Northern India Birding trip report

Our morning started with a scrumptious breakfast at our hotel before navigating through the bustling and chaotic Delhi traffic. Luckily we decided to leave early so missed a lot of it. The sheer energy and life force of India left some flabbergasted but it’s also an amazing sight to witness and be a part of. All the different sights, smells, chaotic driving and livestock in the road make India what it is and ensures an interesting, and at times nerve-wracking, drive. Our local driver was excellent and within a few minutes, we all knew we were in good hands and could relax and take it all in.

We made our way north towards Jim Corbett National Park and on the way enjoyed sightings of hundreds of Black Kite, House Crow, Indian Jungle Crow, the beautiful Sarus Crane, Greater Coucal, Red-wattled Lapwing, Shikra and Red-headed Vulture.

We arrived at our accommodation and enjoyed lunch. Some birds in the lodge gardens along the Kosi River included Red-vented and Himalayan Bulbul, White Wagtail, Crimson Sunbird, Plumbeous Water Redstart, River Lapwing, White-throated Kingfisher and Lesser Fish Eagle – some great birding and a good first taste of Northern India for our guests. We enjoyed a lovely mustard chicken and roti lunch before heading out to a known spot to try for the special Ibisbill and Wallcreeper.

Luck was on our side and within a few minutes, we had our eyes on the stunning Ibisbill, offering spectacular views and photo opportunities. We then scanned the area and after some searching saw another special bird, the enigmatic Wallcreeper. Other good birds seen in the area included Crested Kingfisher, White-capped Redstart, Western Yellow Wagtail, Plumbeous Water Redstart, White-browed Wagtail and Little Pied Flycatcher.

We made our way back to our accommodation as the light was fading and freshened up before dinner. We enjoyed a lovely meal together, chatting about our great start to the trip, catching up on news (as this is the fourth trip these clients have enjoyed with us) and completed our lists. We enjoyed watching a short film about the legacy and history of Jim Corbett and the National Park and then headed off to bed after an exciting first day.

Day 2:
Jim Corbett National Park
A slight lie-in was enjoyed this morning before a pre-breakfast walk around the lodge grounds. We enjoyed some good birds and got some great photo opportunities. Highlights included a stunning male Crimson Sunbird, Indian White-eyes, Sind Sparrow, Jungle Babblers and Lineated Barbets. We had a tasty breakfast and got ready to meet our local guide and head off into the famous Jim Corbett National Park.

We boarded our open jeep and headed straight for the park, only a short drive away. As soon as we entered the park the bird action began and we enjoyed a great showing of a male Scarlet Minivet and soon after met with some Spotted Deer on the road. As we drove to our night stay in the park at Dikhala Camp we enjoyed sightings of Blue Whistling Thrush, Maroon Oriole, the stunning Kalij Pheasant (a big target for the trip), White-crested Laughingthrush, Himalayan Flameback, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Bronzed Drongo and a stunning Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch in the open. We also enjoyed a few mammal sightings of Tarai Grey Langur (an Old World monkey), Rhesus Macaque, Spotted Deer and Wild Boar. We arrived at our accommodation checked in after a lengthy and humorous check-in and enjoyed lunch before our afternoon safari.

Our afternoon safari in the park was most enjoyable and we started off with a wonderful sighting of a small herd of Asian Elephants (indicus subspecies) close to our accommodation. We also enjoyed a fantastic close-up sighting of Black Francolin soon after the elephants. The birding was great and some of the sightings included the beautiful Blue-bearded Bee-eater, River Tern, Black-throated Thrush, Pallas’s Fish Eagle mobbing a Little Egret and a laughable sighting of a Black-winged Kite chasing and mobbing a Hen Harrier. We also had numerous sightings of Spotted Deer, a nice find of a Hog Deer and an impressive Sambar Deer.

As we moved through the forest and grasslands the birding continued in good fashion and we enjoyed sightings of Long-tailed Shrike, Streak-throated Woodpecker, Red Junglefowl (the only chicken birders can tick!), Blue throated and Brown-headed Barbet, Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker, Lesser Coucal and ending the day off with a mixed flock of stunning birds which included Long-tailed Minivets, Grey-headed Canary-flycatchers, White-throated and Yellow-bellied Fantails – what a way to end our first day in Corbett. We freshened up, chatted about the day’s sightings and completed our lists before enjoying another wonderful meal. One just can’t get enough of tasty Indian food, especially the Naan.

A good night’s rest was enjoyed, dreaming about the day’s birding and the white and orange jungle cat that we are hoping to see.

Day 3:
Corbett National Park
The day got off to an early start with coffee and biscuits before heading out on our morning safari in the park. With tiger being on everyone’s mind we headed for an area where a mother and three cubs had been seen the previous day. We enjoyed some good birding along the way with highlights being Slaty-headed Parakeet, Common Kingfisher, Crested Serpent Eagle, Red-headed Vulture, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker and a stunning Common Rosefinch.

We arrived at a clearing along the Chambal River where we heard Spotted Deer calling and scanned in the hope of seeing the female tiger with cubs was. After a good amount of time, we, unfortunately, could not locate the tiger. We did enjoy sightings of Asian Elephants, Hog Deer and Barking Deer.

Soon we were on the move again, searching for more avian gems and enjoyed sightings of Brown Fish Owl, Hume’s Bush Warbler, Mountain Hawk Eagle, Himalayan Swiftlet and some great views of Kalij Pheasant. We got word that the tiger had been seen where we had been looking earlier and our driver put the pedal to the metal and headed for the sighting. With us all holding on and enjoying the excitement of the chase we arrived at the spot and with some careful scanning, we enjoyed some great views of not one but four Tigers walking, stalking and playing in the open plains! It was the mother and her three sub-adult cubs – what an incredible sighting! It’s a surreal experience to see this amazing large cat moving and walking through the plains with the mist rising above the river. After enjoying their antics for a while we had to head off for breakfast, but little did we know what was in store for us over breakfast.

We enjoyed a lovely warm drink and breakfast chatting about our wonderful morning when we got called to the viewing area in front of our accommodation. Can you believe it, right in front of our breakfast area we had the Tigers in the open feeding on a kill – what a view at breakfast! We proceeded to watch and enjoy the Tigers for well over an hour and obtained amazing views with them stalking Spotted Deer, walking in the open and the cubs playing. The birding was also pretty good, with us seeing Black-necked Stork, Great Stone-curlew, Slaty-blue Flycatcher, Asian Koel, Eurasian Teal and Common Redshank. We enjoyed a slight break and lunch before heading out on our afternoon safari.

Our afternoon safari was just as exciting as the morning and we enjoyed some great birding. Highlights included Ashy Bulbul, Green Sandpiper, Greater Flameback, Grey-breasted and Plain Prinia, Common Tailorbird and the stunning Common Green Magpie. We also enjoyed a close-up sighting of Golden Jackal which was a new mammal enjoyed by all. We enjoyed a warm drink overlooking the lake to warm up before dinner.
Another wonderful meal was enjoyed as we chatted about our amazing day with the regal and iconic Tigers. We completed our lists and celebrated a few good mammal and bird lifers. It’s always enjoyable guiding repeat guests who have become close friends and we get to share an amazing day like today in nature. A good night’s rest was on the cards as tomorrow we would have another early start. On the way to bed, we enjoyed a sighting of Jungle Cat along the fence of the camp – what a way to end the day!

Day 4:
Corbett National Park to Nainital
We started our morning nice and early for our last drive in Corbett.  The morning was cold with the mist rising over the Ramganga River.  The day started off slow but we did enjoy some great birds and some wonderful scenery in the brilliant light once the fog lifted. Some of the birds we enjoyed included Red Avadavat, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Common Iora, Common Woodshrike, Jungle Owlet, Himalayan Flamback, Tawny Fish Owl and a stunning Blue-bearded Bee-eater. We were also treated with sightings of the common deer as we made our way out of the park.

We made our way slightly up the Kosi River to target the Brown Dipper and enjoyed great views of this incredible bird moving along the river.  We made our way to higher altitudes and could feel the cold gripping tighter. The drive up to Nainital was incredibly scenic and we enjoyed a wonderful sighting of Red-billed Blue Magpie on the drive.

As we climbed up to an altitude of over 2,000m above sea level we could see snow on the mountains as we arrived at our amazing and comfortable accommodation to a warm chai tea. We all freshened up and enjoyed some red wine with a traditional warm home-cooked meal while completing our lists.   The temperature dropping to -2 degrees Celsius was an indication that our time in the foothills of the Himalayas would be cold.

Day 5:
Nainital and Pangot
We started the day with an early morning so we could climb up to the Pangot area and target some of the specials in the area. Our first port of call was the famous Cheer Pheasant point. 

The Nainital area had recently experienced the most snowfall the town had seen for 30 years and as we made our way up the mountain pass from the town we reached fresh snow from the previous night – not a common occurrence on our Northern India trips. We enjoyed a very exciting sighting of a Leopard Cat on the drive up – a new mammal lifer for all in the group and a great start to the day.  We also enjoyed a brief sighting of Koklass Pheasant on the road which turned out to be the only one for the day.

Sometimes, not everything goes according to plan, and this morning Mother Nature had other ideas for us. With the high snowfall from last night, the road had become impassable to drive and we had to turn around and revert to plan B. Our local driver had never seen snow on this mountain pass in his 17 years of coming here! Luckily our guests took things in their stride and we enjoyed a walk in the winter wonderland. We all took photos of the snow, played in the snow and even had a snow fight.  We had some spectacular open clear views on the mighty Himalayas – a treat in itself and one does not often get to have breakfast looking at these iconic mountains. We enjoyed some cracking views on a male Cheer Pheasant – what a special bird!

We continued birding the many pathways and forests above Pangot and some of the top birds included Streaked and White-throated Laughingthrush, Rosy Pipit, Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Rufous Sibia and some great raptor action which included Griffon Vulture, Himalayan Vulture and Steppe Eagle.  We also enjoyed a sighting of Ghorial – another good mammal for the trip.

We were rewarded with a bird party just before lunch with sightings of Black-throated Bushtit, Grey-hooded Warbler, White-tailed Nuthatch, Bar-tailed Treecreeper, Coal Tit, Himalayan Black-lored Tit and Green-backed Tit;  some exciting flock birding and enjoyed by our guests as a lot of these birds were lifers and new families for them. We also had a sighting of Red-fronted Serin before lunch – what a beautiful bird.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and warm drink and our lunchtime entertainment was watching the Eurasian and Black-headed Jays taking a bath in the bird bath. A good lunch indeed!

As we continued making our way down from Pangot, highlights for the afternoon included White-collared and Grey-Winged Blackbird, Himalayan Bluetail, Buff-barred Warbler, Blue-fronted Redstart and Rufous-bellied Woodpecker.

We enjoyed a final view of the mighty Himalayas in the orange light of sunset and made our way down to Nainital to our accommodation for a warm shower, warm drink and some downtime before dinner. We ended our day with another great meal and chats about our interesting and exciting day birding in the snow.

Day 6:
Nainital and Sattal
Today we are making our way further east to Sattal while enjoying some forest and lower elevation birding in the area. 

Our first stop for the morning was at a spot just below the town of Sattal known for its forktails as we had missed them outside of Corbett. Luck was on our side and we managed to get great views and photographs of all three species of forktail found in the area: Little, Slaty-backed and Spotted Forktail. This was a great start to the day! We enjoyed some great general birding with highlights being Great Barbet (rounding off all the barbets for the trip), Small Niltava, Black Bulbul, Whistler’s Warbler, Lemon-rumped Warbler, Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Black-chinned Babbler and a great close up sighting of Brown Dipper fishing. We enjoyed our breakfast along the river and even had a Shikra join us. Just as we left our breakfast spot we had brief views on Fire-breasted Flowerpecker.

As we walked the numerous trails in the area around Sattal we continued to enjoy the birding on offer, some of the highlights included Grey-headed Woodpecker, Slaty-headed Parakeet, Grey Bushchat, Russet Sparrow, Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Lesser Yellownape and Black Redstart. A short walk around a small lake before lunch was very rewarding as we got onto a bird party and this rewarded us with views of Greater Yellownape, Striated Laughingthrush, Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Green-backed Tit, Maroon Oriole and Grey-sided Bush Warbler.

We enjoyed a break with lunch in Sattal and one of our guests managed to find some good quality fabric that she liked. It’s was a funny sight to be having lunch and a herd of cattle just wandering through the restaurant on the way to the lake – only in incredible India!

After lunch we headed to an area just north of the town to try and target a few species we had not seen yet. The birding at first was rather slow but with patience and perseverance, we enjoyed some good birds. Some of the species seen included Himalayan Bluetail, a flock of stunning Red-billed Leiothrix, Grey Wagtail, Common Kingfisher, and brief views of Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler.

With the sun setting and the temperature dropping, we made our way back to our accommodation in Nainital. With a brief stop at the local market for some craft shopping we also got to watch the local cricket team in action. India is really passionate about cricket and every little village has at least one full-size cricket pitch where the locals hone their skills. Back at our accommodation, a warm drink was enjoyed and we warmed up and freshened up before dinner.

Dinner conversation was an interesting chat with our hosts about the local traditions, the snowfall and learning more about India and the local area.  The accommodation we are staying at is an old Victorian house that had been restored to its original form with a lovely homely feel.

Day 7:
Nainital to Delhi
A slight lie-in was enjoyed before heading back south towards the busy and chaotic Delhi. We said our goodbyes to our new friends at our accommodation and made our way to a local forest patch to see what birds we could pick up. The morning was bitterly cold and it took some time for the birds to appear but we had an exceptional sighting of Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler that showed off well, joined by a Grey Treepie. Other great birds for the morning included Griffon Vultures, Blue-capped Redstart, Nepal House Martin, Yellow-breasted Greenfinch, the beautiful Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush and a very cooperative Jungle Owlet that sat and posed for us.

After breakfast and of course some Chai tea we said goodbye to our local guide and headed for Delhi. We navigated the multiple towns along the way and took in the bustle, hooting, chaos and noise that is India. Roadside birds included Greater Coucal, Black Kite, Black Drongo, Bank Myna, and Indian Pond Heron. Lunch was enjoyed at a local spot on the way where we had some of the best Chai tea and curry of the trip.

It was a welcome sight to get out of the chaos of Delhi and arrive at our accommodation to freshen up and enjoy dinner.  We caught up on our listing before heading off to get a well-deserved night’s rest.

Day 8:
Delhi to Bharatpur and visit the Taj Mahal
One of the most anticipated days of the tour had arrived – a visit to arguably one of the world’s most famous man made structures – the impressive Taj Mahal. It is a symbol of India’s rich history, a member of the New7Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for our guests, this was a sight they had wanted to see for a long time.

We made our way towards Agra with a stop at the Sur Sarovar Bird Sanctuary. This is a small but very important protected area just outside Bharatpur with lots of great birds on offer to see. Some of the highlights included Indian Spot-billed Duck, Common Snipe, Gadwall, Great White Pelican, Red-breasted Flycatcher, a nice find of Verditer Flycatcher, Red-naped Ibis, Greenish Warbler, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Oriental Darter and Olive-backed Pipit. We also enjoyed two great reptile sightings in the form of Indian Rock Python and Rat Snake.

We enjoyed a tasty lunch in Agra close to the famous landmark and then met our local guide to head for the Taj Mahal. We weaved our way through the crowds enjoying a tuk-tuk ride and soon we found ourselves looking at the special white marble of the Taj Mahal. The sight of the Taj, as you walk through the entrance, takes your breath away and the sheer beauty and magnificence is something words can’t describe. Our local guide was an absolute fundi on the Taj and it was most enjoyable to learn all about the construction and meaning of this impressive building – known as the monument to true love. We enjoyed our time at the Taj and took the mandatory pictures before moving onto some shopping and onto Bharatpur. The Taj offers some good birding, especially along the Yamuna River behind the Taj, birds seen included River Lapwing, Painted Stork, Rosy Starling, Pied Myna, Gull-billed Tern, Rose-Ringed Parakeet and Egyptian Vulture.

We enjoyed a brief tour of one of the world’s original Jali (stone tracery) workshops. This decorative art of stone tracery was introduced at Agra on a large scale by the Mughal rulers during the medieval period and the men working in the workshop are descendants of these very people. Their forefathers were involved in the construction of the Taj. Agra in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its two forms of stone cutter’s craft, one being the Jali work or stone tracery which is carved out from a single piece of marble and other being the Parchin kari, the art of inlaying the precious and semi-precious stones in marble. Visiting this place was very interesting and really made for an added bonus to the day. Our local host showed us using the marble how the Taj looks during different parts of the year and our guests also managed to find a piece to take home.

We had an uneventful drive to our accommodation near Bharatpur and settled in and enjoyed some great Indian cuisine as we reflected on an amazing day in incredible India. 

Day 9:
Bharatpur / Chambal River day trip
This morning we enjoyed a slightly later start before a relaxed breakfast. We enjoyed sightings of Greater Coucal, Indian Peafowl, Red-breasted Flycatcher and Jungle Babbler at breakfast. We made our way to the Chambal River – a river of legend and mystery that is mentioned in many ancient scriptures. It is considered pollution-free and hosts a dazzling array of fauna, including the critically endangered Ganges River Dolphin and Gharial Crocodile.

With our local guide’s good spotting we enjoyed some great birding with highlights being Crested Lark, Tawny Pipit, Tree Pipit, Large Grey Babbler, Greater Short-toed Lark, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Eurasian Spoonbill, Citrine Wagtail and a great sighting of the sought after Indian Courser. Wow what a way to start the morning!

We arrived at the Chambal River and climbed aboard our boat which was such a smooth and peaceful mode of transport. The birding kicked off to a great start with us enjoying a great sighting of Indian Skimmer perched on a sandbank – this was a major target for the trip. Other great sightings included Long-legged Buzzard, Little Ringed Plover, River Tern, Laggar Falcon, Spotted Owlet, Kentish Plover, Peregrine Falcon and we ended the trip off with a close of sighting of the sought after Black-bellied Tern. As we enjoyed our lunch we had fly-by sightings of the Indian Skimmers and a Desert Wheatear come by looking for scraps.

We decided to make our way for the Bayan Mountains in search of the Indian Vulture as this is the last breeding spot for the species in Northern India and one of our guests really enjoys his raptors. We made some scheduled stops on the way to target birds we had not seen and had great luck with Pallas’s Gull and the sought after Dalmatian Pelican – two great birds for the trip. Other highlights included Bronze-winged Jacana, Cotton Pygmy Goose, Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Red-Crested Pochard, Indian Roller, Eurasian Spoonbill and Citrine Wagtail.

We arrived at the Indian Vulture breeding site along the Bayan Mountains and within a few minutes, we had great views of theses critically endangered vultures. This really excited the group and was enjoyed by all. With the sun setting below the mountain we headed back to our accommodation in Bharatpur and freshened up for dinner.

We enjoyed delicious Indian cuisine for dinner.  Our guests were especially happy as they had seen a good number of new birds and new families on the trip up to this point.  

Day 10:
Bharatpur & Keoladeo National Park
We had a nice early start so we could get into the world-famous Keoladeo National Park. This National Park is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and no Northern India birding trip is complete without a visit to this amazing wetland park. 

Keoladeo National Park, in the city of Bharatpur, was once the duck-hunting forest of the local maharajas but was declared a protected sanctuary in 1971. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to many mammals and reptiles, but birds, especially waterbirds, are the main attraction. The peace and tranquillity of the park and the fantastic morning and evening light made for a great day which we all enjoyed – this was one of the highlights of the trip. Some of the exciting birds we saw included Grey Francolin, White-eared Bulbul, Indian Robin, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Tailorbird, Ashy Prinia, Common Babbler, Bluethroat, Common Hawk-cuckoo, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Indian Silverbill, Black-rumped Flameback posing beautifully, Indian Golden Oriole, Bay-backed Shrike, Purple Sunbird, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Pied Bush Chat, cracking views on Dusky Eagle-Owl and a great sighting of Indian Scops Owl on a roost.

The sheer number of waterbirds and diversity of Keoladeo is just spectacular and we also enjoyed sightings of White-breasted Waterhen, thousands of Eurasian Coots and Common Moorhens, a special sighting of Greater Painted Snipe which we all loved, Green Sandpiper, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Black-necked Stork, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Ferruginous Duck, Greylag Goose, Black Bitten (a target for the day and a special bird). We also had a real good raptor day with us seeing Egyptian and Griffon Vulture, Indian Spotted, Steppe, Booted and Bonelli’s Eagle and Eastern Marsh Harrier.

We thoroughly enjoyed the day in the park and with the sun setting and the group in high spirits we headed back to our accommodation for the evening.

We completed our long and satisfying list before enjoying some relaxing time chatting about the plans for our upcoming days in world-famous Ranthambore.

Day 11:
Bharatpur to Ranthambore
We had an early start this morning so we could make the long drive to the famous Tiger reserve of Ranthambore for our afternoon jeep safari. With packed breakfast in hand, we hit the road.

We arrived safely at our accommodation just outside Ranthambore National Park. We checked in and enjoyed a scrumptious lunch before making our way into Ranthambore for our first safari.

The afternoon in Ranthambore in Zone 8 was slightly quiet on the Tiger front but we did enjoy some good birding, with us seeing Sulphur-bellied Warbler, Barred Buttonquil, Painted Sandgrouse, Crested Honey Buzzard and Indian Roller. We also enjoyed sightings of Spotted Deer, Wild Boar, Nilgai, Sambar Deer and Ruddy Mongoose. Zone 8 offers some fabulous views over the valley and we enjoyed these views as we bumped around in the back of our safari jeep.

With the park closing, we headed for the gates and back to our accommodation to freshen up, wash the dust off and enjoy dinner.  Our lovely host, Patrick ensured all was in order for our next few drives in Ranthambore. On the way to our rooms, we got great sights of the resident Spotted Owlet.

Day 12 & 13:
Ranthambore National Park
Our two full days in the park included morning and afternoon drives in the park with us spending time in zones 10, 4, 7 and 5. The bumpy and dusty roads make for a true safari experience and one can only laugh at the madness that is tiger chasing in India. All in all, we had an incredible time in Ranthambore and saw some great birds and mammals. The scenery of the park is spectacular and we got to experience a few different habitats among the different zones.

Of course, the big striped cat, the (Bengal) Tiger is the main attraction to this park and seeing one of these large majestic cats in the wild is high up on any wildlife enthusiast’s wishlist. We got lucky and on our second afternoon in the park in zone 4 we were alerted to a Tiger sighting. We had an incredible sighting of a female Tiger and sub-adult cub lying next to a Sambar Deer that the female had killed. We got great views of the two striped cats, and watching these beautiful cats at in their natural habitat was a breathtaking experience that will stay with us for a long time. It’s so rewarding to see the conservation efforts in India are working.

Ranthambore is well known for its diversity and although the Tiger was the only cat we saw we did enjoy multiple sightings of Spotted Deer, Nilgai, Sambar Deer, Golden Jackal, Indian Gazelle and Wild Boar.

The birding was also great and some of the avian highlights included Black Redstart, Painted Spurfowl, White-bellied Drongo, Southern Grey Shrike, Alexandrine Parakeet, White-naped Woodpecker, Crested Serpent Eagle, a surprising Indian Paradise Flycatcher, Isabelline Wheatear, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Yellow-throated Sparrow, Crested Bunting, Indian, Griffon and Red-headed Vulture, Crested Serpent Eagle, a special sighting and personal highlight of Jungle Bush Quail in the open, Black Stork and a great sighting of Dusky Eagle-Owl.

We enjoyed the hospitality at our accommodation and really had a great time in the area. An afternoon shopping at the local ladies craft centre was a highlight for one of our guests. The great Indian cuisine and our wonderful accommodation just made for an even better end to a great birding trip of India.

Day 14:
Final birding and return to Delhi for departure
Our final morning on tour started with us doing our last drive in Ranthambore, this time in Zone 4. We tried our luck at locating a Tiger but despite numerous alarm calls from the Sambar Deer just did not have any luck. We enjoyed sightings of the common game and birding highlights included Spotted Owlet posing for pictures and an Indian Scops Owl in a nest hole posing beautifully. We enjoyed breakfast, said our goodbyes to the wonderful staff at Tiger Den and hit the road for Delhi.

The 8-hour journey was uneventful and we caught up on sleep, completed our lists and chatted about our great time in India.  Roadside birding included Black Kite, Common Kestrel, Black-winged Kite and Black Drongo.

We arrived at our accommodation close to the airport, enjoyed a good warm shower to get rid of all the dust from Ranthambore and enjoyed our last meal together before taking early morning flights back home from a wonderful birding adventure in Northern India.

It’s always sad saying goodbye, especially when it’s been such a successful and enjoyable trip. I can’t wait for our next tour to “Incredible India” to enjoy the country’s amazing birds, people, food, culture, beauty and wildlife.

To get more info on of this Northern India Birding Tour or to enquire about a booking, get in touch with our expert team on info@naturetravelbirding.com.