Seconded! We were there last November and it was very very dry!! Still, Bund Baretha is not far away. You would be advised to take a scope there as the birds are quite distant. Here is what I wrote about our time in Bharatpur.
we met our driver, Sandeep in Delhi and drove to Bharatpur. Sandeep spoke good English and was very chatty. As a budding ornithologist he was keen to get our lists off to a good start, stopping off en route whenever we spotted something interesting. Ian scored early with a sighting of what we believe was a Booted Eagle at a dried up reservoir. We also caught some nice snapshots of a juvenile Black-shouldered Kite. We quickly added some of the commoner birds including White-throated Kingfisher, Black Drongo, House and Large-billed Crow, Black-winged Stilt, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common and Bank Mynahs along with a selection of doves and pigeons. Arriving into Bharatpur we spotted two Painted Storks as they flew over as well as a Purple Heron. We arrived at Hotel Sunbird around lunchtime and were out in the park at 3 pm with our guide Rattan Singh and new travelling companion, Mike Vickers, who would be with us until we left Sikandra.
I visited Keoladeo Ghana National Park on my previous trip to India in 1995 with the YOC, when it was a haven for a multitude of wetland species. I was well aware that the area had suffered with a lack of water for the past few years. Nevertheless I was still shocked by the state of it. Where once there were lakes teeming with wildfowl, herons and storks, there is now only scrub. Despite this, we still found enough to keep us entertained for the afternoon. Some of the old favorites were still there, including the Spotted Owlets, Dusky Eagle Owl, Brown Hawk Owl, and Long-tailed Nightjar. We also got some nice views of a Coppersmith Barbet and a Golden Jackal (a first for me) posed for a photo. We also got Rhesus Macaques, Sambar and Nilgai. Of water birds there were very few: White-breasted Water Hen, a few egrets, Indian Pond Heron, two Black-necked Storks and a single pair of Sarus Cranes. No ducks were to be found. There were also some large turtles in the small areas of wetland.
Soon it got dark and we had an exciting ride back in a cycle rickshaw into oncoming traffic! I think any sense of fear Ian and I had has now been cured! Rattan advised us to try for Bund Baretha the next day, as we would get to see more birds. The three of us agreed to this plan and settled in to get acquainted over a few beers, or in my case a bottle of wine (which cost 800 rupees). A word of note on the administration, anyone planning a similar tailor-made trip to India might wish to be aware that you will be handed a pack containing your vouchers, one for each hotel. You will need to present each voucher together with your passports when you check in. You will also be expected to fill in a log book with the details of your passports, where you are arriving from and where you are moving on to. Some hotels also had guest books for general comments which they usually ask you to contribute to.
17th November
We were up reasonably early for our trip to Bund Baretha. Bund Baretha Wildlife Sanctuary is located near the village Baretha, 45 kms. from Bharatpur. It covers an area of 199.50 Sq. kms. Declared a sanctuary in 1985, the habitat consists of a valley with a damn or man-made “Bund” at one end creating a mosaic of flooded areas and islands.
Rattan, a very knowledgeable guide, is clearly well respected in his field. He stopped the car often to search for birds en route and pointed out Red Avadavats, Red Headed Bunting, Wryneck, a pair of Spotted Owlets, Sirkeer Malkoha (which he got ever so excited about), Ashy-crowned Finch Lark and Indian Silverbills. Arriving at Bund Baretha my telescope came in very handy and we were able to add a variety of water birds to our list, including Cotton Teal, Little and Great Crested Grebes and Indian Spotbill Duck. We also got some great views of a Crested Serpent Eagle and brief views of Painted Sand Grouse and Rosy Starling.
18th November
After a leisurely start we checked out of Hotel Sunbird. Whilst waiting for Sandeep I spotted a female Purple Sunbird- so the hotel clearly lives up to its name, as well as Yellow-footed Green Pigeon.
A link to some photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8773601@N03/sets/72157603341038890/
