Bombay Mix

From Ranthabhore we got yet another train down to the metropolis of Mumbai, where we had to wait for a day until our next train. We spent most of it bumming around the city doing touristy things.

JP sampling the local cuisine














Me blending in with the locals at the famous "Gateway of India"




















JP getting blessed by some bloke claiming to be a holy man




The same bloke then blessed me (how kind of him).
Needless to say, that dot thing that he put on my forehead (I think they call them tikkas over there) got rubbed off straight away, i'm all for embracing the culture and all that, but walking round with that thing on would just have been taking the piss.


And then we headed down to the beaches of Goa, reeeaaayyy!!

The long haul South

From Corbett we begun the long journey South to Goa. Starting with an afternoon in the transport hub town for Corbett- Ramnagar, then an overnight train down to Delhi, a quick train down to Agra to tick off the Taj Mahal, then another train on to Ranthmabhore NP, all in the same day.


Plumbeous Water Redstart female

















Small Minivet
















JP showing a total lack of respect at one of the seven wonders of the world. Note: we didnt have the time (or the money) to take a tour inside the Taj complex, so we opted for a quick look and some record shots from the opposite bank of the river




Nilgai Antelope. When this thing bolted out of the scrub in front of us we didnt have a clue what it was. Some wierd combination of horse/deer/giraffe! A true "what the fuck is that!!!" moment

Black-shouldered Kite















alboides White Wagtail















Greater Coucal














Crested Serpent Eagle















Indian Pond Heron












Long-billed Pipit

Yesterdays Storm

Although it was nowhere near as savage as the media had told us it would be, the storm that struck Southern England yestarday was still pretty impressive. These shots were taken down at Portand Bill, the camera in one hand and clinging onto any available post or building with the other.
And yes, I did get totally drenched in the process.

Corbett part 2

The last set of pictures from Corbett National Park;





Scaly-bellied Woodpecker













Wild Boar, taken from a moving elephant, not as easy as it sounds.

Irreverant, moi?
A bust of the legendary Jim Corbett, who set up the park way back when.

Lineated Barbet












Golden Mahaveer, and Black Mahaveer. If they did fish and chips in india, I would want one of them!!! with mushy peas of course




Pallas's Fish Eagle






River Lapwing, again taken from a moving elephant
Sunrise over the grassland banks of the Ramganga River


The other elephant that was with us on our morning safari




















Gharial Crocodile ,showing its amazing long snout, ideal for catching those Mahaveer


Nature truly is raw in tooth and claw! This Spotted Deer fawn was still struggling as the Golden Jackal hauled it into the elephant grass

Elvis isn't dead!!!
Himalayan Bulbuls surely have the funkiest hairstyles of any bird.

Siberian Chiffchaff

While I was doing the usual early morning walk on Portland today, Graham and Duncan Walbridge went down to Radipole to get a look at yesterdays Siberian chiffchaff. The bird wasn't showing as well as it was yesterday and the weather was pretty grotty but Duncan managed to get a few photos of it, which he's kindly allowed me to use here;



This shot shows the 'buffy' supercillium fairly well, and also the buffy-white underparts.

















You can just about see the 'greyish-buff' tone to the crown, nape and ear coverts here. The bright green fringes to the flight feathers are just visible. these are more obvious than on most tristis but well within expected variation.


Of course, the main thing that I can't show here is the call. Graham and Duncan heard the bird calling frequently this morning and agreed that it was bang on for tristis.

You may have noticed that the brief description I wrote on here last night was pretty shit. On seeing the bird I just thought 'oh, thats a Siberian Chiffchaff, how nice' and didnt really think about taking notes. Then, this morning I flicked through this months BB down the Obs and saw the articles about how important it is to take good notes on this species, particularly with regards to colour tone, oops.
Anyway, i'm going into Weymouth later this afternoon to see if the Caspian Gull shows up at Radipole before going off to roost (it was seen in Weymouth Bay this morning). So i'll have another look for the chiffchaff and try and take a few more photos.

Corbett NP

From Nainital we descended to Corbett National Park, where we spent a few days. As expected, the park was teeming with all sorts of fantastic wildlife. Heres a few shots to start with



Slaty-headed Parakeet
















Jungle Cat, not the big cat we were hoping for, but still a fine looking creature







































Marsh Mugger Crocodile, one of two species of crocodile in the park













Plum-headed Parakeet
















Pied Kingfisher
















Alpine Swift
















Black Stork

















Changeable Hawk-eagle

















Grey-capped Pygmy-woodpecker



















The theiving little git of a Macacque that tried to pinch our crisps
















Highlight of the days birding in South Dorset today for me was a Siberian Chiffchaff that I found at Radipole Lake RSPB. I had been doing a bit of shopping in Weymouth and decided to nip in and try to re-locate last weeks Caspian Gull (no joy on that front unfortunately)
The bird showed very well in willows on the buddeia loop near the viewing pagoda/hide thingy. A typical tristis, greyish upperparts, whitish underneath, with narrow green edges to the primaries and the inner tail feathers. A bit of gentle pishing coaxed it into calling a few times, a short, flat 'heet', identical to the birds i've been listening to in India for the last 2 months, as well as the birds that hung around for ages near Portland Bird Obs last Autumn and Winter.
The bird was showing so well that I rushed back home to grab the camera, but on return it was no-where to be seen, only a colybitta on the other side of the loop. Apparently though, some of the reserve staff managed to see it while I was away.
Not quite a rarity, but still a nice find.

First India pictures

From Chitwan we took what we now refer to as "the bus journey from hell" to Mahendranagr on the Indian border, after a surprisingly smooth crossover we took a share-jeep taxi up to Nainital, back up in the moutains.
The weather was pleasantly clear and warm when we arrived. Afte checking in at a hotel we popped into an internet cafe, came out an hour later to find the town in chaos and under a foot of snow, and it was till falling, very heavily. It just goes to show how quickly the weather can change up there. The snow was very welcome from a birding point of view, as it forced a lot of good birds down into the parks and gardens of the town.


Streaked
Laughing-
thrush












Spot-winged Tit














White-tailed Nuthatch














Buff-barred Warbler















Black-hooded Oriole














Black-throated Tit














Grey-hooded Warbler














Us in the snow at Nainital
















Highlight of the mornings birding at Portland today was a Balearic Shearwater west past The Bill, the first island record for March, meaning that they have been recorded in every month of the year on the island. Surely there cant be many other sites in the country who can boast that!!
In other news, i've been offered the job from Birdwatch Ireland that I mentioned a few posts back. So i'll be helping to warden Ireland's largest Little Tern colony, down at Kilcoole in Co. Wicklow for the summer. Should be good!