Like many wildlife sanctuaries in northern India, Tal Chhapar was once a royal hunting ground, here that of the Maharaja of Bikaner. This small, now protected, area has a large population of Blackbuck and Chinkara, and a very impressive list of birds. These include Indian Eagle Owl, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, White-eyed and Long-legged Buzzards, Laggar Falcon, large flocks of the declining Yellow-eyed Pigeon, 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.
This tour can start and end in Jaipur if that is more convenient for you than Delhi.
Target Species
- Black Francolin
- Common Quail
- Bar-headed Goose
- Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
- Yellow-eyed Pigeon
- Red Collared Dove
- Demoiselle Crane
- Common Crane
- Greater Flamingo
- Common Buttonquail
- Barred Buttonquail
- Indian Stone-curlew
- Pied Avocet
- Red-necked Phalarope
- Indian Courser
- Woolly-necked Stork
- Red-naped Ibis
- Black-winged Kite
- Egyptian Vulture
- Griffon Vulture
- Cinereous Vulture
- Short-toed Snake Eagle
- Indian Spotted Eagle
- Greater Spotted Eagle
- Tawny Eagle
- Steppe Eagle
- Eastern Imperial Eagle
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk
- Hen Harrier
- Pallid Harrier
- Montagu’s Harrier
- Long-legged Buzzard
- Indian Eagle-Owl
- European Roller
- Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
- Eurasian Wryneck
- Lesser Kestrel
- Red-necked Falcon
- Laggar Falcon
- Isabelline Shrike
- Bay-backed Shrike
- Rufous-tailed Lark
- Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
- Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark
- Singing Bush Lark
- Greater Short-toed Lark
- Bimaculated Lark
- Rufous-fronted Prinia
- Eastern Orphean Warbler
- Asian Desert Warbler
- Indian Spotted Creeper
- Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Bluethroat
- White-browed Bush Chat
- Isabelline Wheatear
- Desert Wheatear
- Variable Wheatear
- Red-tailed Wheatear
- Spanish Sparrow
- Tawny Pipit
- Long-billed Pipit
- Buff-bellied Pipit
- Water Pipit
- Striolated Bunting
- Endemic
- Near Endemic
Itinerary
Day 1: Delhi/Jaipur to Tal Chhapar
Pick-up from Delhi (or Jaipur) and drive to Tal Chappar (c7 hrs), where you will stay at the Forest Rest House on site.
Days 2-3: Tal Chhapar
Two full days will be spent birding desert areas in and outside of the sanctuary. The wildlife changes considerably through the year. Monsoon and the period afterwards has large numbers of insect prey, such as grasshoppers and locusts, and large numbers of predators are attracted. White-eyed Buzzards can be seen in hundreds, feeding on these and Spiny-tailed Lizards. Singing Bushlark is obvious at this time of year—and near invisible at others! Migrants start arriving from August onwards, with passage birds such as European Roller, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Spotted Flycatcher, and Red-backed and Red-tailed Shrikes. Winter migrants include many wheatears and larks, and large number of raptors including four species of harriers, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Cinereous Vulture and Lesser Kestrel. One of the bird specialities of this area is Indian Spotted Creeper, and we will check the Prosopis scrub forest, their preferred habitat.
Day 4: Tal Chhapar to Delhi/Jaipur
After breakfast, check out and return to Delhi (or Jaipur)
Checklist
For all our bookings we provide the most accurate and useful printable checklists available, specific to the actual areas you are likely to visit. In the meantime, use our interactive state checklists, or view the species bar chart for this area on eBird:
Important information
As with all Bubo Birding tours, your booking is handled by Asian Adventures.
- We may change the itinerary described due to various reasons such as latest birding information, availability of accommodation, state of the roads, and other unexpected factors that, this being India, do pop up from time to time!
- We would be happy to make any additional travel bookings, e.g. domestic flights, car and driver, that you require.
- The final price and itinerary will be confirmed before booking and depending on your expected arrival and departure plans.
See Asian Adventures for full tour details, including accommodation, meal plans, what's included, other exclusions, prices for different group sizes, single room supplements, cancellation policy, and booking process.
Interested in Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan?
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