I was surprised how honest people were as I almost paid 300 Rps for a postcard by mistake and consequently, the salesperson went out on the street to find me in order to hand me the change. It was also very cheap to phone home, about 100 Rps for a 6 minutes call. There were a few beggars around in town. Peter told us that it is a professional occupation. One time the police found 100000 Rps in the pocket a dead beggar. Some beggars pay to a Mafia ring for personal protection. In Kalinpong no beggars are found because the municipality has forbidden the activity. In the late afternoon we went to the wildlife reserve where we spotted 3 Barking Deer and a few cuckoos such as Large Hawk Cuckoo and Common Cuckoo.

Just before dinner Peter had a meeting with the wildlife manager. He told us that the researcher at Garibas was caught by the personnel of the department and currently under house arrest, all his data had been copied and an investigation was underway. When he clamed that he had not worked in India, but only looking for pandas in Nepal, it became fishy to the people who interrogated the researcher. Everyone knows there are no red pandas in Nepal, because that country is now almost completly deforested. It was also suspect that the American could speak fluent Nepalese. Consequentl, the folks at Wildlife suspect that he had been involved in a poaching ring under pretext of research.

24 Apr: Darjeeling - Bagdogra - Delhi

After breakfast transfer to Bagdogra by jeeps to board flight to Delhi. We had to take a detour by the plane to the east before heading west to New Delhi. Fortunally, we spotted a Lesser adjdant stork in the Gauhati airport.

Peter had organised a pickup in the late afternoon and we went to Orkla near the river east of the city. The highlights were Painted Stork and Demoiselle Crane. The water level was very low so the flats were almost dry. After 1 hours birding we went to a county club for a farewell dinner. The food was superb and plentiful but we also experienced the high life of the 100 million middle class of India. Around 11 O’clock we went back to the Airport to board the Swissair flight bound for Europe. TOUR ENDS

BIRDLIST

Little Black Cormorant Phalacrocorax
1: 6/4, 4: 7/4 on the plains before and after Chandiah

Gray Heron Ardea
2: 7/4 & 2: 13/4 enroute Chandiah-Sai Roopa, 3: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Great Egret Ardea alba
2: 7/4 Chandiah-Sai Roopa, 2: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Little Egret Egretta garzetta
5: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia
3: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Common on the plains

Indian Pond-Heron Ardeola grayii
1: 7/4 & 8/4 Enroute to GHNP, +10: 14/4 & 24/4 Bagdogra

Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
1: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife (Ebbe)

Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala
20: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli (Cought a 15 cm fish)

Asian Open-bill Anastomus oscitans
27: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Black Stork Ciconia nigra
1: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife

Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus
1 Gauhati Airport

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
5: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
1: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli Black Baza Aviceda leuphotes
1 pair: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife, close view in understory

Oriental Honey-Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
2:7/4 enroute to GHNP, 1 pair: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
1: 6/7 & 7/4 enroute to GHNP on the plains

Black Kite Milvus migrans
Common on the plains & towns

Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus
In total+15 seen during 5 days in GHNP

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
1:6/7 & 7/7 on plains

Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus
5 positively idenified: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife

Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis
6: 6/7, +10: 7/7 in foothills, +20 GHNP (5 days), +10 seen on return to Delhi on 13/4, 3 seen at 3000 m. around Sandakphu on both 20/4 & 21/4

Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela
2 15/4 Mahananda wildlife, 2: 16/4 Lava

Crested Goshawk Accipiter trivirgatus
1: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife, 1: 20/4 close up at 3000 m. around Sandakphu.

Shikra Accipiter badius
6: 6/4 Plains, 1:9/4 & 1: 12/4 GHNP, 1: 13/4 Plains

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
1: 9/4 female GHNP, 1: 12/4 Lava, 1: 21/4 Sandakphu, 1:23/4 Darjeeling, .

White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa
1: 6/4 Plains (Ole, Hans, John & Ebbe)

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
1: 21/4 Sandakphu

Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
1 7/4 & 1: 8/4 GHNP, 1 : 16/4 Lava

Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina
1: 6/4 Chandigarh hills

Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos
1: 7/4 lodge at Roopa, 1 pair seen every day at 2900 m in GHNP:

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus
1: 7/4 enroute to Roopa, 9 counted during our 5 stay in GHNP (2 light phase, 7 dark)

Mountain Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus nipalensis
1: 15/4 Mahananda wildlife , 1: 16/4 & 17/4 Lava

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
+10 enroute to Roopa, 8 seen from 1700-2100 m. GNHP, none seen at the high camp

Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
1:8/4 & 11/4 GHNP

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
10: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Gadwall Anas strepera
3: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
20: 100: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Northern Pintail@ Anas acuta
4: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Garganey Anas querquedula
20: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
30: 24/4 Orkla, New Deli

Common Pochard Aythya ferina
1:7/4 in a hydro el. dam enroute to Roopa

Rock Bush-Quail Perdicula argoondah
2: 13/4 foothills enroute to Chandigharh (Peter,Jørgen, Bodil & Ole)

Hill Partridge Arborophila torqueola
2 seen, 3 heared: 10-12/4: GHNP, heared every day on Lava and Sandakphu trek

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