Dhanaulti, Uttaranchal
Introduction
I visited the Dehradun area and the wetlands around New Delhi for a few days in February in the company of Bikram Grewal. Most areas visited were common ground for both of us but Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary in Jhajjar, Haryana was a new destination for me. We were accompanied by two good birding friends who showed us their respective patches - the inimitable Suresh Sharma took us around Sultanpur and Bhindawas and Arun P. Singh joined us on our travels to
the flats and the high reaches around Dehradun.
This presentation covers Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary, Asan Barrage, Dehradun area, parts of riverine forest around Rajaji National Park, and the higher altitude hotspots of Dhanaulti and Landour, Mussoorie. The trip covered 6 days and recorded 217 bird species.
Asan Barrage, Uttaranchal
Sites
visited:
Sultanpur National Park and Bird Sanctuary
Location: Gurgaon, Haryana
Habitat: Wetland, scrub and dry-deciduous woodland.
Altitude and area: 220m; 143ha
Species diversity: 322 species recorded
Best time to visit: October to February
Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary
Location: Jhajjar, Haryana
Habitat type: Artificial wetland surrounded by dry-deciduous woodland.
Altitude and area: 200m; 412 ha
Species diversity: 280 species recorded
Best time to visit: October to March
Asan Barrage
Location: Dehradun - Poanta Sahib road
Habitat type: Artificial irrigation barrage at the confluence of the Yamuna and Asan rivers.
Altitude and area: 390m; 3.5 sq. kms
Species diversity: 205 species recorded
Best time to visit: October to March
Dehradun area
Location: Dehradun, Uttaranchal
Habitat type: North-west Himalayan low and middle altitude forests areas.
Altitude: 1920 sq. kms; Sea level to 3,000 meters
Species diversity: 600 species
Best time to visit: November to January and March to April.
Images
from the trip :
Bhindawas 1
Bhindawas 2
Dehradun1
Dehradun2
Dehradun3
Dehradun4
Dehradun5
Dehradun6
Dehradun7
Dehradun8
Trip List of Birds
- Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus
- Only at Sultanpur
- Hill Partridge Arborophila torqueola
- Heard at Landour, Mussoorie
- Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus
- Male in fast flight, Dehradun
- Kalij Pheasant Lophura leucomelanos
- Mussoorie area
- Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
- Sultanpur
- Greylag Goose Anser anser
- small numbers at Sultanpur and about a thousand in Bhindawas
- Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
- 200 odd at Bhindawas
- Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
About a thousand at Asan Barrage and Yamuna River at Asan
- Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
- a couple noted at Bhindawas
- Cotton Pygmy-goose Nettapus coromandelianus
- Bhindawas only
- Gadwall Anas strepera
- Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Both at Bhindawas and Asan
- Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
- Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
- Northern Pintail Anas acuta
- in small numbers at all three important wintering grounds
- Common Teal Anas crecca
- Red-crested Pochard Rhodonessa rufina
- more than a hundred at Asan Barrage
- Common Pochard Aythya ferina
- Ferruginous Pochard Aythya nyroca
- a few at Asan and Bhindawas
- Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
- about twenty at Bhindawas and Asan
- Speckled Piculet Picumnus innominatus
- Dehradun area
- Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus
- Dun Valley
- Brown-fronted Woodpecker Dendrocopos auriceps
- a few in the Jharipani, Mussoorie area
- Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei
- single record from Dehradun area
- Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Dendrocopos mahrattensis
- Sultanpur
- Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus
- A good record from Dhanaulti. Single male.
- Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha
- Dehradun area
- Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus
- Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus
- single observation at Dehradun
- Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense
- Sultanpur record
- Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus
- observed near the Mathrurawala swamps
- Great Barbet Megalaima virens
- few records from the hills
- Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata
- Observed near the Suswa River in the foothills.
- Blue-throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica
- one record at 1300m
- Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris
- roadside record
- Common Hoopoe Upupa epops
- Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
- few lowland records
- Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Bhindawas
- White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
- Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
- Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
- Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
- Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria
- Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
- Slaty-headed Parakeet Psittacula himalayana
- small flocks in the Dehradun area
- Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
- House Swift Apus affinis
- Asian Barred Owlet Glaucidium cuculoides
- the resident pair at Bikram's house at 'Athara-bigha', Dehradun
- Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
- only one sighting near Dehradun
- Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
- lowlands
- Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
- frequently met in the Dun valley
- Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
- Sarus Crane Grus antigone
- single bird at Bhindawas and pair at Sultanpur
- White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
- Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
- Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
- Common Coot Fulica atra
- Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus
- Sultanpur
- Common Redshank Tringa totanus
- Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
- Suswa River
- Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
- Mathurawala swamps
- Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
- Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
- Ruff Philomachus pugnax
- Sultanpur
- Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus
- Bhindawas
- Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus
- Roadside observation in the flats
- Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
- Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
- Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus
- about six birds just at the edge of the Bhindawas marsh
- River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii
- Suswa River
- Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
- White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus
- Sultanpur
- Oriental Honey-buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus
- Sultanpur
- Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
- Black Kite Milvus migrans
- Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
- two birds seen on the drive from Dehradun to New Delhi
- Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis
- Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
- One observation in the lowlands around Dehradun
- Eurasian Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
- Shikra Accipiter badius
- Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga
- couple at Bhindawas
- Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis
- Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
- Bhindawas
- Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
- dark-phase adult at Bhindawas
- Mountain Hawk Eagle Spizaetus nipalensis
- youngster at Landour
- Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
- Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
- Darter Anhinga melanogaster
- in good numbers at Bhindawas
- Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
- Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
- Sultanpur
- Little Egret Egretta garzetta
- Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
- Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
- Great Egret Casmerodius albus
- Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia
- Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
- Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
- Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
- Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
- About a dozen at Bhindawas
- Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
- Both at Bhindawas and Sultanpur.
- Black Ibis Pseudibis papillosa
- about twenty at Bhindawas
- Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
- many at Bhindawas
- Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala
- dozens at Sultanpur and a few at Asan and Bhindawas
- Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus
- Sultanpur and Bhindawas area
- Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus
- two juveniles at Sultanpur
- Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
- Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius
- pair at Landour, Mussoorie
- Black-headed Jay Garrulus lanceolatus
- Landour, Mussoorie
- Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha
- Dehradun- Mussoorie area
- Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda
- Grey Treepie Dendrocitta formosae
- strangely, very few sightings
- House Crow Corvus splendens
- Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos
- Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
- Sultanpur
- Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii
- single female feeding on a Silk Cotton tree at dawn near Bikram's house in Dehradun
- Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei
- pair near Suswa River
- Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus
- Dhanaulti
- Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus
- Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus
- a few at Dehradun
- White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis
- commonly met
- Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
- Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
- Brown Dipper Cinclus pallasii
- single observation on the Tons River, Dehradun
- Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush Monticola rufiventris
- Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus
- Grey-winged Blackbird Turdus boulboul
- about a dozen birds at Jharipani and a few on the road to Mussoorie
- Dark-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis
- A few at Dhanaulti and a dozen on the road to Mussoorie
- Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher Ficedula strophiata
- fairly common
- Red-throated Flycatcher Ficedula parva
- single sighting near Bhindawas
- Slaty-blue Flycatcher Ficedula tricolor
- Dehradun area
- Small Niltava Niltava macgrigoriae
- Single male near Bikram's farm
- Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara
- male in the gully at the edge of Bikram's farm
- White-tailed Rubythroat Luscinia pectoralis
- single observation on the banks of the Suswa
- Orange-flanked Bush Robin Tarsiger cyanurus
- male at Dhanaulti
- Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis
- Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata
- Blue-capped Redstart Phoenicurus coeruleocephalus
- a few birds in and around the Jharipani - Dhanaulti road
- Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
- Sultanpur
- Blue-fronted Redstart Phoenicurus frontalis
- White-capped Water Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus
- Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosus
- Siberian Stonechat Saxicola maura
- Pied Bushchat Saxicola caprata
- Grey Bushchat Saxicola ferrea
- Asian Pied Starling Sturnus contra
- Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
- Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus
- White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis
- only observed at Landour
- Bar-tailed Treecreeper Certhia himalayana
- also at Landour with the Nuthatch
- Spot-winged Tit Parus melanolophus
- Jharipani area
- Great Tit Parus major
- Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus
- Jharipani area
- Black-lored Tit Parus xanthogenys
- met fairly often at higher altitudes
- Black-throated Tit Aegithalos concinnus
- remarkably few in the area at this time of the year
- Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
- Streak-throated Swallow Hirundo fluvicola
- A hundred busy in nest building on the canal emanating from Asan Barrage.
- Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
- Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys
- Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
- Mountain Bulbul Hypsipetes mcclellandii
- seen and photographed by one observer near Jharipani
- Black Bulbul Hypsipetes leucocephalus
- regularly met
- Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii
- common
- Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis
- Plain Prinia Prinia inornata
- Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus
- common
- Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
- Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus
- at Suswa river
- Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius
- Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
- many at the marshes on the Suswa
- Lemon-rumped Warbler Phylloscopus chloronotus
- Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
- commonest warbler in the Dun Valley.
- Golden-spectacled Warbler Seicercus burkii
- single sighting in the lowlands
- Grey-hooded Warbler Seicercus xanthoschistos
- fairly common in the area
- White-throated Laughingthrush Garrulax albogularis
- one large flock in the ravine at Jharipani
- Streaked Laughingthrush Garrulax lineatus
- common in the hills
- Variegated Laughingthrush Garrulax variegatus
- pair at Dhanaulti
- Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps near habitation
- Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus erythrogenys
- seen once and heard a few times
- Black-chinned Babbler Stachyris pyrrhops
- common around Bikram's farm
- Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense
- sighting near the Suswa River
- Common Babbler Turdoides caudatus
- a couple on the drive down from Dehradun to the plains
- Striated Babbler Turdoides earlei
- single record on the banks of the Suswa
- Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi
- Sultanpur
- Jungle Babbler Turdoides striatus
- Red-billed Leiothrix Leiothrix lutea
- common in the hills
- Rufous Sibia Heterophasia capistrata
- single bird at Jharipani
- Whiskered Yuhina Yuhina flavicollis
- small flock on the way to Jharipani from Bikram's farm
- Stripe-throated Yuhina Yuhina gularis
- flock of six birds at the western edge of the range. Good record for the Dehradun - Mussoorie area.
- Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca blythi
- Sultanpur National Park
- Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris
- single bird high up in the acacia at Sultanpur
- Indian Bushlark Mirafra erythroptera
- in the flats outside Sultanpur
- Crested Lark Galerida cristata
- Sultanpur
- Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile
- two birds seen feeding on low bush at Dehradun
- Pale-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
- a few seen on all days at Dehradun
- Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica
- Green-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga nipalensis
- a couple at Dehradun and near Mussoorie.
- Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja
- not as common at Dehradun at this time of the year, still frequently encountered.
- Fire-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga ignicauda
- four birds near Bikram's farm.
- House Sparrow Passer domesticus
- Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans
- White Wagtail Motacilla alba
- White-browed Wagtail Motacilla maderaspatensis
- Suswa River area
- Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola citreola
- Brilliant adults at Asan River
- Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
- Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
- Suswa River area
- Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
- seen at Sultanpur and Asan Barrage area
- Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
- small flock seen in the Dehradun area
- Altai Accentor Prunella himalayana
- the higher hills around Dehradun saw a large influx of this species in February. Many medium sized flocks noted in the area.
- Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus
- Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica
- Suswa River area
- Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata
- European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
- the species now seems to be regular in winter around Bikram's farm. Flock of ten seen well.
- Plain Mountain Finch Leucosticte nemoricola
- one large flock seen feeding on the hillside near Jahripani. Good record for the area.
- Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus
- very few met this time. Usually abundant in the area.
- Pink-browed Rosefinch Carpodacus rodochrous
- regular in the area in small numbers
- Rock Bunting Emberiza cia
- a fair number at altitudes over 1500 m
© Sumit K Sen 2006
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© Sumit K Sen 2001 - 2009
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Last updated
28 Nov 2009
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