Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, New Delhi, India, Nov 2013

How many birds can you shake a stick at? Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary just kept on giving today with hardly a moment when a new bird wasn’t trying to grab my attention and make it onto the list. The final tally rounded out at 78(-ish) with 2 red-letter species for my all-time roll.

The day started with the usual hassle of trying to find a driver that knows the way. Confusion arises as there is a New Delhi suburb called Sultanpur, whereas Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary is over 50kms and an hour’s drive further on beyond the urban sprawl. Vinod Kumar drove today and we spent 15 minutes before we left trying to make absolutely sure that we were going to the right place, then another 20 minutes waiting at a gas station to fill up for the journey. Despite his lack of knowledge of the countryside beyond the city, Vinod was reassuringly enthusiastic in his use of the horn and displayed an admirable sense of urgency once we were up and running.

We arrived shortly after 07.30 with the sun freshly risen and a slight mist which never quite burned away. The gates were locked and we found that the opening times have been changed. They would not open until 09.00 today and not at all on Tuesdays. This is a new timetable and I was lucky not to have been caught out. Immediately next door is The Rosy Pelican, a tea shop and gardens where I spent a productive hour or so waiting for the sanctuary to open. They have made an unusual selection in choosing a pin-up to advertise their birdy credentials, but there was plenty to see here.

Black-rumped Flamebacks were easy to find. The male, on the right, has a complete red crest while the female, has a bi-coloured black and red crest. Oriental White-eyes flitted through the alien eucalypts and small Phylloscopus warblers teased me with their similarities to each other and aberrant markings when compared to the field guide.

I managed to pin down a constant clicking to the Red-throated Flycatcher and the Greenish Warbler was identified by his rising two-syllable call “chaoo-ee”. Rose-ringed Parakeets were plentiful and approachable. They pair up at this time of year to search for nesting sites, so these two, with the collared male on the right, may have been a bonded couple.

At 09.00 I wandered around to the main gate and stopped to take a quick look at a drab bird in the acacias on the far side of the road. I was on the lookout for a Large Grey Babbler and there was a small flock of them feeding in the trees and on the ground. This is a bird which was absent from the field guide that I used during my formative years of Indian birding and it didn’t stand out from the plate in my new book, so I had never thought to look for it until I noticed it mentioned on an eBird submission for Sultanpur. Separating it from the similar Jungle Babbler was to have been the target task of my day. Mission accomplished!

 A bird guide pointed out a Spotted Owlet just inside the gate which took the pressure off. One lifer, one owl; already a great day. I headed left along the track that skirts the north-eastern corner of the lake. The water is slightly obscured by trees and undergrowth, but most of the action was on the other side of the path where Black Redstarts, Lesser White-throats, Common Tailorbird and Hume’s Warbler were seen. A Common Hawk Cuckoo dropped down before I could get a decent look, but was more approachable on the return journey.

Alarm calls betrayed more small warblers with Blythe’s Reed Warbler and a small flock of Common Chiffchaff keeping an eye out for the young Shikra prominently perched on a dead snag.

A female Nilgai and her two calves splashed across the shallow water towards one of the islands. They wander freely around the sanctuary, but are wary and during the day, they like the security offered by the small islands of the lake.

A spit gives a good opportunity to get closer to the colony of nesting Painted Storks that has been breeding here for many years. It would also allow for good views of the waterfowl if only the mist would lift. The weather can be an issue here sometimes with thick fog hampering viewing during winter mornings. Today it was a bit hazy, and kept the contrast of the photos low, but the storks and their large, greyish young were easy enough to see at about 80 meters beyond the end of the spit.

The Sanctuary management has provided small mounds across the lake for roosting waterfowl. From the end of the spit, lots of ducks could be seen on the open water and there were plenty of Greylag Geese on the flat banks to the south. I was a bit surprised that I had only seen a very few wading birds. Black-winged Stilt are usually easy to find.

One Common Redshank showed its white wing pattern as it flushed from close to the bank, but when I came to look at a small group of leggy birds on a small hump, I saw the longer bill and light stripe above the eye that indicated a Spotted Redshank amongst the White-tailed Lapwings and stilts.

In all, I had only walked a very short distance and scanned across about 50 acres of water, weedy bank and light scrub woodland, but had taken around four hours to do it. Vinod would be waiting to take me back to New Delhi soon, so I had to start thinking about heading home. Back at the gate, I couldn’t resist a very quick foray beyond to see if I could see the cranes that I thought I had heard earlier. I was lucky to run into Sanjay, a naturalist at the sanctuary who pointed out a Brook’s Leaf Warbler which I would have struggled with on my own.

He also knew of a pair of Indian Scops Owls that roost in the gardens, close to where the taxi was parked.

A few of the birds in the list below were seen from the road as we approached the reserve, or as we drove home. They were close enough to include as part of the Sultanpur list, but are italicised for clarity. Lesser Spotted Eagles do not appear as I was unable to confirm them through the mist at distance. I am given to believe that the area around the sanctuary can be very productive, so if you arrive early, it is well worth searching the environs until the gate opens.

Birds seen; 78

Greylag Goose 120, Comb Duck 15, Ruddy Shelduck 15, Gadwall 12, Eurasian Wigeon 6, Mallard 2, Indian Spot-billed Duck 80, Northern Shoveler 10, Northern Pintail 25, Green-winged Teal 60, Common Pochard 8, Grey Francolin 4, Indian Peafowl 6, Little Grebe 4, Painted Stork 150, Great Cormorant 5, Little Cormorant 60, Oriental Darter 2, Grey Heron 4, Purple Heron 3, Great Egret 5, Intermediate Egret 2, Little Egret 2, Cattle Egret 8, Indian Pond Heron 6, Black-headed Ibis 40, Red-naped Ibis 5, Black Kite 6, Crested Serpent Eagle 1, Eurasian Marsh Harrier 1, Shikra 1, Tawny Eagle 1, Eurasian Kestrel 1, White-breasted Waterhen 3, Purple Swamphen 20, Eurasian Moorhen 120, Eurasian Coot 80, Red-wattled Lapwing 4, White-tailed Lapwing 2, Black-winged Stilt 5, Spotted Redshank 1, Common Redshank 1, Eurasian Collared-dove 2, Yellow-footed Pigeon 2, Rose-ringed Parakeet 80, Common Hawk Cuckoo 1, Greater Coucal 2, Indian Scops Owls 2, Spotted Owlet 1, White-throated Kingfisher 2, Green Bee-eater 12, Indian Roller 4, Eurasian Hoopoe 2, Indian Grey Hornbill 1, Black-rumped Flameback 6, Black Drongo 6, Rufous Treepie 1, House Crow 10, Barn Swallow 6, Red-vented Bulbul 1, Common Chiffchaff 8, Brooks’s Leaf-Warbler 1, Hume’s Warbler 2, Greenish Warbler 15, Blythe’s Reed Warbler 1, Common Tailorbird 2, Yellow-bellied Prinia 6, Plain Prinia 2, Lesser Whitethroat 5, Oriental White-eye 35, Large Grey Babbler 20, Jungle Babbler 25, Oriental Magpie Robin 1, Red-throated Flycatcher 15, Black Redstart 6, Bank Myna 2, Common Myna 6, Purple Sunbird 1.

Sultanpur Jheel or Bird Sanctuary can be found approximately 30 Kms to the southwest of New Delhi’s Indira Ghandi International Airport at Google Earth ref;28 28 4.73N 76 53 30.19E

It is open from 09.00 until 16.30, 6 days a week. It is closed on Tuesdays. There are toilets at the sanctuary and a tea shop in the gardens next door. Bring water.

It can still be productive to arrive early as the gardens next door at the Rosy Pelican are very good and the area around the sanctuary is said to have many birds, though I suspect that this may be a seasonal (probably winter) abundance.

Cost for a non-Indian national with a dirty great camera was IR 65. A guide offered me his services at IR 1000 (approx US$ 18), but I usually prefer to look out for myself.

A taxi will have to leave the city and cross the state line into Haryana. There used to be some permit issues in this respect, but there were no problems today. A private hire car can cross without any difficulties. Check with your driver.

A metered journey cost IR 2700 for the return trip and 4 hours waiting. There is a toll on the road of IR 100. A non-metered negotiated journey can be substantially less.

Previous posts from Sultanpur can be found at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/sultanpur-new-delhi-india.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/sultanpur-national-park-new-delhi.html

Visit the dedicated India Page for more posts from New Delhi including Tughlaqabad Fort, Kalindi Kunj and Merauli.

Kalindi Kunj, New Delhi, August 2013

Went birding, had curry. ‘Nuff said.

A typical day in New Delhi during the monsoon is likely to involve intense rain at some point. The sky was overcast, but the clouds didn’t look too heavy as we arrived, so I grabbed a cab straight away and took a drive out to Kalindi Kunj while it was still dry.

There is a hooked spit that is built upstream of the bridge over the Jamuna River at Google Earth ref; 28 32 57N 77 18 56E. It must have been built with a specific purpose in mind, but I have no idea what that purpose might have been. It has stone clad banks and steps by the bridge which give access to the waters of this Ganges tributary.

The bridge marks the border between New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (UP). Taxi drivers will be charged a toll and a border tax for crossing, so they are understandably reticent to drop you at the hook spit. I was dropped on the Delhi side and had to walk half-way across the bridge to get there. In the distance upstream I could see a feeding throng of Great White Pelicans, Greater Flamingos and Painted Storks.

Indian Pond Herons stood on the bridge supports and amongst the mats of floating weed. The river was flowing quickly from the rains, but the levels are managed by a set of barrages under the bridge.

It took about 15 minutes to walk to the spit and the madness of the traffic on the bridge faded quickly behind me as I looked out across the river. A movement caught my attention  and I looked down to see a Three-striped Palm Squirrel facing down a young Shikra. I clumsily reached for my camera and broke the spell. With less to lose, the sparrow hawk blinked first and flew off leaving the squirrel puffed and pumped. It alighted not too far off and was still available for a picture, but a good chance had been missed.

The steps by the bridge lead down to the water’s edge where the floating weeds got caught up in the bankside vegetation. A Purple Swamphen looked up from the weeds and a Lesser Coucal peered out from the reeds. Delhi is very close to the edge of the Lesser Coucal’s range, but fits well with the Greater Coucal’s distribution. I only got a very brief look at the bird, but decided to go with Lesser as they prefer damper conditions in my experience.

River Terns and Whiskered Terns patrolled the river. I took a decision for Whiskered despite their status as a winter visitor. On the first day of August, the more likely sternid should have been the resident Black-bellied Tern, but I preferred the markings of the Whiskered.

A mud path runs the length of the spit though it was stitched closed by spiders’webbing today. Obviously no-one had been along the path for a while except for a family of Common Mongooses which leave their footprints on soft parts of the path and must pass beneath the silk strands.

A pair of Jungle Babblers looked down from a high branch, but soon lost interest and turned their attention back to each other.

Further along the spit, the trees become taller and come together overhead to form an arch and the feeling of being in a leafy cavern. The view out onto the river is blocked by the foliage and the House Crows had gathered to berate me. At first I thought that the crows were mobbing another Shikra that had just flown in, but they followed me for the rest of the walk and drowned out any other sounds with their cawing.

I wanted to get a closer look at the pelicans that I had seen from the bridge and had to clamber down the overgrown bank to find a viewpoint. A White-breasted Kingfisher perched on a snag surrounded by floating mats of weed. Stakes and posts had been driven into the riverbed and the mats were catching on them and forming larger rafts. The stakes may have been installed for just this reason, or perhaps they were to anchor fishing nets. The river is very polluted, but recent initiatives have been ordered to try to clean it up. Judging by the fishing activity below the bridge, there is still plenty to catch.

The birds appeared to be actively feeding. The Great White Pelicans formed a flotilla and corralled fish into a tight shoal before plunging their beaks in to scoop some up. The Greater Flamingos sieved as they moved slowly and quietly along.

A Common Tailorbird sang for me as I returned to the start of the spit.

Back on the bridge, I crossed the traffic and took a look downstream. The sandbanks move around and had migrated downstream compared to my last visit. I wanted to see if any River Lapwings might be found, but the small Vanellus shapes were too distant to identify.

Back on the Delhi shore, I found that it was possible to cut along the bank and followed it downstream hoping to get a closer look. It looks as if the Metro is extending its influence to here as a boarded work-site seems to indicate. Unfinished pilings in the water suggest that it may eventually even cross the river.

As I got closer, it became clear that the distant shapes were those of the sought after River Lapwing and I was also able to add Red-wattled Lapwing and Ashy Prinia before heading back to the road.

Birds seen; 34

Indian Spot-billed Duck 40, Greater Flamingo 45, Painted Stork 16, Great White Pelican 18, Grey Heron 1, Purple Heron 10, Cattle Egret 8, Indian Pond Heron 20, Black-crowned Night Heron 2, Red-naped Ibis 3, Black Kite 15, Shikra 2, White-breasted Waterhen 2, Purple Swamphen 2, River Lapwing 6, Red-wattled Lapwing 5, Whiskered Tern 10, River Tern 30, Eurasian Collared Dove 2, Lesser Coucal 1, White-throated Kingfisher 2, Green Bee-eater 8, Indian Roller 1, Black Drongo 2, House Crow 60, Red-vented Bulbul1, Common Tailorbird 1, Yellow-bellied Prinia 1, Ashy Prinia 1, Jungle Babbler 2, Bank Myna 30, Common Myna 40, Asian Pied Starling 2, Purple Sunbird 4. 

Taxi (around IR300) or private car is the only way for a visitor to Delhi to get to the bridge at the moment, though the Metro may reach there in the future. To return, it may be worth considering asking the driver to wait for you.

Taxis do not cross the bridge without a fare, so the ones coming in my direction were all full and there were not many punters who wanted to be dropped at the end of the bridge. There is a car park where tuk-tuks gather (upstream of the bridge on the Delhi side at Google Earth ref;  28 32 45.46N 77 18 26.46E), but I had difficulty finding a driver that knew the way back to my hotel and the one who did, demanded three times the price for the outbound journey in an air-conditioned car!

For a previous post from Kalindi Kunj, follow the link below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/kalindi-kunj-crescent.html

Visit the dedicated India Page for more posts from Delhi including Tughluqabad Fort and Sultanpur.

Sultanpur National Park, New Delhi, January 2012

Dutch New Year burst upon us with a barrage of glitter bombs, sparklers and apple cake. The celebrations of the KLM crew were likely to outshine the attempts of the British trying to sing a traditional Scottish song to which no-one actually knows the words, so I took the opportunity for a quick lie down before heading out to Sultanpur National Park. As it happens, I was disturbed a short while later, by a full-throated roar to the tune of Auld Lang Syne from the airline party room 4 floors up. Well done chaps!

Given my track record, I had foolishly left a few issues unresolved and had 3 things to worry about this New Year’s morning. Would the car arrive? I had tried to book a car on-line, but had not received any confirmation. Would the sanctuary be open on New Year’s morning? Would the fog lift? There had been fog inside the terminal building and the hotel lobby when we arrived! Would the driver know the way (OK, so that’s 4 things to worry about, but Indian drivers often confuse the ability to ask directions at the roadside with actual knowledge of the route)?

Perhaps my luck is changing in anticipation of a great year ahead because just before 06.00 Jasvinder Singh arrived with the car and confirmed that he did indeed know the way. We arrived just over an hour later after having to stop only three times to ask the way, but found the gates firmly locked. Luckily another birder/photographer was already waiting and confirmed that the park would open as soon as the gatekeeper woke up. Shortly after, a couple of men arrived on a motorbike and one jumped over the gate, woke the guard by poking him with a stick through the grille and moments later, we were in.

I joined the other photographer, Vinay Chand and he led me along the lakeside to a spit which juts out into the lake and can be seen at Google Earth ref; 28 27 43N 76 53 18E. The fog had not lifted unfortunately but it was still possible to see out across the lake through the murk. Small island mounds were proving very popular with the wildfowl and in particular, the Bar-headed Geese which Vinay was hoping to photograph today. I am sure that his pictures will be atmospheric, while mine just turned out grainy and grey.

Out on the water ducks included Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, and Eurasian Teal. An Intermediate Egret stalked the shallow weedy margins with Common Coot and Common Moorhens. A Common Snipe flushed and I was able to get my first ever picture of one in flight.

On a couple of occasions the mist thinned. Vinay was confident that the sun would come out soon and burn it all away, but sadly his optimism was misplaced. A flock of Painted Storks could just be made out on the far side of the lake and occasionally one would appear, pterodactyl-like from the mist.

We returned to the path that runs around the lake and began retracing our steps towards the entrance. Dry woodland surrounds part of the lake attracting birds such as Black Redstart, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Indian Peafowl. We were concentrating on the lake and found Little Grebe, Purple Swamphen and Little Cormorant as we continued along the path and back past the entrance. Vinay told me that this part of the park was less visited and the birds appeared to be more wary.

Spot-billed Ducks and Comb Ducks were quick to move away from the bank as we appeared through the gloom Even the Greylag Geese were quick to take flight. Rose-ringed Parakeets and Tree Pipits were seen in the woodland to our left as we rounded the northern part of the Lake.

We were headed for another spit which can be seen at Google Earth ref; 28 27 51N 76 53 33E. Vinay was hoping to find some good photo opportunities with Pied Kingfishers and Crested Serpent Eagle. I am still unsure what the large birds of prey that we saw outlined in the distance were, though I was able to confirm a Booted Eagle, seen later, by its “headlights” on a photograph when I got home.

The nesting colony, or “village” as Vinay preferred, of Painted Storks can be seen from this point. On a day such as this, it was an unimpressive sight and the grey, drab juveniles looked wraith-like in the low light.

A Plain Prinia showed in the rushes along the spit and at last I was able to get a clear photograph of something. The mist had thinned, but the light was still poor by the time I had to leave. A Black-necked Stork in the distance could be seen at the top of a tree, watching over its nest and its brooding mate.

Away from the lake during the journey home, the air quality improved somewhat. A Hoopoe was seen on the wall at the entrance. Cattle Egrets and Indian Black Ibis were seen in the fields and Black-necked Stilt could be found in even the dirtiest of puddles.

Birds Seen; 68

Little Grebe 8, Great Cormorant 20, Little Cormorant 40, Oriental Darter 10, Grey Heron 5, Purple Heron 1, Great Egret 4, Intermediate Egret 2, Little Egret 3, Cattle Egret 150, Indian Pond Heron 6, Painted Stork 70, Black-necked Stork 2, Black-headed Ibis 6, Indian Black Ibis 2, Eurasian Spoonbill 1, Greylag Goose 300, Bar-headed Goose 250, African Comb Duck 30, Gadwall 200, Eurasian Teal 400, Spot-billed Duck 30, Northern Pintail 60, Northern Shoveler 100, Tufted Duck 3, Black-shouldered Kite 1, Black Kite 10, Shikra 1, Booted Eagle 1, Common Kestrel 1, Grey Francolin 1, Indian Peafowl 3, White-breasted Waterhen 3, Purple Swamphen 3, Common Moorhen 25, Common Coot 60, Black-winged Stilt 12, Red-watttled Lapwing 12, Common Snipe 3, Common Greenshank 1, Common Sandpiper 2, Eurasian Collared Dove 1, Rose-ringed Parakeet 40, Greater Coucal 3, White-throated Kingfisher 10, Pied Kingfisher 4, Hoopoe 1, Plain Martin 15, Barn Swallow 20, Tree Pipit, White Wagtail 1, Red-vented Bulbul 3, Orange-headed Thrush 1, Oriental Magpie Robin 2, Indian Robin 2, Black Redstart 8, Plain Prinia 12, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Red-breasted Flycatcher 3, Jungle Babbler 12, Purple Sunbird 1, Isabelline Shrike 12, Black Drongo 20, House Crow 150, Large-billed Crow 15, Bank Myna 6, Common Myna 25, Asian Pied Starling 2.

 Sultanpur is approximately 50 Kms from New Delhi and the drive should take about an hour. Normal street taxis may have difficulty crossing the state line (perhaps a special licence is required or maybe heavy tax is payable, but drivers seem reluctant to try for whatever reason). A private car should be used and a price set with waiting time for the driver taken into account. 2 years ago a negotiated price from a private hire company was Rs1200 with 3 hours waiting. On this occasion I booked ahead with www.uniqueindiatour.com (good driver, good car and punctual). Considering that I was unlikely to be able to find a car on the street at 06.00 on New Year’s morning, the price of Rs2500 was not unreasonable (all tolls and taxes were included, but 5% for using Paypal was additonal).

** Amendment; as at November 2013, the gate times have changed. The sanctuary opens between 09.00 and 16.30. It is closed on Tuesdays.
A metered cab cost IR2700 + IR 100 for tolls. **

Other posts from Sultanpur NP and other sites near New Delhi can be found by following the links below;

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/10/sultanpur-new-delhi-india.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/02/tughluqabad-fort-new-delhi.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/04/mercury-had-passed-40c-in-new-delhi.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/08/tughlaqabad-fort-new-delhi-india.html

http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/02/kalindi-kunj-crescent.html

Visit the dedicated India Page for posts from the rest of India.

Kalindi Kunj Crescent.

Kalindi Kunj Crescent is a made up name for a spit of land, shaped like an agricultural hook, protruding upstream from the dam across the river Yamuna in New Delhi, India.

Things are never as easy as they should be when hiring taxis on the sub-continent and the problem on this occasion was that the bridge crossing the dam led out of New Delhi and into Uttar Pradesh State. Taxis are not allowed to cross state lines without a special licence, under pain of fine and my driver refused to embark on such a disreputable act. It was easy enough to walk the 600m to the crescent and birds were apparent straight away. Birding from the bridge might have been productive, but cyclists and pedestrians thronged the narrow walkway making it impractical, if not downright dangerous.

Once on the crescent, the noise of the traffic died away and I didn’t see another person until I returned to the bridge. One of the early birds was a small flock of Jungle Babblers. Out on the river, floating mats of weed held Purple Swamphens and Indian Pond Herons. Islands have formed and provided roosting opportunities for European Spoonbills, Black-tailed Godwits and plenty of waterfowl.

G.L. had mentioned Bar-headed Goose from his recent visit here. They did not show today, but were made up for by Greylag and Ruddy Shelduck. The ducks included Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal and Spot-billed Duck.

In the early morning, the crescent allows a good view of the islands to the west, but without the scope, I wouldn’t have picked out the Ruff, River Lapwing or the White-tailed Lapwing.

The crescent itself is a raised path lined with trees and bushes. For the first 300 m or so, the west side has reeds and rank vegetation alongside. I imagine that the appearance of this changes with the seasons and the river level. Google Earth shows huge mats of weed, as much as 200m wide, held back by the barrage. Today, the weed was minimal in comparison.

There is a low wall with a metal fence which shows that the spit is supposed to be here rather than just being an island formed by an agglomeration of weed over the years. This Indian Robin and a Bluethroat favoured the wall and the railing as somewhere to hang out.

In the lower trees were Lesser Whitethroat, Common Tailorbird and Yellow-bellied Prinia. A tiny Phyloscopus sp kept me busy for a while until I decided upon Greenish Warbler.

House Crows are always abundant in New Delhi, and the crescent seemed to have its fair share. They were very noisy this morning and appeared to be following me and calling to mark me out as a threat.

A Spotted Owlet flushed from a low tree ahead and distracted the attention of the crows for a while. The owl looked very discomfited to be attracting so much fuss and dropped onto one of the crows in an effort to shoo it away. Asian Pied Starlings joined in with the mobbing as did a Blyth’s Reed Warbler and a Three-striped Squirrel.

Yellow-bellied Prinias were common all along the length of the spit and were quite confiding and accomodating  in response to a pish.

 About half way along its 700m length, the crescent begins to hook around to the right (east).  A pair of Black Ibis flushed from the water’s edge. Towards the end of the spit, another island has formed and held Grey heron, Glossy ibis and Wood Sandpiper. As I turned around, a large dark shape in a tree caught my attention. It was a Crested Serpent Eagle, which gave me another short respite by taking the noisy crows with it as it flew.

I retraced my steps to get back to the bridge, heading home. As I passed the spot where the owls had been earlier, I stopped to watch the warblers and try to get a few more pictures. An Orange-headed Thrush suddenly appeared in a nearby bush and just as quickly, it was gone.

The river here is quite smelly and the crows were intrusive into what would otherwise have been a very pleasant morning. The birding was productive with over 60 species seen. I had asked my driver to wait for me at the car park at the end of the bridge. This involved a walk of 1.2kms in order to find him again, which was a bit of a drag. It cost IR700 for the return journey and 4 hours waiting.

There were other taxis and tuk-tuks that crossed the bridge as I was walking. In future, if my taxi does not hold the required licence, I will just get him to drop me and use one of the other cabs to get across the bridge.

Downstream, a few sandy islands wallowed in the river like a bather in a bubblebath. From my biology field-trip to a sewage farm at the age of twelve, I recall that foam at the outfall is an indication that the water is clean. There must have been a qualifier to that but I don't remember what it was. The islands held a few River Lapwing and were reported to harbour Small Pratincole further downstream.

Bird species; 63

Great Cormorant 1, Little Cormorant 3, Grey Heron 15, Purple Heron 2, Great Egret 1, Intermediate Egret 3, Cattle Egret 1, Indian Pond Heron 30, Painted Stork 1, Black-headed Ibis 1, Indian Black Ibis 8, Glossy Ibis 15, Eurasian Spoonbill 2, Greylag Goose 40, Ruddy Shelduck 8, African Comb Duck 6, Eurasian Wigeon 500, Gadwall 20, Eurasian Teal 12, Spot-billed Duck 12, Northern Shoveler 500, Black Kite 150, Crested Serpent Eagle 1, White-breasted Waterhen 1, Purple Swamphen 80, Common Moorhen 6, Common Coot 400, Black-winged Stilt 300, Pied Avocet 14, River Lapwing 8, Red-wattled Lapwing 25, White-tailed Lapwing 2, Black-tailed Godwit 15, Common Greenshank 1, Wood Sandpiper 4, Common Sandpiper2, Ruff 60, Yellow-legged Gull 2, Black-headed Gull 2, Eurasian Collared Dove 2, Rose-ringed Parakeet 1, Greater Coucal 2, Spotted Owlet 2, White-throated Kingfisher 3, Hoopoe 3, Plain Martin 8, Red-vented Bulbul 3,  Orange-headed Thrush 1, Bluethroat 1, Indian Robin 2, Yellow-bellied Prinia 8, Common Tailorbird 3, Lesser Whitethroat 6, Blyth’s Reed Warbler 1, Greenish Warbler 1, Red-breasted Flycatcher 2, Jungle Babbler 5, Purple Sunbird 2, Black Drongo 3, Rufous Treepie 2, House Crow 200, Common Myna 8, Asian Pied Starling 12.

Mammal species; 3

Three-striped Squirrel 8, Nilgai 3, Common Mongoose 1.