Kutch 25.03.2013 - 27.03.2013

Places visited:

1. Greater Rann of Kutch
2. Chhari Dhand
3. Fulay Village
4. Mandvi Beach
5. Moda village Beach
6. Naliya Grasslands

A visit to Fulay village is a must - it is the only place where the Grey Hypocolius winters.
Moda Village Beach (very close to Mandvi)  is rich in coastal waders and Gulls & Terns, with birds coming very close to humans.


Trip List:

Bay-Backed Shrike

1. Black Francolin - 3 in Naliya
2. Grey Francolin - common throughout
3. Jungle Bush Quail - 2
4. Indian Peafowl - 7
5. Spot-Billed Duck - 2
6. Northern Shoveller - 6 in Chhari Dhand
7. Northern Pintail - 1 in Chhari Dhand
8. Garganey - 15
9. Gadwall - 2
10. Black-Rumped Flameback - 2
11. Common Hoopoe - 2 in GRK
12. Indian Roller - 4
13. Common Kingfisher - 1
14. White-Breasted Kingfisher - 6
15. Green Bee-Eater - very common
16. Asian Koel - 2
17. Sirkeer Malkoha - 2 in Fulay
18. Greater Coucal - common
19. Rose-Ringed Parakeet - 4

Black Francolin (female)

20. Wire-Tailed Swallow - 2
21. Barn Swallow - 20
22. Red-Rumped Swallow - 25
23. Rock Pigeon - many
24. Laughing Dove - many
25. Eurasian Collared Dove - 8
26. Indian Bustard - 1 in Naliya
27. Common Crane - 3 at Chhari Dhand
28. White-Breasted Waterhen - common
29. Purple Swamphen - 5
30. Common Moorhen - many
31. Common Coot - many
32. Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse - 15
33. Common Snipe - 1
34. Black-Tailed Godwit - 50 in Mandvi
35. Bar-Tailed Godwit - 10
36. Whimbrel - 6
37. Spotted Redshank - 1
38. Common Redshank - 5

Black Francolin (male)

39. Common Greenshank - 4
40. Marsh Sandpiper - 1
41. Green Sandpiper - 4
42. Common Sandpiper - 5
43. Ruddy Turnstone - 15
44. Sanderling - 2
45. Little Stint - many
46. Ruff - many
47. Pheasant-Tailed Jacana - 2
48. Bronze-Winged Jacana - 1
49. Black-Winged Stilt - 25
50. Pied Avocet - 2
51. Kentish Plover - 50 in Chhari Dhand
52. Lesser Sand Plover - 25 in Moda
53. Greater Sand Plover - 15 in Moda
54. Yellow-Wattled Lapwing - 12
55. Red-Wattled Lapwing - many
56. White-Tailed Lapwing - 1
57. Indian Courser - 2
58. Collared Pratincole - 1 in Chhari Dhand
59. Yellow-Legged Gull - 7

Black Ibis

60. Heuglin's Gull - 2
61. Brown-Headed Gull - 15
62. Black-Headed Gull - 35
63. Caspian Tern - 2
64. Common Tern - 2
65. Little Tern - 12
66. Whiskered Tern - many
67. Black-Shouldered Kite - 1
68. Black Kite - 6
69. Eurasian Marsh Harrier - 2
70. Montagu's Harrier - 2
71. Pallid Harrier - 1
72. Shikra - 2
73. Laggar Falcon - 1 near Kala Dunger
74. Peregrine Falcon - 1
75. Little Grebe - 2
76. Darter - 2
77. Little Cormornt - 3
78. Indian Cormorant - 5
79. Little Egret - 2

Black-Headed Gull (in flight)

80. Western Reef Egret - 5
81. Intermediate Egret - 4
82. Great Egret - 1
83. Cattle Egret - 5
84. Grey Heron - 5
85. Purple Heron - 1
86. Indian Pond Heron - many
87. Lesser Flamingo - many
88. Greater Flamingo - many
89. Glossy Ibis - 1
90. Black Ibis - 5
91. Black-Headed Ibis - 3
92. Eurasian Spoonbill - 1
93. Dalmatian Pelican - 2 at Moda Beach
94. Great White Pelican - 4
95. Painted Stork - 4
96. Bay-Backed Shrike - 4
97. Long-Tailed Shrike - 1
98. Southern Grey Shrike - 3
99. Rufous Treepie - 2

Black-Headed Gull

100. House Crow - many
101. Small Minivet - 2
102. Black Drongo - 3
103. Oriental Magpie Robin - 2
104. Indian Robin - 6
105. Common Stonechat - 5
106. Stoliczka's Bushchat - 2
107. Pied Bushchat - 2
108. Brahminy Starling - 1
109. Rosy Starling - 6
110. Bank Mynah - many
111. Common Mynah - many
112. Red-Vented Bulbul - many
113. White-Cheeked Bulbul - 15
114. Plain Prinia - 3
115. Graceful Prinia - 2
116. Ashy Prinia - 2
117. Common Babbler - 2
118. Jungle Babbler - 14
119. Lesser Whitethroat - 5

Black-Tailed Godwit

120. Hume's Whitethroat - 4
121. Singing Bushlark - 4
122. Ashy-Crowned Sparrow-Lark - 5
123. Rufous-Tailed Lark - 1
124. Bimaculated Lark - 1
125. Greater Short-Toed Lark - 15
126. Crested Lark - 25
127. Sykes's Lark - 1
128. Purple Sunbird - 2
129. House Sparrow - 1
130. White Wagtail - 4
131. Citrine Wagtail - 3
132. Yellow Wagtail - 1
133. Grey Wagtail - 1
134. Paddyfield Pipit - 6
135. Indian Silverbill - 12

Black-Winged Stilt

Caspian Tern (compare size with Little Tern in bottom right)

Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse (female)

Chestnut-Bellied Sandgrouse (male)

Collared Pratincole (flushed)

Collared Pratincole

Crested Lark

Dalmatian Pelican

Greater Sand Plover

Greater Short-Toed Lark

Grey Francolin

Grey Hypocolius

Indian Bushlark

Indian Silverbill

Jungle Babbler

Kentish Plover

Lesser Sand Plover

Little Grebe

Northern Pintail

Rosy Starling

Ruddy Turnstone

Rufous-Tailed Lark

Sanderling

Singing Bushlark

Sirkeer Malkoha

Southern Grey Shrike

Western Reef Egret

Whimbrel

Whiskered Tern (compare size with Little Tern behind)

White-Cheeked Bulbul

Yellow-Wattled Lapwing

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary 23.03.2013 - 24.03.2013

A quick two-day tour of the famous Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary just to the end of the birding season. . .

Access : All buses going from Agra to Jaipur stop over at Bharatpur. Buses from Jaipur to Bharatpur are also available.

Birding Tips : Get a guide!!! The guide will be able to guide you as to where to look for which birds. . . This is especially important if you have to manage more species in less time (like mornings)

Stay at Bharatpur is cheap with almost 20 hotels surviving only on Indian and foreign birdwatchers!

Trip List:

1. Indian Peafowl - 10

Bar-Headed Goose

2. Lesser Whistling Duck - at least 100
3. Greylag Goose - 1 flock
4. Bar-Headed Goose - 6
5. Ruddy Shelduck - 2 (rest migrated)
6. Comb Duck - 1 flock of 20
7. Gadwall - 10
8. Mallard - 2 (one pair)
9. Spot-Billed - plenty
10. Northern Shoveller - 15
11. Garganey - 2
12. Common Teal - 4
13. Black-Rumped Flameback - 5
14. Coppersmith Barbet - 1
15. Brown-Headed Barbet - 3
16. Indian Grey Hornbill - 2
17. Common Hoopoe - 1
18. Indian Roller - 2 outside
19. Common Kingfisher - only 1
20. White-Throated Kingfisher - 8

Black Bittern

21. Pied Kingfisher - 1 outside
22. Green Bee-Eater - 20
23. Pied Cuckoo - 1 outside
24. Greater Coucal - 2
25. Rose-Ringed Parakeet - abundant
26. Collared Scops Owl - 1
27. Spotted Owlet - 3
28. Dusky Eagle Owl - 1 with hatchling
29. Rock Pigeon - many
30. Laughing Dove - many
31. Eurasian COllared Dove - 5
32. Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon - 3
33. Sarus Crane - 4 (2 pairs)
34. Ruddy-Breasted Crake - 1
35. White-Breasted Waterhen - many
36. Purple Swamphen - 4
37. Common Moorhen - abundant
38. Common Coot - 25
39. Common Redshank - 15

Brown-Headed Barbet

40. Common Greenshank - 2
41. Green Sandpiper - 5
42. Common Sandpiper - 25
43. Ruff - 1
44. Greater Painted-Snipe - 3
45. Pheasant-Tailed Jacana - 4
46. Bronze-Winged Jacana - 15
47. Eurasian Thick-Knee - 1
48. Black-Winged Stilt - 17
49. Yellow-Wattled Lapwing - 2
50. Red-Wattled Lapwing - many
51. Oriental Honey Buzzard - 3
52. Black Kite - 3
53. Black-Shouldered Kite - 2
54. Pallas's Fish Eagle - 1
55. Egyptian Vulture - 4
56. Western Marsh Harrier - 1
57. Crested Serpent Eagle - 3
58. Shikra - 1

Collared Scops Owl

59. Lesser Spotted Eagle - 4
60. Greater Spotted Eagle - 2
61. Little Grebe - 25
62. Darter - 30
63. Indian Cormorant - many
64. Little Cormorant - 25
65. Little Egret - 5
66. Grey Heron - 6
67. Purple Heron - 5
68. Great Egret - 2
69. Intermediate Egret - many
70. Cattle Egret - 15
71. Indian Pond Heron - many
72. Black-Crowned Night Heron - 2
73. Black Bittern - 1
74. Glossy Ibis - 5
75. White Ibis - many
76. Eurasian Spoonbill - 2
77. Painted Stork - 6
78. Black-Necked Stork - 1 juvenile
79. Bay-Backed Shrike - 2

Comb Duck

80. Long-Tailed Shrike - 2
81. Rufous Treepie - 7
82. House Crow - 4
83. Large-Billed Crow - 1
84. Black Drongo - 4
85. Ashy Drongo - 1
86. Asian Paradise Flycatcher - 1 female
87. Common Iora - 1
88. Common Woodshrike - 1
89. Orange-Headed Ground Thrush - 1
90. Verditer Flycatcher - 2
91. Tickell's Blue Flycatcher - 1
92. Bluethroat - 1
93. Oriental Magpie Robin - 4
94. Indian Robin - 5
95. Black Redstart - 2
96. Common Stonechat - 5
97. Pied Bushchat - 12
98. Brahminy Starling - 15
99. Asian Pied Starling - 4
100. Common Mynah - many

Eurasian Thick-Knee

101. Bank Mynah - many
102. Barn Swallow - many
103. Red-Vented Bulbul - 5
104. White-Eared Bulbul - 3
105. Plain Prinia - 1
106. Graceful Prinia - 2
107. Ashy Prinia - 5
108. Common Chiffchaff - 3
109. Common Babbler - 6
110. Jungle Babbler - many
111. Lesser Whitethroat - 5
112. Purple Sunbird - 4
113. House Sparrow - 10
114. Chestnut-Shouldered Petronia - 12
115. White Wagtail - many
116. Yellow Wagtail - 4
117. Citrine Wagtail - 2
118. Grey Wagtail - 6
119. Paddyfield Pipit - 14

Greater Painted-Snipe

Lesser Whistling Duck

Ruff

Sarus Crane

Eurasian Spoonbill

Green Sandpiper

Spotted Owlet

Yellow-Wattled Lapwing