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Birding Ecotours Complete Northern India and Cultural Extension February/March 2009 By Duan Biggs


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Day 12, March 4th. Kosi River and elephant-back tiger hunt in Corbett

Birding started on the road from Tiger Camp to the Dhangari gate, our entry point into the legendary Corbett National Park. Our mode of transport had changed from our trusted van to open jeeps, provided by Tiger Camp. Along the road we added Chestnut-tailed Starling, Alexandrine Parakeet, Hair-crested Drongo, and Chestnut-headed Bee-eater to our growing list. We took a walk toward the Kosi River, where we located Red-whiskered Bulbul and enjoyed stunning views of a perched Crested Serpent Eagle. A riverside cliff-face, carved out by the torrent that is the Kosi River, delivered another Wallcreeper. There were longer and better views this time, particularly as the bird came down into the riverbed itself to feed between the rocks and pebbles. Soon after relishing the Wallcreeper we entered into Corbett National Park – the oldest in India, named after its namesake, the famous Jim Corbett. The national park hosts a rich array of bird species, and we had better looks at the Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, and a startlingly plumaged Crimson Sunbird, perched right next to our jeep. Our guide’s stakeout for Tawny Fish Owl delivered (after some help from another birding group, we must admit). Soaring Red-headed Vultures added to our list, as did a group of striking Crested Treeswifts and an aerial flock of White-rumped Spinetails. We ground to a halt for a small bird perched atop a dead tree, which turned into a petite Collared Falconet. The colorful Golden-fronted Leafbird also delighted. After lunch we embarked on a memorable search for tigers on elephant-back. We located fresh signs of tiger in the form of a kill, spoor, and droppings – but alas, no tiger. We returned to our accommodations at Dikhala in the late afternoon.

Our elephant-back tiger adventure in Corbett



Day 13, March 5th. Corbett National Park to Riverine Woods

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Getting to Riverine Woods
ur early morning drive took us along Sambhar Road to Khinnanaul – an area where tiger is frequently seen. Sightings on the drive included northern plains grey (Hanuman) langur, sambar, and spotted deer. The morning drive was dedicated to tigers, but we also did manage to find some new birds in the form of Buff-spotted Flameback and Rufous Woodpecker. Our excitement grew as we heard a tiger grunt in the distance. Our jeep raced to a good position, where our tiger-tracker thought it may cross. Luck, however, was not on our side, and we did not get a visual of the “giant striped cat”. Having spent a good deal of time searching for the tiger, we headed into the Chaur grasslands, where our guide found us a pair of range-restricted White-throated (Hodgson’s) Bush Chat, and we also located Tawny and Paddyfield Pipits. Due to the rather ‘odd’ gate and time restrictions in Corbett, we had a few hours to relax at Dikhala Lodge, which overlooks the Ramganga river below. A kill by tiger the night before had now attracted a swarm of vultures. Although we had not seen the tiger, we did delight in the results of its handiwork – Cinereous and Red-headed Vultures appeared, together with Griffon Vulture and the now scarce White-rumped Vulture, as well as the odd Egyptian Vulture. While we were watching the feast of vultures, a Black Stork started circling above. It was now time to leave Corbett, and we exited again at Dhangari gate Although we had not seen the tiger in Corbett, we did not do badly on the mammalian front: barking deer, Indian muntjac, spotted deer, sambar and wild boar were all sighted. A few more impressive mountain passes got us to the turn-off to Riverine Woods, while notching up Orange-bellied Leafbird en route. Here, we had to cross the bumpy Ramganga river three times, which entailed lifting our feet so they did not get wet! The wettish ordeal was worth it, as Riverine Woods is stunning. One of our guests and I took a walk along the river in the late afternoon light and managed to find another Spotted Forktail and to add Crested Kingfisher and Savanna Nightjar to our list.

Crossing the Ramganga river



Day 14, March 6th. Riverine Woods, Kumeria Forest Reserve, and return to Delhi

We enjoyed a lovely morning walk in the scenic surrounds of Riverine Woods. Great excitement abounded as a Great Hornbill flew over in the early morning light. A little further on we had Black-throated Accentor. Brown Dipper, one of the species we were hoping for, was not to be found, and we returned back to the lodge for a delicious breakfast, before embarking on the road to Mahan. Perched above us in the trees on the way was a Mountain Hawk-Eagle. A brief stop at the Mahan crossing delivered more views of Chestnut-headed Tesia as well as Puff-throated Babbler. Time was catching up with us, and we made a dash for Kumeria Forest Reserve – our last hope for the Brown Dipper. Our guide and I, with the help of the group, scrutinized every rock and pebble, until at last we found a Brown Dipper perched dead still in a shadow of a large boulder. We could all get up close and enjoy it. Nice one! The time had come to return to Delhi – but not before a hearty lunch at Tiger Camp and a closer view of a nesting White-rumped Vulture…
Rajasthan Cultural Extension

Day 15, March 7th. Delhi to the Desert Resort, Mandawa

Another early morning departure out of Delhi, to beat the morning traffic, saw us head past the ultra-modern hi-tech office parks on the outskirts of the city on a new multilane freeway. For a little while it felt like we were in Silicon Valley. The true India returned soon enough, as we turned off the main road towards Mandawa, and the bumpy roads and rickety, unpredictable traffic returned. We arrived at our spectacular desert resort just before a scrumptious lunch. After lunch our cultural guide joined us in touring the extraordinary murals of Mandawa. These murals were crafted by the Marwari merchants of the 17th to 19th centuries. The Marawaris went on to play an important part in India’s struggle for independence and building up Indian industry and business through the 20th century. This was the cultural extension, but one of our guests and I could not stop ourselves from doing some birding in the expansive resort grounds in the late afternoon. The highlight was certainly the range-restricted Rajasthan special, White-browed (Stolizka’s) Bush Chat. Other highlights included good sightings of Jungle Bush Quail and Bay-backed Shrike.

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