Birdwatching in WB (Mahananda & Senchal WLS)

"In every walk in nature one recieves far more than he seeks "

What Inspired me for this trip ?

It was July first week when Nawal called me and told about his recent trip to West Bengal. He told me about beauty of mahananda ,senchal,latpanchar and neora. I was excited to cover this region already and with his captures it took me no time to say yes to him. As he mentioned this is one of the best place to do photography of north east species and the scenic beauty of the place cannot be explained in words.He told me about his small plan to cover mahanada and senchal wildlife sanctuaries. First target being fulvous parrotbills and senchal is only place where subsequent sighting has happened for this species. Along with that I counted around 10 more lifers for me. I checked my schedule and post approval from home ministry I agreed to went along with nawal to explore new state.

We booked our tickets and make booking with guide Ritesh Pradhan who was referred to Nawal by Harish Thangaraj. From 3 days and 2 nights plan we stretched this to 3 night 4 days plan since in monsoon 1-2 sessions can easily washout.

Planned Itinerary

28-July-2022(Thrusday) Reach Bagdogra from Delhi
29-July-2022(Friday) Morning Birdwatching at Mahananda Wildlife Sanctury and leave for Senchal and Birding on the way
30-July Birdwatching at Senchal Wilelife Sanctuary
31-July Morning Birdwatching at Senchal WS & Evening on the way to Mahananda
01-Aug Morning Birdwatching around Mahananda and departure from Bagdogra in afternoon

Areas Covered and Species Observed

Primarily various divisions of Mahananda Wild life sanctuary (Rongtong, Shivakhola and Sukna) and Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary were explored.

Total Species Observed - 76

Lifers - 9

Day-1 28-July-2022 Thursday


I left from home at 10:30 AM and reached airport at 11:15 AM. A busy day at airport , took around 30-40 minutes to clear bag drop and security check in. I had my lunch at Subway a nice sandwich and black coffee from some other outlet. During any birdwatching trip, 

I usually feel home sickness . Miss my daughters a lot. I reached Bagdogra at 4 PM, 20 minutes ahead of schedule. I was lucky this time to get return ticket in 6700 INR. Thanks to Avneet my office colleague who recommended me to use Skyscanner for booking ticket. The same flight was 14K on Yatra and Makemytrip.


Bagdogra Airport is managed by Military so photography is prohibited. Naval was scheduled to land earlier than me, but he arrived 15 minutes later. We took our luggage and met our guide Ritesh Pradhan.

Still we had some time to sunset, so we asked Ritesh to stop at Birdwatching hotspots on the way. It was very beautiful and scenic journey. I realized this is the same route which is used by Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Toy Train, which runs between New Jalpaiguriand Darjeeling. The 88 Km long railway line climbs from 330ft to 7200ft with ending at Ghum (the highest station in India and once in world)

We were going to stay in 14th Mile Homestay , which is managed by Ritesh Pradhan and his family. 3 KM Before reaching our destination (14th mile homestay) , I asked driver to stop the car post spotting a bird, though light was poor it was black-winged cuckoo shrike. Later Ritesh spotted rufous-necked laughing thrush at same spot. Though we didn't get the photographs but recorded call and got good sights of the beauty. We took the oldest road NH 55 to homestay. Very less traffic since people go to Darjeeling via different road these days. First lifer of the trip for me and a peaceful journey

We reached our homestay at 6:30 pm. The rooms were nice and clean, with Balcony. Dinner was served at 7:30 PM. Glad to see home cooked food by Ritesh's aunt. It was very delicious, less oily and spice. Post dinner I completed by office work , talk to family and slept.

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S115896146

https://ebird.org/checklist/S115899751

Day-2 29-July-2022 Friday

I woke up at 4 AM and it was foggy and raining. Freshened up and had green tea. I reviewed the recent sightings on Ebird and saw people reported emerald cuckoo, rufescent prinia , black throated prinia , Hooded pitta and others common species from Mahananda. We left from homestay at 5:20 towards Shivkola.

Large Hawk Cuckoo

First stop going to be tea estate around nurbong bungalow. I spotted a cuckoo while in the car and it was common cuckoo. The cuckoo was at eye level so we got some decent clicks of it. Few meters ahead we got Lesser Cuckoo and Large Hawk cuckoo on same tree and on nice perch.

Lesser Cuckoo

This was first time that I had seen them at eye level, earlier this year I saw both of them in Eaglenest Sanctuary but at significant height. I was able to photograph and video graph them.

Green-Billed Malkoha

While I was observing them, Ritesh called me and told he has spotted a Green Billed Malkoha, without any second thought I rushed toward him to see this for first time. It was there moving on the tree. It stayed around for 15 minutes and let me observe and photograph it. First lifer of the day for me .

Next Ritesh took us to spot where Jerdon's Baza shows up. He mentioned nest is nearby and they come around 7:30 to 8:00 AM on these trees. Another group was waiting for it there and post waiting for an hour we asked Ritesh to let us look at other location and he can ask other guide to call us when they see Jerdon's Baza.

We moved to other area where Black Baza is being sighted and this is same area where Emerald Cuckoo is also sighted. On the way we sighted 5 collared falconets, first time I have seen these many together. Though light was poor to photograph, but to see them in good number was a good feeling indeed. After reaching ,we scanned the vicinity got some common bird species but no luck with Emerald Cuckoo and Black Baza . We had our breakfast in anticipation of activity once there is some sunlight out. Breakfast was Egg and bread accompanied by home made Theplas which Nawal brought with him.

Jerdon's Baza

After breakfast while I was checking minivets, Ritesh got a call from his friend, Jerdon's baza has come up. We rushed toward it and reached in about 15 minutes. The guide told it had moved and I saw it perching on the tree. So we drove in front of that and it was sitting their on branch of naked tree. Though it was bit far but was happy to get good views of it. There were around 10 people photographing it and after few minutes it went into woods and I realized it was just in front of my eyes feeding on worms. I took a small video of it at that time, while others were reviewing their pictures.

After witnessing the Jerdon's Baza show, we get to see a pair of great hornbills . They were feeding on fruit tree in the back. Soon they took a great flight in front of my eyes. It was so serene that I forgot to click it. Just few moments later, Jerdon Baza also comes in flight just few meters in front, it circled over my head and went back to woods.

We started back for other spot now, with some bright light Nawal went up in Tea Garden to check the birds there. He called me from there and I could see a black baza flying along with Rufous Bellied Eagle. They were very close to me that I was able to record the video using my phone. Black Baza was continuously calling , flying on top of the Eagle.

Rufescent Prinia

We saw Black Baza perched on the tree inside the tea garden, I joined Nawal uphill to check for it, while we were approaching it Hill Myna's disturbed the Black Baza again and it went back in woods. I came down while Nawal was checking activity there only. I saw a small warbler like bird moving in the tea bushes. It looked like a prinia and it was rufescent prinia. Got decent clicks of this one and there were 4-5 in the bushes. I was lucky to spot this lifer and got some beautiful pictures as well. Apart from this I also get to see couple of long tailed broadbills and other common birds there.

It was 11:45 AM and we thought of calling it and return back to homestay since I had 12:30 PM office call. We reached homestay I finished my work and took bath. Post bath we had lunch and it was again a delicious meal cooked by Aunt.

Since our target species for Mahananda were done, we left for Darjeeling on same day. On the way we took route of Bhagoda road which is not the usual way to reach Darjeeling. It is a very peaceful , unexplored, beautiful forest patch. The entire road was covered with trees on both sides and with lot of bird activity around it. We get to see 2 Rufous-Throated wren babblers, spotted ellachura, plenty of lesser shorwings, green tailed sunbirds , rufous wined fulvetta, rufous capped babblers and whiskered Yuhinas. Nawal was trying to capture Lesser Shortwing while I was attending office call in car, it sat in front of my car window . A beautiful male and female.

Toy Train

Soon It started raining heavy so we started towards ghum. On the way we got glimpse of Toy Train and ghum station which is highest elevation station in India once it was in the world .

I would like to do this train journey once in my life for sure as it would be lifetime experience.

We reached our homestay (Tamang homestay) at 6 pm. We took separate rooms and they were on top floor. Nice cozy rooms and it was bit colder and pleasant than lower altitude.

We were served with local black tea and pakodas for snacks. We discussed about morning plans and had dinner at 7:30 pm. Dinner was good all home cooked food and that is benefit of staying at homestay that you get home cooked food.

After the dinner I had video call with parents, wife and kids. The network and internet connectivity was good here than in Mahananda.

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S115942498

https://ebird.org/checklist/S115959454

Day-3 30-July-2022 Sunday

White-Browed Fulvetta

I expected this day to be eventful birdwatching day at tiger hill which comes under Senchal wildlife sanctuary plastic free zone and well conserved place. Playing bird calls here , you will be fined for 10k and speaker will be confiscated. Prime targets were Fulvous ,Great and Brown Parrotbills. Most importantly Fulvous Parrotbill was reported from here last year and only specific place where it is sighted again this year. Very handful of places where it is reported but all incidental sightings. Great parrotbill have sighting locations but not ample amount of them. Brown is seeing quite commonly. Since it is habitat of bamboo and Parrotbill feed on bambo leaves , they also nest in bamboo.

Fire-Tailed Sunbird

It was all fogged out entire time sometime dense sometime less but entire day was like this as we expected. We tried for fulvous and great parrotbill at location where it is sighted but no luck. In the mean while we get to see fire-tailed sunbird , rufous capped babbler , gray sided bush warbler , white browed fulvettas , black throated parrotbill , hume’s bush warbler , aberrant bush warbler and other common species available here.

Great Parrotbill

After doing up and down twice we went to peak and got excellent view of great parrotbills. 2 of them and totally astounding to see such huge parrotbills. It was all fogged out and I took couple of record shot of the beauty and observed them with Binoc for 10-15 minutes. The third round on tiger hill upside we saw 2 birds flying to left and to me they looked fulvous due to Color and size. We observed them and they were fulvous but no clicks and they went into Bamboo in no time. It is very hard to see them, since spot is not fixed for them. They keep on moving all through the Tiger Hill and one has to be very attentive to hear their call and movement in the bamboo.

Fulvous Parrotbill

We did the same up down twice and Praveen another guide (Ritesh’s friend) joined us. I was going with both of them and Nawal was resting in car since we already had done 4 rounds with over 10k steps on hill we were feeling tired. Suddenly I saw the fulvous parrotbill couple again feeding on bamboo leaves. Called Nawal and ask him to come in car and I was trying to get some shots in mean time. The couple was quite kind to us for let us photograph and have views of it for 15-20 minutes. It seemed like a great coincidence when we get brightest of the weather for those 15-20 minutes in entire day today.

After successful sighting of all targets fulvous, great and brown parrotbills, clouds came all over the place and we were feeling hungry and thought of having lunch. First we see off Praveen and then went to temple. We were expecting to get food their since we didn't have breakfast today. The homestay guy didn't give packed breakfast since it was early. The plan was while they will cook the food we will do birdwatching around that space, but after reaching we came to know no food is there . Soon the downpour started and we started back for Ghum to have lunch in town. 

We drove back to Ghum and it was quite busy at this time due to tourists traffic and road is quite narrow as well. Nawal suggested to have lunch at Tibetan Restaurant where he stopped on his last visit. We checked in and I ordered Momos and Thupka there. The weather was cold and Hot Thupka Soup was perfect meal . Along with nicely cooked momos it was true indulgence. It continued to rain heavily and we also came to know about alert by ministry about heavy rain around Darjeeling. We were quite lucky to complete our target species in first half of the day. We returned back to hotel since there was no point to go back in this heavy rain. Also I was feeling tired as well with 6 rounds of Tiger hill I wanted to rest. 

I reviewed the sightings and compiled Ebird Lists of the day . I was remembering how lucky we had been on both the days, in first half session we were able to see the target species. With weather being uncertain in region in monsoons still we were able to photograph and see the birds. Credit for this also goes to Ritesh who have been trying really hard on the field. 

In evening we had Pakodas with Local Tea and some roasted jackfruit chips which Nawal brought. We had dinner at 7:30 PM in homestay and it was home cooked food . I packed my stuff post dinner since we had to leave early tomorrow. Before sleeping I had a nice catch up call with family . Also spoke to Hemant about Lifers from the trip. 

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S115996834

Day-4 31-July-2022 Sunday

It rained whole night and it was pouring in morning as well. Though we planned to have morning session in Senchal WLS , but with targets completed and continuous rain we started back for Mahananda. Around 5:30 AM we left from Homestay and started to descend . 

On the way Ritesh heard call of lesser Shortwing and with couple of playback male and female short wings come in open. Light was poor but we managed to get record shot of it. Very difficult bird to photograph which will stay in low lying bushes in dense foliage. 

Black-Throated Parrotbill

We took Bhagoda forest route only for our return. Due to rain activity was quite less but we got hunting flock at once place and plenty of black throated parrotbills in that mixed hunting flock. We stopped at Paglajhoda forest belt of Mahananda, though we were planned to reach here in evening but due to rain we reach at 11 AM. We were able to get couple of Black-Throated Prinias here. Then we stopped directly at homestay as it was still raining. We had lunch in homestay and slept for sometime. 

Woke up in evening and it was still raining. I was feeling bored in the room so went to kitchen where Ritesh't aunt was cooking. I offered her some help, but she asked me to sit there on the table and we were discussing about life in a metro and in small towns. She made us some snacks for evening and we enjoyed them with green tea. His husband brought silver needle green tea which was really awesome. 

We had our dinner at 8 PM, post which I packed my stuff and read the book for some time and slept. 

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S116053590

Day-5 28-July-2022 Monday

Thick-Billed Pigeon

It rained whole last night and I woke up at 4:30 AM. We left from homestay at 5:30 AM. It was cloudy and drizzling as well. We proceeded towards Norbung Tea estate for birdwatching. On the way we stopped at big fruiting tree and could see lot of pigeons on the tree. Their were Pin-Tailed Green Pigeons and Thick Billed Green Pigeons . A flock of over 50 pigeons all feeding on fruits. Along with Pigeons hill mynas and white-eyes were also feeding on berries. 

Pin-Tailed Green Pigeon

First time I had seen Thick-Billed Pigeons and they look so astounding, beautiful eye ring and red in their bill looks very beautiful. Pin-Tailed Pigeon I saw one on my Eaglenest trip this year, but at that time it was very far and I couldn't manage to see it properly. But this time in Mahananda it was a pleasant sighting.

Since light was not good, we thought of coming back in hope light will get better with time and we can get some good pictures as well.

Few moments ahead Nawal asked to stop the car as there were cuckoo's on the tree by his side. They were Lesser and Large-Hawk Cuckoo sitting on open perch at eye level. A true delight for the eyes. It was 10 minutes in that sighting and the downpour started. and we move towards Gitangy tea estate forest for rest of the session. 

At Gitange the workforce was coming to pluck the tea leaves. Lots of ladies wearing rain coats and gum boots coming with tokri on their back. They started plucking tea leaves and we were checking birds around them. Though activity was poor due to drizzle but there was flock of 7 chestnut headed bee-eaters , some of them preening and some feeding on the flies. Couple of Long-Tailed Broadbills , pair of black bazas, hair crested drongos, chestnut winged cuckoo, greater yellownape and other common species were sighted as well . 

It started raining heavily and we went to hut for breakfast. We had our breakfast and rested for 30-40 minutes there only. It didn't stop raining and we thought of staying back . On the way we stopped to check Jerdon's Baza and Pigeons but we couldn't find them at their usual spots. We left for airport from there and had lunch at restaurant on the way. Around 1 PM we reached airport. After security check-in, Nawal stopped to look for local tea which I went searching something for daughters and family. On one of the local handicraft shop I purchased hand made clips , woolen frocks and sling bags. 

I boarded my flight at 4:10 PM and it departed on schedule at 4:30 PM. Around 8 PM I reached home . 

Checklists of the day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S116134467

Do Let me know how you like my trip report. It will be great if you share your experience visiting Mahananda or Senchal . Please feel free to reach out in case of any queries or help needed for planning a trip to Mahananda & Senchal. I can be reached out at

1) Email - mohitmehta.pro@gmail.com

2) Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mohitm13

3) Twitter Handle - @13mohitm

4) Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/mohitsclicks/

Birdwatching in Dhanaulti(Uttarakahnd)

Since last 3 years , we didn't have any family outstation trip . So we all decided to visit Dhanaulti in 3rd week of April,2022. Though we have other popular hill station mussoori nearby and people use to have day trip to Dhanaulti since their are not much sight seeing their. We selected Dhanaulti since we all wanted to have peaceful time away from crowd and traffic. In past few years mussoori is very much commercialized. 

About Dhanaulti

Dhanaulti is a hill station situated in the foothills of the Garhwal Himalayan Range located 115 km (71 mi) from New Tehri in Uttarakhand. Dhanaulti includes an area with two eco-parks, "Amber" and "Dhara", about 200 m apart. They have been developed by the Forest Department of Uttarakhand. It houses a protected patch of small forest containing Deodar Trees.

How to Reach Dhanaulti 

We boarded Shatabdi Express from New Delhi Railway station and reached Dehradun. The train leaves at 6:45 AM from NDLS and reach Dehradun at 12:50 PM. From Dehradun 2.5Hrs beautiful road journey is their. 

Birdwatching in Dhanaulti

Though it was a family trip, still I spent my 3 morning in the trails searching for birds. Dhanaulti is situated at an altitude of 2,286 M above sea level. It is a natural retreat that boasts tall trees and rich grasslands. 

I stayed in Glamwood resort which is around 1.2 KMs from the main market , basically outside the city. It is connected with city with mud track which is full of trees on both sides. On first morning I went upside towards Eco Park (Amber) and looking out on the way. Hill Partridges were continuously calling in the morning. I got a chance to see one of them but couldn't click since it was so fast to move or I was not fast enough since my hands were inside pockets. Temperature in morning was 10-15 degrees and I was wearing only light pullover. Never realized it would fall to 10 degress in morning and evening . 

Outside of Eco Park , when I was reading the timings of it to open I heard a different call which let me recognise it to be Black and Yellow Grossbeak. They are in abundance in Dhanaulti and its a residence species. I was lucky to click one of them at eye level. 

Black and Yellow Grossbeak

Furthermore, I get to see the common species which are found at this altitude being Hill Partridge, Gray-Hooded Warbler, Ultramarine flycatcher, Verditer flycatcher , Common Hawk Cuckoo, Common Cuckoo, Black Throated Tit, Green Backed Tit and other commoners. As I reached close to the Eco-Park I spotted a sunbird which I have never seen in my life so far. Still I was able to id the Mrs. Gould's Sunbird , a lifer for me. I got just couple of shot and then it flew away. Around 7 am I reached Eco-Park and realized it opens at 8 AM, so I spend rest of my time in Eco Huts Vicinity which is opposite to Eco-Park. I was able to get good view of Black and Yellow Grosbeaks here as well. Adults, Immatures and female all of them sitting on top of deodhar trees and continously calling in morning. I saw total 17 of them along with minivets, cuckoos, warblers and other common species. 

Day 1 Checklist - https://ebird.org/checklist/S107153121

Second Day I was determined to explore Eco-Park. Started my usual time of 6 AM from resort ,Walking and looking for birds on the trail leading to Eco-Park. I explored the Eco-Huts first which are in front of Eco-Park but more or less same birds species like yesterday. 

I was feeling bit hungry and it was 7:30 AM , still 30 minutes left with opening of Eco-Park. I ordered one Veg Maggi and cup of tea from the shop their. They were preparing and I see Fire-Breasted Flowerpecker keeps on coming their. Both male and female were having nuts from the tree it was a nice company with me for breakfast. Got lovely shots of it , what a small creature with beautiful colors. Later I also clicked Scarlet Minivet and Gray-Winged Black Bird at same place. After having my tea it was 8 Am and purchased my entry ticket (50Rs Adult and 25Rs Child) and entered the park. Eco Park is such a beautiful exotic place. Deodar Trees and their beautiful fragrance is all over the park. All these tree looks like elder brothers to me, standing talk and somehow I felt like having a snap while with Deadar. 

Fire-Breasted Flowerpecker

As I walk through the trails inside the park stopping where I see the bird activity. In the middle of common birds, suddenly one thrush came and sat on top of Deodar and started calling. Very beautiful call and it was Scaly Thrush. Without wasting any moment got some clicks and observer the bird for 5 minutes with my Binoculars. Observing birds with Binoculars has its own charm, it helps learn the behavior of the birds. 

Scaly Thrush

After walking for around 2 KMs up the trail I reached at view point where i could see the snow covered peaks on one side and green vegetation on the other side. Mesmerizing view indeed. The calls of Scaly Thrush made it even pleasant their. I could see 5 of them their. As I walk around came to know the place is used for Potato farming and Apple Orchirds. I spent time till 11:30 their and came back after that. '

Sunset from the Resort was awesome as well. A sunset is always a perfect conclusion. It's a glorious conflagration that is balzed with eye-popping colors and yet produce no warmth. I always love the appearance of silky, smooth collusions of sky burst red and yellow. 

In the evening on everyday I could hear Mountain Scops Owl calling from nearby . I could also hear calls of Grey-Eared Nightjar but that was far. Today I went for night birding for an hour in hope of getting mountain scops owl. I reached the spot where the call was prominent. But I was not able to spot it since spotting a Mountain Scops owl in Deadar is very difficult task. I recorded its call though to confirm its presence.

Day-2 Checklists 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107251284

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107256300

Third and last day of the trip I went in opposite direction on the trail which leads to a village (Don't know the name) , since I have to return by 9:30 AM today. First bird of the day was Common Cuckoo sitting on the top of the tree and calling. Common Cuckoo's call is used in Cuckoo Clocks as well. 

Common Cuckoo in Fine Morning at Dhanaulti

The trail was on the decent and road was not good. Near the village their is water pipeline which is used by Hotels in Dhanulti for their water requirements. So you could expect lot of tempo's on this mud road. 

Since I was decending and sunlight has not reached there, the activity was very low. The forest was also getting dense near the village. I started back in hope of getting good bird activity on my return since sun was shining bright now. 

Fire Capped Tit

Fire-breasted Flower Pecker

Lot of birds I spotted while coming back Slaty Blue Flycather, Verditter Flycatcher, Ultra-Marine Flycather, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Maroon Oriole, Fire-Capped Tit, Yellow-Browed Tit, Bar-Tailed Treecreeper Green-Backed Tit, Black-Lored Tit, Speckeld Piculet, Slaty-Headed Parakeet, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker, Collared owlet, Mrs Gould's Sunbird to name a few. 

Mrs Gould's Sunbird 

Yellow-Browed Tit

Day-3 Checklist

https://ebird.org/checklist/S107355057

Around 10 AM I reached resort . Packed the stuff and got ready for coming back. We started from Dhanaulti at around 11 AM and reached Dehradun at 1:30 PM . We had our dinner at Sher-e-Punjab restaurant in Dehradun. The food was amazing and specially Jackfruit cooked with local spices. We boarded the Dehradun - Delhi Shatabadi and reached Delhi 11PM.

Do Let me know how you like my trip report. It will be great if you share your experience visiting Dhanaulti . Please feel free to reachout in case of any queries or help needed for planning a trip to Dhanaulti. I can be reached out at

1) Email - mohitmehta.pro@gmail.com

2) Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mohitm13

3) Twitter Handle - @13mohitm

Birdwatching in Kashmir(Most Picturesque valley of India)

 "What a blessing is to be alive ! To experience this wild and gorgeous adventure called existence."

From the majestic Great Himalayan & Pir Panjal Ranges, crystal clear ,stunning and pristine dal and nageen lakes, traditional hand carved house boats, enticing cold temperature with snowfall,  and rich Avian Fauna,  Kashmir is a place of beautiful simplicity and pristine natural beauty. 

It was mid-Feb when I was looking for a birdwatching trip over the weekend. My friend Piyush Dogra from Dharamshala suggested why don't you go to Kashmir as lot of wonderful sightings are being reported from their. I checked with Rajesh Panwar (Avian Trails) and with his help I was able to plan this trip on such a short notice. It was dream coming true , since it will be my first trip to Kashmir . 

I was going to be joined by my friend Shikhar and Somnath on this 4 days 3 nights birdwatching trip to Kashmir Valley. 

Day-1 Friday, 04-Mar-2022

Arrival at Kashmir , Birdwatching around Kangan and Kheer Bhawani

After a short night sleep, we woke up early and reached Delhi Airport at 4 AM. Baggage drop was quick since we have already done the Web Check-in and were cleared from security at 4:45 AM. Post security we went to cafeteria and grabbed our breakfast from Subway (only 4-5 outlets are open on Airport these days). During all these events I was bit worried about weather in Kashmir , since forecast was clear for single day and rest all days cloudy and rain expected. But on other side I was happy since I was visiting Kashmir for first time in my life. With all my around 8 years into Birdwatching I have developed a secret love towards Nature, Forests, Sea Shores and specially Mountains. Also, post seeing Kashmir valley I can also say it is the most picturesque valley of India. Kashmir Mountains are different of another regions which I have visited. Some time I dream to have a conversation with them on there beauty. 

Airport was celebrating Women's day theme and we could see lot of decoration for it. We boarded the flight and it departed at 6:10 AM from Airport . It is only 1 hour 20 minutes journey to Srinagar , but the views from the plane's window were amazing as we were able to see the Himalayan Range covered in Snow . It is always majestic to see those snow-capped mountains .

On reaching Kashmir Airport we had to pass several checks to obtain the clearance to exit . It took around 30 minutes to get the covid clearance and other security checks. We met out driver Moin who was going to be our companion for next 4 days of trip. Somnath Sir was going to be a bit late, due to sudden cancellation of his flight from Kolkata to Delhi. He was going to join us for Evening session for Tawny Owl. We decided to go to Kangan directly from airport . It was going to be 2 hours drive to Kangan . 

On the way, main road was closed so we have to take detour and we get to drive through University of Kashmir whih is spread over 247 acres of Land and situated at Hazratbal in Srinagar. It is flanked by the world famous Dal Lake on its eastern side and Nageen Lake on the western side. 

We could also see Mallards, Common Pochards, Garganeys in the lakes on the way. The whole journey was so beautiful that I couldn't blink my eyes of the scenery. We reached Kangan after 2 hours of journey and met our guide Wajid Lone who lives nearby Kangan. Guides in Kashmir have specific areas which they master and you are assigned guide as per area. Wajid was going to be with us for entire trip though. He guided us to the first location which was a rocky terrain and we got warmed up post walking hilly terrain of about 1 KM. 

After scanning the area for 30 minutes we were able to see our prime target which was Evermann's Redstart also knows as Rufous-Backed Redstart. We were able to photograph Female of Evermann's redstart as first bird and first lifer of the trip. It is one of the larger redstart who breeds in forests and woodlands , reaching 5400 meters above sea level . In winters they are seen in more open and arid habitats. It was not easy to spot due to nature of terrain but we were lucky to get it there. 

We could also managed to see Black Throated Accentors, Eurasian Wrens, Wall Creeper , Rufous Breasted Accentor and Streaked Laughing Thrushes among other species. The weather turned out to be perfect for photography so we stayed a bit longer to get good photographs. 

After spending 1.5 hour at this location and we moved to another nearby location where Pine Buntings, Bramblings and Yellow Hammers are seen in mixed flocks. The location was on the banks of Sindh River with mountains around it. On second location we met another guide Ansar who was leading another group their . He also helped us to sight another Female Rufous Backed Redstart in this area. It was quite a moment to meet Alka Vaidya mam on the field at same time. 

While we were photographing Evermann's redstart Wajid left for having a check on mixed flocks since at afternoon time they rest on the trees and very difficult to see with naked eyes. We also get to see 3 Ibis bill in Sindh River. Always a pleasure to see and photographs in their habitat around the river and hiding in pebbles. After some time we were lucky to see mixed flocks coming our way and we could see Bramblings and Pine Buntings in huge numbers along with single Yellow Hammer in them. It was very harsh light so quite difficult to photograph them. It is the behavior that Brambling, Pine Buntings and Yellowhammer exhibits. They feed on ground in mornings and evening and during day time they rest on the trees. 

Around 1 PM we left for lunch . We had lunch nearby at restaurant and came back to same place for birdwatching. Lunch was not up to the expectation, we had kahwa on the way which was really good. We get to see Bramblings, Pine Buntings, Jackdaws, Common Kestrel in the evening session. In the mean time our friend Somnath reached hotel and he left for evening location. We drove to Mata Kheer Bhawani Temple for this. 

The temple is in north-east of Srinagar in Ganderbal district. The temple's entrance is managed by Military who scans the individuals and equipment before entering to the temple. One Tawny Owl individual which is considered to be rare across Asia roost inside the vicinity of this temple. Evening scene is mesmerizing with Jackdaws calling along with Common Mynas in the background of Aarti of goddess. We were unlucky that day to get glimpse of Tawny Owl. Guide told, yesterday some people have disturbed him so he might have moved to another place nearby and come back in day or two. Same incident has happened earlier also. We came out of temple and spent some time having tea at outside stall . After tea we left for our hotel .

It was quite a tiring day altogether but with lot of memorable sightings or birds and beautiful landscapes of Kashmir Valley. We checked-in Walison's Hotel in Srinagar which is at bank of Dal Lake. Rooms were cozy and it was quite cold in evening. Rooms were equipped with Electric Warm Blankets and Electric heater making life easier in the cold weather. Washrooms were equipped with running hot water. I had a quick bath and had dinner in hotel at 8:45 PM . I reviewed by pics and summarized the ebird checklists before sleeping remembering how I spent my day . 

Following are the checklists of day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104124700
https://ebird.org/checklist/S104126175
https://ebird.org/checklist/S104131336

Day-2 Saturday, 05-Mar-2022

Dachigam National Park Exploration and Search for Owls

I woke up at 6:15 AM in the morning feeling quite refreshed and energetic for the day. I prepared my tea and got ready for the day. Breakfast was served in Hotel at 7 AM and we tend to leave for Dachigam National Park at 7:30 AM from Hotel. 

Though we birdwatchers tend to leave early to get benefit of entire morning session since activity at sunrise is the best, but in Kashmir it is different ritual. Hotels don't offer packed breakfast for birdwatching and drivers are also not habitual for leaving early. These couple of things definitely need improvement when it comes to birdwatching in Kashmir. 

We left from hotel at 7:40 AM and we could see the Dal Lake at beautiful sunrise. We could see people coming out of those House boats in Shikara. There are nearly 1250 Houseboats in Dal lake. A houseboat is usually made out of Cedar Wood, which can withstand damage from being in water for longer periods. The Houseboats usually have drawing room , corridor, dining room , two or four bedrooms with attached washrooms and pantry. The accessories are carved out of walnut wood and placed in various rooms.  One night stay in Houseboat cost between 4500 to 6500 approx. 

Dachigam National Park is located 22 Kms from Srinagar , on the east side of Dal lake inside Zabarwan Mountain Range. The Zabarwan Range is a short sub-mountain range between Pir Panjal and Great Himalayan Range in Central Part of Kashmir Valley. The Dachigam National park holds the last viable population of Kashmir Stag and the largest population of black bear in Asia. 

Dachigam name is made up of two words Dah meaning 10 and gam meaning villages , summing up to 10 villages. The place used to be hunting ground of Maharaja Hari Singh who hunted leopard here and asked to vacate villagers from these 10 villages and since then the name Dachigam came into existence. 

We reached Dachigam at 8:30 AM and we were accompanied by Muzzaffar who is the local guide in Dachigam along with Wajid . Prime target for today was Orange Bullfinch. Before entering the core area of Dachigam their is 4 Km of trail which needs to be crossed. 

Dachigam park is full of Mulberry, Plum, Apricot, Almas and Kashmir Willow trees. Mulberry has the highest population among the trees. Very nice trivia shared by Muzaffar on this. Black Bear which is known as "Baghban of Forest" feeds on mulberry. The excreta of Black Beer contains mulberry seeds which result in plantation of Mulberry Trees from it. Wonderful way of nature for seed dispersal. People use to visit Dachigam in August and September to see Himalayan Stag in the park. 

We were walking on the trail and we could see the trail getting ended and when I realized my Binoculars are inverted and I couldn't use them. I asked Shikhar to hold my camera and bag for a minute so that I can put them in right position. The moment I changed my Binocs and I could see a flock of birds on Almas tree and they turn out to be Orange Bullfinches. Their were 15 of them Male and Female both. I was feeling blessed to see them in good number. We get a lot of quality shots of them. I also observed them later on Apricot Tree and it was feeding on Duxia Seeds in the park. 

Long Tailed Minivets, Speckled Piculet, Yellow-Billed Blue-Magpie, Green-Backed Tit, Cinerous Tit, Lemon Rumped Warbler, Bar-Tailed Tree-creeper and White-Throated Dipper were other species spotted. While walking back we also witnessed couple of families of Kashmir Gray Langurs. It took us closed to 11:30 AM when we exited the park . Evening plan was to look out for Tawny Owl followed by Long-Eared Owls in Ganderbal . On the way we stopped near Shalimar Bag for our lunch. Today we had Dosa and Rajma Chawal for the lunch, quite delicious and served hot along with hot coffee outside Shalimar Bag. 

In the later half of the day, we tend to check for Tawny Owl and followed by Long-Eared Owl. We reached Kheer Bhawani temple to check for Tawny Owl and it was their and we could get some record shots of it since it was sleepy and light was too harsh. We got some shots and decided not to disturb him and move ahead towards Manasbal Lake. While we stand by the Manasbal lake and check for birds around and spending some time in landscape photography Wajid went in search of Long-Eared Owls along with his one friend. They have reported around 28 Long Eared owls from this place. Long Eared Owl does communal roosting, hence seen in large numbers. From past 2-3 days no one has seen them. We were also not able to spot them. On the way back we decided to meet our friend Tawny Owl again in hope of getting its eyes open and some good shots. We spend around 10 minutes there and got some decent shots of it. 

On the way back Ansar called us and asked us to join at Botanical Garden since Blyth's Rose finch is seen at roosting. On the way back we use to discuss about Kashmir mostly and conversation popped up related to Dal Lake and an interesting trivia came out. Usually Dal Lake froze in winters, but in 1985 it froze to fullest and people were able to run auto-rickshaw over it. 

We reached Botanical garden at 5 PM and it took 15 minutes of brisk walk to reach the spot. Though it was dark but we get to see one female of Blyth's Rose finch there. After wrapping up the evening session we stopped for coffee and some snacks outside Botanical Garden which tasted just average . 

We reached Hotel quite early and I had good discussion with Shikhar on photography techniques. We also reviewed the pics of the day together and cherished those memorable moments of seeing Orange Bullfinches and Tawny Owl in same day. 

We had our Dinner at 8:15 PM and went to sleep after that. We had discussion with Ansar and Wajid for next day's plan and it was going to be Yousmarg for Kashmir Nuthatch and Kashmir Nutcracker. Around 1000 pics clicked of Orange Bullfinch and Tawny owl only. 

Following are the checklists of day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104181147

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104185409

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104188907

Day-3 Sunday, 06-Mar-2022

Yousmarg and Botanical Garden

Today was gonna be pleasant journey with thick snow on the both sides as today we were going to Yousmarg or Yusmarg. Yusmarg in Kashmiri means The Meadow of Jesus. It is said to have been visited by Jesus. Nature has bestowed Yusmarg with pleasant Flora and Fauna. 

Road was quite good and on both sides we could see Almond Trees. The land here is privaltely owned by Merchants. Some places Saffron Farming is also done. Entire journey presented scenic beauty which cannot be articulated in words. Riyaz was also accompanying us today along with Ansar and Wajid. Riaz got Kashmir Nutcracker few days back from this area. 3 Species, Kashmir Flycatcher, Kashmir Nutcracker and Kashmir Nuthatch are famous as they breed in Kashmir. At this time, we could see Kashmir Nuthatch and Kashmir Nutcracker while Flycatcher move to Southern India. 

After quite a while, we stopped at one place and we get to see Rufous Naped Tit, Spot Winged Tit, Brown-Fronted Woodpecker ,Streaked Laughing Thrushes and Kashmir Nuthatch. We only got few glimpse of Kashmir Nuthatch and just a record shot . It was moving quite fast and light was also not good. It flushed away after 2 minutes only , so we decided to move ahead. 

On the way , we get to see 2 Kashmir Nuthatches for 25-30 minutes in front of us. We got some wonderful shots of them. One of them was cracking a nut as well in the tree. 

After clicking Nuthatch, we stopped at Hotel New Shareif in Charari Shareif . They served hot Kashmiri Kahwa along with traditional local cake. While in Kashmir I realized the bakeries are really good. Locals prefer to have cake or special bread which is served with butter along with Tea for breakfast. While he was preparing the tea we went for landscape photography in front of the hotel. Entire place was covered with snow. All we could see were few buildings and one slide only. After Kahwa and Cake, we left ahead and reached post which no vehicles are allowed. 

From there, we were told we can do a difficult trek up the hill and there is chance of getting Kashmir Nuthatch. The Trek was going to be difficult since there were no footmarks on it and snow was Knee Deep. Myself being with no Trek experience earlier decided to go in hope of getting Kashmir Nutcracker. We left at around 11:15 AM and came back at 2:15 PM. it was quite and adventure and worth a try for nutcracker. We get to hear the call twice, but it never came in front of us. We got to see the White-Cheeked Nuthatch on the way to Trek. Myself , Shikhar and Wajid we all slipped while coming back at one place since it was quite steep and slippery, but bruises were not that significant. After coming back, we get ourselves cleaned up and left for Botanical Garden straight away in hope of getting Blyth's Rosefinch clear shots today. On the way we stopped for lunch and reached Botanical Garden at 5:30 PM. Got our tickets and rushed toward the spot. We were quite lucky today and get to see 2 Male and 1 Female of Blyth's Rosefinch. It was a moment of 10 minutes only and it was getting dark so we decided to move back. 

Today we decided to have a cup of Tea at Garden Cafe which is located inside Botanical Garden surrounded by Zabarwan Mountain Range . We experienced a new way of serving tea. They will serve hot water first in the cups so as to bring the cup to little high temperature since outside temperature is very cold, then they bring Tea in the flask rinse of the water and serve you the Hot Tea. Tea was really good and hospitality was equally excellent. Flowering near the Café is also good. If anyone want to experience the flowering in Kashmir June is the best month to come. 

After tea we reached hotel and decided to have walk around Dal Lake in Evening. Since it was Sunday lot of street vendors can be seen , selling the local stuff. On Sunday lot of locals come for walk around the Dal lake as well. I bought containers which are made of waste paper , fridge magnets and key chains. After spending 45 minutes we came to hotel and had dinner at 8:45PM. The day was quite tiring because of Trek and we have to pack our stuff since in morning we have checkout from room. With all the packing done, I went to sleep at 10:30 PM while remembering the Trek which we did today. 

Following are the checklists of day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104271713

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104276787

Day-4 Monday, 07-Mar-2022

Birdwatching at Kangan and Departure

With the stiff body, wake up at 6 AM. Had a quick bath followed by a cup of tea and packed all my stuff for check out. Heavy rain forecast for the day and we have to do birdwatching at Kangan today. We had our breakfast at 7 AM and left from hotel after that. Somnath Sir missed first day of birding hence we decided to cover Kangan today. 

We stopped near Sindh River and scanned the area. We get to see Bramblings, Pine Buntings and 5 Ibis bill . It started drizzling , followed by heavy rain and we rushed back to our car. 

Myself and Shikhar packed our stuff since we have already clicked Evermann's Redstart female on Day-1 and suggest Somnath sir to go with Wajid. We both and driver went for tea in the nearby market and after 30 minutes we came back at the site. Wajid called me and said we have found the jackpot and I knew that they have found male of Evermann's redstart. I unpacked my stuff and prepared myself to go in this heavy rain to click that beautiful bird. Wajid told me it has flew already and chances are very less to get him back. 

I was bit stubborn for trying for it once again. he was telling me the story only 2 folks are able to click Evermann's redstart male before. Also, it was not been seen since last few days. 

I kept on searching and finally after 10 minutes I was able to spot it, though specs were covered with water still managed to see it. I was lucky enough to capture photographs and small video of Evermann's Redstart Male. It was feeding on some small insects. 

We returned to the cab and bid farewell to Wajid since he stay there only. It was really nice experience birdwatching with him. We were blessed to have company of all pristine members of Kashmir Birdwatch society Wajid, Ansar and Riyaz. 

In Srinagar, we stopped at Mughal Darbaar restaurant for Lunch and I can say it was most worst thing which I had in my trip. The restaurant service was path ethic and staff was not polite at all. He denied serving us the bowl and suggested to use the plates instead for Gravy Dish. On top of it the prices were too high. Also, their is lot of improvement which can be done for overall experience improvement. I saw the driver was very rash driving, he was continuously talking over phone for 95% of time. He was not even using headsets for most of the time and he used to abuse other people on the road. Last day he took us such a bad restaurant as well. 

We reached Airport 4 hours before the flight, it is recommended to reach 3 hours early since their are additional security checks at Kashmir Airport. At Airport I reviewed all my pictures and had call with my friends to share my experience of this wonderful trip. 

My Flight departed at 19:15 and reached Delhi at 20:45. I reached home and met my family and thank God for this wonderful trip. 

Following is the checklist of day

https://ebird.org/checklist/S104351580

I get to see 54 species of which 11 were my lifers. We explored the following hotspots during this trip. 

Feel free to reach me out for any help for planning Birdwatching in Kashmir. I would also like to know about your Birdwatching experience in Kashmir. My Contacts Details are below

1) Email - mohitmehta.pro@gmail.com

2) Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mohitm13

3) Twitter Handle - @13mohitm