Bund Baretha, near Bharatpur (North India - Day 6)

For our second day in the Bharatpur area our guide decided we should visit Bund Baretha, a massive reservoir built to provide freshwater to Bharatpur.

On the way we spotted what looked like a group of Weavers but in fact turned out to be a party of Buntings, including Black-headed and this Red-headed Bunting:

We stopped again just after a bridge and located White-capped Bunting:

A male Red Avadavat checked us out:

In the same area a female Common Stonechat was flicking around:

At the Bund itself the main area of water was quiet for this time of year, however we did locate another Citrine Wagtail on the shoreline:

And a small group of Barred Buttonquails on a grassy slope:

We stopped here for a bit, eating some very spicy pakoras the guide had bought on the way, which were delicious, then drove on to a trial leading up to an abandoned hunting lodge.

More Bluethroats abounded here:

An Asian Open-Bill Stork was browsing on one patch of a pond:

In the bushes a Great Reed Warbler:

As we walked along the trial I experienced a recurrence of a weird phenomena whereby horses, cows and in this case buffalo seem to catch scent of me and get afraid. We'd already had one group of Buffalo run half a field to get away, these two were tied-up but were clearly nervous and watched me approach and pass with fixed interest. It was only at this distance that the first one stopped watching me:

As you can see they were hauling some of the pink sandstone which is excavated from the area and is famous in fact for carving and use in buildings, including the former hunting lodge we then walked up to:

It's a spooky place being abandoned but with a couple of watchmen still milling around. A group of teenagers off school briefly drove up so we were denied access, but when they had gone we were let in to wander around.

I fed the meat we'd been given in error in our lunch to the mangy dogs and we generally soaked up the atmosphere of this weird place.

After lunch we walked back down to the car then stopped to watch this Indian Vulture on the route back to the hotel to pack for the next next leg of our trip:

And so for our final dinner at The Bagh. This time they had really pushed the boat out. The soup was very hot but the curry I ordered was the hottest thing I have and probably ever will eat. Each mouthful had two or three pieces of cooked green or red chillies in it. It was amazingly hot but still edible. This time the chef came out to watch and when I finished it, it was again smiles all round. Amazing food and tailored to each visitor, spot on!

Birding in Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur (North India - Day 5)

The morning start was somewhat delayed by the winter fog, a phenomena that is basically wood smoke driven smog and widespread on the plains of the North, we found out, from mid-December though to late January.

When we did get going the sun was burning through and providing some great lighting:

An initial search for a Siberian Rubythroat was unsuccessful but we did locate White-eared Bubuls:

Having tried our luck off the beaten path we then set-off on the walk through the preserve, seeing first these Yellow-footed Green Pigeons:

A much harder bird to capture was this Tickell's Thrush, as you can see it was deep in cover and out of the light:

The Owls here are so bold, this is another Spotted Owlet:

Plain Prinia:

Rose-ringed Parakeet in relative close-up:

We tried hard to find the rumoured Nightjar but failed. A mile further along the track, having watched Bluethroats, various Warblers and Flycatchers, another guide was able to give us precise directions so we walked back the mile at a fair trot to locate this Large-tailed Nightjar:

The round trip of two miles took about 40 minutes including the photography but we retraced our steps and headed on as the number of locals and other visitors started to build up. In the trees our only sighting of a Eurasian Golden Oriole of the whole trip:

The next bird and one of the highlights of the visit can be heard well before you see them. There are literally hundreds of Painted Storks nesting and breeding here, I photographed a group of mainly adults away from the nest:

A Bluethroat stopped long enough to be snapped:

Black Redstart:

In a clump of tall reeds this Baya Weaver was one of a group:

A very active Honey Bee nest:

We stopped to eat our packed lunch and drink some tea at a cafe facility at the end of the main trail into the reserve. I fed the House Crows and Jungle Babblers and Helen ended up eating some of the guide's lunch as the food they had prepared was just too hot.

With a refreshing cup of masala chai added to lunch we carried on the walk, entering more of a true wetland habitat on a quieter path. Here we saw migrant Bar-headed Geese (who cross the Himalayas twice each year):

Together with Eurasian Spoonbill and wild Greylag Geese:

We also saw an Indian Python just off the edge of the path, which was far too close and far too big for either of us to photograph. Thankfully, it decided to head into the undergrowth....

Having walked around 8 miles in all, carrying quite a lot of kit and with the sun heading towards the horizon our guide called a cycle rickshaw for us which took about 30 minutes to arrive so we stopped up for a rest before walking a little further on:

This is our rickshaw driver with us ensconced:

There was a bit of a kerfuffle when we got back to the car as the guide expected to pay Indian prices but the driver expected us to pay Foreigner prices (500 rupees instead of 100 rupees). He was happy I think with the 300 we settled on.

Back at the Bagh the dinner experience went up a gear. Having eaten Indian the previous night my main curry, just as hot, was served with 'mint sauce'. The mint sauce it turned out was mushed green chillies with a hint of mint, salt and garlic. I ate it in front of another small audience of waiting and kitchen staff. It was all delicious!

The Road to Bharatpur and birding in the local area (North India - Day 4)

An early start saw us on the road to Bharatpur, home of the World Heritage site Keoladeo National Park. Worth noting at this point that Indian driving is mad, with six lanes of traffic in roads intended for three, constant hooting of horns (no need for wing or rear view mirrors) and general impatience - we were deliberately rammed by one chap who was desperate to queue jump at a toll station, to which event no-one even blinked!

En route a new species, the Red Collared Dove:

Another, the Coppersmith Barbet:

and in an adjacent tree a Spotted Owlet was having a daytime nap:

Owls are tough to locate in the UK due to the massively diminished habitat so seeing them so regularly on this trip was a real treat.

We checked in at The Bagh hotel in Bharatpur and enjoyed a really tasty lunch. We had some time to spare so wandered around the grounds, spotting first Indian Grey Hornbill:

and then a female Red-throated Flycatcher:

The afternoon drive was aimed at one specific species, the massive Sarus Crane (reaching 1 metre 52 cm in height!). On the way we stopped by a river and spotted a small group of Red Avadavats feeding:

Also present an Orphean Warbler:

We crossed into Utter Pradesh from Rajasthan, via a railway crossing where a completely mad bloke tried to sell us some cannabis plants he'd uprooted from somewhere. We had to wind up the windows in the end as he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Once safely across we headed along a track between fields looking for the Crane, spotting Common Hoopoe:

We located a small group, two adults and a single juvenile, in a potato field:

Sarus Cranes are amazing and beautiful birds. Their numbers however are plummeting as more farmers use insecticides to increase crop productivity...

We were delighted to see them and chuffed when a couple of fields away we also spotted a flock of Black Ibis:

A loud tractor prompted them to take flight, allowing me to photograph one on the wing:

We headed back into Rajasthan and back to Bharatpur stopping to snap the sunset.

The next day promises to be good as Keoladeo National Park is considered the premier birding location in India...

Back at the Bagh for dinner I requested the mulligatawny soup be done 'Indian hot'. They agreed and when served I have a small audience of waiting and kitchen staff while i ate the soup, which was really good. The curry dish I had ordered which had been delivered was promptly whisked back to the kitchen to be spiced up. When that was served and I ate that the waiter said 'you are different, that is Indian food, I would eat that'. Smiles all round!