Birds, Tigers, and the Taj Too

Natural History Tours of  Northern India with OP Mudgal

November 2005, February 2006

 Approximately 1220 species of birds have been recorded in India, representing over 12% of the world's species and nearly half those of the Oriental Region.  The main three-week trips will concentrate on two areas easily reached from New Delhi yet offering great variety and numbers of species: Keoladeo Ghana and Ranthambore National Parks in Rajasthan and the Western Himalayan foothills around Nainital and Corbett National Park. Previous groups visiting these areas have recorded as many as 400 species of birds (including Ibisbill and Wallcreeper) plus Tiger, Sloth Bear, wild Asian elephant, and many other mammals! We have also included time for optional sightseeing in New Delhi on arrival in India and visits to some of India's famous Mogul monuments, the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri, on the way to Bharatpur and the Amber Fort near Jaipur. The one-week extension will include the flight from New Delhi to the northeastern Indian state of Assam to visit its famous Kaziranga National Park, home of the rare Indian rhinoceros and over 300 species of birds.

According to A Birdwatchers' Guide to India (Kazmierczak and Singh, Prion Press, 1998),

[Bharatpur] "is one of only a handful of places in the world where it is possible to see 150 species in a single morning's birding. .... Bharatpur's bird list is more than 400 and five days or so in winter could produce about half that number."

There is a declining resident population of Sarus Cranes  and a larger group of Common Cranes that winter in the park. Demoiselle Cranes are occasionally present, but are scarcer.  Storks found in the sanctuary include  Painted, Woolly-necked, Asian Openbill and Black-necked.

There are more than 20 species of duck, including Red-crested and Ferruginous Pochard, Spot-billed Duck and possibly such rarities as the Falcated and Marbled Ducks.  Greylag and Bar-headed Geese are common, along with Comb Ducks and Cotton Pygmy-geese.  Other water birds include the Bronzy and Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Purple Swamphens, White-breasted Waterhens, and Black, Cinnamon and Yellow Bitterns. 

Raptors found in the park include Steppe, Imperial, Greater and Lesser Spotted Eagles, several species of harriers, Dusky Eagle Owl, and Indian Scops-Owl.  The variety of passerines found in the Park is so numerous that we won't attempt to give even a representational list.

Nainital is described in The Lonely Planet Guide to India as "one of the most pleasant hill stations to visit ... with interesting walks through the forests to points with superb views of the Himalayas."  Here we will be looking for species that migrate from higher altitudes during the winter, including Koklass and Cheer Pheasants, as well as many different species of accentors, finches, grosbeaks, laughingthrushes and thrushes.

We then move to Corbett National Park to bird in and around the park.  A Birdwatchers' Guide to India says of this area:

"At Corbett the avifauna of the lower Himalayas meet that of the Indian plains and well over 400 species have been seen within the sanctuary. .... Lower bird densities than at places like Bharatpur can make birding disappointing at first, but a few days in prime season can, with a little effort, produce 200 species." 

A few of the species we will hope to see in and around Corbett include Pallas's Fish Eagle, Brown and Tawny Fish Owls, Pallas's Gull, Great Thicknee, Crested and Stork-billed Kingfishers, Kalij Pheasants, Red Junglefowl, Little and Spotted Forktails, Common Green and Red-billed Blue Magpies, Brown Dipper, Ibisbill, Wallcreeper and White-throated Laughingthrush.  Plus the possibility of seeing Tiger and Leopard, along with wild Asian elephant, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, several species of monkeys, Common Otter, Mugger and Gharial Crocodiles and many species of smaller mammals.

With ten participants, the cost per person for three weeks in India, including hotels (based on double occupancy), all meals, transportation, park and guide fees, will be under $2200.  Round-trip airfare from the U.S. to New Delhi is currently about $2300, so the total cost will be in the $4500 range for the main trip and another $1200+ for those wishing to take the one-week extension to visit Kaziranga National Park, the last refuge of the Indian rhinoceros, and the best place to see the rare Bengal Florican, Swamp Francolin and Greater Adjutant. The Indian visa fee and cost of recommended trip insurance should be added to this total.  For further details, including itineraries for the main trip and the Assam extension, contact:

O.P. MUDGAL, NATURALIST

Laxman-Vatika

P.O. Barso

Bharatpur (Raj), India

Telephone: (91) 5644-227113 or 222159

Fax: (91) 5644 -222310

email: opmudgal@yahoo.com