India; Northwest - Day 23: Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary

   We spent the night at an airport hotel in Mumbai, and at 07:00 our drivers for the two days we were exploring the area came to pick us up and take us out of the city and to the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary where we would have an afternoon and a morning birding, looking for just a couple of key species. The journey was surprisingly short, as we arrived at the hotel just before 10:00 which included a stop for some breakfast. 

  Once we checked in to our hotel, Hidden Village, we settled in for what we presumed would be a long morning/afternoon relaxing before going out in the afternoon to find our main target; the Forest Owlet. However, we had barely been settled in to our room when the guide rushed in telling us that the main guide, his boss, was currently watching an Owlet in the sanctuary. We rushed to the car and after a solid 20-30 minute drive arrived at the spot where he was.

  Fortunately the Owl had stayed put, but it had now moved and was badly obscured so much so that you could only see its head peeking out of the tree. After a short while however it jumped onto a more open perch and from then on we could see the bird with only a few leaves obscuring it. We were also able to pick out another bird perched slightly further away. Having dedicated essentially two days to this species, we were pretty thrilled to have it wrapped up within the first hour. 

  After an afternoon rest, we set off back to the field at 16:30, this time into the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary itself, in search of the White-naped Woodpecker. Sadly we failed to find the bird in the time we had before dark and overall activity was quite limited. Still, we managed a few species of interest; Chestnut-tailed Starling, White-eyed Buzzard and some distant Cotton Pygmy Geese being the best of it. The highlight of the evening was a large, one metre long snake that we found near dusk in the tall grass. This was the first snake of our trip and my first snake in almost a year! 

India; Northwest - Day 22: Gir National Park

   We had one more game drive in the Gir National Park, but this one was an early morning drive starting at 06:00 in the dark and then finishing at 09:00. For a change this morning we were driving on route three, as opposed to route two of the previous two days. If we were to find a rare mammal then today would be our best chance. Unfortunately that is not how it transpired in the end, as we did not even see any Lions today, only picking up common mammal species like Chital, Bengal Sacred Langur, Sambar and Wild Boar. It was disappointing, but that is the way of wildlife.

  The birding was nice, but it was all commoner species from the previous day. We spent some time looking at Tree Pipits at a watering hole, and had two cracking male Common Iora but there was nothing different. Two Indian Cuckooshike that flew past would have been notable, but the views I got were far from tickable, leaving them frustratingly as the ones that got away. The highlight of the morning was probably a large Muggar Crocodile in the reservoir in the middle of the park

  At 11:00 we left our lodge in Gir and drove the four hours to airport in Rajkot. Here we said goodbye to Pawan and Jaipal, our drivers for the last three weeks, and boarded an internal flight to Mumbai where we would have two more days birding before heading back to Europe. 

Species List:
Gir National Park: Indian Peafowl, Feral Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Greater Coucal, Crested Treeswift, Red-wattled Lapwing, River Tern, Greater Flamingo, Red-naped Ibis, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Black-winged Kite, Crested Honey Buzzard, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Coppersmith Barbet, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike, Common Iora, White-browed Fantail, Ashy Drongo, Rufous Treepie, Indian Jungle Crow, Dusky Crag Martin, Red-vented Bulbul, Indian White-eye, Jungle Babbler, Brahminy Starling, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Black Redstart, Purple Sunbird, Yellow-throated Sparrow, White-browed Wagtail, Tree Pipit, 

India; Northwest - Day 21: Gir National Park

   Despite being in the area of the Gir National Park for the whole day, we only had a single game drive booked which was at the rather inconvenient time of 09:00 in the morning. Once we had finally got through all the bureaucracy involved with entering the park it was already 09:30, but we set off on our way anyway. We were a bit confused as we ended up doing the same route as the previous day which meant for the most part we would see the same birds and animals, but nature does always change so we were still excited for what we might find.

  Doing the drive in the heat of the day meant much less chance for rarer mammals, but the main attractions were still very much on the cards. Not far into our drive we had our first Lioness, basking in the shade before coming to drink right next to us and then walking straight past the car, giving even better views than the previous day. We also saw the same female with two cubs as the previous day, but they were not doing much. Otherwise it was the same large mammal species with the addition of Wild Boar.

  The birds were a bit more interesting. While we had the same Brown Fish Owl and Indian Thick Knee, as well as a different nest of Mottled Wood Owl, there were a few different birds around. In the morning before we set off I had a lifer with Thick-billed Flowerpecker, and once in the park we had a few trip ticks for this section with Indian Vulture, Tickells Blue Flycatcher and Black-naped Monarch. Despite being hot and late morning, there were a few spots that were still quite birdy and it wasn’t at disappointing as I had expected, going so late in the morning.

  In the afternoon, with no game drive, I was at something of a loose end, so went for a walk around the hotel Mango plantations. That did not yield much in half an hour so I spent the rest of the afternoon, around two hours, watching over the back wall into the national park hoping for something to walk past. In the two hours I saw my two favourite things in the park; relaxed looking Chital and relaxed looking Peacocks. There were no other mammals. However, there were a few nice birds such as Common Rosefinch and some dust bathing Grey Francolins. For lack of any other options, it was not a bad way to spend the afternoon. 

-Lion

Species List:
Gir National Park: Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Laughing Dove, Greater Coucal, Asian Koel, Savanna Nightjar, Little Swift, Crested Treeswift, White-breasted Waterhen, Indian Stone-curlew, Red-wattled Lapwing, River Tern, Red-naped Ibis, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Medium Egret, Crested Honey Buzzard, Indian Vulture, Shikra, Brown Fish Owl, Spotted Owlet, Mottled Wood Owl, Asian Green Bee-eater, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Coppersmith Barbet, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Plum-headed Parakeet, Small Minivet, Common Iora, White-browed Fantail, Black Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Rufous Treepie, Large-billed Crow, Cinereous Tit, Common Tailorbird, Grey-breasted Prinia, Dusky Crag Martin, Wire-tailed Swallow, Red-vented Bulbul, Indian White-eye, Jungle Babbler, Brahminy Starling, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Black Redstart, Thick-billed Flowerpecker, Pale-billed Flowerpecker, Purple Sunbird, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Tree Pipit, Common Rosefinch, 

India; Northwest - Day 20: Jamnagar & Gir National Park

   Today was the day of the Hindu Holi festival, and as such our driver was keen to get moving nice and early to try and avoid any potential issues on the road that we might encounter, since we needed to be at the Gir National Park for 16:00 for our first game drive in the national park. However, since we had dipped the Indian Skimmer the previous evening, we decided to have a quick check of the various sites in the morning in the vain hope that we might be able to find them.

  In the end it took us about an hour to check the various salt pans and the lake where we had birded the previous day. We did more birding of the lake since there were a few more species to check through but overall a quick scan was all we needed to confirm that the skimmers were still not present despite our best efforts. The only new species for the trip of the morning were four Comb Ducks that were sitting on a spit on the lake, a nice addition to our overall species list for our time in India.

  We started our drive at 15:20, only so that we could have all the paperwork done for our entry time at 16:00. Even then we were only able to enter the park a little later than that, and whilst waiting in the office area we could see that the park was rammed with weekend visitors enjoying the holiday. Whilst we were nervous about what this might mean, we were pleased that our visit inside the park was very peaceful and we had no issues with other vehicles for the most part. The only time that happened was when we found the parks main attractions: the Lions!

  In the end we saw eight Lions, a female with two three-month-old cubs and a group of five. Apparently they were all from the same family. The female and cubs didn’t do much, simply lying by the side of the road dozing. But the other group was a bit more interesting, as they were drinking before crossing the road right in front of us at very close range. Considering that I expected to see them lying down and doing nothing, it was quite an encounter.

  Most of the other mammals were already familiar to us, with Bengal Sacred Langur, Nilgi, Axis Deer and Sambar Deer. But we had two bonus right at the end with first a Ruddy Mongoose, which was a species I had been trying to pick out from our various mongooses throughout the trip, and then a nice Indian Grey Mongoose right at the end. In addition there were two Muggar Crocodiles in a small stream at the furthest point along our drive.

  In terms of birds we knew that we were not expecting much of interest but had some nice owl action with a roosting Mottled Wood Owl by the side of the road, and then a fantastic Brown Fish Owl. While the latter was excellent, it was improved even more when we saw two medium sized chicks in a hole in the tree behind, their small heads poking out and looking at us. Otherwise it was mostly commoner species from the region that we had got used to seeing over the past few days. 

-Lion

Species List:
Jamnagar: Knob-billed Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Common Pochard, Eurasian Collared Dove, Greater Coucal, Eurasian Coot, Grey-headed Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Little Stint, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Whiskered Tern, River Tern, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Little Grebe, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbill, Western Reef Heron, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Eurasian Hoopoe, Red-vented Bulbul, Common Babbler, Rosy Starling, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail,
Gir National Park: Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Spotted Dove, Laughing Dove, Asian Koel, Little Swift, White-breasted Waterhen, Indian Stone-curlew, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Medium Egret, Crested Honey Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle, Brown Fish Owl, Spotted Owlet, Mottled Wood Owl, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Coppersmith Barbet, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Plum-headed Parakeet, Small Minivet, White-browed Fantail, Black Drongo, Bay-backed Shrike, House Crow, Cinereous Tit, Common Tailorbird, Red-vented Bulbul, Indian White-eye, Jungle Babbler, Brahminy Starling, Indian Robin, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Black Redstart, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, Tree Pipit, 

India; Northwest - Day 19: Jamnagar

   We left Nakhatrana and the Greater Rann of Kutch at 04:00 so we could make good time to our next destination, the coastal regions around the city of Jamnagar. It was a six hour journey, but with a few stops we finally reached our first location, about half an hour from Jamnagar, at 10:30. It was already hot and the tide was not due to be high until 12:30, but we settled in to scan for wading birds for the next two hours.

  Our main target here was the Crab Plover. And there were plenty of them, although for the first hour they were little more than white blobs shimmering on the horizon. Fortunately as the tide came in we got much better views, but they never showed well, even spending high tide hiding behind a sand bank. Still, they were impressive with a few hundred on display. Other wading birds were plentiful as well, with Broad-billed Sandpiper and a distant Terek Sandpiper being the best of the rest. Other nice coastal birds included a distant full summer-plumage Pallas Gull.

  An unexpected bonus here were my first Mudskippers, which were abundant in the mud on the waters edge. They were really comical to watch, as they gorged themselves on silt, with the larger individuals displaying their dorsal fins. For the first half an hour I spent most of my time watching these fish rather than any birds.

  In the afternoon we searched the salt pans to the north of the town for Indian Skimmer. There was also a freshwater lake with plentiful eBird records where we spent some time, but ultimately we failed to find the skimmers during our evening of searching. The time was not wasted however as the area was quite birdy. Although most of the waders and waterbirds were common species, it was nice to appreciate them again. We had nice views of both Greater and Lesser Flamingo, two flyby Small Pratincole, nice views of River Tern and our first Osprey of the trip. Overall an enjoyable but overall disappointing evening, but we will try again in the morning. 

Species List:
Jamnagar: Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Wigeon, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Tufted Duck, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Little Swift, Eurasian Coot, Grey-headed Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Grey Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Tibetan Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Kentish Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Dunlin, Little Stint, Crab-plover, Small Pratincole, Slender-billed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Pallas's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, Whiskered Tern, River Tern, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Asian Openbill, Painted Stork, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Red-naped Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Little Egret, Western Reef Heron, Indian Pond Heron, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Osprey, Western Marsh Harrier, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, House Crow, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Red-vented Bulbul, Rosy Starling, Indian Robin, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, 

India; Northwest - Day 18: Greater Rann of Kutch

   Having completed our target list for the Greater Rann of Kutch area, but with still a full day birding to be done, we were at a little bit of a loose end as to where to go. In the end we decided to visit the Banni Grasslands where we had spent a little bit of time the previous day, but this time we would go straight there early morning to try and find some mammals. Sadly we were not successful with the species we wanted, but still had a bit of luck with a few sightings of Indian Grey Mongoose, a few Wild Boar and an Indian Hare. As we were leaving the site at 11:00 when it was very hot, we also added an Indian Fox to the mammal list.

  For birding we enjoyed nice encounters with Common Crane, with large groups feeding on the grassland early morning. But the best birding was done between 08:30 and 10:30 when we explored an area of bushes not far from the wetland we had visited the previous day. Here I had a new species with Black-headed Bunting, but there were several migrant species that we found here, including several Bluethroats, Black Redstart, Red-breasted Flycatcher, two Eastern Orphean Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats and a Chiffchaff. Despite the heat and the flies it was very enjoyable birding.

  For the afternoon we set off at 15:30, which was far too early as the heat meant activity was extremely subdued for the next two hours. Still we drove around the grasslands hoping for something to appear but the best we could manage was another (or the same) Indian Fox. Consequently, we had 45 minutes at the side of the water drinking tea and watching the birds on the water whilst the sun slowly set. Here there were a few good birds such as Clamorous Reed Warbler and Kentish Plover, as well as the usual wetland species.

  Our main reason for returning to the grasslands was to search the late afternoon and early night for Jungle Cat. Our mammal-watching search started well, with a group of five Indian Jackal passing by as we were drinking tea. As the dark came in we set off driving across grasslands again. Not much was happening and as the light faded we began to get nervous, but then we spotted a Jungle Cat walking through the grass at close quarters. It was quite confiding, and not particularly scared by our presence as it walked through the grass. At one point it looked like it might be trying to hunt two Crested Larks at the side of the road near to us, but it in the end it did not try, but wandered off into the grass! An excellent way to round off our stay in the Greater Rann of Kutch! 

Species List:
Banni Grassland: Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Grey Francolin, Common Quail, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Greater Coucal, Indian Nightjar, Common Crane, Black-winged Stilt, Red-wattled Lapwing, Kentish Plover, Common Snipe, Wood Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, River Tern, Greater Flamingo, Painted Stork, Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Great White Pelican, Crested Honey Buzzard, Greater Spotted Eagle, Booted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Shikra, Western Marsh Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Black Drongo, Isabelline Shrike, House Crow, Crested Lark, Common Tailorbird, Plain Prinia, Sykes's Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, White-eared Bulbul, Common Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Common Babbler, Rosy Starling, Bluethroat, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Black Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Tawny Pipit, Black-headed Bunting,

India; Northwest - Day 17: Greater Rann of Kutch

   We would have two days birding the Greater Rann of Kutch area, based in the town of Nakhatrana. After discussion the previous afternoon, we decided to spend the morning targeting the Grey Hypocolius. Although a species most of us had seen before, the fact that it is a migrant species meant that it could leave any day, and as such we put it to the top of our priorities. Fortunately we arrived at the area the birds were frequenting to find a flock of nine flying over us! We followed them to where the landed and got excellent views of them jumping around the bushes. Over the next hour we continued to follow the flock and got some incredible views of them feeding on berries.

  In the same area we also had another of the main targets for the area with Marshalls Iora, although it did not show as well as the Hypocolius. In the same area we had my first Jungle Prinia, an unspectacular species but one that I was happy to get out of the way. But the highlight of the other birds was probably a big flock of around 100 Great White Pelicans that passed low overhead!

  Once we were satisfied with our Hypocolius we moved to a drying pool in the middle of the desert to hopefully get some birds drinking. Although it was only 09:00, it was already getting very hot, with temperatures of around 40 degrees forecast for the day. We had a nice Grey-necked Bunting drop in to the area, but that was the only species and individual. In the adjacent bushes there were two more Marshalls Iora and these showed better than the bird in the morning. Additionally in the desert areas there were quite a few Rufous-tailed Larks.

  At around 10:15 we moved again, this time to a nearby large lake that is a bird sanctuary. It was incredibly hot once we arrived here, but still had a few nice birds including a Jack Snipe that we flushed but got nice views of as it flew away. Otherwise the majority of the species present were wetland birds we had become familiar with over the last few weeks. A few warblers singing in the reedbed frustrated us, with no conclusive outcome before we succumbed to the heat. Otherwise we had nice views of two Indian Grey Mongoose and a mother and piglet Indian Wild Boar that crossed the road in front of us. After this site we returned to the lodging to see out the worst of the heat, arriving back just after midday.

  After the midday heat we set off out at 15:30 to find our two remaining main target species for the area, starting with Sykes Lark. It was still hot and we failed to find them during our initial sweep of the open areas, however it wasn’t long after we started searching the bushes that the birds appeared… when we found about 10 feeding in an area with cows next to where we parked the car. After prolonged, enjoyable views we continued birding and found an Indian Grey Mongoose, and a few nice dry forest species like Yellow-wattled Lapwing and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse.

  With the lark safely seen, we continued into another area of thorny woodland to search for the  very localised White-naped Tit. Unfortunately there was no response to our tapes, and after over an hour searching the only species of note that we managed were two Eastern Orphean Warblers. However, after I had wandered off into the woodlands, I heard yells to come back and returned to find out the tit had just flown off. After a short and agonising wait, the bird came back and showed quite well, relieving the pressure.

  We had a short drive at dusk to try find some mammals, but the best we could manage was a nice Indian Hare and a few Indian Peafowl. 

India; Northwest - Day 16: Little Rann of Kutch

   Rather than return to the sanctuary and pay the camera fees again, we decided to bird and area to the north where there was more water and hopefully more birds. This area was called Nava Talav and it turned out to be a productive site for a few hours birding before we set off for our next journey.

  There were many waders and wildfowl present. Most of the waders were species we have been familiar with across Eurasia, but we enjoyed fantastic views of Great Thick Knee very close to the car. Otherwise we were treated to good numbers of Great White Pelicans and hundreds of Demoiselle Cranes. Exploring the bushes found us a few more birds, including Bluethroat and Wryneck, as well as a tick for me with Barred Buttonquail. The grassy areas were full of birds, with Hoopoes and Yellow Wagtails galore. It really was a fantastic few hours of exploring.

  The rest of the day was spent driving from our base in the Little Rann of Kutch, to our next base in the Greater Rann of Kutch. The journey was long and hot, and in the end it consumed the rest of the day, but we arrived before dusk and discussed with the local guide about the plan for the next days.

Species List:
Little Rann of Kutch: Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Tufted Duck, Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Rock Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Greater Coucal, Eurasian Coot, Grey-headed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Demoiselle Crane, Common Crane, Great Stone-curlew, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Temminck's Stint, Little Stint, Barred Buttonquail, Collared Pratincole, Pallas's Gull, Whiskered Tern, Greater Flamingo, Painted Stork, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Great White Pelican, Greater Spotted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Eurasian Wryneck, Black Drongo, Isabelline Shrike, Bay-backed Shrike, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Crested Lark, Sykes's Warbler, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Common Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Babbler, Rosy Starling, Indian Robin, Bluethroat, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Western Yellow Wagtail, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail, Paddyfield Pipit, Tawny Pipit, 

India; Northwest - Day 15: Little Rann of Kutch

   We had the full day to explore the Little Rann of Kutch wildlife sanctuary. Our agency had arranged a member of the park staff to drive us around to make sure we could have the best experience exploring the area, and hopefully see all of our target species. We started our drive at 06:45 and continued until around 10:30 when it was far too hot to continue exploring the area.

  It was strange morning, with much of our time spent clearly searching for target species but this information was not relayed back to us, so it often felt like we were travelling aimlessly across the desiccated landscape without an end goal in sight. We had a few commoner species that we were glad to see, such as Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Sand Lark and more Streak-throated Swallows, but in general for the first hour the birding we seemed to be travelling without purpose.

  Fortunately this improved when we made began driving around the bushes searching for roosting Sykes Nightjar, when we flushed two Short-eared Owls. Shortly after we explored a little on foot and found at least three Sykes Warblers, including an individual singing. And then for the last hour we continued searching for the Nightjar. Although the strategy of looking in rough grass seemed strange it eventually turned up the goods when our ranger managed to pick out a bird roosting in the middle of the desert. This eventually turned into three birds once we had got our eyes used to looking for them. This was our main target and we were pretty thrilled that our morning had ended on such a satisfactory note.

  The sanctuary is most well known for its population of Asiatic Wild Ass of the Indian subspecies, which now only occurs here. It took us about 45 minutes before we saw our first individual, but we then quickly found a group together and by the end of the morning we had seen quite a few individuals.

  In the afternoon we returned to the same area of the sanctuary, and had more success when we found three Indian Coursers on the edge of the water. We were able to get quite close, much closer than the last time I had seen them in 2018. We also spent more time filtering through the commoner waterbirds that were present, finding goodies like Dalmatian Pelican and wading birds. Afterwards we spent some time exploring the grasslands hoping for MacQueens Bustard, but we failed to find any. And then for the last light we visited the den of a Striped Hyena, but it failed to materialise before we had for dark, which was very disappointing. 

Species List:
Little Rann of Kutch: Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Teal, Common Pochard, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Greater Coucal, Sykes's Nightjar, Little Swift, Grey-headed Swamphen, Common Crane, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Eurasian Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Ruff, Temminck's Stint, Indian Courser, Slender-billed Gull, Little Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Caspian Tern, River Tern, Greater Flamingo, Lesser Flamingo, Painted Stork, Great Cormorant, Indian Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Little Egret, Great Egret, Medium Egret, Grey Heron, Great White Pelican, Dalmatian Pelican, Steppe Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Montagu's Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Common Kestrel, Black Drongo, Isabelline Shrike, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Crested Lark, Sand Lark, Sykes's Warbler, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Wire-tailed Swallow, Streak-throated Swallow, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Indian Robin, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Purple-rumped Sunbird, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, House Sparrow, White Wagtail, Tawny Pipit, 

India; Northwest - Day 14: Mount Abu & Little Rann of Kutch

   Fortunately the sickness of the previous day had all but passed overnight, meaning I was back to full strength and able to get out birding properly. We returned to the same area where we had seen the Avadavat the previous evening, but failed to find them. Instead we had nice views of more Indian Black-lored Tit, a few White-spotted Fantail and a brief Red Spurfowl. The area across the road was also birded for a short while, and here we had a group of around 10 White-capped Buntings, as well as three distant Green Avadavats.

  After 90-minutes birding the aforementioned area we carried on up the road, before we stopped to check the area of road above the Mini Nakki Lake. We initially stopped to check out a Crocodile that was swimming in the lake below, but then stopped and started birding when two Red Spurfowl appeared in the road, with one seemingly displaying. Pawan mentioned that this could be a good area to check for Sulphur-bellied Warbler, so we set off here and it did not take us too long to find one hopping around on the rocks below us. Another bonus species we had here was a nice confiding Indian Scimitar Babbler.

  Sadly the other car had continued and missed out on all the action, so we continued to meet up with them where we got to see a flock of around 15 Green Avadavats, followed by a short stop to see a smart Crested Bunting, which was sadly distant. Still, we had to return to the area around the Nakki Lake before breakfast, but our return visit produced none of the birds that we had seen.

  It was another long drive from here on, leaving at 11:00 and only arriving at our final destination at the Little Rann of Kutch at 18:00. There were a few highlights along the way, including many Bengal Sacred Langur as we descended Mount Abu, and a smart female Greater Painted Snipe in a dirty roadside pool in the middle of a town as we approached our destination.

  Just before our lodging we drove over a bridge which had good numbers of hirundines circling, so we stopped for half an hour to check if they were Streak-throated Swallow! And they were. A little investigative work found a colony of elaborate nests underneath the bridge, with the birds coming and going in little bursts. In the same area we had plenty of Little Swifts, 40 Common Cranes, a Caspian Tern and three Rosy Starlings. It was an excellent way to round off the day!

Species List:
Mount Abu: Indian Peafowl, Red Spurfowl, Grey Junglefowl, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Spotted Dove, Laughing Dove, Greater Coucal, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Red-wattled Lapwing, Indian Pond Heron, Common Buzzard, Coppersmith Barbet, Brown-headed Barbet, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Plum-headed Parakeet, White-spotted Fantail, Long-tailed Shrike, Rufous Treepie, House Crow, Large-billed Crow, Cinereous Tit, Indian Black-lored Tit, Common Tailorbird, Ashy Prinia, Dusky Crag Martin, Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Hume's Leaf Warbler, Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Indian White-eye, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Brahminy Starling, Bank Myna, Indian Robin, Black Redstart, Purple Sunbird, Green Avadavat, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Tree Pipit, Crested Bunting, White-capped Bunting,
Little Rann of Kutch: Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Laughing Dove, Little Swift, Common Crane, Spotted Redshank, Caspian Tern, Black-headed Ibis, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, House Crow, Streak-throated Swallow, Rosy Starling, Bank Myna, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, 

India; Northwest - Day 13: Mount Abu

   Today was not a good day!

  It started at 01:00 when I awoke with bad stomach cramps. I spent almost the entire rest of the morning on the toilet, peaking at around 06:30 when I decided to vomit as well. PC also shared this unfortunate fate, but nobody else in the group did, which begs the question what caused it? Regardless, after vomiting I felt much improved so headed out birding for our final morning in Siana. Sadly, the improvement was very much only temporary, and I ended the morning sleeping in Dax’s car while the others searched for warblers. Fortunately I did not miss much, as the birding was generally fairly quiet with only species from the previous days seen.

  Much of the rest of the day was spent driving as we transferred from Siana to Mount Abu, where we would have one afternoon and a morning. We arrived mid-afternoon which allowed a small amount of time for a rest before we headed out again. The sleep I got during this period was enough to decided to try again going out birding.

  The area we chose to explore was a little further up the road from our lodging where Pawan thought to check for our main target, the Green Avadavat! For a species which can be tricky, fortunately it did not take us long to find a group of three individuals including a lovely male. At first they were elusive and against the light, but they came into the light later and we got some nice pictures.

  Other birds in the area included a small group of Indian Black-lored Tits, but the other species we would have liked to have seen here eluded us. Once again I was not able to keep the pace, and spent the end of the evening sat on the rocks staring aimlessly into the bushes in front of me. After a light dinner, I crashed into bed praying that the next morning it would have passed.

India; Northwest - Day 12: Siyana Camp

   We had a full day birding around the Siyana with Dax today, birding in the cooler morning and then again in the evening. Because of his expertise in the area, and the fact that we only had a few targets, we had a very enjoyable and productive day.

  To start we visited an area of fields just below a massive inselberg rising out of the desert. Here we wanted to find the Sirkeer Malkhoa, which I had seen before but was happy to see again, and fortunately it did not take long to find them with two birds showing well. Dax was impressed as he said it was normally a difficult bird to see. We continued exploring this area for Rock Bush Quail, and after following the calls for some time we eventually flushed a couple of individuals, but failed to find them on the ground once they landed again. There were other commoner birds in the area as well, and it was a very enjoyable few hours. And to finish off we had excellent views of a Small Asian Mongoose. 

  We continued around the inselberg to another area of thorny woodland in the hopes of finding a few migrant warblers but we failed to find any. There was some nice birding to be had still, with White-browed Fantail and Common Woodshrike being the highlights. However the heat was already getting up and activity had already dropped, so once we were satisfied birding here we returned to our lodging to see out the heat of the day. There was little to report during this period but we had nice flyover views of Oriental Honey Buzzard and Booted Eagle that helped pass the time.

  In the afternoon we returned to the same area we had been in the previous afternoon, to the southwest of the town. There was good birding to be had again, with excellent views of both White-bellied and Small Minivet throughout the afternoon, as well as more White-browed Fantails and Common Woodshrike. And towards the end of the afternoon we ventured out into the adjacent fields to try again for the Rock Bush Quail, and this time I was lucky enough to see two individuals on the ground.

  As dusk fell we tried a few night birds. It started with the Indian Eagle Owl, which was already calling but helpfully flew to an exposed area of canopy where we could see it perched conspicuously. Next we tried some nightjars and had excellent encounters with flyby Savanna and Indian Nightjar, although they never landed close or allowed for any good photos. And then once we were back at the lodge we tried for Indian Scops Owl and had an individual come in to the large tree in the garden, where it showed for a short while before leaving. 

Species List:
Siyana Camp: Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Rock Bush Quail, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Painted Sandgrouse, Greater Coucal, Sirkeer Malkoha, Indian Nightjar, Savanna Nightjar, Little Swift, Red-wattled Lapwing, Black-winged Kite, Booted Eagle, Indian Eagle-Owl, Asian Green Bee-eater, Eurasian Wryneck, Laggar Falcon, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-bellied Minivet, Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike, White-browed Fantail, Black Drongo, Bay-backed Shrike, Long-tailed Shrike, House Crow, Indian Bush Lark, Common Tailorbird, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Dusky Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Large Grey Babbler, Common Babbler, Brahminy Starling, Indian Robin, Black Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Grey-necked Bunting, 

India; Northwest - Day 11: Siyana Camp

   Today was mostly spent travelling from the Desert National Park to the small village of Siyana to the southeast, where the climate allows for a little more vegetation and we had a few more species to target. This journey consumed almost all of the day, but there were a few birds enroute such as a group of three Indian Thick-Knee sheltering under a bush, as well as commoner species.

  Once we arrived at our lodging in Siyana late afternoon we met Dax, the lodge owner and local guide who would take us out birding during our time here. He offered for us to try to find a couple of targets that evening, but since they were both dusk birds we had a bit of time to chill so birded the gardens. There were a few nice birds such as a smart male Red-breasted Flycatcher and a Yellow-eyed Babbler.

  Our first stop with Dax was a rocky outcrop to the southwest of the village where he knew of a pair of Rock Eagle Owl. The drive over was also quite productive since we also picked up a group of three Grey-necked Bunting feeding on the side of the road, which were new for me. In the end we had to wait only around 10 minutes for the Owl to fly in and perch up in full view, although a little distant! An excellent start to our birding here.

  As darkness fell we visited a small watering hole where Dax told us that Painted Sandgrouse come to drink on an evening. Again we only had a short 10 minute wait, during which time we had the pleasure of watching Wild Boar drinking, and then a pair of Painted Sandgrouse dropped in. The female was closer, but the male was easily the more striking bird, even in the low light conditions. They didn’t stick long before the headed off, after which only one more individual came down to drink. Rounding off an excellent late afternoons birding!

Species List:
Siyana Camp: Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Painted Sandgrouse, Greater Coucal, Asian Koel, Common Moorhen, White-breasted Waterhen, Black-winged Stilt, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Painted Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Black-winged Kite, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Bonelli's Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier, Indian Eagle-Owl, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Long-tailed Shrike, House Crow, Greater Short-toed Lark, Common Tailorbird, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Hume's Leaf Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Large Grey Babbler, Common Myna, Indian Robin, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Tawny Pipit, Grey-necked Bunting, 

India; Northwest - Day 10: Desert National Park & Jaisalmere

   Since we had managed to see both of our main targets for the Desert National Park, we had a morning of exploring looking for lesser targets. To that end, we headed to the northeast of our camp where there were some arid open areas that we might find Greater Hoopoe Lark and Courser species, but we found neither during the morning searching. The best we managed here were common desert species we had not yet seen on our trip, such as Desert Lark, Trumpeter Finch and Isabelline Wheatear. It did not help that the wind had picked up from the previous day and the dust was still a problem. Still, we managed a lucky break on our drive back where we had a nice Red-tailed Wheatear.

  After a short break back at the hotel, to wash off the dust, and then we drove to the nearby town of Jaisalmere where we had lunch and explored the ancient city fort. There were many small stalls here, as well as some spectacular architecture of various ages. This helped pass the afternoon and was a site worth seeing. 

At the end of the day, as the sun was setting and we had returned to camp, I explored the vegetation around the camp. The birding was fairly steady with nothing of any real note, except for a pair of Rufous-fronted Prinia. There were plenty of Indian Gazelle, or Chinkara, around and these were certainly the best of the evenings entertainment. Tomorrow we will leave the Desert National Park and drive seven hour to our next site, the Siana Camp. 

Species List:
Desert National Park: Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Little Swift, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Little Egret, Egyptian Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Montagu's Harrier, White-eyed Buzzard, Asian Green Bee-eater, Laggar Falcon, Black Drongo, Great Grey Shrike, House Crow, Desert Lark, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Crested Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Dusky Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Babbler, Isabelline Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Brown Rock Chat, Variable Wheatear, Red-tailed Wheatear, Purple Sunbird, House Sparrow, Tawny Pipit, Trumpeter Finch, 

India; Northwest - Day 9: Desert National Park

   Today would be arguably the most important day in our entire itinerary, as we dedicated two whole days in the Desert National Park to search for the Critically Endangered Great Indian Bustard, the worlds heaviest flying bird. With a population of possibly already less than 100 individuals, concentrated mostly in this area, we knew that it was the most important species on our trip.

  The day started driving an hour from our lodging to the gate of the National Park, as we then drove around the perimeter fence to scan to find the Bustards. Incredible, it took only around 15 minutes after passing the gate that we found our first bird, with one close to the fence but immediately flushed when we spotted it. It flew off away from us but fortunately looped back around and then flew off into the distance. Mission already accomplished!

  Not too much later we found two individuals on the ground together, but these were much more distance. They were good to watch as they walked through the tall grass, and while we watched another flew past us and into the agriculture beyond. Once we left the original two birds, we set off to find where this third bird landed, and it didn’t take us too long to find it. This allowed us an opportunity to see one close on the ground, before it took off and headed back to the protected area.

  There was limited other birdlife during this morning session, but it was still enjoyable. We had many of the same species we had seen over the previous few days, such as excellent numbers of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and plentiful Variable Wheatears and a pair of Laggar Falcons. The only new species for us on the trip was the Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, which was very common. At 10:30 we headed off to a restaurant for lunch, and then to sit out the heat of the day.

  At 14:30 we headed out again, to an area of grassland north of the village of Sam where we hoped to find the White-browed Bush Chat. The temperature was still warm and activity was pretty limited despite the good habitat. A male Montagus Harrier was the highlight, probably even after we found the Bush Chat, which we did after an hour of searching. The Chat was fairly approachable and showed very nicely, meaning everyone got to see this rare bird. Of course, I saw this bird previously in 2018 at Bharatpur, but it was still good to see again.

  From here we had to drive back to our accommodation, a journey of at least 90-minutes in the back of an open topped and very dusty vehicle. Fortunately the journey was eased as we found four more Great Indian Bustards feeding at the side of the road in the dull early evening light. Having expected just a few distant hazy views, to have seen so many and so well really was a treat! We arrived back at our lodging just as darkness fell, very satisfied with our days birding in the Desert National Park.

Species List:
Desert National Park: Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Great Indian Bustard, Grey Heron, Black-winged Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Montagu's Harrier, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, Common Kestrel, Laggar Falcon, Black Drongo, Isabelline Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, House Crow, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Delicate Prinia, Barn Swallow, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Asian Desert Warbler, Common Babbler, White-browed Bush Chat, Siberian Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Variable Wheatear, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, House Sparrow, Long-billed Pipit, Tawny Pipit, 

India; Northwest - Day 8: Keechan

  Today we travelled from the city of Bikaner to the Desert National Park, via the small village of Keechan for an unforgettable crane spectacle. On the way we made a few stops, but most of the day was spent driving. Before Keechan we stopped off at a few open desert areas to search for any Coursers but did not find any. We had a few Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse as well as my first Indian Desert Jird, a small sandy brown mammal that is quite common in the area.

  The village of Keechan is famous for its wintering population of several thousand Demoiselle Cranes, that visit the bird sanctuary here after feeding of the birds was start many years ago. It really was an unprecedented spectacle for us, with what we calculated to be in total 6000 Demoiselle Cranes all crammed around two small pools. We could only easily overlook one of these pools, and it really was quite something. We also had incredible views of birds flying past us at close range as they moved between the pools, and the noise was absolutely wonderful to hear! Probably the highlight of the trip so far. After 90 minutes here however we had to move on.

   The remaining drive passed without much incident. As we approached Desert National Park we did make a short stop in an area of desert to do some birding during the last hour of light, and while enjoyable we did not get anything new. A few more Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were the highlight of this stop. Finally, as we entered the entrance road of the park with the sun setting, I had a final tick for the day with a White-eyed Buzzard perched on a roadside pylon. Our lodging for the night was settled deep in the desert, with a wonderful ambiance, ready for two days birding in the park. 

Species List:
Keechan Sanctuary: Eurasian Teal, Feral Pigeon, Demoiselle Crane, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Little Grebe, Little Cormorant, Shikra, Black Drongo, White-browed Wagtail, White Wagtail, 

India; Northwest - Day 7: Tal Chappar & Jorbeer

   We continued our exploration of the Tal Chappar area, but since we did not have any more drives in the sanctuary reserved on our itinerary, we had to explore outside the park. We decided to bird the area where we had first visited, when we arrived in Chappar. This time though it was early morning and the weather was excellent, with clear blue skies and warm sunshine. The Blackbucks were on top form, allowing us to get some nice final views and finally get some satisfactory photos of the males.

  The birding was really good as well. It took only about 15 minutes to locate a pair of Indian Spotted Creeper, and they showed fantastically well and throughout the morning. I was still watching them when we left the site at 09:30. In between we explored the dry open woodland and found a few nice species such as Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike, Black-rumped Flameback and Yellow-crowned Woodpecker.

  The drive to Bikaner is only about three hours, which meant that even with a lunch stop we still arrived at 13:15 in the heat of the day. We were here to enjoy the spectacle of the raptors visiting the Jorbeer Carcass Dump, and to find the Yellow-eyed Pigeon. The latter issue was quickly resolved as we drove down the entrance road, our driver Pawan pointed our literally hundreds of the pigeons dotted all over the pylons. It took us a little while to be certain that these were what we wanted, since the numbers were so unprecedented, but they were indeed all Yellow-eyed Pigeons!

  We stopped again before we got to the main carcass dumping area due to the number of raptors circling over the road. We ended up stopping for about an hour watching the eagles and vultures soaring low above us. We picked out a few interesting species among the masses of Egyptian and Griffon Vultures, and Steppe Eagles. These included a few Eastern Imperial Eagles and a juvenile Himalayan Griffon Vulture.

  Once we entered the sanctuary it was quite overwhelming with the stench and the amount of litter blowing in the wind. There were a few raptors perched up but not many large vultures and only a few eagles. We still had fun with two Greater Spotted Eagles and a few Cinereous Vultures. It was not long though before we decided we had enjoyed the same experience back on the road, just without the litter, smell or feral dogs. So we headed back there to see out the day, and continue watching the raptors. We finished off our raptor fest with a flythrough Lagger Falcon and a Tawny Eagle. Overall a very educational afternoon and fun to watch the many birds of prey. 

  We then headed to our lodging, which was one of the poshest hotels I have ever stayed in. Quite the change in scenery from the rough digs we had been used to, having spent the best part of the day at a literal rubbish dump! 

Species List:
Tal Chappar: Bar-headed Goose, Northern Shoveler, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Eurasian Teal, Grey Francolin, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Little Swift, Common Moorhen, White-breasted Waterhen, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Ruff, Little Grebe, Little Cormorant, Red-naped Ibis, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Asian Green Bee-eater, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Small Minivet, Common Woodshrike, Black Drongo, Great Grey Shrike, House Crow, Northern Raven, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Large Grey Babbler, Indian Spotted Creeper, Rosy Starling, Brahminy Starling, Indian Robin, Black Redstart, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow,
Jorbeer: Grey Francolin, Yellow-eyed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Red Collared Dove, Red-naped Ibis, Eastern Cattle Egret, Egyptian Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Himalayan Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Greater Spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Black Kite, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, Laggar Falcon, Black Drongo, Bay-backed Shrike, House Crow, Greater Short-toed Lark, Rufous-fronted Prinia, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Babbler, Bank Myna, Black Redstart, Variable Wheatear, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, House Sparrow, 

India; Northwest - Day 6: Tal Chappar

   For our full day in the Tal Chappar area, we knew we would have to try to find the Indian Spotted Creeper. Some reports we had seen had people searching all day, so knew that we would have to land the bird early in order to make the best of our time in the area generally. We explored an area just a little further away from where we had been the previous evening, apparently the lodge owner had told our driver this was where the last sighting was. The forest was more cleared and open here, but within an hour we had managed to land our bird! The light was pretty awful for photos, but the bird was very showy and sang often whilst we watched. After around 15 minutes it flew across the road and into a field fenced-off by barbed-wire, ending our watch!

  Having scored so early we next moved on to an area of salt pans where we continued to enjoy some good birding. There were no real targets here but the birding was generally very enjoyable with quite a lot of activity. We saw our first wading birds of the trip, with Temmincks Stint and Marsh Sandpiper being the best of it. In the open areas around I had a few new birds with Delicate Prinia and Variable Wheatear, while there were hundreds of Greater Short-toes Larks flying around and feeding on the ground. Also on the lark front we enjoyed a singing Indian Bush Lark and a few Crested Larks. A nice White-browed Fantail wrapped off a brilliant morning.

  Our final stop in the morning was a large quarry excavation surrounded by Acacia scrub. It was getting warm when we arrived here with the sun finally making an appearance. The highlight in this area was a smart male White-capped Bunting, with generally birding being quite slow. I had another lifer here with Rufous-tailed Lark, with two perched singing.

  After lunch and an afternoon break we headed into the Tal Chappar sanctuary itself. The Blackbucks were once again very numerous and we even got to see pairs of males clash horns on a few occasions, which was great to watch. Also on the mammal front we had a Nilgai, a large species of cattle, and a few Wild Boar. Since there are no predators in the sanctuary, it all feels very surreal, like a strange zoo. But the animals are wild, and they were still great to see.

  On the bird front we had some excellent species, with flyover Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, a few Long-billed Pipit and raptor species including Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture and Eastern Imperial Eagle. The highlight was the unprecedented numbers of Greater Short-toed Larks that were flying around, with an estimated few thousand on the move. A few Montagus Harriers were quartering over the grassland, and these would regularly flush large flocks of Larks, while impressive flocks of Ruff also passed through. In the distance there was also a Small Pratincole flying around. An enjoyable days birding and mammal watching! 

Species List:
Tal Chappar: Indian Peafowl, Grey Francolin, Black Francolin, Common Quail, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Red Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Red-wattled Lapwing, Kentish Plover, Green Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Redshank, Ruff, Temminck's Stint, Small Pratincole, Little Grebe, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Black-winged Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Montagu's Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard, Spotted Owlet, Eurasian Hoopoe, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Indian Roller, Common Kestrel, Rose-ringed Parakeet, White-browed Fantail, Black Drongo, Bay-backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, House Crow, Rufous-tailed Lark, Indian Bush Lark, Crested Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Delicate Prinia, Paddyfield Warbler, Dusky Crag Martin, Red-vented Bulbul, White-eared Bulbul, Lesser Whitethroat, Large Grey Babbler, Common Babbler, Indian Spotted Creeper, Brahminy Starling, Common Myna, Indian Robin, Black Redstart, Siberian Stonechat, Pied Bush Chat, Desert Wheatear, Variable Wheatear, Purple Sunbird, Indian Silverbill, House Sparrow, Yellow-throated Sparrow, White Wagtail, Long-billed Pipit, Tawny Pipit, White-capped Bunting, 

India; Northwest - Day 5: Tal Chappar

   Today was mostly dedicated to driving, as we made our way south from Harike towards our next destination, the town of Chappar and the Tal Chappar Blackbuck Sanctuary. We knew this endeavour would take up most of the day, as we passed through three states (Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan) but we managed to keep our time good and we arrived in Chappar at 16:40 having set off at 08:10.

  We did also make a few stops along the way, generally for birds that our driver picked out along the side of the road. First we had a Red-necked Falcon, which showed nicely before flying over us and perching again but more distant. Next we had a Tawny Eagle and a large kettle of mixed vultures, all commoner species. And then just before we arrived at our destination we had a pair of Laggar Falcons, including the male plucking at a prey item.

  Once we arrived in Chappar we had an hour of daylight to search for the Indian Spotted Creeper which was our main target here. We combed the area but found no sign of the bird, although there were a few nice species on offer such as Rufous-fronted Prinia, a Wryneck and a smart Eastern Black Redstart.

  The highlight of this area was undoubtedly the good numbers of Blackbuck that were wandering through the open woodland. These stunning antelopes were one of me most wanted species for this trip and to have them just wandering around, especially the superb males, was a real treat. The light was a little dull for good photos, but knowing they are so accessible makes me hopeful for more chances. Additionally we found Indian Gazelle in this area, although they were a little more nervous an difficult to approach. 

Species List:
Tal Chappar: Grey Francolin, Eurasian Collared Dove, Red Collared Dove, Red-wattled Lapwing, Red-naped Ibis, Asian Green Bee-eater, Eurasian Wryneck, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Great Grey Shrike, House Crow, Rufous-fronted Prinia, Lesser Whitethroat, Large Grey Babbler, Indian Robin, Black Redstart, 

India; Northwest - Day 4: Harike Bird Sanctuary

   For our second day at Harike we prioritised the search for the Jerdons Babbler, starting in the area where I had found the birds the previous evening. We headed straight to this area, and almost immediately had a Jerdons Babbler perch up but sadly not for long before it dived back into the cover. This continued for the next half an hour or so, where fleeting but good views were had but always too brief for any photos leaving us frustrated. Finally, one bird decided to sing almost unobscured by vegetation and I was able to grab a couple of nice photos.

  We continued birding the general area until late morning. There were a few nice species that we saw such as another Rufous-vented Grass-Babbler, a few Rosy Pipits, a flyover Pallas Gull and thousands of ducks in the channel. We tried to find a couple of other targets in this area but unfortunately drew a blank on those and by 10:30 we decided to head back for some breakfast before heading out again.

  After breakfast we birded another road near the sanctuary where there were more trees bordering the reedbeds. Here we hoped to find the White-crowned Penduline-Tit but although we almost certainly an individual we never saw any. The birding was generally quite slow, with limited activity and mostly species we had seen before. There were two Brown Rock Chats and another pair of Rufous-vented Grass Babblers which responded very well to playback.

  During the late afternoon we birded the area near the canal just down from the main sanctuary car park. This was a decent area but again most of the species we saw were the same we had become familiar with over the previous two days. There was one nice new bird with White-tailed Lapwing, but the undoubtedly highlight of the afternoon was a Smooth-coated Otter in the river, which swam very close to the bank, checking us out, before swimming away.

Species List:
Harike Bird Sanctuary: Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Common Shelduck, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Feral Pigeon, Oriental Turtle Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Grey-headed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Black-winged Stilt, Little Ringed Plover, Red-wattled Lapwing, White-tailed Lapwing, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Common Greenshank, Black-headed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, Pallas's Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, River Tern, Little Grebe, Asian Openbill, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Medium Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Black-winged Kite, Shikra, Western Marsh Harrier, Spotted Owlet, Indian Grey Hornbill, Asian Green Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Brown-headed Barbet, Alexandrine Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, Rufous Treepie, House Crow, Common Tailorbird, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Plain Prinia, Zitting Cisticola, Grey-throated Martin, Red-vented Bulbul, Hume's Leaf Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Lesser Whitethroat, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Jerdon's Babbler, Rufous-vented Grass Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Striated Babbler, Indian Pied Myna, Common Myna, Bank Myna, Siberian Stonechat, Pied Bush Chat, Brown Rock Chat, Black-breasted Weaver, Western Yellow Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail, White Wagtail, Rosy Pipit, Tree Pipit, 

India; Northwest - Day 3: Harike Bird Sanctuary

 We actually started the birding section of our northwest trip today. Our two drivers met us at 07:00 and we drove the hour south to the small town of Harike where there is a large wetland with a few target birds. It was hazy and started to rain when we arrived at 09:00, having stopped for breakfast, but it was soon fine enough to head out birding.

The first section of the sanctuary that we visited was near the headquarters and here we hoped to find the rare Sind Sparrow, as well as hopefully other target species if we were lucky. Sadly we did not have this luck and although the birding was enjoyable, we missed all the species we had hoped to find. I managed two ticks here however, with Little Pratincole and Yellow-eyed Babbler, which were both long overdue species for me. Two Sambar and an Indian Jackle were both nice to see as well.

We wrapped up in this section at 12:00 and headed to our hotel, on the way stopping at a small tea stand for a quick bite to eat. It was here that our driver spotted a small group of five Sind Sparrows feeding in the trees adjacent to the road. We were able to get some nice views in the end, once they came lower, with a couple of smart males. With this first target out of the way, we headed to the hotel for an hours rest before setting out again in the afternoon.

In the afternoon we headed to another site on the border of the wetland sanctuary. Here we hoped to find the target species that we had missed during the morning. At first the area did not look especially promising, being mostly wheat fields, but it bordered one of the rivers that flows into the sanctuary, and there were some areas of grassland where we managed to find some of the birds we were looking for.

It did not take us long to find the Rufous-vented Grass-Babbler, with an individual showing immensely well on the side of the road, in response to playback. This was a bird we really needed to find at this site and we were thrilled to have seen it so early on the trip. Next our group got largely separated and I ended up on my own following a rough trail through the elephant grass. Towards the end of this trail, where the grass became much thicker, I found our other main target; the Jerdons Babbler. Sadly it was not as cooperative, and although I got some excellent records, I was not able to get any photos with the brief views I could obtain. In the end I never saw the bird well, and had to leave with the sun descending. On my way out I found another small flock of Rufous-vented Grass-Babblers.

The whole area was very enjoyable to bird in, with lots of common duck species on the river, numbering in the several thousands! Additionally there were commoner Indian species of open country in the fields, such as Spotted Owlet and Yellow-footed Green Pigeon. And as I was leaving the Jerdons Babblers I got quite the shock when a Wild Boar jumped out of the crop next to me. It waited a few moments for me to get some pictures before it scuttled into the elephant grass, rounding off a brilliant first days birding.

Species List:
Harike Bird Sanctuary: Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Common Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Collared Dove, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot, Grey-headed Swamphen, White-breasted Waterhen, Black-winged Stilt, Red-wattled Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, Small Pratincole, Black-headed Gull, Brown-headed Gull, River Tern, Little Grebe, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Great Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Indian Pond Heron, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Black-winged Kite, Shikra, Western Marsh Harrier, Spotted Owlet, Indian Grey Hornbill, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Brown-headed Barbet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, Long-tailed Shrike, Rufous Treepie, House Crow, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Ashy Prinia, Plain Prinia, Grey-throated Martin, Red-vented Bulbul, Hume's Leaf Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Jerdon's Babbler, Rufous-vented Grass Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Striated Babbler, Indian Pied Myna, Common Myna, Taiga Flycatcher, Siberian Stonechat, Pied Bush Chat, Streaked Weaver, Scaly-breasted Munia, Red Avadavat, House Sparrow, Sind Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, 

India; Northwest - Day 2: Amritsar

  We had a full day in Amritsar to see some of the sights before we began our birding trip. We returned to the Golden Temple in the morning to see it during the day, and although it was still stunning, it was far better to look at during the night.

  Next we visited a few other temples in the area, both Hindu temples but they were nowhere near the standard of the golden temple. Then we continued to the Wagah border crossing with Pakistan, where they perform a closing ceremony every evening when they take down the flags. It was interesting, with hundreds of people watching the border guards perform their ‘silly walk’ and then take down the flags, but it did go on a bit. On the plus side, I saw House Crow, Black Drongo and Feral Pigeon in Pakistan!

Species List:
Amritsar: Indian Peafowl, Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Red-wattled Lapwing, Little Cormorant, Shikra, Black Kite, Pied Kingfisher, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, House Crow, Common Myna, 

India; Northwest - Day 1: Arrival & Amritsar

 Today we travelled from the south to the northwest, where we would meet up with three more Spurn birders; Paul Collins, Mick Turton and Steve Guillem, and from there we would explore the desert regions on India. 

  Our flight from Cochin departed just after 09:00 and we would not get to our final destination, Amritsar, until 15:00 including a very narrow transfer in Delhi that we just about made without any issues. Once we arrived in Amritsar we settled in and went out to see the city's most famous site: the Sikh Golden Temple! Unfortunately I was not dressed correctly, so we returned to the hotel and headed out again at night, when the temple was illuminated.

  It was a fantastic structure and well worth seeing. We spent about an hour walking around the sacred pool admiring the temple, and the other holy buildings in the complex, appreciating their beauty. It was well worth the visit!

Species List:
Amritsar: Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, House Crow, Common Myna, 

India; Western Ghats - Day 13: Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary

   Our final day of birding in the Western Ghats was not one of the finest in our trip catalogue. We had only a couple of targets to try to track down, but Gireesh was no longer with us so we had Jacob, another guide, to take us out in the morning. It certainly did not help that I woke up feeling pretty awful. Having been battling a cold for the best week, today it finally got the better of me, leaving me being very low energy.

  The activity was pretty slow in the area where we went birding, but there were a few interesting birds including a nice pair of Black Baza which was a trip tick for us, and our first Black-naped Monarch. Still, we could not find the Grey-headed Bulbul, which was the species we really wanted despite continuing to bird until 10:30 when the heat and humidity took us back inside.

  After the disappointing morning, we decided to head to the airport after lunch and from there we would be able to prepare ourselves in a relaxed setting for our flight and the rest of our trip. 

Species List:
Thattekad Sanctuary: Grey Junglefowl, Green Imperial Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Pin-tailed Snipe, Little Egret, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Black Baza, Malabar Grey Hornbill, White-throated Kingfisher, White-cheeked Barbet, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Blue-winged Parakeet, Orange Minivet, Indian Golden Oriole, Black-hooded Oriole, Ashy Woodswallow, Ashy Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Rufous Treepie, White-bellied Treepie, Large-billed Crow, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Flame-throated Bulbul, Green Warbler, Southern Hill Myna, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Golden-fronted Leafbird, 

India; Western Ghats - Day 12: Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary

   Our priority for the day was the Sri Lanka Bay Owl. We had nothing else on the agenda, and had dedicated the whole morning to finding an individual. With Gireesh we walked through as much habitat as we could, but very quickly our early morning optimism started to fade away as we continued to search without reward. There were a few birds on offer that we were able to pick up, including our first male Malabar Trogons, another Indian Pitta and only my second Indian Blue Robin.   

  It was our very last stop which seemed to be checking just for the sake of it, when I wandered off and spotted a brown lump obscured behind the foliage. At first I thought it must be another Frogmouth, but the shape was strange and began to ponder if Great-eared Nightjars can roost upright. Then the penny dropped! Sri Lanka Bay Owl! The bird we had dedicated the last two mornings to! I called over the others, but the bird didn’t care at all, it never moved for the entire time that we were watching it, sleeping tightly clutching the branch. There was not a window to get a clear shot of the bird facing us, but we got pretty close. And since many people have poor obscured views, this was an absolutely excellent encounter.

  Since it was already 10:30 we headed back for breakfast, and then spent the afternoon relaxing and doing our laundry. I had a bit of time checking out the dragonflies on the edge of the lake, with some stunning species on offer.

  In the afternoon we decided to bird by ourselves, walking along the road to The Nest Resort, which we could bird without a guide. This turned into an excellent decision as we were able to find one of my outstanding targets with Blue-faced Malkoha. They were extremely elusive and never really showed well, but since it was looking like a species that we might miss we were pretty thrilled to see. Other trip ticks included Barn Swallow and River Tern, but overall the birding was excellent and there were a lot of different species to enjoy.

  At night we went out to look for owls and night birds but sadly for the first time we were not alone with another two groups of Indian birders also in the area. Although we saw the Spot-bellied Eagle Owl and Jerdons Nightjar again, overall it became something of a circus, not helped by the fact that nothing responded to playback once again. A very disappointing evening. 

Species List:
Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary: Lesser Whistling Duck, Grey Junglefowl, Feral Pigeon, Common Emerald Dove, Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Blue-faced Malkoha, Jerdon's Nightjar, White-rumped Spinetail, Little Swift, Whiskered Tern, River Tern, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Purple Heron, Brahminy Kite, Sri Lanka Bay Owl, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Malabar Trogon, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Common Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Oriental Dollarbird, White-cheeked Barbet, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Black-rumped Flameback, Lesser Yellownape, Blue-winged Parakeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Indian Pitta, Orange Minivet, Indian Golden Oriole, Black-hooded Oriole, Malabar Woodshrike, Ashy Drongo, Bronzed Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Rufous Treepie, Large-billed Crow, Barn Swallow, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Flame-throated Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Dark-fronted Babbler, Southern Hill Myna, Malabar Starling, Common Myna, Orange-headed Thrush, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Grey Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail, 

India; Western Ghats - Day 11: Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary

  For our first full day at Thatekkad we went out birding with Gireesh to an area where we hoped to find the Sri Lanka Bay Owl, but spoiler alert, we failed to find it. This was a shame but we have two more days to try and track the bird down, and in the meantime we did have some excellent birding today, with many species that we wanted to see safely under the belt.

  First we had a male White-bellied Blue Flycatcher male that we found in an area that we were checking for the owl. Next we went to an area where there was an active nest of Legges Hawk Eagle and could see an adult perched in the open canopy and a large chick in the nest itself. Continuing round the corner where a lava flow rises above the canopy and here we managed to find some other goodies, such as Malabar Barbet and Fork-tailed Drongo Cuckoo. We spent some time in this area and had some good birding. As it started to get warmer we returned inside the forest to search for other birds, starting with a roosting Sri Lanka Frogmouth, which was one of my most wanted birds for the day. Gireesh knew where they would be, and so it transpired with one a little concealed but nice and close to the path. The morning continued but birding slowed down as it got warmer, the only other bird of note was a Blue-eared Kingfisher which was fishing as we passed.

  By 10:30 we had wrapped up, with the heat and humidity already too much so we headed back to the room for breakfast and to see out the worst of the afternoon heat. In the afternoon we opted to visit a feeder hide called Eld Hose which saw us visit from 15:00 until 17:30. The hide was absolutely fantastic with birds arriving all the time and showing fantastically well at the feeding site. In the end we managed 26 species at the hide, including some others not actually using the hide facilities. Multiple species of flycatcher were using the hide, including my first Blue-throated Blue-Flycatcher, among Tickells Blue Flycatcher, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, Brown-breasted Flycatcher and Rusty-tailed Flycatcher. The best highlights at the feeder however were a handful of Orange-headed Thrushes, ample Malabar Starlings, our first Red Spurfowl of the trip, and a tick for me, and the undoubted highlight an Indian Pitta that came out and started feeding in the open, wagging its tail the whole time. In addition we had a White-bellied Woodpecker come and sit in the rubber plantation behind the hide. An absolutely fantastic!

  At night we went out with Gireesh again to try and find some nightbirds and mammals. Sadly however we turned up absolutely nothing. It is possible that the increase in humidity after dark did it for us, but whatever happened we saw nothing and very little responded to playback. 

Species List:
Thatekkad Sanctuary: Lesser Whistling Duck, Red Spurfowl, Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, Malabar Imperial Pigeon, Fork-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, Sri Lanka Frogmouth, White-breasted Waterhen, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Legge's Hawk-Eagle, Malabar Trogon, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Common Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Malabar Barbet, White-cheeked Barbet, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Malabar Flameback, Black-rumped Flameback, White-bellied Woodpecker, Blue-winged Parakeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Indian Pitta, Small Minivet, Indian Golden Oriole, Malabar Woodshrike, Ashy Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Rufous Treepie, Large-billed Crow, Cinereous Tit, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Flame-throated Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Large-billed Leaf Warbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Yellow-billed Babbler, Southern Hill Myna, Malabar Starling, Orange-headed Thrush, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Oriental Magpie-Robin, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher, Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher, Tickell's Blue Flycatcher, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, Purple Sunbird, Little Spiderhunter, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Golden-fronted Leafbird, Grey Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail,

India; Western Ghats - Day 10: Munnar & Thatekkad Bird Sanctuary

   Since we had endured so much trouble at Periyar, and that the morning activites were all booked up, we decided to instead make a small detour and drive back to Munnar before continuing to the Thatekkad Sanctuary, therefore giving us another chance to find the Nilgiri Pipit and a few other birds that we had been missing. We set off from Kumily at 05:00 arriving at the areas we wanted for 07:00.

  We first visited the Gap Road Viewpoint again, hoping that while the area was quiet we might have some of our targets on the rubbish heap before the vendors. Sadly we were not lucky in this regard and despite an hour in the area and searching as best as we could, we ultimately found nothing so decided to continue on our way and check the Lava Flats that had seemed so promising the last time we visited them. The best bird we managed in this area was a skulky Common Grasshopper Warbler!

  We arrived at the Lava Flats at 08:00 and already had some interesting birds with two Indian Scimitar Babblers and two Palani Laughingthrushes. Buoyed by this excellent start we set out across the fields hoping for something to change with our fortunes, but alas it did not. We managed some interesting species such as our first Tree Pipit and a flyover Malabar Imperial Pigeon, but otherwise activity was limited. After two hours, right at the death I flushed a chick of Painted Bush Quail, with the adult quickly scampering under the bushes next to me. This was one of our main targets but it would have been nice to see them better, since I couldn’t refind them afterwards. Finally Gray told me that he had found some roosting nightjars on the rocks, so we headed back down to the area and there we had two Jungle Nightjars roosting under the shade of a rocky overhang. 

  With it now being 11:00 we decided to continue to Munnar and have some lunch there, before checking out our next site. And so at 13:00 on our descent from Munnar we check out an area of tea plantations in the faint hope that we might find a flock of Rufous Babblers. We had hoped to find the species at Periyar but had obviously failed. Despite it being incredibly hot we did manage to find a group of around six babblers that were quite showy in the end. After the disappointment of the morning, we were thrilled with this outcome. 

  The rest of the drive took two hours, taking us down to Jungle Bird Homestay in Thatekkad Sanctuary where we would see out the rest of our trip. We enjoyed the hotel rooftop for the rest of the daylight hours and had some nice species, including a tick for me with Heart-spotted Woodpecker. Additionally we had plenty of flying Brahminy Kites, a mixed flock of Little Swifts and White-rumped Spinetail as well as a Whiskered Tern over the water. 

  After dark our guide, Gireesh, took us out on a walk to look for the local owls that he knew. We started with a near-adult Spot-bellied Eagle Owl chick which he showed us in the twilight, as it was perched up in the bamboo. A massive and striking bird, this was one I had been hoping for on this trip and it did not disappoint. Next we moved on to Mottled Wood Owl. We had to work a little more for this bird, especially since we kept being distracted by the Indian Flying Foxes all around us, but in the end it perched up nicely but frustratingly briefly, giving me my second owl tick of the evening. We finished off the walk back near the first owl, where we had a perched up Jerdons Nightjar and two sleeping Indian Pitta. On the drive back we had a Sambar by the side of the road. So far as night walks go, it certainly wasn’t bad. 

Species List:
Thatekked Bird Sanctuary: Lesser Whistling Duck, Green Imperial Pigeon, Jerdon's Nightjar, White-rumped Spinetail, Little Swift, Asian Palm Swift, White-breasted Waterhen, Red-wattled Lapwing, Whiskered Tern, Oriental Darter, Little Cormorant, Indian Pond Heron, Medium Egret, Crested Honey Buzzard, Brahminy Kite, Spot-bellied Eagle-Owl, Mottled Wood Owl, Asian Green Bee-eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, White-throated Kingfisher, White-cheeked Barbet, Heart-spotted Woodpecker, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Indian Pitta, Indian Golden Oriole, Ashy Woodswallow, Ashy Drongo, Rufous Treepie, Large-billed Crow, Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Green Warbler, Southern Hill Myna, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Loten's Sunbird, White-rumped Munia, 

India; Western Ghats - Day 9: Periyar National Park

And so the circus began!

  We went to the ticket office car park where we were supposed to meet our bird guide for the early morning walk. We had not bought tickets as we were told that it would be arrange with the guide once he arrived. But shortly before he arrived, we received a call from him asking us if we wanted to do any other activities, and that because of global warming there were no birds anymore. Although we were a little perplexed by this, we insisted that we did the bird walk and he confirmed he was on his way. Then, just 15 minutes later he cancelled. This threw our entire morning into chaos! We decided to try and get on the 07:00 Green Trail guided walk, but were told that it was all booked up and that we would have to reserve a place on the 11:00. This was all far from ideal but we clearly had no choice in the matter so arranged a place at 11:00.

  In the meantime we decided to walk to the Bamboo Grove area again and try our luck with the Wayanad Laughingthrush there. We managed to make it in, and were told by a local that if we stuck to the road we would have no issues but after 90 minutes one of the park managers came to escort us out, saying that we shouldn’t be there without a guide and that they had seen us on cameras. While it lasted we did have some nice birding, although no sign of the laughingthrush. We had our first White-bellied Treepie here, as well as many of the other endemics we had seen the previous day. On the mammal front we had more Nilgiri Langur, as well as our first Northern Red Muntjac and a brilliant encounter when three Dhole ran across the road in front of us, one even stopping for a second just to bark at us!

  Once we had been escorted out we went for breakfast, before heading back for our 11:00 walk. We had not anticipated much, but were a little more optimistic to learn that we would be the only participants on the walk, so spoke to our guide Prabhu, and asked if he could take us to see the Wayanad Laughingthrush. He agreed, so off we went in a completely different direction to the Green Trail but up a river valley near the Bamboo Grove where we had been during the morning. With the heat we were hardly optimistic but Prabhu seemed fairly competent with birds and soon he thought he heard the call of the Laughingthrushes! Although we were a little dubious at first, we had soon tracked the birds down. They were very mobile and difficult track, but we managed some Ok views before they moved up the hill. Mission accomplished.

  Despite being midday we had a very pleasant walk. On the bird front we ticked Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, Malabar Woodshrike and Flame-throated Bulbul, as well as enjoying more White-bellied Treepie and Malabar Grey Hornbill. But the real standouts were the mammals. As we were walking up the valley we had three more, or possibly the same, Dhole cross the path in front of us. In addition we had two Gaur in the forest, including a massive bull.

  With the walk complete at 13:30 we headed back to the hotel for an hours rest before heading back out. This time we walked the main road through the national park, since you did not need a guide to complete this stretch. The forest was very quiet, although we had nice views of Sambar and more Nilgiri Langur. On the bird front the highlight was two rather confiding Orange-headed Thrushes on the path in front of us. Otherwise it was rather disappointing.

  To finish off we returned to the ticket office to try look for some birds there as the light was fading. We did not find the Rufous Babbler we hoped for but had a nice flyby Emerald Dove and a mammal tick with some roosting Indian Flying Foxes. All in all a satisfying end to what could have been a very frustrating and disappointing day.   

Species List:
Periyar National Park: Grey Junglefowl, Spotted Dove, Common Emerald Dove, Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, Greater Coucal, Common Hawk-Cuckoo, Indian Swiftlet, Asian Palm Swift, Red-wattled Lapwing, Green Sandpiper, Little Egret, Striated Heron, Indian Pond Heron, Eastern Cattle Egret, Medium Egret, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Black Eagle, Brahminy Kite, Jungle Owlet, Malabar Trogon, Great Hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Stork-billed Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Coppersmith Barbet, White-cheeked Barbet, Malabar Flameback, Lesser Yellownape, Plum-headed Parakeet, Blue-winged Parakeet, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Malabar Woodshrike, Ashy Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Brown Shrike, White-bellied Treepie, Cinereous Tit, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Flame-throated Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Red-vented Bulbul, Greenish Warbler, Dark-fronted Babbler, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Jungle Babbler, Wayanad Laughingthrush, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Southern Hill Myna, Jungle Myna, Orange-headed Thrush, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Rusty-tailed Flycatcher, Loten's Sunbird, Black-throated Munia, Grey Wagtail, 

India; Western Ghats - Day 8: Munnar & Periyar National Park

  We spent the first two hours of the morning birding the roads around Munnar, hoping to pick up some of the targets that we were missing. Although we failed to find them, it was still pleasant birding with a Palani Laughingthrush eating a lizard being the highlight, as well as only our second encounters with Nilgiri Woodpigeon and Blue-capped Rock Thrush. Towards the end of our walk we had a great encounter with a small family group of Indian Black-lored Tits, which came down from the canopy and showed quite well.

  At 09:00 we departed Munnar and drove along the road to Pooppara, along the way making two stops to search for Nilgiri Pipit in open areas of dried lava slopes. It was already hot at this point and our slim chances were already dwindling, but there was always a chance. At the second site we visited there was a brief moment of delight when we did find two pipits together but it did not take us long to work out that they were infact Paddyfield Pipits and not Nilgiri Pipits.

  After this frustrating morning we continued on our way to the town of Kumily near the Periyar Tiger Reserve National Park where we would spend the next two days. We found nice cheap lodging and settled in during the heat of the afternoon before setting out birding. We unfortunately found that the logistics of the park were far from straightforward and we had to spend some time organising ourselves for the following day.

  Once the beurocracy was done we tried to bird an area called Bamboo Grove, a community outside the national park. We were told by guards that it was not possible to enter, which was frustrating but fortunately only one of the many entrances was guarded, so we entered via another pathway. The area was quite lively but our targets eluded us. There were a few commoner species that we picked up such as Malabar Starling and Malabar Grey Hornbill, but for the most part the birds we saw were birds we had become familiar with over the last couple of days. Other non-endemics we saw here were Black-hooded Oriole and Jungle Owlet.

  On the mammal front however we had a nice surprise with a small group of Nilgiri Langur. Sadly they did not stick around for long, or show well but since this was a species I feared that we would miss, it was great that we had been able to see them on our first day here. 

India; Western Ghats - Day 7: Munnar

  We planned to spend the whole day working the forested road down from the village of Pothamedu; the Pallivasal Road and the road up to the Deshadan Mountain Resort. We started the birding at first light and almost immediately found one of our targets with Indian Black-lored Tit. Sadly it was always high up in the canopy and we did not get great views, but still good to have got it seen so early. The road was very birdy all the way along, although mostly common species, but a few new Malabar endemics with Southern Hill Myna and Malabar Whistling Thrush, with an additional tick for me with Tawny-bellied Babbler.

  Once we turned onto the Deshadan Road we quickly gained more target species. First we had a mammal with Nilgiri Bush Squirrel but it did not show well, with showier individuals appearing later during the day. In the same area we had our first Indian Blue Robin of the trip, which was a tick for me. We continued to climb and not far from the top we got our main target for this area with the Palani Laughingthrush. We found two birds which showed very well, sitting out in the open for extended periods.

  By 08:00 we had reached the resort itself, and from here we would climb up the mountain into the grasslands to try and find the rare Broad-tailed Grassbird. Sadly, despite braving the horrendously steep path and searching for 90 minutes we were not able to find the Grassbird. In fact we found very little, with Nilgiri Pipit that is also a possibility here being missed as well. By 09:30 we had called it a day and headed back down into the woodland.

  Unfortunately since we had left the woodland had gone much quieter. After a return to town for some breakfast and then back to the woodland we had gained very little. A group of Dark-fronted Babblers were the best of it, with the only other species of note being another Brown-breasted Flycatcher. We decided to spend the heat of the afternoon back at the hotel rather than punish ourselves in the temperatures, for ultimately little reward.

  In the afternoon we continued along the Pallivasal Road picking up a few birds but overall activity was low. Some species we had only seen on one previous occasion were seen, such as Large-billed Leaf Warbler and Orange Minivet. By finally paying attention, we got Loten’s Sunbird finally with a female feeding on flowers at the side of the road. In the canopy there was a large gathering of the Southern Hill Myna.

  For the last hour of daylight we returned to the Deshadan Mountain Resort Road and had a lot of late afternoon activity. Back at the bushes where we saw our first Palani Laughingthrushes there were now three individuals, as well as an active flock of eight Indian Scimitar-Babbler and lots of common bulbul species. A Malabar Whistling thrush came and landed right in front of me and as I descended, I found a perched Crested Serpent Eagle which rounded off an enjoyable days birding. 

Species List:
Munnar: Grey Junglefowl, Spotted Dove, Grey-fronted Green Pigeon, Crested Serpent Eagle, Black Eagle, Booted Eagle, Shikra, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Coppersmith Barbet, White-cheeked Barbet, Peregrine Falcon, Blue-winged Parakeet, Orange Minivet, Ashy Woodswallow, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Ashy Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Large-billed Crow, Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Cinereous Tit, Common Tailorbird, Grey-breasted Prinia, Plain Prinia, Blyth's Reed Warbler, Dusky Crag Martin, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Square-tailed Bulbul, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Tickell's Leaf Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Large-billed Leaf Warbler, Indian White-eye, Tawny-bellied Babbler, Dark-fronted Babbler, Puff-throated Babbler, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Palani Laughingthrush, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Southern Hill Myna, Indian Blackbird, Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Indian Blue Robin, Malabar Whistling Thrush, Pied Bush Chat, Nilgiri Flowerpecker, Crimson-backed Sunbird, Loten's Sunbird, Black-throated Munia, House Sparrow, Grey Wagtail, White-browed Wagtail, Common Rosefinch,