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Bharatpur - October (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TonyC
- Start date
TonyC
Well-known member
Just returned from India. I was at Bharatpur on 1st November and unfortunately the rumours are true. There is very little water at all !
Compared with a visit 5 years ago which was a 'wet' year I would say bird numbers are down 90%.
They are pumping up groundwater at two locations resulting in a muddy pond full of gasping catfish near the 'canal' and a muddy area near the temple. The pond by the temple is green and stagnent and all the Night Herons have gone.
There are no Storks/Herons/Cormorants there whatsoever, apart from 2 Woolly-necked Storks. We saw about 6 ducks in total - Shovelers and Spot-billed.
I suggest you visit the reserve for say one day and get a rickshaw. The driver will point out Collared Scops-Owl and Dusky Eagle Owls and maybe a few more passerines such as Bluethroat, Golden Oriole etc.
The muddy area had about 10 species of waders on it though
Then get a taxi to Bund Baratha (earlier in the day the better) where we saw Painted, Openbill and Woolly-necked Storks, Herons etc. There is also a Fruit Bat colony at the Government rest house just before the dam.
I'l do a trip report shortly, but PM me if you want further details.
Compared with a visit 5 years ago which was a 'wet' year I would say bird numbers are down 90%.
They are pumping up groundwater at two locations resulting in a muddy pond full of gasping catfish near the 'canal' and a muddy area near the temple. The pond by the temple is green and stagnent and all the Night Herons have gone.
There are no Storks/Herons/Cormorants there whatsoever, apart from 2 Woolly-necked Storks. We saw about 6 ducks in total - Shovelers and Spot-billed.
I suggest you visit the reserve for say one day and get a rickshaw. The driver will point out Collared Scops-Owl and Dusky Eagle Owls and maybe a few more passerines such as Bluethroat, Golden Oriole etc.
The muddy area had about 10 species of waders on it though
Then get a taxi to Bund Baratha (earlier in the day the better) where we saw Painted, Openbill and Woolly-necked Storks, Herons etc. There is also a Fruit Bat colony at the Government rest house just before the dam.
I'l do a trip report shortly, but PM me if you want further details.
ColD
Save the Egyptian Vulture in Greece
Thanks Tony , wow, numbers 90% down !Hope your trip was good otherwise, a rethink needed with our four days , as its in the middle of our trip cannot really do much but spend the time there,will have to do a bit of cultural as well... Fatipur Sikri again !!!.. will look out for your trip report. Thanks again
ColD
ColD
Most recent information makes for depressing reading
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL95384.htm
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL95384.htm
båstad-boy
Economic migrant
hiya
just skimmed through the above, so apologies if I am repeating things others have said. Bharatpur in a dry year is still worth visiting in my opinion - you just have to change your focus to the excellent dry country birds (Indian courser, scoiable plover, spotted creeper, Brook's leaf warbler etc). Bund Bhareta is great and is very good when Bharatpur is dry - we had skimmer there last December (after six attempts over the years). It all depends on the waterlevels at the site - usually the reservoir is too high and the birds have no sandbanks to rest on but in dry years...
The ongoing rumour at Bharatphur is that a pipeline is being constructed from the Chambhal River to the site to allow the wetland to be flooded this way each year. Robbing Peter to pay Paul I guess but if it is ever completed things may return to normality. Never get the Siberian cranes back though sadly.
cheers p
just skimmed through the above, so apologies if I am repeating things others have said. Bharatpur in a dry year is still worth visiting in my opinion - you just have to change your focus to the excellent dry country birds (Indian courser, scoiable plover, spotted creeper, Brook's leaf warbler etc). Bund Bhareta is great and is very good when Bharatpur is dry - we had skimmer there last December (after six attempts over the years). It all depends on the waterlevels at the site - usually the reservoir is too high and the birds have no sandbanks to rest on but in dry years...
The ongoing rumour at Bharatphur is that a pipeline is being constructed from the Chambhal River to the site to allow the wetland to be flooded this way each year. Robbing Peter to pay Paul I guess but if it is ever completed things may return to normality. Never get the Siberian cranes back though sadly.
cheers p
