Kumaon Birding Diaries – Saattal and Around

This was our first trip to Kumaon. Almost all species that we sighted were first timers for us. We stayed for a week at Club Mahindra Dancing Waters resort in Naukuchiatal. We had arranged for birding for two days at Saattal and Pangot with Sunil Kumar whom we found on birdingpal.

Naukuchiatal

The resort and surroundings itself had many birds whom we watched daily. As soon as we got our room, a pair of Himalayan Bulbuls came outside our window. It was a treat watching the couple who seemed to be having a gala time. The other birds that we saw here were Black Kite, Blue Whistling Thrush, Scarlet Minivet, Grey Treepie, Grey Bushchat, Oriental White-eye, Grey-hooded Warbler, Verditer Flycatcher, Streaked Laughingthrush and Dark-sided Flycatcher. On the day that we left a group of Red-billed Blue Magpies came to bid us farewell.

Coincidentally the Ruskin Bond book on Legends and Folk tales of India that I had taken with me during the trip had an interesting folk tale about the Blue Whistling Thrush. Having seen this bird I could relate to the story which goes like this. It was a hot summer day and Lord Krishna was wandering in a dense forest. He found a nice place near a stream and slept off under the shade of the trees. He was woken by a tuneless sound being played by someone on his flute. He was annoyed to find an urchin boy dressed in rags trying to play his flute. Since it was a sacred object that belonged to him he cursed the boy to suffer for 10,000 years. The boy pleaded and told Krishna that he was a fan of him and intended to learn music from him. Krishna felt bad for the boy but there was no way in which he could revoke the curse. He consulted Lord Brahma and reduced the effect of the curse. The boy would always try to play a tune but he would never be able to complete it. The boy begged that he be allowed to stay forever in the forest as it was dear to him. Krishna agreed and the boy was transformed into a Blue Whistling Thrush. The Blue colour being attributed to Krishna! This explains why the Thrush starts off a tune beautifully but stops in between as though it forgot the tune.

Gagar and Ramgarh

Gagar is a tiny hamlet on the road from Bhowali to Mukteshwar and an hour’s drive from Naukuchiatal. We went there early in the morning around 5.30 AM to try our luck and catch a glimpse of the Himalayan peaks. We were duly rewarded with beautiful views of the peaks getting lit by sunlight during sunrise. A lone Verditer Flycatcher seemed to be giving us company in watching the peaks as it was perched atop a bare tree facing the peaks. A Black Eagle was soaring high up in the sky and we managed to get a brief glimpse before it glided down the hill. We stopped for breakfast at a village close to Ramgarh. There were plenty of birds around. The sightings included Rufous Sibia, White-tailed Nuthatch, Great Barbet, Whiskered Yuhina, Oriental White-eye, Common Sparrow, Russet Sparrow and Grey Bushchat. A group of Rhesus Macaques were also seen on the road.

Saattal

Our guide Sunil arrived promptly at our resort at 5.30 AM to pick us up for birding around Saattal. He had arranged for an Alto car for us. Off we went on a day which proved to be memorable though at the end of the day Sunil was a bit dejected as we had not managed to see too many species. We were nevertheless happy to have gotten to see so many new species in a single day. A few words about Sunil. He is very knowledgable on birds and having been born and brought up in Nainital, knows the area like the back of his hand including the right spots to go for birds! He was super friendly and wonderful to get along with! It was a delight to go birding with such a wonderful person.

Our first stop was on the road that leads to Saattal. We watched the sun rise and light started getting better. Till then we had heard the chirping of birds but not been able to take pictures due to low light. We sighted Crimson Sunbird, Grey Bushchat, White-throated Fantail, Himalayan Bulbul, Grey Treepie, Great Barbet, Black Bulbul, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Brown-fronted Woodpecker, Black Drongo, Verditer Flycatcher, Scarlet Minivet, Grey-hooded Warbler, Black-lored Tit and Slaty-headed Parakeet.

As we approached Saattal we saw 2-3 Kalij Pheasants duck for cover. These birds are extremely shy and seldom venture out for long in the open. We just managed to get a glimpse and some shaky pictures. Sunil spotted a Bar-tailed Treecreeper which was brilliantly camouflaged against the tree bark. A solitary Slaty-headed Parakeet was perched high atop a tree. Throughout our birding we saw plenty of these Parakeets but did not manage to get pictures as they were too fast.

We stopped near the Hanuman tal just before Saattal lake. After a brief walk we crossed a stream and sat on rocks near the water waiting for the birds to arrive. According to Sunil around 50 species of birds could be seen here. But we were not so lucky. We spent a good 2 hours here. The birds that came here were the Green-backed Tit, Ultramarine Flycatacher, Verditer Flycatcher and the Oriental Turtle Dove.

We walked a bit into the woods around Hanuman Tal. Sightings here were of a Common Kingfisher, Dark-sided Flycatcher and an Ashy Drongo. We sighted a Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher too but it was a fleeting glance only.

A walk in the Saattal estate proved to be in vain as we did not see any birds. We decided to have breakfast and go to Chanfi. Breakfast was lip-smacking Parathas at Humble restaurant near the fork in the road leading to Saattal while coming from Bhimtal.

Chanfi

On the way to Chanfi we stopped near a stream. The area was wooded on both sides of the road and teeming with birds. We saw the Red-billed Blue Magpie, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Greater Yellownape, Striated Laughing-thrush, White-crested Laughing-thrush and a Blue Whistling Thrush. A Slaty-backed Forktail and Grey Wagtail were foraging for food in the stream. As we were about to head back to the car we saw an Asian Barred Owlet. It was very cute and made Nagesh run around from one side of the road to the other like a tennis ball before he managed to get its picture :)

The next halt was at Chanfi. The village was scenic and we walked by the banks of the river. As there was a noisy group near the river, all birds seemed to have gone away. We managed to spot only a Scaly-breasted Munia and a Red-vented Bulbul.

Kainchi

The last place for the day was Kainchi. We walked into the wooded area around the Kainchi Dham temple. We saw the Plumbeous Redstart, Spotted Forktail and a Brown Dipper in the stream. A Besra landed on one of the trees as we were walking. Further up the path were cabbage fields that had been abandoned by the people due to the prevailing Langur menace. The Langurs were present and running around. We spent some time here and saw a Grey Bushchat at close quarters. A good day of birding had come to an end. We were back at the resort by 4.30 in the evening ready for tea and food!

Bird Log

Common Name	Species	Family
Bulbul, Himalayan	Pycnonotus leucogenys	Pycnonotidae
Thrush, Blue Whistling	Myophonus caeruleus	Turdidae
Minivet, Scarlet	Pericrocotus flammeus	Campephagidae
Treepie, Grey	Dendrocitta formosae	Corvidae
Bushchat, Grey	Saxicola ferreus	Muscicapidae
White-eye, Oriental	Zosterops palpebrosus	Zosteropidae
Warbler, Grey-hooded	Phylloscopus xanthoschistos	Phylloscopidae
Flycatcher, Verditer	Eumyias thalassinus	Muscicapidae
Flycatcher, Dark-sided	Muscicapa sibirica	Muscicapidae
Laughingthrush, Streaked	Garrulax lineatus	Timaliidae
Magpie, Red-billed Blue	Urocissa erythrorhyncha	Corvidae
Sunbird, Crimson	Aethopyga siparaja	Nectariniidae
Fantail, White-throated	Rhipidura albicollis	Rhipiduridae
Barbet, Great	Megalaima virens	Megalaimidae
Bulbul, Black	Hypsipetes leucocephalus	Pycnonotidae
Woodpecker, Grey-headed	Picus canus	Picidae
Woodpecker, Brown-fronted	Dendrocopos auriceps	Picidae
Drongo, Black	Dicrurus macrocercus	Dicruridae
Parakeet, Slaty-headed	Psittacula himalayana	Psittaculidae
Tit, Black-lored	Parus xanthogenys	Paridae
Pheasant, Kalij	Lophura leucomelanos	Phasianidae
Treecreeper, Bar-tailed	Certhia himalayana	Certhiidae
Tit, Green-backed	Parus monticolus	Paridae
Flycatcher, Ultramarine	Ficedula superciliaris	Muscicapidae
Dove, Oriental Turtle	Streptopelia orientalis	Columbidae
Kingfisher, Common	Alcedo atthis	Alcedinidae
Drongo, Ashy	Dicrurus leucophaeus	Dicruridae
Flycatcher, Grey-headed Canary	Culicicapa ceylonensis	Stenostiridae
Yellownape, Greater	Picus flavinucha	Picidae
Laughingthrush, Striated	Garrulax striatus	Timaliidae
Laughingthrush, White-crested	Garrulax leucolophus	Timaliidae
Forktail, Slaty-backed	Enicurus schistaceus	Muscicapidae
Wagtail, Grey	Motacilla cinerea	Motacillidae
Owlet, Asian Barred	Glaucidium cuculoides	Strigidae
Munia, Scaly-breasted	Lonchura punctulata	Estrildidae
Bulbul, Red-vented	Pycnonotus cafer	Pycnonotidae
Redstart, Plumbeous	Rhyacornis fuliginosa	Muscicapidae
Forktail, Spotted	Enicurus maculatus	Muscicapidae
Dipper, Brown	Cinclus pallasii	Cinclidae
Besra	Accipiter virgatus	Accipitridae
Eagle, Black	Ictinaetus malayensis	Accipitridae
Sibia, Rufous	Heterophasia capistrata	Timaliidae
Nuthatch, White-tailed	Sitta himalayensis	Sittidae
Sparrow, House	Passer domesticus	Passeridae
Sparrow, Russet	Passer rutilans	Passeridae
Yuhina, Whiskered	Yuhina flavicollis	Zosteropidae

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