Today we would bird the area around the Kosi River with a guide, J P, from Corbett National Park. We crossed the Kosi barrage where there was a flock of about twenty Ruddy Shelducks before heading upriver. Our first stop was at an area were the first Ibisbill of the winter had been reported a few days before. As we walked down to the river, we had excellent looks at both White-capped and Plumbeous Water Redstarts. At the river we scanned carefully, finding plenty of River and Red-wattled Lapwings, Greenshanks and Green Sandpipers but no Ibisbill. A walk along the riverbank gave us good views of a couple of Tawny Pipits, several Crested Kingfishers, Common Kingfisher and Long-tailed Shrikes. Back where we started a small flock of Grey Bushchats, Black-chinned Babblers and Cinerous and Green-backed Tits were feeding in the undergrowth. David, scanning along the river edge, picked up a bird at extreme range,  that could be an Ibisbill. After a tricky walk out over the rocky riverbed we had excellent views of an Ibisbill. Our walk back was interrupted by a Wallcreeper feeding along the riverbank and giving superb views. At a stop along a stream, we found a bird wave feeding in a couple of trees, the flock included Grey-hooded and Lemon Rumped Warblers and several Chestnut-bellied Nuthatches and White-throated Fantails as well as a Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike and a Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo. We would have liked to do a bit more birding in the area but some locals suggested it wasn’t safe as there could be a tiger about so we moved on.

Heading on along the road J P took us to area to look for Collared Falconet which we found sitting on the top of a tall tree followed by brief views of a Blue-bearded Bee-eater. A little further on we did a walk along the road and turned up another Blue-bearded Bee-eater which sat up and showed well. Other birds seen along the road included Grey-breasted Prinias, a Yellow-bellied Fantail and a flock of Long-tailed Minivets. As we headed to our lunch stop a soaring Pallas’s Fish Eagle brought us to a quick stop, the bird circling high over the road before drifting off. After having lunch by the river, a short walk had us watching a pair of Brown Dippers, a Crested Kingfisher and then a Spotted Forktail before scope views of a distant raptor sitting in a tree confirmed it was a Lesser Fish Eagle. We drove uphill away from the river and stopped at a spot were a stream crossed the road. J P said it was a good area for Little Forktail and sure enough within a couple of minutes we had found one on the stream just below the road. We birded our way back down the road and found a smart pair of Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush as well as a group of six Red-billed Blue Magpies. With the light going we headed back to the hotel and another beerless dinner.

Today we moved to Dhikala within Corbett National Park although before we left our hotel we had a smart Blue-whistling Thrush singing on the lawn. Private vehicles are not allowed in the park so after breakfast we loaded our bags into one of the parks open topped jeeps for the thirty-kilometre drive to Dhikala along a fairly bouncy track. Before we reached Dhikala we stopped at a spot overlooking the river, it seemed very quiet but just as we were leaving a pair of Himalayan Flamebacks appeared and gave good views. Further along the track news from another jeep caused a detour, a Spot-bellied Eagle Owl had been found roosting under a bush and we were soon watching this hard-to-find bird. In addition to the Owl, we had excellent views of a pair of Changeable Hawk Eagles sitting in a dead tree before heading to Dhikala to check in, a bit of a long-winded process of form filling.

The procedure at Dhikala is that the numerous park jeeps head out to look for tigers and other wildlife twice a day, at 6.30am returning at 10.30am, and again at 1.30pm returning as darkness falls. As we had time before our 1.30 jeep safari, we spent some time scanning over the Ramganga reservoir at the back of the compound. There were no ducks on the reservoir but at least twenty River Terns were flying around. At least ten Eurasian Griffon Vultures and a single Red-headed Vulture were soaring in thermals over the hills on the far side of the reservoir.

At 1.30 at least twenty jeeps went roaring off along the tracks hoping to see a tiger, we left at a more leisurely pace, also hoping to see a tiger but certain we would see some good birds. We had one of the camp guides with us, he knew most of the birds and worked hard to find us as many as possible. Within a few minutes we had a soaring Pallas’s Fish Eagle giving nice views and then another perched Changeable Hawk Eagle. Although we ended up seeing at least six different Changeable Hawk Eagles today we didn’t see any more during the rest of our time in Corbet. Moving on we had a flock of at least twenty Crested Tree Swifts, our first Red-rumped Swallows and a large flock of Plum-headed Parakeets before another soaring raptor caught our attention, a Rufous-bellied Eagle, an unexpected tick for the list. We headed towards the river where two Ospreys were present along with at least two Lesser Fish Eagles and a fruiting tree produced our first Lineated Barbet. A toilet break produced a couple of Rusty-cheeked Simitar Babblers skulking in the undergrowth. Moving on again we had two Lesser Yellownapes in a trackside tree and added to our woodpecker list with sightings of Fulvous-breasted and Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpeckers and we had our first Himalayan and Black Bulbuls of the trip. With the light fading we headed back for dinner and bed.

We were well wrapped up in coats, hats and gloves for our 6.30 jeep safari as it was very cold in the open jeep before the sun came up. Initially it was very quiet but as the sun started to appear a flock of Black-throated Thrushes flew over and landed in a nearby tree. As the sun hit the tops of the trees, we found a nice mixed flock moving through. The flock contained Lemon-rumped Warblers, Chiffchaffs, several Chestnut-bellied and Velvet-fronted and a single White-tailed Nuthatch, some Oriental White-eyes and White-throated Fantails and a single Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher. Driving towards the river we had a male and two female Red Jungle Fowl on the track showing very well. We returned to the fruiting tree visited yesterday and it certainly produced the goods again. The tree was still attracting Lineated Barbets along with Black-throated Thrushes, Maroon and Black-headed Orioles. And at least six Ashy Bulbuls. Closer to the river a Stork-billed Kingfisher was perched in a tree and two Black Storks were on the riverbank with an Osprey and at least two Lesser Fish Eagles also present. We returned to the compound at 10.30.

We spent the rest of the morning birding around the compound. A Collared Falconet was giving superb views hunting from a tree in the middle of the compound. While scanning the reservoir we had a Small Niltava in the scrub along the boundary fence followed by a smart Asian Barred Owlet while River Terns continued to patrol over the water.

After lunch we headed out for our afternoon safari. Along the tracks a Greater Short-toed Lark showed well but three Lesser Coucals were more elusive, only showing occasionally in the scrub. An area of reeds held a few Baya Weavers and Scaly-breasted Munias along with Ashy and Plain Prinias. An area of tall trees gave us excellent but brief views of a male Tickell’s Thrush and slightly less good views of a couple of Green Magpies. Heading back towards the compound we came across a herd of wild Elephants feeding in the tall grass, only the tops of the heads and backs visible until several walked across the track in front of us. Our final bird of the day was a Common Hawk Cuckoo sat in a tree as the light faded.

Our final morning in Corbett and another cool start to our early morning safari. In the cold conditions bird activity was slow to get started but we did a have a few Black-throated Thrushes and a flock of Common Iora’s. As things warmed up, we had a surprise in the form of a pair of Chestnut-eared Buntings as well as a Yellow-breasted Greenfinch and what was almost certainly the same bird as yesterday, a Greater Short-toed Lark feeding beside the track. After the single bird we found a large flock of Yellow-breasted Greenfinches along with some Plum-headed Parakeets, another Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, a Large Cuckooshrike and six Scarlet Minivets. We headed back to our fruiting tree where at least six Lineated Barbets were present along with Black-throated Thrushes, Maroon and Black-headed Orioles and two new species, a Blue-throated Barbet and several Black-crested Bulbuls. Further on a Red Spurfowl dashed across the track and disappeared into the scrub. At the river we found the small herd of wild Elephants as well as five Black Storks, Osprey and Lesser Fish Eagle. A toilet stop at a small compound produced two Grey-headed Woodpeckers giving very close views.  Heading back through thick woodland we had another Green Magpie and Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker. After we got back to the compound we packed up and headed back towards the main road only stopping for a bull Elephant that wandered down the track and away.

We returned to the Forest Roar hotel for lunch before setting off on the drive to Pangot. We stopped by a field that was being ploughed as there were six Steppe Eagles soaring overhead, a Crested Honey Buzzard and several Black Kites were also present. We stopped again for a walk near the road when we reached the high ground above Nainital finding two Streaked Laughingthrushes but nothing else. Our final stop was to take in the fantastic view of the Himalayas although we did see a Rufous Sibia in trees by the road. By the time we reached the Jungle Lore Birding Lodge. At almost 7,000 feet the light was fading so no more birding today but we did meet our guide for the next few days, Gajvir Singh, and discussed our plan for the next day.

We left early to get to Cheer Point by first light. Arriving before the sun was up it was cold but we were entertained by a large flock of Altai Accentors which were feeding on the bank above the road. Once the sun was up, we started scanning the grassy slopes above and below the road but, despite several hours of searching, there was no sign of any Cheer Pheasants. Driving further up the road we lucked into a male Koklass Pheasant which sat up in a roadside tree before dropping down and disappearing. Further on we stopped by a roadside pool were a pair of Mistle Thrushes were guarding some fruiting trees. A search of the area produced another pair of Koklass Pheasants while the fruiting trees were attracting tits, singles of Yellow-browed and Rufous-vented Tits, and a few each of Spot-winged, Cinerous and Green-backed Tits. Also in the area were five White-tailed Nuthatches, a Blue-capped Redstart, two Bar-tailed Treecreepers and a Himalayan Bush Warbler. We returned to Cheer Point to have our packed breakfast and scan further but there was still no sign of any Cheer Pheasants although there was a surprise in the form of a Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Walking downhill there was a flock of Black-throated Bushtits and a few Grey-hooded Warblers and several flocks of Altai Accentors. Lower down the road we picked up four Himalayan Shrike-babblers and some Eurasian Crag Martins before we hit a nice bird wave which included Black-faced, Lemon-rumped, Grey-hooded and Buff-barred Warblers and a Rufous-bellied Woodpecker. We checked out woodpecker point but there was no sign of any woodpeckers or any other birds for that matter.

We returned to bird around the Lodge before lunch and picked up some nice birds. A Striated Prinia was sitting on a wire and a several Streaked Laughing-thrushes were around the buildings, both Himalayan and Black-headed Jays were present, a Blue-fronted Redstart showed well, a couple of Buff-barred Warblers were flitting around, some confiding White-throated Laughing-thrushes allowed close approach and finally a Mountain Hawk Eagle soared over the garden area. After lunch as we were getting ready to leave several Striated Laughing-thrushes were near the car park.

We drove downhill after lunch and walked the road and a track leading to a village. Along the main road at least one hundred Black Bulbuls were feeding in some fruiting trees along with Black-throated Thrushes and a flock of Slaty-headed Parakeets. A Whiskered Yuhina showed above the road with a few Black-throated Bushtits. The track towards the village was very birdy, there was a flock of Black-chinned Babblers, Himalayan Bulbuls, a Speculated Piculet, two Olive-backed Pipits, Grey-hooded Warblers, a White-browed Scimitar Babbler, a female Black Francolin, a confiding Spotted Forktail by a stream, and a Slaty-blue Flycatcher. Heading back towards the road we had a flock of seven Kalij Pheasants and a couple of Grey Treepies before we headed back to the Lodge. After dinner we did a walk with Gajvir looking for owls but without any luck.

Another early morning start at Cheer Point and several hours of scanning but no Cheer Pheasants although we did have a few new birds. As we watched a few Eurasian Griffons soaring they were joined by a Cinerous Vulture, a Peregrine also soared into our view, a Himalayan Buzzard was picked up in a tree in the valley below, a flock of Nepal House Martins with a couple of Little Swifts were hawking in the valley and an Asian Brown Flycatcher was among the Altai Accentors and Rock Buntings on the hillside above the road. Further up the road a pair of Koklass Pheasants, possibly the same birds as yesterday, showed well near the road and the Two Mistle Thrushes were still guarding their fruiting trees but otherwise it was quiet, just a couple of White-tailed Nuthatches and a Bar-tailed Treecreeper. Heading down we made several stops without seeing many birds, the best was a Grey-winged Blackbird feeding in a bush by the road plus two Brown-fronted Woodpeckers at woodpecker point. We did have a mammal highlight in the form of two Yellow-throated Martens which trotted down the road in front of us for some distance giving superb views. We returned to bird around the Lodge before lunch seeing similar birds too yesterday.

After lunch we headed to the same downhill area that we had birded yesterday. The Black Bulbuls and Black-throated Thrushes were still present in large numbers in the fruiting trees. The track towards the village which had been so birdy yesterday was initially very quiet, just a few Himalayan Bulbuls showing, but the Spotted Forktail was still by the stream and a Russet Sparrow was bathing in a puddle. Where the track ran beside the stream more birds started to appear, a Rusty-cheeked Simitar Babbler, the Slaty-blue Flycatcher from yesterday was still present and a Rufous-breasted Accentor appeared on the track before disappearing quickly, before a small wave of birds included Oriental White-eyes, Black-lored, Spot-winged and Green-backed Tits, Black-chinned Babblers and Grey-hooded Warblers appeared. We headed back to the Lodge for dinner and then headed out for another unsuccessful search for owls before retiring for the night.

Today we were leaving Pangot to return to Delhi but before we left, we did a couple of hours birding along the road close to the town. It was cold and activity was low and so we had to work hard for our birds. There was a large flock of Black-throated Thrushes and a small bird wave that included single Hume’s and Buff-barred Warblers a few each of Lemon-rumped, Grey-hooded and Black-faced Warblers and Yellow-browed, Spot-winged and Green-backed Tits. A calling Maroon Oriole gave prolonged views in an area that also had a Bar-tailed Treecreeper, a couple of White-tailed Nuthatches and several Rufous Sibias. With our birding finished we headed back to the Lodge for breakfast and to pack up and head off on the long drive to Delhi.

The long drive to Delhi was pretty boring with only the commoner birds seen. We made a couple of stops but didn’t do any serious birding so only birds like White-breasted Kingfisher, herons, egrets and Black Kites were recorded. We reached Delhi just as the rush-hour started and found ourselves in the middle of total chaos. We got distant views of the horrific sight of Delhi dump, a massive mound of rubbish several stories high and swirling above it the amazing sight of thousands of Black Kites, possibly as many as five thousand birds. We arrived at our hotel, the Crowne Plaza, ready for dinner and a beer only to find that there are four Crowne Plaza’s in Delhi and we were at the wrong one and so we had to head back out into the traffic chaos before finally getting to the right hotel.

We had a quick breakfast and then headed off to find our first destination, Dhanauri Wetlands. To help us find the site we had one of the office workers from Indian Nature Tours who knew where the site was. It was just as well as the area is not easy to find but is well worth visiting. The wetlands only cover a small area either side of a minor road but were absolutely full of birds and deserved far more time than we could give them. There were large flocks of wildfowl including Greylag Geese, Comb Ducks, Teal, Pintails, Garganey, Spot-billed Ducks and a single Mallard, the only one of the trip. All the common herons and egrets were present in good numbers along with flocks of Spoonbills and Black-naped Ibis plus small numbers of Painted Storks, Asian Openbills, Glossy Ibis and Woolly-necked Storks, a single juvenile Black-necked Stork and five Sarus Cranes. There was a large flock of Black-winged Stilts and numerous Wood Sandpipers and Temminck’s Stints. A flock of Black-breasted Weavers were feeding in a small patch of reeds before being flushed by a hunting Shikra. Yellow and Citrine Wagtails were numerous throughout the area and among them we found at least twelve Rosy Pipits, two Tawny Pipits, two Oriental Skylarks and four Bengal Larks. Bronze-winged and Pheasant-tailed Jacanas showed well close to the road and Zitting Cisticolas, Plain and Ashy Prinias were common in the undergrowth. After four hours at this superb site, it was time to move on. We had planned to go to Okhla Bird Reserve but a local photographer suggested that work taking place there meant that we probably wouldn’t see many birds. He suggested a site which we thought he called Sewage Pool Park and provided our driver with directions to get there. Despite what seemed the rather unsavoury name for the site, we decided to try it but first headed off to get some lunch.

Our approach to Sewage Pool Park down a rutted side street didn’t fill us with confidence for this site but once in through the gate we were pleasantly surprised to see, not a stinking sewage pond, but a large lake surrounded by trees and scrub, with no obvious smell at all, we later found that we had misheard the name and it was actually called Surajpur Wetlands. This turned out to be another superb site, the lake was full of birds as was the scrub that surrounded it. There were large numbers of Greylag Geese and among them were at least one hundred Bar-headed Geese, hundreds of diving ducks, Pochard and Tufted Ducks, Pintails, Wigeon and Teal. There were islands in the lake that held large numbers of Ruff and Wood Sandpipers along with two Spotted Redshanks and two White-tailed Plovers. Around the edge of the lake there were many Black-winged Stilts and Grey-headed Swamp Hens. The scrub and trees around the lake held numerous Lesser Whitethroats as well as a few Humes and Blyth’s Reed Warblers but most numerous of all were Chiffchaffs. Among the many tristis type Chiffchaffs we found a couple of birds that fitted the description of Mountain Chiffchaff, now split as Kashmir Chiffchaff by some, these birds reacted strongly to the call of Mountain Chiffchaff. We had covered less than half the area but we had run out of time and had leave this brilliant site and get back to our hotel to pack up and head to the airport for our flight home.

So ended our trip, we had seen 322 species and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The birding was tough at times, a lot of the birds were silent and didn’t react to calls, but we enjoyed the challenge of working out what we were seeing.