On day three, we took off early from the hotel in Bharatpur towards Dholpur and the Chambal River. This location is situated about 100 km drive south of Bharatpur. Chambal River is a tributary to the Ganges known for the rare Gharial crocodile. On our way we stopped at a marsh next to the road near Rupbas where Dalveer earlier had seen the Painted Snipe, one of my target species. And to my astonishment, Dalveer managed to find two well-hidden Greater Painted Snipe in the gras. To say it at least, I was very happy with my guide on this trip. Yes, we missed some of my target species (like the fishing owls), but with wild birds it is always a hit or miss. And Dalveer was excellent to find the birds that were around.

After a couple of hours, we arrived at the bridge that connects Rajasthan with Madhya Pradesh. Beneath the bridge we rented a boat with a local guide and set out to find the Gharial but also the Mugger Crocodile which lives here. Luckily, we found them both, but the Gharial was surprisingly shy and went into the water long before we approached them. I still managed to get some decent photos of a male Gharial laying on the riverbed. Although the Gharial has an elongated and narrow snout and mainly prey on fish, it is actually one of the largest of all crocodilian species, with males reaching 16 to 20 feet (5 to 6 meters) in length. Females typically grow to lengths of 11.5 to 15 feet (3.5 to 4.5 meters). In terms of bird species, the Chambal River is known for the Indian Skimmer and the Black-bellied Tern. Luckily, we found them both and also saw the River Dolphin, another specialty of the Chambal River (although no photo of this mammal). The boat trip also produced the trips only sight of Bonelli’s Eagle, River Tern, and Greater Thick-knee.

After lunch, we headed west in search of the Indian Vulture, another target species. Dalveer told me we could find them near a town called Bayana situated a couple of hours drive from Dholpur. Instead of going back to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, I preferred this off-tour in search for the vulture. On our way we stopped near Mastoora where we saw the Sarus Crane and the Asian Openbill. We found several Indian Vultures at the Bayana Cliffs. Like most vulture species, the numbers of Indian Vulture have declined dramatically in recent years. With a population decline of more than 97%, the Indian Vulture has since 2002 been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Research has documented that the three species of Gyps vultures found in India (White-rumped Vulture, the Indian (Long-billed) Vulture and the Slender-billed Vulture) are dying out due to the widespread use of the drug diclofenac, which acts nephrotoxic to the birds.

 

A female or immature Gharial

Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris)

Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)

Ruddy Shelduck

Greater Painted Snipe (Rostratula benghalensis), Rupbas early morning stop

Common Snipe / Enkeltbekkasin (Gallinago gallinago), Rupbas early morning stop

Wood Sandpiper / Grønnstilk (Tringa glareola)

Temminck's Stint / Temminksnipe (Calidris temminckii), Rupbas early morning stop

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)

Egyptian Vulture

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

Bank Myna (Acridotheres ginginianus)

Grey-breasted Prinia (Prinia hodgsonii), Band Baretha

Plain Prinia (Prinia inornata), Band Baretha

Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus), Band Baretha

Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis), Band Baretha