CJW
Hit-and-run WUM
Apologies for the language...
Lots more pix on my website.
Anyone who knows me fairly well knows several things about me:
The trip was organised with the help of Jo from Wild About India and would consist of:
Day 1. Travel to Bharatpur from Delhi where we would stay o/night at the Hotel Sunbird on the edge of the reserve and taking in an afternoon game drive on a cycle rickshaw
Day 2. A second rickshaw drive into the reserve before driving east after lunch to the Chambal river and staying o/night at the Chambal Safari Lodge after a walk around the grounds and adjacent farmland.
Day 3 to Day 4. A morning boat ride up the Chambal river then, in the afternoon, drive North to Agra railway station (after a brief visit to the Taj Mahal) and a north-bound, o/night journey up to Katni.
Day 4 to Day 7. Continue from Katni by car on a short car journey to Tala on the edge of Bandhavgarh Tiger Sanctuary where we would spend 4 nights at Monsoon Forest tented Eco-camp and take 6 jeep safaris into the reserve looking for Tigers.
Day 7 to Day 8. Spend the morning around camp before driving back to Katni and catching the o/night train back to Delhi
Day 9. Arrive in Delhi early morning and drive north to Tiger Lodge hotel on the edge of Jim Corbett National Park.
Day 10. Drive into Corbett and stay o/night at Dikhala forest lodge
Day 11. Morning game drive in Corbett then head back to Tiger Lodge after lunch.
Day 12. Drive to Nainital for some Himalayan foothill birding and to view the Himalayan snow peaks.
Day 13. Drive back to Delhi and spend the evening relaxing in the Hotel Sunstar before the 03:00 flight back to the UK on day 14.
Day1 – Sunday 13th Feb
We arrived in Delhi bang-on time after a pleasant-enough flight with BA and were met by our driver, Ashok, who would be with us for the next 4 days.
Leaving the airport car park my initial reaction was “Blimey (or words to that effect) look at the smog!! Fortunately our vehicle was air-conditioned and we weren’t to encounter any breathing problems. Eventually we started onto the roads which took us away from the airport and my second reaction was “Jesus F**king Christ!!!” The traffic, noise and associated “driving” was unbelievable. “Driving” is in inverted commas for a reason. It consisted of just ‘going for it’ whilst constantly blaring your horn. I’m not exaggerating – lane discipline was non-existent and the direction of vehicles was, let’s be kind and say “random”. After the 8½ hour flight we were both pretty knackered but could not take our eyes off the melee around us – it was one of those things that you don’t want to see, but can’t take your eyes off. Bicycles, motorbikes with up to 6 passengers, cycle rickshaws, Tuk-tuks with over 15 people aboard, blinged-out lorries, coaches, pedestrians, ox-carts all going in different directions at different speeds on the same carriageway!!!
This incredible phenomenon surrounded us for several dozen miles of our 5 hour journey down to our first hotel on the edge of Bharatpur National park.
Then there were the roadside ‘towns’…
By our age, we’ve travelled fairly extensively and encountered some pretty grotty locations (inc. South African townships) but nothing prepares you for the filth (including people defecating at the side of the road), squalor and poverty of these places.
Travelling around the world you get used to seeing Cattle Egrets and Black-winged Stilts feeding on roadside pools and I’m always struck by their pristine plumage and elegance, well, let me tell you, I have lost all respect for them having seen the sort of filthy puddles and litter-strewn pools they were frequenting in India!
There were other birds of course but, at no time, was I tempted to ask Ashok to pull over so I could get a better look at them:
Black Kites, Indian House Crows, Common Mynahs, Rose-ringed Parakeets, White-throated Kingfishers, 2x Sarus Cranes (the only ones we were to see!), Gtr Adjutants, Red-wattled Lapwings, Indian Rollers and Black Drongos being the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Eventually, after 3 hours or so, we stopped at a roadside café (and tourist market) for a break. Whilst Keren went inside to get us some cold drinks, I stayed in the car park and in the immediate vicinity of the car – having been robbed in Costa Rica several years back, we no longer leave anything unattended in the car or trust to others to watch it for us. Sad, I know, but that’s the world we live in. The only thing of note I remember from this stop was a Purple Sunbird and a few Laughing Doves in the car park.
A couple of hours later and we arrived at Hotel Sunbird on the edge of Koleodeo National Park (Bharatpur) and, if I’m being honest, it didn’t look anything special on first viewing. Inside was a different story and the staff were friendly and attentive. Whilst we waited for our lunch to be served, we were shown to our cabin/chalet so we could clean up and change our clothes after many hours of travelling by air and car. We never thought anything of it at the time, and neither will you, but we ordered our lunch from the menu provided – I can’t remember what I had other than a cold Kingfisher beer. It really ‘hit the spot’.
After lunch we were introduced to our guide (Randir) and rickshaw driver (Maan Singh) before heading off ½ mile up the road to the entrance to the reserve. Maan pulled out into the traffic as we sat, precariously, squashed together on the bench seat, our cameras on our laps. I gotta say I wasn’t altogether happy at this turn of events as, whilst there were fewer vehicles they were hurtling past at great speed, horns blaring. 5 minutes later and we entered the park and rode along the main track (after a couple of minutes sorting out entrance tickets with the help of Randir).
I found the first few hundred yards a little frustrating being stuck on the rickshaw but, once we got into the swing of it, Maan was very good at stopping on request and helping us down from our perch enabling us to get better views of the birds we were seeing; Grey Francolins scurried into the scrub looking for all the world like their European counterparts, Indian Peafowl strutted around – it took some getting to used to realising they were wild birds – and our first woodpecker came in the form of a stunning Black-rumped Flameback but, like all woodpeckers, it was a little camera shy and proved very difficult to get a clear shot of.
After a while we left the rickshaw and it’s ‘characterful’ driver behind and continued on foot. This was much better and allowed quicker access to the birds instead of having to extricate ourselves from the ride and missing the birds by a fraction of a second.
At an area called “The Nursery”, Randir’s familiarity with birdsong came into it’s own as he called out a constant stream of names but not really giving me chance to get onto them before he moved on to the next bird! We did manage good views of Coppersmith and Brown-headed Barbets (great birds, barbets), Indian Grey Hornbill, Green Bee-eater, the large Greater Coucal and, much to Keren’s delight, a wonderful little Spotted Owlet closely followed by an unbelievably cute Collared Scops Owl at the entrance hole of his nest site.
Under a nearby bush a stunning male Orange-headed Ground Thrush did his best to hide from us but a single shaft of sunlight filtered through the foliage making his head glow bright orange in the gloom!! 5 minutes later and Randir pointed out a single Dusky Eagle Owl chick and, after a couple of minutes scanning the large trees, located one of the adults standing guard – a stunning bird! This was great stuff, 3 new owl species in less than 10 minutes. No wonder Maan was confident we “would see many owls, 110%”. The bushes were alive with birds, all being very active and giving barely-photographable views – Taiga Flycatchers, Oriental Magpie Robins, Indian Robins, White-eared and Red-vented Bulbuls, an eastern Black Redstart, beautiful Brahminy Starlings and comical gangs of Jungle Babblers behaving very much as Arrow-marked Babblers do in Africa). A vaguely familiar call was a constant companion but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was making it until I got a decent view of a Hume’s Warbler – these birds were everywhere but I never once got a usable shot. The same goes for the Greenish Warblers which they often associated with.
At roadside pools there were the expected herons, egrets and storks at a breeding colony but they’ve never really ‘done it for me’ to be honest. We got great views of Bronze-winged Jacana, White-breasted Waterhen and Purple Swamphen (gallinule) but I forgot to shoot at the latter! There were also Spot-billed Ducks as well the familiar Garganey, Pintail, Shoveler and Little Grebes. In the distance, Randir located a Pheasant-tailed jacana which took me several minutes to get on to but it was way to far away for a usable photo.
We then wandered round an area that Randir considered our best bet for seeing a roosting nightjar but all his best efforts were to prove fruitless.
As the sun started to set, Maan arrived with his trusty steed to take us back to the hotel but not before Randir disappeared into some bushes without explanation. I could hear him whistling in there but he never actually said what he was looking for.
After a pleasant buffet-style meal (assorted ‘curries’) we retired for the evening, exhausted.
Lots more pix on my website.
Anyone who knows me fairly well knows several things about me:
- I don’t like crowds (some might say “people”!)
- I’m not a lover of spicy foods – much preferring Italian and Chinese cooking.
- I hate jungles – too difficult for photography and always a big strain on the neck.
- Whenever we go on holiday the location is selected based on the quality of birding.
The trip was organised with the help of Jo from Wild About India and would consist of:
Day 1. Travel to Bharatpur from Delhi where we would stay o/night at the Hotel Sunbird on the edge of the reserve and taking in an afternoon game drive on a cycle rickshaw
Day 2. A second rickshaw drive into the reserve before driving east after lunch to the Chambal river and staying o/night at the Chambal Safari Lodge after a walk around the grounds and adjacent farmland.
Day 3 to Day 4. A morning boat ride up the Chambal river then, in the afternoon, drive North to Agra railway station (after a brief visit to the Taj Mahal) and a north-bound, o/night journey up to Katni.
Day 4 to Day 7. Continue from Katni by car on a short car journey to Tala on the edge of Bandhavgarh Tiger Sanctuary where we would spend 4 nights at Monsoon Forest tented Eco-camp and take 6 jeep safaris into the reserve looking for Tigers.
Day 7 to Day 8. Spend the morning around camp before driving back to Katni and catching the o/night train back to Delhi
Day 9. Arrive in Delhi early morning and drive north to Tiger Lodge hotel on the edge of Jim Corbett National Park.
Day 10. Drive into Corbett and stay o/night at Dikhala forest lodge
Day 11. Morning game drive in Corbett then head back to Tiger Lodge after lunch.
Day 12. Drive to Nainital for some Himalayan foothill birding and to view the Himalayan snow peaks.
Day 13. Drive back to Delhi and spend the evening relaxing in the Hotel Sunstar before the 03:00 flight back to the UK on day 14.
Day1 – Sunday 13th Feb
We arrived in Delhi bang-on time after a pleasant-enough flight with BA and were met by our driver, Ashok, who would be with us for the next 4 days.
Leaving the airport car park my initial reaction was “Blimey (or words to that effect) look at the smog!! Fortunately our vehicle was air-conditioned and we weren’t to encounter any breathing problems. Eventually we started onto the roads which took us away from the airport and my second reaction was “Jesus F**king Christ!!!” The traffic, noise and associated “driving” was unbelievable. “Driving” is in inverted commas for a reason. It consisted of just ‘going for it’ whilst constantly blaring your horn. I’m not exaggerating – lane discipline was non-existent and the direction of vehicles was, let’s be kind and say “random”. After the 8½ hour flight we were both pretty knackered but could not take our eyes off the melee around us – it was one of those things that you don’t want to see, but can’t take your eyes off. Bicycles, motorbikes with up to 6 passengers, cycle rickshaws, Tuk-tuks with over 15 people aboard, blinged-out lorries, coaches, pedestrians, ox-carts all going in different directions at different speeds on the same carriageway!!!
This incredible phenomenon surrounded us for several dozen miles of our 5 hour journey down to our first hotel on the edge of Bharatpur National park.
Then there were the roadside ‘towns’…
By our age, we’ve travelled fairly extensively and encountered some pretty grotty locations (inc. South African townships) but nothing prepares you for the filth (including people defecating at the side of the road), squalor and poverty of these places.
Travelling around the world you get used to seeing Cattle Egrets and Black-winged Stilts feeding on roadside pools and I’m always struck by their pristine plumage and elegance, well, let me tell you, I have lost all respect for them having seen the sort of filthy puddles and litter-strewn pools they were frequenting in India!
There were other birds of course but, at no time, was I tempted to ask Ashok to pull over so I could get a better look at them:
Black Kites, Indian House Crows, Common Mynahs, Rose-ringed Parakeets, White-throated Kingfishers, 2x Sarus Cranes (the only ones we were to see!), Gtr Adjutants, Red-wattled Lapwings, Indian Rollers and Black Drongos being the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Eventually, after 3 hours or so, we stopped at a roadside café (and tourist market) for a break. Whilst Keren went inside to get us some cold drinks, I stayed in the car park and in the immediate vicinity of the car – having been robbed in Costa Rica several years back, we no longer leave anything unattended in the car or trust to others to watch it for us. Sad, I know, but that’s the world we live in. The only thing of note I remember from this stop was a Purple Sunbird and a few Laughing Doves in the car park.
A couple of hours later and we arrived at Hotel Sunbird on the edge of Koleodeo National Park (Bharatpur) and, if I’m being honest, it didn’t look anything special on first viewing. Inside was a different story and the staff were friendly and attentive. Whilst we waited for our lunch to be served, we were shown to our cabin/chalet so we could clean up and change our clothes after many hours of travelling by air and car. We never thought anything of it at the time, and neither will you, but we ordered our lunch from the menu provided – I can’t remember what I had other than a cold Kingfisher beer. It really ‘hit the spot’.
After lunch we were introduced to our guide (Randir) and rickshaw driver (Maan Singh) before heading off ½ mile up the road to the entrance to the reserve. Maan pulled out into the traffic as we sat, precariously, squashed together on the bench seat, our cameras on our laps. I gotta say I wasn’t altogether happy at this turn of events as, whilst there were fewer vehicles they were hurtling past at great speed, horns blaring. 5 minutes later and we entered the park and rode along the main track (after a couple of minutes sorting out entrance tickets with the help of Randir).
I found the first few hundred yards a little frustrating being stuck on the rickshaw but, once we got into the swing of it, Maan was very good at stopping on request and helping us down from our perch enabling us to get better views of the birds we were seeing; Grey Francolins scurried into the scrub looking for all the world like their European counterparts, Indian Peafowl strutted around – it took some getting to used to realising they were wild birds – and our first woodpecker came in the form of a stunning Black-rumped Flameback but, like all woodpeckers, it was a little camera shy and proved very difficult to get a clear shot of.
After a while we left the rickshaw and it’s ‘characterful’ driver behind and continued on foot. This was much better and allowed quicker access to the birds instead of having to extricate ourselves from the ride and missing the birds by a fraction of a second.
At an area called “The Nursery”, Randir’s familiarity with birdsong came into it’s own as he called out a constant stream of names but not really giving me chance to get onto them before he moved on to the next bird! We did manage good views of Coppersmith and Brown-headed Barbets (great birds, barbets), Indian Grey Hornbill, Green Bee-eater, the large Greater Coucal and, much to Keren’s delight, a wonderful little Spotted Owlet closely followed by an unbelievably cute Collared Scops Owl at the entrance hole of his nest site.
Under a nearby bush a stunning male Orange-headed Ground Thrush did his best to hide from us but a single shaft of sunlight filtered through the foliage making his head glow bright orange in the gloom!! 5 minutes later and Randir pointed out a single Dusky Eagle Owl chick and, after a couple of minutes scanning the large trees, located one of the adults standing guard – a stunning bird! This was great stuff, 3 new owl species in less than 10 minutes. No wonder Maan was confident we “would see many owls, 110%”. The bushes were alive with birds, all being very active and giving barely-photographable views – Taiga Flycatchers, Oriental Magpie Robins, Indian Robins, White-eared and Red-vented Bulbuls, an eastern Black Redstart, beautiful Brahminy Starlings and comical gangs of Jungle Babblers behaving very much as Arrow-marked Babblers do in Africa). A vaguely familiar call was a constant companion but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was making it until I got a decent view of a Hume’s Warbler – these birds were everywhere but I never once got a usable shot. The same goes for the Greenish Warblers which they often associated with.
At roadside pools there were the expected herons, egrets and storks at a breeding colony but they’ve never really ‘done it for me’ to be honest. We got great views of Bronze-winged Jacana, White-breasted Waterhen and Purple Swamphen (gallinule) but I forgot to shoot at the latter! There were also Spot-billed Ducks as well the familiar Garganey, Pintail, Shoveler and Little Grebes. In the distance, Randir located a Pheasant-tailed jacana which took me several minutes to get on to but it was way to far away for a usable photo.
We then wandered round an area that Randir considered our best bet for seeing a roosting nightjar but all his best efforts were to prove fruitless.
As the sun started to set, Maan arrived with his trusty steed to take us back to the hotel but not before Randir disappeared into some bushes without explanation. I could hear him whistling in there but he never actually said what he was looking for.
After a pleasant buffet-style meal (assorted ‘curries’) we retired for the evening, exhausted.
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