INDIA’S MONSOON SPECIALITIES TOUR REPORT 2024

21 - 30 July 2024

by Hannu Jännes

This was Birdquest’s first tour to India during the summer monsoon, a time when several special birds, pretty much impossible, or at least far more difficult, to locate in the rest of the year, become visible and much easier to see. During our ten-day tour, with two days in the Pune-Mumbai area and eight days in the northern plains between Jaipur and Corbett, we saw a total of 252 species of birds. The number one target (voted bird of the trip) was the critically endangered Lesser Florican, which we saw performing its unforgettable leaping display. Other monsoon specialties included a trio of the hard-to-get grassbirds (Indian, Bristled and Broad-tailed) and Painted Francolin, which all become vocal and active in the monsoon. Other great birds seen during the tour included the localized White-naped Tit, White-bellied Minivet, Marshall’s Iora, Rock Bush and Jungle Bush Quails, Painted and Red Spurfowls, Vigors’s Sunbird (a Western Ghats endemic), three species of nightjar in broad daylight, three species of a small bitterns, eight species of Prinias and three species of weavers in their breeding attire. The weather was very variable with proper monsoon conditions of low clouds, mist and rain of varying intensity in the Pune-Mumbai area, but In the northern plains the monsoon hadn’t really begun, and it was generally very hot and humid with only a couple of short showers.

The tour began early in the morning at a hotel near Mumbai airport from where we headed 190 kms southeast for the city of Pune or more precisely the Sinhagad Fort. As I had visited the fort just before the start of the tour, I knew that it would be best to get there as soon as possible as the weather on the top of the mountain at 1200m asl could be very unpredictable and finding the birds might require some time. However, I should not have worried as our main target, the Broad-tailed Grassbird, was very obliging and showed very well even providing decent photo opportunities despite the fog and strong wind. This endemic species, occurring in the Western Ghats of India, is very difficult to see anywhere outside the monsoon period. Our main target in the bag we descended back to the parking lot seeing Malabar Whistling Thrush, Crested Bunting and a flock of Square-tailed Bulbuls on the way. Then a late lunch followed by afternoon birding at the base of the mountain, where we added several new species, including Short-toed Snake Eagle, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Pale-billed and Thick-billed Flowerpeckers, Purple-rumped and Purple Sunbirds, White-spotted Fantail, Indian Black-lored Tit and Jungle Babbler of the rather distinct form somervillei (a future split). Next our local guide took us to an area considered to be a good spot for Painted Francolin, another much needed target bird. Unfortunately, the site was controlled by Indian army and our access was bluntly denied. We quickly came up with plan B and spent the last hour of the day at another francolin site, where we connected with two rather vocal individuals, but just couldn’t find them in the dense trees in which they were hiding.

Early the next morning we were back in the same francolin area on the outskirts of Pune, and eventually managed good scope views of a male Painted Francolin calling half-way up a large tree. What a beautiful bird and what’s more a lifer for the leader too! As we still needed to see one more target bird, the Vigors’s Sunbird, a species endemic to Western Ghats, we began heading back to Mumbai, where the species is thought to be commoner than in Pune. On the way the weather deteriorated markedly, and it was raining heavily when we began our sunbird search in a bird sanctuary near Mumbai. At first things didn’t seem very promising, but in the end just minutes before we were about to leave the site, we managed to locate a male Vigors’s Sunbird feeding on flowers at the top of a big tree. Phew, that was close! All the main targets in the bag now, we could relax a bit, and visited a wetland, where species including Lesser Flamingo, Painted Stork and Brahminy Kite entertained us. A short walk in a forest patch produced a party of three Red Spurfowls, which showed very well. Later we drove to Mumbai airport to catch an evening flight to the famous city of Jaipur in the state of Rajasthan, where our local guide Ghani and three drivers awaited us. It was well past midnight before we arrived at our enchanting hotel.

Next morning, after a well-deserved rest and one of the few sit-down breakfasts on this tour, we drove through the Jaipur’s interesting old city to pay a shorth visit to the famous Palace of the Winds, a world-famous ‘facade’ from where members of the royal court could observe processions through this storied city. Just something every visitor should see! Afterwards, we drove southwestwards to the city of Ajmer for a three-night stay. The afternoon was spent on sparsely forested hills, where, in the intense heat, we manage to locate a gorgeous male White-bellied Minivet, one of our target birds here, and also added a number of other species with Grey Francolin, several Jacobin and Common Hawk Cuckoos, Shikra, White-browed Fantail, Bay-backed Shrike, Rufous Treepie, Jungle (of the nominate form) and Large Grey Babblers, Brahminy Starling and Yellow-throated Sparrow to our bird list.

New day started in the vast agricultural area of Sonkaliya, an hour’s drive from our hotel, where we spent the whole day. The first area we visited gave us great daytime views of several Savanna Nightjars, a rather skittish Indian Eagle-Owl, Indian Coursers, Rufous-tailed Lark, Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark and Indian Bush Lark, confiding Rufous-fronted Prinias, a single Yellow-eyed Babbler, two very shy Common Babblers, several Red Collared Doves, our first Rosy Starlings (still in breeding plumage) and a cool Indian Spectacled Cobra. As our main quarry, the Lesser Florican, was not in the area, our guide Ghani made some phone calls, and we headed to another site in the plains. On the way we picked-up a local florican researcher, who took us to a spot, where we had brilliant scope views of a male florican doing its leaping display and walking around in the short grass. The main display season of this magnificent bird hadn’t really begun in Rajasthan and apparently there were only two displaying males in the whole area during the time of our visit. In addition to the exquisite Lesser Florican, we saw total of three Indian Eagle-Owls (with decent scope views), Great Grey Shrike, Singing Bush Lark and a small flock of Streak-throated Swallows. After lunch in a local dhaba, we headed back to the same general area we had been during the morning and spent a couple of late afternoon hours admiring (and photographing) Marshall’s Iora, Rock Bush Quail, Barred Buttonquail, Indian Stone-curlew, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, very confiding Indian Coursers and an Indian Nightjar found by Jan-Joost.

On a longish morning walk around the forested hills near Ajmer we found the much-needed local specialty White-naped Tit and we also scored several other good birds with Spotted Owlet, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, another Marshall’s Iora, a total of ten White-bellied Minivets including several recently fledged juveniles, Large and Black-headed Cuckooshrikes, White-bellied Drongos and a beautiful Black-headed Royal Snake. In the afternoon we paid a visit to a large wetland, where a handful of commoner Palearctic wader species, a single Osprey, one Whiskered, a few Little and around 50 excellent River Terns were found plus the usual cormorants, storks, egrets, herons and ibises. We also saw several Brown Rock Chats, a juvenile White-browed Wagtail and excellent Blue-tailed Bee-eaters during the afternoon. The final destination of the day was the Aloo Baba temple, where a juvenile White-eyed Buzzard and a small flock of Yellow-footed Green Pigeons were new birds for us.

Now it was time to move to our next destination, the city of Alwar, ca 5 hours’ drive away. On the way we passed through the Sariska Tiger Reserve, where a couple of short stops along the main road gave us few Asian Openbills, Bonelli’s Eagle, a handful of White-eyed Buzzards, improved views of Common Babbler, a singing Common Cuckoo and, best of all, four of the critically endangered Indian Vultures. In the afternoon, after lunch in our hotel, we were back in Sariska and visited the Bala Fort, where our main target, the often difficult to get Painted Spurfowl, showed well in the late afternoon. Other good birds in this scenic area included Jungle Bush Quails with excellent views, a few Indian Golden Orioles, a heard only Indian Pitta, an Indian Paradise Flycatcher and a single Western Crowned Warbler, an unexpected bonus species.

The following day we drove to the Delhi area for a one-night stay. On the way we stopped at a large wetland area along the Mumbai-Delhi highway, where Sarus Crane, a single Watercock, a fly-by Pheasant-tailed Jacana, Eurasian Spoonbills, two Delicate Prinias and our first, admittedly very distant, Black-breasted Weavers were seen. In the outskirts of Delhi, we visited another wetland area, where we soon connected with our main quarry, the Bristled Grassbird, which performed well giving great views. This bulky warbler is another species that becomes highly visible (and audible) with the onset of monsoon, but no one seems to know what they do during the rest of the year. Other new birds in this rather impressive marshland area included many Oriental Pratincoles, a single Cotton Pygmy Goose, Tricolored Munias and a single Black-tailed Godwit. After lunch we visited another wetland, where we managed to see a flock of Glossy Ibises and a Brown-headed Barbet, before the combination of oppressive heat and very high humidity got the better of us and we retreated to our hotel for a well-earned rest.

This morning, we started early as we wanted to reach the Hadeipur Sanctuary by the Ganges as early as possible to avoid the heat of the day and the masses of pilgrims that would be heading in the same direction to collect the holy water of the river to take it back to their home villages. The plan worked out well and we reached the sanctuary in good time. At the sanctuary we were taken straight to a breeding site of the Indian Grassbird, our main target bird here, but the bird kept hiding amongst the reeds and allowed only rather brief views. Later we checked another territory of this notorious skulker, but the views didn’t get any better. However, there were several other good birds in the area, including good numbers of Bristled Grassbirds, Golden-headed Cisticolas and a vocal Lesser Coucal. Next we visited the Hadrapur Sanctuary, which is known as a breeding site for the critically endangered Finn’s Weaver. We spend the hot and sweaty afternoon birding this vast area but had to make do with species like Indian Spotted Eagle and Streaked and Black-breasted Weavers. In the evening, we drove to our comfortable resort near the Corbett National Park for two night stay.

Today we decided to do something different and headed for the Himalayan foothills (up to around 1000m asl) for the whole day. Thanks to the higher altitude the weather was rather pleasant, and we were able to bird throughout the whole day. New habitats brought us an array of new birds (over 40 write-ins!) including seven species of woodpecker, Mountain Hawk-Eagle, Jungle Owlet, Brown Boobook, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Black-chinned Babbler and a gorgeous male Crimson Sunbird.

On the last morning of our Indian monsoon adventure, we were back in the Hadrapur Bird Sanctuary, where we spent the first half of the day. Our main quarry, the Finn’s Weaver, eluded us although things looked promising for a while as we found (after much searching) a group of six half-made Finn’s Weaver’s nests. Unfortunately, it soon became obvious that the nests had been abandoned and the birds were nowhere to be seen. Despite the bad luck with the weaver, we enjoyed good birding around this extensive wetland and saw several Watercocks, many Cinnamon, Yellow and Black Bitterns, noisy Striated and handsome Chestnut-capped Babblers, Bristled Grassbirds, Bengal Bush Larks and nest-building Streaked, Black-breasted and Baya Weavers during our visit. After a lunch in a roadside dhaba, it was time to drive to our nice hotel near Delhi airport, where, after doing the bird list and enjoying drinks and a good dinner, it was time to say our goodbyes, and to thank everyone for their excellent company during this memorable trip.

BIRD OF THE TRIP

1^st Lesser Florican

2^nd Painted Francolin

3^rd Painted Spurfowl & Broad-tailed Grassbird

4^th Greater Yellownape

5th Rock Bush Quail & Sarus Crane

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED DURING THE TOUR

Species marked with the diamond symbol (◊) are either endemic to the country or local region or considered ‘special’ birds for some other reason (e.g., it is only seen on one or two Birdquest tours; it is difficult to see across all or most of its range; the local form is endemic or restricted-range and may in future be treated as a full species).

The species names and taxonomy used in the bird list follows Gill, F., Donsker, D., & Rasmussen, P.(Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v14.1).

Where the subspecies seen is/are known, these are often given in parentheses at the end of the species comment.

BIRDS

Lesser Whistling Duck  Dendrocygna javanica

Knob-billed Duck  Sarkidiornis melanotos

Cotton Pygmy Goose  Nettapus coromandelianus One male in the outskirts of Delhi.

Indian Spot-billed Duck  Anas poecilorhyncha

Red-crested Pochard  Netta rufina One at Hadrapur on our last morning.

Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus

Red Spurfowl ◊ Galloperdix spadicea A party of three in Mumbai. Excellent views!

Painted Spurfowl ◊ Galloperdix lunulata A pair in Sariska Tiger Reserve.

Red Junglefowl  Gallus gallus Heard only.

Grey Francolin  Ortygornis pondicerianus

Black Francolin  Francolinus francolinus Heard only.

Painted Francolin ◊ Francolinus pictus Good scope views of calling male in Pune. Two others were heard in the same place.

Rock Bush Quail ◊ Perdicula argoondah Three encounters in the northern plains.

Jungle Bush Quail ◊ Perdicula asiatica Seen well in Sariska Tiger Reserve.

Jungle Nightjar  Caprimulgus indicus Great daytime views of one in the Sonkaliya area.

Indian Nightjar  Caprimulgus asiaticus Great daytime views of one in the Sonkaliya area.

Savanna Nightjar  Caprimulgus affinis Six or so with good views in the Sonkaliya area.

White-rumped Spinetail  Zoonavena sylvatica Two in the foothills near Corbett.

Little Swift  Apus affinis

Lesser Florican ◊ Sypheotides indicus Great encounter in Sonkaliya with a male doing its leaping display.

Greater Coucal  Centropus sinensis

Lesser Coucal  Centropus bengalensis One in the grasslands of Hadeipur.

Jacobin Cuckoo  Clamator jacobinus Small numbers were noted daily in the north.

Asian Koel  Eudynamys scolopaceus

Grey-bellied Cuckoo ◊  Cacomantis passerines Handful seen with some decent scope views.

Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo  Surniculus lugubris One in the foothills near Corbett.

Common Hawk-cuckoo ◊  Hierococcyx varius

Indian Cuckoo  Cuculus micropterus Heard only.

Common Cuckoo  Cuculus canorus One singing bird in Sariska.

Rock Dove  Columba livia

Oriental Turtle Dove  Streptopelia orientalis

Eurasian Collared Dove  Streptopelia decaocto

Red Collared Dove  Streptopelia tranquebarica

Western Spotted Dove  Spilopelia [chinensis] suratensis

Laughing Dove  Spilopelia senegalensis

Common Emerald Dove  Chalcophaps indica A few in the foothills near Corbett.

Wedge-tailed Green Pigoen  Treron sphenura  A few in the foothills near Corbett.

Yellow-footed Green Pigeon  Treron phoenicopterus

Common Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus

Eurasian Coot  Fulica atra

Grey-headed Swamphen  Porphyrio poliocephalus

Watercock  Gallicrex cinerea About ten or so in the north including some calling birds. Nice!

White-breasted Waterhen  Amaurornis phoenicurus

Sarus Crane ◊  Antigone antigone Ten in total with some good views.

Lesser Flamingo  Phoeniconaias minor A few in the Mumbai area.

Barred Buttonquail  Turnix suscitator Great views!

Indian Stone-Curlew  Burhinus indicus

Black-winged Stilt  Himantopus himantopus

Little Ringer Plover  Charadrius dubius

River Lapwing  Vanellus duvaucelii A few in the foothills.

Yellow-wattled Lapwing ◊  Vanellus malabaricus Great to see some juvenile birds too.

Red-wattled Lapwing  Vanellus indicus

Pheasant-tailed Jacana  Hydrophasianus chirurgus

Bronze-winged Jacana  Metopidius indicus

Black-tailed Godwit  Limosa limosa One in the outskirts of Delhi.

Common Sandpiper  Actitis hypoleucos

Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus

Wood Sandpiper  Tringa glareola

Common Greenshank  Tringa nebularia

Little Stint  Calidris minuta

Indian Courser ◊ Cursorius coromandelicus Several close encounters in the Sonkaliya area. Great to see some juvenile birds too.

Oriental Pratincole  Glareola maldivarum Hundred or so at a wetland in the outskirts of Delhi.

Whiskered Tern  Chlidonias hybrida One near Ajmer.

Little Tern  Sternula albifrons Five at a lake near Ajmer.

Gull-billed Tern  Gelochelidon nilotica One in Mumbai.

River Tern ◊   Sterna aurantia Encountered on five days with a maximum count of 50 at a lake near Ajmer.

Asian Openbill  Anastomus oscitans

Painted Stork  Mycteria leucocephala

Asian Woolly-necked Stork  Ciconia episcopus

Oriental Darter  Anhinga melanogaster

Little Cormorant  Microcarbo niger

Indian Cormorant ◊  Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

Black-headed Ibis  Threskiornis melanocephalus

Red-naped Ibis ◊ Pseudibis papillosa

Glossy Ibis  Plegadis falcinellus

Eurasian Spoonbill  Platalea leucorodia

Cinnamon Bittern  Ixobrychus cinnamomeus Hadrapur Sanctuary proved to be a great place to see all three species of bitterns.

Yellow Bittern  Ixobrychus sinensis

Black Bittern  Ixobrychus flavicollis

Black-crowned Night Heron  Nycticorax nycticorax

Striated Heron  Butorides striata

Little Egret  Egretta garzetta

Indian Pond Heron  Ardeola grayii

Eastern Cattle Egret  Bubulcus coromandus

Great Egret  Ardea alba

Medium Egret  Ardea intermedia

Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea

Purple Heron  Ardea purpurea

Osprey  Pandion haliaetus

Black-winged Kite  Elanus caeruleus

Crested Honey Buzzard  Pernis ptilorhynchus

Indian Vulture ◊ Gyps indicus Four of these critically endangered vultures were seen in Sariska.

Short-toed Snake Eagle  Circaetus gallicus

Mountain Hawk-Eagle  Nisaetus nipalensis One in the foothills near Corbett.

Indian Spotted Eagle ◊ Clanga hastata One in Hadeipur and at least two in Hadrapur.

Bonelli’s Eagle  Aquila fasciata One in Sariska.

Shikra  Accipiter badius

Black Kite  Milvus migrans

Brahminy Kite  Haliastur indus A few in Mumbai.

White-eyed Buzzard ◊  Butastur teesa

Unidentified Buzzard  Buteo sp One in the foothills near Corbett.

Brown Boobook  Ninox scutulata One in the garden of our hotel near Corbett.

Spotted Owlet  Athene brama

Jungle Owlet  Glaucidium radiatum One near Corbett.

Indian Eagle-owl ◊ Bubo bengalensis A total of four with some good scope views in the Sonkaliya area.

Eurasian Hoopoe  Upupa epops

Oriental Pied Hornbill  Anthracoceros albirostris

Indian Grey Hornbill ◊  Ocyceros birostris

Indian Roller  Coracias benghalensis

Stork-billed Kingfisher  Pelargopsis capensis

White-throated Kingfisher  Halcyon smyrnensis

Common Kingfisher  Alcedo atthis

Pied Kingfisher  Ceryle rudis

Asian Green Bee-eater  Merops orientalis

Blue-tailed Bee-eater  Merops philippinus

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater  Merops leschenaulti

Great Barbet  Psilopogon virens

Brown-headed Barbet ◊ Psilopogon zeylanicus

Lineated Barbet  Psilopogon lineatus

Blue-throated Barbet  Psilopogon asiaticus

Coppersmith Barbet  Psilopogon haemacephalus

Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker  Yungipicus canicapillus Fairly common in the foothills near Corbett.

Yellow-crowned Woodpecker ◊ Leiopicus mahrattensis

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker  Dendrocopos macei One in the foothills near Corbett.

Greater Yellownape  Chrysophlegma flavinuchaOne foothills near Corbett .

Streak-throated Woodpecker  Picus xanthopygaeus One Corbett foothills.

Grey-headed Woodpecker  Picus canus

Black-rumped Flameback  Dinopium benghalense

Greater Flameback  Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus A pair in the foothills near Corbett.

Slaty-headed Parakeet  Psittacula himalayensis Small numbers in the foothills near Corbett.

Plum-headed Parakeet ◊ Psittacula cyanocephala

Alexandrine Parakeet ◊ Psittacula eupatria

Rose-ringed Parakeet  Psittacula krameri

Vernal Hanging Parrot  Loriculus vernalis A few in Pune.

Indian Pitta ◊ Pitta brachyura Heard only in Sariska.

Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike  Hemipus picatus

Common Woodshrike  Tephrodornis pondicerianus

Common Iora  Aegithina tiphia

Marshall’s Iora ◊ Aegithina nigrolutea A total of three, including a showy pair, in the Ajmer area.

White-bellied Minivet ◊ Pericrocotus erythropygius Good numbers, including recently fledged juveniles, near Ajmer.

Small Minivet  Pericrocotus cinnamomeus

Large Cuckooshrike  Coracina macei

Black-winged Cuckooshrike  Lalage melaschistos Two in the foothills.

Black-headed Cuckooshrike  Lalage melanoptera

Black-hooded Oriole  Oriolus xanthornus

Indian Golden Oriole ◊ Oriolus kundoo

Ashy Drongo  Dicrurus leucophaeus

White-bellied Drongo ◊ Dicrurus caerulescens

Black Drongo  Dicrurus macrocercus

White-throated Fantail  Rhipidura albicollis

White-spotted Fantail  Rhipidura albogularis

White-browed Fantail  Rhipidura aureola

Black-naped Monarch  Hypothymis azurea

Indian Paradise Flycatcher  Terpsiphone paradisi

Great Grey Shrike  Lanius excubitor

Bay-backed Shrike  Lanius vittatus

Long-tailed Shrike  Lanius schach

Common Green Magpie  Cissa chinensis

Rufous Treepie  Dendrocitta vagabunda

Grey Treepie  Dendrocitta formosae

House Crow  Corvus splendens

Indian Jungle Crow  Corvus culminatus

Cinereous Tit  Parus cinereus

White-naped Tit ◊ Machlolophus nuchalis A singleton in the forested hills near Ajmer.

Himalayan Black-lored Tit  Machlolophus xanthogenys

Indian Black-lored Tit ◊ Machlolophus aplonotus

Rufous-tailed Lark ◊ Ammomanes phoenicura

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark ◊ Eremopterix griseus

Singing Bush Lark  Mirafra javanica

Bengal Bush Lark ◊ Mirafra assamica

Indian Bush Lark ◊ Mirafra erythroptera

Crested Lark  Galerida cristata

Ashy Bubul  Hemixos flavala

Black Bulbul  Hypsipetes leucocephalus

Square-tailed Bulbul  Hypsipetes ganeesa

White-browed Bulbul ◊ Pycnonotus luteolus

Red-whiskered Bulbul  Pycnonotus jocosus

Red-vented Bulbul  Pycnonotus cafer

Himalayan Bulbul  Pycnonotus leucogenys

Grey-throated Martin  Riparia chinensis

Dusky Crag Martin  Ptyonoprogne concolor

Barn Swallow  Hirundo rustica

Wire-tailed Swallow  Hirundo smithii

Nepal House Martin  Delichon nipalense

Red-rumped Swallow  Cecropsis daurica

Streak-throated Swallow ◊ Petrochelidon fluvicola

Western Crowned Warbler  Phylloscopus occipitalis A singleton in Sariska was a pleasant surprise.

Grey-hooded Warbler  Phylloscopus xanthoschistos

Broad-tailed Grassbird ◊ Schoenicola platyurus Great views of one territorial male in Pune. A monsoon specialist.

Bristled Grassbird ◊ Schoenicola striatus Very vocal and easy to see. We observed this species at three different wetlands in the north.

Zitting Cisticola  Cisticola juncidis

Golden-headed Cisticola  Cisticola exilis Great views at Hadeipur wetland.

Himalayan Prinia  Prinia crinigera

Rufous-fronted Prinia ◊ Prinia buchanani Great views in the Sonkaliya area.

Grey-breasted Prinia  Prinia hodgsonii

Delicate Prinia ◊ Prinia lepida

Jungle Prinia ◊ Prinia sylvatica Quite vocal and easy to find at this time of the year.

Yellow-bellied Prinia  Prinia flaviventris Great views at Hadeipur and Hadrapur.

Ashy Prinia  Prinia socialis

Plain Prinia  Prinia inornata

Common Tailorbird  Orthotomus sutorius

Yellow-eyed Babbler  Chrysomma sinense

Indian White-eye  Zosterops palpebrosus

Chestnut-capped Babbler  Timalia pileata

Black-chinned Babbler ◊  Cyanoderma pyrrhops A few in the foothills.

Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler  Erythrogenys erythrogenys Heard only

Indian Grassbird ◊ Graminicola bengalensis Rather brief encounters with two different birds at Hadeipur.

Puff-throated Babbler  Pellorneum ruficeps

White-throated Laughingthrush  Pterorhinus albogularis Good views of couple of different flocks in the foothills.

Large Grey Babbler ◊ Argya malcolmi

Jungle Babbler  Argya striata striata

Jungle Babbler ◊ Argya [striata] somervillei Couple of encounters of this southern (and quite different looking) form of Jungle Babbler in Pune-Mumbai.

Common Babbler ◊ Argya caudata

Striated Babbler ◊ Argya earlei Great views at Hadrapur. Also noted in Hadeipur.

Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch  Sitta cinnamoventris

Jungle Myna ◊ Acridotheres fuscus

Bank Myna ◊ Acridotheres ginginianus

Common Myna  Acridotheres tristis

Indian Pied Myna  Gracupica contra

Brahminy Starling ◊ Sturnia pagodarum

Rosy Starling  Pastor roseus We had a number of great encounters with this beauty. One of the earliest arriving autumn migrants in India.

Indian Blackbird ◊ Turdus simillimus One in Pune.

Oriental Magpie-robin  Copsychus saularis

Indian Robin ◊ Copsychus fulicatus

White-rumped Shama  Copsychus malabaricus

Verditer Flycatcher  Eumyias thalassinus

Blue-throated Blue Flycatcher  Cyornis rubeculoides

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher  Cyornis tickelliae

Blue Whistling Thrush  Myophonus caeruleus

Malabar Whistling Thrush ◊ Myophonus horsfieldii This Peninsular Indian endemic was seen in Pune.

Pied Bush Chat  Saxicola caprata

Brown Rock Chat ◊ Oenanthe fusca

Thick-billed Flowerpecker  Dicaeum agile

Pale-billed Flowerpecker ◊ Dicaeum erythrorhynchos

Purple-rumped Sunbird ◊ Leptocoma zeylonica

Purple Sunbird  Cinnyris asiaticus

Crimson Sunbird  Aethopyga siparaja A few birds, including a stunning male, in the foothills.

Vigors’s Sunbird ◊ Aethopyga vigorsii One male in Mumbai.

Yellow-throated Sparrow  Gymnoris xanthocollis

House Sparrow  Passer domesticus

Black-breasted Weaver ◊ Ploceus benghalensis

Streaked Weaver ◊ Ploceus manyar

Baya Weaver  Ploceus philippinus

Indian Silverbill  Euodice malabarica

Scaly-breasted Munia  Lonchura punctulata

White-rumped Munia  Lonchura striata

Tricoloured Munia ◊ Lonchura malacca

Red Avadavat  Amandava amandava

White-browed Wagtail ◊ Motacilla maderaspatensis

Paddyfield Pipit  Anthus rufulus

Crested Bunting  Emberiza lathami

MAMMALS

Wild Boar Sus scrofa

Sambar Rusa unicolor

Nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus

Indian Grey Mongoose Herpestes edwardsi

Small Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus

Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii

Golden Jackal Canis aureus

Indian Flying Fox Pteropus giganteus

Greater Mouse-tailed Bat Rhinopoma microphyllum

Naked-rumped Tomb Bat Taphozous nudiventris

Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta

Bengal Sacred Langur Semnopithecus entellus

Southern Grey Langur Semnopithecus dussumieri

Terai Grey Langur Semnopithecus hector

Northern Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti

Indian Palm Squirrel Funambulus palmarum

REPTILES

Yellow-green House Gekko Hemidactylus flaviviridis

Bronzed Skink Eutropis macularia

Indian Bark Gekko Hemidactylus leschenaultii

Oriental Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor

Bengal Monitor Varanus bengalensis

Indian Spectacled Cobra Nasa nasa

Black-headed Royal Snake Spalerosophis atriceps