Corbett at Last

We left Delhi early doors and drove up to Corbett national Park, stopping at Tiger Camp for lunch. As lunch was not quite ready for us, we walked down to the river. Lots of raptors were soaring around the clear sky and we had Red-headed, Himalayan Griffon and Egyptian Vultures, Black Kite and an Oriental Honey Buzzard as well. Margaret made the find of the morning when she spotted a Wallcreeper several hundred metres downriver, which prompted a brisk walk to get closer views. We also had White-capped Water-redstart, White-browed Wagtail and a Grey-backed Shrike as well before returning for lunch. Afterwards we set off into Corbett NP in three gypsies (jeeps) with our luggage going in a 4^th vehicle ahead of us. It was several kilometres to the park entrance and along the way we had Spangled Drongo, Plum-headed Parakeet, Chestnut-tailed Starling, Common Woodshrike and Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker. Once inside the park things livened up and it was a very pleasant drive through rolling hills covered in dense forest, along river valleys and through grassland to our destination at Dikhala. 

Yellow-throated Marten

We kicked off with Red-breasted Parakeet, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Short-billed Minivet, Lemon-rumped Warbler, Pied Flycatcher-shrike,  a few White-crested Laughingthrushes and Yellow-throated Marten. As the scenery got ever better as we followed some huge  boulder-strewn rivers we saw Changeable Hawk-eagle, Collared Falconet and a cracking Pallas’s Fish-eagle. Time was slipping away fast so we had to speed up our journey but still managed flocks of Grey-winged Blackbirds and at one gulley a superb Long-billed Thrush was watched feeding right out in the open, oblivious to us watching it. What a bird! 

Long-billed Thrush - record shot!

So we eventually arrived at Dhikala compound around 6.15pm and were regaled with stories of a Tiger on a kill just a few kilometre away, which made our minds up what to do first thing tomorrow morning!