Taj Mahal to Bharatpur

This morning we visited the Taj Mahal in Agra and spent a pleasant time marvelling at this amazing structure, and also watching a flock of Great White Pelicans soaring around behind it. As you know I am culturally shallow so it was a welcome relief to stake out the Yamuna River behind the Taj and do some scanning for an hour whilst most of the group did the cultural bit.... Oh I wasn't alone and Messers Nickless and Hopkins kept me company....! A single Dalmatian Pelican was noted as it swam along the river, passing numerous birds on the shoreline that included 10 Eurasian Spoonbills, Knob-billed Duck, lots of Black-winged Stilts, Ruff and other waders as well. Overhead a few Black-eared Kites were noted amongst the hundreds of Black Kites soaring around.

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

An interesting looking Southern Grey Shrike...

Following lunch at  a great restaurant we drove for an hour or so to our hotel in Bharatpur town, checked in to our rooms and then drove out into the arable fields around 30 minutes away. A huge desolate, semi-arid area was our target and in the late afternoon sunshine we enjoyed fine scope views of several Southern Grey Shrikes, Desert Wheatear, at least 10 Indian Coursers and a flock of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse as well.