As we rumbled around the Thar Desert in a rickety old jeep, nerves were starting to jangle. The sun was now high in the sky and a chilly dawn had given way to a surprisingly warm day, bearing in mind that it was the middle of January. Heat haze was starting to shimmer, distorting our increasingly anxious peers through the scattered acacias and dry grasses towards the horizon.
We were looking for one of the world's most impressive – and now, sadly, rarest – birds. The story of Great Indian Bustard's decline is an all-too-familiar one: populations of this regal yet painfully slow-to-reproduce bird have plummeted as a result of habitat loss, hunting pressures, increased disturbance and collisions with overhead powerlines to name just some of the causes. Fewer than 200 individuals remain, almost all of which are now confined to the arid region west of Jaisalmer, not far from the Pakistan border. As such, it was our number-one trip target – certainly not a bird we could afford to miss.
After returning to the Desert National Park information centre, hope was ebbing away. We had all day to search, but we knew that trying to pin down these shy birds in such a huge area wasn't going to be easy, especially in the midday heat.
We were taking in some welcome tea refreshment when a shout of "bustards!" went up. Incredibly, after spending all morning traversing the park without a sniff, the Great Indian Bustards had come to us. Not one or two, not even three, but eight of them. They were imposing and magnificent. Although not close, we could tell they were keeping an eye on us. Yet despite this they remained calm and composed, strolling their way through the desert, entirely unconcerned by the stress they'd caused us all morning. The sense of relief among our group was palpable – the bird of the trip had been secured. But, as the fortnight spent in India demonstrated, the highlights reel was far from restricted to these giants …
Perhaps as few as 150 of the Critically Endangered Great Indian Bustard remain in existence, rendering this species one of the key targets on Josh's winter trip to India (Kit Day).
India is an extraordinary nation. With almost 1,400 bird species recorded and a staggering array of ecozones represented within its borders, ranging from the high slopes of the Himalaya to the sultry lowland marshes and pretty much everything in between, it is not simply a place that you visit once and see everything.
One popular route that has been well trodden by birders in winter traverses the north-western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, where a host of rare, restricted-range or difficult-to-see birds reside, in addition to impressive mammals such as Asian Wild Ass, Blackbuck and the last remaining population of Asiatic Lion. This excellent selection of wildlife is complemented by warm and dry weather at this time of year, offering very pleasant conditions for birding. This was the chosen circuit for our January trip, with a few additional stops in neighbouring states – including a visit to the Taj Mahal – thrown in for good measure.
Down by the river
After arrival in New Delhi, our tour commenced in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It was with great excitement that we boarded boats at Chambal River Sanctuary, a site where the first set of highly threatened bird targets would hopefully be encountered. Encroaching human disturbance, pollution and habitat loss along India's river systems have rendered places such as Chambal extremely important refuges for not only birds but other riverine wildlife, too. Here, there is a high chance of encountering Gharial, a fish-eating crocodile that is now Critically Endangered, as well as the declining Ganges River Dolphin.
Hopes were high for our river excursion. There is something very fulfilling about birding from a boat – perhaps it's the novel angles offered on wildlife – and this cruise did not disappoint. Wintering Bar-headed Goose were swimming around in sizeable groups, dashing River Lapwings and hulking Great Stone-curlews patrolled the banks and a flock of Small Pratincoles zipped by. The first reptile of the journey was a basking Mugger Crocodile on the shoreline – spectacular enough – but, shortly afterwards, as we rounded a bend, one of the main targets came in to view. As we drew closer, several large, dark profiles resting on a sandbank materialised into the unmistakable shapes of Gharials. At 5 m in length, some of the males were massive and it was a real privilege to see these prehistoric creatures having read so much about them in books as a child.
The prehistoric-looking Gharial, a fish-eating crocodile, was seen in good numbers at Chambal (Josh Jones).
A quick fly-past from a Black-bellied Tern was eagerly lapped up and two more were later seen resting on a sandbar, their underparts looking as if dipped in oil, yet a closer look revealing it to be a neat suffusion from the grey breast to the black belly. Sharing the same sandbar was another Endangered waterbird – Indian Skimmer. Four of these startling birds were sat in a line, their beaks looking outrageously out of place – that was until they started flying about and 'skimming' either side of the boat we were in.
A boat trip along the Chambal River produced crippling views of Indian Skimmers, as well as other desirable waterbirds such as Black-bellied Tern and Great Stone-curlew (Josh Jones).
Unfortunately, our quest to see Ganges River Dolphin ended in failure. A stark reminder of the perils these rare cetaceans face came when, by coincidence as we boated past, a fisherman was being reprimanded for illegally deploying fishing nets in the river. Dolphins become entangled in mesh all too frequently and an unnecessary number of these precious creatures perish this way. But, on the flipside, this very birdy area produced our only Sand Lark and River Tern of the trip, several fly-by Pallas's Gulls and an assortment of waders.
Famous landmarks
After the excitement of Chambal, we headed west towards Rajasthan via Agra. As well as the Red Fort, the city is home to arguably the most iconic building in the world. There is nothing that quite prepares you for your first glimpse of the Taj Mahal and there is no better time to see its glorious grandeur than first thing in the morning, before the crowds begin to form. At this time of day, you may even sneak a few birds for the trip list, too – Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Asian Koel and Brown-headed Barbet were among the showy species picked up on the walk down to the famous mausoleum and the iconic sound of Indian Peafowl rang out all around – it's hard to get your head around these being both wild and so numerous! Meanwhile, the adjacent Yamuna River produced a gang of Dalmatian Pelicans and various other waterbirds.
India is full of monuments of historical or cultural significance and a two-week trip such as ours could easily be spent taking in these alone, while barely raising the binoculars. Rajasthan is characterised by its maharajas, palaces and medieval forts. It was slightly surreal to pull up opposite the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur for lunch one day, and our visit to this famous city coincided with the kite-flying festival and thus the sky overhead was full of both Black-eared and man-made kites. Another amazing structure taken in was Jaisalmer Fort – it's well worth exploring for the vistas from the top.
When you add in the unique bustle of dail]y life in many Indian settlements, the friendly and polite local residents, as well as the superb food enjoyed throughout (I recommend eating the many delicious vegetarian dishes wherever you go), it all adds up to a trip to remember. But back to the birds …
[[Indian Spotted Creeper is a s]retive bird of acacia woodland. While its plumage may recall Eurasian Treecreeper, its size and structure is quite similar to Wallcreeper (Josh Jones).
Important targets
In addition to Great Indian Bustard, there are plenty of tricky-to-find species on offer during a winter trip to Rajasthan. One of these is Indian Spotted Creeper, a curious fusion of Eurasian Treecreeper and Wallcreeper with the former's plumage and the latter's rather heftier structure. A secretive bird that is tied to mature acacia trees, one of the best-known spots to see it is at Tal Chhapar Sanctuary. After missing it on our first evening, we had a nervy night's sleep before returning to the site the next day, fortuitously lucking out on a bird coming out of roost and warming itself up in the early morning sunshine.
The creeper may have given us the runaround, but there was at least plenty of other action to enjoy – not least the good numbers of impressive Blackbuck that roam the area, the males especially striking with their blackish coat and corkscrew horns. Our only sighting of the little-known White-browed Bush Chat was also enjoyed here and there were great encounters with Laggar Falcon and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, while lahtora Great Grey Shrikes gave views far better than one would expect of their cousins back in Europe.
Jorbeer Conservation Reserve near Bikaner is another key stop-off point for birders. Despite the name, this is in fact a dumping ground for animal carcasses, so be prepared for some interesting sights and smells! That said, the site is managed responsibly to protect wintering vultures, eagles and other species. It is well known how badly India's vulture populations have been decimated by the veterinary drug, diclofenac, and sites such as this may not appeal to the human eye, but they are hugely important lifelines for highly imperilled birds. Here, small numbers of Himalayan Vulture can be found among the commoner Egyptian Vulture and Griffon Vultures, as well as hundreds of Steppe Eagles and a few Eastern Imperial Eagle and Tawny Eagles. It is also a key wintering area for the Vulnerable Yellow-eyed Pigeon and we saw in excess of 300 of these smart but skittish birds.
Among the countless cultural highlights of any trip to India is a visit to the Taj Mahal. Arriving early in the day means fewer people and, as a result, more birds! (Josh Jones).
Crane show
On the road west to Jaisalmer lies Khichan, an unassuming village bordering the Thar Desert. There is something surreal about navigating through its built-up streets before taking a turn between some houses and coming face to face with 5,000 Demoiselle Cranes crowded around a small lake. Several of the top trips I have done have included a 'crane spectacular' – Japan being the obvious example – but this extraordinary sight was right up there with that and somewhat more unexpected! The birds were remarkably used to people and allowed a close approach for some great photo opportunities as the sun set on another beautiful day in Rajasthan.
From here our route turned south past Jodhpur, towards Siyana and Mount Abu. The habitat gradually becomes greener this way and a number of new birds are available. These included the smart White-bellied Minivet and now-rare Indian Vulture in the Siyana area, while the main target at Mount Abu was the Vulnerable Green Avadavat, a neat estrildid with green-and-yellow plumage, strikingly barred flanks and a curious, waxy red bill. As well as other birds such as Indian Scimitar Babbler and Red Spurfowl, we enjoyed our final beer of the trip at Mount Abu, for from here we were to enter the 'dry' state of Gujarat for the final leg of the trip.
The impressive Blackbuck was common in some areas. With its blackish fur and long corkscrew horns, this is a male (Josh Jones).
To the coast
Over the following few days, we explored the arid landscapes of western Gujarat, where yet more excellent birds were seen in the Rann of Kutch. Perhaps the most enjoyable was Indian Courser – this is a widespread and not particularly scarce bird, but it can be tricky to find and we were contemplating whether a dip was on the cards until stumbling across a small group of these stunners in roadside fields.
Another enjoyable tick was the Vulnerable White-naped Tit, which can be hard to see in its limited range, and other highlights included Sykes's Nightjar, flocks of the unique Grey Hypocolius, Sykes's Lark and Rufous-bellied Larks, thousands of Lesser Flamingos on the salt lakes and the beguiling Painted Sandgrouse. We even got an afternoon at the beach, where while the others marched off to look for Crab-plovers, I lured in some Pallas's Gulls with stale bread for superb photo opportunities as the sun sank away over the Arabian Sea. Rare mammals were also enjoyed in this area, with many Asian Wild Ass giving great views at the Little Rann of Kutch.
Another winter highlight of north-west India is flocks of the unique Grey Hypocolius. This individual was part of a group seen in Gujarat (Kit Day).
Our trip ended at Gir National Park, where we took two game drives in search of the last remaining Asiatic Lions. We scored great views of these, including a female with small cubs, as well as further new trip birds. The most impressive of these was the outstanding Indian Paradise Flycatcher, but Indian Stone-curlew and Black-rumped Flameback were not to be sniffed at.
All in all, it had been a phenomenal first visit to India for me. Great distances had been covered across just one small part of this mighty nation, but some spectacular sights and experiences had been taken in along the way, with the added bonus of some of the subcontinent's scarcest and most desired birds. If you haven't considered this part of India before, it's well worth looking into – you won't be disappointed.
Visit north-west India
Birdwatch is running a fantastic-value tour to enjoy the best of northern India in February 2025. More details, including dates, price and schedule can be found at: www.birdguides.com/articles/travel/world-of-birds-holidays/india-birds-mammals-and-the-taj-mahal/
