Ranthambhore

Our first safari into Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve couldn’t have started better with a female Painted Spurfowl feeding beside the road. It got even better when we found ourselves in close proximity to a huge Sloth Bear feeding beside the bumpy track on some termites. We followed it for quite a while as it walked through the bushes bordering the track and after 10 minutes it walked across right in front of us and disappeared into the forest. 

Sloth Bear

We then drove along exploring other areas of this rather scenic reserve which is dominated by a huge escarpment complete with an old fort. We stopped at a forest outpost to stretch our legs and got swamped by a gang of Jungle Babblers and a few Rufous Treepies that actually took some biscuits out of our hands and we also added a Black Stork as well. So we headed back to the lodge for a late breakfast and afterwards drove to Suriwal Lake – despite the heat. What a good move as we found several new birds for the trip starting with a Great Grey Shrike (always used to be called Southern Grey Shrike but that's been lumped now) perched on some roadside telegraph wires and followed by a single breeding-plumaged Dalmatian Pelican swimming in the middle of the lake. 

Dalmatian Pelican

Further scanning from the dam revealed a flock of 500+ Great White Pelicans (not hard to miss really!!) on the far side of the lake, as well as flocks of Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits, Greater Flamingos, Bar-headed Geese and a good selection of ducks. Driving along the other side we saw a couple of Greater Thick-knees and numerous Kentish Plovers, Dunlins, Little and Temminck’s Stints as well. A surprise came in the shape of a White-eyed Buzzard which flew around in front of us before landing in a field and began drinking from a small pool.

In the afternoon at 2.30pm we returned to the reserve on another safari and I was hoping to get the Route No 1 where a Tiger had been seen this morning, but we were given Route No 4 and I must admit I felt really cheesed off at this. So we bumbled along the bumpy track and got to a large lake where there were a few waterbirds and I half-heartedly began scanning. 

We’d only been here a few minutes and I was thinking how stupid it was to go into a Tiger Reserve this early as any self-respecting Tiger is going to be sleeping in some shady section of forest when we heard the distinctive sound of a Spotted Deer alarm call. It’s the one sound you want to hear and when it called again we were off rather speedily around the lake and stopped to listen. After a few minutes of random scanning and listening we drove on further towards where we thought the sound had come from, passing a few jeeps along the way and asked them if they’d heard anything. The blank faces told us all we needed to know. We rounded a corner and headed up a long straight track and could see a couple of jeeps at the top of the hill – and when one guy urgently beckoned us forward the hairs on the back of my neck began to rise. As we drove over the brow of the hill we could see a few more jeeps already here and everyone was staring at a small waterhole off to the right……… And there it was!

Words can never fully describe the adrenaline rush and sheer relief when you first eyeball a Tiger and even after seeing so many over the years it is always the same, like seeing your first one all over again. So here we were, looking at a young female Tiger with just her head showing above the murky water. 

After a while she got up and walked over towards us and off to our left where in the shade of some trees was her recent kill of a Sambar. 

She sniffed and licked it a few times before going back to the pool for a drink and then she reversed into the water where she started licking her paws. 

After some time she rolled over and then a little later got back up and walked over to her kill and it was then that an idiot jeep driver drove in front of us cracking some branches on the floor. 

Tiger!

I’m sure the Tiger would have stayed if this didn’t happen as she walked off across the path and away into the forest. Of course the jeep in front held a photographer with a lense the size of a cannon and wanted to get that crucial close up – it always seems to me that a high percentage of wildlife photographers are total freakin idiots and care nothing for the welfare of their subject. Anyway, we’d been with the Tiger for well over half an hour and everyone was so happy as we drove away. So nothing could beat that and we birded for a while around the lakes and had a nice group of Sambar in the water and a few nice birds such as Greater Painted Snipe, White-browed Fantail, Bronze-winged Jacana etc  But we soon had enough and drove on through the forest with only a Cinereous Tit stopping us reaching the exit and a nice cool swim back at the lodge.

Going to Ranthambhore

Mainly a travelling day as it took almost 6 hours to reach the wonderful Tiger Moon Resort close to the entrance of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve today. Along the way we did stop to scope a Variable Wheatear and again to get a good close look at a colony of Streak-throated Swallows nesting under a small bridge. Upon arrival at the lodge we had a great lunch and even had time for a swim for some and a short siesta before driving out to an open rocky habitat. 

Our main quarry was Painted Sandgrouse so we walked quite away across some small pools and along a hill without any luck before Ganesh found 6 birds feeding amongst the rocks and bushes which gave great views for a few minutes. Just as we were thinking about getting closer for some photos in the perfect late afternoon light than a Common Kestrel flew over and they all took flight. Unbelievable! We also saw a few Indian Vultures soaring in the distance, as well as Indian Bushlark and Rufous-fronted Prinia here before driving back to the lodge and checking out a small waterhole nearby. A good move as it turned out with a few waders present such as Temminck’s Stint, Spotted Redshank and both Green and Wood Sandpipers. But a Common Hawk-cuckoo was a much better find as we scoped it in a leafless tree after I had called it in from miles away. As we walked back in near-darkness a Large-tailed Nightjar flew over, flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse flew past and an Indian Stone Curlew called from the distance.

Bharatpur (again)

So after yesterday’s successful visit we didn’t quite know what to expect today but we needn’t have worried as we nailed a number of really good quality birds. We headed of along a different direction from the car park and soon found the first of several Ruddy-breasted Crakes, with this first bird showing particularly well down to just a few feet away. It seemed to me there were more birds in this area of the park and Frank kept a tally of 51 species seen in the first hour, followed by 45, 45 and then 51 again for the following hours birding. Lots of the same birds as yesterday were present and we really enjoyed further views of them as we walked quite slowly along. When what appeared to be a Blyth’s Reed Warbler skulking in some dense acacia branches began to sing, it set my alarm bells ringing. No way was it a Blyth’s and sure enough when I played a Sykes’s Warbler song it matched perfectly. Over the next half an hour we had repeated views as the bird moved around the tree beside the path – we even had it or another about 400m along the same path on our return. It was such a pleasure to be able to study this species at leisure. There was also a female Eastern Orphean Warbler seen well along here, and we’d see a male later in the day as well. An Indian Pygmy Woodpecker was also very responsive as I played its call on the way back to our waiting rickshaws. At lunch we did another raptor watch and had Greater Spotted Eagle, Egyptian Vulture and Booted Eagle as well.

Black Bittern

Red-wattled Lapwing

Indian Robin

Walking along the path after lunch we scanned the open area from the viewing platform and picked up a Black-necked Stork soaring over the treetops and a short while later a Red-headed Vulture soaring as well. The tree-lined path also held a fine Indian Golden Oriole, whilst out in the marshes were a pair of Sarus Cranes and an Indian Spotted Eagle flew overhead. We took the rickshaws around the far side of Mansarovar Lake but didn’t find anything new, although several Golden Jackals were here and we had a cracking finale as the sun set with huge amounts of wildfowl and waders including 3 White-tailed Lapwings, and both Common and Pintail Snipe, Greater Flamingo and others as well.

Bharatpur

Our first full day at Keoladeo National Park began with a cracking and rather confiding male Siberian Rubythroat feeding under some bushes near the car park. What a way to start the day! Then we walked over to the Nursery area and began what turned out to be a protracted search for Dusky Eagle-owl. With the new pipeline guaranteeing water here there were plenty of birds to distract us from our search, and we saw Yellow-footed Green-pigeon, Small Minivet, Bluethroat, Ashy Drongo, Tickell’s Thrush, Blyth’s Reed-warbler, Greenish Warbler, and a pair of Yellow-eyed Babblers, all accompanied to the backdrop of Grey Francolins calling everywhere.

Painted Stork Family

Returning to the main park road we jumped onto a fleet of rickshaws and headed further into the park, and the new birds began to flow. Either side of the road was filled with water and we saw all 4 egrets, Glossy and Black-headed Ibis, Comb Duck, numerous Purple Herons and lots of other birds before taking a side trail. Just a short distance along here were a pair of huge Dusky Eagle-owls roosting in a large tree on one of the Acacia covered islands, which eclipsed the pair of Black Bitterns here just a bit. So we then walked back to the main track and walked up to the Temple where we were to have our packed lunch. It took quite a while to reach the lunch point as birds were numerous and we took our time to admire the rookery, where although most of the birds had finished nesting there were still many Painted Storks nests occupied with almost fully grown young. We enjoyed close views of  almost everything, including several Steppe Eagles and a Booted Eagle, Pheasant-tailed and Bronze-winged Jacanas, Purple Swamphens, and a fine Yellow-crowned Woodpecker.

Booted eagle

Our picnic lunch turned out to be a hot meal brought from the hotel and was actually one of our best meals so far and much better than cheese sandwiches we had been expecting. As it was quite hot we decided to hang around in the shade and rest (or raptor watch) and during this time we had an Indian Spotted Eagle fly over, along with numerous Steppe Eagles, another Booted Eagle and a few Egyptian Vultures.

Eurasian Hoopoe

In the afternoon we walked along the path bordering Mansarovar Lake and picked up Greylag Goose, a White-tailed Lapwing, 20+ Small Pratincoles, 3 Greater Flamingos, Pintail Snipe, another Black Bittern, Eurasian Wryneck, numerous Citrine Wagtails, Indian Reed-warbler, and most surprisingly an immature Pallas’s Fish-eagle. At the far end we walked into the forest and quickly found a Brooks’s Leaf-warbler which showed quite well in the canopy above, even doing its distinctive hovering action for us. There was also a huge raft of ducks present comprising of nine common species to bump the list up and there were loads of waders present. Mainly Wood Sandpipers, but also Ruff, Temminck’s Stint, Green Sandpiper, and a few Spotted Sandpipers as well. Returning to our coach by rickshaw we stopped along the way to look at a Yellow Bittern and found a Moustached Warbler picking its way quietly along the waterside vegetation. And finished of with a superb male Pallid Harrier flying right over our heads just as we were about to board the bus. What a day!

Taj Mahal

We left just after breakfast and drove into Agra where we visited the Taj Mahal and spent a nice couple of hours marvelling at the architecture and sheer beauty of this most amazing building. Birds were something of a distraction (thank goodness!) and we saw Black-eared Kite, a pair of Oriental Honey-buzzards, Little Swift and Brown Rock-chat, plus a few previously seen species along the Yamuna River behind the Taj. Afterwards, we drove on a couple of hours to Bharatpur and checked in to a nice, comfortable hotel for a three-night stay. As we were a little late in arriving for lunch we headed out into the countryside straight after lunch and drove for around an hour to some arid fields. Within a few minutes we were scoping a pair of Indian Coursers – our main target here. What a stunning bird and we were fortunate to be able to manoeuvre a lot closer to get really great views. As is always the way in India we picked up lots of other birds, but most notable was an Indian Bushlark that showed nicely and allowed us to see all the salient i.d features. There was also a Peregrine, Brown Shrike, Spotted Owlet, Red Collared-dove and a nice close Black-rumped Flameback as well. 

Greater Painted Snipe

Leaving here we drove back to Bharatpur and checked out a particularly smell old drainage ditch which was surprisingly full of birds. There was a nice selection of species here with Temminck’s Stint, Ruff, Wood and Green Sandpipers vying for attention, as well as numerous Black-winged Stilts, White-breasted Waterhen, Long-tailed Shrike and others all feeding just below. However, pride of place went to at least 3 male and 2 female Greater Painted Snipes, with a couple of them even feeding out in the open.