My Journey to the 1000 lifer: December 2024

The New Year 2025 started on a high note as I could successfully accomplish the lofty target of 1000 lifers in four years of birding , a milestone every birder aspires to achieve. It was my earnest desire to sight and photograph at least 1000 bird species out of 1250 bird species that can be sighted in India. On 16-01-2025 , I got back from my birding trip to Dosdewa forest, Karimganj , Assam and decided to write about my journey of crossing the 1000 lifer at the Rejoice Gassah's Dosdewa Birding Camp  before getting immersed in work and other inanities of daily life.

Manas NP Bhutan border

By December 2024, I had already completed 980 lifers and I had aimed to get those 20 lifers needed for achieving 1000 lifers before the year ended. December, therefore, proved to be a busy month. I went on a whirlwind trip chasing lifers during the weekends which took me to Rohtak, Rewari , Chandu Bhudera , Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary in Haryana and Ferozpur ( Harike ) in Punjab. I got 8 lifers with Dusky Eagle Owl at Rohtak on December 8 , Pallid Scops -Owl, White-naped Tit , Falcated Duck and Little Gull on December 15, Moustached warbler, Cetti’s Warbler and White-crowned Pendulum Tit at Ferozpur. I was at 989 on December 25. My trip  to Manas & Kaziranga was planned with my daughter and  my sister’s family a month ago for the last week of December. Two weeks before the dates , I had to cancel the tickets of my family members as they were unable to travel . However, I was determined to go ahead as this was my last chance to get those most needed 11 lifers to 1000 before the year ended. I motivated Sarbjeet Madam , our senior birder to go with me and she further motivated two women birders from Chandigarh , Dr Aprajita and Dr Bindoo Nangia to join us on the trip. Their tickets were booked immediately as all the other arrangements were already in place.

At Guwahati Airport

We took the evening flight to Guwahati from Delhi on December 26.  We landed late in the evening and stayed at the Police Officer 's mess for the night. 

Next morning , we started at 6 am to Garbhanga Reserve forest for a short birding session with bird guide Kamal Ingiti .The forest has a good motorable road; it has  mixed vegetation of thick bamboo and broad leaf trees with small streams flowing at some spots , a habitat for many bird species. In 2022, when I had visited this forest for the first time, I was rewarded with many lifers.  This time, I was hoping to get 2 lifers , Rusty- cheeked Sunbird and White-hooded Babbler or Large Scimitar Babbler here. After spending two hours, I could only see the Ruby-cheeked Sunbird and record 26 bird species with some good shots of birds.

Ruby-cheeked Sunbird(f)

White-browed Piculet

Dark-necked Tailorbird

 

By 9 am we started for the Manas National Park which is nearly a three -hour drive from Guwahati . By 12 noon , we reached Musa Jungle resort situated just outside the Manas Banaswadi Range gate of the park. To save time, we left our bags at the reception and had a quick lunch and left for the Safari by 1pm before the regular tourists come in. Our guide ,Sukhleswar Nath wanted to get a head start over other vehicles that enter the park after 2 pm. For my birding friends, this was their first trip to Manas NP,  whereas I had been here in Febuary 2024 with my friend Dr Chitra. I was hoping to see Ashy-headed green Pigeon, my lifer in this session of the safari. After three hours in the forest , we could however, only see a large flock of Pin-tailed Green Pigeons, Yellow -footed Green Pigeons, Yellow-vented Warbler, Maroon  Oriole , Grey-headed woodpecker, Jungle Mynas, recorded 27 bird species. I found the bird activity very less and our guide attributed it to the presence of tourist vehicles. This track, which is 19 kms goes till the Bhutan border and has the Royal Manas National Park on the other side and is the regular route taken for vehicles entering Bhutan. The Bhutan side of Royal Manas is home to four rare Hornbills .The Sun sets early in this part of country. While we were still soaking in the beautiful views , it started to become dark by 4 pm. We waited for 15 mins to get a chance to see the Brown Hornbill flying across. With no luck, we headed back to the resort. Enroute near the gate of the park , the Large-tailed Nightjars are regularly seen but surprisingly , were not found that day. We checked into our warm comfortable rooms. It was really cold at Manas in the evening at 10-11 C , reminding us of Chandigarh.

At Manas NP

Border Post Bhutan 

We had an early start the next morning on December 28 and by 5.30 am we were driving towards the grasslands at Manas- Bhyunpara road.  The morning cold was sharp and biting, We had covered ourselves in layers of woollens , as we were in an open jeep. After a 30 minute drive through a village we reached the gate to the grasslands. My first lifer target was Golden -headed Cisticola. The landscape views of the grassland were spectacular in the hues of the early morning.  The golden brown grasslands with the background of the mountains of the Bhutan border and the blue sky gave an ethereal feeling. Our happiness was enhanced after the sighting of the  beautiful Golden-headed Cisticola which gave us good shots , giving me my 2nd lifer. I was at 991 and was hoping to see Ashy-headed Green Pigeon, Abbott's Babbler , Slender -billed Babbler or get some good shots of the rare Indian Grass Bird. By 10 O' clock,   and after three hours , there was still no sighting of the target birds. Indian Grass Bird played peek -a-boo with us and gave no clicks. The Siberian Stonechat, one of the most common birds was seen in large numbers all over the grassland along with Striated Prinia and Striated Babbler. On our way back, we spotted quite a few of the rare Grey-headed Lapwings foraging in the outskirts , lifer for my friends. By 11 am, we were back at the Resort , feeling famished.

Golden-headed Cisticola

Manas Grassland

Crested Bunting

          

Manas grassland

Musa Jungle Resort

After a quick lunch ,we started for our next destination to Kaziranga,  my first visit to the famous National Park. It was nearly a five hour drive from Manas NP to Koliabor Manor, where we were staying for the night. This place is an hour from Kaziranga. The property is on a hill facing the banks of Brahmaputra and surrounded by tea gardens. While at Manas , I was informed that we should reach there before sunset,  as a Tiger had been spotted on the property grounds the previous evening. We reached by 6pm and it was already dark by then. We got a nice room with two set of double beds and decided not take the second room that was booked. The balcony and the French windows of the room faced the Brahmaputra and in the darkness of the night we could hear the river flowing . I was told the sunset is very beautiful. We could, however, neither see the sunset nor the sunrise as we had an early start the next day .We had to reach Kaziranga ( Eastern Gate ) by 6.30 am.

The next morning , December 29, we took packed breakfast and left Koliabor Manor by 5.30 am heading directly to the Kaziranga Eastern gate ( Agartoli range ) ,which was nearly an hour's drive. Our bird guide , Hemanta was waiting at the Gate. After completing the formalities for the entry pass , we entered the Park. Before going in, we had our packed breakfast , as no eatables or plastic packets are allowed inside the park. All my thoughts were at getting the 9 lifers in the next two days to the1000.  Kaziranga NP is huge with five Ranges, the Eastern Range at Agaratoli ,Western Range at Bagori and Central Range ( Kohora), that we would visit. The small town had many hotels and homestays for the large number of tourists , including foreigners, who come to see the famous one- horned Rhinoceros and is also declared as  UNESCO World Heritage site. Last week of December is a busy tourist season, so movement of vehicles in the Park is quite high.

At the Eastern Gate

The Eastern Range of the NP is good for birding, and not crowded with tourist vehicles . As we entered the gate and drove inside we could see many species of ducks in the river Sholok and a good number of Grey- headed Lapwings and the gorgeous Northern Lapwings foraging in the grass close to the track. We stopped for a while noting the different species of ducks and waders and took some good shots of birds. I got my two lifers Pallas -Fish Eagle and Grey -headed Fish Eagle. There were 4-5 beautiful Mallards, huge flocks of Bar-headed Geese , Greylag Geese and the beautiful winter visitor Falcated Duck in the Sholok waters. Our guide kept scanning all the trees for the Ashy - headed Green Pigeons and in a wooded area , he spotted around five of them perched high in the canopy, completely camouflaged. With great difficulty, I managed to spot it and got some shots. We kept our eyes to the sky for the White- tailed Eagle, another lifer seen everyday. We could see five Raptors but not the Eagle. The park closes at 12 noon and opens at 3 pm again. We got out from the Park and drove to the Kohora Police guest house where we would be staying for the next two days.

Northern Lapwing

 

Waterbirds in the Eastern range

Indo-Chinese Roller

    

Ashy-headed Green Pigeon

Mallard

River Sholok-Eastern range

 The police guest house at Kohora is an amazing property. The sitting area of my room had a beautiful view of the green tea gardens from the French windows. After a quick lunch, our guide came to pick us up for the  safari to the western range of Kaziranga. The gates opened by 3pm. I was shocked to see more than 200-300 jeeps waiting in a long queue over a kilometre to enter the gate. It took us half an hour to enter the park.

 

The checking for eatables and plastic is very strict at the gate and all such items are confiscated by the guards. As we entered the park, we  saw a one-horned Rhino in a pond close to the track oblivious of the gaze of tourists and camera clicks. Our guide took us to the western zone to look for my two lifers Abbott's Babbler , Blossom -headed Parakeets and also the White-tailed Eagle.While looking for these birds, I was delighted to get a dream sighting of Swamp Francolins, four of them close to the track in the reeds foraging close to the swamp. It is a very difficult bird to get to sight or photograph. This was my third sighting, but the best. During my earlier two sightings, at Manas and Maguribheel, I could hardly get any clicks. After nearly an hour inside the park , we got to see a few Blossom Parakeets on a fruiting tree.  While we were taking shots of them , many more joined and in the next 10 mins there were nearly 25 of them, shrieking gayly and getting ready for the roosting. Before closing time, our guide stopped at a spot with tall trees and thick undergrowth, which is the habitat of Abbott's Babbler. We could hear the faint calls of the Babbler and I could see it clearly but could not get any good shots due low light. As the Park closes by 5pm, our driver rushed to the exit. The day had given me five lifers and I was at 996. I needed four more lifers in the next 2 days to reach 1000. 

Abott's Babbler

Blossom Parakeets

   

Grey-Headed Fish Eagle

 Next morning, December 30 , my guide decided to take us to Dirang tea estate to look for Pale-headed Woodpecker and Blue-naped Pitta, both lifers for me and others. The Ebird checklist of target species had recorded a sighting  of the Pale headed -woodpecker at this location, just four days ago . The tea gardens were surrounded by thick bamboo trees. We spent two hours walking in the garden for any kind of bird activity. Except for Black-hooded Orioles, there were no bird calls. We heard the calls of Blue-naped Pitta but it was far from the tea gardens.

I was feeling disappointed with no sighting of lifers in the morning session at Dirang. It was 9 am and our guide decided we should go again to the Kaziranga Eastern range to look for the White-tailed Eagle. We entered by 9.30 am and spent nearly 2 hours looking for the raptor in the skies. On the way,  our guide stopped at the spot which was the habitat of the Abbott's Babbler and we all got some fantastic pictures of the Babbler ,who delighted us by coming out in the open. This time, we drove nearly 20 kms inside the park to the grasslands where the probability of sighting the raptor is more. We got to see the Imperial Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle , Oriental Honey Buzzard, Crested Serpent Eagle , Hen Harrier but no sign of White- tailed Eagle. I was completely disheartened by the no show and we left the Agartoli range for the guest house for lunch. The food at the Kohora police guest house was very good , especially the fish fry that elevated my sunken spirits a bit. 

In the afternoon, Hemanta decided to take us to the Kaziranga Central range ( Kohora) which is less than a km from the Police guest house. Finn's weaver, a rare weaver found in a small range and a lifer is the resident bird of this area. This range had a good number of tourist safari jeeps. The grasslands here were extensive and an excellent habitat for Weaver birds. I was told the nests of the Finn's Weaver was different from the Baya weaver , which is known for intricate chimney type hanging nests of great finesse. We waited for long at the locations where the Finn's weavers had been sighted earlier. But no luck. We decided to get back to the gate by 5pm before the closing time. Disappointed and disheartened, my wish to touch 1000 by the 31st seemed impossible. Hemanta offered to take us next morning to another place, 3 kms from the guest house for an hour long birdng session, before we left for the airport. We had a tight schedule and had to reach Gauwahti airport by 3pm. 

Selfie with Rhino

 Rhino at sunset 

Grasslands Central Range 

 

The next day, December 31,  the last day of the year, we were all ready by 6am and Hemanta took us on a short drive to a place at Karbi Anglong which had thick Bamboo forests. As we reached the place, we heard the loud calls of White-hooded Babbler, an uncommon  Babbler, lifer to all.  Within five minutes, we saw four White-hooded Babblers perched on the bamboo branches and flying around. I left elated , as we got some good shots of this very elusive bird. We waited  to see the Buff-breasted Babbler, which was giving calls from a distance. But, we could not sight it, even after an hour. Hemanta left as he had to take other guests on safari. We waited for another hour hoping to see the Pale-wooded Woodpecker as the habitat was perfect for it. After 45 mins, as we were planning to leave, a woodpecker zipped passed us into the Bamboo trees , we saw the pale yellow head and maroon wings and identified it as the Pale-headed Woodpecker. It could be seen inside the Bamboo thickets and I managed to get some record shots. With two lifers , the morning two hour session was very fruitful and I was at 998 life list. We left by 9am to the guest house, ordering for the breakfast to be ready, on the way. Our bags were already packed and we gobbled a sumptuous breakfast of puris and pumpkin curry and started for the airport.

On way to the airport, depending on the time,  I made plans to stop for 30 mins at Pobitra Wetlands in Morigaon district to see the Baikal Teals. We were in two minds on going to Pobitra which is a 15-20 mins drive off the main road as we had to reach airport by 3pm. So, I decided to take a call on the way,  as the location was shared by the bird spotter at Pobitra. Luckily, we reached Pobitra by 12.25 pm and the spotter was waiting at the location. However, the Baikal Teals have not made an appearance yet in the wetlands which had around 17-20 species of ducks and waders. We waited for 30 minutes and all of us scanned the area from one end to the other but there was no sign of Baikal Teal. I was once again disappointed , as I had missed this bird for the second time this month. I had earlier missed it at Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary by 10 minutes on December 15.  It was 1.10 pm and we decided to move to the airport which was one and half hour drive from there. Our four and half days birding trip to Assam ended with 166 bird species and beautiful memories. I could not think of a better way to end 2024 with a Ladies birding trip. 

I had to close the year with 998 life list and my dream to 1000 had to move to the January of New Year  at Dosdewa Forest Bird Camp, Karimganj, Assam. That is another story, waiting to be told !!

Eurasian Wigeons at Pobitra

Yellow -footed Green Pigeons

Pobitra Wetlands

Falcated Duck

Red-breasted Parakeet

Swamp Francolins

Herd with claves

Smooth-coated Otters

One-horned Rhino 

 

At Kaziranga NP ,Western range

At Kohora Tea Garden 

Kohora Police Guest House

White-crowned Pendulum Tit @ Ferozpur

Pallid Scops-Owl @Rewari

Pale-headed Woodpecker

White-Hooded Babbler

Dusky Eagle Owl-Rohtak

Moustached Warbler@ Ferozpur

           

White-naped Tit@Rewari