Come winter and the hills of Uttarakhand send me an annual reminder. The prospect of reacquainting myself with the wonderful wildlife was almost unbearably good. For the second year in a row, Prateik, Sriram and Nissim and me, friends and fellow birding enthusiasts, set out to meet the Himalayas once again. But this time we would open with Corbett Tiger Reserve, one of the most spectacular forests in the country and a birding paradise as well.
Day 1 - Dhikala & Gairal
The overnight trip
from Delhi to Ramnagar was uneventful and we were picked up by Shyam Bisht, our
Corbett trip organizer and well known guide. After a quick wash, we met with
Nirankar and Javed (our guide and driver respectively) and headed straight into
the park. We didn't get reservations at the famed Dhikala FRH (owing to some
rather strange booking rules) but we did manage to snare a couple of rooms at
Gairal FRH, 20 kms away. We drove through the Dhangadhi gate and within half an
hour, our birding counter had started, and with a serious bang. First up an
Ashy Bulbul, followed by a raucous group of Great Slaty Woodpeckers - both
lifers. Add in a Stripe Throated Yuhina, Scarlet Minivets and a Lesser Racket
Tailed Drongo and we were in bird heaven within an hour into the forest.
Tawny Fish Owl |
Lesser Fish Eagle |
Pallas' Fish Eagle |
Collared Falconet |
Day 2 - Dhikala
& Kosi Bank
After a stupendous
day of birding, we decided to spend the morning searching for that most
majestic of animals. While I've seen tigers across many National Parks, Corbett
almost feels like its spiritual home so seeing one here is very special. We
went to Sambhar Road again and waited for Paarwali; she'd been briefly sighted
walking in our direction. A sambhar deer on the opposite riverbank was on high
alert so the tigress was probably in the grass somewhere, so we waited. And
while we prayed for her majesty to make an appearance (and skipped brekkie), we
were entertained by several of her smaller subjects - a Crested Kingfisher gave
us an audience and then a beautiful Pied Kingfisher regaled us with its
repeated 'hover and dive' routine. White Capped and Plumbeous Water Redstarts
posed for pictures right next to us and a Smooth Coated Otter swam back and
forth in the Ramganga, giving us brief glimpses as it came up for air. The striped
wonder still didn't show up and we had to head back to Dhikala camp.
White Capped Water Redstart |
Changeable Hawk Eagle |
Day 3 - Kosi
Barrage, Riverbank and Mohaan
Wallcreeper |
Our last day in Corbett was to be spent on the fringes, outside of the Tiger reserve. The birding in this area is magnificent so we attempted to try our luck and get something new. First up we went to the Kosi barrage to look for Wallcreepers, another little beauty and again on the 'list'. As we made our way through the stones on the riverbank, I saw something move between the rocks. And as this bird perched on one of them, I saw it was a Wallcreeper. The grey coloration blends perfectly with the surroundings and only the flash of red on the wings makes it possible to spot as it moves along. We tried to move closer and got a few record shots before the bird flew off. Another lifer and we were just warming up. We went back to the Ibisbill spot and got reasonably good pictures. A few lovely birds in the bushes next to the river and we were off to Mohaan.
Ashy Bulbul |
Pin Tailed Green Pigeon |
The final Corbett
session saw us head back to the riverside to try and get more pictures of the
Ibisbill especially. And this time, we saw not one but 4 of these birds. It was
an incredible sighting and extremely gratifying to see these gorgeous birds
gracing us with their presence all the way from Central Asia. May their tribe increase!
And there endeth
one more amazing trip. Great companions, great birding, awesome destination.
What more could one want? Except a tiger, of course.
Corbett Trip Guide
The Corbett Tiger Reserve is one of India's most popular wildlife destinations and has well organized safaris and plenty of places to stay, across different budget levels. It offers day safaris as well as overnight stays (inside the park) at the Forest Rest Houses (FRH) in the various Zones
How to get there
Ramnagar is the town adjoining the park and also where most of the hotels are based. it is roughly 240 kms from Delhi and is well connected by road and rail. Convenient trains are available from Delhi, both overnight and day trains. We took the Ranikhet express which is an overnight train.
Places to stay
Corbett has a plethora of places to stay, and caters to pretty much every type of traveler, from the budget backpackers to luxury seekers. Check out the options on TripAdvisor here
Safaris
Safaris (day trip or overnighters) can be booked online on the official Corbett Tiger Reserve website here.
Safaris
Safaris (day trip or overnighters) can be booked online on the official Corbett Tiger Reserve website here.
If you prefer to let an expert handle it, then you need to look no further than Shyam Bisht. A Corbett veteran and an accomplished guide himself, he will help you arrange it all, stay, safaris, gypsies, guide etc. You can reach him on +919927772854 or +917409795915.
Zones & FRHs
Corbett Tiger Reserve has 6 Zones - Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Sonanadi, Dhela and Durgadevi. Of these, Dhikala is the most sought after and where a lot of the tiger sightings happen, while Bijrani and Jhirna follow in the popularity charts.
There are 13 Forest Rest Houses (Or FRHs) open to tourists across 4 Zones (Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna and Sonanadi) Each offers different facilities, so please do check on the website before booking. Some may be very basic without electricity even, though that can be an enchanting experience!
Zones & FRHs
Corbett Tiger Reserve has 6 Zones - Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Sonanadi, Dhela and Durgadevi. Of these, Dhikala is the most sought after and where a lot of the tiger sightings happen, while Bijrani and Jhirna follow in the popularity charts.
There are 13 Forest Rest Houses (Or FRHs) open to tourists across 4 Zones (Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna and Sonanadi) Each offers different facilities, so please do check on the website before booking. Some may be very basic without electricity even, though that can be an enchanting experience!
Guide
Nirankar is an excellent guide, not only for tigers but also birds. He's also a wonderful human being, so you will have a great time with him. You can reach him on +918126015542.
Nirankar is an excellent guide, not only for tigers but also birds. He's also a wonderful human being, so you will have a great time with him. You can reach him on +918126015542.
Food
Like in most of North India, the roadside dhabas are nothing short of sensational. Your guide/driver will know the best ones, so go with their recommendation.
Other tips
1. It can get cold in Corbett in the winter, so please do carry adequate warm clothing.
2. If you're allergic to dust, then a face mask may be a good idea.
3. Please do not carry any alcohol into the park, there have been untoward incidents in the past and the authorities are very strict in their checking.
4. Carry a bean bag on your safaris, especially if you use a heavy lens.
Other tips
1. It can get cold in Corbett in the winter, so please do carry adequate warm clothing.
2. If you're allergic to dust, then a face mask may be a good idea.
3. Please do not carry any alcohol into the park, there have been untoward incidents in the past and the authorities are very strict in their checking.
4. Carry a bean bag on your safaris, especially if you use a heavy lens.
Collared Falconet with brunch |
Pied Kingfisher |
Pin Tailed Green Pigeon |
Plumbeous Water Redstart |
Rufous Gorgeted Flycatcher |
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