Rajasthan Taster—Desert and River Birding

Itinerary

Day 1: Delhi to Bikaner

We start with a long (9 hours) drive from Delhi to Bikaner, with some en-route birding.

Day 2: Jorbeer, Bikaner

If you can ignore the stench of rotting cattle carcasses at the Jorbeer Carcass Dump you can enjoy close views of the largest congregations of raptors to be found in India. Hundreds of Himalayan, Eurasian Griffon and Egyptian Vultures gather here, joined by equally large numbers of Steppe Eagles, Black-eared Kites, and smaller numbers of Tawny and Eastern Imperial Eagles, with the chance of something rarer such as White-tailed Eagle or Saker Falcon, both of which have wintered in recent years. It is also fascinating to see birds such as Hoopoes feeding amongst the carcasses. Some of the wetlands nearby should produce close views of Yellow-eyed Pigeons and a selection of waterbirds, and we may find Sind Sparrow. In the evening we should catch large roost flights of Yellow-eyed Pigeons: 3,600 on a recent November visit!

Day 3: Bikaner to Tal Chhapar Sanctuary

After some more birding at Jorbeer and around Bikaner, we then drive to Tal Chhapar where we will have time to explore the small sanctuary in the afternoon.

The grassland sanctuary of Tal Chhapar can be explored by walking and motorable trails. Once the hunting ground of the Maharaja of Bikaner, this small protected area has a large population of Blackbuck, plus some Chinkara, and a very impressive list of great birds. These include Indian Eagle Owl, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, White-eyed Buzzard, Laggar Falcon, Indian Spotted Creeper, Rufous-tailed and Great Grey Shrikes, huge mixed flocks of Greater Short-toed and Bimaculated Larks, and Water and Buff-bellied Pipits.

Day 4: Tal Chhapar to Bharatpur

After some morning birding at Tal Chhapar we take a long drive to Bharatpur. Keoladeo National Park, better known as Bharatpur, has a history of large-scale hunting, but became a World Heritage Site in 1985. One of the most outstanding wetland reserves in Asia, it attracts large numbers of wildfowl, herons, storks, cranes, waders, owls and raptors, after the monsoon has refilled the shallow ‘jheels’.

Day 5: Chambal River and Keoladeo Ghana National Park

Our main target is Indian Skimmer so rather than enter the National Park at Bharatpur, we head south for a boat cruise along the Chambal river, one of India’s cleanest rivers. This is a lovely experience, and we are likely to come up close (but not too close!) with both Marsh Mugger and Gharial crocodiles. Keep your eyes alert for a briefly surfacing Ganges River Dolphin; once widespread through river systems of Nepal, India and Bangladesh, this freshwater dolphin, which is blind and hunts using ultrasonic sounds much like bats, is unfortunately now highly endangered. Spending the whole day in the area, we will do boat rides both morning and evening.

Indian Skimmers and Black-bellied Terns need some luck, but we should also see River Lapwing, Great Thick-knee and a few confusing Pale, Sand or Grey-throated Martins!

Day 6: Bharatpur to Delhi

Following a morning birding in areas outside Keoladeo Ghana National Park, we drive back to Delhi in the afternoon.

Checklist

This checklist is the most accurate and useful checklist available for this area! Read more about our eBird-driven checklists.