Great Indian Bustard + NE India (Assam + Arunachal Pradesh) late March- mid April 2022 (1 Viewer)

[greyfantail]

I am planning to spend a couple of days in NW India in late March to look for the critically endangered Great India Bustard at Desert NP.

Then 16 days in NE India mostly targeting some of the critically endangered species (CE) and endangered species (EN) there.

I will also try to see some of the many other good birds found in NE India, but maybe three weeks more than I have would be needed to look for everything there.

Rough breakdown of locations/times/main targets:

Guwahati (Greater Adjutant (EN), maybe Swamp Grass-Babbler (EN))
Eaglenest - 2 days (Bugun Liocichla (CR))
Nameri NP - 0.5 day (White-winged Duck (EN))
Kaziranga NP - 2 days (Finn's Weaver (EN), Pallas's Fish-Eagle (EN),
Dibru Saikhowa NP and nearby - 1.5 days (Swamp Grass-Babbler (EN))
Namdapha NP and/or Wolong* - 4 days (searching for White-bellied Heron (CE)).
Mishmi Hills - 2 days
Driving between locations - 4 days.

*A pair of White-bellied Herons were seen at Wolong in mid-April 2021 and were then recorded nesting there in mid-May.
Maybe if I am lucky they will be there again at the same time this year.

I will probably have a car+driver for NW India, then self drive for NE India.

Travel companions welcome!

I don't have any fixed plans yet, so I could potentially still rearrange my trip to fit in with any other birders who might like to join me.

 

[Gustavi]

I am planning to spend a couple of days in NW India in late March to look for the critically endangered Great India Bustard at Desert NP.

Then 16 days in NE India mostly targeting some of the critically endangered species (CE) and endangered species (EN) there.

I will also try to see some of the many other good birds found in NE India, but maybe three weeks more than I have would be needed to look for everything there.

Rough breakdown of locations/times/main targets:

Guwahati (Greater Adjutant (EN), maybe Swamp Grass-Babbler (EN))
Eaglenest - 2 days (Bugun Liocichla (CR))
Nameri NP - 0.5 day (White-winged Duck (EN))
Kaziranga NP - 2 days (Finn's Weaver (EN), Pallas's Fish-Eagle (EN),
Dibru Saikhowa NP and nearby - 1.5 days (Swamp Grass-Babbler (EN))
Namdapha NP and/or Wolong* - 4 days (searching for White-bellied Heron (CE)).
Mishmi Hills - 2 days
Driving between locations - 4 days.

*A pair of White-bellied Herons were seen at Wolong in mid-April 2021 and were then recorded nesting there in mid-May.
Maybe if I am lucky they will be there again at the same time this year.

I will probably have a car+driver for NW India, then self drive for NE India.

Travel companions welcome!

I don't have any fixed plans yet, so I could potentially still rearrange my trip to fit in with any other birders who might like to join me.

please see direct message

 

[trogon52]

I am planning to spend a couple of days in NW India in late March to look for the critically endangered Great India Bustard at Desert NP.

Then 16 days in NE India mostly targeting some of the critically endangered species (CE) and endangered species (EN) there.

I will also try to see some of the many other good birds found in NE India, but maybe three weeks more than I have would be needed to look for everything there.

Rough breakdown of locations/times/main targets:

Guwahati (Greater Adjutant (EN), maybe Swamp Grass-Babbler (EN))
Eaglenest - 2 days (Bugun Liocichla (CR))
Nameri NP - 0.5 day (White-winged Duck (EN))
Kaziranga NP - 2 days (Finn's Weaver (EN), Pallas's Fish-Eagle (EN),
Dibru Saikhowa NP and nearby - 1.5 days (Swamp Grass-Babbler (EN))
Namdapha NP and/or Wolong* - 4 days (searching for White-bellied Heron (CE)).
Mishmi Hills - 2 days
Driving between locations - 4 days.

*A pair of White-bellied Herons were seen at Wolong in mid-April 2021 and were then recorded nesting there in mid-May.
Maybe if I am lucky they will be there again at the same time this year.

I will probably have a car+driver for NW India, then self drive for NE India.

Travel companions welcome!

I don't have any fixed plans yet, so I could potentially still rearrange my trip to fit in with any other birders who might like to join me.

Hi greyfantail -- did you go on the NW India trip? If so, what kind of visa (evisa? regular tourist visa?) do you need for entering India in order to bird Desert NP? It's my understanding that a special permit is required for entering Desert NP, but that this is separate from the visa for entering India? Thanks.

 

[greyfantail]

Hi greyfantail -- did you go on the NW India trip? If so, what kind of visa (evisa? regular tourist visa?) do you need for entering India in order to bird Desert NP? It's my understanding that a special permit is required for entering Desert NP, but that this is separate from the visa for entering India? Thanks.

Please see direct message.

 

[temmie]

I picked up the permit at the DNP office on the outskirts of Jaisalmer:

DNP (Desert National Park) office · Myajlar Road, Union Circle, Suthar Para, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, India

âââââ · Corporate office

goo.gl

I wonder about self-driving to Eaglesnest. Did you manage to do so?

 

[greyfantail]

I picked up the permit at the DNP office on the outskirts of Jaisalmer:

DNP (Desert National Park) office · Myajlar Road, Union Circle, Suthar Para, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan 345001, India

âââââ · Corporate office

goo.gl

I wonder about self-driving to Eaglesnest. Did you manage to do so?

I didn't get to Eaglenest (or anywhere else in Arunachal Pradesh) at all due to permit issues. I kept hoping/getting told that PAPs would start to be issued in a few days and then there would be more problems and delays. Very inconvenient since continually rearranging my plans meant I couldn't make the best use of my time in NE India to visit alternative locations. I did get to Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur, Nameri NP and Kaziranga (mostly dipping at the latter two locations).

I gather that groups that arrived just after I left got their PAPs in time for their trips.

As for the driving, I ended up getting a driver for the manual vehicle I had hired, when it rapidly became apparent that I wasn't as good (or rather even worse) at driving a manual vehicle than I had thought.

I was told that a local guide is now required to visit beyond the pass at Eaglenest.
This wouldn't have impacted my trip, but is something that birders visiting Bompu camp independently should plan for since all the guides can get booked out well in advance.