Birding India Part 1: New Delhi, Sultanpur & Ranthambore Dec1-3 2019 скачать в хорошем качестве

Birding India Part 1: New Delhi, Sultanpur & Ranthambore Dec1-3 2019

This was an organized trip by Rockjumper Birding Tours, but we added an extra day at the beginning so we could: A) rest after the long trip and start with some soft birding in the hotel's garden, and B) take a private tour to nearby Sultanpur NP the second day (arrival day for the other group members). So: we left Sweden on Nov 30 and arrived to New Delhi early Dec 1. We were picked up by the hotel's transfer and not too much later we were installed at Ashok Country House. This was in the very busy Indian Wedding Season, so the garden were in a perpetual state of organizing for the next garden wedding, but we still had some common garden bird species to see. And some of them were Lifers for my partner, which is a good way to start a trip! Dec 2: Early morning departure, with boxed breakfast, to Sultanpur NP which is like a mini-Keoladeo NP ("Bharatpur"). We had a very nice walk around the park, and my partner got even more Lifers, while I was very happy getting nice digital photos of many species. I've been in these parts of India 3 times prior (1984, 1998 & 1999) with less quality camera equipment (which had a total breakdown on the big trip 1998) and had much to upgrade, photo-wise. (But, when it comes to Lifers: not so much.) Afternoon spent with wellcoming the rest of the group and the local guide, and preparing for the early departure the next day. Dec 3: So, check-out and packing into a van for transport to the Nizamuddin Train Station for an early train departure to Sawai Madhopur. However slow and complicated a trainride in India can turn out to be, it's still faster than doing that transport by car. So, there we were on the platform, eating our meagre boxed breakfast (and one extra box for lunch on the train) while waiting for the train to arrive. It did, eventually, but certainly not on time. Embarking, getting seats, certifying all the luggage was on board... it was a hectic and confusing affair, but in the end all was placed where it/we should be. Then a slightly boring 5+ hour train ride until arrival to Sawai Madhopur. As most India-birders know: this is the town closest to Ranthambore NP. We got carted away from the platform, helped by bearers with big carts for all our bags, then hoarded into a large bus/lorry-thing with no roof and off we went to our hotel: Ranthambore Kothi. Incheck, REAL lunch (albeit late) then divided in 3 jeeps for an afternoon tour into the park. That marks the end of this part. Since we saw so much in Ranthambore, and I paid to get the videocamera inside at least twice (expensive and complicated: Indian bureaucracy at its finest) I got material for a video for each day.