India

Introduction

India has a large diversity of habitats and covers a vast area. Not surprisingly it has a long bird list. Being a country with a high proportion of Hindus, many people are vegetarians and the animals have not been subjected to as much direct persecution as in other places. The result is that birds can be very approachable. It is not impossible, for example, to sit down within a few feet of a common kingfisher in a way that couldn't be done in Europe. Some outstanding nature reserves have been established - sometimes with mammals in mind - but these can be excellent for birds and other forms of wildlife, too.

Reserves

Possibly one of the best and most famous bird reserves in India is at Bharatpur. The Keoladeo Ghana bird reserve in Bharatpur is a rich habitat for water birds

The Maharaja of Bharatpur, at the end of the last century was a keen wildfowler. Much as today's birders may disapprove, we can benefit from his enthusiasm. For his efforts led to the creation of one of the world's finest bird sanctuaries -- the Keoladeo National Park in the Indian State of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan is largely desert but the monsoon brings heavy rains. About a quarter of the park's 12 square miles normally becomes flooded.

Thanks to the Maharaja, you can walk -- or better cycle -- along several dikes which give excellent views of the thousands of ducks, geese, storks, herons, waders and other waterbirds.

The reserve is most famous as a wintering ground of the rare Siberian White Crane. This stately bird is some five feet tall and almost pure white apart from a red bill, pinkish legs and some black in its wings. About a dozen were visible, standing on the far side of one of the huge shallow lagoons where they feed on frogs and other invertebrates.

Equally impressive are the commoner Black-necked Storks, and there are plenty of Painted storks and Sarus Cranes with their strange trumpeting calls.

Waterfowl include birds that can be seen in Britain such as Wigeon and Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Ferruginous Duck and Red-crested Pochard as well as several not seen wild at home such as Cotton Teal, Spotbill and Bar-headed Goose. These geese are surprisingly approachable and it is easy to see the two lateral black bars on their white heads.

Other birds easily seen include Citrine Wagtail, Purple Heron, Great Egret, Spoonbill, Marsh Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint (with Little Stints for comparison), Black-winged Stilt, Hoopoe, Mahrattan Woodpecker and Red-breasted Flycatcher. From this list -- a tiny proportion of the more than 350 species known to have occurred in the park -- it will be seen that there are birds of varied habitats. In fact, there are areas of woodland, near desert and various intermediate types of vegetation as well as the wetlands.

The drier areas produce views of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Red Turtle-dove, Indian Roller, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Isabelline Wheatear and Indian Courser. The wooded areas are rich in birds including the striking blue Verditer Flycatcher, Common Wood-shrike, Small Minivet, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Green Pigeon and Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker.

Rickshaw drivers can be helpful at locating birds but misleading as to their identity. Little Green Bee-eaters often perch in obligingly obvious positions and Indian and Magpie-Robins are frequently in view. Olive-backed pipits can be seen feeding on the ground.

Apart from those already mentioned, other note-worthy waterbirds include Indian Darter, Glossy Ibis, Black-crowned Night-heron, White Pelican, Intermediate Egret, Purple Moorhen, Pheasant-tailed Jacana (or Lily-trotter) and Bronze-winged Jacana, White-tailed Lapwing as well as Black-bellied and River Terns.

Bharatpur is within easy distance of the three 'Golden Triangle' tourist spots of New Delhi, Agra and Jaipur and there is a good hotel attached to the reserve -- cheap by international standards. It is worth remembering that deserts are cold at night and a heavy sweater is essential. In fact, the mornings were misty until the sun was well up.