Hari Lama : Birding Guide Extraordinaire

Hari Lama Birding Guide in Himalayas

Born in Nepal, Hari Lama has been birding seen ages in Nepal and Northern India. He has excellent command of birds in the region and hence guides birders from India and Overseas every year. I have accompanied him bird watching tour as tour leader in Nainital District namely at Corbett Tiger Reserve, Sat Tal, Pangot and surrounding areas.    

Being mild mannered, trustable and with sense of humour he is much wanted as a guide. He has many years of experience and knows the area of his study very well. Here are some of the images associated with him. He has worked with many tour operators and worked as freelance as well. His greater interest is working as freelance guide in Northern India. He can speak and understand English, Hindi and Nepali. 

Birding Group 

Brown Wood Owl 

Cheer Pheasant 

Crested Kingfisher 

Hari Lama

Rufus Throated Partridge 

Twany Eagle

Twany Eagle + Red Billed Blue Magpie

Wedge Tailed Green Pigeon

Hari Lama Face Book Page

Birding At Tadoba Tiger Reserve

The birds abound but the search is for the tiger. This is a mistake most of the wildlife lovers make whence they visit a tiger reserve in Central India. This happens everywhere even at Tadoba which has recently become most popular destination for tourism.    

The tiger is enchanting and everybody wishes to see one. But if you are solely concentrating on one animal you miss many other species especially the birds at Tadoba. The place abounds with avian species and they are everywhere. They can be found in the forests, amidst bamboo clumps, grasslands, rivers, ponds and lakes and also in the surroundings outside the National Park.  

Albeit in the tiger reserves most of the species found are those that dwell amidst the trees and grasslands. But if there are sufficient water bodies, rivers and other wetlands the chances of migratory shore and deep diving species being sighted is very high.  Hence for birders the mix of habitats results in checklisting a vast number of species during a safari or a nature walks in the precincts of the reserve. 

Hence this is the way a bird tour is organised at Tadoba. A few rounds of tiger safari in the park is mixed with nature walks in the forest periphery, village fields and a drive to a large wetland. This way the trip is sure to result in high number of sightings of avian species. If you have a good birding guide your trip is going to be big success.    

Some of the species seen while touring this reserve are shown in the photographs below: 

Black Shouldered Kite 

Blue Bearded Beeeater

Brown Fish Owl 

Spotted Owlet 

Serpent Eagle

Lesser Whistling Teal 

Red Jungle Fowl 

Racket Tailed Drongo

Ashy Sparrow Finch Lark 

Ashy Prinia

Yellow Eyed Babbler

Banded Bay Cuckoo

Coppersmith Barbet

Bar Headed Geese

Baya

Black Francolin  

Black Headed Bunting  

Bhamani Myna

Black Ibis

Black Headed Oriole 

Black Lored Tit 

Black Naped Flycatcher 

Black Stork 

Black Rumped Flameback 

Female Redstart 

Indian Vulture

The best season for birding at Tadoba is the winter time. This is the period whence most of the migratory species arrive here. But in summer with the canopy reducing down it becomes the place to find the resident species in open. Hence for resident bird photography early summer is the best time. Bird photographers should take note of this. 

For excursions in the core zone a permit is required which can be arranged by the hotel you are staying at. 

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is near Chandrapur which is about one hundred fifty km from Nagpur Airport in the State of Maharashtra in India. 

Birding At Bandhavgarh in Central India

Known popularly as a tiger safari destination Bandhavgarh is a birder's heaven. With more than two hundred and fifty species of avian the reserve is a paradise. All the birding tours that I have conducted here have been a big success. 

Francolin

Black Rumped Flameback 

Grey Headed Fish Eagle

Lesser Adjutant Stork

Indian Vulture

The diverse terrain is home to many forest birding species, while one has to scour a larger confine to target wetland and shore birds. The added advantage of birding in Bandhavgarh is the presence of the tiger. Wherever you are birding a chance appearance of tiger or that matter a leopard is possible. That is why birding tours here are so exciting and rewarding. 

Wildlife photographers who seek the tiger invariably end up photographing many of these enchanting avian species. The exotic surrounds of the forests and swampy grasslands hook up the birder no end.  The ancient ruins and architectural splendours are a treat to the eye. To seek avian friends in such esoteric surroundings is an opportunity of a life time. 

Bandhavgarh geography comprises of low lying hills and cliffs with steep edges, marshy grasslands, Sal and mixed forest and bamboo with intervening mountain rivers, lakes and small water bodies.  These are excellent nesting grounds for resident species. The Bandhavgarh Hillock rising 800 MSl proves ideal for nesting Malabar Pied and Grey Hornbills besides the Indian Vulture. Since there are many steep cliffs Indian Vultures nest here in large numbers.     

Paradise flycatchers prefer the shore of the rivulets with dense thickets as breeding grounds. Other flycatchers seen here are the Black Naped, Taiga, Tickell's blue and the winter migrant verditer flycatcher. 

Pigmy Cotton Goose

Silverbill

Peacock

Red Avadavat

Yellow Eyed Babbler

Other targeted species are the painted francolin, Indian Pitta, orange headed thrush, racket tailed drongo, golden and black headed oriole, crested serpent and hawk eagle, honey buzzard, grey headed fish eagle, white rumped and king vulture, barred buttonquail, lesser adjutant and open billed storks, spangled drongo, Tickell's Thrush, Iora, minivets, warblers, parakeets, brown fish owl, brown wood owl, mottled wood owl, Alexendrine parakeet, peregrine falcon, black rumped flameback, white naped and yellow crowned woodpeckers, brown headed pigmy and streak throated woodpeckers, rufus woodpecker, blue bearded bee eater, to name a few...         

Barred Jungle Owlet

Common Kingfisher

Common Woodshrike

Indian Eagle Owl

Indian Bushlark

Small Minivet

White Eyed Buzzard

Verditor Flycatcher

The best season is during the winters from October onwards however the strain is reduced whence the canopy thins out in summers but by that time migrants have departed. Summer birding in Bandhavgarh is excellent with hordes of resident birds to checklist. The best period for summer activity is March and April while May and June are very hot. But the heat not withstanding the period is excellent for bird photography. 

All Images By John Matthai