Mount Abu: Eyeing the endemics

Introduction:
A three day trip was planned to Mount Abu from 23^rd to 26^th June 2007 with an object to see and photographically document the unique avifauna of Mount Abu, something which I failed to do in my last trip to the area in August 2007. Heavy rains had hampered birding that time. We took care this time so as to avoid the monsoons as it becomes very difficult with very high wind velocity and heavy rain almost throughout the day. The bird life also disappears and walking in the forest becomes dangerous as the Sloth Bear and the Leopard become active even during daytime. The moss ridden rocks also get treacherous to walk on. We were hoping for some good birding in Abu this time and we were not disappointed. For a detailed map of the route, Kindly reach the end of page.

(Sunrise at Abu. Copyright Mayank Bhatnagar)

Birders:
Gaurav Bhatnagar
Mayank Bhatnagar

Highlights:
Highlights of the trip were surprisingly all endemic species: Green Avadavat, Indian Scimitar-babbler, Grey Junglefowl, Black-lored Tit (P.x aplonotus), Eurasian Blackbird (T.s nigropileus), Red Spurfowl, and White-spotted Fantail (R albogularis).

Acknowledgements:
Thanks to Harkirat Sangha for directing us to the birding hotspots of Abu. Mr Jugal Tiwari was helpful in giving us the exact location of Green Avadavat. Mr Bhoma of RTDC for his very good service. Google maps for the map at the end of the report

Day 1: 23^rd June 2007 (Travelling to Abu)
It’s a 10 hour straight drive from Jaipur, the road running parallel to the western side of the Arravallis. Enroute the only place with reasonable birding was the the wetland after Ber. It is always worth 20 minutes of scanning. The Sarus Crane, Black-headed Ibis, Comb Duck, Black-winged Stilt and intermediate egret were seen here. Winters is a good time to see migratory waterfowl and Harriers here.

Apart from that the journey was quite uneventful in terms of birding until we reached the foothills. Grey-breasted Prinia, Great Tit, Crested Bunting and Black-lored Tits were seen ascending up the hills. light was low and not conducive to photography.

We reached Abu at about 8 in the evening, raining and clouds all around, reminiscent of my last trip when I missed out on my birds. We had booked in advance a cottage at the RTDC Shikhar Guest house (Rs. 1600/- per day). It’s situated on top of the hill and is quite secluded from the hustle and bustle of the town. Although a little shabby, it is a good option if you need peace and quiet. We ended the day with the hope of seeing a sunfilled sky the next morning.

Day 2: 24^th June 2007 (The Green Avadavat)

Sun-filled it was. Early breakfast in the balcony with a beautiful crimson sunrise and calls of Black-lored Tit was the start of the day. As directed by Mr Jugal Tiwari, we headed straight to Oriya Village on the Gurushikhar road to try and find the Green Munia. We searched the Village at the back of the Brahmakumari Peace Park. After a lot of searching in and around the village, the birds were finally seen in a small yard where buffaloes were tied. The birds were shy and did not allow close approach. They were feeding on the ground amongst dung and fallen fodder. Other birds of interest which were seen there were Indian Silverbills, White-throated Kingfisher and a pair of Pied Crested Cuckoo.

(Picture showing the habitat of the Green Avadavat at Oriya Village.
(copyright: Mayank Bhatnagar)

From Oriya village, we carried on towards Guru Shikhar with not much birding except Grey-breasted Prinias and an occasional Red-whiskered Bulbul of which Abu holds an isolated population in Rajasthan. A Tickell’s blue Flycatcher was seen in the trees abutting the road near Mini-Nakki lake and as we were returning back to town, a Grey Junglefowl was heard in the bamboo forest near the entrance to Trevor’s Tank and an Oriental Honey-buzzard was seen soaring above the forest.

Late afternoon we scanned the area around St Mary’s School. The area revealed White-spotted Fantail and an Indian Cormorant at the Dam behind the school. We headed towards Anadara Point to catch a glimpse of the setting sun. It was a fabulous sunset. An Asian Palm Civet was seen while coming back towards Abu. Rain and winds had already started by then and got really heavy by the time we reached the guest house.

(Picture showing the habitat and track leading to Trevor’s tank. Copyright: Mayank Bhatnagar)

Day 3: 25^th June 2007 (The pouring rain)

It had rained the whole night and was still raining very heavily in the morning. Birding was restricted to our balcony which did not go beyond the odd Tailor Bird or a Large-billed Crow (Indian Jungle Crow Corvus [macrorhynchus] culminatus). Activity was restricted only to small spells of sunshine. It rained through the whole afternoon and finally in the evening we took a drive towards Gaumukh. The drive was very scenic through well preserved forest with waterbodies on both sides. Birding was not good excepting a Purple Sunbird in total breeding plumage and displaying its characteristic Sun. A Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher and a Brown-headed Barbet were the other birds seen here.

Trevor’s tank is a small dammed lake in the heart of the Mount Abu Wild Life Sanctuary. The drive from the gate to the lake is a rough track but easily drivable. The entrance is on the Guru Shikhar road just after Dilwara Temples on the left. The road is abutted with dense forest and is fairly quiet on weekdays. The place is excellent for birding. A small clearing on the right about 200m or so from the gate was very active with birds. 2 Oriental Turtle-doves were foraging on the ground in the clearing along with a Female Red Spurfowl, busy ploughing the ground. Eurasian Collared and Spotted Doves were also seen in the same area. A Thick-billed Flowerpecker was seen in the canopy of one of the large trees which also revealed a Small Minivet. Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, Oriental White-eye and Large-billed Crows were plenty and about.
At Trevor’s Tank, the reservoir was only half full. The Crocodiles had breeded this time. The female was protecting about a dozen newborns in the shadow of a rock. We climbed up to a vantage point nearby on top of a rock and got good views of a White-spotted Fantail. Returning back, c5 Tawny-bellied Babblers were seen besides the track. Back on the road, a Common Hawk Cuckoo and an Oriental Honey-Buzzard was seen on the Gurushikhar road.
In the evening in the city a single singing Common Iora was seen in the city near the Bhrama Kumari Garden and a hummingbird Moth was seen hovering on Lantana Flowers.

Day 4: 26^th June 2007 (The Specialities)

The morning started late again due to the weather. We relaxed in the Cottages and birded around the area. The White-spotted Fantail was quite confiding and gave good views and the photogenic Black-lored Tit was not far behind giving an excellent chance to the lens.

The late afternoon and evening was spent at Trevor’s Tank. We again stopped by the clearing near the gate and scanned for the birds. We stopped there besides the road and waited quietly in case any other bird shows. The wait was well rewarded when a majestic male Grey Junglefowl came out of the clearing, Posed for the camera, and went back in the forest. The usual doves were again seen foraging the groung and 3 Large-billed Crows waded in a puddle nearby. A Brown-capped Pigmy Woodpecker was sighted and the Jungle was now buzzing with activity as we moved ahead. A Pair of Red Spurfowl with 3 chicks were seen crossing the road in frenzy as a rufous morph of an Asian Paradise Flycatcher flew past us.
Red-rumped Swallows were seen near the water reservoir at Trevor’s Tank while a Eurasian Blackbird was seen carrying eating material to the nest. A chirpy pair of Black-lored Tits were seen looking out for nesting holes in a big Mango tree and Spotted Doves were seen in the forest nearby. Coming back, a White-bellied Drongo was seen in the forest near the track. Just when I was thinking that I had missed out on the Scimitar Babbler, Mayank stopped the car to point at a bird perched amongst the bamboo grove besides the track. Here it was, an Indian Scimitar Babbler. It flew to sit on a tree nearby and stayed put just enough to be photographed and then went off into the thick of the forest. What a way to end the trip with this truly delightful bird added to the list. There was however little more birding still left in Abu.

End Game:
We celebrated that evening with a sumptuous dinner and after reviewing the photographs and still on a high, we headed back to the hotel. Driving back to RTDC near Cama Rajputana Hotel, a small owl caught my eye sitting on a small rock besides the road. As I backed my car to get a better look, it flew to a nearby wire. ID pictures were taken and it was later identified as a Collared Scops Owl. It is an uncommon bird in Abu and not reported by Sangha et. al.

Overall a very enjoyable and fruitful birding trip.
A list of species is given below for reference.

Bird seen in Mount Abu, June 2007

1. Comb Duck @ wetland at ber
2. Brown-capped Pigmy woodpecker @ trevors tank
3. black-rumped Flameback @ Abu climb
4. Yellow- crowned Woodpecker @ trevors
5. Brown headed barbet @ common at abu
6. Coppersmith Barbet
7. White-throated Kingfisher @ near Oriya
8. Green Bee-eater @ abu foothills
9. Pied Cuckoo 2 @ Oriya villlage
10. Common Hawk-Cuckoo @ near dilwara
11. Greater Coucal (heard at various places in abu)
12. Rose ringed Parakeet (common in Abu)
13. House Swift (common in Abu)
14. Rock pigeon (common in Abu)
15. Oriental Turtle Dove @ trevor’s tank
16. Eurasian Collared dove @ trevor’s tank
17. Spotted Dove @ Trevor’s Tank
18. Red-collared dove (enroute to abu)
19. Black-winged Stilt (wetland at ber)
20. Red-wattled Lapwing (common)
21. Black-kite (one hovering at Nakki lake)
22. Egyptian Vulture (one seen from RTDC)
23. Shikra @ RTDC
24. Indian cormorant near dam @ st mary’s
25. Little Egret @ wetland near ber
26. Cattle Egret (common enroute to abu)
27. Black-headed Ibis (wetland @ ber)
28. Rufous treepie (1 in abu and 2 @ trevor’s)
29. House Crow (abu foothills)
30. Large-billed Crow (common in Abu)
31. White-throated Fantail (common in abu)
32. Eurasian Blackbird (nigropileus) @ Oriya
33. Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (wooded areas of Abu)
34. Indian Robin (common in Abu)
35. Oriental magpie Robin (common in Abu)
36. Brown Rockchat (in abu)
37. Brahminy Myna (common in Abu)
38. Common myna
39. Bank Myna (common in foothills)
40. Great Tit (at lower elevations)
41. Black-lored Tit (common in Abu)
42. Dusky Crag Martin (enroute to guru shikhar)
43. Red-rumped Swallow (common in Abu)
44. Red-whiskered Bulbul (wooded areas in Abu)
45. Red-vented Bulbul (common in Abu)
46. Grey-breasted Prinia (common in urban abu)
47. Ashy Prinia (common in Abu)
48. Oriental White-eye (common in Abu)
49. Common Tailorbird (common in Abu)
50. Yellow-eyed babbler
51. Tawny-bellied Babbler @ trevor’s tank
52. Jungle Babbler (common in Abu)
53. Purple Sunbird (common in Abu)
54. House Sparrow
55. Chestnut Shouldered Petronia @ trevor’s tank
56. Green Avadavat 4-5 @ oriya
57. Crested Bunting enroute to abu
58. Red Spurfowl @ trevors
59. Grey Junglefowl 1+2 @ trevors
60. Asian Paradise flycatcher @ Trevors tank rufous female
61. white-bellied drongo @ trevors tank
62. Indian Scimitar-Babbler @ trevors tank
63. Oriental Honey Buzzard @ gurushikhar road
64. Small Minivet 1 seen @ trevor,s tank
65. Thick-billed Flowerpecker @ trevor’s
66. Grey Hornbill enroute to udaipur from abu
    
67. Common Iora @ brahmakumari garden

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• June 23, 2007
• Bird Birding Mount Abu India endemic Green Avadavat
• 13 comments