Highlights:
Alpine Swifts, Painted Spurfowl, Osprey, Grey-bushchat

Day 1
we started early from Jaipur and after a short break at RTDC midway at Shahpura, we went in towards Alwar, moving right from NH8. The road from Shahpura to Sariska is easily one of the most beautiful roads of Rajathan. the drive through the Aravalis amongst forests of Dhok and Salar, red-vented Bulbuls, Plum Headed Parakeets, crested Bunting, long-tailed Shrike, common woodshrike were our esteemed company on the roads. A fringe-toed Lizard was also sighted in the sandy hills near Bairath.
We reached Sariska around 10 AM and checked in the RTDC Tiger den hotel. The hotel was very quiet and tea in well maintained lawn was a treat esp. With the background calls of the Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher, Lesser Whitethroat, white-eyes and the Black-rumped Flameback. An Asian Koel watched us keenly with its bright red eye and the resident Red-wattled lapwing was keeping a lookout for any red-faced macaques. Well fed at last, we headed straight into the sanctuary.
This time around, the forest at the entrance looked much less degraded, and looked more like a scrub. A good sign as some years ago this part of the forest was extremely bare). The waterbody about a kilometre from the entrance was buzzing with activity. One juvenile and one adult Black Stork were seen standing near the water along with intermediate egrets and painted Storks. A small stream near the road that feeds the waterbody was watched over by a Black-crowned Night Heron, while a pond heron waited in zen stillness perturbed only by a hyper-active Common Chiffchaff zitting in the Zizyphus shrub. Black Redstarts were plenty and scattered in the forest, flying off to nearby branches with a shimmy of its tail. Common Woodshrikes, Red-throated Flycatchers, Plain Martins, Black-Shouldered kites, Ashy and Plain Prinias were just about everywhere. White-bellied Drongo were seen in a group of four near the kali Ghati Chowki at the fork of the road. A very brave Rufous treepie was willing to take the biscuit from my hand.
The forest after the fork to Pandupol is very dense and the character of the forest gets a diifferent feel. Common Rosefinches were seen in flock in a Bamboo thicket near road along with common Babblers and Indian Silverbills. The stream nearby was host to the Common Kingfisher and a slithering water Snake. We scanned the sheer cliffs on the way for raptors but in Vain……..no Vultures or other bird of prey. The beautiful Painted Spurfowl is always a delight to watch and it did not disappointus in any way. We saw atleast 6 of them.
Coming back, a common kestrel was seen hovering above the grasses nearby. Grey-breasted Prinia, White-capped Bunting and Crested Bunting were the other birds seen here.
We moved on towards the road that goes to Tehla, the south entrance to the park. After having attained a good elevation, several swifts were seen sallying in the sky. A closer inspection with the binoculars revealed c12 Alpine Swifts, possibly a new record for the park. Plain Prinia, olive-backed Pipit and a very active group of Small Minivet were seen at a road bend in the dense ficus trees. A Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher in its usual fritty mood, yellow Wagtails and Common Rosefinches were seen subsequently near a small man-made waterhole.
We reached the southern gate and moved towards Tehla. An Osprey was the highlight at Tehla lake. Common Snipe, Black-tailed Godwits, Common Redshanks, little Ringed Plovers, Marsh Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper were the waders that were seen. Common and White-Throated Kingfishers were seen and watched over by a pair of indifferent Asian Openbills.
Northern Shoveller, Northern Pintail, Common Coots, Spotbills, and Little grebe were also seen in the water along with Indian and intermediate cormorants with their typical open-winged stance. We moved on towards the dam and a pied wagtail, pied bushchat, white-breasted Waterhen and Coimmon Hoopoe were seen. A river tern was seen hunting in the clear waters for fish as a grey heron looked at peace with the waters. The western edge of the lake is a small scrub of Acacia nilotica and a Yellow-crowned Woodpecker and a Green Bee-eater were the other birds that were seen here.
We moved ahead of tehla and took the road from Ajabgarh to Thanagazi. it must be one of the most picturesque roads of the country with the hills on one side and the road flanked by a row of beautiful Butea monosperma (flame of the forest). In late feb and march when the trees are in full bloom, the landscape must be heavenly. not much birding activity however except for a Shikra, an Isabelline Wheatear, Large-Grey Babblers and Indian Silverbills. We reached the Guest House late and ready for dinner.

Day 2
Early morning we birded near the guest house and surprisingly a Grey Bushchat revealed itself near the guest house entrance. Another possible new record for the park. Spotted Doves were seen huddled together in a tree nearby as Oriental Whiteye’s buzzed and neighed through the trees. Overall a good trip with fruitful birding and good photography.

(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.

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

View Larger Map

Birders:

Harkirat Singh Sangha, Somendra Singh, Gaurav Bhatnagar

Highlights:

Spotted Flycatcher, c130 Indian Coursers and 10 species of Raptors

Trip Report

September at Tal Chhapar always has something in store. The monsoons have just left and the grass has started to dry up with only a few patches of green. The shallow water bodies are full, Capparis is blooming and most importantly – the grassland is buzzing with insects.

We entered the gates of the sanctuary at about 4:00 PM after a 3 ½ hour drive from Jaipur. The commoners at Tal Chhapar were seen immediately. Southern Grey Shrike, Common Babblers, Large Grey Babblers, Black Drongo, Little Green and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and Bay-backed Shrikes were seen right at the entrance alongwith two large raptors, A Red-headed Vulture and a Tawny Eagle seen soaring ahead in the sky. It was just 50 meters inside the park, a largish pale coloured flycatcher was seen amongst a mixed Acacia tortalis and nilotica stands. It was a Spotted Flycatcher (Musicapa striata), the first highlight of the day, identified by the conspicuous streaking on crown and breast. This is the second time the bird has been reported from Chhapar and is possibly the third record of the bird from Rajasthan. Ashy-crowned Finch-larks were seen in small groups of c30 flying at about 5 feet from the ground. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were plenty and were perched on the ground in small groups of 10-20, often flushed in rapid wing beats as we cut through the grass to the acacia grove towards the west of the sanctuary. The flowering Capparis decidua around the trees were buzzing with activity with juvenile Rosy Starling and Red-vented Bulbuls. A Tawny Eagle was seen perched in the high vantage of the trees, surveying the area.

We moved on further westwards towards a very big group of Blackbucks. With the help of binoculars we made an informal survey of the population of Blackbuck. We counted some 1200 individuals out of which at least 300 were young ones. It indicates a very healthy breeding this year. White-eyed Buzzards were plenty with most of them immature birds. Among Harriers, Montagu’s were seen in good numbers, and two Eurasian Marsh Harriers were seen both skimming 3’ above the grasses. No Pallid Harrier was seen in this visit, although it is a regular to the park.

While observing a Laggar Falcon, perched on a lonely Acacia nilotica, another small falcon flew past us at terrific speed some 5’ above the grass and made directly towards a group of c50 Greater Short-toed Larks and chased them in flight in a fantastic display of power and skill as the larks tried to dodge it. Although the scene lasted only a few seconds and the raptor could not get his game, it was a sheer delight to witness the Red-headed Falcon (Falco chiquera) in full throttle.

A female Common Stonechat was the last bird to be photographed in the crimson glow of the setting sun as we headed back to the FRH. The day ended with a superb formation flight of c300 juvenile Rosy Starlings over a group of blackbuck.

The weather next morning was excellent with a cool westerly blowing across the park. Birding activity was in full swing and first to be seen were three Black eared Kites (Milvus migrans lineatus) sitting near the entrance of the park. This time we went straight from the road towards the southern side of the sanctuary. This is where all the male Blackbucks congregate in individual bachelor groups. It’s a hard life for younger bucks trying for a place in the male pool and are often beaten, battered and rammed out of territory, a fantastic example of natural selection as the strongest male gets to procreate.

As we came closer, a fantastic group of c130 Indian Coursers was seen on the ground amongst

the antelopes with a good number of Juveniles. This is by far the biggest group I have seen of these beautiful birds.

As we headed back, a greenish warbler was seen in the trees along with a common Chiffchaff, lesser whitethroat and a beautiful Yellow-footed Green-Pigeon.

Geologically speaking, Mount Abu is not part of the predominantly sandstone and quartzite Aravali range. Mount Abu is much younger and is composed of a greyish Synorogenic Granite which is actually not a pure granite and contains traces of Biodite or soft mica. this makes the granite unusable for any ornamental use and is also the reason why the stone has not been quarried in Abu and the mount is well preserved. Abu rises quite high and is gradual on the eastern side and quite sheer on the western side. The highest point of Mount Abu is Guru Shikhar and is at an elevation of 1721m. The habitat is unique to Rajasthan and Mount Abu boasts of a variety of fauna and a lot of bird endemics. It is also the stronghold of the Sloth Bear and the Leopard.
The most recent ornithological work is the checklist of birds of Mount Abu by Harkirat Sangha and Dhirendra Devarshi and is a valuable, comprehensive and up-to-date account of the state of avifauna and conservation of this unique and diverse habitat.

The craters:

9^th August, 2006.
Four of us (2 birders, Me and Megha and 2 non-birders, My Mother and Masi) had a pleasureable 4 day trip to Mount Abu. The route taken was Jaipur – Ajmer – Beawer – Pali – Sojat – Sirohi – Abu Road – Mount Abu.

Roads were a mixed lot. Some places craters on the road and at some places road in craters, but mostly smooth and we managed to make it in 10 Hours with couple of stoppages in between at picturesque locales. Notable was the granite formations at Ber after Beawer.

The Ascent

The Climb to Abu, apart from being most picturesque and beautiful, is also most pleasurable esp. when you have the constant company of Grey-breasted and Ashy Prinias in their full song. Great-tits, Jungle Babblers and Red-vented Bulbul’s were also fairly common. At an elevation of some 800m (as told by my Casio Pro-trek) a small bird was observed as it flew to a Pipal tree. What caught my eye was the behaviour of the bird. Instead of the usual perching on the branch, it was creeping vertically on the bark. It was far and light was poor and I saw the bird for just 2 sec. It could have possibly been a Spotted Creeper (Salpornis spilonotus) but I am not sure hence a ???.

House swifts, Dusky-crag Martins, Red-rumped Swallows were all quite common as were the Indian Chats, Indian Robins and Oriental Magpie Robins. Rose-ringed Parakeets were by far the noisiest of the lot. The forest on the slopes, as you go up looked well protected and there were numerous signs of the forest department educating the commoners against plastic bags and feeding the animals – both is prohibited in Mount Abu. The monsoon clouds were just round the corner and had taken over the Mount completely and we were in the thick of it in the rest of the journey. It rained heavily in the night and stayed put through the night. We stayed at the Hotel Sunset Inn, a medium class hotel, abutting the forest Department in Mount Abu. ”There goes my birding” naturally were my last thoughts before sleeping.

The room with a view (A tea session with the endemics)

10^th August, 2006. Early morning was extremely foggy with visibility of no more than 10’. I got some respite around 7:30AM when it cleared up magically and birding activity started at once. The morning tea besides the big hotel room window was where I started off. My day was made immediately by my first lifer of the trip. A White-spotted fantail (Rhipidura albogularis) calling and fluttering around the branches in the young eucalyptus of the abutting forest area. This is an endemic species and has recently been split from the other race Rhipidua albicollis (White-throated Fantail). The beautiful Black-lored Tit (Parus Xanthogenys) was the other Endemic that I saw shortly afterwards, a bird that I had wanted to see for a long time. Other birds seen from the window were Brown-headed Barbets, Spotted Doves, Eurasian-collared Doves and the recently split Indian Jungle Crow (Corvus [macrorhynchos] culminatus)- another endemic. Mount Abu preserves a small isolated population of Red-whiskered Bulbul’s and they were plenty and about. Two Jacobin Cuckoo (Pied Cuckoo) were heard calling and were later seen locked in combat with each other quite like the Black Kites.

Walk in the rain

While the non-birders went to the Nakki Lake for a boat ride, I started to take a walk through the town. It was near the Bhrama Kumari Peace park that the first of the Scaly-breasted Munias (Lonchura punctulata were seen in a group of c10 on a Guava tree. A White-spotted Fantail, a Purple Sunbird and Brown-headed Barbet were subsequently seen and a Black-lored Tit was heard calling. The flashing yellow in the Eucalyptus tree at the back was observed by a 10X50 and they revealed a Common Iora, that to calling. It was then that the monsoons closed the birding session as it started to rain heavily. We headed back to the hotel as the car stereo teasingly played “Raindrops keep falling on my head…”

It rained so throughout the day and into the night.

The Pomatorhinus

The morning of the 11^th looked promising with little sun in the morning. Outside the hotel, I happened to look on the ground and saw something really tiny on the ground jumping about in the puddles. Smaller than many insects, about 1cm in length, it was a frog. The tiniest I had ever seen. It was difficult to capture on camera and I tried my best to get it. I managed a few decent ID shots there.

With guidance from Mr. Kiran Chavda, a residing naturalist in Abu, we went towards the Mt Abu sanctuary to an area called Trevor’s Tank. The drive to the tank was absolutely superb. The Tank however is not a tank as the name suggests – it’s a small lake. The place is amazing and the forest around it is very well preserved. The rain had started again and a big Noisy Gujrati group arrived just then and that was the end of it. We moved on slowly in our car towards Guru Shikhar, completely enveloped in clouds. The clouds would magically clear up now and then and would give fantastic views in between to the surrounding areas of the plains. It was quite futile in terms of birding but it was while coming back that I saw a bird in the bambusae near the road very close to the garbage dump. It was my fourth lifer, the beautiful Indian Scimitar-babbler (Pomatorhinus [schisticeps] horsfieldii). I did manage to get some ID shots of it.

A Black-rumped Flameback and a female Yellow-fronted pied Woodpecker were seen shortly afterwards. Back at the hotel, the only other bird seen was a lone Shikra, sitting in the highest canopies of the pine trees besides the hotel.

The Descent

The descent back to the plains on the 12^th was marked by a big mixed group of Red-rumped Swallows and Dusky-crag Martins hawking insects in flight near the road. An Indian Pigmy Woodpecker was seen moving about near the road on an Acacia tree. The other notable birds that were seen were a Grey Hornbill, Black-headed Cuckooshrike and a Common Woodshrike – all near the foothills.

On coming back, the only stoppage was at the wetland at Ber which had Sarus, Lesser-whistling Teal and some Red-wattled Lapwings along with some fine wild growing water Lillies. Shortly afterwards a European Roller gave us fine views on an electric wire besides the highway near Beawer.

Overall a great trip even though missed out on the three other endemics: The Grey Junglefowl, Indian Blackbird and the Green Avadavat.

Tal Chhapar July 15-16th 2006

Birders: Dr. Reena Mathur, Manish Consul, Gaurav Bhatnagar

The journey to Chhapar by car was quite ornithologically uneventful except for a small Acacia nilotica tree studded with some 25 Baya nests right after Ringus on NH 11. The restrictive view from the car however could only reveal the obvious. Some Indian Rollers, a White-throated Kingfisher, Southern-grey Shrikes and other commoner birds.

We reached Tal Chhapar by 7 PM on the 15^th with not much time left for birding. Light was extremely poor with the sky dusty and cloudy. We missed the sunset (always terrific at Tal Chhapar) and most of the birds were gone by then. We were however lucky to see a medium sized raptor roosting in Acacia tortalis at the turn of the road inside. Wings reaching the end of tail, with breast heavily streaked with brown and pale legs. It was identified later from photographs as a Juvenile Laggar Falcon (Falco jugger). The bird is a regular breeder at the sanctuary and the presence of juveniles indicates confirmed breeding. A good sign for this near threatened bird.

Blackbucks as usual in their big groups were socializing and adult males were seen wrestling away their competitors. A large juvenile blackbuck population indicated that last year’s breeding was indeed successful.

Back at the FRH at night, a sand coloured Praying mantis was seen in the night with the help of a flashlight. The night ended with delightful conversations with occasional comments by a screeching Spotted owlet looking for insects under the sodium lamp.

The morning was cool and breezy at 6:15. The entrance of the park is a dove domain. Doves of all three varieties (Red-collared, Eurasian collared and Laughing) were plenty and about. House crows and a pair of Southern-grey Shrikes were photographed amongst the trees. Black Kites, House Sparrows, Bank Mynas, Black Drongo and Large-grey Babblers were seen subsequently. Green Bee-eaters were few but Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were plenty throughout the grassland filling the air with their sweet ‘trilling’.

The first spell of monsoon has been good this year. A second spell would mean enough water and grass for the whole year. The new grass was about 6” high and it was for the first time that I have seen Cattle Egrets at Tal Chhapar. One big group of around 50 was observed brandishing their orange breeding plumage. They were following Blackbucks around the fresh green grass quite like the way they follow cattle. After a few months the 2’ tall grass would be too high for the Egrets.

Early migrants had already arrived. A pair of European Rollers in fresh and brilliant colours was seen afar on a tree while a solitary Green Sandpiper which was seen wading near the water. White-eyed Buzzards were the most common raptors and were seen chasing small flocks of Ashy-crowned Finch Lark. They were feeding in pairs, maybe preparing for this years breeding. Several of them were juveniles. Larks were plenty and moved in small groups of about 20.

Towards the western side of the sanctuary, Kair (Capparis decidua) had just started to flower and the familiar murmurings of Rosy Pastor were heard and a small vocal group was seen feeding on the shrub alongwith Red-vented Bulbuls. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were only seen once with a flypast of 5 overhead. The grass seems too green for their liking. A Tawny Eagle was seen surveying the area with keen eyes overhead probably looking out for some Gerbills who were plenty around the park. Common to the grassland, Spiny-tailed lizards (Uromastyx hardwickii) were seen sitting alert besides their borrows, ready to jump in at the drop of a hat. Two young reptiles were however not that wary and allowed close approach. Amongst insects, A red Velvet mite was seen on the ground and Dung beetles were observed walking backwards and rolling their dung balls as if telling us to head back. Which we did subsequently. A single Rufous-tailed Lark was the only other bird seen that day at the WLS.

The sad part of the trip were the completely missing Egyptian Vultures. Only one individual was seen throughout the journey. Even on the carcasses near the road (Which were plenty) had only crows on them. No vultures at all.

]]> http://birdingindia.wordpress.com/2006/07/21/tal-chhapar-july-15-16th-2006/feed/ 1 realindia http://birdingindia.wordpress.com/2006/06/25/nahargarh-fort-jaipur-25th-june-2006/ http://birdingindia.wordpress.com/2006/06/25/nahargarh-fort-jaipur-25th-june-2006/#comments Sun, 25 Jun 2006 11:43:00 +0000 realindia http://birdingindia.wordpress.com/2006/06/25/nahargarh-fort-jaipur-25th-june-2006 ]]>

While birding in Nahargarh Fort, Jaipur, Rajasthan, we observed a slightly large swift amongst a flock of c15 House swifts, some 20 feet above us. The bird had whitish belly and a conspicous dark breast band. ID Pictures were taken and the bird was identified as an Alpine Swift (Tahcymarptis melba)of the race nubifugus since the breast band was more pronounced.
The bird is believed to be a passage migrant from Rajasthan and all the records of the bird are from around March and September. It is interesting for the bird to have been seen at this time of the year.

Apart from this, Black-headed Cuckoo-shrike, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Crested Bunting, and Painted Sandgrouse were also seen.

Regards
Gaurav Bhatnagar
Mayank Bhatnagar

Jaipur
25th June 2006

Highlights : Merlin, Laggar Falcon, Greater Short-toed larks

REPORT:

While birding in Tal Chhapar WLS On the 27^th of Feb 2006, a small raptor was observed amongst Acacia tortalis stands on the turn of the road inside the sanctuary. The bird was shy and would fly away to a different perch when approached to be photographed. ID photographs were eventually taken and the bird was confirmed as an adult Merlin (Falco columbarius). This is perhaps the fourth record of the bird from Rajasthan.

Other raptors that were seen were 2 Tawny Eagles, 1Long-legged Buzzard, Black Kites, 3 Egyptian Vulture and a pair of Laggar falcons feeding on a gerbill.

A big group of about 5000+ Greater Short-toed Larks were voraciously feeding on the ground probably feeding on Motia or seeds of the grass Cyperus rotundus

A group of 114 Demoiselle Cranes was counted and small flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were seen flying with their sweet call.

Acknowledgements:
Harkirat Sangha, Suresh C Sharma and Bill Harvey for confirming the ID of Merlin.

Birders: Harkirat Sangha, Gaurav Bhatnagar

Two of us had six days of intensive and very interesting birding in the western regions of Rajasthan. We birded mainly in the districts of Churu and Jaisalmer catching the birds in autumn passage. The trip included some very remote areas of western Rajasthan right up to the Pakistan Border. That’s probably as west as it gets in India. The highlights include Alpine Swifts, Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin, Spotted Flycatcher, Great Indian Bustard and Long-Billed and White-rumped Vultures. The trip included 17 species of raptors. Apart from the avifauna, some good mammals and reptiles were also sighted. In mammals – Desert Fox, Indian Fox, Chinkara, Long-eared Hedgehog and Desert Hare were seen; whereas in reptiles Spiny-Tailed Lizard, Indian Monitor Lizard, Desert Monitor Lizard and a Pakistan Ribbon Snake were seen.

ITENARY

5.9. Jaipur to Tal-Chhapar WLS
6.9. Tal-Chhapar WLS to Jaisalmer via Bikaner
7.9. Jaisalmer – Ramgarh – Tanot – Shakti – Tanot – Longewala – Ramgarh – Jaisalmer
8.9. Fossil National Park and Desert National Park
9.9. Jaisalmer to Tal-Chhapar WLS
10.9. Tal-Chhapar WLS to Jaipur

REPORT

Day1: Jaipur to Tal-Chhapar WLS

Day 1 Started on the NH 11 itself with good number of Baya weaver colonies on both sides of the road, mostly on Babul (Acacia nilotica) and Khejri (Prosopis cineraria). The nests were still green indicating the freshness of construction. Sometimes 18-20 nests were observed on one single tree. The more common species were also observed during the journey: Green Bee-eaters, Black-shouldered Kites, White-throated Kingfisher, Golden Oriole, Black-rumped Flameback, Southern Grey-Shrike, Bay-Backed Shrike and Red-rumped Swallows. All were briefly viewed from the Gypsy. The first of the Rosy Starlings were observed on the road to Salasar feeding on the fruiting ‘kair’ (Capparis decidua). It was on the road to Sujangarh, 10km before Nechwa, that a group of 30 swifts caught our attention. The swifts had apparently white underparts and seemed bigger in size than the common house swifts. On closer observation with binoculars, a white belly and chin and a conspicuous dark on the breast was seen. The swifts were identified as Alpine Swifts. They were flying in groups sallying at a height of about 15-60 ft above the ground catching flying insects. We watched them for about 10 minutes. The first of the Rufous-tailed Larks were seen 20 km before Sujangarh besides the road.

Day 2: Tal-Chhapar WLS to Jaisalmer via Bikaner

Day 2 was spent mostly on road, stopping at places that showed promise for birding. 10 km from TCWLS at Padihara, the first sighting of the day was a very interesting flock of 16 Indian coursers on a green grassy patch. One young bird was also observed and gave obliging views to the camera. Little Ringed-Plovers were also seen with the flock. An Indian monitor Lizard was sighted close to Bikaner. The rest of the journey was uneventful except for some occasional Egyptian Vultures and 5 Red-headed Vultures which were recorded near Ramdevra. Two of them were sitting on a telegraph pole while the others were soaring. A White-eyed Buzzard was also seen on a tree 30m from the road. A Tawny Eagle was perched near a small leak of water near Pokhran and a Steppe eagle on an electric pole near the same area. We checked out a small water body 30Km before Pokhran which revealed Little-ringed Plovers, Black-winged stilts, River Terns and an injured Indian Courser sitting close to the water. After that the harsh climate deterred any birding activity in the afternoon, however Rufous-tailed larks were plenty and about. They were perched on the road as if waiting for the vehicles to come and flying off just in the nick of time. About 70-80 of them were seen from Bikaner to Jaisalmer. We reached Jaisalmer at 5:00 PM famished after a terribly hot day on the road.

Day 3: Jaisalmer – Ramgarh – Tanot – Shakti – Tanot – Longewala – Ramgarh – Jaisalmer

Day 3 started at 8 am as we started from Jaisalmer towards Ramgarh. The landscape had totally changed with the only vegetation being grasses and desert plants interspersed with very scarce trees here and there where a natural stream was. The vegetation included mainly “Sewan” (Lassiurus sindicus), “Bui” (Aerva tomentora), “Kair” (Capparis decidua) and “Kheep” (Leptadenia pyrotechnica). A lot of area here has been totally destroyed by limestone mining which is supposed to very high-grade smelting quality. There were no birds wherever mining was going on. Traffic has also increased by trucks taking limestone. At some places digging has been done to about 30′ – 60′. The excavated earth of the large area has been kept around in mounds and disturbs the landscape even more. Plenty of Rufous-tailed larks and Short-toed larks were observed along with some Black-Crowned Sparrow larks and a single Desert Lark walking right in the middle of the road. A Short-toed Snake Eagle was seen soaring near Baramsar. 5 Egyptian Vultures were observed at Mokal. Rosy Starlings were seen in plenty with at least 15-20 in every ‘capparis’ bush. They were the most common birds seen throughout. Variable and Isabelline Wheatears were seen on both sides of the road. A flock of 15 Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse was seen drinking water from a small artificial water hole. The Indira Gandhi canal comes till Ramgarh to supply for the LPG electric power plant situated there. It was full with water and surprisingly a common Kingfisher was sighted close to the water. Red-rumped Swallows, Plain martins, Little Grebe, green bee-eaters were seen near the canal. The canal is certainly bringing birds that earlier did not belong to this area. In fact trees have sprung up on both sides of the canal and have become very dense. A similar small and dense acacia scrub just after Ramgarh looked very interesting. We left the gypsy and explored the area on foot. Some years back some 20 Eurasian Nightjars were observed roosting in the same plantation. A flycatcher immediately caught our attention fluttering in the bushes, with streaked breast markings and streaking on the head, the flycatcher was identified as a spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata). A good photograph however could not be taken then. As the day progressed the birds were few, except at small water bodies which also served as good photographing spots. 2 Yellow Wagtails, Greater Short-toed Larks, Black-crowned Sparrow larks, House Sparrows were all seen at a similar water body. Common Ravens were fewer and only 2 individuals were observed. European Rollers were now seen regularly in loose groups of 2-4. Tanot, famous for its battle in the war in 1965 was the last civilian post. After Tanot the area was totally under control of the BSF. Tanot to Shakti Border out post (BOP) and back was interesting with the sighting of a Chinkara (Gazella gazella) and a lone Desert fox (Vulpes vulpes pusilla), also known as the White-footed Fox, with its distinguishing white tail tip. Birds of interest were Chestnut-shouldered Petronia, and a European Roller perched on one of the watch tower of the Shakti BOP. We were pleased to meet DIG Rajeev Dasot of the BSF, who is a keen birder himself. He is instrumental in making “Pakshi Vihaars” or Bird Homes in each BOP, which provide shelter, shade and food to the birds in the area. The Jawans themselves have built small huts for the birds with “Kheep”.

Shortly afterwards an Egyptian Vulture was photographed perched on an electric pole. On close observation, the Vulture had a yellow bill which was distinctly black at the tip and the yellow head showed more wrinkles than usual. It was identified as the sub-species Neophron percnopterus percnopterus (Linnaeus). (Ref: “Raptors of the World” by James Ferguson-Lees and David Christie). Compared to the resident Indian species, Its distribution is more widespread which extends from Europe and Africa and comes as east as NW India. The resident Indian species being N.p ginginianus, which was photographed 10 minutes later on the same road. Other than that no significant sightings were done. The landscape was terrific with fantastic dunes and their rippling patterns all around. There were no trees to be seen for long distances. It was about 4:30 PM, some 10Km after Longewala post, that bird activity started for us again with a Short-toed Snake Eagle, seen perched on a small hillock. Subsequently 4 more individuals were seen on the same road in a span of about 20 minutes. A pair of Laggar falcons were seen perched on an electric pole and gave excellent views posing with a dead Desert Gerbille (meriones hurrianae) in its talons. A lot of Dung Beetles were also seen carrying dung balls to their nest. A water channel on way to Ramgarh had a Eurasian Marsh Harrier and several Green Bee-eaters. At a lot of places these small sub-canal branches of the Indira Gandhi Canal have failed since they get filled up with sand. We approached a small village on the dunes and a Common Raven was seen perched on an electric pole. It gave very good close-ups to the camera. 10 Km before Ramgarh, almost at sunset, in a cultivated area, 1 Long-billed Vulture and 3 White-rumped vultures were found.

Day 4: Fossil park and DNP (Jaisalmer – Khuri – Sudasri – Sam – Jaisalmer)

Day 4 started with the visit to the fossil park 17 Km from Jaisalmer on Barmer road. The highlights were a pair of Bonelli’s Eagle, small groups of Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse, Indian Silverbills, Desert Larks, and Rufous-tailed Larks. Apart from this a Desert Hare (Lepus nigricollis dayanus), and a Spiny-Tailed lizard (Uromastix hardwickii) was also seen. Permission to enter the Desert National park is to be taken from the forest department in Jaisalmer. We were informed there that the staff had rescued an injured bird from a nearby road. Looking at the bird and after going through the books the bird was recognised as a juvenile Little Bittern much to the dismay of the forest staff who were sure it was a baby bustard. We started off for DNP at 2:00 taking the road to Khuri with excellent desert vegetation on both sides mainly ‘Aak’ (Calotropis procera), Calotropis gigantea along with a lot of Cacti. A dead Long-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) on the road and shortly afterwards a Monitor lizard was also seen. We stopped to explore a small seasonal pond of water some 10 Km before Khuri.

The sun was getting low and we wanted to get to Sudasri before nightfall; so we headed on. Sudasri is a small hutment of the forest department where we reached at dusk when all birding activity had stalled. However some of the reptiles were out in the open. A small (about 3 feet) dirty yellow, slender and striped snake with a very thin and long tail was seen at the entrance. It was moving very fast on the ground. The snake was identified later as a Pakistan Ribbon Snake (psammophis leithii). After a refreshing cup of tea, we headed back to Jaisalmer via Sam. It was after nightfall and nothing much could actually be seen except a fantastic population of Desert Gerbilles along with other rodents which were seen on the road in the headlights.

Day 5: Jaisalmer to Tal-Chhapar WLS

Departure from Jaisalmer was early as we wanted an evening walk at Tal-Chhapar. The journey back was quite straight except for a few stoppages. Four dead Desert foxes were seen on the road back which was very disturbing and felt like a mass suicide by the beautiful animal. We stopped for a short while at a small water body near the road and saw Whiskered Terns, River Terns, Little grebe and a single Common snipe. 4 Black Ibis were seen 5 Km before Ratangarh in a small puddle of water besides the highway. We touched base at Tal-Chhapar around 4 in the evening and had a pleasant evening in the sanctuary. Sightings were mostly the same except that there were fewer White-eyed Buzzards than seen three days back. Instead there were plenty of Montagu’s Harriers who were congregating in a group on the grassland, probably roosting together on the ground. A common Stonechat was seen on an acacia tree in the grass. The dinner at the FRH was followed by interesting conversations underneath a spectacular star studded milky way with Scorpius shining in the south. 3 playful Spotted Owlets feasting on the moths gave us company.

Day 6: Tal-Chhapar WLS to Jaipur

In the morning the visit was very short and sweet but extremely productive with the second sighting of the Spotted Flycatcher of the trip. This time however we managed to photograph the bird well. The flycatcher was feeding on ground insects by frequently flying to the ground, grabbing its prey with quick fluttering and then flying back to the trees. It would never perch higher than 6 feet above the ground. We watched the bird for 20 minutes or so. A good group of Indian coursers was also seen this time. In a Small water body Kentish Plovers, Common Greenshank and a Blyth’s Reed Warbler were seen. Apart from this 2 Wooly-necked Storks and a single Pallid Harrier were also recorded in the grassland.

We returned to Jaipur after this excellent trip with 110 species which included some rare sightings. A complete list of species is given below for reference.

Gaurav Bhatnagar / Harkirat Singh Sangha

SPECIES LIST

1. Little Grebe 2. Little Cormorant 3. Little Egret 4. Cattle Egret 5. Pond Heron 6. Little Bittern 7. Wooly-Necked Stork 8. Black Ibis 9. Black Kite 10. Black shouldered Kite 11. White-eyed Buzzard 12. Bonelli’s Eagle 13. Tawny Eagle 14. Steppe Eagle 15. Red Headed Vulture 16. Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus percnopterus) 17. Egyptian Vulture (N.p ginginianus) 18. Long-billed Vulture 19. White Rumped Vulture 20. Pallid Harrier 21. Montagu’s Harrier 22. Eurasian Marsh Harrier 23. Short-Toed Snake Eagle 24. Laggar Falcon 25. Common Kestrel 26. Grey Francolin 27. Indian Peafowl 28. Demoiselle Crane 29. Great Indian Bustard 30. Indian Courser 31. Eurasian Thick-knee 32. Little-ringed Plover 33. Kentish Plover 34. Red-wattled Lapwing 35. Common Snipe 36. Common Sandpiper 37. Common Greenshank 38. River Tern 39. Whiskered Tern 40. Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse 41. Red-collared Dove 42. Eurasian-collared Dove 43. Laughing Dove 44. Rock Pigeon 45. Rose-Ringed Parakeet 46. Asian Koel 47. Greater Coucal 48. Spotted Owlet 49. House Swift 50. Alpine Swift 51. European Roller 52. Indian Roller 53. Common Kingfisher 54. White-Breasted kingfisher 55. Green Bee-eater 56. Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 57. Common Hoopoe 58. Coppersmith Barbet 59. Black-rumped Flameback 60. Yellow-crowned Woodpecker 61. Eurasian Wryneck 62. Golden Oriole 63. Singing Bushlark 64. Rufous-tailed Lark 65. Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark 66. Black-crowned Sparrow Lark 67. Desert Lark 68. Crested Lark 69. Greater Short-toed lark 70. Plain Martin 71. Dusky-crag martin 72. Red-rumped Swallow 73. Black Drongo 74. Southern-grey Shrike 75. Bay-backed Shrike 76. Rufous-tailed Shrike 77. Common Woodshrike 78. Brahminy Starling 79. Asian Pied Starling 80. Rosy Starling 81. Common Myna 82. Bank Myna 83. Rufous Treepie 84. House Crow 85. Common Raven (Corax corax subcorax) 86. White-eared Bulbul 87. Red-vented Bulbul 88. Common Babbler 89. Jungle Babbler 90. Large grey Babbler 91. Spotted Flycatcher 92. Ashy Prinia 93. Blyth’s Reed Warbler 94. Lesser Whitethroat 95. Common tailorbird 96. Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 97. Indian Robin 98. Oriental-Magpie Robin 99. Brown Rock-chat 100. Isabelline Wheatear 101. Desert Wheatear 102. Variable Wheatear 103. Tawny Pipit 104. Long-billed Pipit 105. Yellow Wagtail 106. Purple Sunbird 107. Indian Silverbill 108. House Sparrow 109. Chestnut-Shouldered Petronia 110. Baya Weaver