Birding in India - a photo on Flickriver

Birding in India

            Tucked between Bangladesh and Bhutan, in India's state of Assam.

Traveling with our birder friends and superbly awesome guides, Harsha and Abidur, we came to adore this slice of India. On our first afternoon, we saw nearly 70 bird species which would be added to our total of 220 species. For non-birders like ourselves we were excited to learn how the Tailor bird got its name, marvel at fish eagles diving for dinner and ease drop on Alexandrian parakeets holding a convention in a silk cotton tree. Spotting mammals like elephants, rhinos, swamp deer and monkeys are always fun and much easier than tiny birds.

We visited Nameri National Park, Kaziranga National Park and World Heritage Site, and Dibru-Saikhowa National Park where we bumped along in an open-air jeep through grasslands, riparian zones, and forests to catch glimpses of things like a spotted owlet, greater adjutant, and bar-headed geese. 

Much like monsoon season, Kaziranga is flooded with regional tourists who come like we did to appreciate the park's wildlife and natural beauty. Home to 1400 elephants and 3000 one-horned rhino, the park is mostly visited by affluent Indians from In and around Assam and serious birders who seek out this area for birds like the Bengal florican.

We mused at how could the open-billed stork carry a baby. And speaking of babies...from copulating rhinos to day-old baby goats nursing with the umbilical cord still dangling from their tiny bodies we were grateful to have the wildlife population growing before our eyes.

Surrounded by bamboo and mud houses, I'm mindful of the impact of our flush toilets and hot showers. Outside of minimizing my consumption and leaving my dollars at the doorstep, I'm left to ponder how much we help and hurt the socio-economy of these third world places.

Photos courtesy of Kenyon Fink, Scott "Birdman" Lukens, and Maria Thi Mai

Taken on: March 11, 2017

Tags:

Birding

Assam

Kaziranga

rhinos

elephants

people

tourism

travel

National park

world heitage site

ecotourism

bengal

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Sets appears in: • Birding in India

Camera: NIKON COOLPIX P600, f/6.5, 1/160 sec, 258mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	NIKON COOLPIX P600
Aperture:	f/6.5
Exposure Time:	0.006 sec (1/160)
Focal Length:	258mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	COOLPIX P600 V1.0
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