The rickshaw ride, and walk, through the bird sanctuary was as good as I hoped- not even one little tradeoff. The ride was slow and smooth, the walking more an amble. Cloud cover kept the temperature down, although it was only 7 in the morning. Babu our rickshaw driver, has an eagle eye for spotting birds, plus we got lucky with Soran, a naturalist and guide, lugging his telescope.
Soran rode his bike alongside us, sharing his knowledge. Will I remember all the names of all the birds we saw? I promise I won't list them - Dennis wrote down 40-plus names.
I know I saw a spoonbill, and a duck who hailed from Siberia, and a black-necked stork. Hawks and owls. okay, I'll stop. Green bee-eaters and parakeets. Jungle babblers. Like me, so says my husband.
We went through dry land then wetlands. This former waterfowl hunting ground of the Maharajas was a destination of visiting dignitaries. One party with Lord Linlithgow, the then Viceroy in 1938, shot 4273 birds with 39 rifles. Historical record. The park became protected in 1971 and a World Heritage Site in 1985.
We saw antelope. A purple heron, grey one too. Greater spotted eagle and a glossy ibis. Greater cuckoo and a long tailed shrike, a yellow-footed pigeon and a white-eared bulbul.
Bar-headed goose visiting from Mongolia. He'll be leaving soon, like us.
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