After half a nights rest at the BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL in Delhi we were off again at daybreak through the worst smog Delhi could muster up north to the Himalayan foothills.
This time we were in two very cmfortable mini buses and we soon stopped to walk over the River Ganges.
THE RIVER GANGES-DIRTY OLE RIVER.
BANK MYNAHS ON THE BRIDGE
SPOTTED OWLET at CORBETT N.P CENTRE where we had stopped for lunch
WHITE CAPPED WATER REDSTART
HIMALAYAS AFTER A FULL DAYS DRIVE.
BREATHTAKING VIEWS OF THE HIMALAYAS
After a hair raising drive through numerous hair pin bends on narrow mountain roads we were all relieved to reach Pangot in one piece. Rooms allocated -follow the lad with your suitcase-he was almost running up steep steps, I was trying to keep up but the rarified air was taking its toll and collapsed panting for breath on my rickety old bed,think we got the servants quarters.Eventually I recovered and after a dinner of curry,just for a change,went to bed with hot water bottles! believe it or not and they were appreciated.
Next morning out early for some extra birding practise and immediately were confronted by some KALIJ PHEASANTS on the road,it was still quite dark but with ISO settings straining managed this:-
KALIJ PHEASANT
ALTAI ACCENTOR
RAVEN AND HIMALAYAN GRIFFON VULTURE
HIMALAYAN GRIFFON VUTURE
BLACK HEADED JAY
STRIATED LAUGHING THRUSH
RHESUS MACAQUE
BROWN FRONTED WOODPECKER
HIMALAYAN BULBUL
ORIENTAL HONEY BUZZARD
YELLOW BREASTED GREENFINCH
FEMALE KOKLASS PHEASANT
RUFOUS BELLIED WOODPECKER
RUFOUS SIBIA
BLUE WHISTLING THRUSH
WHITE THROATED LAUGHING THRUSH
The Himalayas took on a totally different hue in the morning light
RED VENTED BULBUL
After two days in the Himalayan foothills it was time to go and as they say it was all downhill from here.Incidentally the No 1 driver had been told to reign himself in and was now driving more sensibly.
So the last leg of our epic journey was beginning and we were soon at Corbett for the final three days before returning to Delhi.
Our first afternoon here was spent in the garden and then on the river looking for some very interesting birds.
ORIENTAL WHITE EYE
HIMALAYAN BULBULS
ORIENTAL MAGPIE ROBIN
The IBISBILL is closely related to the waders but is the only species in its family group.
IBISBILL-Extremely well camouflaged in the boulder strewn rivers of the Himalayas.
IBISBILL
RIVER LAPWING
PLUMBOUS WATER REDSTART
CRESTED KINGFISHER
RUFOUS BELLIED NILTAVA- It was almost dark when Cathy and Maria spotted this little cracker
so I am quite pleased with the results of my tweakings.
Saturday 15th November,our first safari in Corbett National Park was going to be a day to remember
TIGER TIGER BURNING BRIGHT
IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT
WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE
COULD FRAME THY FEARFUL SYMMETRY?
In this two minutes of magic time stood still and the whole trip was worthwhile in this fleeting ephemeral moment.
What a beautiful animal,how can we humans have brought this supreme hunter to the verge of extinction.
This tigress is mother to four cubs, we were told, so lets hope they all grow big and strong and help secure the tigers future
She was so serene as she picked her way carefully across the boulder strewn river bed totally ignoring the human presence around her,is that a good thing I don`t know,hopefully it is not detrimental.
A BRILLIANT EXPERIENCE -A BIG THANKYOU TO OUR DRIVER AND GUIDE FOR GETTING US INTO SUCH A GOOD POSITION.
OUR JEEP
Well after that it was all an anti climax but a few more birds to finish with
GREY BUSH CHAT
COMMON TAILORBIRD
BROWN ROCK CHAT
CHANGEABLE HAWK EAGLE
COMMON MYNAH
SOMETHING IN THE ELEPHANT GRASS
OSPREY
BROWN FISH OWL
GREY HEADED FISH EAGLE
WHITE BROWED WAGTAIL
WALLCREEPER
WALLCREEPER
ASIAN BROWN FLYCATCHER
WHITE THROATED KINGFISHER
SCALY BREASTED MUNIA
RED VENTED BULBUL
CRIMSON SUNBIRD
RED WHISKERED BULBUL
INDIAN SCOPS OWL
The last full day started with a pre dawn elephant safari across the river and back which turned out to be great fun
ANOTHER BROWN FISH OWL TAKEN FROM NELLY THE ELEPHANT.
BRINGING UP THE REAR
BLOWING OFF STEAM
THE OLD GIRL WAS PURRING LIKE A KITTEN,A LOVELY EXPERIENCE
AND A FITTING FINALE.
We were so lucky to have an Indian guide with us throughout the tour,he was invaluable and got us through so many potentially tricky situations without a hitch and his knowledge of Indian wildlife was amazing.His name was Rashan and here he is-he knew just about everyone and just loved having his photo taken-
I will soon put together a butterfly and dragonfly blog,hope you have enjoyed the trip and I haven`t bored you too much.
