India Family Tour : Tigers & Forts

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1 Naturetrek March Keoladeo Ghana Nature Park Common Myna Common Langur Tiger Report compiled by Harish Sharma and edited by Dhanya Venkates Images courtesy of Neil and Helen Champness Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: W:

2 India Family Tour : Tigers & Forts Tour leader: Participants: Harish Sharma Neil Champness Helen Champness Edward Champness Summary Tigers & Forts Pis a Naturetrek tour that focuses on the rich avifauna and monuments of the North Indian destinations of Delhi, Ranthambore National Park, Jaipur known as the pink city, Keoladeo National Park popularly known as a Ghana bird sanctuary, Fathepur Sikri, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Highlights of the trip included Dusky Eagle Owl, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Cotton Pygmy Goose etc. Among the mammals and reptiles seen on the tour were Tiger, Sambar deer, Indian Gazelle, Marsh Crocodile, and Indian Softshell Turtle. A total of 153 species of birds, 9 species of mammal and 4 species of reptile were recorded. Day 0 Saturday 19th February Travel from the UK Day 1 Sunday 20th February The guests arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. The flight was on time and tour leader met the family and drove for twenty minutes to reach the hotel Leela Kempinski. After having lunch, we checked out of the hotel and reached the station, admiring the Presidents House, India Gate, Jumma Masjid and Rajghat on the way. The train was on time leaving Delhi. After reaching Sawai Madhopur, we were transferred to our hotel The Pugmark. Day 2 Monday 21st February We had early breakfast at 6 o clock and set out for our first game drive in Ranthambore National Park. This first morning we were on route 2 and after birding for two hours suddenly a male Tiger was spotted along the road. It was a great sighting for about 45 minutes. Spotted Deer were seen everywhere in the park. We also saw Marsh Crocodiles. After lunch, we had a second game drive in Ranthambore National Park. Blue Bull and Sambar Deer were the new mammals for this drive. The birds seen today were Plum-headed Parakeet, Rock Bunting, Indian Vulture, Black-rumped Flameback, Spotted Owlet, Jungle Bush Quail, White-eyed Buzzard etc. Overnight at the hotel. Naturetrek February

3 Day 3 Tuesday 22nd February This morning, we drove through Sawai Madhopur town to get inside the National Park on route 6. We saw new birds like Bonelli s Eagle, Grey-necked Bunting, Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark, Indian Silverbill, Rufous-fronted Prinia etc. We saw some dainty Indian Gazelles in pairs. After lunch we went for the drive and again we were lucky to see two big cats. We saw male T-24 and T-39 Tigresses together. The birds seen today were Alexandrine Parakeet, Tickells Blue Flycatcher, Rufous-tailed Lark etc. Overnight at the hotel. Day 4 Wednesday 23rd February After breakfast we drove to the park for our last game drive and we were on route 3. The birds seen were Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Great Thick-knee, Osprey, Common Kestrel, Little-ringed Plover etc. No predators today. After lunch, we drove for four hours to Jaipur also known as the pink city. It was a beautiful drive through countryside and an opportunity to see the Indian villages and culture. The birds seen on the way were Comb Duck, Rosy Starling, Plain Martin etc. Overnight at the hotel Shahpura House Day 5 Thursday 24th February We had a whole day sight seeing in the city of Jaipur. It is the Capital of Rajasthan and Indias first well planned city. We started with Hawa Mahal - wind palace. It is beautiful and shaped like a bee hive. We had an elephant ride to visit the famous Amber Fort. We spent about two hours exploring this beautiful palace. After visiting the fort, we went to visit the Observatory known as Jantar-Mantar. After lunch we visited the City Palace of Jaipur. Overnight at the hotel Shahpura House Day 6 Friday 25th February After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and headed for Agra. On the way, we stopped to visit the famous wetland Keoladeo National Park, popularly known as Ghana Bird Sanctuary. The birds seen were Dusky Eagle Owl, Indian Grey Hornbill, Greater Spotted and Imperial Eagle, Black-necked Stork, Indian Cormorant etc. We had lunch in a local restaurant and in the afternoon we visited Fathepur Sikri popularly known as the deserted city built by Akbar. Overnight was spent in the comforts of our Agra hotel the Rajmahal. Day 7 Saturday 26th February We started our day visiting the world famous world heritage monument the Taj Mahal. We spent about three hours exploring this beautiful monument. After visiting the Taj, we went to visit the massive Agra Fort. We had lunch in a local restaurant. After lunch, we visited our last monument of the tour, Imat-ud-duala popularly known as the Baby Taj. 2 Naturetrek July 111

4 The birds seen on Yamuna River were River Lapwing, Ruff, Citrine Wagtail, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Black-Winged Stilt etc. In the evening, we had an early dinner in a local restaurant and then proceeded to the railway station to catch our train for Delhi at 20:30 pm. After arriving at the railway station at Delhi, we were transferred to the Indira Gandhi International Airport for the flight back to the UK. Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek ing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit to sign up. Naturetrek Facebook We are delighted to launch the Naturetrek Facebook page so that participants of Naturetrek tours can remain in touch after the holiday and share photos, comments and future travel plans. Setting up a personal profile at is quick, free and easy. The Naturetrek Facebook page is now live; do please pay us a visit! Naturetrek July 11 3

5 Species Lists Bird ( recorded but not counted) February Common name Scientific name Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis 2 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis 3 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 4 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger 5 Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster 6 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 7 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 8 Great Egret Ardea alba 9 Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia 10 Little Egret Egretta garzetta 11 Indian Pond-heron Ardeola grayii 12 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 13 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 14 Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala 15 Black Stork Ciconia nigra 16 Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus 17 Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus 18 Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus 19 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 20 Lesser Whistling-duck Dendrocygna javanica 21 Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus 22 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 23 Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos 24 Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus 25 Common Teal Anas crecca 26 Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha 27 Northern Pintail Anas acuta 28 Osprey Pandion haliaetus 29 Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus 30 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus 31 Black Kite Milvus migrans 32 Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus 33 Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus 34 Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus 35 Eurasian Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 36 Shikra Accipiter badius 37 White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa 38 Imperial eagle Aquila heliaca 39 Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga 40 Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciatus 41 Booted Eagle Aquila pennatus 42 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 43 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus 44 Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus 45 Jungle Bush-quail Perdicula asiatica 4 Naturetrek July 111

6 February Common name Scientific name Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus 47 White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus 48 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 49 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus 50 Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus 51 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 52 Great Thick-knee Burhinus recurvirostris 53 River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii 54 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus 55 White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus 56 Little -ringed plover Charadrius dubius 57 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 58 Common Redshank Tringa totanus 59 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 60 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 61 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 62 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 63 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 64 Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii 65 Ruff Philomachus pugnax 66 Heuglin's Gull Larus heuglini 67 River Tern Sterna aurantia 68 Rock Dove Columba livia 69 Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 70 Red Collared-dove Streptopelia tranquebarica 71 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 72 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis 73 Yellow-footed Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera 74 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria 75 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri 76 Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala 77 Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis 78 Dusky eagle owl Bubu Coromandus 79 Spotted Owlet Athene brama 80 Little Swift Apus affinis 81 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 82 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 83 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis 84 Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis 85 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis 86 Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops 87 Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris 88 Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica 89 Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense 90 Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark Eremopterix grisea 91 Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicurus 92 Plain Martin Riparia paludicola 93 Dusky Crag-martin Ptyonoprogne concolor Naturetrek July 11 5

7 February Common name Scientific name Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii 95 White Wagtail Motacilla alba 96 White-browed Wagtail Motacilla madaraspatensis 97 Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola 98 Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava 99 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea 100 Large Cuckoo-shrike Coracina macei 101 Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus 102 White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis 103 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer 104 Rufous-fronted Prinia Prinia buchanani 105 Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii 106 Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata 107 Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis 108 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata 109 Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola 110 Clamorous Reed-warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus 111 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius 112 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita 113 Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides 114 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca 115 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva 116 Tickell's Blue-flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae 117 Grey-headed Canar flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis 118 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica 119 Oriental Magpie-robin Copsychus saularis 120 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata 121 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 122 Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata 123 Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea 124 Indian Chat Cercomela fusca 125 White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola 126 Common Babbler Turdoides caudatus 127 Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi 128 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus 129 Great Tit Parus major 130 Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus 131 Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus 132 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach 133 Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis 134 Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus 135 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 136 White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens 137 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda 138 House Crow Corvus splendens 139 Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos 140 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus 141 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 6 Naturetrek July 111

8 February Common name Scientific name Asian Pied Starling Gracupica contra 143 Brahminy Starling Temenuchus pagodarum 144 Rosy Starling Pastor roseus 145 House Sparrow Passer domesticus 146 Chestnut-shouldered Petronia Petronia xanthocollis 147 Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus 148 Grey-necked Bunting Emberiza buchanani 149 Rock Bunting Emberiza Cia 150 Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica Mammals 1 Royal Bengal Tiger Panthera tigris tigris 2 Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta 3 Common Langur Presbytis entellus 4 Five-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti 5 Sambar Cervus unicolor 6 Chital (Spotted Deer) Cervus axis 7 Khincara (Indian Gazelle) Gazella bennetti 8 Nilgai (Blue Bull) Boselaphus tragocamelus 9 Indian Wild Boar Sus scrofa Other fauna on extension 1 Indian Flapshell Turtle Lissemys punctata 2 Marsh Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris 3 House Gecko species Hemidactylus or Gehyra etc sp Naturetrek July 11 7