NORTHERN INDIA – 21st December 2005 – 2nd January 2006
Mark Lopez & John Pegden http://www.surfbirds.com/cgi-bin/tripreports/pfp.cgi? 
Doc- http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php&id=858

Day 10 – Saturday 31st
We arrived at Mathura at about 4am and were able to meet our new driver after negotiating the chaos of the train station and managing to locate the exit (no easy task!).

A slow journey to Chambal Safari Lodge then ensued with us arriving around 8am. A stroll around the gardens of the lodge produced 2 Yellow-wattled Lapwings in the fields by the entrance track and 2 Jungle Prinias were identified in the scrub before we continued onto the river safari. The baked mudflats surrounding the river Yamuna held several new birds for the trip, a flock of 15+ Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse took flight just as we arrived, whilst 2 Desert Wheatears, 2 Crested Larks and an Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark were noted on the ground.

Before even getting onto the boat 2 River Terns and a Black-bellied Tern were noted roosting on small islands, and it wasn’t long into the boat journey before we observed the main target, a flock of 32 Indian Skimmers. Bar-headed Geese were numerous along the river with over 150 birds noted amongst other wildfowl including Red-crested Pochard, Ruddy Shelduck and Lesser Whistling Duck. Up to 4 Great Thick Knees were observed on various islands along the journey whilst several Temminck’s Stints and a Marsh Sandpiper were observed feeding on the river edge and more River and Black-bellied Terns brought the total up to 4 and 5 respectively. Gharials and Marsh Crocodiles were common on the river whilst we were lucky to gain several brief views of a Ganges Dolphin. On the return to the landing quay 11 Black Ibis could be observed feeding on the far bank and a Brown Crake was an excellent if somewhat elusive final sighting on the river.

NORTHERN INDIA – November 6th to 21st 2005
Frances Boreham and John van der Dol, Mike Brimson, Sue Cook, Graham Crick, Gaynor Cross, Ian Hodgson, Paul Howe, Jim Law, Vida Madell, Sheila Seed and Brian Short.
http://www.sandwichbirdtours.co.uk/docs/India2005.doc


The river Chambal appeared suddenly beyond deeply fissured sandbanks with thorny scrub thickets that bordered the track into the sanctuary; a wide channel of deep blue-grey water rushing over boulders in a broad, shallow bed that clearly holds a good deal more water in times of flood.

A brisk breeze blew down the valley as we boarded the waiting boat, accompanied by an armed guard, not for protection against crocodiles but from the dangerous human inhabitants of the area. Although we did not know at the time, one of the area’s most notorious bandits had been killed in a gun battle with the police less than a week before our visit.

Gharials and Marsh Muggers lay patiently on sandbars as we passed steadily upriver, picking out Great Thick-knees, River Lapwings, Black Ibis, Black-bellied Terns and an early party of Bar-headed Geese on the edge of the river and Blue Rock Thrush and an adult Bonelli’s Eagle on the sandy crags above. The attraction of the river is Indian Skimmer, and we came perilously close to missing it, an increased amount of water having reduced the population from over 80 a week or so earlier to just one, that stood on a grassy spit as we floated quietly by, flying out into the channel and past us in a close up display that justified the effort in getting here.

Lunch at Chambal Safari Lodge, near Bah, with the couple who operate the trips to the Chambal Sanctuary was the best yet; stuffed tomato, raita, okra curry, dal and rice, with the added attraction of a colony of flying foxes in their grounds. Waving goodbye, we left this oasis of calm and rejoined the chaos outside, retracing our steps to Agra and the Taj Mahal, surely one of the most magnificent of man’s creations on this little planet.

India Bharatpur – BIRDSEEKERS - February 2005
Leaders: Nick Bray, Viv Stratton, & Dilip Saini http://www.birdwatchingtours.co.uk/reports/after_tour_docs/Bharatpur.doc

Day 5 - Tuesday 15th Feb
With the lure of some cracking birds, our early start didn't seem to bother anyone at all. In fact today may well have been the highlight if the week, with so many different sightings and experiences. Our drive to the Chambal River Lodge passed quite uneventfully, and on arrival at the lodge our coach dropped us off a couple hundred yards from the entrance and we walked in, seeing a party of Large Grey Babblers, Plain Prinia, Indian Grey Hornbill and a pair of Coppersmith Barbets. An inviting cup of tea greeted our arrival, and an even more inviting 'rest room'! The major sightings here were an unexpected Common Hawk Cuckoo that flew up into a large tree and posed nicely allowing us good scope views, and a brief male Asian Koel found by Viv. It wasn’t far to the river, and this segment of the journey was uneventful, apart from a minor detour being taken when the residents of a village decided to blockade the main road in protest at a lack of electricity. Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to see the villages bustling to life, with people cramming the streets, and multi-coloured displays of fruit and assorted vegetables along the roadside, with the odd camel thrown in for good measure!

On arrival at the river, Crested Lark, River Lapwing, Great Thick-knee, Desert Wheatear, Red-crested Pochard, White-browed Wagtail, Pied Kingfisher, Little Ringed Plover, and a pair of Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Larks all vied for our immediate attention. Heading upriver, several Small Pratincoles could be seen flying around, whilst several River and Black-bellied Terns passed close by our boat. As we cruised downriver, there were many Gharials seen, plus a few huge Gangetic River Turtles. Over in the distance a pair of Bonelli's Eagles soared, whilst on the river a Goosander and an Osprey were both more familiar to us than a group of Lesser Whistling-Ducks. A couple Long-legged Buzzards also showed well, just before the first of an amazing count of 72 Indian Skimmers. We had such superb views of these totally brilliant, and much wanted birds. Circling the island they were roosting on was fantastic, and we watched several flying around us, and also here were several more Gharials, and a couple huge Marsh Muggers. Returning back to base we passed several Small Pratincoles and Kentish Plovers perched on the riverbank. Just as we disembarked, a Long-legged Buzzard passed low overhead, and a White Wagtail of the race personata (split by some authorities as Masked Wagtail) were seen. Returning to the lodge for our picnic lunch, we had plenty of time to relax before Dilip spotted a Large Cuckooshrike sat at the top of a huge Banyan tree, and it finally gave itself up to everyone after giving us the run around. Other goodies around the garden included a pair of Asian Koel, as well as the Common Hawk Cuckoo still being present, plus Spotted Owlet, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Greenish Warbler and Brown-headed Barbet. Finally it was time to leave and we headed back to our hotel, making one stop along the way when a flock of birds were seen perched on a telegraph wire. They turned out to be Baya Weavers, and whilst looking at them they were joined by several Tree Pipits, as well as Rufous-tailed and Long-tailed Shrikes and flock of Green Bee-eaters. We seemed to cause quite a stir in the village and were soon joined by a large crowd of onlookers; no doubt bemused as to what a bunch of tourists were doing in their fields!

INDIA Tour Report– 15th January – 27th January 2005
Avian Adventures http://www.birdtours.co.uk/avian-adventures/April-05/India/India-2005.htm

Day 9: 23rd January 2005
With Bharatpur not being as good as it can be we jumped at the chance of going to the Chambal River for the day. This exciting new location is about three hours drive from Bharatpur.

We left early with our local guide on board and he soon had us at road side stake out sites for Asian Openbill Stork, Red Turtle Dove and Red Avadavat, three good additions to our growing list.

We arrived at the Chambal Safari Lodge for morning drinks, and explored the old orchard grounds finding Koel, Brown-headed Barbet, Grey Hornbill and a tree full of Fruit Bats. An Oriental Honey-buzzard soared overhead.

Then it was time for the short drive to the river where we donned life jackets and boarded our small boat for a two-hour river trip. The river levels were quite high so there were few exposed sandbanks. Unfortunately no Indian Skimmers or Ganges River Dolphins were seen but we did have a close encounter with a group of Gharial, the fish eating crocodiles as they rested on a sand bar. The birding was exciting too. An increasingly rare Black-bellied Tern flew past, a group of Red-crested Pochards swam by, two Brown Crakes showed well in a small creek, Bonelli’s Eagles soared overhead and a Long-legged Buzzard perched obligingly in a riverside tree.

A short look on the river banks and in the surrounding agricultural land produced two Great Thick-knees, and various larks and pipits including a lone Richard’s Pipit.

We finished the day with tea and biscuits at the Safari Lodge and then it was time for the drive back to Bharatpur. It had been a most rewarding day out.

NORTHERN INDIA – 23rd March – 14th April 2004
Peter van der Wielen & Alma Leegwater
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/india/india24N/ind april 04.htm 

Chambal River
This site is about 60 km South of Agra. It can be visited as a daytrip from New Delhi (not recommended as it is a very long drive) or from Agra. Recently a lodge, the Chambal Safari Lodge, opened about 20 km from the river. We had lunch there and made a walk around the premises. The grounds were quite birdy. The lodge consists of an old (over 100 years) farm that is being transformed in a dining room. Accommodation is in the form of small bungalows about 100 m from the main building. I guess that staying there is a very nice experience but as we had not heard of it before, we had booked a hotel in Agra.

The birding is done on a wide stretch of the Chambal River about 30 minutes from the lodge. Due to its high population of both muggar and gharial crocodiles and all of the typical river birds, the river is a sanctuary.

There is a small boat available for trips upriver. The river is quite wide, has many sandbanks and rocky plateaus and good water plant vegetation. The water was very clear and you could look quite deep in the water. Our trip was great with the only disappointment that it was too short, just 2 hours. We would have loved to double that. Besides the crocs, there's Gangetic dolphin, breeding river black-bellied and little terns and the main attraction, a regular flock of up to 60 Indian skimmers.

India Bharatpur – BIRDSEEKERS - February 2004
Leaders: Steve Bird, Nick Bray, Viv Stratton, Dilip Saini & Avijit Sarkhel www.birdtours.co.uk/birdseekers/feb05/bharatpur/Bharatpur-2004.htm

Day 7 Thursday 19th February
A short time after as we drove over the brow of a hill we found ourselves looking down on the Chambal River. With a beautiful blue sky and calm, `glassy’ river the stage was set for a memorable boat trip. Getting onto our two boats required us to stand on a pontoon and be pushed towards a little grassy knoll where the boats were waiting. Once seated comfortably we set off downriver, initially sailing close to the right hand shore, where our first Great Thick-knees and River Lapwings stood unconcerned by our presence. There were several Black Ibis dotted along the riverbank, and their plumage looked quite stunning in the strong sunlight, and some took flight showing their white `shoulder’ patches.

Overhead, a Crested Serpent Eagle, some Small Pratincoles and lots of Plain Martins were seen. Several Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers were stood at the water’s edge, whilst Crested Lark and Desert Wheatear were seen on the banks. There were also close views of several Gharials and Marsh Muggers. Suddenly, somebody shouted “dolphin” and with rising excitement the boats slowed and everyone scanned the surrounding water for any sign of our quarry. After several tense minutes the dorsal fin of a Gangetic Dolphin was seen by a couple of the group, but it seemed to have disappeared. Moving further downriver, a Desert Wheatear was spotted and we manoeuvred the boats closer to shore to get a better look. A pair of absolutely stunning Black-bellied Terns flew quickly downriver, and were pretty close to start with. Several more close, but brief encounters ensued with the Gangetic Dolphins, but all too soon we had to return to our coach.

The trip upriver was notable for the very close views of several large rafts of Bar-headed Geese, whilst good numbers of other wildfowl included Comb Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Spot-billed Duck, Garganey, Red-crested Pochards and several other species more familiar to us. Another dolphin sighting punctuated our return journey, and there was also a Long-legged Buzzard and juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle overhead. On our return, several Temminck’s Stints were seen feeding at the water’s edge, before we took shelter under a huge parachute that someone had erected over the tables and chairs. Here we settled down to our picnic lunch, complete with copious amounts of beer and soft drinks. From the comfort of our chairs we could watch some of the commoner birds flying along the river, including a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull. A few restless souls braved the midday heat to walk along the beach, where several Paddy field Pipits gave superb close views. And then it was time to leave, but not before Nick B spotted a very distant Pallas’sGull upriver, so we all boarded the bus and drove as close as we could before getting out and walking a bit further. It turned out to be a full summer plumaged bird, and whilst here an Indian Skimmer appeared and promptly flew along the river in front of us. Wow!

TIGERS & BIRDS OF BANDHAVGARH – BIRDQUEST - January - February 2004
Mark Beaman
www.birdquest.co.uk/frameset.cfm?eTours=0 

The Chambal is one of the most unpolluted major rivers in Northern India and for this reason alone it still holds a rich variety of wildlife. Eventually, after passing along narrow highways full of foraging Common and Bank Mynas and Large Grey and Jungle Babblers, not to mention cyclists, wandering cows and gaudily painted trucks and buses, we arrived at the sandy banks of the Chambal. No sooner were we out of the bus than the first Indian Skimmers were spotted resting on a small island and we were soon admiring these bizarre black and white birds with their huge orange-red and yellow ‘broken-tipped' bills (we were ultimately to see 42 in total). Target number one already and we had only been here a few minutes! Great Thick-knees were standing by the banks, watching us with their huge eyes, and numerous waders (including many River Lapwings), Lesser Whistling-Ducks and Ruddy Shelducks fed in the shallows, while the first of three Pallas's Gulls flapped past.

After being poled out to the shallow anchorage on a raft, we boarded our boat for the trip upriver, which proved to be a great way of seeing the Chambal's birds and other wildlife. We soon encountered Golden Jackal, a large flock of Bar-headed Geese, Burmese Spot-billed and Comb Ducks, a Long-legged Buzzard, River Terns and then, even better, four Black-bellied Terns (a rare and declining bird of Asia's rivers), before the cry of ‘dolphin' went up and about five, effectively blind, Gangetic Dolphins put on a show for us for the next half hour or so as they surfaced to blow before diving once more. After this enjoyable experience was over we headed upstream again until the looming bulk of several crocodiles appeared on some low islands up ahead. Here were the first of no less than 12 Gharials, the enormous, broad-bodied, jagged-tailed and very long and narrow-snouted, fish-eating crocodile of the Gangetic system, plus a Mugger, a more conventional crocodile that resembles the Nile Crocodile of Africa. As we drew near, the decidedly prehistoric-looking Gharials crawled ponderously into the water, submerging until just their raised eye arches were visible.

After some Small Pratincoles were spotted on another island we headed back to base, but new things were still coming our way as we encountered the declining Red-naped Ibis, Steppe Eagle and a very coy Brown Crake that liked to hide in a recess in the earthy bank until it was hopeful we had gone away (but we fooled it with a bit of artful circling around and drifting downstream without the motor!). After that it was time for lunch and our first Indian Grey Hornbills, Chestnut-shouldered Petronias and both Oriental Honey Buzzard and Shikra.

Trip Report: Northern India – 16th January – 1st February 2004
Gruff Dodd, Sara Dodd, Clive Hurley & Eleanor Hurley
www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id+321

Tuesday 27 January 2004
On arrival at the lodge we had some breakfast, while birding in the immediate gardens. Eurasian Collared-Doves, Indian Roller and Jungle Babblers were seen around the main building, while a Crested Honey-Buzzard flew into a nearby tree. Hoopoe and Black Redstart were also seen, before Ratan beckoned us over to a tree he was standing under - he had found a roosting Brown Hawk-Owl which gave superb views Chestnut-shouldered Petronia were also new, and then Ratan completed an owl double by finding a pair of Spotted Owlets. A walk away from the main building produced a few Red Collared-Doves among the more numerous Eurasians, as well as Brahminy Starling, Common Tailorbird and Black Drongo, as well as a large roosting colony of Flying Foxes.

It was time to head off to the river, with brief stops near the village of Bah for Bank Myna and Yellow-wattled Lapwing and at Nandegam for Bank Myna, Large Grey Babbler, Asian Pied Starling and Black Drongo. The track we were following eventually arrived at the river, and we drove out onto the wide sandy flat to where the boat was waiting for us. Before we had even got out of the van, we had spotted our main target for this area - a group of c. 30 Indian Skimmers roosting on a sand bar in the river - a great start!

Several Black Ibis were also seen here, as well as Ruddy Shelduck, Lesser Ringed Plover and Greenshank, while a walk away from the camp produced a small group of the Sand Larks which Ratan had promised and scoping the river produced views of Red-crested Pochard and Bar-headed Geese. We were rowed out to the boat on a pontoon and started our leisurely 1.5 hour trip down the Chambal River. We were soon getting much better views of Bar-headed Geese, Brown-throated Sand-Martins hawked past the boat, and River Lapwings, Little Egrets, Pied Kingfisher, Little Cormorant and more Black Ibises were seen on the banks.

Approaching a larger vegetated sandbank in the river, we enjoyed fabulous views of two Great Thick-knees, a flock of Lesser Whistling Ducks and a River Tern, while a Black-bellied Tern flew overhead and several Mugger Crocodiles rested up on the riverbanks. Red-headed Vulture and Kentish Plover were added to the list, before we spotted some ripples in the river ahead of us - Gangetic River Dolphins! Several were seen briefly breaking the water on either side of the boat. We had now reached a part of the river where many Gharials rested on sand banks in the river - amazing prehistoric-looking creatures, and much larger than I had expected, and we enjoyed excellent close up views and photo opportunities if these animals.

Birding and Wildlife in India – January 2004
Nari Mistry (Cayuga Bird Club, Newsletter April 2004)
www.birds.cornell.edu/cayugabirdclub/pdf/April2004.pdf

First we drove via Agra to the Chambal National Sanctuary, a linear park along the Chambal River. We stayed at the Chambal Safari Lodge, wonderfully primitive but comfortable cottages in a heritage plantation that yielded 13 new bird species right there. A three hour boat trip on the beautiful river gave us close-up views of huge marsh crocodiles and gharials (fish-eating crocs). We were surrounded by rafts of Bar-headed Geese, Ruddy Shelducks, Lesser Whistling Ducks, Red-crested Pochards, and lots of shorebirds. Rare specialties were the Indian Skimmer, Great Thick-knee, and the endangered Gangetic Dolphin. Our guide for the first two days was the renowned Rattan Singh, a self-taught birder who, in his younger days, accompanied Salim Ali, the doyen of Indian birding.

National Chambal Sanctuary & Chambal Safari November 2004

Ian Tillotson
After a long journey from London and from Delhi, my arrival at Chambal Safari was late and in darkness. I was made instantly welcome, and after being shown my room, I was enjoyed an hour or so of very necessary relaxation in the pleasant evening temperature, in the moonlit garden, and in the most agreeable company of Ram Pratap Singh, the proprietor. We were joined, in a nearby tree, by a collared scops owl, probably the most easily observable owl that I have ever encountered in the wild.

In my comfortable room, I slept well, relaxed by the soft sounds of the Indian night, and woke to not so soft sounds of the abundant rose-ringed parakeets. No need for an alarm clock here. Before breakfast, I enjoyed a gentle stroll around the garden and adjacent woodland, simply entranced by the abundance of wildlife, all of which was easy to observe, and which included a host of colourful bird species and a resident colony of fruit bats.

Chambal Safari Lodge is the centrepoint of a family estate, and is steeped in the tradition and the history of that family. It is presently being developed into a residential lodge that will provide superbly for the leisure and pleasure of visitors who seek a wild life experience, for those who may be in search of history and folklore, or for those who simply value the peace and serenity of a truly tranquil location. Historically, the woodlands around the house have been managed with the interests of wildlife in mind. Management for this purpose continues. The result has been the creation of wonderful open, sunlit but sheltered forest of mature and ancient trees, which are the home to a huge range of forest birds. The garden is truly undisturbed and peaceful in the extreme. The lodge and its surrounds are pleasingly India, but without the clamour and confusion of urban development or haste. The accommodation is comfortable, and during my visit was under rapid development to increase its capacity and to aim to even higher quality. The food, the quality of service and the friendly atmosphere are of the highest order.

For those who would choose to make a longer visit, and who would use the lodge as a base, there are many more historic and wildlife locations within easy distance, for day or for weekend visits.

For all of my working life, I have been closely and professionally involved in wildlife and habitat conservation and management. In retirement I have continued to work in environmental management, and I have chosen to expand my professional interests into ecological tourism. My visit to Chambal was part of a longer tour of sites and locations to consider their future potential for visitors from Europe. I have no hesitation in making the highest recommendation for the Chambal Safari Lodge and the Chambal Sanctuary to anyone wishing to enjoy the experience of Indian culture and wildlife from the comfort of a tranquil and delightful location.

National Chambal Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India 13-14 December 2003
Bill Harvey www.delhibird.org

Eight delhibirders (Nikhil, Sheila, Sunita, Bikram, Rattan Singh, Mohit, Kavita and myself) spent the weekend at the Chambal Safari Camp run by Ram Pratap Singh and his wife, Anu. A very relaxing experience with excellent food and general comforts. It is about half an hour from the river itself where the birds, mammals and reptiles were fantastic.

We recorded 113 bird species in our short stay and even added 11 to the draft checklist which will shortly join the burgeoning collection put on our website by Bikram.

The first species was one of the best; a very supercilious Brown Hawk Owl in the Camp itself. Also there of interest were Spotted Owlets, Oriental Honey-buzzards, Large Cuckoo-shrike, Hume's Warblers, White-bellied Drongo, both Red-throated (albicilla =Taiga; what an awful choice of name, but now formally accepted by the august British Ornithologists Union!) and Red-breasted (parva) Flycatchers and Black Redstarts.

At the river almost the first birds we saw were Indian Skimmers. There must have been 40 odd present there and we had excellent close views, pariticularly from the boat. Also several River and Black-bellied Terns but of gulls only a few Pallas's and a Brown-headed. Waders were predictable but with Great Thick-knees, River Lapwings and Kentish Plovers showing especially well.

To the duck list we added numerous Gadwall and several Wigeon but the stars were the beautiful Red-crested Pochards. At least 500 Bar-headed Geese were a great sight (1% of the world's population), marred by our finding at least 12 dead and dying from deliberate poisoning on the Sunday. RP has already taken the issue up with the Forest Dept and charges against the farmer concerned (who we identified) will be filed. Only 2 Greylags but lots of garrulous pairs of Ruddy Shelducks.

What else? A very confiding Osprey, a classically pale Long-legged Buzzard, a drinking Booted Eagle, about 20 Black Ibis and several Woolly-necked Storks, a stunning male Desert Wheatear, lots of Sand Larks and an arenarius Rufous-tailed Shrike. One of the more special sightings was of a couple of Lesser Coucals disporting in the open.

We had incredible views of many Gharials (up to 4m long but, encouragingly, many small young ones), Muggars and turtles, fleeting but frequent views of Gangetic Dolphins and several Golden Jackals.

But the star creature was the ghu-ghu; variously described as a minny dinosaur, a reptile, an amphibian, an insect and a crustacean. We found it was sort of Sand Cricket which lives in holes in the sand near the water's edge. It is weirdly patterned pale with stripes and with strangely spiky back legs. The most remarkable thing is that these tiny insects actually attack you if disturbed. I had two trying to bite at my shoe. And the bite hurts if it enters your flesh apparently!

FATBIRDER/Birders Travel - Disabled Birders Group - 11TH MARCH 2003
www.fatbirder.com

Next morning, we drove to the National Chambal Sanctuary, a wide river with equally wide sandy areas to each side. We soon had Indian Skimmer, Steve's first lifer for the trip! Then Black-bellied and River Tern, Comb Duck, Greater Flamingo and 4 species of cormorant. Negotiating the sand was no mean feat for those using wheelchairs but with lots of manpower we were all able to get aboard the boats and no one missed out on the fascinating site. The boat trip with views of the highly endangered Gangetic Dolphins was most enjoyable, except for one of our number who was overcome by heat, spending the return journey under a collapsing umbrella, and the next couple of hours recovering in the air-conditioned coach. On the river were a number of small islands with cormorants and, in one case, several hundred Small Pratincoles. After a picnic lunch under canvas and further birding we went on to Agra, where we were booked into the luxurious Sheraton Hotel.

BIRDfORUM – Northern India – 11th – 24th JANUARY 2003
www.birdforum.net/archive/index.php/t-2362

Late but rested we arrived at Agra Fort railway station an met our guides for the day and a 3 hour drive to the Chambal River NP, although the drive was long and hot the final destination was superb. The Chambal River is a permanent waterway although the poor monsoon has left it a little lower than usual. Late but undeterred we set off in the early afternoon heat in search of river dolphins and crocodiles, and the odd life bird. The sanctuary delivered everything, 5 dolphins, one huge Mugger crocodile and lots of garrials (fresh water, fish eating alligators), on the bird front, River and Black-bellied Terns, Painted Storks, 3 species of cormorant, lots of wild fowl and waders and best of all Indian Skimmer.

Birding Trip of North India – 28th FEBRUARY – 22nd MARCH 2002
Fernand Deroussen, Boris Jollivet & Benoît Segerer
www.indiabirds.com/HotSpots/FullDetails.asp?spotid=295&page=3

A little boat, and a beautiful river is waiting for us. The Chambal river is now a unusual national park of 150 km long and few km wide. The first birds are a large flock of Pelican and the bird list is growing rapidly with Wholly-necked Stork, Long-legged Buzzard, Bonelli's Eagle, Great Thick-knee and few species of Tern. The Garials, Marsh Crocodiles and last but not least, the Gangetic Dolphins should justify the journey. The boat trip last three hours, which is enough to discover the best species but is really short for the quality of the environment (three or four days could be cool here).

Northern India Andy & Isabel Senior - Feb 12th - 25th 2002

February 19th
........The landscape south of Bah changed markedly, and quite abruptly. The agricultural land was replaced by huge sand dunes largely vegetated with scrub. We met a constant stream of camels carrying firewood - this is apparently cut in Madhya Pradesh and is bought across the border for trade. The change in landscape, and the sudden appearance of many camels gave the area a feeling of otherworldliness - completely different from what we'd grown accustomed to. This feeling was reinforced as we drove out of the dunes. We were confronted by a huge expanse of flat sand, obviously the dry bed of a massive river. In the far distance was the further bank of the river, and in the middle distance was what looked for all the world like a Bedouin camp - a small group of tents set in the sand, surrounded by nothing! This camp however, was set on the steep bank of what was still a pretty substantial river flow, and turned out to be the starting point for our river safari.

The first thing we saw as we dismounted from the Land rover was a flock of some 60 - 70 Indian Skimmers sitting on the beach about 100 metres away. Andreas immediately set up his gear, and began a slow, cautious approach in order to take photographs. Meanwhile, having had great views of these remarkable birds, we continued scanning the area, finding a variety of waders and egrets. Black-winged Stilts and Little Stints both gave good views.

On the small grassy areas between the cliffs and the river, small flocks of Bar-headed Geese grazed, and the shallow waters near the bank held large flocks of Pochard, Red-crested Pochard, Whistling Ducks and Ruddy Shelduck, along with smaller numbers of Pintail and Spot-billed duck. We also found a single male Goosander, our only sighting of this species. In addition to the wildfowl, we had excellent views of a pair of Pied Kingfishers, and again the skill of the boatman allowed Andreas to get some really close shots.

We made close approach to crocodiles laying up on reefs and sandbanks in midstream, and were able to easily distinguish between the more widespread fresh water crocodiles, which we'd seen elsewhere, and the slimmer nosed fish-eating crocodiles that basked with them.

As good a way as any of wrapping up the trip, was a brief sighting of river dolphins.

Trip Report: Northern India - 27 January - 12 February 2001
S.J. Dark, D. M. Hanford & R. A. Herbert
www.camacdonald.com/birding/asiaindia(Darktripreport).html

Saturday 3rd January, 2001
.....here we transferred to our river transport for the trip up river. It was an amazing experience, the river was like a mill pond and the birds didn’t disappoint.
.....A wonderful trip and one more of my ‘wanted list’ namely Indian Skimmer ticked off. I think this is the only place left where you can guarantee Skimmers and it ought to be on everyone itinerary.

Trip Report: CHAMBAL RIVER (Uttar Pradesh, India), March 4, 2000
Tom & Margot Southerland
www.crosswinds.net/~birdtrips/chambal00.html

.....The Chambal is one of the few places remaining in India with enough unpolluted water that it can support Ganges River Dolphins. We saw several. And we were surprised at how clear the water looked affording views of the river bottom even in water as deep as five or six feet. ........

Trip Report: CHAMBAL RIVER (Uttar Pradesh, India) New Year 1999 - 2000
Robert Wynands & Ulrike Bischler
www.ee.princeton.edu/~vivek/trips/N-India99.html

.....to see the Ater Fort ruin. This was well worth the time: a large complex of thick walls and heavily fortified gates on the outside and lovely courtyards and towers inside. All in ruins, of course, but with most of the ornaments still visible. From the top of the tower one probably has a fantastic view of the Chambal River floodplain if there is no fog.

......embarked in a small motor boat and followed the Chambal River upstream for a total of about 16km, and then turned back. The going was slow because there were so many birds, turtles, crocodiles, and even two river dolphins to watch. The fog had disappeared by now, and we had some perfect photo opportunities. In about three hours we saw a total of some 40 species of birds, among them flamingos, Indian Skimmers resting on a sand bank, an Asian Openbill, Wooly-necked Stork, Eurasian Spoonbill, Whiskered and Black-bellied Tern,.............