NORTHERN INDIA - Birding Trip reports by Rob Goldbach

We stayed one night in a low budget hotel (Rs 400) neighbouring Hotel Gauri (which is also rather cheap)
at the lake shore, and two nights in Hotel Swiss (Rs 650, incl. heating and hot water), situated in a more
forested area near the old English church.
Birds seen included Bar-headed Goose, Lammergeier, Griffon Vulture, Himalayan Vulture, Steppe Eagle,
Black kite, Shikra, Kestrel, Jungle Owlet, Himalayan Swiftlet, 7 woodpecker species, Dusky Crag Martin,
Nepal House Martin, Scarlet Minivet, Himalayan Bulbul, Eurasian and Black-headed Jay, Blue Magpie,
Jungle Crow, Black-throated Tit, Grey Tit, Green-backed Tit, Yellow-cheeked Tit, Yellow-browed Tit,
Goldcrest, Eurasian and White-tailed Nuthatch, Himalayan Treecreeper, Black-chinned Babbler, Whitethroated
and Streaked Laughing Thrush, Rufous Sibia, Orange-flanked Bluetail, Plumbeous and Whitecapped
Water Redstart, Blue Whistling Thrush, White's Thrush, Inornate and Hume's Inornate Warbler,
Pale-rumped Leaf Warbler, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Grey-hooded Warbler, Rufous-bellied Niltava, Greyheaded
Flycatcher, Olive-backed Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Common Mynah, Oriental White-eye, House and
Russet Sparrow, Himalayan Greenfinch, Pink-browed Rosefinch and Rufous-breasted Accentor.
Corbett National Park
This national park of 520 square kilometers is situated at the foothills of the Himalayas. The river Ram
Ganga runs west to east through the park and is dammed, forming a lake west of Dhikala. There are two
gates. Dhikala is the place to go. It has some basic facilities including a restaurant, and booking at
Ramnagar at the national park's office is a prerequisite. The park is open from mid-November until June,
and closed for the remaining period in view of the monsoon rains.
There are approx. 100 tigers in Corbett, of which about 8 in the direct surroundings of Dhikala. Walking at
Dhikala is restricted, and the longest walk allowed is to the bird tower (500 meters) though tiger foot prints
are regularly found on the footpath to this tower... Elephant tours can be made (starting at 07.00 am and
15.00 pm, duration 2.5 hrs, price Rs 100,-) providing a chance to meet a tiger, whereas birds like Black
Partridge and Red Junglefowl can also be encountered. Also jeep rides can be made (3 hrs, Rs 600,-) to
e.g. the gavials in the Ramnaga river, 17 km W of Dhikala.
Most birds we saw were from the bird tower, where bird life was never dull. Due to dryness the lake did
not reach Dhikala, the shore being located 1 km W of the village. We visited the shore line twice by bus.
Birds seen included Great Cormorant, Striated Heron, Intermediate and Little Egret, Black Stork, Blacknecked
Stork, Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck, Egyptian, Griffon, Cinereous and King Vulture, Steppe Eagle,
Pallas's Sea Eagle, Himalayan Grey-headed Fishing Eagle, Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle, Changeable
Hawk-Eagle, Osprey, Black-winged Kite, Northern, Pallid and Pied Harrier, Shikra, Kestrel, Red-headed
Merlin, Black Francolin, Red Junglefowl, Peafowl, Andalusian Hemipode, River Lapwing, Green and
Common Sandpiper, River Tern, Brown-headed Gull, Oriental Turtle Dove, Slaty-headed Parakeet,
Lesser Coucal, Himalayan Swiftlet, Crested Tree Swift, Himalayan (= Crested) Pied, Common and Pied
Kingfisher, Grey and Indian Pied Hornbill, Lineated Barbet, Lesser Goldenback, Black-naped Green
Woodpecker, Fulvous-breasted Pied Woodpecker, Black-hooded Oriole, Plain Sand Martin, Dusky Crag
Martin, Barn and Red-rumped Swallow, Scarlet Minivet, Pied Flycatcher-Shrike, Common Woodshrike,
Red-whiskered, Red-vented, Brown-eared and Himalayan Bulbul, Indian Tree Pie, House and Jungle
Crow, Great Tit, Eurasian Nuthatch, Wall Creeper, Black-chinned Babbler, Large Grey and Jungle
Babbler, Bluethroat, Plumbeous and White-capped Water Redstart, Magpie Robin, Stonechat (some
maura), Grey Bush Chat, Ashy, Rufescent, Tawny-flanked and Jungle Prinia, Fan-tailed Warbler,
Chiffchaff, Hume's Inornate Warbler, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Grey-hooded Warbler,
Black-browed Flycatcher-Warbler, Rusty-tailed, Orange-gorgeted, Little Pied and Grey-headed
Flycatcher, Long-tailed Shrike, Paddyfield and Olive-backed Pipit, Common Mynah, Oriental White-eye,
Avadavat, and Himalayan Greenfinch.
Twelve kilometer North of the (Dhangadri) gate the horrifically expensive Quality Inn Corbett Jungle
Resort, along the Kosi River, is worthwhile visiting. We took only a lunch (only Rs 200 per person, incl.
beer), to get access to the backyard and the steps down into the Kosi River bed, to watch Brown Dipper
and Wall Creeper, but missed the Brown Fish-Owl, which remained undetectable in the high trees during
daytime. Other birds of interest near this hotel included Chestnut-bellied and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch,
Black-chinned Babbler, both Water Redstart species (abundant), Blue Rock Thrush, White-throated
Fantail, and Red-breasted Flycatcher.
At Ramnagar we walked from the bridge north through the river bed but the Ibisbills seen in previous
winters here were not (yet) present. Two Great Stone Curlews were a welcome compensation.