Diana's Tale - India 2008
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Birding trip to Northern India, Nov.2008 with O.P. Mudgal as guide

Nov. 9th    Arrive New Delhi  11:30 PM: Transfer from Airport to Delhi Hotel. The minute we exited the airport, we noticed the air was very heavy and smoggy as though there had been a fire. But evidently this is normal for Delhi as there are no emissions controls.  It took the driver a long time to find the hotel as some roads were closed. It was interesting driving around Delhi in the dark and seeing all the people out and about with some people having small fires going by the road.

10th    Delhi/Bharatpur : Am, Have breakfast leisurely, then drive to Bharatpur, visit the House of Parliament, President House and India Gate in Delhi. We stopped at the memorial to Mahamat Ghandi where many school groups were visiting. The school girls were anxious to shake our hands. Delhi was very large and took a long time to drive out of. Along the way one interesting site was watching men get a shave at a little booth along the side of the road. Traffic was chaotic with cows, pigs, dogs, goats, rickshaws, the mini yellow and green taxis, motorbikes, bicycles and people all mixed in with the regular car traffic. The women were all dressed in colorful saris, even while riding sideways on the back of motor scooters. Sometimes we would see a family of 5 including very young children (3 or 4 yrs old) all crammed onto 1 scooter. A variety of sounding horns were continually blowing. All kinds of items were being transported – from large bales of hay that made the vehicle look like it was going to tip over, to long black water pipes hanging off a bicycle. Some buses and trucks were so jammed with people that they were hanging off the back or side! On the “highways” we would often see people riding horses or camels pulling carts. We stopped to do some birding and have lunch on the way, then checked in to the hotel Kadamb Kunj Resort right next to OP’s farm.

11th    Bharatpur/ Ranthambore:, drive to Ranthambore NP thru many small villages, check in to the Tiger Den Resort. The people in the villages were very interested in looking at us and saying hello. One village where we stopped to photograph the spotted owls, the local people wanted us to take photos of them so that they could see their picture.
We also saw a small parade and gypsies camped along the town roads. Another observation that has struck me as very interesting is that everyone “resting” by the sides of the road, is in a flat footed squat position, or vendors are sitting on top of their carts crossed legged and looking very comfortable and flexible. I guess they learn this from a very young age as I even saw very young children doing the squat.

12th    Ranthambore : AM+PM, Early excursion to the Park by open jeep, looking especially for Tiger and other wildlife and birds too. We first took the route 3 access thru the park and were very lucky to come across the 14 year old female tiger laying by the side of the road licking her feet. The guide told us she lost all her teeth to an encounter with a crocodile. She stayed with us for about 20 minutes and then sauntered off into the grass. No other vehicles were with us at the time. We also saw Blue Bull, Sambur and Spotted deer. In the afternoon, we took route 1 which was extremely bumpy, hilly and not any activity at all. Although upon leaving the park we did see a leopard perched atop the mountain laying on a rock. In the evening OP and Diana took a quick walk to see the Painted Sandgrouse departing from the field for the night and a golden jackal ran quickly by, leaving us wanting to see more. Also a bat buzzed closely by my head.

13th    Ranthambhore : AM visit the Ranthambore N.P. by Canter (a very large caravan type of jeep). We took route 5. It was straight and narrow and very woodsy. Not much activity although we did meet up with some other Canters that had spotted a Tiger. This female was much more hidden than yesterday. She did cross the road between our vehicle and another, but we did not get very good looks at all.
PM: We took an open jeep exhilarating ride to the Soorwal Lake and Dam to look for birds. Although the birds were interesting, the more exciting part was driving along the top of a dike that was still under MANUAL construction. There were trucks blocking the path at times and piles of dirt and rocks that we had to maneuver by. It was a little nerve wracking at times since the girls all had hands full of wet cement and we realized we may become a target as they showed us their hands. There was a mix of men and women working on the construction building a cement and rock wall on the farmland side. The girls were totally fascinated with me. I was wearing my fancy wide brimmed hat with the scarf wrapped around it. At one point I was surrounded by 5 girls all trying to speak to me – although neither myself or them understood a word we were saying to each other. As we drove thru, Paul tossed about 5 of our chocolate covered Quaker Oats bars. They were very excited as they had never asked for anything from us. When we reached the end of the dike we travelled thru some farmland where we had to cross 2-3 very deep puddles in the jeep – all I could think was that we were going to get stuck, but we managed. We wanted to return to the hotel by 5:30 PM so that Paul could get a look at the Painted Sandgrouse before it departed for the evening. So I was surprised to find out that we had to go back the same way we came! Ugh! At this point we were stuck, since a truck was blocking the path with no driver in sight. It was getting late. Finally the driver nonchalantly arrived to move the truck by backing it down over the dike towards the water at the top of this steep hill. Another nerve wracking moment as I thought for sure he would get stuck and therefore so would we, but all went well and we sped off thru the various villages at top speed with the wind in our hair, no seatbelts and amid the chaotic Indian horn blowing traffic dodging kids, bikes, cows, goats, etc. A very exciting ride! We made it back just in time to get great looks at the beautiful Painted Sandgrouse just before it departed. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any photos.  

14th    Ranthambore/ Jaipur: Am, Today we had a long drive to Jaipur stopping along the way to check for birds. We stopped along the road near a lake and suddenly the kids were approaching us – saying “It’s a ben” or so I thought. Once I realized they were asking for a pen, I went to the car to see if I had an extra one and as I did this, about 15 kids were grabbing and reaching their hands in at me to get this 1 prized possession. I had read that if you give something to one of them, that you will be mobbed and I guess that was true. The driver had to pull them away from me, but one of them had sharp nails and managed to scratch my hand. From now on, I will only toss things to them from a distance. Normally I wouldn’t care about a little scratch, but if you saw how filthy they were and the conditions they live in and the fact they use their hands instead of toilet paper, then you may be a little worried about a scratch! Once we reached the city of Jaipur we were once again overwhelmed by the chaotic traffic and amazed that there are not any accidents. People drive down the wrong side of the road and come within inches of head on collisions or fender benders. Jaipur has a new and old city. We passed thru the new city and were pleasantly surprised at how modern it was. So far the first city that I have seen real apartments and real stores with doors! We checked in to Narain Niwas Palace ( a heritage property) and indeed it was a Palace…. Very opulent with a long driveway and gates. It belonged to one of the past Kings of Jaipur before it was converted to a hotel. After dinner, we briefly watched a cultural show outdoors in the garden before retiring after a long day.

15th    Jaipur/Bharatpur : OP hired a history guide to travel with us and to tell us about the city. We drove by the Wind Palace – stopped for a photo and then we toured the Amber Fort of Jaipur. Many people were riding elephants thru the Fort, but the queue was long so we decided to save our elephant ride for Corbett. We did see a Monkey with a newborn baby cradled in her arms – very cute. On the way back we stopped for a photo of the Water palace which is rumored to eventually be made into a hotel. It is literally a palace in the middle of a Lake! Since Jaipur is known for it’s precious and semiprecious stones of ruby, garnet, sapphire and emerald, we stopped to tour a factory of how the stones go from rocks to jewels and had to buy ;-) a garnet bracelet and earrings since they are my birthstone. Not sure we bargained hard enough though, since they took our first offer! Our final stop was at a textile factory where they showed us how rugs are made and that it takes 35 days to make one hand woven rug. Very beautiful – but no purchases there!  We decided to forego lunch until half way thru the drive to Bharatpur as neither of us were feeling 100% today – maybe the chicken from the night before? We vowed to be vegetarian this entire trip, but were told the chicken was safe there – who knows what it was… checked in to Kadamb Kunj Resort again and will spend 5 nights here.

Food: I have been pleasantly surprised by the food – generally it has all been very good and not overwhelmingly spicy – although I think my body is rebelling a bit against all the spices as my cheeks are looking a bit irritated and I am getting small bumps on the inside of my mouth. I thought I would lose weight, but instead feel like I am back in college again where I have to try everything and therefore eat too much and am gaining weight! But now that it has been a week, I am starting to cut back as I think I have tried most everything now. Indian food is very oily and some deep fried, lots of sauces, so it is easy to gain weight especially since we really have not done any walks as of yet – mostly birding from vehicles or car birding where we stop, get out, look around and then back in the car.

Birds: So far some of our favorites have been: Painted Sandgrouse, Painted Stork, Black-rumped Flamebacked Woodpecker, Eurasion Hoopoe, and Spotted Owlet

16,17,18th    Bharatpur : Two full day Birding in Keola Deo National park and one full day Birding out of the park at Bundh Baretha Dam (Box lunches will be provided).

16th: In the AM we walked the straight path thru the park to the end of the road and took a rickshaw back. At the start of the walk we encountered the Grey Hornbill and a pair of Yellow Crowned Woodpeckers. The most memorable part of the walk was all the Painted Stork nests. It was a rookery made up mainly of Painted, with a few Openbill storks and some Eurasion Spoonbills and Black Ibis. There were babies in the nests and the noise was loud. OP says that as they mature they lose their voice so all the noise was coming from the babies. The parents were continuing to add sticks to the nest as the babies get bigger the nest gets too small. We also got another view of one of our trip favorites, the Black-Rumped Flameback woodpecker. Another special bird was the Common Hawk Cuckoo. In the afternoon, we walked near the old Hindu temple in the park and then took a very relaxing sunset boat ride which was powered by a man with a long stick. The river was smooth and narrow. Within a few minutes of the ride we came upon a large Crested Serpant Eagle. A little further along we found a tree full of Coppersmith Barbets. On the walk back we heard the Golden Jackals calling as they were gathering for the night and finally we were able to get great views of them.

17th: I finally started to feel better today after 2 days of having an upset stomach, hot and cold flashes and a headache. The first stop this morning was the botanical garden again to try for the second time to find the Brown Hawk Owl of which we were successful. The morning was spent on a rickshaw going deeper into the park. The ride was about 3 hours as we stopped along the way for special birds and photos. One target was Nightjars and we found only one – Grey Nightjar. Other bird highlights were Black Bittern, Indian Scops Owl, Dusky Eagle Owl, and the Spotted Owlet. After the ride we walked thru the grounds of the Hindu Temple and observed a very large snorkel nose Turtle (can’t remember it’s name), and lots of Monkeys with babies picking thru dung for food. One of the residents of the Temple was singing and taking a bath at the water pump. A group of teenage Indian girls, dressed in their Saris, visit with food offerings every Monday. They were walking in as we were leaving. The afternoon we walked a loop that we had not done before except for where the boat left us off yesterday. Almost immediately we came upon a Eurasian Golden Oriole just as it flew off and a little later a Common Mongoose ran down the path.

18th: This morning we headed to Bundh Baretha Dam where the water level was much higher than normal. This was unfortunate for us (and the birds) as there really wasn’t any there. We did take a short walk along the back part of the lake as the road was too bad for the car to get thru. Just prior to reaching the dam we stopped at what looked like a monastery to see the “flying foxes” which are actually Fruit bats (of which I believe we saw in Australia). Nonetheless they were very cute all wrapped up in their little black Dracula Cape in order to sleep. In the afternoon we had a 3 hour break and then we walked around OP’s farm property and found a Verditer Flycatcher which OP said was unusual for the area. That evening we had dinner at OP’s home with his family. They cooked outside over a fire fueled by cow dung.

19th    Bharatpur: AM, drive to Agra ( a 2 hour drive ) Visit the Taj Mahal and Red Fort of Agra, time for shopping also, later on drive back to Bharatpur
The traffic thru Agra was horrendous – just as crazy as Delhi – even though it was not as big of a city. We picked up our guide and brought him along to tell us the history of the sites. The Taj Mahal was as beautiful as we imagined – with its semiprecious and precious stones inlaid into the walls. It took 22 years to build and it was built in memory of his “favorite” wife. When he was older, his son moved him to the Red Fort (across the Yamuna River) and because his eyesight was bad, there was a 24K diamond hung in the gazebo area so that he could see the Taj Mahal more clearly. The guy that built the Red Fort had 12 wives and if they would fight he would put them down a “hole” for 3 hours or until they calmed down! OP brought us to a textile shop and I bought a couple of silk scarves and then we headed back to Bharatpur for our last of 5 nights there.
 
20th    Bharatpur/Fort Uncha Gaon : AM, drive towards to Nainital, stay at Fort Uancha Gaon to avoid the longer drive to Nainital ( this is an old fort of Jat Maharajas in olden days, recently converted in to a nice hotel. Providing good birding opportunity too. We drove from 8:00 – 2:30 to reach Uncha Gaon. The last hour was along a canal on a narrow (1 car width) road. It really didn’t even look like a road, more like a path. We crossed about 3 roads along the way and had to keep asking directions as there were no street signs, which is actually pretty typical everywhere we have been. We drove thru a small village just before entering the gates to our beautiful hotel. We were the only guests in this 20 room mansion! The food was very good, but there was too much, as usual. The chef was eager to cook for us and therefore made too much. Before dinner we actually got to walk thru the small town - Indian village. I felt like we were on parade as everyone was staring at us. I’m sure white people are not seen in this “off the beaten path” town very often. Children were following us, and every time we stopped to look for a bird or to take a photo it drew a few onlookers, some of whom would come stand right next to us and not say a word. We have become quite accustomed to this on this trip. I finally was able to snag a photo of a man getting a shave! When we arrived back at the hotel, Paul and I played a quick match of badminton right in front of the hotel.

21st    Fort /Nainital: AM, Drive to Nainital, Stopping at the Holy Ganges River to look for River Dolphin, then continue drive to Nainital, check in to hotel Vikram Vintage Inn.
We learned that the Holy Ganges River is a place where people come for miles to dump the ashes of their loved ones. We have not seen any cemeteries during our entire trip, so I guess this answers that question. As we were standing on the bridge looking for birds and dolphins (which we did not find) a car pulled up with a few men dressed all in white and they started dumping large bags from the bridge and then also threw the bag in the river. We left quickly as the ashes started to blow our way. OP said this is the “cleanest water in the world” because it comes from the Himalayas…..  It was another long day in the car from 8-4 ish. The landscape changed dramatically as we approached Nainital, as it is located in the mountains. As we started the incline up the mountain we came upon a small flock of birds – so we stopped the car as Paul and I both spotted a Scarlet Minivet, Golden-Fronted Leafbird and Himalayan Woodpecker. We stopped at a waterfall and came across 3 very pretty birds: Spotted Forktail, White Capped Water Redstart, and Plumbeous Water Redstart. When we arrived at the Hotel we felt like we were in Switzerland. Very pretty area. The hotel room was very modern, although we only had a space heater to heat the room and this “window/door” in the bathroom kept opening to chill the room. We were upset to hear from the driver that they had no rooms for him and he had to sleep in the car for the next 3 nights! I can’t even imagine how cold it was, since we had 2 hot water bottles in our bed, 3 comforters, and a space heater and we were still cold. I mentioned to OP that I was concerned for the driver, but he did not seem to care…. 

22, 23rd    Nainital: Two full days birding around Nainital, including Sat Tal, Snow View Point, Mongoli valley and Pangot. Situated at 6400 feet and surrounded by peaks that rise to over 8500 feet this popular resort town (in the hot summer months), offers spectacular vistas.

22nd: After having some hot chocolate with warm milk the night before, I felt sick to my stomach all day. That evening Paul started to not feel well as well, so we broke down and took Cipro for the first time in all of our travels. Today we visited Sat Tal in the morning, which means 7 lakes. One of the birds that stood out was the large Red-billed Blue Magpies travelling in a small flock. A Yellow-throated Martin ran up the hillside as we were watching the Magpies. In the afternoon we visited Snow View Point, where we got our first view of the Himalayan snow capped Mountains. At the view point, a group of early 20’s guys asked if they could take a photo of me with them and also asked if we could take a photo of them with our camera. This has not been an uncommon occurrence and makes us feel like celebrities – it’s very strange to be stared at wherever we go. Most people have been very friendly and say hello while others just stare. We walked up this cobblestone path near some “private property” which looked like old ruins and spotted a Collared Owlet. Also, some Oriental Turtle Doves and a group of Streaked and White throated Laughing Thrushes.

23rd: This morning we did our longest walk thus far through Mongoli Valley, about 3 very slow paced hours. A flock of White Throated Laughing-Thrushes and 1 absolutely gorgeous Striated Laughing-Thrush were moving thru the area along with Lesser and Greater Yellownape Woodpeckers. It was a beautiful valley and it was interesting to see the farmers working their land. One man was plowing the fields with 2 cows, pulling a stick as he directed them along. It was also interesting to see 3 greenhouses growing what looked like carnations. The Slaty-backed Forktail was searching for food near the stream. We came upon a large group of Black Throated Tits, which look a lot like our Chickadees except with a rufous cap – very cute!  In the afternoon on our way to Pangot, we drove thru a wedding celebration going on in the street with what looked like parts of a marching band. Pangot was very quiet bird wise. We passed threw the area of the view of the Himalayas to get there, so we got another chance at looking at the magestic mountain range. OP knew one of the guys in Pangot so he had a coffee, while we watched for birds along the patio of this hotel property that was filled with flowers overlooking a valley. We missed some great bird photo opps as there was a male and female Yellow breasted Greenfinch and a group of Rufous Sibias that favored a very close tree. Unfortunately the camera was in the car 

24th:  Nainital/Claridges: AM, drive to Claridges, stopping for birds at Kosi river to look for Ibisbill, Wallcreepers and other birds, check in to Claridges Hideaway Resort ( located on the border of Corbett NP) Pm, birding along the Kosi river.
We left Nainital, drove a little ways and stopped to look for Accentors. OP was the only one to spot one. We did see a flock of Russet Sparrows and a single Rusty Cheeked Scimitar Babbler. One other stop to walk the road just before the Jim Corbett Museum, did not turn up anything, except the usual monkeys in the trees. On to the hotel – we passed forests of Teak wood (very tall straight trees with bare bark) and arrived at the hotel about 1:00 PM just in time for lunch. We sat out on the patio overlooking the Kosi River and Paul spotted a Wallcreeper across the river. Some lady next to us wanted to use our binoculars to look at what she thought we said was a cheetah (being that there are leopard in the park) – delaying our departure. Paul re-found the bird as we walked along the river bank. The lighting on the river and the backdrop of the sandy colored cliff banks was incredible as Red Rumped swallows and bank swallows flew low across the water giving us great views. Both Water Redstarts were hopping along the rocks. If only we had our camera! At one point, Paul was in his glory since we had 4 species of Kingfisher in view from the same spot: Common, White breasted, Pied and the new one for the trip: Crested. With one target bird down, we now had to pursue the Ibisbill further up the River. OP had received a tip from another guide at one point during our trip as to where we might find him, so after a short afternoon break we took a drive further up the road. We stopped at a very small farming village that sat just in front of the river. What a quaint setting. There was a very narrow path that ran between the small mud homes that led to the river. As we walked thru, the girls were hanging their freshly river washed clothing on the shrubs. There were many people at the river doing their laundry, so we moved further upstream where two rivers merged. It was at the this point that OP found the Ibisbill moving away from us on the right hand side of the river bed. Paul searched for a way to cross the river without getting too wet and ultimately decided to just wade across, shoes and all. The bird was now hardly visible to me as I sat on a rock across from the inlet. Paul did manage to get some photos, although the bird was moving away from him and towards us, the whole time blending in very well with the rocks. This hotel property thus far has been the nicest as far as the grounds and they try to be more environmentally friendly. There are lots of stone paths, individual bungalows, and Waterfalls with large Taro and Arrowhead plants. A hanging red flowering vine attracts the Crimson Sunbird, also a new bird for the trip. So far this area (just outside of Corbett) is my favorite – especially since there are trees!!! I also got to order Pizza and French Fries for dinner – yeah ;-) I am now very tired of spicy Indian food and I believe have lost all the weight I gained at the beginning.

25th:  Claridges/Quality Inn: Am, Excursion to the Bijrani area of the Corbett park by open jeep. We will have a good chance to see the Tiger again, birds too.
Pm, drive to Quality Inn jungle Resort, check in to Resort.
This morning’s drive thru the Park was disappointing – no tigers and really no animals except Spotted Deer and 1 Barking Deer (our first one for the trip). The temperature was very chilly even with 4 layers of clothes! We waited for our Jeep driver at 5:30 AM and didn’t connect with him until 6:00 AM (turns out he was waiting in the parking area and we were waiting outside the gate of the hotel). Even with this delay we still made it to the entrance of the Park so that we were 3rd in line to get in. OP mentioned we had to queue for a number so we were concerned that we would have a long wait… The terrain was dry, forested and jungle like. We crossed a river a few times with the water splashing close to the tops of the tires of the open jeep. Our favorite bird for the morning was the Collared Falconet that perched nicely at the top of a dead tree giving us long fairly close looks. We had a nice mixed flock of Woodpeckers as well, with 2 new ones for the trip and a new Bulbul – the Red-whiskered – so far my favorite Bulbul! We returned to the hotel at about 10:30 just in time to catch breakfast and then to checkout. We only had about 30 minute drive to the next Hotel – Quality Inn. This was a big disappointment in comparison to the other places we have stayed. The room is large, but the bathroom is disgusting with the wall mirror wooden edging looking like it has been eaten away by termites! The grounds are fairly nice with flowering bushes and it overlooks the Kosi River, but with no easy access as we are up much higher than we were at the last hotel. After a short break we took a walk down towards the river which we had to parallel for about ¾ mile. It was very quiet until Paul spotted a Tawny Fish Owl and then OP found a second one. What a gorgeous bird with large golden brown coloring with black streaks thru his chest and back and large ear tufts. Moving along we came to a sunny spot with some flowers and spotted a male Crimson Sunbird (gorgeous) along with a bright yellow Common Iora. Once we reached the river OP found the Brown Dipper. We watched him for quite a while as he put on a show – displaying, calling and gathering nesting material. Good thing I carried the backpack today with the camera so that we could get some photos! Our now very familiar buddies – the water redstarts were also hopping and flying between rocks. As we walked a little further we found many Himalayan and a few Red-vented Bulbuls feeding on berry shrubs that bordered the river and were delighted to see the Red-whiskered Bulbul again so we could get some photos. A tractor came down the rocky path that we had walked down and flushed 2 Emerald Doves our way and then 1 male and 2 female Red Junglefowl. We only wish we could have seen the male better! In the book, these look just like the Roosters we have at home! But I’ve never seen a Rooster fly before ;-) One final bird before making our way back to the hotel, was a Rufous-breasted Accentor, which looked like a very attractive sparrow. This was a nice surprise as OP said we had no chance of getting any Accentors at this point. But we did run into another guide on the way back (he was with the “Chinese Camera Club” – as we call them, since they all have large lenses on tripods – probably 500-600 mm and we seem to run into them everywhere we go) who said the Accentor is common here along with both Rubythroats (which we have yet to see - hopefully tomorrow!). We found out we need to pack a small bag for the next 2 nights that we will be spending inside the park as we will go there by Jeep. It will be interesting to see if we can manage this ;-)
The Dhikala trip got postponed a day so we will now stay at the Quality Inn one more night now instead of 2 nights later.

26th    Quality Inn : AM, Birding along the Kosi river to look for Forktails, Brown and Tawny fish owl.
Pm, Evening will be free for relaxing.
We had breakfast in the beautiful new room that the Inn has built recently overlooking the Kosi River. It has full glass windows and there is a steep very long drop down to the river – hopefully there won’t be an earthquake here!
We drove to an area which is more “moist grounds” abutting the river to look for Tesia’s. After much searching we managed decent looks at the Grey Bellied Tesia – very small skulking bird with no tail – but only fleeting glimpses of the Chestnut-headed Tesia. Paul managed to get some photos of the Crested Kingfisher. About 3 PM we departed again heading for the same location. It was much quieter. We did find a few Snowy-browed flycatchers and a Jungle Owlet. On the drive back, I spotted a Spotted Forktail in a creek bed so we stopped, jumped out, but it had moved further up. We climbed the hill, got photos and then heard the call of the White-crested Laughing-Thrushes which we really hadn’t gotten good looks at thus far. So we pursued them. Once spotted we also found a Common Green Magpie vocalizing with them. Paul thought this behavior strange so he tried a different vantage point and his suspicion was confirmed as he spotted the Brown Fish Owl as the focus of their behavior. We actually got to look down at the owl as he scowled back at us with the birds still harassing him. Finally good views of the Laughing Thrushes and the Magpie!

27th    Quality Inn/Dhikala: AM, birding around the Resort, then drive to Dhikala Tourist Rest House ( 32 Km. inside the Corbett Park) check in to Rest House. There is a chance to see the Crocodile, Alligators and Wild Elephants also on the way to Dhikala.
Pm, Excursion to the Park by open jeep. This will be the excellent day for the birds and wildlife.
This morning began interestingly enough with a 4:00 AM phone call from Paul’s parents who were concerned over news of a terrorist attack at the Taj Mahal Hotel in India. Luckily as it seems, the attack was in Bombay, not Agra, thus far from us. When Paul left the room early to call his parents back, now that he was fully awake, he heard a commotion near the bushes just outside the room. He watched 3 Yellow throated Martens bound across the wall top. As he moved closer to perhaps grab a quick photo, he was greeted with a close up angry snarl that was enough to let the Marten have his space. We walked down to the Kosi River again this morning at 7:00 AM, but it was very quiet – the sun was still behind the mountains so there was no incentive for the birds to be out. We did see the Brown Dipper again continuing to build his nest, but this time he was also swimming and feeding in the river. Paul managed to get some photos. We then went back for breakfast and to gather our small bag for our trip to Dhikala. Our driver brought us to the entrance gate where we met our open jeep driver for the next 2 days. So far he has been the nicest of all the Park guides/drivers – stopping when we want and helping to identify birds and animals. The first highlight was a Changeable Hawk Eagle perched with his Crest up looking down at us with his piercing yellow eyes. We also had good looks at the Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo with a long tail with flags at the end of the tail, as he perched gleaming in the sunlight. We then stopped at the viewpoint for the Indian Gharial Crocodiles with the long narrow snout. Luckily we also saw a group of Otters swimming in the river and sniffing the tails of the Crocodiles, which aggravated them as they turned to snap at the Otters. One of the Otters had a large red gash in his back, probably from getting too close to a croc. There was also one Alligator with the group. We had long distance views of two Black Storks at the same spot. Lots of large fish and catfish swimming along with that turtle with the snorkel nose again. Moving further down the Road we also saw a Mountain Hawk Eagle perched nicely for us. But the main highlight of the ride in, was a Leopard in a tree with a kill – probably a spotted deer. The head of the deer was hanging over one side of the limb as the legs and rump were on the other side. The leopard seemed to be munching on the hip of the deer. After awhile the leopard was probably getting warm eating in the sun, so it moved further along the limb to rest in the shade. This is the best view we have ever had of a leopard since the ones in Tanzania were at a much further distance. We arrived at the Forest Rest House at about 2:10 PM just in time to catch lunch and then head out at 3:00 for an afternoon safari. In the parking lot was a Asian Barred Owlet eating a large insect (supposedly a grasshopper, but it didn’t look like any grasshopper I am used to seeing as it had a very fat body – maybe a locust?). The Collared Falconet was buzzing the Owls head. There was really no excitement this afternoon and a little disappointment as we expected to see more animals, especially Elephants, but the only Elephants we saw were the ones that provide the rides to the tourists, which we will hopefully be doing tomorrow afternoon. The scenery was pretty with the tall grass and mountains in the background. There was also a nice forested section. We saw Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Sambur, and a Golden Jackal. After dinner, we walked to an area that had no lights so we could look at the stars. Incredible! The only other times we have had such star filled skies has been in BVI and Australia. We even saw a shooting star!

28th    Dhikala : Am + Pm; Game viewing of the Park by open jeep, we will take another chance to see the Tiger and Wild Elephants in the grassland.
We started our open jeep ride at a brisk 6:30 AM with 5 layers of clothes on. There was a heavy misty fog attempting to burn off as the sun was rising from behind the mountains. We ran into a few flocks of birds consisting of Long Tailed Minivets, Ashy Woodswallows and Large Woodshrikes. Also a flock of Slaty Grey and Plum headed Parakeets and a group of Indian Silverbills. The fog looked mystical over the lake. Spotted and Sambur deer were out in the tall grass. No tiger or elephant sightings. We returned for a late breakfast about 10:00 and then OP wanted us to move our rooms to a more quiet location so this took until about 11:15 whereafter we did not know what to do with ourselves as we were not scheduled for another activity until the Elephant ride at 3:00 PM. After a bit of questioning OP said we could take the jeep to the overlook tower so we proceeded onward with this from about 12:15 – 1:40. Saw 4 elephants from the tower, but they were quite a ways out. Now it was time for lunch – another one of those days when we feel like all we do is eat and no exercise! At 3:00 PM we embarked on our first ever Elephant ride. The 3 of us sat in this square seating area facing side ways and the “driver” sat just above the elephant’s neck and steered with his bare feet. It started out with a lot of commotion as we walked thru the tall grasses, flushing probably 50 or so fowl birds like: red junglefowl, and black francolin. The Sambur and Spotted deer also scattered as we approached, but the birds like the Long Tailed Shrike and Stonechats seemed to let us get very close. At one point we came upon a family of 4 Elephants who were protecting their smallest baby as they stood grouped together facing us – hopefully making for a nice photo. Riding an elephant is sort of like riding a horse while sitting sideways. It’s amazing the brush that he can walk right thru without getting harmed. I felt very peaceful as we rode thru the grasses with so much open land, water and mountains in sight as the sun began to set. What a nice ending to an almost over trip. No tigers, although OP says they were around since the deer were doing their alarm calls. The park is being overrun with Lantana as an invasive species and they have started to remove it as it is darkening all the undergrowth.

29th    Dhikala/Quality Inn : AM  Game viewing of the park by open Jeep, then drive back to Quality Inn.
This morning’s departure from Dhikala started with a new Woodpecker for the trip: a Scaly Bellied at just above eye level. We left at 8:00 AM and took a slow ride back thru the 32 km drive and arrived back at the Gate about 12:15. We encountered a few nice flocks along the way and one which didn’t have any new birds in it, but I spotted a White tailed Rubythroat scurrying under the bushes. At first I thought it was an Oriental Magpie Robin and almost did not keep watching it, but it turned it’s head to reveal it’s ruby throat just after disappearing under the brush for good. Another new bird today was the Lesser Fish Eagle which we ended up seeing about 3-4 along the way. We also stopped to watch the Leopard that had the kill on the way into the park. Two days later now and there was only 2 legs left to eat – one of which he/she accidentally dropped while we watched her finish off the other one. What a beautiful cat!
After a brief visit to the gift shop with no luck, we headed back to the Quality Inn – same room as last time – Elephant Park 1 - and then to lunch. After lunch there was quite a bit of bird song just outside our room, so I watched a large mixed flock of mainly grey hooded warblers, with a Bar Winged Flycatcher Shrike, Grey headed canary-flycatcher, Oriental Whiteyes, Velvet fronted Nuthatches and grey capped pygmy woodpeckers for about an hour. Then we did our final walk down to the river. We got good looks at the white crested laughing thrushes and the Tawny Fish Owl was in his usual tree – only one this time. No sign of the Brown Dipper in the river or at his nest, but the usual water redstarts were flitting around. Not as many Bulbuls at the river either, but the sun was lower today than the last afternoon visit. We tried to find more Rubythroats – but no luck. The kitchen staff knows now that I do not eat spicy food if I can help it, so they made me some very good Pasta – yum. But another day of eating too much, sigh….

30    Quality Inn/Delhi : AM, Drive to Delhi (A room will be provided for wash up, farewell dinner then transferred to the Airport for return flights to USA. The drive should be about 6-7 hours to Delhi and we will stop at a birding spot at a Dam (Okhana) on the Yamuna River near Delhi.

Although we departed at 8:00 AM we did not reach the birding spot until 4:45 PM – they had a hard time figuring out how to get there as well. It was smoggy/foggy so we decided given that the sun sets at 5:30 it was not worth paying the $14 it would cost to get in. Plus we really needed a scope and OP left his in the car  so instead we walked thru a nearby park which bordered the river and got a few glimpses of some ducks – nothing really new though. The drive to Delhi brought us back to reality and all the crazy things you see along the way. Today I saw a goat between two people on a motorcycle – don’t see that everyday! We passed a fair where people bring their goats, cows, buffalo etc. to buy/sell. Once again I was reminded of how barren the land is outside of the Crobett and Nainital area. All trees have been cut for agricultural fields, the air smells bad and is very dusty and smoggy. The animals have a very difficult life where most dogs (lots of them) appear to be homeless and cows, buffalos, goats, pigs, etc, seem to have to also fend for themselves digging thru the trash that is thrown into the street side. Some horses, cows, and buffalo are put to work pulling oversized carts of various items, while the “drivers” are hitting them to go faster thru the crowded car, bike pedestrian traffic. Highways are few, but you also see these animals there. One of the saddest sights I saw was a small donkey loaded up with bricks on it’s back to transport :-(  The monkeys in the cities are left to hang out on roof tops or along the streets as there are very few trees. I’m not sure who has a harder life in India, the people or the animals, but hopefully things will change in the future and there will be no more clear cutting, proper trash disposal and better treatment for animals. There is certainly not a shortage of food as fresh produce is plentiful, but the river conditions are very poor. Most places seem to have wells that people come to pump their water from – or to bathe in right at the pump. Some of the ponds are overrun with water hyacinths soaking up all the water. India has truly been an educational experience that we will always remember!

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