After a long night’s rest
we drove down towards the Chambal River, stopping along the way to walk through
an arid area of canyons and thorn scrub. I was surprised to see a couple Jungle Prinias here, and there was also
Ashy and Grey-breasted Prinias as well for comparison.
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| Jungle Prinia - stunning huh..? |
It has to be said
that India is like no other country in many respects, no aspect more apparent
than the sheer volume of birds one sees whether driving along or walking. I can’t
remember feeling this in the past and must have taken this amazing aspect of
India’s wildlife for granted, having done so many tours here. But it is absolutely
true and the sheer quality and variety of birds on view wherever you stop and
look is a total contrast to many countries these days in Asia. To illustrate
this fact, a small muddy puddle at the end of the lodge’s drive held both Green and Wood Sandpipers and a Common
Redshank, whilst driving across the arable landscape we saw so many Green Bee-eaters on the wires, along
with Chestnut-shouldered Petronias, Indian Rollers and Baya Weavers it was hard to not stop every time we came across a
group of birds.
So we sauntered along the
road and saw Grey Francolin,
numerous Rose-ringed Parakeets, Laughing Dove, Indian Robin, a brief Yellow-eyed
Babbler, lots of Bank Mynas,
both Common and Large Grey Babblers and overhead a superb Short-toed Eagle looked huge.
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| Bank Myna and Common Babbler |
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| Mr and Mrs Indian Robin |
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| Short-toed Eagle |
A short drive took us down to the
Chambal River and a quick scan revealed Paddyfield
and Tawny Pipits, Masked and White Wagtails, Crested Lark
and some close River Lapwings. Once
aboard our ‘sturdy’ vessel (or tub may be more appropriate) we headed along the
river and it was a little choppy due to the high wind but that didn’t stop us
seeing a multitude of birds and top of the list were the 7 Indian Skimmers roosting on a sandy island. Having been told the
previous evening that they are not as guaranteed as in the past and have been
missing for a long time until very recently I have to admit I was a trifle
worried. However, here they were and we lapped up the fantastic views.
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| Indian Skimmers |
We also saw
all the other usual birds during our exploration such as Great Thick-Knees, a group of Knob-billed
Ducks, Ruddy Shelduck, Temminck’s Stint, Pied and White-throated
Kingfishers, Red-wattled Lapwings,
and several Indian Black (Red-naped) Ibis.
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| Indian Black (Red-naped) Ibis |
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| Bar-headed Geese |
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| Knob-billed Duck |
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| White-browed Wagtail |
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| Great Thick-Knee |
Overhead were several Ospreys,
Egyptian Vultures, Black-shouldered Kites and a Long-legged Buzzard.
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| Egyptian Vulture |
Really enjoyed the views of
Gharials and Marsh Muggers as well….
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| Gharials and Soft-shelled Turtles |
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| Gharial |
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| More Gharials |
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| Marsh Mugger.... |
Returning to the lodge the
large pond on the approach road held a flock of fresh breeding plumaged Painted Storks avidly feeding and
allowing great photo opps.
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| Painted Storks |
Even at lunch it was difficult to not get distracted
by Indian Grey Hornbills, Rufous Treepie, Brown-headed Barbet, Oriental
White-eyes and a Grey Mongoose. Oh and how could I
forget
the day roosting Indian Scops-Owl or
the Spotted Owlets…..?
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| Indian Scops-Owl |
We birded the gardens and
surrounding fields in the late afternoon and enjoyed views of Taiga Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Plain
Prinia, Yellow-wattled Lapwing,
and a pool full of birds with Bronze-winged
Jacana and a couple of Greater
Painted Snipes being
the pick of a good bunch. We walked back to the lodge
and ended a great day with a superb dinner.
