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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Assam, India, Nameri and Kaziranga National Parks,

Steve Lister and Megan Hall

January  21-30  2004

Introduction

The trip was arranged with Gurudongma Tours, via the internet. The ten day period was all that Peter Lobo, their main birdguide, was available, otherwise we would have liked to spend longer in the state. We also spent four days around Delhi at the end of the trip, with arrangements again made by Gurudongma. Using a local company to make all the ground arrangements worked very well, as they were totally efficient and insulated us from the idiosyncrasies of Indian bureaucracy such as obtaining permits and guards for entry into the national park. We thoroughly recommend Gurudongma Tours to anyone wanting a smoothly organised trip to north-east India, their main area of operation, or indeed anywhere in India, as they have contacts in many areas.

The trip cost $2705 for the two of us, plus $880 for air tickets Delhi/Guwahati/Delhi with Jet Airways, and our flights from London, about £500 each. The strength of the pound against the dollar made the cost per person about £1550 for the whole trip, including everything except camera fees (very expensive at 1000 rupees a day for a video at both Nameri and Kaziranga - but half this price for Indians) and lunch/dinner for four days around Delhi. One company in Britain advertises 'a 10-day wildlife holiday to Kaziranga NP', actually spending just five days (!!) at Kaziranga, for £1995, so our trip (five days at Kaziranga, three days at Nameri, and four days around Delhi) was excellent value, despite being arranged for just two of us.

Sources of information

When researching the trip I found that Kaziranga, a well-known national park and World Heritage site because of its important concentrations of mammals, was well-covered in trip reports and by a checklist by Maan Barua and Pankaj Sharma in Forktail 15 (1999). Information on Nameri NP was much scarcer, and we are grateful to Sujan Chatterjee (Calcutta), John Penhallurick (Australia) and Mike Waite (London) for site information and birdlists. Maan Barua has recently completed work on a checklist for Nameri, hopefully to be published in Forktail soon.

I attempted to buy a fairly recent book, The Birds of Assam by A. Choudhury, but the price quoted to obtain it in England (£40) was quite ridiculous compared to that of about £7.50 in India; unfortunately I could not find it in bookshops in either Guwahati or Delhi. We did find a 2003 booklet 'Birds of Kaziranga National Park' by the same author on sale for 110 rupees (£1.40) at the elephant festival being held at Kaziranga during our visit - and we met the author there so got a signed copy.

Safety

We were unaware of the political situation in Assam; there is a lot of unrest, with a variety of separatist groups. Militant groups are also present, and there is a very obvious army presence in towns and along some roads. Travel at night is generally unsafe, as hold-ups are not infrequent. 'Bundhs', a form of general strike that involve roads being blocked, are a not uncommon form of protest. Birders need to be aware of the risks, and should seek local advice before visiting any but the best known areas. The hills behind the tourist areas at Kaziranga, for example, are regarded as unsafe, even by the locals.  The area north of Tezpur, including Nameri, is potentially risky.

Itinerary

January 21  Flew Delhi to Guwahati, arriving late morning. Picked up at the airport by Peter Lobo, driver and car. Visit to town centre site for Greater Adjutants.

January 22  Drove Guwahati to Nameri  via Tezpur. A few short birding stops on the way. Arrived at Nameri late afternoon and met Dhiren Duarah, our local guide for the trip, provided by Wild Grass resort.

January 23  Morning and afternoon visits into the NP, across the river.

January 24  Early morning walk between the camp and the river. Then a rafting trip from 22km upstream back to the camp.  

January 25 Full day visit into the NP by special arrangement. Left Nameri late pm to travel to Kaziranga, so as to avoid being disrupted by a strike called by militants for next day. Arrived in time for dinner, having seen a Tiger crossing the road on the way!!

January 26   Early morning elephant ride. Morning jeep-drive in the Central Range and afternoon jeep-drive in the Western Range.

January 27   Morning jeep-drive in the Eastern Range and afternoon jeep-drive in the Central Range.

January 28   Early morning and afternoon walks in the 'tea gardens' behind Wild Grass resort. Morning walk along the edge of Panbari Forest.

January 29   Whole day jeep-drive in the Eastern Range and Debeswari by special arrangement with the director.

January 30   Morning jeep-drive in the Western Range. Afternoon jeep-drive in the Central Range. Lunchtime and evening visits to the Elephant Festival.

January 31  Early morning departure for Guwahati for afternoon flight to Delhi.          

The itinerary ran very smoothly, thanks in no small part to the organisation of our guides Peter Lobo and Dhiren Duarah and our jeep-driver at Kaziranga, Raju, who was always punctual, friendly and helpful.

It should be pointed out that Peter has an excellent working relationship with the staff at both Nameri and Kaziranga. He knows the directors of both parks personally and is able to arrange access to restricted areas that would be impossible without his help. He is very well respected by the staff and they know that he only guides serious birders. We certainly benefited from his contacts: at Nameri we spent a whole day in the park, as opposed to having to leave for the two hour closed period at lunchtime, and were shown some closed areas, and at Kaziranga we were allowed in to the Debeswari area beyond the Eastern Range, usually a closed area but one to which Peter and his guests have been granted access - and one where you can see Bengal Florican and Black-breasted Parrotbill!

Peter was also very aware of the political tensions and amended the plans to avoid any disruption that could have been caused by the bundh on January 26th.

Notes on sites

Nameri

Nameri National Park is about 400 square kilometres of forest, bounded on the south by the Bhorelli river. Only one short trail, that takes about three hours to bird, is open to visitors; the trail starts at a guard station on the river bank almost opposite the end of the track from 'Nameri Eco-Camp' where we stayed. You must be accompanied by a guard with a rifle, and you need a boat to take you across - both were arranged by our guide. The trail passes through areas of dense forest, elephant grass and shorter grass and includes a few areas of water that can hold White-winged Ducks. However, the park guards expect everyone, even non-birding visitors, to want to see the ducks so these ponds can be visited several times in a day when it is busy, and only the first visit has any chance of success. The usual spot is a stream about fifty metres past a watch-tower, and the birds flush very easily, so you should approach very carefully and make sure that guides and the armed guard stay behind you. There are plenty of other spots in the forest that will be suitable for the ducks; we were allowed to visit a couple on our third day, after getting to know the guards, without success. The population has been quoted as 50-70 birds.

Apart from the one trail the only birding that can be done is from the river. Rafting trips operate on demand, organised through the camp. The rafts are only small and are soft-bottomed, with a crew of two and room for two passengers. The standard route is from the 22 km marker post back to near the camp. When the river is low, as during our visit, it is mainly a calm ride with just a few wavy sections as you go over the rapids; the front passenger will get a bit wet. Target birds for rafting  are Ibisbill (we saw a group of six), fish-eagles and other perched raptors, water-redstarts, kingfishers, ducks and waders; you might strike lucky with something like Jerdon's Babbler flying across. The trip takes three-four hours, depending on how many times you stop and get out for a steady look at something. A tip of 50 rupees for each crewman was much appreciated.

The accommodation at Nameri is the Eco-Camp. This is intended for game fishermen but seems to be used more by birders and general wildlife tourists, both foreign and local. It consists of seven 'tents', each under a thatch roof and on a hard soil base; the original canvas tents are gradually being replaced by matting-wall huts with an adjoining toilet/shower with a concrete base. Each tent has two beds and a shelf unit but little else. Meals, tasty and safe, are provided in an open-sided building at one end of the camp compound, which is a grass clearing with a few large trees.

The camp is about 1.5 km from the river, linked by a jeep-track with a locked barrier. The area between the camp and the river is initially rather degraded forest, with a lot of woodcutting going on,  and then tall elephant grass nearer the river. You can walk through this area without an armed guard, and it is reasonable birding for species such as warblers, minivets and flowerpeckers, but you could come across a herd of wild buffalo or even a tiger - we heard the alarm calls of deer and found where a tiger had been resting very near the track. When the river is high it is impossible to cross and you would be limited to birding in this area. December to March is fairly reliable for getting across.

Kaziranga

Kaziranga National Park is a very large area of mainly grassland but with several important lakes and significant areas of forest. The original park was over 400 square kilometres in area and several additional areas have been added. The populations of large mammals - elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, various species of deer and tiger - are astonishing (we saw 53 rhinos on our first day, including 26 in view at once), as is the variety of birds.

The park is divided into three sections, or ranges, Western, Central and Eastern, each with their own guardhouse and office. The Central Range is the most popular for visitors, being near the tourist centre. The Eastern Range is the least visited but is arguably the best birding, having an excellent wetland, Sohola beel, good stretches of forest along the tracks, and an abundance of raptors. The Debeswari area, beyond the end of the Eastern Range is definitely worth the effort of seeking permission to enter - you need to contact the director at the park head office and convince him that you are serious birders, not just tourists, and tell him how much you value the park, etc.

The only access to the park is by jeep, and you must have an armed guard with you. The jeeps have inward facing seats in the open back so really you need to stand up; there is only room for three, or at most four, to stand in the back, and one person can sit in the front with the driver - ask him to remove the canvas top so that the front passenger can stand up when necessary. You are only supposed to get out of the jeep at certain spots, such as watch-towers and lakeside viewpoints; the exception is the first stretch of the main track in the Central Range, where you can walk with your jeep and guard following; we did not see anyone doing this, and it is not a particularly good birding area.

An annoying feature is that the park is only open from 7.30 until 12 and from 2.30 until 5.00. In January it gets light at about 6.00.  The approaches to the Central and Eastern Ranges involve driving a few km along tracks through farmland so you can fill in time birding there, or else spend the first hour or so in the 'tea gardens'.

Both elephants and rhinos will charge jeeps in some circumstances. The armed guards, and the guides, seem to have a very good understanding of the animals'                    moods, and know what action is appropriate. Firing their rifles is very rare, though on our final drive our guard had to let a 'must' loner male elephant have a warning shot when it was ready to charge us, as we could not reverse for fear of encountering another awkward group that we had just passed with difficulty! (Megan has this on video but there is a big wobble when he fired the gun!)

Personally I found trying to identify forest birds from the jeep very frustrating, as the usual situation would be see something, tell the driver to stop, and then reverse, by which time the bird has vanished. The best way is to drive very slowly through forest areas, and to stop and wait in one place if there is much activity, such as a feeding flock.

Hour-long elephant rides are available at the entrance to the Central Range, but you need to book in advance. Elephants carry either three or four passengers. The rides are aimed at tourists and operate more or less in convoy, hoping to see rhino (easy) or tigers (less likely); the area used is good for Bengal Florican and elephant rides are the best option to see this species unless you can get access to Debeswari. However, the rides operate early morning, when it is often misty, and birding from elephant back is quite difficult. You do not see much apart from flushed pipits and waders.

The only place where you can bird both on foot and without an armed guard, except along the main road, is in the 'tea gardens' . I had completely the wrong idea of what this meant, and I would call them tea plantations. Unlike those in Sri Lanka, these 'tea gardens' have loads of trees, mainly acacias, for shade, and so attract birds; the best areas are where there are uncultivated areas within the 'gardens', especially where there are gullies with tall bamboo clumps, such as behind the Wild Grass Resort. Flocks of laughingthrushes move very quickly through such areas, and the bamboos can hold woodpeckers, White-browed Piculets, etc. Early morning, and to a lesser extent late afternoon, is by far the best for these areas.

One area of tea backs onto the Panbari Reserved Forest. We walked around the edge, venturing into the forest here and there. To bird the forest properly you need to sign in at the forest office and to have an armed guard, as elephants are a very real danger, possibly more so than in the past. There are few clear paths in the forest and it would be easy to get lost without a guard who knows the way.

Accommodation at Kaziranga is quite varied. The best option is Wild Grass Resort (good enough for Michael Palin and a BBC crew that arrived while we were there), set back from the main road between the Central and Eastern Ranges. They assign you a guide from their staff (ours was Dhiren Duarah, who had come to Nameri to help us there) who organises everything from your early-morning drinks to your entry into the park. They will also pick you up from the airport at Guwahati. The rooms at Wild Grass were comfortable, verging on luxurious by local standards, and both the food and the general service were excellent. The alternatives are various government-run guesthouses at Kohora, near the Central Range; one of these is officially supposed to be of a similar standard to Wild Grass, but the service there apparently depends very much on who is staying there.

Lists of birds and selected observations

The order used is that of Grimmett, Inskipp and Inskipp in Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. English names normally follow those in the same work.

Nameri                 23-25 January 2004
Red Junglefowl
Ruddy Shelduck , Common along river
Mallard
Common Teal
Goosander , Common along river
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker
Lesser Yellownape
Greater Yellownape
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Greater Flameback
Lineated Barbet
Blue-throated Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Great Hornbill,  Total of c15
Wreathed Hornbill , 4
Oriental Pied Hornbill , 2 
Indian Roller
Common Kingfisher
White-throated Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher,   4 during rafting trip
Crested Kingfisher,  2 during rafting trip
Blue-bearded Bee-eater , 2 singles
Green Bee-eater
Chestnut-headed Bee-eater , 3 at the camp
Greater Coucal
Lesser Coucal
Vernal Hanging Parrot, 6
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Red-breasted Parakeet , Common
Asian Palm Swift
House Swift
Brown or Tawny Fish Owl, 1 seen briefly, probably Tawny
Asian Barred Owlet,  Heard near the camp
Spotted Owlet  ,  Heard near the camp
Brown Hawk Owl,  Heard near the camp   
Large-tailed Nightjar ,  Heard near the camp
Oriental Turtle Dove
Spotted Dove
Red Collared Dove,  1
Barred Cuckoo Dove, 5
Emerald Dove , 2
Green Imperial Pigeon , 20+
Common Moorhen
Pintail Snipe, 3 flushed from dry grass area
Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Ibisbill  ,   Group of 6 on the river from the raft
Little Ringed Plover
River Lapwing ,   5 during the rafting trip
Red-wattled Lapwing
Small Pratincole,  350 along the river
River Tern ,   1-2 daily
Osprey,  Up to 3 daily
Pallas's Fish Eagle,  5 from the raft
White-tailed Eagle ,  1 perched adult seen from the raft 24/1
Northern Goshawk,  1 immature 24/1
Common Kestrel
Little Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Indian Pond Heron
Lesser Adjutant , 1 at a forest pool 25/1
Golden-fronted Leafbird ,16
Orange-bellied Leafbird , 5, mainly singing males
Long-tailed Shrike
Grey-backed Shrike
Large-billed Crow
Black-hooded Oriole
Maroon Oriole
Large Cuckoo-shrike
Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike
Long-tailed Minivet
Scarlet Minivet
Yellow-bellied Fantail
Black Drongo
Ashy Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Hair-crested Drongo, Common
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo    
Black-naped Monarch
Common Iora
Large Woodshrike
Blue Rock Thrush, 4 along the river
Blue Whistling Thrush
Black-breasted Thrush ,  4 singles near the riverbank east of the guard post
Grey-winged Blackbird, 1 female near the watch-tower on 23/1
Little Pied Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher,  All those checked were parva
Verditer Flycatcher
Small Niltava
Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher
Oriental Magpie Robin
Black Redstart , 1 female from the rafting trip
Daurian Redstart , 1 male from the rafting trip
White-capped Water-Redstart, 5 from the rafting trip
Plumbeous Water-Redstart, 22 from the rafting trip
Black-backed Forktail, 1 regular at the forest stream, 4 along the river
Siberian Stonechat
Spot-winged Starling , Common at flowering silk-cotton trees
Chestnut-tailed Starling
Asian Pied Starling
Common Myna
Jungle Myna
White-vented Myna , 5 on fields near the camp
Hill Myna
Sultan Tit ,   4 in one group seen twice
Plain Martin
Barn Swallow
Asian House Martin,    2 in a mixed hirundine/swift flock on 25/1
Black-crested Bulbul
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
White-throated Bulbul ,  6 in two groups
Black Bulbul
Oriental White-eye
Common Tailorbird
Dusky Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
Eastern Crowned Warbler,   1
Blyth's Leaf-Warbler ,  1
Chestnut-crowned Warbler, 1
Striated Grassbird
Abbott's Babbler
Puff-throated Babbler
Striped Tit-Babbler
Jerdon's Babbler ,  1 flew across river, seen from raft 24/1
Yellow-vented Flowerpecker
Plain Flowerpecker
Scarlet-backed Flowerpecker
Crimson Sunbird
Streaked Spiderhunter,  Often in flowering silk-cotton trees
White Wagtail
Grey Wagtail
Paddyfield Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit

Kaziranga              26-30 January 2004
(W, C and E refer to the three ranges)
Swamp Francolin, Common
Red Junglefowl,  Common
Kalij Pheasant,   5 seen in riverine forest
Greater White-fronted Goose,1 adult at Dunga Beel (W) on 30/1
Greylag Goose
Bar-headed Goose,  Common; 2500+ at Dunga Beel 30/1
Ruddy Shelduck
Common Shelduck,  6 on the R. Brahmaputra off Debeswari  on 29/1
Cotton Pygmy-Goose, 20 at Sohola Beel (E) 29/1
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
Mallard
Spot-billed Duck
Shoveler
Pintail
Common Teal
Common Pochard
Ferruginous Duck
Tufted Duck
White-browed Piculet, 1 in bamboo, tea-garden behind Wild Grass
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker
Streak-throated Woodpecker
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Black-rumped Flameback ,  Not listed by Choudhury
Greater Flameback
Lineated Barbet
Blue-throated Barbet
Oriental Pied Hornbill
Hoopoe
Indian Roller
Common Kingfisher
Stork-billed Kingfisher
White-throated Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Blue-bearded Bee-eater  , 2 singles
Green Bee-eater
Green-billed Malkoha
Greater Coucal
Lesser Coucal
Alexandrine Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Blossom-headed Parakeet,   Largest flock 40+ (W)
Red-breasted Parakeet
Asian Palm Swift
Asian Barred Owlet,   Up to 3 seen daily
Spotted Owlet
Jungle Owlet ,   1 (E)
Oriental Turtle Dove,  Single flock of 80 (C)
Spotted Dove
Red Collared Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Emerald Dove
Pompadour Green Pigeon,1 on the edge of Panbari RF
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Green Imperial Pigeon
Bengal Florican ,  2 immature males in short grass at Debeswari 29/1
White-breasted Waterhen
Common Moorhen
Common Snipe
Spotted Redshank ,  Mainly at Sohola Beel (E), up to 60
Marsh Sandpiper,   2 at Dunga Beel (W) on 30/1
Greenshank
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Temminck's Stint, 12 at Dunga Beel (W) on 30/1
Dunlin ,    1 at Dunga Beel (W) on 30/1: new for the park list
Bronze-winged Jacana
Great Thick-knee, 2  on sandy riverbed on way to Debeswari 29/1
Pacific Golden Plover, 20 (C) on 26/1
Little Ringed Plover
Northern Lapwing
River Lapwing
Grey-headed Lapwing, Common around beels
Red-wattled Lapwing
River Tern
Whiskered Tern
Osprey
Crested Honey Buzzard
Pallas's Fish Eagle
Grey-headed Fish Eagle
White-rumped Vulture, 1
Slender-billed Vulture, 5
Eurasian Griffon, 1
Short-toed Snake-Eagle,  1 near Debeswari 29/1
Crested Serpent Eagle
Western Marsh Harrier, 1 juvenile at Sohola Beel (E)
Eastern Marsh Harrie,1 female at Sohola Beel (E)
Hen Harrier ,  1 male at Sohola Beel (E), 2 females at Dunga Beel
Pied Harrier,  1 male at Sohola Beel (E)
Shikra
Indian Spotted Eagle, 4 singles (C,E)
Changeable Hawk Eagle
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon , 1 immature (W) and 1 adult (E)
Little Grebe
Great Crested Grebe,   4 on the R. Brahmaputra at Debeswari 29/1
Darter
Little Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Little Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Cattle Egret
Indian Pond Heron
Striated Heron
Great White Pelican, 1 in the Spot-billed Pelican colony on 29/1 (E)
Spot-billed Pelican, Common, nesting (E)
Asian Openbill
Woolly-necked Stork
Black-necked Stork
Lesser Adjutant,  Up to 14 daily
Greater Adjutant,  1-2 daily
Golden-fronted Leafbird
Brown Shrike
Long-tailed Shrike
Grey-backed Shrike    
Common Green Magpie, 1 in the tea gardens behind Wild Grass
Rufous Treepie
Large-billed Crow
Black-hooded Oriole
Large Cuckoo-shrike
Black-winged Cuckoo-shrike
Ashy Minivet ,  4 in a minivet flock on 26/1 (C): new for the park list
Long-tailed Minivet
Short-billed Minivet
Scarlet Minivet
Black Drongo
Ashy Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Hair-crested Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Common Iora
Common Woodshrike
Blue Rock Thrush, 1 male on 30/1 (W)
Orange-headed Thrush,3 singles
Black-breasted Thrush, 1 male on 29/1 (E)
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Little Pied Flycatcher 
Verditer Flycatcher
Large Niltava, 1 male (E)
Small Niltava
Rufous-bellied Niltava,  1 male on 27/1 (E): new for the park list
Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher
Bluethroat , 1 male from elephant back 26/1
Oriental Magpie Robin
White-rumped Shama
Daurian Redstart ,1 male in tea gardens behind Wild Grass
White-tailed Robin,   2 singles (E,W)
Siberian Stonechat
Grey Bushchat , 1 male 30/1 (W)
Spot-winged Starling
Chestnut-tailed Starling
Asian Pied Starling
Common Myna
Bank Myna
Jungle Myna
White-vented Myna
Great Tit
Sand Martin
Plain Martin
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Red-whiskered Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
White-throated Bulbul
Black Bulbul
Zitting Cisticola
Oriental White-eye
Paddyfield Warbler,  1 at Debeswari 29/1
Common Tailorbird
Dusky Warbler
Tickell's Leaf-Warbler
Yellow-browed Warbler
White-spectacled Warbler, 1 on 27/1 (C)
Striated Grassbird
White-crested Laughingthrush,  Tea gardens
Lesser Necklaced Laughingthrush,  Tea gardens
Rufous-necked Laughingthrush ,  Tea gardens
Abbott's Babbler
Puff-throated Babbler
White-browed Scimitar-Babbler,   Tea gardens
Rufous-capped Babbler,   Heard only, tea gardens
Striped Tit-Babbler
Striated Babbler
Black-breasted Parrotbill,  2 in tall reeds near Debeswari on 27/1
Bengal Bushlark
Ruby-cheeked Sunbird,    Panbari RF, (E)
Crimson Sunbird
House Sparrow
White Wagtail
Citrine Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
Richard's Pipit
Blyth's Pipit,     Singles from the elephant and at Debeswari
Olive-backed Pipit,  Common in wooded areas
Rosy Pipit,  Common in short grass areas
Baya Weaver
White-rumped Munia

Casual observations elsewhere
Greater Adjutant, 8 in Guwahati 21/1, 12 nests in a colony visible from the main road on the  western edge of Nagaon 22/1




Lesser Adjutant, 1 nest and 6 birds in a roadside tree east of Nagaon 22/1
Eurasian Griffon,  14 at a carcass west of Nagaon 22/1
Asian Openbill, 170 in trees west of Nagaon 31/1        

Contact
S M Lister and M C Hall
31 Lisle Street, Loughborough, LE11 1AW, England

stevelister@surfbirder.com

 

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