Bharatpur: A Birders Paradise

 

“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.”

– Destin Sparks

“In order to see birds, it is necessary to become part of the silence.”

-Robert Lynd 

A tranquil part of the Sanctuary

Birds, birds birds, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is simply full of them, and going there on a weekday is that much more calm and serene.  

Telling each other secrets A pair of Rose-ringed Parakeets go about their circle of life while we look on...

A Grey Heron dries its feathers

Birds are one of the sure indicators of the environment, if they are in trouble, we know we’ll soon be in trouble. To see the one of largest gathering of migratory and resident birds in India, I went to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in the winter of this year. The Sanctuary is and was known by different names, but I like Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary and I shall call it variations of that.

A Black-winged Stilt contemplates its reflection in the small pool behind where I was staying

A long but lovely train ride from Mumbai deposited me the next midday at Bharatpur, it was too late to go to the Bird Sanctuary, so I did some local birding around the place I was staying.

Sarson (mustard) flowers everywhere one could see

It was lovely, the quiet and sounds of village life, of course punctuated by the electronic blare of modern times. At this time the fields were planted with sarso (mustard) and the yellow flowers of the ripening crop was like a carpet as far as eye could see.

A Grey Wagtail sits onthe rocks  in the village pond.

Over the next three days I took a guide (one day) and one of the ubiquitous cycle rickshaws, the same rickshaw person became my friend and guide, and we went around various parts of the park over three days.

one of the many rickshaws going along the trails that divide the wetland

At this time of year there are many birds and animals, many of them breeding and the young, like that of humans, are either raucous or quiet, shy or aggressive.  Each of them engrossed in the circle of life that perpetuates the type.

A family of Painted Stork with the parents feeding the chicks. The noise is deafening.

A Painted Stork chick comes for a closer look.  It has been dipping its hurt beak into the water..

Scratching that infernal itch

Not long ago this was the private hunting reserve of the British and the Maharajas, stone tablets bear mute testimony to the terrible slaughter that took place here each year. Then in recent years, sadly the Sanctuary was the pawn in the power play of politics. For now, all is well.

One of the stone tablets which proudly displays the slaughter of years past

For those that haven’t been there, Bharatpur is a series of large swamps with trails crisscrossing. Algae covers the swamp, in hues of bright green or rust red and the birds feed on these algae or the fish that live here. It seems that various types of large birds have proprietary rights over different parts of the swamps and the trees growing in the midst of these wetlands.

A flock of Bar-headed Geese drink water...

...this Eagle is the master of all he surveys

This part of Bharatpur city thrives on birds, at the place where I stayed, the owner proudly showed me a family of owls breeding on his property. On the day I arrived since I was too late to go to the Bird sanctuary, I went for a walk near the village behind where I was staying and birds went undisturbed about their business.

An Owl shuts its eyes against the glare of the day

Dew makes this spider's web a necklace fit for a queen

There are many animals too in this Park, nilgai, boar, jackal and much to my delight, a family of porcupines.  Of course the Indian Rock Python is ubiquitous, this being a favourite place to spot them.

Indian Rock Python basks in the fading sun.

The emblem of the sanctuary and often spotted here are the Sarus Crane, there are many stories about them, some true and some not so true, nevertheless seeing these huge birds is fascinating. Then there are migrating and resident ducks, geese, coots and a variety of smaller water birds, each busy feeding on the rich nutrients the swampland has to offer.

A Brown Shrike looks out for a juicy morsel in the air.....

...while this Egret has caught a fish swimming below the rust brown algae

Great White Pelicans seem to be master tacticians, they form a flock and corner the fish, then each diving in to catch what it can. Just watching them sail majestically to and fro is a delight.  Then suddenly there is a flurry of frantic activity as these huge birds dive in to catch what they have cornered.At sunset, skeins of these huge birds fly off to roost.

Great White Pelicans form a flock to fish...

.....At dusk these huge birds fly off to roost

It is a photographer’s paradise, sit still or move around, do both sometimes, there is much to be seen and images made of. The park closes after sunset, so watching the sun go down each day is particularly beautiful, the water takes on a golden hue and birds feed well into the darkness.

Dusk at the Sanctuary, but an Egret looks for fish.....

 

The sun goes down among the trees, and so the circle of life goes on.

Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive and go to places like these.

Pangot,Chanfi, Sattal: Walking with Nature

 

“Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more.”

~Vincent Van Gogh

 

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”

― Ansel Adams

 This is the second time I went to Pangot, and somehow this time seems so much more enjoyable.  Was it because the first time I had to “been there done that”, and this time I didn’t have to do anything, and yet did it all. I took a camera, different lens for different situations, and just walked or drove, stopping when I wanted for as long as I wanted.

Old huts give way to new houses

The forest quickly grows over places no longer needed for habitation.

Sadly, from the five or so homestays about three years ago, it’s become fifty.  It is not long before this quiet niche too surrenders to the Great Indian Traveler, though it is a toss-up between locals making a living versus the hordes that descend on these places on weekends.  Though to their credit the local authorities are doing their best to ensure a litter-free experience.

The forest is lush green and thick in most places...

...particularly when the leaves are backlit

These places are a birders paradise, being recently put on the birders map and more so because of the abundance of forests. I do not intend discussing endemic vs exotic plants here, suffice it to say that a little way off Nainital there does exist deep, dark forests. Like all great forests in India, the more difficult it is to get to, the more pristine it is. 

A butterfly by the side of the many roads I walked in Pangot.

There were forests along the road and though hot, there was shade at most places.

For the first few days I walked and photographed, starting at 5.30 am when it was cool, less trafic and so quiet.  Birds appeared when the sun came up, (and so did vehicles!!) and from the tops of trees greeted the new day till the heat drove them into the foliage. It is also characteristic that some places are completely devoid of birds and some places, a few metres away, full of them.

A timid Barking Deer peeps at me through the trees before approaching to sip water at Woodpecker Point

Eurasian Jay comes in to bathe at the pond

About two kilometres from the place I was staying, there is a little pond in the forest called Woodpecker Point.  I spent two lovely occasions, one in the evening and one morning sitting there, making images and watching denizens of the forest around come to drink water and bathe. The highlights were three Barking Deer, of which two came timidly down to drink, the third did not summon the courage.  There were plenty of bold Grey Wagtail feeding on insects in the wet mud.

On subsequent two days I got driven by a local, being to go further and then walking which enabled me to do some nature images further afield.One day I went to Chanfi and Sattal where, along a stream in Chanfi I photographed a country bridge, and looked for birds.

The bridge over a small stream in Chanfi, I spent many contented hours walking along this rivulet 

An inquisitive Macacque looks at the camera before continuing to feed.

It got hot by midday but I spent two engrossing hours by a stream (when everything else was asleep) photographing the life of brilliantly green Damsel Flies. It was mating season and finally after much courtship and coyness they mated.

An emerald green Damsel Fly, there were so many of them flitting about and around....

...these brown females

...but only this pair mated.

Along this stream I saw many-hued dragonflies too, if undisturbed they invariably return to the same perch, this gave me wonderful opportunities to photograph them. They are of many colours from brilliant reds to absolute black and a myriad of shades in between.

There were Dragonflies of so many colours, like this one with a black body forward and crimson behind...

...White and black...

...and these two fully crimson and shades of blue...

As the sun began to set, I went to Sattal, where in a forest nearby I saw a Brown Wood Owl being mobbed by many lesser birds.  The highlight as always is the “studio”, a small stream near which one can take photographs of birds which come to drink and bathe in the evening.  To aid photographers the forest department has put in a few sticks on which the birds perch before diving into the water.

This Black Bulbul comes in to drink and bathe with a Tickell's Thrush and Red-billed Leothrix awaiting their turn...

...a Himalayan Black-lored Tit looks at me....

...a flock of Red-billed Leothrix get to the water...

...White-crested Laughingthrush drying off after a bath...

...a White-throated Laughingthrush examines me before jumping in.

On the second day being driven I went in search of the elusive Koklass Pheasant, I drove quite a distance and saw one Koklass in the distance. But saw many more butterflies attracted to thistle flowers. Simply being out in the hard and craggy terrain is a joy.

There were clumps of thistles by the road wherever the sun shone, where there were thistle flowers, there was nectar...

... and always butterflies to sip the nectar.

On one of my many walks, I saw Thistle in full bloom by the roadside, and in a first for me, I saw butterflies, Hummingbird Moths and bees attracted by the nectar of these Thistle flowers. Many insects are drawn to these flowers and a lot of clumps by the roadside.

A House Sparrow gets the caterpillar.

There many caterpillars everywhere, of some sort of moth, and though the birds were feeding on them, they didn’t seem to get any less. There were spiders too, big ones and small ones, they made the bedding their home and one had to constantly shoo them away.

Often I would do nothing but sit in the sunshine and watch the world go by. The sunset was particularly beautiful from here.

Sunset in the mountains

Hiking is so universal that it's truly an activity everyone can do. Whether you're young or old, an expert or an amateur, there's a trail out there that will be perfect for you. So the next time you're pondering an outdoor adventure—maybe even reading quotes about camping and think of where you could go, but please leave no trace of your passing.

 

G.M. Trevelyan

"After a day’s walk, everything has twice its usual value."

John Muir

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt."