megalaima haemacephala)
2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
164. Speckled Piculet (Picumnus innominatus)
1 Pangot 28/12/05
165. Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos canicapillus)
4 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 6+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 4 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05
166. Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos auriceps)
c6 Pangot 27/12/05, 8+ Pangot 28/12/05, 4 Sat Tal 29/12/05, pair Green Glen Lodge 30/12/05
167. Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05,
168. Stripe-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos atratus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05
169. Rufous-bellied Woodpecker (Dendrocopos hyperythrus)
1 Pangot 27/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05
170. Himalayan Woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis)
3 Pangot 27/12/05, 3 Pangot 28/12/05,
171. Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
1 Pangot 28/12/05
172. Greater Yellownape (Picus flavinucha)
2 Sat Tal 29/12/05
173. Streak-throated Woodpecker (Picus xanthopygaeus)
2 Jhirna 25/12/05
174. Grey-headed Woodpecker (Picus canus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
175. Himalayan Flameback (Dinopium shorii)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05,
176. Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 3 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
177. Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark (Eremopterix grisea)
Pair Dabka Causeway 26/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05
178. Sand Lark (Calandrella raytal)
1 Dabka Causeway
179. Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
2 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
180. Plain Martin (Riparia paludicola)
Common Corbett NP. 40+ Sat Tal 29/12/05, 500+ Halwindi 30/12/05, several Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
181. Eurasian Crag Martin (Hirundo concolor)
Several Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05
182. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
Several en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, common Dhikala 23/12/05, common Jhirna 25/12/05, common Kosi River 26/12/05, several KNP 1/1/06
183. Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, several KNP 1/1/06
184. Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo daurica)
4 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, several Dhikala 23/12/05, several Jhirna 25/12/05, several Kosi River 26/12/05
185. Nepal House Martin (Delichon nipalensis)
c6 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, c20 Pangot 27/12/05, c4 Sat Tal 30/12/05
186. White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Race personata. Several en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05
Race dukhensis. Several Jhirna 25/12/05, 4 KNP 1/1/06
187. Black-backed Wagtail (Motacilla lugens)
All birds seen were of race leucopsis. 1 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05
188. White-browed Wagtail (Motacilla madaraspatensis)
4 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, several Dhikala 23/12/05, common Kumeria 24/12/05, common Kosi River 26/12/05, several Chambal 31/12/05
189. Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)
1 en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 KNP 31/12/05, 4+ KNP 1/1/06
190. Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava)
All birds seen were of race thunbergi. 15+ KNP 1/1/06
191. Grey Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 Kosi River 26/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
192. Paddyfield Pipit (Anthus rufulus)
1 Chambal 31/12/05, several KNP 1/1/06
193. Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)
2 Chambal 31/12/05, 10+ KNP 1/1/06
194. Long-billed Pipit (Anthus similis)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 Kosi River 26/12/05
195. Tree Pipit (Anthus trivialis)
8 Jhirna 25/12/05
196. Olive-backed Pipit (Anthus hodgsoni)
4 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05, 8 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
197. Rosy Pipit (Anthus roseatus)
1 KNP 1/1/06
198. Upland Pipit (Anthus sylvanus)
1 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, again 27/12/05 and 28/12/05
199. Large Cuckooshrike (Coracina macei)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05
200. Long-tailed Minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus)
Common en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
201. Scarlet Minivet (Pericrocotus flammeus)
2 Sultan Rest House, Corbett NP 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05
202. Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike (Hemipus picatus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 8 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05,
203. Black-crested Bulbul (Pycnonotus melanicterus)
Several Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 4 Jhirna 25/12/05,
204. Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus)
Several Tiger Camp 22/12/05, common Jhirna 25/12/05,
205. White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis)
1 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
206. Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)
Common Corbett NP, Pangot and Sat Tal
207. Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)
Common at most sites visited
208. Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala)
6+ en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05
209. Mountain Bulbul (Hypsipetes mcclellandii)
5 Green Glen Lodge 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
210. Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
20 Pangot 27/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05, 4 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 30+ Sat Tal 30/12/05
211. Golden-fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05
212. Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)
3+ Sultan Rest Home, Corbett NP 23/12/05, 4+ Jhirna 25/12/05,
213. Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii)
2 Kumeria 24/12/05
214. Altai Accentor (Prunella himalayana)
c100 Pangot 28/12/05,
215. Rufous-breasted Accentor (Prunella strophiata)
7 Sat Tal 29/12/05
216. Black-throated Accentor (Prunella atrogularis)
4 Sat Tal 29/12/05
217. Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush (Monticola rufiventris)
Pair Pangot 27/12/05, 3 Pangot 28/12/05
218. Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
1 Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05
219. Blue Whistling Thrush (Myiophonus caeruleus)
Common around Corbett NP, Pangot and Sat Tal
220. Orange-headed Thrush (Zoothera citrina)
2 KNP 1/1/06
221. Long-billed Thrush (Zoothera monticola)
1 Corbett Falls 26/12/05
222. Tickell's Thrush (Turdus unicolor)
1 KNP 1/1/06
223. Grey-winged Blackbird (Turdus boulboul)
8 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 30/12/05
224. Dark-throated Thrush (Turdus [ruficollis] atrogularis)
Pair Pangot 27/12/05, 12+ Sat Tal 29/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 30/12/05
225. Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05
226. Bright-headed Cisticola (Cisticola exilis)
4 Dhikala 23/12/05,
227. Striated Prinia (Prinia criniger)
Several Pangot 27/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05,
228. Grey-crowned Prinia (Prinia cinereocapilla)
4 Pangot 28/12/05
229. Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii)
6+ Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05,
230. Jungle Prinia (Prinia sylvatica)
2 Chambal 31/12/05
231. Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis)
1 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 Chambal 31/12/05
232. Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata)
Common Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, several Jhirna 25/12/05, 3 Kosi River 26/12/05
233. Chestnut-headed Tesia (Tesia castaneocoronata)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05 and again 30/12/05
234. Chestnut-crowned Bush-Warbler (Cettia major)
4 Sat Tal 29/12/05
235. Aberrant Bush Warbler (Cettia flavolivacea)
3 Sat Tal 29/12/05
236. Blyth's Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus dumetorum)
6 KNP 1/1/06
237. Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus)
1 KNP 1/1/06
238. Sykes's Warbler (Hippolais rama)
1 KNP 1/1/06
239. Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
3 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
240. Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus [collybita] tristis)
2 Kosi River 26/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
241. Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus)
2 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
242. Hume's Warbler (Phylloscopus humei)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Corbett Falls 26/12/05, several Pangot 27/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05, several Chambal 31/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
243. Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Corbett Falls 26/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
244. Blyth’s Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus reguloides)
3 Pangot 28/12/05
245. Buff-barred Warbler (Phylloscopus pulcher)
4+ Pangot 27/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
246. Lemon-rumped Warbler (Phylloscopus chloronotus)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 3+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05, common Sat Tal 29/12/05, common Sat Tal 30/12/05
247. Golden-spectacled Warbler (Seicercus burkii)
3 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
248. Whistler’s Warbler (Siercercus whistleri)
3 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05,
249. Grey-hooded Warbler (Seicercus xanthoschistos)
Common Corbett NP, Pangot and Sat Tal
250. Chestnut-crowned Warbler (Seicercus castaniceps)
1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
251. Hume’s Whitethroat (Sylvia althea)
2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 4 Kosi River 26/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
252. Rusty-tailed Flycatcher (Muscicapa ruficauda)
1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
253. Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher (Ficedula strophiata)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 4 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
254. Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)
2 Sultan Rest House, Corbett NP 23/12/05, 3 Chambal 31/12/05, 4 KNP 1/1/06
255. Taiga Flycatcher (Ficedula albicilla)
1 Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
256. Snowy-browed Flycatcher (Ficedula hyperythra)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 3 Mohan Forest 24/12/05,
257. Ultramarine Flycatcher (Ficedula superciliaris)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05
258. Slaty-blue Flycatcher (Ficedula tricolor)
1 Pangot 28/12/05, 7 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
259. Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina)
1 Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05,
260. Small Niltava (Niltava macgrigoriae)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 4 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
261. Rufous-bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
262. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05
263. Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)
Several en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 6+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 KNP 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
264. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
265. Siberian Rubythroat (Luscinia calliope)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05
266. White-tailed Rubythroat (Luscinia pectoralis)
1 Pangot 28/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 30/12/05 (1 repeat from previous day)
267. Red-flanked Bluetail (Orange-flanked Bush-Robin) (Tarsiger cyanurus)
1 Pangot 27/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
268. Golden Bush Robin (Tarsiger chrysaeus)
1 Pangot 28/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05 (1 repeat from previous day)
269. Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis)
Common en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05, 2 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 31/12/05, several KNP 1/1/06
270. White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05
271. Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicata)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Jhirna 25/12/05, several Chambal 31/12/05
272. Blue-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus caeruleocephalus)
3 Pangot 27/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05,
273. Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
1 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
274. Blue-fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
2 Pangot 27/12/05,
275. White-capped Water Redstart (Chaimarrornis leucocephalus)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, common Kumeria 24/12/05, 1 Kosi River 26/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
276. Plumbeous Water Redstart (Rhyacornis fuliginosus)
Common Corbett NP. 1 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Bhimtal Lake 30/12/05
277. Little Forktail (Enicurus scouleri)
1 Kumeria 24/12/05,
278. Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus schistaceus)
1 Corbett Falls 26/12/05
279. Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05 (1 repeat from previous day)
280. Hodgson’s Bushchat (Saxicola insignis)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05,
281. Common Stonechat (Saxicola [torquata] maura)
Common at most sites visited
282. Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata)
2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05, 2 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, 5 KNP 1/1/06
283. Grey Bushchat (Saxicola ferrea)
2 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, several Dhikala 23/12/05, several Jhirna 25/12/05, several Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, common Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05, common Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
284. Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)
1 KNP 1/1/06
285. Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
2 Chambal 31/12/05
286. Brown Rock-Chat (Cercomela fusca)
1 en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 4 Ramnagar 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05, 4 en-route Chambal to Bharatpur 31/12/05
287. Yellow-bellied Fantail (Rhipidura hypoxantha)
4 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
288. White-throated Fantail (Rhipidura albicollis)
4 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 5+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
289. White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
290. White-throated Laughingthrush (Garrulax albogularis)
30+ Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 27/12/05, 30+ Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 28/12/05, 20+ Sat Tal 29/12/05
291. White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus)
4 Sat Tal 30/12/05
292. Striated Laughingthrush (Garrulax striatus)
2 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 27/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
293. Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush (Garrulax rufogularis)
3 Sat Tal 29/12/05
294. Streaked Laughingthrush (Garrulax lineatus)
Common at Pangot and Sat Tal
295. Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush (Garrulax erythrocephalus)
2 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge
296. Puff-throated Babbler (Pellorneum ruficeps)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05
297. Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler (Pomatorhinus erythrogenys)
4 Pangot 28/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
298. Scaly-breasted Wren-Babbler (Pnoepyga albiventer)
1 Sat Tal 29/12/05 and again 30/12/05
299. Black-chinned Babbler (Stachyris pyrrhops)
6+ Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05, 2+ Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Pangot 27/12/05, 3 Pangot 28/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05
300. Tawny-bellied Babbler (Dumetia hyperythra)
4+ Jhirna 25/12/05,
301. Yellow-eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense)
16 Dhikala 23/12/05
302. Large Grey Babbler (Turdoides malcolmi)
Several Chambal 31/12/05
303. Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striatus)
Common Corbett NP. 6+ Sat Tal 30/12/05, common Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
304. Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea)
10 Green Glen Lodge 30/12/05
305. White-browed Shrike-Babbler (Pteruthius flaviscapis)
Pair Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05
306. Blue-winged Minla (Minla cyanouroptera)
3 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 29/12/05
307. Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata)
Common Pangot 27/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
308. Whiskered Yuhina (Yuhina flavicollis)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 2 Pangot 27/12/05
309. White-bellied Yuhina (Yuhina zantholeuca)
4+ Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05
310. Black-throated Tit (Aegithalos concinnus)
12+ Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, common Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05, several Sat Tal 29/12/05, 8 Sat Tal 30/12/05
311. Spot-winged Tit (Parus melanolophus)
4 Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05,
312. Great Tit (Parus major)
5 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, several Dhikala 23/12/05, common Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Jhirna 25/12/05, 4+ Sat Tal 30/12/05
313. Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
10+ Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, common Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05, common Sat Tal 29/12/05
314. Black-lored Tit (Parus xanthogenys)
5 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 2 Pangot 27/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 5 Sat Tal 30/12/05
315. Yellow-browed Tit (Sylviparus modestus)
3 Pangot 28/12/05
316. Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta castanea)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 5 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Pangot 27/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05, several Sat Tal 29/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 30/12/05
317. White-tailed Nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis)
3 Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05
318. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (Sitta frontalis)
Common en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 6+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, several Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
319. Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria)
1 Corbett Riverside Resort 24/12/05, 1 Tiger Camp 26/12/05
320. Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana)
6+ Pangot 27/12/05, 4+ Pangot 28/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 30/12/05
321. Mrs Gould's Sunbird (Aethopyga gouldiae)
Pair Pangot 28/12/05,
322. Crimson Sunbird (Aethopyga siparaja)
5 Jhirna 25/12/05
323. Thick-billed Flowerpecker (Dicaeum agile)
4 Jhirna 25/12/05
324. Fire-breasted Flowerpecker (Dicaeum ignipectus)
Several Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 30/12/05
325. Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)
Common at Corbett NP, Pangot and Sat Tal
326. Eurasian Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
327. Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus)
2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 4 Jhirna 25/12/05,
328. Maroon Oriole (Oriolus traillii)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Pangot 27/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05
329. Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)
1 Chambal 31/12/05, 1 KNP 1/1/06
330. Bay-backed Shrike (Lanius vittatus)
1 Chambal 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
331. Long-tailed Shrike (Lanius schach)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 2 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, several Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 1 Chambal 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
332. Grey-backed Shrike (Lanius tephronotus)
1 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05 and again 27/12/05
333. Southern Grey Shrike (Lanius meridionalis)
2 KNP 1/1/06
334. Common Woodshrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus)
c5 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05,
335. Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)
Common Chambal 31/12/05, common KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
336. Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)
1 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05, several Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05
337. White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens)
1 Sultan Rest House, Corbett NP 23/12/05, 1 Jhirna 25/12/05,
338. Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus)
1 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 3 Sat Tal 30/12/05
339. Hair-crested Drongo (Dicrurus hottentottus)
Common Jhirna 25/12/05, 8 Tiger Camp 26/12/05
340. Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
1 Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05
341. Black-headed Jay (Garrulus lanceolatus)
10+ Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, common Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 27/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05, 25 Sat Tal 30/12/05
342. Red-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha)
2 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 15 Pangot 27/12/05, 2 Pangot 28/12/05, 5 Sat Tal 29/12/05, common Sat Tal 30/12/05
343. Green Magpie (Cissa chinensis)
1 Mohan Forest 24/12/05
344. Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda)
3 en-route to Dhikala 22/12/05, 3 Dhikala 23/12/05, 6+ Jhirna 25/12/05, 1 KNP 31/12/05, 2 KNP 1/1/06
345. Grey Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae)
12 Tiger Camp 24/12/05, common Sat Tal 29/12/05, c10 Sat Tal 30/12/05
346. House Crow (Corvus splendens)
Common at most lowland sites visited
347. Large-billed Crow (Corvus levaillantii)
Common at and around Corbett NP, Pangot, Sat Tal and Chambal
348. Bank Myna (Acridotheres ginginianus)
Common en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 2 Ramnagar 25/12/05, common Chambal 31/12/05, common en-route Chambal to Bharatpur 31/12/05
349. Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
Common at most sites visited
350. Asian Pied Starling (Sturnus contra)
Common en-route to Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 3 Jhirna 25/12/05, common en-route Chambal to Bharatpur 31/12/05, several KNP 31/12/05, common KNP 1/1/06
351. Brahminy Starling (Sturnus pagodarum)
1 Jhirna 25/12/05, 2 Chambal 31/12/05, several en-route Chambal to Bharatpur 31/12/05, 3 KNP 1/1/06
352. House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Common at most sites visited
353. Russet Sparrow (Passer rutilans)
c10 Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, common Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 27/12/05, sevreral Pangot 28/12/05, c10 Sat Tal 29/12/05, several Sat Tal 30/12/05
354. Indian Silverbill (Lonchura malabarica)
3 Jhirna 25/12/05, 4 Chambal 31/12/05
355. Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)
8 Tiger Camp 22/12/05, 2 Dhikala 23/12/05, 4+ Corbett Riverside Resort, 6 Pangot 27/12/05, 5 Sat Tal 29/12/05, c12 Sat Tal 30/12/05
356. Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus)
2 Pangot 27/12/05, common Pangot 28/12/05, c10 Sat Tal 29/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 30/12/05
357. Pink-browed Rosefinch (Carpodacus rodochrous)
Pair Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, 7 Pangot 27/12/05, 3 Pangot 28/12/05
358. Yellow-breasted Greenfinch (Carduelis spinoides)
40+ Dhikala 23/12/05, 14 Jhirna 25/12/05, several Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, 10+ Pangot 27/12/05, several Pangot 28/12/05
359. Spot-winged Grosbeak (Mycerobas melanozanthos)
20+ Pangot 27/12/05
360. Crested Bunting (Melophus lathami)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05
361. Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalus)
1 Pangot 28/12/05
362. Rock Bunting (Emberiza cia)
Common Jungle Lore Birding Lodge 26/12/05, 1 Jungle Lore Birding Lode 27/03/04, 2 Pangot 28/12/05
363. White-capped Bunting (Emberiza stewarti)
2 Pangot 27/12/05, 1 Pangot 28/12/05, 2 Sat Tal 29/12/05
364. Chestnut-eared Bunting (Emberiza fucata)
1 Dhikala 23/12/05
Other wildlife
Rhesus Macaque
Hanuman Langur
Golden Jackal
Tiger, near Dhikala 22/12/05
Ganges Dolphin
Indian Muntjac
Chital
Sambar
Nilgai
Bharal
Northern Palm Squirrel
Indian Hare
Indian Fruit Bat
Marsh Crocodile
Gharial
Monitor Lizard