Sunday, 28 January 2018

INDIA Day 10 - 18th January


Had two three-hour game drives in Corbett NP (one in the morning and one in the evening) with the ultimate aim of seeing Tigers but unfortunately, we big time dipped!   We saw very fresh tracks, big piles of glistening fresh shite (complete with fur inside!) and even smelt their scent marking so we didn’t miss by much…   New birds seen along the way (mainly in the morning – the afternoon was quiet) included a several RED JUNGLEFOWL running across the roads (wild chickens!), Blyth’s Pipit, a smart ORANGE-BELLIED LEAFBIRD at one of the rest stops, a TICKELL’S BLUE FLYCATCHER, WHITE-BELLIED DRONGO, an impressive LESSER RACKET-TAILED DRONGO, HIMALAYAN GOLDENBACK, a STREAK-THROATED WOODPECKER, a BLUE-THROATED BARBET, a Coppersmith Barbet, an awesome GREAT HORNBILL cruising overhead, a couple of big CRESTED KINGFIUSHERS, some CRESTED TREESWIFTS overhead, flocks of PLUM-HEADED PARAKEETS, several smart CHANGEABLE HAWK EAGLES, my only Oriental Honey Buzzard of the trip and two Hen Harriers.

                We had several hours between the game drives to go birding around the hotel where there were plenty of birds to be seen including a Long-billed Pipit, Masked Wagtail and Citrine Wagtails on the river where there were also Plumbeous Water Redstarts and White-capped Water Redstarts galore, Taiga Flycatchers, Pied Bushchats, INDIAN NUTHATCHES, Greenish Warblers, Black and Red-vented Bulbuls, really smart YELLOW-BELLIED FANTAILS, CINEREOUS TITS (pale Great Tits), a Brown Shrike, Common Iora, a FULVOUS-BREASTED WOODPECKER, a weird looking BLUE-BEARDED BEE-EATER and great views of a JUNGLE OWLET.   Overhead were 2 CINEREOUS VULTURES with several RED-HEADED VULTURES and plenty of Himalayan Griffon Vultures.


Black-rumped Flameback


Jungle Owlet

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher

Shikra

Blue-bearded Bee-eater

alboides White Wagtail - the local Himalayas breeding race

Masked Wagtail


Grey Bushchat


Pied Bushchat

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