After the relatively disappointing Jim Corbett National Park, we continued to Sat Tal (or Sattal). Sattal is named from several lakes in the area (Hindi for “seven lakes”) and is situated in the Lower Himalayan Range near Bhimtal, a town of the Nainital district in Uttarakhand, India. The altitude of the Sattal Lake is 1370 meters. Sattal holds about 250 resident and migratory bird species.
Sattal, unique for its biodiversity and unspoiled ecosystem, is a well-known birding hotspot a short drive from Bhimtal town. I stayed at a hotel overlooking the Bhimtal lake, and from there we visited Sattal but also other areas in the region. Two of the mornings in Sattal we visited bird hides. Except for waterfowls, bird photography was surprisingly difficult in India. Small birds actively feeding in the dense brush rarely sit still for more than a few seconds, and I missed a lot of photos this way (I think I might have missed about 50% of the seen birds!). So, the bird hides gave an excellent chance to get photos of some of the more abundant species. In retrospect, Sattal was probably one of the best birding locations I visited during my trip.
Near Bhimtal we not only visited the Sattal area, but also other nearby hotspots. A river stretch along the Bhatalia road to the east of Bhimtal was search several times for fishing owls (to no avail). For simplicity, I don't name the different areas on this page, but include all birds seen under the Sattal umbrella.
Rufous-throated Partridge (Arborophila rufogularis)
Rufous-throated Partridge
Black Francolin (Francolinus francolinus)
Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) - female
Kalij Pheasant - male
Crested Kingfisher (Megaceryle lugubris)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Grey-headed Woodpecker / Gråspett (Picus canus)
Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes guttacristatus)
Greater Yellownape (Chrysophlegma flavinucha)
Lesser Yellownape (Picus chlorolophus)
Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes auriceps)
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos macei)
Oriental Turtle-dove (Streptopelia orientalis)
Incredible Sattal!
Red-billed Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha)
Grey Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae)
Black-headed Jay (Garrulus lanceolatus)
Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos japonensis)
Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula cyanocephala)
Plum-headed Parakeet. Male feeding the female
Slaty-headed Parakeet (Psittacula himalayana)
Slaty-headed Parakeet at the nest
Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus)
Slaty-backed Forktail (Enicurus schistaceus)
Banded Bay Cuckoo (Cacomantis sonneratii)
Banded Bay Cuckoo
Roadside birding, Sattal
Sattal lake
Great Barbet (Psilopogon virens)
Blue-throated Barbet (Psilopogon asiaticus)
Punk birds! Striated Laughingthrush (Grammatoptila striatus)
Striated Laughingthrush
White-throated Laughingthrush (Pterorhinus albogularis)
White-crested Laughingthrush (Garrulax leucolophus)
Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush (Ianthocincla rufogularis)
Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum)
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler (Erythrogenys erythrogenys)
Rusty-cheeked Scimitar Babbler
Dark-sided Thrush (Zoothera marginata)
Dark-sided Thrush. This is a rare species
Grey-winged Blackbird (Turdus boulboul) - female
Grey-winged Blackbird - male
Blue whistling Thrush (Myophonus caeruleus)
Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrogularis)
Oriental Magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis)
Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata)
Grey Bush Chat (Saxicola ferreus) - female
Grey Bush Chat - male
White-tailed Nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis)
White-tailed Nuthatch
Black-throated Bushtit (Aegithalos concinnus)
Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
Himalayan Black-lored Tit (Machlolophus xanthogenys)
White-throated Fantail (Rhipidura albicollis)
Himalayan Prinia (Prinia crinigera)
Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) - female
Black-throated Sunbird (Aethopyga saturata)
Black-throated Sunbird
Red-billed Leiothrix (Leiothrix lutea)
Blue-winged Minla (Actinodura cyanouroptera)
Grey-hooded Warbler (Phylloscopus xanthoschistos)
Lemon-rumped Warbler (Phylloscopus chloronotus)
Himalayan Rubythroat (Calliope pectoralis)
Himalayan Rubythroat
Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher (Culicicapa ceylonensis)
Sattal landscape
Slaty-blue Flycatcher (Ficedula tricolor)
Slaty-blue Flycatcher
Blue-fronted Redstart (Phoenicurus frontalis)
Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica)
White-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus leucocephalus)
Plumbeous Water Redstart (Phoenicurus fuliginosus)
Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)
Orange-bellied Leafbird (Chloropsis hardwickii)
Black-chinned Babbler (Cyanoderma pyrrhops)
Black-chinned Babbler
Russet sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus)
Pied Bush Chat (Saxicola caprata)
Black Bulbul (Hypsipetes leucocephalus)
Mountain Bulbul (Ixos mcclellandii)
Ashy Bulbul (Hemixos flavala)
Ashy Bulbul
Himalayan Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)
Bronzed Drongo (Dicrurus aeneus)
Rufous-bellied Niltava (Niltava sundara)
Small Niltava (Niltava macgrigoriae)
Long-tailed Minivet (Pericrocotus ethologus) - male
Long-tailed Minivet - female
Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)
Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides)
Yellow-throated Marten (Martes flavigula)
Sambar (Rusa unicolor)
Common Peacock (Papilio bianor)
Glassy Tiger (Parantica aglea), the only tiger i saw! :)
Asian Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarinia)
Monkey in Sattal