INDIA Day 13 - 21st January

Following some more gen (from the same French source as in Pangot!) we made an early start and drove up river to a place called Kumeria for some more river / forest birding; at the river we connected with a couple of targets with great views of BROWN DIPPER (just a brown coloured Dipper) and LITTLE FORKTAIL (really smart bird, trying to wag and shake its tail like it’s a proper Forktail!) along with awesome views of a roosting BROWN FISH OWL just up the track, 3 monstrous Great Hornbills which flew across the river and good views of a perched LESSER FISH EAGLE - completing our Fish Eagle triple bill!

                There were also some good, new birds in the forest as we walked down to the river including 2 awesome, huge GREAT SLATY WOODPECKERS, brief views of a STREAK-THROATED SCIMITAR BABBLER in the undergrowth, a THICK-BILLED FLOWERPECKER, a male BLACK-THROATED SUNBIRD, a young, moulting male GREEN-TAILED SUNBIRD and a group of WHITE-CRESTED LAUGHINGTHRUSHES along with a good selection of other woodland species in the roving flocks such as Whistler’s Warbler, Yellow-bellied Fantail, White-throated Fantail and Grey-headed Woodpecker.

                We were then dropped off again at the temple again to get more good views of the two Ibisbills again and a Wallcreeper just downstream along with the great selection of riverside birds as we walked back to the hotel arriving just before dusk.   The day wasn’t quite over with brilliant views of an, always stunning WHITE’S THRUSH feeing in the hotel garden and better views of the Nightjar sp. that we had been seeing each evening which were enough to confirm it was an INDIAN NIGHTJAR.

Brown Fish Owl

Great Hornbill

Yellow-bellied Fantail

Long-tailed Shrike

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker

Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike

Plain Martins

Blue Tiger