The next morning was to be spent at named Chidiyatapu (literally translated as Bird Island) a place I'd read about in several peoples' birding accounts. And the anticipation was that a lot of the Andamanese endemics would be seen there. But we hadn't really expected the morning to be as productive - Clement drove/guided us to a spot alongside the road, flanked by a forest of tall trees on the right. And standing almost at one spot we ticked off Andaman Woodpecker, Drongo, Bulbul, Treepie and Coucal. Added to these were the Asian Glossy Starling and Red-breasted Parakeets. It was like being in avian wonderland, with the only complaint being that the birds were a bit far for photography. Nevertheless, the binoculars and scope were put to good use!
We came back to Chidiyatapu that afternoon, reacquainted ourselves with our friend the eagle, and headed out with Vikram for the two remaining night birds. Hume's Boobook and Andaman Nightjar. The former proved a slightly more challenging customer to engage with, with a few attempts before we got one agreeable personality. He then proceeded to introduce us to his missus, albeit at a fair distance. Wouldn't blame him, after all you wouldn't want to take a chance with a jeepful of men! Just as we were willing to bid him adieu, he flew up to a tree right in front of us, but with something green in his talons. He'd brought dinner! A grasshopper for those curious about the menu. He polished it off and winged it, leaving as also a little bit hungry; but for another endemic bird - the Andaman Nightjar.
This sighting was a testament to how well Vikram and Clement know the habitat and its birds. We walked down a grassy slope towards some shrub. A flick of the torch and Vikram announced that the bird was there. We slowly and carefully walked slightly closer, saw the bird, got a few frames and headed straight back out. Done in less than five minutes! Another spectacular day with our tally of new birds already close to 25! The next day would see us headed to Shoal Bay for some more specialities, including the Andaman Crake and Ruddy Kingfisher. And off we went, early in the morning, on a ferry across the bay. A lovely, early morning breakfast of steaming hot idlis at Wimberlyganj was the perfect way to start the day as we headed further in towards Kalatang.
Sometimes, things can change in an instant while you're birding. The first hour produced pretty much nothing apart from an against light sighting of an Andaman Cuckooshrike. And then, like magic, the birds started pouring out. An Arctic Warbler started things off, followed by Andaman Flowerpecker, Freckle-breasted Woodpecker and White-headed Starlings. Not wanting to be left out, our friend the Cuckooshrike also decided to take part in the photoshoot. Too much FOMO, even amongst birds! A flock of minivets got us all excited, as we prayed for one of them to be an Ashy Minivet, but without luck. We then sat at a place for the Andaman Crake, waiting for it to cross the path ahead. Even as we waited, we first heard (that call seems less crake and more tiger-like!) and then clearly saw the bird in the mangroves to our left. But when it crossed the road, it was at least a hundred metres ahead and in horrible light. Anyways, at least we got to see it!
The Ruddy Kingfisher kept calling from deep within the mangroves but did not deign to make an appearance. In that quest however, we got a bonus, as a flycatcher sized bird popped out from the mangroves and into our frames - a Mangrove Whistler, one more of the in-demand species. We shot a few frames and said goodbye to Shoal Bay. Back at Port Blair and at Chatham jetty and Vikram showed us a Pied Imperial Pigeon (tucked away in a tree right overhead) and a Western Reef Heron against the pier! The lifers kept racking up even on our third day!
A nice cold shower and a lunch that included a cold beer revved the spirits even more as we ventured out to look for a few 'sure-shots' that had eluded us - Long-toed & Red-necked Stints, Red-throated Pipit and the endemic Swifts. The regular wetland spots had been filled up with the recent rain and the Stints were absconding. We finally found the Long-toed chap in a quite squalid pool, with a Common Redshank as bodyguard. A few distant shots was all we got, even as Jay and Lakpa spotted a Watercock and went to investigate further. The rest of us walked towards a huge open scrubland, but any hopes of Pipit were quickly dashed as only the resident Grey Wagtails scurried busily to and fro, no doubt to catch our attention.
The following morning was a break from terrestrial birding as we were to head a bit into the seas to look for a couple of Terns - Black-naped (resident) and Roseate. Manju on his recent trip had seen a flock of more than a hundred birds so our expectations were high. As we stepped into the little pier to board our fishing boat (called Dhungi) we looked at the water alongside and to our amazement, we saw a live coral reef, buzzing with activity - fish of all shapes, sizes and colours, an eel and even an Octopus! We almost forgot about the birds for a few minutes, mesmerised as we were with the marine life just a few feet beneath us. But the arrival of the boat brought us back to the task at hand. And we spent an extremely pleasant couple of hours traversing the open seas, looking for birds. Except that we found practically none! No huge flocks waiting to receive us, not even a single one for the first hour. And then, a nonplussed Vikram pointed to a solitary chap on a big rock- it was a Black-naped Tern. We thanked our stars and this lovely chap for the sighting, clicked a few snaps and headed back to the jetty.
Back on terra firma and we had another dekko at the reef when Vikram called us to celebrate another lifer, on the wires right above us - Pacific Swallows! Lovely little fellows, if a tad frisky. We left them to walkabout in the nearby forest where a pair of Andaman Shamas gave us an audience but no great photos for me. That afternoon began with a distant sighter of the Red-necked Stint in a large waterbody. Another lifer! We headed back to the Ograbraj wetlands where our first species was a Richard's Pipit, followed very quickly by a Red-throated Pipit. I finally had my lifer! This chap was quite the runner, never in one place, but I got a few record shots. That place also gave us decent sightings of the Oriental Reed Warbler and also the Black-browed Reed Warbler (no photos though) It all tied up nicely at sunset as the Edible Nest Swifts kept flying above us. Why they're called that is a fascinating story (one to Google for sure) And so, even on an average day (according to Vikram) we'd scored almost double digit lifers; what a place this is.
The next morning saw us head back to the wetlands, this time to get a better sighter of the Warblers. And while the Oriental Reed Warbler was willing to pose in the open, his Black-browed cousin sulked and skulked as always. But the moment of the morning came from a sighting of the Pallas' Grasshopper Warbler, another remarkable species! Off it was to Chidiyatapu, for some photography and also to check out the Andaman Wood Pigeon. These chaps were totally absconding, as Vikram and Clement searched high and low.
Photography of some other species was not bad, though the Treepies were a literal pain in the neck, hopping from tall tree to taller tree as they played hide and seek. We finally gave up on the Pigeons and were almost at the exit gate when we saw a few Andaman Bulbuls feeding on some berries. We stopped to enjoy the scene when Clement and I saw a small, pale bird in the tree right above us. We first thought it was a flycatcher, but on closer look, it turned out to be a warbler. And not just any warbler, but a Two-barred Warbler!! A rare species, first seen in the Andamans just a couple of weeks earlier. We'd heard about the sighting but hadn't expected to see it, and to get it was the absolute crowning moment of our entire trip. The pice weren't great since the bird was high up in the canopy, but to just see the bird was an absolute privilege! Beer and lunch tasted all that much more special.
We rounded off the day with another special endemic - The Andaman Cuckoo-dove. For an hour, there was no sign of it but it finally made an appearance, again high up in the canopy. And, just like that we were down to our last full day. Vikram spelt out the schedule, we would mop up what was left, starting with the Ruddy Kingfisher. So it was the ferry-idli-Kalatang routine again. Except that this time, the Kingfisher was in the house. Deep in the mangroves, but definitely visible. The scope was set up with alacrity and we enjoyed great views of this beauty! There was still time that morning for another lifer - we drove another 50kms to Wandoor Beach to look for another endemic beauty - the White-breasted Woodswallow. We navigated several picnickers and groups who had come to enjoy their Sunday morning and walked to the far side of the beach, and lo! on a dead tree sat two little birdies - the ones we had come to see. A few frames were taken and life was much much better. Even on Day 5, we were knocking off lifers and that too after seeing so many already. Unbelievable!
That afternoon saw us head to a spot near the Port Blair jetty which had a patch of mangroves, the roosting spot for yet another lifer - Daurian Starlings. We arrived early and waited patiently, till a flock of around a hundred starlings flew up and twisted this way and that, before diving into the mangroves and out of sight. A couple of smaller flocks followed and we were able to get a lovely sighter and some record shots of this lovely bird. Vikram has told us that we could find an occasional Chestnut-cheeked Starling in this flock, but checking all the images later, they all seemed Daurian. A hot cup of tea at the local Anna's stall and life was really worth living. The last morning was a stab at the Wood Pigeon at Mt. Harriet, without any luck. it would be the only time we didn't get ourselves a lifer!
This was probably one of the longest posts I've written. Thank you for soldiering on through. But the fact is, I've only covered half of the activity that we witnessed and the species we saw. If this was not birding paradise I don't know what is. I came away having added 42 new species to my list, the most in many, many years. With Vikram and Clement and the rest of his team, it was an absolute hoot! Birding and good friends, what more can one want?
Here's hoping for an encore but with Little Andaman and the Nicobar Islands the next time around. Till then!
Port Blair is a direct (or one stop) flight away from most Indian cities. We got a direct flight in from Mumbai, which saved us a lot of time. You're based in Port Blair and most of the birding happens in and around.
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Naturalist (guides)
Vikram Shil is the original master of the Andamans. His knowledge is amazing, his work ethic is spectacular and most importantly, he's a fantastic human being. You will have an amazing time with him. Clement, his gifted and able deputy is also a special talent. You can reach Vikram on 9434262681. But you have to book months in advance, because he's much in demand!
Shakti Vel is another of the local legends and there's Arun Singh. I haven't traveled with them but they come highly recommended too.
Best times of year to visit
November through February is probably a decent time, it gets even hotter in the subsequent months, before the heavens open up for the monsoon.
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