My Indian trip from December 25th 2013 until January 6th 2014 contained two parts. The first week I visited Golden Triangle and second week I was in Goa. During the trip I photographed about 150 species of birds, 80 species in Golden Triangle and 100 species in Goa, but only 30 species were photographed in both places. The total number of lifers is 69. About half of all photographed birds! Moreover, 9 families and 2 orders (Trogans and Parrots) became the lifers to me. [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

In Goa I and my wife together rested seven days from December 31, 2013 to January 6th, 2014. Mainly we sunbathed on beach therefore I watched birds at odd times only. Nevertheless I photographed more than 60 birds’ species even within the hotel territory (Majora Hotel) and in adjacent areas. Over hotel area I had opportunity to watch and photograph birds only at 3 days: December 31st. In the program “ One Day in Goa” we visited Dudhsagar waterfall, the spices plantation, Old Goa churches and Hindu temples. January 2nd. In the boat excursion by Mandovi river and visiting Carambolim lake. January 4th. One only special birding day. I visited the rice fields and Bondla Park. During the Goa vacation I photographed more than 100 species of birds in total. For now I uploaded to site exactly 100 species but some birds are unidentified and I didn’t sort all photos I shot. So I can’t tell the exact number of photographed species. In my opinion the most interesting birding [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

In the earlier morning we went from Agra to the New Delhi airport. It was very hard to observe birds from the bus because we moved by high-speed road and weather was foggy. I saw mostly common birds. There were a lot of Drongos, I counted 16 Drongos. Before today I watched one only Large-billed Crow in Keoladeo Ghana National Park, but quite a few Crows during the road. Only 2 masked Wagtails and one Hoopoe were the new species to trip-list. Also I thought that I saw 2 flying Painted Storks and one Red-naped Ibis, but I am not sure therefore not include them to the trip-list. From New Delhi we flew to Goa. So, during the Golden Triangle voyage I photographed about 80 species of birds including 31 first-ever observed birds. [...... read more ]

In the morning we visited the famous Taj Mahal. After observing of mausoleum I watched the birds. On the river I saw Great Cormorants, Grey Heron, dozens of Ruddy Shelducks and Pallas’s Gull. In the park near mausoleum in addition to common birds I recorded Cattle Egrets, Black-shouldered Kite, Yellow-footed Pigeon, Indian Gray Hornbill, Brown-headed Barbet, Rufous Treepie, Black Redstart, Common Chiffchaff, Hume’s Leaf Warbler, Red-breasted Flycatcher. Male of Gray-headed Canary-Flycatcher was singing a song. At once Booted Eagle flew by. Next point was Itmad-ud-Daula’s tomb. This spot birds: Little and Great Cormorants, Grey Heron, Green Sandpiper, dozens of Ruffs and Black-winged Stilts, Pied Avocets, unknown to me Tern, White and White-browed Wagtails; and Black Drongo in the park.During our visiting the Agra Fort some Egyptian Vultures soared over us.At evening time I walked near the hotel. It addition to common city birds I saw Cattle Egrets, Indian Pond Herons, Black-shouldered [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

In the morning we went from Jaipur to Agra. On the way I recorded mostly common birds: Cattle Egrets, Indian Pond Herons, Black-shouldered Kites, Red-wattled Lapwings, Rock Pigeons, Laughing and Collared Doves, Rose-ringed Parakeets, Indian Rollers, White-throated Kingfishers, House Crows, Jungle Babblers, Long-tailed Shrikes, Pied Starlings, Bank Mynas. Some birds were not identified: Swallows, Bee-eaters, couple of Partridges. One Egyptian Vulture in Bharatpur. Keoladeo Ghana National Park was not in tour program. But I had heard a lot about this Park, therefore I visited it exactly. Park is a little wildlife island in the agricultural landscape. I was here only two hours (from 14 to 16 hours, not best time to birding), but during this short-time visiting I recorded 41 birds species including 9 Lifers. This spot exactly needs more attention to birding. At Fatehpur I watched Indian Chat the new species to me. To Agra we arrived at night time. [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

At 6 am I left hotel to walk and birding. At the first I spotted Rose-ringed Parakeet. But right this moment I noticed the uncharged battery in camera. So I had to go back to the room. Excursion to Amber Fort. In the park of Amber Fort the Common and Bank Mynas were recorded, Collared Doves flew to watering in fountain. On the stony slope I watched birds look like a Variable Wheatear, but I was not sure to add them to trip-list. There was Ashy Prinia in slope bushes. In Fort’s pond there were four Little Grebes, Moorhen, Red-wattled Lapwings, Black-winged Stilts, White-browed Wagtail. On Man Sagar Lake I recorded some Indian Pond Herons and Little Egrets, about two dozens of Great Cormorant, House Crows, House Sparrows, Red-wattled Lapwings. In the city a lot of Rock Pigeons (all birds in “wild” plumage); Collared and Laughing Doves, Common and Bank Mynas, House Crow, Black Kite, House Sparrow, Rose-ringed Parakeet are usual birds. I saw also Swifts and Swallows but couldn't [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

The mornings walk near the hotel (Regent Hotel). Probably Rose-ringed Parakeet is commonest bird in this area. I tried to find Alexandrine Parakeet, sometimes I thought I saw it but I wasn’t sure. The rest birds I saw in previous day: House Crow, Laughing and Collared Doves, Common Myna, Black Kite. New birds: Red-vented and Red-whiskered Bulbuls, Brown-headed Barbet. Then we were on organized tour by the historical monuments of New Delhi. No new birds during the excursions. After the lunch we went to Jaipur. The distance between New Delhi and Jaipur is only 280 km, but we were in way about half of day. On the way we had only some stoppings, so I had not opportunity to watch and photograph birds. Nevertheless on the way I recorded Indian Pond Heron, Cattle Egret, Black-shouldered Kite, Rock Pigeon, Laughing and Collared Doves, White-throated Kingfisher, Drongo (not id), House Crow, Streaked Laughingthrush, Common and Bank Mynas, Pied Starling, and also Red-wattled Lapwing and Large [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]

Our journey in India is started. The tour mainly focuses on historical and cultural objects, but I hope to watch birds too. We arrived and accommodated in hotel at after lunch time. We went by taxi to Hamayun tomb until the end of day. The first bird I saw was Common Myna which was a lot around the tomb. Another common bird in this spot is House Crow but it is not Lifer to me too because I watched this bird in Malaysia. There were a lot of Black Kites in the sky. The first Lifer in India to me was Streaked Laughingthrush, one of the commonest Indian birds as I know later. The next Lifer was Common Peacock. It’s quite a strange to watch this bird in the center of megalopolis. Some times I noticed Rose-ringed Parakeets (in my opinion), but the bird I shot was the more rare Alexandrine Parakeet. Later when I view photos I found soaring Woolly-necked Stork among Kites. If I didn’t see Stork probably I didn’t watch other birds of prey among the hundreds of Kites. That’s all birds I recorded [...... read more ]

[more photos ......]