We left early doors for the
7 hour drive to Tiger Camp, close to Corbett National Park at the base of the
Himalayas, where we were due to have lunch. The drive was enlivened by lots of
new birds for the group such as a pair of Sarus
Cranes, Indian Black Ibis, River Lapwing, Green and Wood Sandpipers,
Egyptian Vulture, Bank Myna, Masked Wagtail and Brown
Rock-Chat.
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| These Sarus Cranes were a bonus sighting on the long drive to Corbett. |
Upon arrival at our lunch
stop, which actually turned out to be a new hotel next door to Tiger Camp, we
walked down to the river and had a quick look and picked up White-browed Wagtail and Cinereous Tit. After a great lunch we
noticed some movement in the flowering trees at the edge of the garden and saw Lineated Barbet, Himalayan Black Bulbul, Himalayan
Bulbul, and a fine looking Alexandrine
Parakeet coming to a flowering tree.
Then we set off in our
jeeps to the Dhanghari Gate of Corbett NP, making a quick stop along the river
where Crested Kingfisher, White-capped Water Redstart, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Verditer Flycatcher, Brahminy Starling and Grey-breasted Prinia were seen.
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| Crested Kingfisher |
The
drive to the gate was also memorable for a Spot-winged
Starling feeding in a Bombax tree in company with lots of Chestnut-tailed Starlings, and also in
the same few trees were both Plum-headed
and Red-breasted Parakeets, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch and a few Spangled Drongos. There was also a pair
of Indian Grey Hornbills nearby, and
a cracking Maroon Oriole was also seen
beside the road.
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| Corbett has a some of the best forests of anywhere i've been in India. |
After the paperwork and
formalities at the entrance gate we were off into the park and I think everyone
was excited to finally be here. The habitat of dense forest, fast-flowing
rivers and dry riverbeds is home to an amazing variety of birds and other
wildlife including Tiger. Well, we did see pug marks and scats of this most wanted
of beasts, but other animals seen included Spotted
Deer, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, and Tarai Grey Langur. Birds were well represented and I think the
majestic Pallas’s Fish-Eagle perched
on a boulder beside a fast-flowing river was stunning. A few people managed to
get on a Long-billed Thrush as it
paused motionless on close fallen tree,
but it quickly dropped out of sight and was replaced by a Grey-bellied Tesia! Other goodies seen included Black Stork, Crested Serpent-Eagle, 3 Collared
Falconets, Greater Yellownape,
both Great and Oriental Pied Hornbills, White-throated
Fantail, White-rumped Shama, Blue Whistling-Thrush, and a small
flock of Red-billed Blue Magpies.
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| Black Stork |
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| Collared Falconet |
We arrived at Dhikala
compound around 6.20pm and during the obscenely lengthy check-in and
form-filling nightmare lots of Small
Pratincoles were seen flying over, a pair of River Terns flew by and a few Asian
Elephants were feeding in the distance. A Large-tailed Nightjar was also seen at dusk.
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