Whistler's Warbler Discovery at Kanha

Whistler's Warbler (Phylloscopus whistleri)  First Record at Kanha

Typically a migrant bird found in North India Whistler's Warbler was sighted at Courtyard House in Kanha National Park in Central India. Notified of an unidentified bird by a junior birder, I  began my search as soon as I landed at Courtyard House where I freelance as a Naturalist.  

In my previous birding trips I had seen this avian a number of times at Sat Tal heaven for birds in the State of Uttrakhand.  I could thus well recognize the species bathed in yellow with large eyes and two grey marks on the head a description forwarded to me. I could hear the call of this leaf warbler clearly a number of times but it kept to the foliage whenever I tried to click an image.   

Northern Bird at Kanha

This is the first record of the Northern Taxa in Central India at Kanha National Park. Many winter visitors like Osprey, Pallas Eagle, grey bush chat, Siberian Rubythroat, verditor flycatcher, Hume's Warbler, Sulphur Bellied Warbler, Tickell's Warbler and bar winged flycatcher shrike, gadwall, Northern Pintail, common teal, bar-headed geese, greylag geese are often seen here. 

I had never come across Whistler's Warbler in my tours at Kanha beginning perhaps in the last fifteen years. This was a big surprise but try hard as I could I was not able to photograph the species as it was quick enough to move from the focus of my amateur camera.       

Gajendra Singh and Birds of Nainital in North India

Gajendra Singh Bharatpur Guide

I first met Gajendra Singh in New Delhi a suave, soft spoken, shy and yet a confident man he struck me by  his demeanour. He is going to guide us in Nainital and of course Bharatpur. I felt assured since my knowledge of  this region in North India avifuana was at best limited. He lives at Bharapur Town much near the bird sanctuary also known as Keoladeo.  

Gajendra Singh Guide

Not to mention we had a fantastic trip in company of Gajendra Singh. For me it was a journey of discovery of the snow mountains and amazing feathered friends that flocked impressively all around us. Guides from Bharatpur are impressive by all means and dedicated. Coming from a humble background born and brought up in rustic surroundings he excelled as a guide and we could checklist many species on the tour. The species we met around Sat Tal, Pangot and Corbett Tiger Reserves where quiet new to me and he worked hard in order to lucidly introduce them to us and my English group who were avid ornithologists.     

Birding for decades as an amateur, I had started working for Indiafootprints Adventure safari organizer as a group leader and was completely new to North India having spent my birding days in Central India mostly in Jabalpur and the tiger reserves. 

Gajendra excelled, and I learnt about Northern birds with his guidance. We where to meet on some more ornithological quests in time to come then I became a permanent fixture at Courtyard House Kanha in Kanha National Park. I yearn to visit the confines of snow mountains of Uttrakhand on ornithological quests and hope to realize my dream often in future.     

A New Birding Venture 

We kept in touch on ubiquitous social media called FaceBook or FB. Today I have learnt that Gajendra Singh is into professional birding under the aegis of his own company. Albeit still as a freelancer he plans to go further into this business and wishes to establish  his own company. He is based at Sat Tal and plans to cover Pangot, Chopta and Manila besides other places of interest. My best wishes. 

Ornithologists and enthusiasts will be enamoured by his services as guide and leader. I am very sure of this. He can be contacted at: 

gejendraknp3@gmail.com

WhatsApp: +91 9982535015 

                   +91 9660196424

He has sent some of his bird photos for me to use in blogging and Seo articles and I thanks him for that.  Inserted below.   

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Whitethroated Laughing Thrush 

Rustycheeked Scimitar Babbler

Rufusgrigeted Flycatcher 

Monal 

Larg Niltava  

Koklass Pheasant 

Himalayan Blue Tail 

Red Billed Green Magpie

Chestnut Headed Tesia 

Brown Wood Owl 

Photo Courtesy Gajendra Singh 

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Uday freelances as naturalist/bird guide at Kanha National Park in India.

He also provides Seo and Content Writing Service for Digital Marketing.

He can be contact at 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

9755089323