NORTHERN INDIA TOUR REPORT DECEMBER 2015 A Wildlife Tour of Northern India 5th 20th December

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1 NORTHERN INDIA TOUR REPORT DECEMBER 2015 A Wildlife Tour of Northern India 5th 20th December Participants:- Viv & Peter Chapman, John Gardiner, Sophie Harrison, Peter Leach and Brian Riches Tour Guide for Norfolk Birding Chris Mills OVERVIEW OF THE TOUR This tour took in the amazing sights and sounds of Northern India s wildlife and birds plus a visit to the amazing Taj Mahal. The tour included a wide and varied cross section of habitat with the wetland and birds of Bharatpur. This provided a vast array of wetland species, plus a good introduction to raptors and passerines. We also took the opportunity to spend a day visit the Taj Mahal. We visited the forest and mountain area of Pangot, near Nainatal in the foothills of the Himalaya s and also spent 3 full days in the famous Corbett National Park. We also spent 2 days in the beautiful surroundings of the buffer zone forest near Corbett NP in a secluded river valley alongside the Ramganga river. The group and guides in the foothills of the Himalayas near Pangot

2 IMAGES FROM THE TOUR A whole sequence of images taken during the tour can be viewed online by going to the following link, you do not need to be registered with facebook to use this link or see the images. Please either click the link or copy and paste the following: e5f3 Friday 4th December The whole group met up at Heathrow airport to board our British Airways direct flight to Delhi. Cost around Everyone in the main group arrived on time at the agreed meeting point and we were soon through security and boarding our flight. The flight departed at around 11.40am, the flight was comfortable with good food and drink and the economy seats were relatively comfortable. Flight time is around 9 hours and we arrived in Delhi at a local time of 2.30am. We were met at the airport by our local guide Prasanna, he escorted us to our minibus and driver. The luggage was loaded into the 10 seater minibus & we were soon tasting the bright lights, hustle and bustle of Delhi! Even at this hour the roads were busy! We soon arrived at the Hotel Ashok Country Resort, everyone was shown to their appointed rooms. Hotel Ashok Country resort had good rooms with reasonable food a mix of Indian breakfast and lunch. Overnight at Hotel Ashok Country Resort. Saturday 5th December Before a late breakfast at 9.45am we had time for a quick 45 minutes casual birding around the hotel and nearby gardens before departing for Agra and the Taj mahal. The well attended and mature gardens yielded a mix of commoner birds, highlights were Indian House Crow, 50+ Black Kite, 20+ Rose-ringed Parakeet, Oriental White-eye, and a cracking male Red-breasted Flycatcher. We then loaded up the minibus and starting heading for Agra and the Taj Mahal, though we made steady progress this was interrupted by several stops for birding at roadside pools! We were treated to a fantastic mix of birds from these roadside stops 20+ Indian Peafowl, several White-throated Kingfisher, 10 Purple Swamphen, Red-Wattled Lapwing, 100 s of Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Black Drongo, Black-winged Kite, Indian Mynah, Purple Gallinule, Black-winged Stilt, Snipe, 2+ Wood Sandpiper, 6 Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, 30 Ruff, Black-headed Ibis, Little Cormorant, Longtailed Shrike, Egyptian Vulture and Oriental Honey Buzzard. Also c10 Citrine Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail and several White Wagtail. We also screeched to a halt in the midst of some farmland for great views of 2 Sarus Cranes!

3 We eventually arrived in Agra late afternoon navigating through the busy streets and traffic of the town soaking up some of the atmosphere and experience. We then spent a pleasant couple of hours visiting the famous Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of world it was great experience. After a couple of hours of looking at the monument from afar and close up, inside & out! I decided it was definitely time to search a few birds out!! We had been kept entertained by a number of Black Kite spinning overhead throughout. But from the rear of the Taj the River Yamuna is visible, with shallow edges and deeper water we soon managed to spy a raft of waders, hundreds of Black-winged Stilt, 2 Bar-headed Geese, Pied Kingfisher, a single River lapwing, 10 Great Egret, 25 Spoonbill, Greenshank, Redshank, Ruff, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Ruddy Shelduck. There was many Little Swift, Barn Swallow and a few Red-rumped Swallow overhead. As the light faded we headed to the minibus and then took the drive on to Bharatpur. After around 3 hours we arrived and were soon comfortably settled into our rooms at the Birders Inn. Evening meals were a buffet style mixture of Soup & various curries, with good choice of rice & nan breads. Puddings were a largely a variation on rice puddings and semolina, with some very nice natural yoghurt! Birders Inn has large comfortable en-suite rooms with hot showers set in nice lawned grounds and is just a short distance of 200m to the Park entrance. Overnight at Birders Inn, Bharatpur. Sunday 6th December We all arrived for an early breakfast served at 6.30am. Prior to breakfast several of us manage to get views of an Indian Scops Owl just before it got light, it was close and could be seen well in torchlight. After breakfast the group was introduced to our local birdwatching guide for the next 4 days Brijendra Singh. I can recommend him, very knowledgeable on all the flora & fauna of the park, with excellent knowledge of the parks birds and wildlife. The park is a haven for storks, egrets ducks and waders, also raptors and owls. Our chosen team of rickshaw riders met us outside the Hotel and we were soon heading to the park entrance. The birding was immediate, intense and exciting!! We started with some birding just outside the park, where there was good views of Red and Yellow Wattled Lapwing, Indian Peafowl, Grey Fracolin and Greater Coucal. Once we arrived in the park, we barely moved 500m in the first hour as the birds came thick and fast. Over the next few hours we saw an amazing array of birds, we headed back for lunch around midday and re-entered the park again around 2pm birding through till 5.30pm when the park closes. The highlights from the day were as follows 6+ Grey Francolin, Gadwall, Wigeon, Shoveler, Pintail and Teal were fairly numerous, more eye-catching were several Spot-billed Duck, several Ruddy, Shelduck and c25 Lesser Whistling Duck. Raptors were in evidence with 2 Egyptian Vuluture, 1 Greater Spotted eagle, Booted eagle, a beautifully perched Shikra, Black-winged Kite, Marsh Harrier. A roosting pair of Spotted Owlet were lovely to see. Other highlights were many! Indian Peafowl, Black-rumped Flameback, Brown headed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, 1+ Indian Grey Hornbill, Hoopoe, 10+ White-throated Kingfisher, a fantastic Dusky Eagle Owl,

4 2+ White-breasted Waterhen, group of Yellow-footed Green Pigeon,, 2 Indian Darter, Little and Indian Cormorants, Painted Stork, Black Drongo and Braminy Starling. Overhead Red-rumped Swallow and Plain Martin. The grasslands held Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Jungle Babbler, Plain and Ashy Prinia plus Indian Silverbill. Special mention must be made of the 3 Pale-bellied Niltava, we found, a very scarce vagrant to the area and a new species for Bridjendra in the park. Also several Longtailed Shrike, Rufous Treepie, Bluethroat, Oriental Magpie Robin, numerous Humes Warbler, Red-vented and White-eared Bulbul phew!!! Apart from avifauna we also saw Spotted Deer, Sambar, Nilgai, Rhesus Macaque and Golden Jackal. After an early dinner everyone was tired and off to bed for rest. Overnight at Birders Inn, Bharatpur. Monday 7th December After breakfast at 6.30am we departed aboard the rickshaws for the park again, again the visit was split into two visits. We arrived back at Birders Inn for lunch at around 12.30pm and then headed back out into the park at 2pm till dusk. We saw many species again and started to gain some familiarity with the regular birds, but also added many new species today as well! Avian highlights and new birds in the morning on the north and west areas as follows:- 2 White-tailed Plover, 10 Bar-headed Goose, 2 Cotton Teal, 5+ Comb Duck, 6 Pheasant-tailed Jacana, 3 Black-shouldered Kite, 10 Bronze-winged Jacana, 2 Black Bittern, 1 YELLOW BITTERN, a superb male SIBERIAN RUBYTHORAT, 3 Pied Bushchat, 3+ Blyth s Reed Warbler, 2 Clamorous Reed warbler, 2 Red Avadavat, a superb male Orphean Warbler, 20 Purple Swamphen. After lunch we searched the eastern areas Pintail, 50+ Shoveler, 10 Pochard, Tufted Duck, 12 Ferruginous Duck, 3 Pied Kingfisher, a juvenile Imperial Eagle, several Coppersmith & Brown-headed barbet, Siberain Chiff-chaffs were numerous along the tracks. Tuesday 8th December After 6.30am breakfast we departed for the park again. We visited another area of the park, searching along the central trails that we hadn t visited on the previous days. We returned to Birders Inn at 12.30pm. We then headed back out at 2pm visit to the nursery area again, as this had proven very fruitful on our first day. New birds this morning and larger counts of the notable species listed:250+ Lesser Whistling Duck!! 20 Comb Duck, Pochard, 2 Pied Kingfisher, Marsh Sandpiper, Temminck s Stint, Pheasant-tailed Jacana and 2 Stone Curlew. The heat of the day tempted raptors and vultures up on to the thermals and 5 Egyptian, 6 Marsh harrier, Crested Serpent Eagle, Steppe Eagle plus Indian and 3 Greater Spotted Eagle were all up in the air in quick succession! Also overhead, 2 Openbill Storks and 2 Black-necked Stork. Along the tracks several Bluethroat showed well along with Blyths Reed warblers, Indian Robin, and Indian Magpie Robin.

5 After lunch we headed for an area of farmland, this proved well worthwhile in different habitat there was quite a few new species. Including one that had eluded me for far too long! The farmland we visited was fairly weedy and after a bit of roving around we found our (or maybe that should read my!) main quarry, Indian Courser! Once out on foot we discovered quite a lot more as well as getting a lot closer to the 3 Indian Coursers. Highlights were:- Wryneck, 3 Indian Roller, Yellow-wattled lapwing, 2 Shikra, 2 Egyptian Vulture, 2 Crested lark, 2 brwon Shrike, Ashy-crowned Sparrow lark, 50 Chestnut-shouldred Petronia, Paddyfield Pipit, Tawny Pipit, 2 Isabelline Wheatear, 5 Indian Courser, c100 Greater Short-toed lark. Plus great views of 2 Sarus Crane After a filling curry dinner, rice pudding and a beer, plus an epic systematic list roll call we were off to bed. Bharatpur had served up 148+ mind boggling species in our 3 day visit! Overnight at Birders Inn, Bharatpur. Wednesday 9th December After a slightly later breakfast we packed cases and said farewell to the Birders Inn staff, our guides and rickshaw team. We loaded the minibus with our gear and then headed for a local area on the outskirts of Bharatpur where we visited a village with a sequence of small pools. Incredibly the organic looking pools complete with locals washing their clothes, hosted the following:- 2 Temminck s Stint, 2 Wood Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Redshank, 2 White-throated Kingfisher, 20 Cattle Egret, Red-wattled lapwing, 100 s of Bank Mynah, being fed with seeds by locals! Also Citrine Wagrail, and the main target species 5+ Painted Snipe! Overhead a Crested Honey-buzzard flew over. We then took the 4 hour journey in the minibus to Delhi, to catch the train up to Corbett NP. Plenty of birds from the minibus windows, 100 s Black Kite, 2 Sarus Crane, Black-winged Kite and a roadside stop at some likely looking pools also produced 2 Temminck s Stint. We then took the train journey up to Ramanagar arriving late evening, we then transferred to Tiger Camp and ate a late dinner!. Overnight at Tiger Camp.

6 Bharatpur images Black Bittern, Intermeidate Egret, Rose-coloured Starling, Bluethroat, Soot-billed Duck, Nilgai, Tailed Redbreast butterfly, Grey heron with fish

7 Thursday 10th December We were up early for a pre-breakfast visit to the Kosi river near Garjiya temple First star birds were very obliging, 5+ Red-billed Blue Magpie, pretty awesome birds, with their superb long tails bouncing behind the as they flew from tree to tree! Along the river we soon found River Lapwing, Striated Heron and 2 Crested Kingfisher, kept company with White-throated, Pied and Common Kingfishers. We marveled at the kingfishers, as they hovered, dived & caught their prey! Flocks of Little & Cattle Egrets and parakeets passed overhead as they left their night s roosts. Nice views of Blue Whistling Thrush, plus close ups of White-browed wagtails, White-capped and Plumbeous Water Redstarts, numerous along the river & very approachable. Also our first Crested Serpent Eagle soared overhead. This area of the river is noted for being a reliable Ibisbill location. This species is a truly iconic species of the area, so different to any of it s congeners to merit being a real jewel in the heart of most birders. This morning, despite searching we couldn t find them, I decided to try searching on our way into Corbett NP after breakfast, hopefully we would find them later! We reached the local village post breakfast, but the area was now busy with locals and it looked unlikely to yield the target bird and sadly we were unable to locate them. We then departed for Corbett NP and the Park camp at Dhikala. We had now transferred the group into three open back 4-wheel drive jeeps & were introduced to our new drivers. Corbett NP is a mix of dense deciduous forest, riverine forest, grassland and presence of large water body has endowed this region with extremely rich avifauna, we weren t to be disappointed. Highlights as we travelled through the forest with several stops 4 Red Junglefowl, 2 Kalij Pheasant, 2 Lesser Yellownape, 4 Lineated, 1 Blue-throated and 2 Brownheaded Barbet, Emerald Dove, Indian Grey Hornbill, 2 Blue-bearded Bee-eater, 20+ Crested Treeswift, Emerald Dove, c30 Pin-tailed Green Pigeon, Lesser Fish Eagle, 2 Pallas s Fish eagle, Lemon-rumped Warbler, Grey-hooded Warbler 30+ Red-billed Leiothrix, 5 Blue-winged Minla, 2 Black-headed Oriole, 2 Long-tailed Minivet, Whitebrowed Fantail, 10 Bronzed Drongo, 2 Lesser racket-tailed Drongo, complete with full racket tails! Also 2 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch and c10 Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, More excitement came during the drive into the park, as the guides heard Spotted Deer alarm calling, a Tiger was not faraway and we were soon admiring the large fresh pug marks in the sandy edges along the track. We sat quietly waiting but weren t lucky enough to see this Tiger, despite others glimpsing it in the grassland. Further non-avian highlights came as we stopped off along the river at a viewpoint. From here we had good views of Gharial, Mugger Crocodile and some large fish, Catfish and Golden Mahseer. We eventually reached Dhikala camp, we settled into our rooms, admired the fantastic view rom the restaurant area, stretching across the grasslands to the large water body. Overnight at Dhikala Forest Lodge

8 Friday 11th December We headed out at 6.30 for a pre-breakfast drive arriving back at 9.30 for breakfast. We then breakfasted and headed back out aboard the three jeeps at and then back for lunch at around 12.30PM. We then headed out again from pm for the afternoon safari. First drive out it was a little foggy, so we stuck to driving around the grasslands. We had nice views of a male & ringtail Hen harrier, plus Marsh harrier, then a little gem, the dimunitive Collared Falconet perched in a dead tree! Out in the grassland 2-3 Bluethroat also performed, plus 5+ Yellow-eyed babbler, new for the trip. As usual there was also quite a few Olive-backed Pipit. We saw our first wild Indian Elephant, though a little distant. There was plenty of birds out on the lake, 20+ Ruddy Shelduck, c50 Wigeon, c80 Teal, Kingfisher, 2 White-throated Kingfisher, 3 Pied Kingfisher, 8 Greenshank, 15 Black-winged Stilt, c20 River Lapwing and 30+ Little Swift numerous Plain Martin overhead. After a hearty breakfast of porridge and Omelettes, we headed back out with the fog cleared we explored the wooded areas. Different and noteable species were a s follows:- Great Slaty, Grey-capped Pygmy, Fulvous-breasted, Streak-throated, Greyheaded Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape, Black-rumped Flameback, quite an amazing haul of woodpeckers! Red-breasted Parakeet, Changeable Hawk-eagle, Scarlet Minivet, Yellow-bllied Fantail, Common Iora, Rufoius-gorgeted Flycatcher, Ashy & Red Whiskered Bulbul, brief views by some of Chestnut-headed Tesia. We had lunch and then headed out in the jeeps exploring the forest and lake side. New and noteable birds as follows:- 25+ River tern, 3 Osprey, 4 Lesser & 3 Pallas s Fish Eagle, 2 Red-headed Vulture, 2 Wolly-necked Stork, 3 Black Stork, 2 Blackpnecked Stork, Brown Crake, Humes warbler and Greenish warbler. Also noted out on the lake and surrounding grasslands were 2 River Otter, 5 Hog Deer, 100 s Spotted Deer, Sambar, Muntjac and 10+ Mugger Crocodile. These were all visible by scoping from the camp! Overnight at Dhikala Forest Lodge

9 Bharatpur images Changeable hawk-eagle, Indian Darter, White-throated Kingfisher, Bank Mynah, Sarus Cranes, Red-vented Bulbul

10 Saturday 12th December We again headed out pre-breakfast. We stopped several times for Indian Elephant, as there seemed to have been quite a herd arrived in the forest. One particular female stood in the road with a younger one, she was not happy, stamping the floor and throwing timber around. We waited for her to move off the track and we were able to pass by. We then saw a nice selection of forest birds similar to yesterday, but with great views of 2 Rufous Woodpecker and 2 Lesser Yellownape. Plus great views of Kalij Pheasant with both male and female right out in the open. On our return the mother Elephant was again behaving aggressively and she charged a group of jeeps, fortunately we all escaped safe and sound. But the photographers who got far too close were well warned about their irresponsible behaviour. After breakfast we headed out into the grasslands, despite hearing alarm calls, seeing fresh pugmarks and patiently searching we couldn t locate the Tiger that was clearly hauled up out of view somewhere in the long grass! We did see some stunning more birds Large Hawk Cuckoo, 4 very beautiful Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Cinereous Vulture, 2 Collared Falconet one perched beautifully close in the open, a lovely pair of Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush and Jungle Prinia. We searched again in the grassland area during the afternoon for Tiger, but still no luck! But there was more than enough to keep us entertained especially a close Brown fish Owl sitting low down late in the afternoon, sitting over the river waiting to catch his dinner! Other birds not already seen were 30 Plum-headed Parakeet, Snope, 2 Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike, Re-rumped swallow, Whote Crested laughing Thrush, Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike and Rosy Pipit. Overnight at Dhikala Forest Lodge Sunday 13th December Our last morning in the park and we headed out again early for a pre-breakfast jeep safari. Birds again, came thick and fast in concentrated flocks, highlights throughout the day as follows 5 Red Junglefowl, 2 Kalij Pheasant, 2 Himalayan flameback, great views of Common Hawk Cuckoo, 4 Plum-headed Parakeet, 20+ White-rumped Needletail, great views of 2 Tawny Fish Owl. Over the lake, 10+ River tern, Osprey, 2 Pallas s Fish eagle, 4 Red-headed Vulture, 2 Cinereous Vulture, 2 Changeable Hawk eagle, 1 Mountain Hawk eagle, Collared Falconet, Also nearby c20 Black-headed oriole, a Large Cuckoo-shrike, flocks of Red-whiskered Bulbul, plus a big flock of White-crested Laughing Thrush cackling away, plus many repeat species already seen in the preceding days. Despite a lot of searching and a couple of near misses, for the first time in 5 years we failed to see Tiger. But we had a wonderful time and everyone was bowled over with all the other wildlifeand birds! On the drive out we saw another Tawny Fish Owl plus good repeat views of many birds and mammals. At the Park entrance gate we said farewells to our drivers and guides of the last few days, switched vehicles and left the wonderful Corbett NP behind us.

11 We arrived late afternoon at Vanghat and saw some nice birds on the walk in to the lodge, especially the Himalayan Rubythroat, that eventually came out from the shadows of the bushes, perched on a rock and showed off his beautiful scarlet throat. High above us a soaring Mountain hawk Eagle, welcomed us to this superb, picturesque and remote mountain valley our hoem for the next two days. Next we all had fun crossing the river on the wooden raft. We were all fitted up with life-jackets & hard hats! There was also plenty of birds around the river 10+ Whitecapped Water Redstart, 10+ Plumbeous Water Redstart, Long-tailed Shrike, c20 Bronzed Drongo, several Blue Whistling Thrush, plus White-browed & Yellowbellied fantail in the bushes. Vanghat is a beautiful location, we all got settled into the 6 bungalows hidden deep in the inspiring Ramganga valley and surrounded by hills. The location is far from any human habitation. The camp is designed to have very minimal impact on the environment and river that sits alongside. The cottages are well appointed, but do not have hot running water, a bucket of boiling hot water is brought to each of the rooms for bathing and washing. Overnight Vangat River Camp

12 Corbett NP & Vanghat images Sambar deer, Hanuman Langur, River Lapwing, Pallas s Fish eagle, Himalayan Rubythroat, Long-tailed Shrike

13 Monday 14th December We took a pre-breakfast walk just as it was getting light. We then headed back for breakfast and then we then explored the whole area after breakfast till lunch. In the afternoon everyone had a few hours free time, as we had a very busy schedule people relaxed or ambled around the camp with their cameras! A nice list of birds around the camp! Four Lineated and 5 Blue-throated Barbet showed extremely well, Emerald Dove, 2-3 Pallas s & 2 Lesser Fish eagle constantly up and down the river fishing, Long-tailed Minivet, nice flocks of Bronzed Drongo hawking insects at dusk, 2 Lesser rackettailed Drongo, Red Junglefowl, Kalij Pheasant, 2 Himalayan flameback, great views of Grey-headed Woodpecker, 20 Slaty-headed Parakeet showing very well in the morning sat in the trees in the camp. Overhead White-rumped Needletail, 1 Mountain Hawk eagle, and a Jungle Owlet sat out on a dead tree at dawn. Flocks of Slaty-headed Parakeet, 2 Red-breasted Parakeet, Red-billed Blue Magpie, 4+Barwinged Flycatcher Shrike, Yellow-bellied & White-browed Fantail, a male Blue Rock Thrush, White-crested Laughing Thrush, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Black-crested Bulbula and Purple rumped Sunbird. Along the river the small water birds were much in evidence 10+ White-capped Water Redstart, 10+ Plumbeous Water Redstart, Grey & White-browed wagtail Longtailed Shrike, c20 Bronzed Drongo, several Blue Whistling Thrush. Plus great scope views perched and then in flight of the majestic Wallcreeper! We searched in the evening for Large-tailed Nightjar, a bird I saw last year but this year there was no sign this evening. We finished the day with an evening meal, a camp fire and a glass of wine, whisky or beer! Overnight Vangat River Camp Tuesday 15th December We all had a lie in this morning until 730am! We then had breakfast before heading across the river on another little raft and exploring the woodland on the other side. The forest this morning was a little quiet, but the steep track and stream on the other side of the river served up two beauties! A Little Forktail was found at the base of a waterfall then climbing further up and feeding in the edges of waterstream, everyone had great views. Then another movement lower down amongst the leaf litter alerted us to a thrush, a Long-billed Thrush! The effort was well worth it! The Pallas s Fish & Lesser Fish Eagle were both in evidence as we walked back, hunting up and down the river. Another Wallcreeper showed very well too! In the afternoon we decided to take a look at the area of river we had crossed when we had arrived, always a good bet for Brown Dipper! This turned out to be good idea, as we scored with 2 Brown Dipper, another Spotted Forktail, 2 Wallcreeper, a close perched Crested Kingfisher and the local Mountain Hawk Eagle soared overhead. On the walk back we had good views of Rufous-bellied Niltava and brief views of Crested Bunting. Overnight Vangat River Camp

14 Wednesday 16th December We again took our pre-breakfast walk, it had turned much colder, with a ground frost on the ground. Bird activity was much higher this morning and we didn t get too far before we had a good flock of birds all around us. That was before looking at a very fresh Tiger scat complete with fresh pugmarks, probably less than 20 minutes ago! Bird highlights were as follows:- A Black-throated Sunbird, a male was close was and stunning plus a new species for the Vangat camp! Also 2 Great Barbet, 20+ Blue-winged Minla, 2+ Green-tailed Sunbird, 40+ Slaty-headed parakeet, 15+ Barwinged Flycatcher shrike, Rufous-bellied Niltava, 10 Black-chinned Babbler. These were amongst a flock of bulbuls and commoner birds. Down by the river we were pleased to find a stunning Spotted Forktail, we watched it for 20 minutes as it turned over bits of vegetation along the river edge. After breakfast we packed our bags and headed back along the river, we headed for one more try for Ibisbil! But it was middle of the day and the river was busy, what were our chances? We scanned binoculars, scoped up and down the river, above the bridge and below the bridge, no we couldn t see them. I was just about to call it a day, when the eagleeyed JP our expert local guide announced Chris, I have one!! Sure enough way off in the distance there was an Ibisbill! How JP had spotted them through his bino s I have no idea! In fact on searching through the scope I could see 2, no 3 IBISBILLS!! Just as we were ensuring everyone in the group could see them, suddenly, they took off and started flying towards us! Incredibly they landed about 300m away and everyone was then able to admire the beauty of these unique wading birds!! We headed off truly elated! We then stopped off and visited the Women s charity shop that sells an array of locally produced clothing & foods. Before taking a steady journey of 4-5 hours up into the beautiful foothills and forest of the Himalayas. We arrived at Pangot in the fading light, and got settled into our cottages. The cottages at Jungle Lore were lovely, in this remote village area at around 2000m plus, they still managed to provide good food, hot showers and for those that needed it some electric heaters. Overnight temperatures was close to freezing, hot water bottles and double quilts ensured we warm in our beds. Overnight at Jungle Lore Lodge

15 Vanghat & Pangot images Blue Whistling Thrush, Grey Bushchat, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Whitecapped Water Redstart, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar babbler, Himalayan Griffon Vulture, Himalayas, Group at Pangot.

16 Thursday 17th December We were up early with cups of tea at 6am for a pre-breakfast visit to the highest part of the valley Vinayak area, with Pheasants on our minds! As we headed upwards along the mountain road, the headlights picked out a pair of illuminated eyes sat on the track. It flew up, a Nightjar, a Nightjar sp.! Fortunately it flew around and landed back close to it s original position. We then had the headlights on the bird and were able to study it a Large-tailed Nightjar. A nice start to the day! We arrived on the higher tracks as the sun was rising, after a couple of brief stops to listen, we heard a Koklass Pheasant calling, but it was very distant. After several stops we were still out of luck. We walked around several likely looking areas and after an hour of searching, it wasn t looking too hopeful! We decided to take a longer walk back down the track and then amazingly we came across a superb pair of Koklass Pheasant, showing really well, up against a drystone wall. We watched them for around half an hour getting brilliant views. Relieved and contented we stopped off in the high part of the valley and had our take out breakfast, this was regularly interrupted by a variety of birds! Scanning produced Himalayan Griffon Vulture showed very well just overhead, Eurasian Griffon Vulture Buzzard, Greater Spotted Eagle and a juvenile Steppe Eagle. A Hen harrier came along the ridge close by, and a Raven passed by close as well. Just below us on the hillside a flock of c70 Altai Accentor were very flighty, plus a Crag Martin, despite extensive searching we were unable to locate any Cheer Pheasant this year. We then headed back down into the lower forest area, after a while we were soon looking through a couple of big roving flocks, woodpeckers were in abundance! Grey-headed, Brown-fronted, Grey-capped Pygmy and Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, numerous Blue Whistling Thrush. The smaller birds were well represented with White-tailed and Chestnut-bellied Nutchatch, Spot-winged, Green-backed, Great, Black-lored, Yellow-browed and Black throated Tits numerous Oriental White-eye, Buff-barred, Lemon-rumped, single Greenish Warbler and numerous Humes warblers. As we headed down through the forest along the narrow lanes, the canopy opened out and a huge vista stretched in front of us, right to the wonderful distant snowcapped mountains. We stopped off to admire and photograph the 25,000 foot plus mountains of the Himalaya s an awe inspiring site! We reached the camp and headed into lunch. After lunch we watched birds coming into feed around the lodge. We sat watching the feeding area and water pool just below the lodge, with a cup of Indian Chai we marvelled as the birds came and went! Years ago you would have searched the forest floor for many of these species, but here were White-throated, Streaked, Striated and Chestnut-crowned Laughing Thrushes, Rufous Sibia, Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-babbler, Black-headed Jay just feeding brazenly at times on the lodges paths and borders! A Wryneck also appeared feeding out on one of the paths & several Red-billed Blue Magpie came down to bathe.

17 Nearby Buff-barred Warblers, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Blue Whistling Thrush and Nuthatches also appearing from time to time, along with several of the species of Tits in the surrounding forest. A walk around the grassy slopes gave really close views of Blue-fronted Redstart and Pink-browed Rosefinch. As the light faded a couple of us had nice views of a Indian Scops owl sat perched. Overnight at Jungle Lore Lodge Friday 18th December Just a couple of hours this morning before heading for the train journey back to Delhi! We walked up the road from the village and the forest yielded several busy flocks with White-tailed and Chestnut-bellied Nutchatch, Spot-winged, Greenbacked, Great, Black-lored, Yellow-browed and Black throated Tits numerous Oriental White-eye, Buff-barred, Lemon-rumped, Greenish Warbler and Humes warblers. Highlight was good views of Rufous-bellied Woodpecker. En-route to Ramnagar train station we stopped off a couple of times and the first stop produced the only Crimson Sunbird of the trip a superb male. Another stop lower down, in farmland we watched several Black Kites and great views of 6 Steppe Eagle. We reached the train station and said goodbyes to JP for all his help and guding over the last 6 days. We boarded the train and eventually reached Delhi early evening. We transferred several of the group to the airport and the others who had chosen to stay on for another night to their Hotels. So ended another amazing tour of North India, with 290 species of birds, some amazing memories with a great group.

18 Systematic list of birds recorded on the Tour Grey Francolin Hill Partridge Red Junglefowl Kalij Pheasant Koklass Pheasant Indian Peafowl Lesser Whistling Duck Greylag Goose Bar-headed Goose Comb Duck Ruddy Shelduck Cotton Pygmy-goose Gadwall Eurasian Wigeon Spot-billed Duck Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Common Teal Red-crested Pochard Common Pochard Tufted Duck Ferruginous Duck Goosander Little Grebe Painted Stork Asian Openbill Black Stork Black-necked Stork Woolly-necked Stork Black-headed Ibis Red-necked Ibis Spoonbill Yellow Bittern Black Bittern Little/Striated Heron Black-crowned Night Heron Indian Pond Heron Grey Heron Purple Heron Cattle Egret Great Egret Intermediate Egret Little Egret Indian Darter Little Cormorant Indian Cormorant Great Cormorant Collared Falconet Common Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Black-shouldered Kite Black Kite Osprey Pallas s Fish Eagle Lesser Fish Eagle Oriental Honey-Buzzard Lammergeier Egyptian Vulture Himalayan Griffon Vulture Eurasian Griffon Vulture Cinereous Vulture Red-headed Vulture Crested Serpent Eagle Marsh Harrier Hen Harrier Shikra Eurasian Sparowhawk Indian Spotted Eagle Greater Spotted Eagle Steppe Eagle Eastern Imperial Eagle Booted Eagle Changeable Hawk Eagle Mountain Hawk Eagle White-breasted Waterhen Brown Crake Purple Swamphen Common Moorhen Common Coot Sarus Crane Eurasian Stone Curlew Pheasant-tailed Jacana Bronze-winged Jacana Ibisbill Black-winged Stilt River Lapwing Yellow-wattled Lapwing Red-wattled Lapwing White-tailed Lapwing Greater Painted-snipe Ruff Common Snipe Black-tailed Godwit Spotted Redshank Common Redshank Common Greenshank Marsh Sandpiper Wood Sandpiper Green Sandpiper Common Sandpiper Temminck s Stint indian Courser River Tern Rock Pigeon Eurasian Collared Dove Laughing Dove Yellow-footed Green pigeon Pin-tailed green Pigeon Emerald Dove

19 Rose-ringed Parakeet Slaty-headed Parakeet Plum-headed Parakeet Red-breasted Parakeet Common Hawk Cuckoo Asian Koel Greater Coucal Lesser Coucal Indian Scops Owl Jungle Owlet Spotted Owlet Dusky Eagle Owl Brown Fish Owl Tawny Fish Owl Brown Hawk Owl Large-tailed Nightjar White-rumped Needletail Crested Tree Swift Little Swift Common Hoopoe Indian Roller White-throated Kingfisher Common Kingfisher Crested Kingfisher Pied Kingfisher Blue Bearded Bee-eater Indian Grey Hornbill Great Hornbill Great Barbet Brown-headed Barbet Lineated Barbet Blue-throated Barbet Coppersmith Barbet Wryneck Rufous Woodpecker Great Slaty Woodpecker Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Himalayan Woodpecker Lesser Yellownape Streak-throated Woodpecker Grey-headed Woodpecker Himalayan Goldenback Lesser Goldenback Common Woodshrike Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Common Iora White-bellied Minivet Long-tailed Minivet Scarlet Minivet Brown Shrike Long-tailed Shrike Lesser racket-tailed Drongo Black Drongo Ashy Drongo Bronzed Drongo Black-hooded Oriole Maroon Oriole White-throated Fantail Yellow-bellied Fantail Eurasian Jay Black-headed Jay Red-billed Blue Magpie Common Green Magpie Rufous Treepie Grey Treepie Eastern Jungle Crow Northern Raven House Crow Great Tit Green-backed Tit Yellow-browed Tit Black-lored Tit Spot-winged Tit (Coal Tit) Black-throated Tit Plain Martin Dusky Crag Martin Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow Greater Short-toed Lark Crested Lark Oriental Skylark Himalayan Bulbul White-eared Bulbul Black-crested Bulbul Red-whiskered Bulbul Red-vented Bulbul Ashy Bulbul Striated Prinia Grey-breasted Prinia Jungle Prinia Plain Prinia Ashy Prinia Zitting Cisticola Common Tailorbird Clamorous Reed Warbler Blyth's Reed warbler Chestnut-headed Tesia Siberian Chiffchaff Dusky Warbler Buff-barred Warbler Lemon-rumped Warbler Hume's Warbler Greenish Warbler Grey-hooded Warbler Lesser Whitethroat Eastern orphean Warbler Golden-spectacled Warbler

20 Puff-throated Babbler Black-chinned Babbler Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler Common Babbler Large Grey Babbler Jungle Babbler White-throated Laughing-thrush White-crested Laughing-thrush Striated Laughing-thrush Streaked Laughing-thrush Chesnut-crowned L. Thrush Blue-winged Siva Red-billed Leiothrix White-browed Shrike-babbler Rufous Sibia Yellow-eyed Babbler Oriental White-eye Brown Dipper Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch White-tailed Nuthatch Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Wallcreeper Common Myna Bank Myna Asian Pied Starling Brahminy Starling Rosy Starling Blue Whistling Thrush Long-billed Thrush Bluethroat Siberian Rubythroat White-tailed Rubythroat Oriental Magpie Robin Indian Robin Plumbeous Water Redstart White-capped Water Redstart Blue-capped Redstart Black Redstart Little Forktail Spotted Forktail Siberian Stonechat Pied Bushchat Grey Bushchat Isabelline Wheatear Blue Rock Thrush Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Red-breasted Flycatcher Little Pied Flycatcher Slaty-blue Flycatcher Grey-headed Canary Fly Rufous-bellied Niltava Purple Sunbird Green-tailed Sunbird Crimson Sunbird Black-throated Sunbird House Sparrow Russet Sparrow Chestnut-shouldered Petronia Red Avadavat Indian Silverbill Altai Accentor Citrine Wagtail Grey Wagtail White-browed Wagtail Paddyfield Pipit Tawny Pipit Olive-backed Pipit Rosy Pipit Pink-browed Rosefinch Crested Bunting

21 Systematic list of mammals and others recorded on the Tour MAMMALS Rhesus Macaque Hanuman Langur Golden Jackal Indian Grey Mongoose Indian Elephant Wild Boar Ghoral Indian Muntjac Sambar Nilgai Five-striped Ground Squirrel Chital River Otter OTHERS Mugger Crocodile Gharial (crocodile) Soft-celled Ganges Turtle Golden Mahseer (fish) Catfish (Goonch) IMAGES FROM THE TOUR A whole sequence of images taken during the tour can be viewed online by going to the following link, you do not need to be registered with facebook to use this link or see the images. Please either click the link or copy and paste the following: 1&l=c261bde5f3 Future Tours If you are interested in joining us in India then we have tours in November 2016 please contact us for details. Norfolk Birding chrismills@norfolkbirding.com mobile