Summary: An an extension to our Mishmi Hills trip, we spent three days at Khonoma and managed to see several interesting birds like the Striped Laughingthrush, Brown-capped Laughingthrush, Assam Laughingthrush and Red-faced Liocichla while the Spot-breasted Laughingthrush remained heard only. Apart from birding, we also got an opportunity to briefly experience the Angami culture and […]
Indian Birds
Melghat
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 19 Feb 2017: Day 50 (Pune – Tansa – Jalgaon, 574 km, 14 Hrs) We were on a mission today and armed with credible intelligence from our friend Ronit on the area where he had spotted a Forest Owlet a few weeks ago, we set out towards the […]
Goodbye Sahyadris
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 14 Feb 2017: Day 45 (Coimbatore – Ooty – Masinagudi – Thirunelly, 293 km, 10 Hrs) Since we were now returning back home, we decided to try our luck spotting some of the birds that we had missed out earlier and the first one on the list was […]
Chinnar and Valparai
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 12 Feb 2017: Day 43 (Kumily – Marayoor, 150 km, 4 Hrs) After a delicious breakfast of Idiyappam, we finally commenced our long journey back home and stopped at Marayoor for the night. We reached Marayoor by 1330 Hrs and settled in at the Marayoor Holidays Guest House. […]
Periyar
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 10 Feb 2017: Day 41 (Munnar – Kumily, 90 km, 3 Hrs) After some amazing roast dosas at Saravana Bhavan, we commenced our drive to Kumily at 0850 Hrs reaching Panthalams homestay by noon. Our very affable host, Mr. Shukkoor guided us on the various things we could […]
Munnar
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 8 Feb 2017: Day 39 (Thattekad – Munnar, 83 km, 2 Hrs) We picked up Vinod from the sanctuary gate and commenced our drive at 0350 Hrs, reaching Munnar by 0600 Hrs. Upon reaching Munnar, we crossed the main market and parked our car near the Ganesan Temple […]
Thattekad
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 6 Feb 2017: Day 36 (Thattekad and around) We met Vinod at 0600 Hrs at the tea stall next to the Sanctuary gate, had a quick cup of tea and drove down to the Urulanthanni forest. From here on, we hiked and Vinod led us up a massive […]
Masinagudi
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 3 Feb 2017: Day 34 (Kotagiri – Masinagudi, 66 km, 2 Hrs) The original plan was to spend the next few days at Thattekad, but since no naturalist was available in Thattekad, we contacted Siddan, the naturalist at Masinagudi and fixed up the next few days of birding […]
Kotagiri
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 1 Feb 2017: Day 32 (Kotagiri and around) We woke up to a chilly morning in the Nilgiris and warmed ourselves with a hot cup of aromatic tea before driving down to meet Aggal Sir and then proceeding to Sim’s Park at Coonoor. While it was still misty, […]
Thirunelly
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 30 Jan 2017: Day 30 (Thirunelly and around) After a quick breakfast, we set out to explore the area and just wandered around the hilly terrain, but the hills were engulfed in the early morning fog making birding a little tricky. To add to this, a wild tusker […]
Kulgi Nature Camp
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 26 Jan 2017: Day 26 (Anshi – Kulgi, 56 km, 3 Hrs) We left Anshi early morning and drove towards Kulgi hoping to spot a few more birds on the way. While birding was not very exciting initially, it gradually picked up and after crossing a bridge over […]
Anshi National Park
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 25 Jan 2017: Day 25 (Cotigao – Anshi, 82 km, 2 Hrs) After a delicious breakfast, we commenced our drive reaching Anshi Nature Camp by 1000 Hrs. Within the camp grounds, we spotted several birds including Brown-breasted Flycatcher, Orange-headed Thrush and a Nilgiri Flowerpecker. After lunch, we explored […]
Zuari River and Cotigao
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 23 Jan 2017: Day 23 (Surla – Cortalim – Cotigao) We reached the Cortalim Jetty sharp at 0700 Hrs and finished off our breakfast while we waited for Mrs. Kamat. She soon arrived and introduced us to Frankie, the guide-cum- boatman for the morning. Other guests arrived shortly […]
Bhawan Mahavir and Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris Birding in Goa: Birding in Goa is fairly easy and one can spot several endemics in a short span of time, however we did observe that birds were mostly active early morning and by afternoon bird activity reduced considerably with the exception of nocturnal birds. Birds also appeared a little […]
Blackbuck National Park
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 14 Jan 2017: Day 14 (Jamnagar – Bhavnagar, 273 km, 6 Hrs) Our next stop was Velavadar, but our booking at the Forest Rest House was from 15 Jan, so we decided to stay at Bhavnagar for the night. Just before reaching Bhavnagar, we checked online and got […]
Jamnagar
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 11 Jan 2017: Day 11 (Moti Virani – Jamnagar, 316 km, 6 Hrs) We commenced our drive from Moti Virani at 0730 Hrs reaching the coastal city of Jamnagar at 1300 Hrs. There we checked in at the Hotel President and even before going to our room, paid […]
Moti Virani
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 9 Jan 2017: Day 9 (Lodai – Moti Virani, 79 km, 2 Hrs) We started our drive at 0620 Hrs and drove further west reaching Moti Virani by 0830 Hrs. Jugal Sir was waiting for us at his homestay where we quickly unloaded our luggage and proceeded for […]
Lodai
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 7 Jan 2017: Day 7 (LRK – Lodai, 268 km, 5 Hrs) We commenced our drive from Patdi at 0620 Hrs and drove west towards the Great Rann of Kutch. It was here that we started getting a feel of complete wilderness as we drove past miles and […]
Little Rann of Kutch
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 4 Jan 2017: Day 4 (Kumbhalgarh – LRK, 379 km, 7 Hrs) Starting at 0730 Hrs, we continued our drive south towards the Little Rann of Kutch, reaching Patdi by 1415 Hrs. While Kumbhalgarh was warm, Patdi was a thermal shock for us. We checked-in at Hotel Ashirwad […]
Kumbhalgarh
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 2 Jan 2017: Day 2 (Sariska – Kumbhalgarh, 449 km, 7 Hrs) As per our original plan, we had two options for the day, either do a morning safari at Sariska or leave early and do some evening birding at Kumbhalgarh. However, weather had some other plans; fog […]
Sariska National Park
Background: Drive to the Sahyadris The Drive 1 Jan 2017: Day 1 (Noida – Sariska, 235 km, 4 Hrs) We commenced our journey on the 1st of Jan 2017 at 0730 Hrs and reached Sariska by noon. The drive was mostly uneventful except a few patches of bad roads and traffic in the Alwar region. […]
Changthang Plateau
Summary: This was our second visit to Ladakh after a gap of six years and the primary focus was to cover the Changthang plateau. During the eight birding days, we covered Tso Kar and Startsapuk Tso, Tso Moriri and Thadsang Karu, Yaye Tso, Sumdo/Puga and the Hanle area. We had some great wildlife moments but […]
The Great Himalayan National Park
Summary: We spent 10 days in the pristine Tirthan Valley and camped for five days inside the Great Himalayan National Park. The whole experience was like a dream; an enchanted forest where Himalayan Monals and Koklass Pheasants were flying all around, mammals were roaming freely and the early morning calls of the Western Tragopan kept […]
Manas National Park
Summary: We spent a week at the Manas National Park in the expert company of Rustom. The park is beautifully set in the backdrop of the Himalayas and is a blend of grasslands and dry deciduous forests. It is breathtaking to witness the land transform from a dense forest to grassland within a few minutes […]
Tal Chhapar
Summary: We drove to Tal Chhapar during the 2015 Christmas weekend. Key birds spotted during the trip were the White-browed Bushchat, Kashmir Flycatcher, Brooks’s Leaf Warbler, Spotted Creeper, Red-tailed Wheatear among others. Travel Dates: 24 Dec 2015 – 27 Dec 2015 Location covered: Tal Chhapar and surroundings Interstate Travel: Self Drive Noida – Gurgaon – […]
Assam
Summary: We went on a weeklong trip to Assam in March 2015 covering Kaziranga National Park, Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary and the Nameri National Park. During the trip, we managed to spot over 120 bird species, 14 mammal species and 27 butterfly species. Travel Dates: 02 March 2015 – 10 March 2015 Location covered: Kaziranga National […]
Desert National Park
Summary: A short trip was planned to the Desert National Park with an aim to spot the Great Indian Bustard. Birding was exceptional and some of the key birds spotted were: Great Indian Bustard (Godavan), Macqueen’s Bustard, Trumpeter Finch and Cream-coloured Courser among others. Apart from the excellent birding, we managed to spot several mammals […]
Singalila Ranges
Summary: This trip was a combination of trekking and birding. We trekked for five days in the Singalila National Park followed by a few days at Borong, Sikkim. While in Borong, we explored the dense forests of the Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary, Tendong Hills and Bhanjang Valley. During the course of 10 days, we trekked for […]
Little Rann and Gir
Summary: The main aim for this short trip was to spot the last remaining Asiatic Lions at the Gir forest. Travel Dates: 26 Nov 2012 – 02 Dec 2012 (Monday to Sunday) Locations covered: Little Rann of Kutch Gir National Park Interstate Travel: New Delhi – Ahmedabad = Rajdhani Express (12958) Ahmedabad – New Delhi […]