Starting with a few days at Bharatpur. Now that there are cycle rickshaws and guides for the park, I decided to hire one of them for the day to get a few difficult species, well worth while as they only charge 8 quid for the whole day - and my guide did very well indeed at finding stuff. First up on his challenge was to find me a Dusky Eagle Owl, no problem, we just went to an active nest viewable from the cycle way. Although you could see the bird sitting quite easily, there was no chance of any photos as the nest was about 300 metres away through a tangle of branches. Next up was Large-tailed Nightjar and after 2 hours walking the forest edge in 30 degree heat, finally flushed one for a brief flight view and then nailed it on the deck for some crippling views. And the final challenge that I set my guide - Black Bittern - near impossible, but no, after some 90 minutes of searching manages to find one less than 10 feet away from the path in a tangle of waterside branches.
The bits in between were spent just enjoying being out and about and seeing some daylight for a change.
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| Large-tailed Nightjar |
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| Long-tailed Shrike |
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| Lesser Whistling Ducks |
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| Rufous Freepie |
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| Spotted Owlets |
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| Black Bittern - showing well ! |
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| Indian Soft Shell Turtle |
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| ....and some Snakes |
