Ever since I attended an inspiring talk on the Birds of Bharatpur at an Oxford Ornithological Society meeting some years ago, this near-legendary site, the former hunting grounds of a Maharajah and the wintering grounds of the last remnants of the western population of the endangered Siberian Crane, has loomed high in the list of sites I've dreamed of visiting. My chance to achieve this long-standing ambition came earlier this month when my non-birding partner (a seasoned traveller) suggested we spend a couple of days there during a two-week trip to India. However, unfortunately, my dreams were only partly fulfilled and it seems I'll have to make another trip some other time to experience the real Bharatpur.
We'd originally aimed for a flight-only deal to Delhi, but the costs proved prohibitive. However, we found a two-week package deal to Goa which offered sufficient savings (even with accommodation included) that we decided we could afford to take an internal flight to Delhi. The flight-and-accommodation deal to Goa cost around £360, and an internal one-way flight to Delhi via Mumbai was around £140 (slightly less for under-30s).
Thus we arrived in Goa on 29th November, spent a day exploring the salt pans around our hotel in Arpora (close to the well-known beach resorts of Baga and Calangute), then caught our delayed two-hour flight from Dambolim Airport to Delhi (with an hour or so stopover at Mumbai airport following a missed connection).
After two nights and the intervening day sightseeing in Delhi, we took a train for the 3-hour journey to Bharatpur Junction. En route I saw a few waterbirds in trackside fields, including Black Ibis and various storks, egrets and waders, but I didn't worry too much about identifying them from these fleeting views as I assumed I'd get much better views in the famous Keoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur. However, I was to regret this laziness. We arrived in Bharatpur town at lunchtime, had a bite to eat (during which a Crested Serpent Eagle drifted over), then hired a rickshaw to the reserve, a kilometre or so from the edge of town. The first thing we were confronted by was a sign at the gate warning visitors that due to the almost complete failure of this year's autumn monsoon, the number of waterbirds was well down on the norm. This proved to be something of an understatement. I'd already been warned that the Siberian Cranes had yet to put in an appearance this season, but I wasn't prepared for the acres of bone-dry grassland and scattered trees where there should have been wide jheels (shallow monsoon lakes) carpeted with gallinules, jacanas, storks, egrets, ducks, geese and cranes.
Photos: Dave Dunford
Only in one small area where water was being pumped into a shallow lagoon, and in a few stagnant livestock watering holes, were there a few waterbirds — but a handful of Black-necked Ibis, one Intermediate Egret, a few Indian Pond Herons and White-breasted Waterhens was not the feast of waterbirds I'd been anticipating. The only geese and ducks we could find were a small flock of Greylags and a group of Shoveler with two Teal on a stagnant cattle pool (though the basking turtles, high temperatures and accompanying Red-wattled Lapwings and Greater Coucals at least reminded me that I wasn't birding a winter reservoir in Britain!)
Nevertheless we made the best of it with the help of a talented local "naturalist guide" (70 rupees, or approximately £1, per hour) and picked up a number of landbirds I'd probably have missed otherwise. Highlights included a solitary Plum-headed Parakeet among the much commoner Rose-ringed (Ring-necked) Parakeets, a pair of Spotted Owlets, another cracking Crested Serpent Eagle and roosting Indian Nightjar, Grey Nightjar and Collared Scops Owl. Needless to say we didn't encounter the solitary tigress which our guide assured us was present (see below).
Fortunately this was my first trip to Asia, so most of the birds I was seeing were new to me — thus we still enjoyed our day and a half in and around the desiccated reserve. For all that, the highlight was an 8- or 10-foot Indian Rock Python which we found sunning itself beside its trackside burrow at a range of a few feet (after a visit to a known burrow with our guide had revealed only a skein of shed skin to indicate the presence of its erstwhile resident).
Indian Rock Python (photo: Dave Dunford)
Although there appeared to be sufficient water in the local wells and "tanks" (reservoirs) following the failed monsoon to support the needs of the local population and their agriculture, the lack of birds has had a serious effect on the local tourist trade this year. This had the minor advantage for us that the Park was not thronged with visitors and accommodation was easy to come by, but did mean that the smaller pool of tourists suffered more intensely the incessant hassle one gets from rickshaw drivers, hotel touts and the like in all touristed areas of India.
From Bharatpur we took a bus to Agra, with a stopover to view the famous palaces of the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri. The Yamuna River flows right behind the Taj Mahal in Agra and despite being heavily polluted (one report claims it is incapable of supporting any life-forms) produced Avocet, Ruddy Shelduck, River Tern, Egyptian Vulture, Painted Stork and Eurasian Spoonbill (plus the ubiquitous Black Kite and Ring-necked Parakeets to be found in most Indian cities).
From Agra we took a gruelling 36-hour train trip to Goa via Bhopal and Pune (Poona); we realised later that the route took us over the bridge that crosses the Dudhsagar Waterfalls (the second-highest in Asia) which we were to visit later by road, but unfortunately even if we'd realised and set our alarm clocks we'd have seen little of these spectacular falls in the darkness.
The second week of our trip, back in Goa, was much more relaxing and the quality of birding much more satisfactory. The poor monsoon does not seem to have been so severe in the south of India and water levels seemed normal. Kingfishers (we saw Common, White-throated, Pied and Stork-billed) were everywhere, as were Little Cormorants, Indian Pond and Green-backed Herons, various Eurasian waders and four species of egret (Cattle, Little, Great White and Intermediate). For a wider range of less familiar waterfowl I took a trip to Carambolim Lake near the former Portuguese colonial city at Old Goa, and was rewarded with Spot-billed Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, hundreds of Purple Swamphens (Gallinules), Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacana, a flock of Asian Openbill storks, 50 or so Small Pratincoles coming in to roost, and much besides (including a Marsh Crocodile or Mugger), though I missed a reported Comb Duck lurking in the middle of this large lily-covered lake.
Carambolim Lake (photo: Dave Dunford)
However, probably my most rewarding outings were the couple of times I ventured alone at dawn into the jungle along the ridge that separates Baga from Anjuna (as recommended in Kazmierczak and Singh's excellent A Birdwatchers' Guide to India (Prion)), a short walk from our hotel. It was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of the resorts into the relative cool and stillness of the early morning jungle. At first glance the dense undergrowth seems almost devoid of life, but sit quietly and wait and you become aware of numerous rustles and flutterings around you. Sometimes the cause of the noise never resolves itself into a firm sighting but with patience, glimpses of various species, almost all new to me, could be had. Sometimes I was not even sure to which family the bird I was looking at belonged, but it was nevertheless hugely entertaining scrabbling through the 1300-odd species in my field guide (Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (Helm)) trying to match what I was seeing. I encountered nothing in the least bit unusual, as far as I can gather, but each trip was a joy as I scratched the surface of the huge number of new species there to get to grips with. The highlights that stick in my mind are a stunning Tickell's Blue Flycatcher devouring a large caterpillar with obvious relish; a bold and endearing White-rumped Munia that came so close to me as it nibbled at weed seeds on a jungle trackway that I thought it was actually going to perch on my boots; a party of characterful Tawny-bellied Babblers scrabbling through the leaf litter; and a stunning Black-lored Tit, a delightful life tick minutes before I reluctantly decided to head back to the hotel to pack for the flight home on our last morning.
For all the disappointments of Bharatpur, this won't be my last visit to the subcontinent. With last-minute deals to Goa available for as little as £99, I'll certainly be back — and hopefully so will the monsoon on which the birds of the Keoladeo Ghana reserve and the local tourist trade so heavily rely.
Bird list
A full bird list for the fortnight follows. It only goes to show how prolific the avifauna of India is, as I should stress that this was not a dedicated birding holiday and these 164 species were seen during a day and a half at Bharatpur in unproductive conditions, a half day at Carambolim Lake, three or four short strolls from our hotel and casual birding while sightseeing. I've omitted lots of "probables" and I'm ashamed to say a lot of hirundines, warblers, pipits and raptors went unidentified. A further hundred species would probably be possible with a little more experience, more effort and some dedicated site visits (particularly to the forest reserves such as Bondla or Molem in the Western Ghats, two or three hours south and west of the main Goan beach resorts). Species order and bird names follow that in the Pocket Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent.
1. | Grey Francolin | Francolinus pondicedrianus | Frequently seen and heard at Keoladeo Ghana NP |
2. | Indian Peafowl | Pavo cristatus | Presumed feral pair at Arpora, Goa and feathers found in Keoladeo Ghana |
3. | Greylag Goose | Anser anser | Small flocks at Keoladeo Ghana |
4. | Ruddy Shelduck | Tadorna ferruginea | Several on R. Yamuna from Taj Mahal |
5. | Spot-billed Duck | Anas poecilorhyncha | Several on Carambolim Lake, Old Goa |
6. | Common Teal | Anas crecca | Two at Keoladeo Ghana |
7. | Northern Shoveler | Anas clypeata | Seven at Keoladeo Ghana |
8. | Rufous Woodpecker | Celeus brachyurus | One at Arpora |
9. | Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker | Dendrocopos nanus | Pair at Keoladeo Ghana |
10. | Yellow-crowned Woodpecker | Dendrocopos mahrattensis | One at Keoladeo Ghana |
11. | Black-rumped Flameback | Dinopium benghalense | Common: Arpora, Delhi, Keoladeo Ghana |
12. | Coppersmith Barbet | Megalaima haemacephala | Bharatpur, pair in jungle near Baga |
13. | Indian Grey Hornbill | Ocyceris birostris | Relatively common at Keoladeo Ghana |
14. | Common Hoopoe | Upupa epops | Relatively common, including at Red Fort in Delhi |
15. | Indian Roller | Coracias benghalensis | Relatively common on roadside wires and in Keoladeo Ghana |
16. | Common Kingfisher | Alcedo atthis | Extremely common in Goa |
17. | Stork-billed Kingfisher | Halcyon capensis | Three sightings in Goa |
18. | White-throated Kingfisher | Halcyon smyrensis | Ubiquitous (even in central Delhi) |
19. | Pied Kingfisher | Ceryle rudis | Common in Goa |
20. | Green Bee-eater | Merops orientalis | Widespread in Goa |
21. | Blue-tailed Bee-eater | Merops philippinus | Several at Carambolim Lake |
22. | Asian Koel | Eudynamys scolopacea | Several at Arpora and Baga |
23. | Greater Coucal | Centropus sinensis | Common in Keoladeo Ghana and elsewhere |
24. | Rose-ringed Parakeet | Psittacula krameri | Ubiquitous |
25. | Plum-headed Parakeet | Psittacula cyanocephala | One in Keoladeo Ghana; pair at Baga |
26. | Asian Palm Swift | Cypsiurus balasiensis | Arpora |
27. | House Swift | Apus affinis | Several at Carambolim Lake |
28. | Alpine Swift | Tachymarptis melba | Two over Baga Ridge |
29. | Collared Scops Owl | Otus bakkamoena | Three at Keoladeo Ghana, roosting in coconut palms by day |
30. | Spotted Owlet | Athene brama | Two in tree hole in Keoladeo Ghana |
31. | Grey Nightjar | Caprimulgus indicus | One roosting by day in Keoladeo Ghana |
32. | Indian Nightjar | Caprimulgus asiaticus | One roosting by day in Keoladeo Ghana |
33. | Rock Pigeon | Columba livia | Ubiquitous |
34. | Laughing Dove | Streptopelia sengalensis | Fairly common; e.g. in Red Fort at Delhi |
35. | Spotted Dove | Streptopelia chinensis | Common at Arpora |
36. | Eurasian Collared Dove | Streptopelia decaocto | Several in Delhi |
37. | Yellow-footed Green Pigeon | Treron phoenicoptera | Delhi, Keoladeo Ghana |
38. | Sarus Crane | Grus antigone | Two or three pairs in Keoladeo Ghana and from Delhi–Bharatpur train |
39. | White-breasted Waterhen | Amaurornis phoenicurus | Common at Bharatpur; a few in Goa |
40. | Purple Swamphen | Porphyrio porphyrio | Large numbers at Carambolim Lake; NONE in Keoladeo Ghana |
41. | Common Moorhen | Gallinula choropus | Common at Carambolim Lake; NONE in Keoladeo Ghana |
42. | Common Coot | Fulica atra | Common at Carambolim Lake; NONE in Keoladeo Ghana |
43. | Common Snipe | Gallinago gallinago | One at Arpora |
44. | Common Redshank | Tringa totanus | Common in Goa |
45. | Marsh Sandpiper | Tringa stagnatilis | Several at Arpora and on paddies at Carambolim Lake |
46. | Common Greenshank | Tringa nebularia | Common in Goa |
47. | Green Sandpiper | Tringa ochropus | Several at Arpora |
48. | Wood Sandpiper | Tringa glareola | Common on paddies at Carambolim Lake |
49. | Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | Common in Goa |
50. | Eurasian Thick-Knee (Stone Curlew) | Burhinus oedicnemus | Pair at Keoladeo Ghana |
51. | Black-winged Stilt | Himantopus himantopus | Common in N. India and Goa |
52. | Pied Avocet | Recurvirostra avosetta | One on R. Yamuna from Taj Mahal |
53. | Pheasant-tailed Jacana | Hydrophasianus chirurgus | Several at Carambolim Lake (less common than Bronze-winged) |
54. | Bronze-winged Jacana | Metopidius indicus | Good numbers at Carambolim Lake |
55. | Small Pratincole | Glareola lactea | Flocks of 40–50 at dusk to roost at Carambolim Lake |
56. | Little Ringed Plover | Charadrius dubius | Two or three on paddies at Carambolim Lake |
57. | Lesser Sand Plover | Charadrius mongolus | One or two on tideline at night on Baga beach |
58. | River Lapwing | Vanellus duvaucelii | R. Yamuna, Taj Mahal |
59. | Red-wattled Lapwing | Vanellus indicus | Very common |
60. | Pallas's Gull | Larus ichthyaetus | Several on dolphin-watching trip from Baga |
61. | Brown-headed Gull | Larus brunnicephalus | Several on dolphin-watching trip from Baga |
62. | River Tern | Sterna aurantia | One along R. Yamuna, Taj Mahal |
63. | Whiskered Tern | Chlidonia hybridus | One over paddyfields at Carambolim Lake |
64. | Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | One over Arpora |
65. | Black-shouldered Kite | Elanus caeruleus | Several at Keoladeo Ghana |
66. | Black Kite | Milvus migrans | Ubiquitous |
67. | Brahminy Kite | Haliastur indicus | Common in Goa but absent in N. India |
68. | White-bellied Sea Eagle | Haliaeetus leucogaster | Common along Goan coast |
69. | Egyptian Vulture | Neophron percnopterus | Several at Taj Mahal and elsewhere |
70. | Crested Serpent Eagle | Spilornis cheela | Two at Keoladeo Ghana |
71. | Eurasian Marsh Harrier | Circus aeruginosus | Several at Carambolim Lake and elsewhere |
72. | Shikra | Accipiter badius | One at Keoladeo Ghana |
73. | Greater Spotted Eagle | Aquila clanga | Several sightings at Keoladeo Ghana |
74. | Booted Eagle | Hieraaetus pennatus | One over Baga Ridge |
75. | Common Kestrel | Falco tinnunculus | One at Keoladeo Ghana |
76. | Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | One at Carambolim Lake |
77. | Little Grebe | Tachybaptus ruficollis | One or two at Carambolim Lake |
78. | Little Cormorant | Phalacrocorax niger | Common in Goa |
79. | Indian Cormorant | Phalacrocorax fuscicollis | Relatively common in Goa |
80. | Great Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | Seen occasionally in Goa |
81. | Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | Common |
82. | Great (White) Egret | Casmerodius alba | Relatively common |
83. | Intermediate Egret | Mesophoyx intermedia | Relatively common |
84. | Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | Very common |
85. | Indian Pond Heron | Ardeola grayii | Common |
86. | Grey Heron | Ardea cinerea | Fairly common in small numbers |
87. | Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea | Two or three in various sites in Goa |
88. | Little Heron | Butorides striatus | Fairly frequent in Goa |
89. | Glossy Ibis | Plegadis falcinellus | Several flocks at Keoladeo Ghana and elsewhere |
90. | Black-headed Ibis | Threskiornis melanocephalus | Small flock at Keoladeo Ghana and from Delhi–Bharatpur train |
91. | Black Ibis | Pseudibis papillosa | In fields from Delhi–Bharatpur train |
92. | Eurasian Spoonbill | Platalea leucorodia | Feeding flock in R. Yamuna, Taj Mahal |
93. | Painted Stork | Mycteria leucocephala | Two on R. Yamuna, Taj Mahal |
94. | Asian Openbill | Anastomus oscitans | Flock of 40 settled briefly on paddies at Carambolim Lake |
95. | Brown Shrike | Lanius cristatus | Fairly common at Keoladeo Ghana |
96. | Bay-backed Shrike | Lanius vittatus | Keoladeo Ghana |
97. | Long-tailed Shrike | Lanius schach | Fairly common |
98. | Rufous Treepie (Tiger Bird) | Dendrocitta vagabunda | Common at Keoladeo Ghana and also at Baga Ridge |
99. | House Crow | Corvus splendens | Ubiquitous |
100. | Large-billed Crow | Corvus macrorhynchos | Less common than House Crow |
101. | Eurasian Golden Oriole | Oriolus oriolus | Common in Arpora/Baga area |
102. | Black-hooded Oriole | Oriolus xanthornus | One male on Baga Ridge |
103. | Black-headed Cuckooshrike | Coracina melanoptera | Female at Carambolim Lake |
103. | Small Minivet | Pericrocotus cinnamomeus | Flocks in Keoladeo Ghana and at Baga Ridge |
104. | White-throated Fantail | Rhipidura albicollis | Common on Baga Ridge |
105. | Black Drongo | Dicrurus macrocercus | Common |
106. | Ashy Drongo | Dicrurus leucophaeus | Less common |
107. | White-bellied Drongo | Dicrurus caerulescens | Two at Baga Ridge |
108. | Common Iora | Aegithina tiphia | Baga Ridge |
109. | Malabar Whistling Thrush | Myophonus horsfieldii | One at Dudhsagar Waterfall |
110. | Asian Brown Flycatcher | Muscicapa dauurica | Baga Ridge |
111. | Red-throated Flycatcher | Ficedula parva | Several at Keoladeo Ghana |
112. | Tickell's Blue Flycatcher | Cyornis tickelliae | One at Baga Ridge |
113. | Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher | Culicicapa ceylonensis | Two or three at Keoladeo Ghana |
114. | Bluethroat | Luscinia svecica | One (!) at Keoladeo Ghana |
115. | Oriental Magpie Robin | Copsychus saularis | Common |
116. | Indian Robin | Saxicoloides fulicate | Fairly common |
117. | Black Redstart | Phoenicurus ochrurous (race phoenicuroides) | Common at Keoladeo Ghana |
118. | Common Stonechat | Saxicola torquata | Arpora; Carambolim Lake |
119. | Pied Bushchat | Saxicola caprata | Common at Keoladeo Ghana and elsewhere |
120. | Brown Rock-chat | Cercomela fusca | Fatehpur-Sikri |
121. | Chestnut-tailed Starling | Sturnus malabaricus | Carambolim Lake |
122. | Brahminy Starling | Sturnus pagodarum | Common at Keoladeo Ghana |
123. | Rosy Starling | Sturnus roseus | Carambolim Lake and Mandovi River |
124. | Asian Pied Starling | Sturnus contra | Common at Keoladeo Ghana |
125. | Common Myna | Acridotheres tristis | Common |
126. | Black-lored Tit | Parus xanthogenys | One on Baga Ridge |
127. | Plain Martin | Riparia paludicola | Common in Goa |
128. | Wire-tailed Swallow | Hirundo smithii | Common around Goa |
129. | Red-rumped Swallow | Hirundo daurica | Common |
130. | Red-whiskered Bulbul | Pycnonotus jocosus | Widespread in Goa |
131. | White-eared Bulbul | Pycnonotus leucotis | Common at Keoladeo Ghana |
132. | Red-vented Bulbul | Pycnonotus cafer | Common at Keoladeo Ghana and in Goa |
133. | White-browed Bulbul | Pycnonotus luteolus | Fairly common at Baga Ridge |
134. | Plain Prinia | Prinia inornata | Fairly common at Keoladeo Ghana |
135. | Ashy Prinia | Prinia socialis | Fairly common in Goa |
136. | Blyth's Reed Warbler | Acrocephalus dumetorum | Keoladeo Ghana |
137. | Lesser Whitethroat | Sylvia curruca | Common at Keoladeo Ghana |
138. | Greenish Warbler | Phylloscopus trochiloides | Common |
139. | Tawny-bellied Babbler | Dumetia hyperythra | Baga Ridge |
140. | Large Grey Babbler | Turdoides malcolmi | Keoladeo Ghana |
150. | Jungle Babbler | Turdoides striatus | Common at Keoladeo Ghana and elsewhere |
151. | Plain Flowerpecker | Dicaeum concolor | Baga Ridge |
152. | Purple-rumped Sunbird | Nectarinia zeylonica | Fairly widespread in Goa |
153. | Purple Sunbird | Nectarinia asiatica | Common |
154. | Crimson Sunbird | Aethopyga siparaja | Fairly common in Goa |
155. | House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | Fairly common |
156. | Chestnut-shouldered Petronia | Petronia xanthocollis | Common in Keoladeo Ghana |
157. | White Wagtail | Motacilla alba | Fairly infrequent |
158. | White-browed Wagtail | Motacilla maderaspatensis | Common in Goa (e.g. Arpora, Carambolim Lake) |
159. | Citrine Wagtail | Motacilla citreola | Common (Keoladeo Ghana, Carambolim Lake) |
160. | Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | On paddyfields at Carambolim Lake; one of the dark-headed races |
161. | Paddyfield Pipit | Anthus rufulus | Common at Keoladeo Ghana and elsewhere |
162. | Olive-backed Pipit | Anthus hodgsoni | Common at Keoladeo Ghana |
163. | Baya Weaver | Ploceus philppinus | Small flock on overgrown paddies at Carambolim Lake |
164. | White-rumped Munia | Lonchura striata | Common |
Adrian Royle adds: "I visited in February 1999 when still wet, a fabulous way to celebrate my 40th birthday. No tiger about then, but a Siberian Rubythroat put on a nice show. I returned in November 2000, very dry. Water was being pumped up from underground. Quite a disappointing visit, although the Siberian Cranes were in residence and viewed from very close up. The highlight was a Greater Adjutant stork."
For an update on the monsoon situation for autumn 2003 see Water (and Birds!) at Bharatpur by Mike Prince.