Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Back in Firdaus

Spend a day at the world famous Keoladeo National Park at Bharatpur yesterday. And as expect it was pure bliss. 

Birding here is always amazingly easy and fruitful. 

Here's a bunch of photos from the trip and a list of birds that I managed to see here including a couple of Lifers [Black Bittern and Dusky Eagle Owl] :-)












































This time I also managed to do a boat ride inside the Sanctuary .. Here's a few photos from the boat..







And in my mind this photo of a rare glimpse of the elusive Black Bittern out in the open is my most precious photo of this trip :-)

And here's a few photos of the Mammals I managed to see within the park this time around:

Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)
Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) 
Sambar (Rusa unicolor)

Early in the morning as we started off we were able to spot the elusive Jungle cat (Felis chaus), unfortunately though I was unable to photograph this Lifer species!
And to end this post here's a complete bird list from my second trip to Paradise:

28-Jan-13
Keoladeo Ghana National Park
Bharatpur 
GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae
1 Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus
2 Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
3 Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica
4 Greylag Goose Anser anser
5 Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
6 Knob-billed Duck / Comb duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
7 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
8 Gadwall Anas strepera
9 Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
10 Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
11 Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
12 Northern Pintail Anas acuta
13 Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
14 Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
PODICIPEDIFORMES: Podicipedidae
15 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
CICONIIFORMES: Ciconiidae
16 Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala Near-threatened
PELECANIFORMES: Threskiornithidae
17 Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus Near-threatened
18 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae
19 Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis
20 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
21 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
22 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
23 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
24 Great Egret Ardea alba
25 Little Egret Egretta garzetta
PELECANIFORMES: Pelecanidae
26 Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
27 Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus Vulnerable
SULIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae
28 Little Cormorant Microcarbo niger
29 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
30 Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
SULIFORMES: Anhingidae
31 Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster Near-threatened
ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae
32 Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
33 Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca Vulnerable
GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
34 White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
35 Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
36 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
GRUIFORMES: Gruidae
37 Sarus Crane Grus antigone Vulnerable
CHARADRIIFORMES: Recurvirostridae
38 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
39 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
CHARADRIIFORMES: Jacanidae
40 Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus
CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae
41 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae
42 River Tern Sterna aurantia
COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
43 Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis
44 Yellow-footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicopterus
PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
45 Vernal Hanging Parrot Loriculus vernalis
46 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
47 Lesser Coucal Centropus bengalensis
STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae
48 Dusky Eagle-Owl Bubo coromandus
CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
49 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
50 Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
51 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
PICIFORMES: Picidae
52 Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense
PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
53 Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus
PASSERIFORMES: Dicruridae
54 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
55 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda
56 Indian Jungle Crow Corvus culminatus
PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae
57 White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis
58 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
PASSERIFORMES: Acrocephalidae
59 Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus
60 Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae
61 Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis
62 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata
63 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius
PASSERIFORMES: Leiothrichidae
64 Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi
65 Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata
PASSERIFORMES: Sylviidae
66 Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca
PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
67 Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus
68 Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
69 Brahminy Starling Sturnia pagodarum
PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
70 Bluethroat Luscinia svecica
71 Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
72 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus
73 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva
PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
74 House Sparrow
Passer domesticus





To explain what Bharatpur means to me I will quote a Farsi couplet by the famous 14th Century Delhi poet Amir Khusrau - 

Agar firdaus bar roo-e zameen ast, Hameen ast-o hameen ast-o hameen ast
If ever there is Paradise on Earth / It is here! It is here! It is here!