Sultanpur N.P (outside New Delhi) 1day-

This Christmas (2019-2020) and New Year holiday my family went to Sri Lanka for 2 weeks. As we had a very long transfer in New Delhi (by purpose) I had arranged a day birding inside and around Sultanpur N.P with the local guide Sanjay Sharma who knows this area very well. My family had hired a guide for a full city tour. The weather/ climate at this time of the year is not very pleasant, both because of the fog that lies like a belt in northern India at this time of the year but also because not all of the infamous "fire smog" not was all gone. Not easy to get good photos as this "double fog" took a lot of light from the normal day light. You can almost see the fog itself in some of the photos. I had three targets as shorebirds are my absolute favorite group of birds (maybe Pittas even more), the Indian Courser which normally breed her as well as the Indian Thick-knee (now a split from European) and the Yellow-wattled Lapwing. I got quite disappointed when I realized the coursers were not here now (apparently the make a partial migration from early December to March before they return) but was fortunate enough to see the Thick-knee and the Lapwing. The Red-wattled Lapwing is also a beautiful bird but this one I have seen before a couple of times.

In the drier areas outside the park itself I also spotted some traditional birds for this habitat like this Crested Lark and the for me new Rosy Pipit as well as the Ashy Prinia.

At a wetter area also outside the park the "fog" was thick and made birding hard in many ways but some of the more common birds here were the Asian Pied Starling and the (in Sweden rare) Citrine Wagtail.

A local specialty is the Brown Rock Chat. There are 3 regular Babblers in this area, all quite easy to spot as the inhabit more open areas. In South-east Asia this group could be much more tricky as the usually are found inside the forest. The Commaon Babbler, the Great Grey babbler and the Jungle Babbler.

Sultanpur N.P is a rather small park and the lakes in the middle are surrounded by semi open forest. When we entered we were met by a flock of Oriental White-eyes and a single Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher.

We started at the lake which was teeming with ducks but all quite far out and many asleep. On a close branch next to the viewing point this stunning White-breasted Kingfisher made a pleasant moment.

In the forest patches we walked we encountered several good birs and among them this Rose-ringed Parakeet, Black Drongo, White-browed Fantail.

At several places we also saw the funny and stunning Oriental Magpie Robin. Very vocal and sometimes also social to humans.

As we finished up our day we saw this couple of Spotted Owlets. Can't say if they are agitated or just curious about my presence. Even because of the double fog and the lack of a present Indian Courser I found this day worth the trouble of a 20 hour tansfer. First time for me in India but hardly the last as the gems of the Himalayas and Tiger is high up on my experience list.

So long for this time.

Leif Rydell