Subcontinental Drifting: Northern India, March - April 2012 (1 Viewer)

This was my first ever trip to India, although I had been to Sri Lanka previously so knew some of the birds. Although it was mostly a birding trip, there were a few days of work (well, sort of work) and one or two other days that were only partly birding.

I flew with KLM via Amsterdam (only a little over £500 return, and generally good). The first part of the trip I organised with Asian Adventures, who booked the accommodation and organised transport. I had a guide for a day and a half in Corbett. This all worked quite well and meant that everything went fairly smoothly. It would no doubt be possible to do things more cheaply but the costs were generally still fairly low except for visiting Corbett, which is expensive to do however you do it. I organised the final part of the trip myself, which was generally straightforward. I travelled quite often by train, which was fine, even if the stations are generally rather bewildering places. For advice on travelling by train in India, the Man in Seat 61 is your friend.

My itinerary was as follows:

March 24th: Aberdeen - Delhi with KLM. Overnight in Delhi at Grace Hotel http://www.thegracehotel.in/
March 25th: Delhi then overnight train to Ramnagar
March 26th: Tiger Camp in Ramnagar http://www.tiger-camp.com/
March 27th: Corbett National Park, overnight at Dhikala http://www.dhikalaforestlodge.in/index.html
March 28th: Corbett to Pangot http://www.pangot.com/
March 29th-30th: Pangot
March 31st: Pangot to Sat Tal, overnight at Sat Tal Birding Camp http://www.sattalbirdinglodge.com/
April 1st: Sat Tal
April 2nd: Sat Tal to Kathgodam, then overnight train to Delhi
April 3rd - 6th: Malik Continental Hotel, Delhi http://www.malikcontinental.com/
April 6th: Delhi to Bharatpur, Hotel Sunbird http://www.hotelsunbird.com/
April 7th: Bharatpur
April 8th: Bharatpur - Jaipur, overnight Hotel Satkar http://www.satkarhotel.com/index.html
April 9th: Jaipur
April 10th: Jaipur to Agra then to Chambal Safari Lodge http://www.chambalsafari.com/
April 11th: Chambal river safari then return to Delhi for overnight flight to Aberdeen via Amsterdam

I think the trip was quite successful - India is a very easy place to see a lot of birds, many of which are really very wonderful.

25th March, Tughlaqabad, Oklha, New Delhi

I flew into New Delhi via Amsterdam with KLM and arrived, a little ahead of schedule, just before 11 at night on 24th. I made my way through the border easily enough and found a taxi to take my to my first hotel, the not particularly auspicious Grace Hotel. The first day was always going to be a bit tricky: a jet-lagged trawl around a few sites in hectic Delhi. I didn’t make too early a start but a quick look from the window of my room wasn’t a complete loss. I’d no sooner opened the curtains and a Black Kite drifted by. Ring-necked Parakeets clattered into TV aerials; a Purple Sunbird perched on a wire and I soon managed my first lifer of the trip: a Brown Rock Chat that bobbed its way around the rooftops.

I got the hotel to book me a taxi for the day. The driver was helpful enough, almost too helpful in fact as he encouraged me to visit several sites that were good for tourists. He was rather nonplussed by my strange suggestions and I had to, fairly vigorously, explain to him that I wasn’t a normal tourist and wanted to see birds.

Anyway, he managed to get me to my first site, which was in fact a little bit touristy: the ancient fort at Tughlaqabad. These splendid ruins are in the middle of dry thorn scrub and are easily accessible. I coughed up to look around the fort and soon had company in the shape of a security guard, who was eager to show me the sites. I was more eager to look for birds, which were soon conspicuous: more Brown Rock Chats, lots of Indian Robins and Green Bee-eaters, a few Hoopoes, Red-whiskered, Red-vented and White-eared Bulbuls, parties of Common and Jungle Babblers, a few Ashy Prinias and Indian Silverbills. An approachable pair of Yellow-wattled Lapwings scuttled about the ruins. I wanted to explore further, but my dogged companion insisted that it was not allowed for foreign tourists to leave the main site. I protested that many local people were wandering about wherever they liked but he said that it was dangerous and that there were many cobras around. I waited for him to get bored of my slow paced birding and eventually he left me alone. I went off to explore.

A Grey Francolin flushed from the bushes and a Shikra lazily soared overhead. I had good but brief views of a couple of Sulphur-bellied Warblers, a neat phyllosc that creeps about the rocks. I had to get my scope out to inspect an obscure looking bunting, which I eventually managed to ID as a female White-capped Bunting. My friend the eager security guard was soon back to inform me that ‘tripod is not allowed’. He really liked not allowing things. I escaped him again by hopping across the road to look around the scrub there. A very smart Bay-backed Shrike perched up briefly and ‘as good as a lifer’ was a cracking male Red-breasted Flycatcher. A couple of Dusky Crag Martins sauntered overhead but that was about it for the fort. Plenty of good stuff but no cobras.

Next stop was the Yamuna River at Okhla – one of Delhi’s most famous sites for birds. My driver was a bit unsure about this and told me that the river was ‘smelly’. We eventually fought our way through the traffic jams to the Kalindi Kunj park. This was a rather strange place that clearly frequented by ‘courting couples’. Just to add to the fun, a couple of transvestites were hanging around outside saying ‘Hello sexy’ to me. Friendly. I was informed that no cameras were allowed inside the park and, a Black Drongo and Brown-headed Barbet aside, there weren’t too many birds. There were clearly lots of birds on the river, but the views were rather distant. Thinking it might be unwise to get my tripod and scope out, I headed out of the park and found my way to a rough track that leads alongside the river and gives views over various small lakes formed by the banks. This was where I spent the rest of the afternoon.

There really were lots of birds on the river, and all over the place in fact. Waders were numerous, particularly Ruff, Wood Sandpiper and Black-winged Stilt but there were also Temminck’s Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Avocet and Red-wattled Lapwing amongst others. Bigger waders were conspicuous too: Purple and Indian Pond Herons, Cattle Egrets, Black-headed and Glossy Ibis and a gang of Painted Storks towering over everything else. The marshes were awash with Purple Swamphens and Citrine Wagtails and a quick White-breasted Waterhen scuttled through the rushes. Plain and Ashy Prinias sang from the vegetation, gangs of Asian Pied Starlings were noisy and conspicuous and the cattle were being attended by dozens of Bank Mynahs. Plenty of waterfowl too. Most numerous were Shovelers but there were lots of the very contrasting Indian Spot-billed Ducks and some rewardingly smart Garganey. Flocks of Ruddy Shelduck were loafing on the islands, as were hundreds of very trim Bar-headed Goose: my first ‘real’ sighting of these classic Asiatic wildfowl. One or two Greater Coucals and White-throated Kingfishers lurked around the margins and a couple of Brown-throated Martins zipped past. A dusky looking immature Egyptian Vulture was in amongst the throng of Black Kites. Then there was the really good stuff.

I stared into one bush and found a Spotted Owlet staring back, with remarkable intensity. In amongst the flooded vegetation a splendid Bronze-winged Jacana stood patiently. A delicately legged White-tailed Lapwing gave splendid views on one of the pools. Rather more distant were two pairs of neatly turned out River Lapwings. There were lots of gulls and terns too. The terns all appeared to be either Whiskered or Gull-billed. The gulls were a bit trickier, as they often tend to be, but I soon worked out they were a mix of the familiar Black-headed and the rather less familiar Brown-headed Gull. The latter can look very similar until you realise it’s noticeably larger than the Black-headed. In flight they reveal themselves with a distinctive wing pattern. More surprising was a solitary Slender-billed Gull in amongst them – apparently a bit of a rarity here.

I had hoped to head over to the other side of the river but my driver told me he couldn’t go there because it was in another state. More being not allowed to do things. But it had been rather a splendid first day, with lots of species and quite a few new ones. My driver dropped me at Old Delhi Station, where I waited for my overnight train to Ramnagar. Top tip on the train: they seem to add the Ramnagar carriages after the Kathgodam ones, so don’t spend half an hour tracking back and forth along the train trying to find your carriage. Wait for a bit and it should appear. Once on the train I settled into my cabin and drifted off into blissful sleep. For about five minutes – that’s about all I managed.

Here's a few pictures from Okhla:
1. Brown-headed Gull (1st winter)
2. Black-winged Stilt
3. Purple Heron
4. Purple Swamp Hen
5. Whiskered Tern

Some more shots from Okhla:

1. Sacred cow action, featuring Bank Mynah and House Crow
2&3. Red-wattled Lapwing
4. Spot-billed Duck
5. White-tailed Lapwing

Andrew Whitehouse said:

...visiting Corbett, which is expensive to do however you do it...

Click to expand...

A nice report coming up I have to assume.

How so Corbett is always expensive - I did it on a budget a while back, has something changed?

26th March, Tiger Camp, Ramnagar

So I was whisked away from Ramnagar station in a jeep and found myself at the Tiger Camp resort by the Kosi River, just as dawn was breaking. Despite a lack of sleep I headed off down to the river. The huge riverbed was wide and stony but the river itself made up only part of it. River Lapwings were numerous and so too were the very dapper White-browed Wagtails. Striated Herons stalked along the edges and Pied Kingfishers hovered overhead. Patches of scrub were productive too, with be-quiffed Himalayan Bulbuls, Hume’s Warblers, Grey-breasted Prinias, Jungle Mynahs and Pied Bushchats all numerous. Dozens of Chestnut-tailed Starlings were darting about in tight flocks. The occasional Plum-headed Parakeet was amongst the numerous Ring-necked Parakeets. One of the best birds of the day was Pied Wagtail. Cracking birds these, more specifically the Asiatic forms alboides, personata and leucopsis all of which were about, along with nominate alba. Pride of place went to the dashing White-capped Redstart, strutting about the rocks, brilliant cap gleaming.

Back around the lodge there was plenty going on: a Red-collared Dove, a rather dull Verditer Flycatcher, Golden-fronted Leafbirds in amongst the starlings and several Yellow-throated Sparrows. The large Spangled Drongos put on a good show in the treetops. One of the workers at the lodge spotted me with binoculars and camera and asked if I wanted to see the owls. Indeed I did, and very good they were too: a couple of Collared Scops Owls quietly roosting in the dense cover of the garden.

I was keen to explore the Sal forests on the other side of the road, but it wasn’t easy to do so except from the noisy road itself. I wandered along in the heat, horns blaring from the traffic speeding by. Fine distraction came from a Red-billed Blue Magpie, which flew across the road, its long train following some distance behind it. I managed to get away from the traffic by heading along a small dry riverbed that went a little further into the forest. The forest had seemed quiet from the road, but soon got busier. A female Long-tailed Minivet perched prominently along with a few Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrikes. Black-hooded Oriole popped in briefly and a Lesser Yellownape gave fine views as it worked a trunk. A large dark bird, like a small crow swooped in. Splendid – a Blue Whistling Thrush. Soon it was off into the undergrowth. That undergrowth turned up a few things too: a pair of Puff-throated Babblers worked their way through, seemingly oblivious to my presence just a short distance away. A small yellow bird, which was presumed to be a Whistler’s Warbler also scuttled along. A quite brilliant red and blue Crimson Sunbird also approached very close by. I didn’t forget to look up either, as a pair of Crested Serpent Eagles drifted around followed by a huge immature Himalayan Vulture that crossed the sky with barely a movement of its wings.

The afternoon was a little easier paced, with a long, slow wander along the river and back along the road. A bird that soon became conspicuous was Indian Grey Hornbill with a few small gangs giving nice views as they drifted through the trees. An Indian Roller perched up on wires and better views were eventually had of Blue Whistling Thrush, strutting about the new (empty) swimming pool on rather long legs. A Little Cormorant circled over the river and a very fine Shaheen Peregrine was soaring over the valley. The forests were quiet on the way back but a Chestnut-headed Bee-eater gave distant views.

1. Collared Scops Owl
2. Indian Grey Hornbill
3. River Lapwing
4. Pied Bushchat
5. White-capped Redstart

Jos Stratford said:

A nice report coming up I have to assume.

How so Corbett is always expensive - I did it on a budget a while back, has something changed?

Click to expand...

I suppose expensive is a relative term. I was really just comparing it to the other places I went. At Corbett I was paying extra for permits and transport in the park, which I suppose you always have to pay for. At other places it was just food and accommodation. I'm sure it's possible to do it more cheaply than I did, but I think it will usually tend to be one of the more expensive areas to do in that part of India because of the additional costs.

Here are some fetching wagtails:

1. White Wagtail - personata I think
2&3. White-browed Wagtail

I seem to remember I took transport in, then stayed at the camp for a couple of days without transport, walking to the nearby hide/tower. Took a couple of trips round by jeep, but this was with others staying inthe camp, so not so bad.

But yes, compared to localities outside the parks, I guess expensive.

27th March, Tiger Camp, Corbett NP

This turned out to be rather a lively day, although things didn’t really get going till late morning. I had a wander round the forest near Tiger Camp again, but saw similar birds to yesterday. New was a Crested Honey Buzzard sailing overhead, a pair of Grey-headed Woodpeckers and a White-bellied Drongo. Otherwise it was as you were. My lack of sleep caught up with me and after breakfast I had a kip for an hour or so.

At 11 it was time to head to Corbett and I set off in a jeep along with a guide and a driver. The aim was to get to the camp at Dikhala by 2.30, when they stopped serving lunch. We just about made it, but had to hurry up at the end because we’d been stopping so often. Raptors were a big feature of the journey with Crested Honey Buzzard seen a few times, Shikra, a Changeable Hawk-eagle, a couple of Black Eagles and three Cinereous Vultures getting a bit of a kettle going on. Those are Black Vultures incidentally, if you’re not American. Lots of bits and pieces were popping up in the Sal forest and more open areas: Emerald Dove, Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters, both Scarlet and Small Minivets, Black Bulbuls, a few Ashy Drongos. Rhesus Macaques and Hanuman Langurs lined the road and Spotted Deer often crossed it. A Sambar deer was drinking at the river, where a big Mugger Crocodile was basking in the sun. Top mammals were a couple of Yellow-throated Martens that trotted gamely along the road. Things almost got interesting when we stopped to look at a small Tusker, which momentarily looked as if it was going to charge. Then it decided to run off instead. Wuss.

I’ve not even told you about the good stuff yet. Flocks of Wedge-tailed Green Pigeons were frequent, and some gave decent views as they fed or looked nervous in the trees. A Crested Kingfisher was briefly seen sat on a rock, which it was almost as big as. A multi-coloured Blue-throated Barbet perched in a treetop. A Black-lored Tit looked like a cross between a Great Tit and a Crested Tit, except for being even better than that makes it sound. A couple of male Rosy Minivets gave good views in amongst one mixed flock. Ashy Bulbuls were seen in a few places and were generally just great looking. One flock of birds were just next to the road and soon produced a Whiskered Yuhina, looking not quite like any bird I’ve seen before. Then I got distracted by the best bird of the trip so far: a cracking male Little Pied Flycatcher. Actually to call them cracking implies it was as good as crack, which it wasn’t: it was better. Probably. There was a female too, which was quite subtle looking, but I didn’t really look at that because I was too busy looking at the male being stonking. A bird so great just thinking about it makes me cry.

So we just about made it to Dikhala for lunch. I had a look out over the river, just as it reaches the large lake that forms the centre of Corbett. There were loads of birds at the river mouth but they were a bit of a way off. Through the scope I could make out lots of a Black Storks, a couple of absolutely colossal Black-necked Storks and a couple of Lesser Fish Eagles perched on dead trees.

Then it was off on safari, which was quite a laugh. What everyone wants is to see a Tiger. This didn’t happen but I came close. We heard some alarm calling animals and headed up to see what was going on. We were told that a Tiger had gone through fairly quickly but we were too late to see it. There were plenty of large mammals for it to pick off at its leisure: Spotted Deer, Hog Deer, Wild Boar and lots of Asian Elephants. Most of the time we were in the grassland, which was replete with Indian Peafowl, Oriental Skylarks, Tawny Pipits and Bright-headed Cisticolas. A small party of Red Junglefowl sauntered through – a pleasing bird to see, after only hearing them in Singapore a few years ago. Both Bay-backed and Long-tailed Shrike looked very good indeed. A Red-breasted Parakeet rocketed overhead, as did a tiny White-rumped Spinetail. In the trees we enjoyed very close views of a Grey-headed Woodpecker and slightly more distant looks at a Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch. A couple of Red-headed Vultures looked thoroughly enormous, particularly when they took off from the trees they were perched in. They weren’t quite as big as the Cinereous Vulture that was in the same area. Also giving good wingspan were an adult and juvenile Pallas’s Fish Eagle, which were hanging about next to a huge stick nest. Pallas only gave his name to great birds. Down by the lake a couple of Ospreys were about and I got some very pleasing views of River Terns, which are one of the neatest looking terns I’ve ever seen. Much better in real life than the pictures would suggest. A few small pools had a few waders, including a very fetching male Greater Painted Snipe. Near to it was another snipe, which initially puzzled me but I soon realised it was a very obvious Jack Snipe. Eventually it started pottering about and doing its legs-on-springs routine. This was a lifer for both guides who were with me, and I was later told this is a pretty unusual record for Corbett.

Back at the lodge a look over the river mouth revealed that a couple of Pallas’s Fish Eagles had joined the Lesser Fish-eagles. Then, as night fell, the nightjars started kicking off. Savanna Nightjars called a bit but it was the Large-tailed Nightjars that were really up for it: giving weird pulsating calls and perching about on the rooftops, flicking their wings about. I went to bed with the sound ringing in my ears.

1. Asian Elephants
2. Wild Boar
3. Mugger Crocodile
4. Pallas's Fish Eagle
5. Long-tailed Shrike

A few more pictures from Corbett and from Tiger Camp:

1. Tawny Pipit
2. Chestnut-tailed Starling
3. Golden-fronted Leafbird

some stunning pics from a pretty awesome trip hope there's more coming!

March 28th, Corbett – Ramnagar – Mangali – Pangot

The Large-tailed Nightjars were still going first thing in the morning at Dikhala. It didn’t take long to start seeing other good birds either. The scrubby bank around the edge of the compound was full of promise, and soon a couple of dinky Black-chinned Babblers scuttled through. Then an absolutely brilliant pocket-dynamo of a bird – a Chestnut-headed Tesia – flitted about through the lantana scrub. A tiny, bright yellow, red and green bird – gorgeous.

Soon I was off in the jeep again. Things were slow going for a while, relatively speaking at least. A Woolly-necked Stork was wading about the grassland, and two Black-necked Storks flew powerfully over the lake. A few Siberian Stonechats perched on the tall grass, where Black Francolins were calling noisily. Eventually a couple perched up on bushes to give good views. A Chestnut-eared Bunting was rather a good find, as it sat up on the grass. Better still was a very smart Crested Bunting, which even sang a few short phrases. A Rosy Minivet gave good views and another Verditer Flycatcher was seen well. The tiger situation was disappointing, although there was a certain amount of chasing about, and one was again seen by others. If I’d had more time I might have had a good chance, but we had to head back to Ramnagar.

We took a route back along the river, which was initially rather productive. Four species of woodpecker were seen, included very good views of a couple of Fulvous-breasted Woodpeckers and also a Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker. A peculiar looking bird with long bill, streaked underparts and rufous undertail coverts turned out to be a female Maroon Oriole. Lesser Fish Eagle and Crested Serpent Eagle gave fantastic perched views. Overhead a Red-headed Vulture and Crested Treeswift both appeared.

The forest noticeably quietened as we travelled out of the park. Soon I was back at Tiger Camp for a quick lunch, before getting into a taxi to take me up into the mountains at Pangot. We stopped to see an immature White-rumped Vulture at a roadside nest – the only one of the trip. The dam on the Kosi River at Ramnagar was quite busy with birds, with several Bar-headed Geese, a mixture of waders and lots of Little Cormorants.

The next few stops were rather unproductive, aside from a good view of another Red-headed Vulture. The forests were very quiet, as if they’d been sucked dry of birds. We stopped at a few places around Mangali and initially these were very quiet too. Things picked up though, particularly with some judicious use of owlet calls. Soon birds were everywhere. There was a plethora of tits: Black-lored, incredibly cute Black-throated Tits and a few Green-backed Tits – a sort of ‘ultra’ Great Tit. In amongst the innumerable Hume’s Warblers was a possible Green Warbler – very bright yellow on the throat. A Great Barbet performed brilliantly, duetting with its unseen mate. This is a really impressive ‘ivory-billed’ barbet. Brief but good views were had of a dapper looking Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler. A Slaty-headed Parakeet perched up in a tree. Very decent views were had of a Greater Yellownape, giving a nice contrast with the Lesser Yellownapes I’d been seeing earlier. A female White-browed Shrike-babbler was very smart and was soon followed by perhaps the best bird of all: a splendid, multicoloured Rufous Sibia. Add a good supporting cast of Long-tailed Minivet and a dashing, brightly coloured Verditer Flycatcher and things were actually livening up quite a bit.

Various roadside stops on the way up to Pangot brought some additional birds. A small stream had a pair of Plumbeous Water Redstarts – the male a bit like a vividly coloured, well-nourished Black Redstart. A White-capped Redstart kept it company. Further up I got lucky when a Barred Owlet flew into a treetop for a minute or so, and I had a couple of views of the dapper Grey Bushchat. A few Streaked Laughingthrushes were hopping about at the roadside, but I got better views once I’d settled into the Jungle Lore Birding Lodge in Pangot – an absolutely glorious mountain setting. Despite the birding being slow at times, the sheer variety of habitats through the day produced 115 species.

1. Black Kite
2. Long-tailed Shrike
3. Rosy Minivet
4. Siberian Stonechat
5. Spotted Deer

Thanks for the comment Paul. Here are some more pictures from Corbett, Ramnagar and Mangali.

1. Black Francolin
2. Crested Bunting
3. Oriental Honey Buzzard
4. Great Barbet
5. Bar-headed Geese

The first picture is of Corbett Falls, which I called in at on the way up to Pangot. You can probably see why I didn't find any Forktails there.

The other four pictures are a sequence of an Indian Roller from Corbett, tucking into a beetle.

A riveting read and nicely illustrated!

Beautiful Pics and a grt Report. Covered quite a lot of North India.

Another entertaining report - good stuff Andrew

A word of warning . . . if Little Pied Fly dos that to you I strongly suggest that you never try seeing Pied Falconet - it might well prove fatal!

What a brute that Mugger is . . . so complete is its ugliness its almost beautiful.

Well gripped by the Jack Snipe - its 25 years since I've seen one of those anywhere.

Cheers
Mike

Rivetting read Andrew, sounds like a fantastic trip.

Thoroughly enjoying your report and looking forward to more! Sounds like a fantastic trip.

March 29th, Pangot

Pangot is rather a pleasant place. Way up in the Himalayan foothills, surrounded by endless forest, a relatively cool and pleasant climate: everything I could want for a few days birding. Early morning was promising, with a number of new birds under my belt before I’d even left the village. The very sharply dressed Black-headed Jays that were soon crowding into the garden at Jungle Lore were to be a regular sight. Equally smart were the Russet Sparrows in the bushes and the busy Grey-hooded Warblers. A Striated Prinia worked its way along a grass bank. Also around the village were lots of Oriental Turtle Doves, a Common Rosefinch and a pair of Red-rumped Swallows. Best of all were a couple of splendid blue and orange Blue-fronted Redstarts, hopping about someone’s garden.

On to the road. In Pangot the main road, which is not at all busy, is the main birding trail. The forest soon got lively and, I must admit, slightly bewildering. So numerous were the birds and so fleeting some of the views that a lot passed me by. Once I got my bearings, there were some species I could actually sort out: the small White-tailed Nuthatches, Bar-tailed Treecreepers, the array of tits, including Spot-winged, Black-lored, Black-throated and Green-backed. Warblers were trickier, but I soon managed to find the diminutive Black-faced Warblers zipping about the canopy. I eventually decided that some of the warblers with central crown stripes and two wing bars were Blyth’s Leaf Warblers. A few Eurasian Jays of the subspecies bispecularis were about, including one giving a remarkable yodelling song that I’ve never heard from a Jay before. A few Himalayan Griffon Vultures floated overhead. The song of Rufous Sibias filled the air. It was all good.

It soon got rather better. Pangot is famed for its pheasants and I was hoping I might encounter a few on my walk. I was only a few hundred metres from the village when I heard a rustling from the bank above the road. Soon the source appeared: a female Koklass Pheasant. Very good, but where there’s a female there might well be a male. And there he was in all his glory: grey and white lined plumage, with a red wine throat and a green head and crest topping it all. They pottered about the bank for a few minutes just a few metres away. This was all very easy. Woodpeckers were sometimes a little harder but I eventually managed to sort out good looks at the three common pied woodpeckers of the area: Himalyan Woodpecker, which is rather like a Great-spot, the small, streaky Brown-fronted Woodpecker and the rather glorious pink and buff Rufous-bellied Woodpecker. A few other nice birds, such as White-browed Shrike-babbler and Grey-headed Canary-flyctacher, were in amongst the throng of warblers and tits. A particularly fine bird was Ultramarine Flycatcher – a deep blue and white beauty. On the return walk a gang of industrious White-throated Laughingthrushes appeared in the understory and a female Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush gave fine views in a treetop.

The afternoon was inevitably a bit quieter. I wandered down the hill from Jungle Lore through largely silent forests. Things got a little busier towards the end of the day, with a Whiskered Yuhina showing well in a small scrubby area. This area also produced a delightful Lemon-rumped Warbler, which is very similar to a Pallas’s. On the way back up, gangs of Red-billed Blue Magpies gathered noisily in the trees. The day ended on a high with a confiding pair of Asian Barred Owlets sitting quietly in the trees.

1. Rufous-bellied Woodpecker
2. Eurasian Jay (not a great shot but shows how distinctive they are)
3. Streaked Laughingthrush
4. White-browed Shrike-babbler (female)
5. Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush (also a female)

Thanks for the comments folks. Mike - I was desperately keen to see Collared Falconet in Corbett but sadly failed. Perhaps it's for the best.

More pictures:
1. Blue Whistling Thrush
2. Asian Barred Owlet