India - Delhi to Corbett National Park
India - Delhi to Corbett National Park
14th November. We arrived in Delhi at 2am and very were pleased to see the ever smiling face of our great friend Peter Lobo, www.birdingindiatours.net , waiting at the exit. We were soon heading out from the crowded madness that is Delhi and north towards Corbett National Park. It was a long drive but we picked up a few roadside birds such as Red-wattled Lapwings and Indian-pond Herons. Finally we reached, Tiger Camp, our base for the next few days alongside the Kosi River. Peter soon had us out birding despite being pretty shattered; mind you we soon woke up at the sight of such amazing birds as White-capped Redstart, Crested Kingfisher and Wallcreeper along the river close to the camp. A soft chuck call was traced to a stunning male Siberian Rubythroat lurking in a bramble patch. A Lesser Fish Eagle plunged into the river flushing a Blue whistling Thrush from the bank as it did so! What a place birds every where! Down stream a little way near some sluice gates the familiar mingled with the new as Common Pochard and Eurasian Wigeon fed amongst Ruddy Shelducks as House Swifts skimmed over them. Huge flocks of Rose-ringed Parakeets swept noisily overhead and a diminutive Jungle Owlet sat and looked on. What a wonderful introduction to our month in India, we added 38 new species within probably less than a mile of our base. Bird species total 3942