A PASSAGE TO INDIA 2014 [ PART 2 ]

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.