Thursday 21st
Our 5.40 pick up had become standard now and we drove to a
new area, pausing briefly for a flock of Daurian Starlings. In this patch of
forest we added Small Minivet and Black-naped Monarch as well as getting better
views of Andaman Shama. In a feeding flock there were plenty of Andaman Drongos
and a few Andaman Treepies (Endemic #14) while in the distance there was a
perched Andaman Serpent-Eagle (Endemic #15).
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| Andaman Woodpecker |
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| Andaman Serpent-Eagle |
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| Vernal Hanging-Parrot and Parakeet |
The hotel had forgotten to provide packed breakfasts so we
stopped for a much nicer hot breakfast in a little roadside café opposite the
beach. While we were there a White-bellied Sea-Eagle soared over the bay.
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| White-bellied Sea-Eagle |
We tried another marsh where a regular Amur Stonechat was still present
and there was also a Dollarbird and the daily Brown Shrike. On the way back our
driver found us a bright green Andaman Day Gecko.
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| Andaman Day Gecko |
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| Forest flowers |
After downtime and lunch we headed back out for the
afternoon session, visiting a different wetland area.
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| One of the hazards that make driving in India challenging - cows on the road |
A mud and rubbish filled
swamp held several waders including Wood and Curlew Sandpiper, Pacific Goldies
and Pintail Snipe. We managed to find a Red-throated Pipit on the deck with
several more Eastern Yellow Wagtails.
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| Scarlet Skimmer |
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| Pintail Snipe feeding in a rubbish strewn swamp |
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| Blue-tailed Bee-eaters |
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| Grey-headed Swamphen |
Both Yellow and Black Bitterns were added to the heron list
and we also had our first terns of the trip with a small flock of Whiskered
Terns hunting over the back lake. Two Jungle Crows flew over before it was time
to go and stake out the next owl.
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| Black Bittern |
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| White-throated Kingfisher |
We parked up at the back of a school and waited for it to
get dark and then an Andaman Masked Owl (Endemic #16) appeared on a ledge and remained
perched there while we took our photos.
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| Andaman Masked Owl |
Friday 22nd
Out again at 5.40 to the ferry. While we waited a few Pied
Imperial Pigeons flew over the harbour to join a small roosting flock. After
the short ferry crossing we stopped at a small lake where a single Eurasian
Wigeon had appeared with a flock of Cotton Pygmy-Geese. A flyover raptor turned
into our only Oriental Honey-Buzzard of the trip. We visited the same patch of
forest as on our first morning.
Apart from a similar selection of birds we also saw a
Mangrove Whistler, two Black Bazas and a large mixed flock of Andaman Treepies
and Drongos. An obliging Andaman Cuckooshrike that loosely associated with this
flock was new for those who missed the one earlier in the week.
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| Andaman Cuckooshrike |
After our
packed breakfast we were whisked back down the road to the mangroves where a
Ruddy Kingfisher had been located. Initially it was quite hard getting a view
of it but we eventually got a clear view of it.
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| Ruddy Kingfisher |
We drove on to the wetland area we visited on Wednesday.
This time our luck was in and there was no human disturbance so we quickly
found a group of Andaman Teal (Endemic #17). On the opposite lake a couple of
Oriental Pratincoles sat on the mud. In the whole area we also saw Cinnamon and
Yellow Bitterns and walking back I found a Dusky Warbler that decided to show
itself.
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| Oriental Pratincoles |
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| White-bellied Sea-Eagle |
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| Andaman Teal |
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| Grey-headed Swamphen |
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| Brown Shrike |
At the next wetland spot there was Chinese Pond-Heron,
Purple Heron and Pheasant-tailed Jacana. We drove back to the hotel for lunch,
seeing an Oriental Garden Lizard, appropriately enough in the hotel garden.
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| Oriental Garden Lizard |
In the afternoon we left at 15.30 and went to the same
rubbish-filled swamp as yesterday but there were no additional waders. We made
a brief roadside stop for a flock of White-rumped Munias in a garden and
stopped for coffee by the beach. Oddly enough there was what looked like a WW2
pillbox there. A few Pacific Reef-Egrets flew past and a Tibetan Sandplover was
roosting on a near rock.
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| White-rumped Munia |
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| 2 Little Egrets = 1 Great Egret |
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| Great Egret |
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| Egret Fest: Medium, 2 Littles and Great |
We drove a short distance to a scrubby area and barely had
to wait for any length of time before an obliging Andaman Nightjar (Endemic #18)
was watched perched in a tree. This was the last ‘easy’ endemic to see with
only the Woodpigeon remaining so it only taken us four days to mop up.
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| Andaman Nightjar |
Saturday 23rd
An even earlier start as we wanted to get to a further
forest at dawn so we left the hotel at 4.45. It was light by the time we got
there and we slowly walked down the road scanning both sides of the forest for
the mythical Andaman Woodpigeon. We saw a few similar looking Green Imperial
Pigeons fly over but there was no sign of our quarry.
After another uninspiring packed breakfast there were a few
more birds around and we saw Scarlet Minivet, Andaman Cuckoo-Dove, Drongo &
Treepie. Flyovers included our first Forest Wagtail of the trip and a handful
of Hill Mynas. With no sign of the woodpigeon we went back to some of the
wetlands we’d already visited.
On the first lake there was a large flock of Andaman Teal
where we’d seen none on previous visits. A quick count got up to 148 – there
were a few obvious fairly plain juveniles and a mix of adults from those with
just a white eye-ring to some having an almost entire white head.
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| Andaman Teal |
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| Slender Skimmer |
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| Yellow-striped Flutterer |
We were looking for a Red-necked Stint that was known to be
in the area but couldn’t find that either, however we did add Broad-billed
Sandpiper and Temminck’s Stint to the trip list. There was the usual selection
of Pintail & Common Snipe, Redshank, Wood & Curlew Sands and a few
Long-toed Stints. We returned to the hotel late morning.
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| Striated Heron |
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| Wood Sandpiper |
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| Common Redshank |
In the afternoon we went out at 2.45pm and headed to some
different wetlands. A juvenile Purple Heron was on one marsh and a Yellow
Bittern was on another with a massed flock of 78 Grey-headed Swamphens. Three
Whiskered Terns hawked over the water and a distant Stork-billed Kingfisher was
seen through the scope.
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| Grey Pansy |
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| Whiskered Tern |
We wandered over some grassland where a drove of pigs was
being rounded up by a guy on a motorbike. Unfortunately they flushed a bunting
that our guide had just found. We tried to lure a Slaty-breasted Rail out from
the marsh but it wasn’t interested.
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| Eastern Yellow Wagtail |
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| House Crow |
As dusk was approaching we drove the short distance to our
owl spot. On arrival it was calling but we had other business first and were
soon watching a superb Orange-headed Thrush feeding out in the open.
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| Orange-headed Thrush |
The owl
wasn’t so obliging and remained hidden in a dense clump of leaves while
calling. It flew over the road but immediately hid again. Luckily one of our
eagle-eyed drivers had managed to locate another one and we were soon enjoying
great views of an Oriental Scops-Owl. This is the resident race so may be split
into a separate species in the future for yet another Andaman endemic.
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| Oriental Scops-Owl |
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