It all started with Bhigwan for most of us ‘Birders’. Over the years, we got greedier and wanted to lay our hands on something grandeur. What else than Bharatpur comes to mind when we talk about birding. Kedar being an expert in this field put across the idea on our iCampers group for the enthusiasts. Myself, Kedar, Mukul & Vijay (aka Vijay Dinanath.. oops Vijay Pandarinath Raigaokar poora naam) were final iCampers to undertake this Bharatpur birdwatching expedition. iCampers as usual meticulously planned the trip: 27th Feb to 2nd March 2015.
In between now and the D-Day we had lot of time to read about what awaits us at Bharatpur & nearby areas, accessories, travel precautions etc. I wanted to get a binoc and ended up getting a high zoom (60x) P&S camera. Vijay got a brand new 10x50 mm binoc, while Mukul had initially planned to rent out a 500mm telephoto lens instead got 100-400mm telephoto lens from our dear friend Pushkar Shirolkar.
Keoladeo Ghana National Park formerly Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is a man-made and man-managed wetland parks. The reserve protects Bharatpur from frequent floods, provides grazing grounds for village cattle and earlier was primarily used as a waterfowl hunting ground. The diverse habitat is home to 366 bird species, 379 floral species, 50 species of fish, 13 species of snakes, 5 species of lizards, 7 amphibian species,7 turtle species, and a variety of other invertebrates. Every year thousands of migratory waterfowl visit the park for wintering breeding etc. The Sanctuary is one of the richest bird areas in the world. It is known for nesting of its resident birds and visiting migratory birds including water birds. The rare Siberian cranes used to winter in this park (last sighted in 2001/2002) but this central population of Siberian cranes is now extinct. It was declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. It is also a declared World Heritage Site.
With an unusual early-onset of summer, we started getting depressing reports from Bharatpur about birds starting their reverse migration to their home lands. Our spirits had dampened. We started looking out for alternatives and at a point even pondered the idea of postponing the entire trip to Dec 2015. However, we decided to press on as we had initially planned with a minor addition of Chambal Sanctuary to our original itinerary.
Day 1
On 27th Feb afternoon, we all four gathered at the Pune Airport and set off to Bharatpur via Jaipur. En route we discussed a lot about Bharatpur, Jamnagar, Bhigwan, birds, Gharials, Crocodiles, photography, Jaipur and all the while crossed our fingers and hoped that we should get to witness some awesome sightings. We landed at Jaipur and a handsome old cabbie with a nice hat was awaiting to take us to Bharatpur which was about 3 hours’ drive. We were hungry and decided to have some snacks at a road side dhaba. Kedar had some anxious moments with his tummy but still we all munched on the delicious Aloo & Paneer parathas accompanied by pancharanga achar and thick curd. While we were munching we realized that it was a lot cooler (rather chilly) here. We actually had to pull out our jackets and I realized that I had not got one. Poor Mukul offered his jacket to me and bared the chill for rest of the trip.
We reached Bharatpur late night and on our way to the hotel saw the sanctuary gate. All most all the places alongside the road were named after some bird. Even the bus stops had the bird names. We all got excited. We quickly had a light dinner, planned to meet up at 630 am in the morning next day and retired to our rooms.
Day 2We got up early morning to the divine chanting of Sri Sukta by Vijay. Right after we stepped out of the hotel room, a huge Peacock sitting atop a dried tree caught our attention and we all started clicking. That set the tone of the day for us. Based on our tiger sanctuary rides pattern earlier we decided to have lunch back in the hotel. We saw some books in the hotel library and had planned to read some in the afternoon before our evening trip again to the sanctuary. Little we knew what was awaiting us at the sanctuary. At 7am, we settled ourselves in the cycle rickshaws and started pedaling our way to the sanctuary gate. Just before the sanctuary, the drivers halted in front of a vast expanse of land and pointed something to Kedar. Off we jumped out, scrapped open our bags for cameras and headed out in the open ground. We saw quite a few Egyptian Vultures lying low on the ground, Yellow-wattled Lapwings and Eurasian Collared Doves. What a great way to start the ride.
We reached the Sanctuary and promptly made the gate entries and started our quest in the cycle ricks. This was a unique experience. We could ride, get down and walk whenever we wanted. We could explore the park the way we wanted on our feet. No restrictions whatsoever. Completely different from our usual jeep rides. This made it much more fascinating.
Just few paces down, we saw Peacocks, Babblers, White-eared Bulbul, Flameback Woodpecker and a pair of mating Rose-ringed Parakeets. We realized this is a romantic paradise for the birds too.
The 29 km2 (11 sq mi) reserve is locally known as Ghana (dense), and is a mosaic of dry grasslands, woodlands, woodland swamps, and wetlands with no electric poles and wires. What a pristine place.
While we were walking and exploring the place we saw some jackals & spotted deers looking anxiously at us. Sight of a carnivore is really an exciting one.
Our cycle rick drivers were well experienced guides as well. They had been riding here since 1996. Not only they knew the place inside out but also were aware of the bird species, their habits and territories. Without them it would have been impossible to spot the numerous owlets that we came across while wandering in the park. We sighted Spotted Owlet couples, Scops owl & Dusky Eagle Owls along with juveniles. Out of all the Scops Owl was the most camouflaged one and impossible to sight.
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Indian Scops Owl |
On the way, we came across a monkey’s family. The head of the group was a handsome young aggressive alpha male. He didn’t quite like the idea of us clicking them. He charged at us and we had to rush back to safety. Phew… Wild animals are wild…beware!!!
We took a detour by walking on either side of the main road. We spotted Blue-throadted Blue Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher a beautiful small and a very hyper active bird. We were able to manage record shots. We also spotted a Indian Grey Horn Bill and Black Shouldered Kite.
As the marshy grass lands started it got more exciting. We spotted numerous Egrets, Grey Herons, Pond herons, Night herons, Purple herons and Ducks (Knob-billed Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Common Teal, Little Grebe).
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| Indian Darter (Snake bird) |
The center point had all the historical information printed out on a placard. The erstwhile Maharajas and the Britishers used this paradise as a game hunting ground. One such British officer killed 4000 odd ducks in a single day and for a long time an annual duck hunting festival used to get organized in his ‘honor’. Really shameful and horrifying act.
After lunch, we started on the lookout for the celebrity of the park “The Sarus Crane”. We cycled & walked for miles across the park in search of Sarus Cranes. We didn’t come across any but found numerous others species. The Eurasian Coots, stilts, hens (Purple Swamp Hen, Common Moorhen, White-breasted Waterhen) , Ibis (Black-headed Ibis, Glossy Ibis), Eurasian Spoon Bill, Snake birds or Darters, Cormorants, Kingfishers, Lapwings, Shanks, Black Redstart, Pied Bushchat, Wagtails, Red Avadavat, Starlings, Jacana and Raptors. Every now and then we would settle by the water side and click pictures.
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Ibis |
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| Indian Cormorant |
We had great sightings of the migratory species: The Bar-headed Geese and Graylag Geese. The Bar-headed Geese are astonishing species. They are amongst the world’s highest flying birds at about 21,000 odd ft above sea level. We saw and also heard a pack of Bar-headed Geese and the Cormorants fly over our head. They sounded no different than a jet engine as they cut through the air. For the first time we witnessed this audio treat thanks to the peaceful atmosphere at the park. Never heard this at Bhigwan either as there is lot of sound pollution created by the sugarcane carrying tractors.
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| Bar-headed Geese |
Another celebrity species of the Keoladeo is the Black-necked stork. It is said that the park hosts only a couple of them. We were lucky enough to distantly spot these beautiful birds thanks to Vijay’s binocs. We also spotted Mongoose, Indian Bush Rat and wild boars.
We also came across quite a few butterflies and insects.
The day was winding up and it got dark and cloudy. We had to head out of the park. On our way back we stopped at the Kevladev (Keoladeo) temple. The forest has derived its name from this deity.
The forest warden nick named “Tiger” (by the rick drivers) was really after us to move out. By 7 pm we were out of the park. Full 12 hours inside the park was the most amazing wildlife experience so far. The Hotel Owner & the Cycle Rickshaw drivers were pleasantly surprised by our enthusiasm and zeal for bird watching and love for the wild. The hotel owner was very skeptical about whether we would enjoy the birding over here. Back in the hotel rooms, first we charged our camera batteries (not the cellphones) for next day and then we discussed and listed down the sightings. 96 in total. Wow!! We did some quick editing and posted a few clicks on the Facebook for the curious fellow iCampers back home.
Day 3
We assembled back in the hotel lobby at 630 am for breakfast. It was drizzling outside which dampened our spirits. Today, we had planned to visit the National Chambal Sanctuary also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a 5,400 km2 (2,100 sq mi) tri-state (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) protected area for the critically endangered Gharial, Mugger Crocodiles, Skimmers, the Red-crowned Roof Turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
We started our journey in a cab to Morena district to visit the Chambal in a boat ride. We passed through the city of Fatehpur Sikri and were amazed to see the still intact remains of the ancient buildings. We were waiting at a railway gate in one small filthy village in Uttar Pradesh. We spotted a couple of Painted Storks and Lapwings fishing merrily in the almost gutter like water. We were amazed by the riches of flora and fauna in this side of the world.
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| Painted Stork |
On our way, we spotted numerous Peacocks on the roadside, sitting atop tress, crossing roads, grazing grains outside the houses just similar to the cattle and stray dogs we find back here in Pune. Suddenly, our driver came to a screeching halt and pointed out in a field. We immediately ran out and spotted a mating pair of Egyptian Vultures. A few paces down we also spotted Red-naped Ibis. Our bird list kept swelling.
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| Egyptian Vultures |
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| Red-naped Ibis |
Immediately we started sighting Ruddy Shelducks, Lapwings, Terns, Cormorants, Red-crested Pochard, Pallas’s Gull, Laggar Falcon and other raptors.
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| Cormorants (Little cormorant, Great Cormorant, Indian Cormorant) |
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| Red-creasted Pochard |
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| Pallas's Gull |
Our guide spotted Skimmers (celebrity species in the Chambal) from a distance and guided the boat driver to the location. There were about 50 odd Skimmers basking on a small sandy island. We never realized that it had been hours we were sitting there in the boat watching these magnificent Skimmers. It’s a pleasure watching them land from a flight. The Indian Skimmer or Indian Scissors-bill is one of the unique bird species mostly found in northern and central India along the Ganges. It has distinctive uneven bills with the lower jaw longer than the upper. This remarkable adaptation allows them to fish in a unique way, flying low and fast over streams. Their lower jaw skims over the water's surface ready to snap shut any small fish.
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| Indian Skimmer |
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| Indian Skimmer & Cormorant |
We could also sight some small Gharials laying almost still with only their snouts out of the water. Waiting for a fish catch. Amazingly patient animals.
We still wanted to see a full sized Gharial and decided to go further down the river. We spotted a huge Crocodile on the river bank and also a Black-necked stork. We were in a dilemma. Where to watch! The Croc made it easy and got back in the water, leaving the Black-necked stork for us to see.
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| Black-necked Stork |
The boat driver never imagined we would be riding the boat for the entire day. He wanted to relieve himself and could wait no longer. He was ready to brave the crushing crocodile jaws and got down in the water to walk near the river bank. Amazingly crazy! We called him back and decided to wind up our ride. We also had not taken any lunch and were feeling hungry. On the way back we stopped at a road side dhaba and had a sumptuous meal. We reached back in Bharatpur and continued with our ritual of charging batteries, listing birds and editing/posting of photographs for the fellow iCampers.
Day 4We again assembled in the hotel lobby for breakfast at about 630 am. This was a depressing day. It was pouring heavily and rides in the park were not possible. We had planned a small ride in the morning as we wanted to leave back for Jaipur by 2 pm. We waited and waited in the hotel lobby for the rain gods to clear up. Finally at about 11am it stopped raining and we immediately called our cycle ricks. We went in to the park and surprisingly the sun came out shining. We again felt lucky. We started by spotting a Sunbird, Green Bee Eater, Mynas, drongos, Rufous Treepie, Long-tailed Shrike, Robbins, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Kingfisher, Brown-headed Barbet and Yellow-footed Green Pigeon.
We cycled further inside the park in search of cranes. Every now and then we were pleasantly distracted by other birds. We used to wait and photograph them. It was a lovely sight to see the Marsh Harriers and other raptors attempting their hunt.
On the way, we came across Indian Mud-flapped Turtle crossing the road. We enjoyed some close portrait shots of the turtle.
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| Sarus Crane |
We spent quite a time watching these cranes. It was about 5 pm, we had skipped our lunch, were hungry and were way beyond our scheduled departure by 2pm from Bharatpur. Our handsome cabbie guy was awaiting us back at the hotel. So we decided to leave the cranes and head back out of the park. On our way back we spotted a group of Rose-ringed Parakeets nestling in their cozy tree hole home.
As we were cycling out of the park it started raining heavily and we were completely drenched in the rain as well as the birding experience. And finally we departed out of the park with a sighting of a Neelgai skull. Our own version of Indian Short Horns.
We reached Jaipur late in the night that day. Except me others were energetic enough to take a brisk 5km walking tour of the city in the chilly night.
Day 5
Today, we started by visiting the local factory outlet and did some all guys shopping. Witnessed amazing handy craft cloth dying/painting process.
We paid a flying visit to the Albert Hall Museum. It had some amazing historical artifacts including an Egyptian Mummy.
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| Albert Hall Museum |
We did a quick city tour by driving in the bylanes of the city. We were impressed by the Jaipur infrastructure. Clean and wide roads, not much of commotion and honking either. On the way, we saw the Hawa Mahal.
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| Hawa Mahal |
We reached the palace of the Royal family and the Swargasuli tower. We had to climb our way through the tower to take a birds eye view of the city. We could see all the buildings across the main street painted in pink colour.
We visited the Jal Mahal. A beautiful island Mahal constructed amidst a beautiful lake. Birds again stole our attention here. We spotted cormorants and raptors feasting on fish in the lake. All the visitors were busy taking their selfies in front of the Jal Mahal while we 4 were busy capturing the Cormorants fishing in our cameras.
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| Jal Mahal |
We were hungry and wanted to feast on traditional Rajasthani thali. We had heavy dal-bati-churma, Gatte ki sabji & Kadhi lunch.
After lunch, we headed straight to airport but not before taking a last group photograph.
It was an amazing birding experience. They said most of the birds had headed back home. So one can imagine what it can be when in full bloom in December. On our way back we already started planning to visit this park again in Dec 2015. It keeps calling you back. I have already started process of upgrading my P&S camera.
Bird List
List of birds we spotted at Keoladeo National Park & Chambal National Sanctuary. * marked birds are sighted for the first time.
1
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House Sparrow
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40
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Great Cormorant
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79
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Flameback Woodpecker
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2
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Yellow-throated Sparrow
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41
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Common Kestrel
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80
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Common Woodshrike
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3
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Indian Crow
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42
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Black Shouldered Kite
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81
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Long-tailed Shrike
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4
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Rock Piegon
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43
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Egyptian Vulture
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82
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Black Drongo
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5
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Yellow-footed Green Piegon
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44
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Marsh Harrier
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83
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Rufous Treepie
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6
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Eurasian Collared Dove
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45
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Shikra
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84
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White-eared Bulbul
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7
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Laughing Dove
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46
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White Eyed Buzzard
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85
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Red-vented Bulbul
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8
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Red Collared Dove
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47
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Greater Spotted Eagle *
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86
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Ashy Prinia
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9
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Grey Francoline
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48
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Lesser Spotted Eagle
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87
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Jungle Prinia
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10
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Peacock
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49
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Osprey
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88
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Tailer Bird
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11
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Lesser Whistling Duck
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50
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Booted Eagle
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89
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Common Babbler
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12
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Greylag Goose *
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51
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Lagger Falcon *
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90
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Jungle Babbler
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13
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Bar-headed Goose
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52
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Pallied Harrier *
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91
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Yellow-eyed Babbler
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14
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Knob-billed Duck
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53
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White-breasted Waterhen
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92
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Bank Myna
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15
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Ruddy Shelduck
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54
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Purple Swamp Hen
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93
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Common Myna
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16
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Gadwall Duck
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55
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Common Moorhen
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94
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Pied Starling
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17
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Indian Spot-billed Duck
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56
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Eurasian Coot
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95
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Brahminy Starling
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18
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Northern Shoveler Duck
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57
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Black-winged Stilt
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96
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Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher
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19
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Northern Pintail Duck *
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58
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Yellow-wattled Lapwing
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97
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Magpie Robin
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20
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Common Teal
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59
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Red-wattled Lapwing
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98
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Indian Robin
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21
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Little Grebe
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60
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White-tailed Lapwing
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99
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Black Redstart
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22
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Red-crested Pochard *
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61
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River Lapwing *
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100
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Red-breasted Flycatcher
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23
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Black-necked Stork
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62
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Ruff
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101
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Pied Bushchat
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24
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Painted Stork
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63
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Common Redshank
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102
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Purple Sunbird
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25
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Black-headed Ibis
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64
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Common Greenshank
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103
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Red Avadavat
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26
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Glossy Ibis
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65
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Wood Sandpiper
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104
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Grey Wagtail
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27
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Red-naped Ibis
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66
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Rose-ringed Parakeets
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105
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White Wagtail
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28
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Eurasian Spoon Bill
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67
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Greater Coucal
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106
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White-browed Wagtail
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29
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Indian Pond Heron
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68
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Indian Scops Owl
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107
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Paddyfield Pipit
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30
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Grey Heron
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69
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Spotted Owlet
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108
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Indian Silverbill
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31
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Purple Heron
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70
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Dusky Eagle Owl *
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109
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River Tern
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32
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Night Heron
|
71
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Indian Roller
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110
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Black-bellied Tern *
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33
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Cattle Egret
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72
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White-throated Kingfisher
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111
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Ringed Plower
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34
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Little Egret
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73
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Pied Kingfisher
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112
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Little Stint/Little Sand Plower
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35
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Intermediate Egret
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74
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Common Kingfisher
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113
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Pallas's Gull *
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36
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Greater Egret
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75
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Green Bee Eater
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114
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Indian Skimmer *
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37
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Darter
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76
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Indian Grey Horn Bill
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115
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Sarus Crane
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38
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Little Cormorant
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77
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Coppersmith Barbet
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116
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Siberian Stonechat
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39
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Indian Cormorant
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78
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Brown-headed Barbet
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117
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Pheasant-tailed Jacana
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