BIRDING TOURS

Kaziranga National Park:

Home to the Great Indian one horned rhinoceros, Kaziranga National Park is one of the best parks in the world. With an area of 860 Sq. Km. (after recent additions) of low lying grasslands, shallow waterbodies & woodlands this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kaziranga is excellent for mammal viewing. The park recently celebrated 100 years of its protected area status. Kaziranga became a Project Tiger recently. There are 86 Royal Bengal Tigers as per 2000 Census. Kaziranga has 70% of the world population of Eastern Swamp Deer and Asiatic Water Buffalos.

Out of 2006 rhinoceros found in Assam 1855 could be found in Kaziranga as per 2006 Census.

Till now 490 species of birds (25 of  them globally threatened) have been recorded at Kaziranga so far & an ardent birder is likely to find more.

Kaziranga is the most visited birding area in NE India & for a birder it has been a memorable experience where one comes across innumerable species within a few hours of birding.

Interesting species:   Bengal Florican, Swamp Francolin, White-bellied Heron, Black-necked Stork, Pallas’s & Grey-headed Fish Eagles, Pied Harrier, Spot-winged Starling, Chestnut-capped Babbler, Slender-billed Babbler, Streak-throated, Pale-headed  and Himalayan Flameback woodpeckers, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Black-crested Bulbul, Abbott’s and Puff-throated Babblers, Pale-chinned Flycatcher, Oriental and Great Hornbills, Banded Bay and Drongo Cuckoos, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Kalij Pheasant, Pale-capped Pigeon, Silver-breasted Broadbill, Golden-crested Myna, White-hooded Babbler, Lesser Shortwing, Black-breasted Thrush, Blyth’s Pipits, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Ashy Woodswallow, Common Green Magpie, Thick-billed Warbler, Greater Necklaced and Rufous-necked Laughingthrushes, White-Cheeked Partridge, Blue-naped Pitta etc.

Manas National Park:

Manas  National Park is a tiger reserve and  also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the most fascinating National Parks in India and the home to some rare mammals like the Golden Langur, Hispid Hare and the Pygmy Hog. The Golden Langur, a blond species of the Langurs is more common in forests on the Bhutanese side .The Hispid Hare or Assamese Rabbit is darker brown than the Black- Napped Hare, and is covered in coarse bristly hair.   

The pygmy hog, a small hairy version of the wild boar with a more attenuated snout and rounded rear is found nowhere else in the world. Both the Hispid Hare and the Pygmy Hog inhabit thatch- scrub and grassland and were thought extinct until rediscovered in 1971. Other mammals include Wild Buffalo, Indian Bison, Elephant, Rhino, Tiger, Hog Deer, Sambar, Barking Deer, Swamp Deer, Spotted Deer, Himalayan Bear, Wild Boar, Leopard, and Clouded Leopard etc

Manas has survived decades of insurgency & it was recently re opened to visitors. But the Great Indian One Horned Rhinoceros has become extinct here & researches are on to re introduce the same  in the near future. Consisting of grassland, dry and moist deciduous & also rain forests, Manas has an area of 520 sq km & with the Bhutanese govt. protecting the Bhutanese side of the jungle there is a stretch of about 3500 sq km of protected area on  both sides of the border.

Manas has recorded 380 species or more birds.

Interesting Species: Swamp Francolin, Bengal Florican, Wreathed, Oriental Pied & Great Hornbills, Collared Falconet, Speckled Piculet, Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Ashy Wood Pigeon, Thick-billed & Orange-breasted Green Pigeons,Pale-capped Pigeon,Barred Cuckoo Dove, Red-headed Trogon, Rosy Minivet, Sultan, Yellow-cheeked and Black-throated Tits, Rufous-vented Laughingthrush, Pied Harrier, Black Francolin, Bengal Bushlark, Chestnut-capped & Striated Babblers, White-tailed Nuthatch, Wallcreeper, Ashy-throated and Grey-hooded Warblers, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Grey and Savanna Nightjars, Ruddy Kingfisher etc.

Nameri National Park:

Covering an area of 200 sq km Nameri National Park, located at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, is the best place to see the very rare & elusive White-winged Wood Duck. Nameri is a project tiger. The sparkling river Jia Bhoroli, which is ideal for rafting and angling, flows down by the National Park adding a unique charm to it. The habitat consists of tropical evergreen, semi evergreen, moist deciduous forests with cane and bamboo brakes and narrow strips of open grassland along rivers. Nameri along with adjacent Pakke & neighbouring  Eaglenest Wild Life Sanctuaries of Western Arunachal protects about 1300 sq.km of great bio-diversity.

The park abounds in tiger, elephant, leopard, clouded leopard, Indian Bison, pangolin, Indian Wild Dog, civet cat, capped langur, jackel, sambar, barking deer etc.

Interesting Bird Species: Black-breasted Thrush, Collared Falconet, Ibisbill, Long-billed Plover, Giant, Rufous-necked & Wreathed Hornbills, Ruddy Kingfisher, White-winged Wood Duck, Wallcreeper, Kalij Pheasant, Green Cochoa, King Vulture, Pallas’s Fish Eagle etc.

Orang National Park:

With an area of 78.80 sq.km, Orang is the last refuge of the Great Indian one horned rhinos on the northern side of the Brahmaputra river. Sixty percent of the park is grassland. The area is a flat land with few depressions. Numerous streams running north to south drain the area which ultimately join the Brahmaputra. The habitat is composed of Eastern Seasonal Swamp Forests, Eastern Himalayan Moist Deciduous Forests, Eastern wet Alluvial Grassland & Khair-Sisoo Forests.

Apart from the rhinos, other species of mammals include Royal Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Elephants, Hog Deer, Barking Deer, Sambar, Wild Boar, Leopard Cat, Hispid Hare, Porcupine etc.

Interesting Bird Species: Bengal Florican, Swamp Francolin, Jerdon’s Bushchat, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Black-necked Stork, Kalij Pheasant, Greater & Lesser Adjutants, Pied Harrier, Great Hornbill, Thick-billed Warbler, White-Cheeked Partridge, King Vulture, Ferruginous Pochard, Finn’s Weaver, Spot-billed Pelican etc.

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park:

Dibru-Saikhowa N.P. Situated in the Dibrugarh & Tinsukia districts of Eastern Assam, is just 13 km. off Tinsukia town.

The 340 sq.km national park consisting of extensive grassland, swamp forest and shallow waterbodies is located in between the mighty Brahmaputra river and the Dibru river.

Famed for the feral horse the park also has mammals like Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Elephant, Sambar, Slow Loris, Asiatic Water Buffalo, Capped Langur, Indian Wild Dog etc. One can see the Gangetic Dolphins in Dibru river.

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded.

Interesting Bird Species: Marsh Babbler, Jerdon’s Babbler, Black-breasted Parrotbill, Rufous-vented or Swamp Prinia, Jerdon’s Bushchat, Pale-capped Pigeon, White-tailed Rubythroat, Black-breasted Thrush, Yellow-bellied Prinia, Mountain Tailorbird, Smoky Warbler, Rosy Minivet, Green Magpie, Ferruginous Flycatcher, Spot-winged Starling, Red-headed Trogon, Sultan Tit, Ruby-cheeked Sunbird, Swamp Francolin, Blyth’s Kingfisher, Bengal Florican, Pied Harrier etc.

Digboi:

Digboi oil field nature reserves around the world’s oldest operating oilfield in Eastern Assam harbour some interesting birds.

The list includes Oriental Hobby, White- cheeked Partridge, Grey Peacock Pheasant, Wreathed Hornbill, Blue-naped Pitta, Collared Treepie, Streaked and Spotted Wren Babblers, Chestnut-backed and Rufous-necked Laughing Thrushes, White-hooded Babbler, Pygmy Blue Flycatcher, White-spectacled and Grey-cheeked Warblers, Black-breasted Thrush, White-winged Wood Duck etc .

Guwahati & Deepor Beel Lake:

Guwahati is the capital of Assam and hub to N.E. India. Beautifully located by the mighty Brahmaputra river, it has a recently declared Wild Life Sanctuary by name of Amchang WLS and 11 reserve forests making the city one of the few concentrations of human habitats in the world with such massive green cover along with wildlife.

The Amchang wildlife sanctuary comprises Amchang, South Amchang and Khanapara reserve forests, spread over 7,864 hectares.

The sanctuary has 44 species of mammals including elephants, leopards, wild dogs and bison. Among birds, it has the lesser and greater adjutant stork, hill myna, kalij pheasant and red jungle fowl amongst others, while the monitor lizard, cobra and the python make up the reptiles.

Guwahati is the best place to have a closer look at the Greater Adjutant Stork from amongst hundreds in a flock. The Greater Adjutant Stork is a highly endangered species. The world population is about 5000, out of which probably about 75% of the birds are found in Assam. Guwahati and its surroundings have about 2000 and more of this species.

Deepor Beel Lake, a proposed bird sanctuary on the outskirt of the city near Assam Engineering College not far away from the airport, is a vast wetland having fluctuating depths of about 04 metres in the monsoons to about 01 metre in the winter. The lake with an area of 40 Sq. Km. is the only Ramsar site in Assam. It was declared a Ramsar site (Wetland of international importance) in 2002. 4.14 Sq. Km. area of the lake has water.

The surrounding agricultural field supports Bengal Bushlark, Ashy Woodswallow, Striated Grassbird, Bluethroat, Richard’s and Blyth’s Pipits etc. The lake has recorded interesting species like the wintering Ferruginous Pochard and Grey-headed Lapwing and the resident Watercock, Cinnamon Bittern, Fulvous Whistling-duck, Greater Painted Snipe, Greater and Lesser Adjutants amongst a host of other species.

Among the raptors  Brahminy Kite, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, White-backed and Long-billed Vultures, Himalayan Griffon, Marsh and Pied Harriers, Steppe, Booted, Spotted and Black Eagles are recorded.

Namdapha National Park:

Namdapha is one of the excellent National Parks in India located in the eastern end of Arunachal bordering Myanmar. Covering an area of about 2000 sq.km, Namdapha is a Project Tiger and it is reputed for harbouring  all the four big Himalayan cats:Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Snow Leopard. With altitudes ranging from 200 mtr to over 4500 mtr (accessible up to 850 mtr), the park has a habitat of tropical, temperate & alpine forests.

Namdapha offers great biodiversity of flora and fauna. There are more than 150 timber species. It is the home of the ‘Abies delavavi’ &  ‘Pinus Merkusi’, which are not found elsewhere in India. It is also home to a wide numbers of Orchids of which ‘ Blue Vanda’ deserves special mention.

Besides, the Park abounds in Elephant, black beer, Indian bison, several species of deer, reptiles & a variety of arboreal animals apart from the  hoolock gibbon --- the only ape species found in India.

Interesting Species: Ibisbill, Long- billed Plover, White-bellied Heron, Crested and Blyth’s Kingfisher, Black-breasted Thrush, Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler, Snowy throated Babbler, Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Pale Blue Flycatcher, Large-billed Leaf Warbler, Lesser Fish Eagle, Sultan Tit, Beautiful Nuthatch, White-naped Yuhina, Great, Wreathed , Rufous-necked and  Brown Hornbills, White-cheeked Partridge, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Blue-naped Pitta, Collared Treepie, Wedge-billed Wren Babbler, Greater and Lesser Rufous-headed Parrotbills, Chestnut-backed Laughingthrush, Rufous-throated Fulvetta, Green Cochoa, Dark-sided Thrush etc.

Pakke Wild Life Sanctuary:

 Pakke Project Tiger is a magnificent Wild Life Sanctuary in Western Arunachal. With an area of 862 sq.km & altitudinal variation of 100-2000m (accessible up to 300 m), it is contiguous with Eagle Nest WLS of Western Arunachal and  Nameri National Park of Assam.

Low land evergreen forest, shingle banks, farmland, & plantations form the vegetation of Pakke.

Interesting Bird Species: : Blue-naped Pitta, Crow-billed Drongo, Daurian Redstart, Emerald Cuckoo,  Grey Peacock-pheasant,  Ibisbill, Jerdon's Baza ,Lesser Shortwing, Leschenault's Forktail, Lesser Necklaced Laughing-thrush, Maroon Oriole, Pied Falconet , Ruby-cheeked Sunbird,  Red-headed Trogon, Sultan Tit, White-bellied Yuhina, White-browed Shortwing , White-cheeked Hill-partridge, Wreathed and Great Hornbills, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher-warbler etc.

Eaglenest Wild Life Sanctuary:

A magnificent wild life sanctuary, Eaglenest is located in the West Kameng district of Western Arunachal with an area of 218 sq.km &  altitudinal variation of 500 m-3200 m from South to North. It is accessible up to its highest point though the motor able road stresses up to 2800 metres. This wild life sanctuary is accessible in the monsoons as well due to its location.

The vegetation consists of   lowland evergreen forest, broad-leaved forest, bamboo, conifers, roadside scrub and farmland.

Interesting Bird Species: Ashy Wood-pigeon, Bay Woodpecker, Beautiful Nuthatch, Black-faced Laughing-thrush ,Blue-fronted Robin,  Beavan's Bullfinch, Brown Bullfinch, Brown-throated Treecreeper, Common Hill-partridge, Coral-billed Scimitar-babbler, Crimson-breasted Pied-woodpecker, Eye-browed Thrush, Golden Bush-robin,  Grey-chinned Minivet , Little Forktail, Pied Falconet, Pale-headed Woodpecker, Rufous-bellied Hawk-eagle,  Rufous-necked Hornbill, Rufous-bellied Bulbul,  Rufous-breasted Bush-robin, Scaly Laughing-thrush, Sultan Tit, Temminck's Tragopan,  Wallcreeper, Chestnut-headed, Grey-bellied and Slaty-bellied Tesias etc.

Western Arunachal Unprotected Forest Areas : 

Spreading over two districts of  Tawang and West Kameng in  Western Arunachal, this area is not part of any protected forest area. Birding is done in the forests on the motorable roads, trekking routes passing through tiny hamlets & also trekking routes leading to monasteries especially in Tawang district where monasteries  are traditionally located on the highest points of a particular area. The area having an altitude  of 1500-4500 m  has a vegetation of dry inner valleys, cultivation, temperate broad-leaved and conifer forests, scrub and alpine meadows.

Interesting species include   : Alpine Accentor, Black-necked Crane , Blood Pheasant, Monal Pheasant, Satyr and Temminck's Tragopans, Long-billed Plover, Ward's Trogon, Eyebrowed Thrush, White-throated Redstart, Slender-billed Scimitar-babbler, Brown-throated Tit-Babbler/Fulvetta, Coal Tit, Rufous-bellied Tit, Rufous-fronted Tit, Eurasian Treecreeper, Fire-tailed Sunbird, Beavan's Bullfinch, Brown Bullfinch, White-winged Grosbeak, Red-billed Chough etc.

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