Anne Belton Photography
In February 2025 I joined a group of birders on a tour of north India. The tour was hosted by Ecuador Birding Journeys. There were 5 of us from Calgary, 3 from BC, with the rest from all over the US. The group was 24 plus guides etc, but we were split into 2 groups of 12, had different buses and for the most part went to different places day by day. Our group had an Indian guide, Mahendra and a young man from Ecuador, Gonzalo, who was an excellent birder and guide even though he had never been to India before.
​
We flew into Delhi and spent the 1st 4 nights there. The 1st 2 days we birded spots within the city or just on the outskirts. The 1st hotel had a small park across the street where quite a few species were seen.
Purple Sunbird - orange on the shoulder means he is in breeding plumage
Rufous Treepie
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Pied Bushchat
Black Drongo
Shikra
Yellow-eyed Babbler
Coppersmith Barbet
Bay-backed Shrike
Lesser Whitethroat
Long-tailed Shrike (imm)
Black Eagle - rare to see one south of Delhi, this one was being chased by several Kites
February 7th
February 8
Graylag Geese
Booted Eagle
Bluethroat
Palm Squirrel
Traffic in Delhi is crazy - not only cars, bikes , tuk-tuks, but also cows, macaques and dogs everywhere
White-throated Kingfisher - one of the most common birds seen on the trip
Greater Coucal
Indian Pond Heron
House Crow
Jungle Babbler
Common Pochard
Indian Cormorants
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Alexandrine Parakeet
Asian Green Bee-eater
Ashy Prinia
Red-wattled Lapwing
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
February 9
.jpg)
Little Grebe
Striated Babbler
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Spot-billed Ducks
White-tailed Lapwing
Spotted Owlet
Oriental Magpie Robin
Red-naped Ibis
Painted Storks
Plain Prinia
Indian Silverbill
Gray-headed Swamphen
Western Yellow Wagtail
Glossy Ibis
Green-winged Teal (Common)
White-breasted Waterhen
Great Cormorant
Gadwell
Pied Starling
Delicate Prinia
White Wagtail
Common Hawk-Cuckoo
Pond Heron & Eurasian Collared Dove
Black-winged Stilt
February 10 - drove south of Delhi to Bharatpur
Sights along the way
Black-headed Ibis
No words to describe... on a busy street...
In this park we were in Tuk-tuks to start, then walked along a paved pathway through a large wetland. The Cobra was right beside the pathway!
Sarus Cranes - in a field along the highway - they would not put their heads up!
Pintail
White-throated Kingfisher
Jungle Nightjar
Spot-billed Duck
Chital - Spotted Deer
White-Eared Bulbul
Grey Francolin
Great Cormorant
Common Tailorbird
Grey Heron and chicks
Bronze-winged Jacana
Bar-headed Goose
Large-billed Crow
Jungle Babblers
Painted Stork - immature
Sunset at the end of a long day
Typical meal, rice dal, paneer, masala, roti and potato or spinach curry.
February 11 - Keoladeo Park
Painted Stork coming in to feed the chicks
Oriental Darter
Orange-headed Thrush
Indian Gray Hornbill
Wire-tailed Swallow
Eurasian Spoonbill
Common Kingfisher
Collared or Spotted Owlet?
Indian Flying Fox
Nilgai
Indian Cormorant
Bee hive - outside my hotel room
Woolly-necked Stork
Indian Golden Oriole
Clamorous Reed-Warbler
Brahminy Starling
Brown Rock Chat
A school group stopped where we were having a picnic lunch - keen to be photographed with the foreigner!
February 12 - Chambal River and area
Dung patties - used for heating, stoves, and insulation
4, sometimes 5 on a bike
Bridge over the Chambal - in monsoon season, water is as high as top of the bridge
Red-headed Vulture
Red-wattled Lapwing
.jpg)
Pied Kingfisher
River Tern
Ruddy Shelduck
White Wagtail
White-browed Wagtail
Marsh Mugger
Gharial
Indian Soft-shelled Turtle
Brown Crake
Bonelli's Eagle with nesting material
Blue Rock Thrush
Black-bellied Tern
Great Thick-knee
Indian Skimmer
Egyptian Vulture
Common Greenshank
Indian Skimmer
After the trip on the river we drove to some country fields...
Greater Short-toed Lark
Jackal
Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
Eurasian Hoopoo
Indian Robin
Pallid Scops-Owl
Indian Courser
Paddyfield Pipit
February 13 - drive to Agra, visit the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, then drove back to Delhi
Garbage bins built to be monkey proof!!
Knob-billed Duck
February 14 - long drive to the Himalayan foothills - 1st stop was the Ganges River. We walked through the market down to the shore where some put their hands in the water - to "wash away their sins"
Ruddy Shelduck
Pallas's Gull
Bank Myna
In this town the streets were lined with people waiting for the local politician - not likely to happen here!
On arrival in Sattal, we went straight to a blind where food had been put out for the birds
Plum-headed Parakeet
Gray-headed Woodpecker
Himalayan Bulbul
Gray-winged Blackbird
Rufous Sibia
Streaked Laughingthrush
Tree Pipit
Red-billed Leothrix
Oriental Turtle Dove
Gray-hooded Warbler
Heading up into the foothills
February 15, Birding the forests and trails of Sattal
Siberian Stonechat
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler
White-throated Fantail
White-capped Redstart
Spotted Forktail
Kalij Pheasant
White-throated Babbler
Lesser Yellownape
Yellow-bellied Fairy Fantail
Olive-backed Pipit
Plumbeous Redstart (m)
Plumbeous Redstart (f)
Russet Sparrow
Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher
Gray-breasted Prinia
Sattal
Roads in this area are all one lane, switchback with hairpin turns and 2 way traffic!! Some scary moments!
Red-billed Blue-Magpie
Great Barbet
Grey Treepie
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Greater Yellownape
Himalayan Black-lored Tit
Black Francolin
Blue Whistling-Thrush
Brown Dipper
Black-chinned Babbler
Aberrant Warbler
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch
Common Green-Magpie
Small Niltava
Buff-barred Warbler
Himalayan Langur
Striated Laughingthrush
Whiskered Yuhina
February 16 - morning around Sattal then travel to Pangot
Speckled Piculet
Little Forktail
Red Junglefowl
Long-tailed Minivet
White-crested Laughingthrush
Mountain Bulbul
Mongoose
Indian White-eye
Black-throated Tit
Black-throated Sunbird (m & f)
Sind Sparrow
Slaty-headed Parakeet
Asian Barred Owlet
February 17 - birding around Pangot
Ladies carrying a load!
Blue-winged Minla
Blue-fronted Redstart
Brown-fronted Woodpecker
Red-breasted Flycatcher (f)
Brown Dipper with chick
Brown Wood Owl
The Himalayas
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker
White-tailed Nuthatch
Streaked Laughingthrush
Rufous-breasted Accentor
Fire-fronted Serin
Coal Tit
Dark-breasted Rosefinch
Green-backed Tit
Himalayan Bluetail
Himalayan Woodpecker
Altai Accentor
Koklass Pheasant
Cheer Pheasants - a VERY long way away!
Bar-tailed Treecreeper
Scarlet Minivet (m & f)
February 18 - drive to Jim Corbett National Park - afternoon in a jeep in the park
Ibisbill
Streak-throated Woodpecker
Common Kingfisher
Indian Peafowl
Long-tailed Shrike
Himalayan Langur
Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush
Fresh tiger tracks - note size compared to footprints! We never did see a tiger but did hear one roar.
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker
Northern Red Muntiac - Barking Deer
Crested Serpent Eagle
Hooded Oriole
Spotted Deer & Rhesus Macaques
Grey Bushchat
Asian Tit
Blue Laughingthrush
Collared Scops-Owl
Pied Bushchat
Siberian Stonechat
Indian Rob
White-capped Redstart
February 20 - all day in Jim Corbett National Park
Eurasian Wryneck
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Red Avadavet
Linneated Barbet
Himalayan Griffon
Indian Vulture
Indian Vulture
Grey Francolin
Black Stork
Cinereous Vulture
Himalayan Flameback
Jackal
Jungle Cat
Black Francolin
Himalayan Bulbul
Great Hornbill
February 20 - Kosi River and area
Common Sandpiper
Chestnut-breasted Nuthatch
Bar-winged Flycatcher-Shrike
Crimson Sunbird
Black-rumped Flameback
Red-tailed Shrike
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
Wall Creeper
Red-breasted Parakeet
Many thanks to Ecuador Birding Journeys for organizing a great trip!!
Species seen 320
Lifers 142
Grey-breasted Prinia
Grey Wagtail
Wall Creeper
Long-billed Thrush
