Alibaug (Feb/March 2024) - Red Knot. Not Red. Yet

Waders (or shore birds) are often very difficult to identify, given that members within a particular species look so alike when they're not in breeding plumage (which is usually only for a few months every summer) Also, given that many of these chaps breed somewhere in the far North of the planet and only visit our shores in winter, it makes that job even tougher. And near (if not at the apex) of this list is the Red Knot, a bird that seems to operate at the shadowy periphery of birding existence in this part of the world. Stray individuals are almost always seen somewhere in India every year, but when, where and for how long is a perennial unknown. It's not very easy to tell it apart from it's cousin the Great Knot, with whom it hangs out while on its winter holiday, and that makes the job extra hard. So when confirmed sightings were reported this February from Alibaug's Saaral beach, the Mumbai birding community went into hyperdrive.

It took us a more than a week to jump onto the bandwagon (ship?) and mercifully the bird was still around. So the four of us - (Manoj, Rachna, Sriram and I) set out one Saturday to Saaral. Getting there was easy, we took the Ro-ro ferry early one morning and got there around 8:30. And even as we drove alongside the beach towards the parking spot, we spotted a bunch of people with camera and binoculars. Red Knot spotted, we all thought. The hypothesis was right, but it didn't apply to us! We got our gear and hurried to the spot, taking care not to spook the little flock. As soon as we got there, I took a few photos of the flock in front of me. But before we could settle in, the flock took off! It was time for the tide to come in perhaps, a clear validation of the old adage - time and tide wait for no birder! They flew off into the distance and we had no option but to wait for them to return when the tide rose. So we headed for breakfast at the little restaurant on the beach.

An hour or so later, the tide had come in substantially, so we got on with the job of looking for the Knots. But while we found almost every other wader species - Whimbrel, Curlew, Plovers, Turnstones, Sandpipers... there was not a single Knot - Great or otherwise. We spent the next couple of hours walking up and down the beach, combing through every flock but no juice. Apart from boosting our step count for the day, it did diddly-squat. We were on the verge of giving up when we saw two young gents walk into the beach. And when they took out their binoculars, we knew they were birders. We walked up to them and they turned out to be Vaibhav and Ashish, the ones who originally saw the Red Knot first, a couple of weeks ago. They assured us that the bird would be around somewhere and promised to let us know when they sighted it.

We were in the middle of a quick lunch when Ashish called, they'd seen the bird a few kilometres down on another stretch of beach. We quickly took the directions and arrived there a few minutes later. And there it was, in a flock of Grey Plovers and Great Knots. We took a few photos and gave a ton of thanks to Vaibhav and Ashish for the wonderfully helpful people they were. And set back for home, feeling quite sated with the day's work. What could have become a near miss became a great sighting because of two members of the birding fraternity. And that's the wonderful part of birders in and around Mumbai, the sense of camaraderie and collaboration is seriously next level.

This bird was also important for other people within my birding family, and a week or so later, I managed to coax Manjunath to advance his work trip by a day. We set out early on Holi morning, via the same routine - Ro-ro to Mandwa and then the short drive to Saaral. This time we'd arrived early and the tide was still far out. We saw a flock of Knots in the distance but they were too far and the muck was too pervasive for us to walk any further. So we contented ourselves with photographing what was at hand - a Broad-billed Sandpiper (lifer for Manju) and Brown-headed Gulls assuming breeding plumage. Manju even managed to snag a lovely flying shot of a Peregrine Falcon. But even as the tide came in, there was no sign of the knots. And just like the last time, another wonderful set of birders became our saviours this time.

We met Prathamesh Desai and his friends on the beach, all excellent and deeply knowledgeable birders. Realising that the knots were awol, we agreed to split forces and inform each other when a sighting happened. And a half hour later, Prathamesh called. They'd sighted the bird, almost exactly where we'd seen it last time. Once again, we headed there. And once again, as soon as we got there, the flock decided to take flight, much to our dismay. Luckily, they came back and settled at the same spot on the shore and we took a few decent photos. We could see the slight colour change in the bird, definitely a little more red than when we saw it a few weeks earlier. And it hopefully wasn't because it was blushing on being Manju's muse!

The birds then decided that our date was over; they flew over to another faraway stretch of beach for their next appointment. We were happy, Manju got his lifer and we'd got our photos. Thanks again to the immensely collaborative birders of our region. We were hoping that the bird stays till it becomes fully red and at the time of writing, it is certainly doing its best to oblige. If it does stay for a few more weeks, maybe we can get a hat-trick of Red Knot sightings. And fully red the final time around.

Alibaug trip guide

Alibaug lies due south-east of Mumbai and has several beaches which attract birds. Before Saaral beach made waves this year, the go-to place was Akshi beach, further south of Alibaug. Akshi still plays host to a number of waders in winter and many of my lifers actually happened there. In addition to the beaches, Alibaug is also great for raptors (Ramdharneshwar hill) and the nearby Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary, home to species like the Malabar Trogon and Sri Lanka Frogmouth.

Getting there

Mumbai is the nearest big city, airport and major railhead. From Mumbai, you can either drive there via the new Atal Setu (87kms, 2 hours) to Saaral, take the regular ferry  to Mandwa Jetty from the Gateway of India (1 hour, regular service through the day) or the M2M ferries Ro-ro, were you can take your car on board. From Mandwa, Saaral is 6kms away while Akshi beach is 23kms (45 mins) away

Stay and Food

Alibaug, Kihim, Kashid and the nearby areas have a lot of homestays, villas and some hotels to stay in. Food is also available in and around Alibaug; Saaral and Akshi have a couple of smaller restaurants/food stalls. But it's also good to carry some food and water because you might have to walk a fair distance to search for birds.

Greater Andaman (January 2024) - Isles. Love. Birds

The Andamans. For most people a water paradise. For a few others, it is one of the finest places to bird in India. With almost 3 dozen endemic species and a whole host of others which are best found on these wonderful islands. A dear friend's milestone birthday celebrations provided the perfect opportunity for a visit, and the birding part also slotted in beautifully. The family and friends leg was absolutely sensational, spending a lot of time togethers and also exploring some marine life. The highlight was a pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins, playing along with our boat, swimming alongside and in front of us. it was absolutely enthralling and a bonus of magical proportions. The birding part then took over, with Jay, Lakpa, Aditya and me led by the wonderful Vikram Shill and his team. 

All four of us congregated at Port Blair one warm afternoon, to be met by Clement, Vikram's right hand. A quick lunch and we were ready to rock and roll. We drove straight to the Sippighat area where in a large waterbody, we got our first endemic bird of the trip; the beautiful Andaman Teal. One of the rare avian species where the female is far more striking than the male, at least I think so, with their chocolate colour and beautiful eye-rings. As we turned to leave, an Andaman Coucal (another endemic) whizzed past, right in front of us and settled into a thick bush, with no chance of any further sightings. We left that spot and headed towards a small patch of mangrove forest. Our first meeting with Vikram happened there, he was with a couple of Dutch birders. After exchanging pleasantries we quickly got on to the task at hand and got some immediate results - a distant sighting of Blue-eared Kingfisher, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Yellow Bittern, Chestnut-headed & Blue-tailed Bee-eaters and a White-bellied Sea Eagle gliding majestically above us. 

A nudge from Clement and we were back in the car, heading to the Ograbraj wetland where we would try and look for stints, a couple of warblers and some swifts. One of the first birds we found there was an Oriental Reed Warbler, on an island within the waterbody. It took a spotting scope to see the bird clearly but it was a lifer all right! We waited for Edible-nest and Blyth's Swifts to make an appearance but only the omnipresent Plume-toed Swifts seemed to be in attendance. With darkness falling rose our expectations for one of the Andamans' renowned birding activities - Owling! With 6 endemic species of owls and a Nightjar, it is a really rewarding place to bird after dark. And with Vikram leading us (fortified by a lovely cup of tea) we knocked off Owl after Owl that evening. The first on the list was the Andaman Scops Owl and a very cooperative customer it proved to be.

A kilometre or so along and it was the turn of the Andaman Boobook (Hawk-owl) to grant us an audience. It was like we were in owl central! We spent as little time as possible with these birds, to ensure that their daily hunt wasn't too impacted and Vikram led us down another little path where we encountered the Walden's Scops Owl (a sub-species of the Oriental Scops Owl) It flew by so close to us, that I could literally feel the breeze from its wings on my face. Our heads were spinning and we were only brought down to earth slightly when we found that the Andaman Masked Owl would prove to be a distant sighting. There were two of them sitting under the roof of a school building and while we tried to get ourselves into a vantage position to get a photo, it wasn't possible. So we contented ourselves with distant sightings and a record shot or two. And that ended a spectacular first session of birding. If this was a precedent, then the following sessions would have a very tough act to follow, we all thought. But then, what did we know?

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! 

Further on, near the Wild Grass resort, we found another endemic - the Andaman Green Pigeon along with their cousins, the non-endemic Green Imperial Pigeons. The former gave us a faraway photo against grey skies, so still no decent photography. We then entered the Biological Park and almost at once, ran into the female of an Ornate Sunbird having her breakfast. She didn't mind in the least being clicked during her meal, which was very kind of her. Finally, some photos to break the morning duck. We spent the rest of the morning within the Park, getting more endemics including the White-headed Starling, Freckle-breasted Woodpecker and Long-tailed Parakeet. The Andaman Wood Pigeon eluded us, like it would for the next few days. And it seemed like the Andaman Serpent Eagle would too, till Clement's 'eagle-eyes' spotted it in the middle of thick foliage. It was a prized sighting, the only endemic raptor for this part of the Andamans and one whose sightings had gone from regular to uncommon. A great morning overall!

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!

Greater Andaman Trip Guide

The Andaman Islands are known far more for their marine life and aqua sports, and with good reason. The coral life in some parts is just sensational. But for a birder, The Greater Andamans alone can get potentially 40+ new species, if not more. Including 20+ endemics, found nowhere else on the planet.

Getting there

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.

Stay

Despite being a tourist (transit hub) Port Blair does not really have a wide variety of places to stay, as one would expect. But Vikram being a local, he put us up in a comfortable hotel, very close to the city centre and the airport.

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.