Andamans Part1

Andamans 2024

This was a custom-built trip to the Andaman Islands of India organised by Neil using local agents The Tribesmen led by Shakti.

Monday 18^th November

I got to Dagenham Heathway for the first District line tube of the day at 5.05 and changed at Whitechapel for the Lizzy line with the intention of taking it to Heathrow. Unfortunately over-running engineering works meant it wasn’t running beyond Paddington and the Heathrow Express was also not running so I had to go the slow way on the Piccadilly line. I arrived at T2 at 7.15 and checked in much later than planned. There was just about time to grab a coffee and hot roll before heading straight to the gate where boarding had started. We took off on time at 8.45 on the Air India flight to Delhi.

We landed on time at around 10.30pm but it took ages for the steps to get connected as all the normal gates were in use. As we walked across the tarmac to a waiting bus we could taste the smog as well as seeing the poor visibility. We had to collect our luggage as they no longer transfer it directly and then we checked in and had a long wait in the terminal before boarding our 05.30 flight to Port Blair in the Andamans.

Tuesday 19^th

It was only a three and a half hour flight and we were bumped up to Premium Economy so had plenty of legroom and caught up on some sleep. On arrival the local immigration officials found us and quickly checked our credentials as the islands are considered a restricted area. We quickly collected our luggage and headed to the exit where we were met by one of our drivers. Our hotel was only over the road and as we weren’t going out until the afternoon there was time to rest, have lunch and get ready for our first excursion.

Lemon Tree Hotel, Port Blair

We went out at 2pm and stopped by a rocky beach where a couple of Collared Kingfishers were perched on rocks. On the beach there was also Tibetan Sandplover, Common Sand, Whimbrel, White-throated Kingfisher (I still prefer its old name of Smyrna) and two Pacific Reef-Herons, one of each colour phase.

Tibetan Sandplover

Collared Kingfisher

We carried on and stopped by some fields where a Chestnut-headed Bee-eater was perched on a roadside wire next to an Ornate Sunbird. In the trees was a flock of Daurian Starling. As we progressed further down the road, new birds kept being seen including Plume-toed Swiftlet, Red-whiskered Bulbul and Oriental Cuckooshrike. A trio of Long-tailed Parakeets were perched up high amid our first endemic – a dozen Andaman Green Pigeons.

Ornate Sunbird

Andaman Green Pigeon

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

Long-tailed Parakeet

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Chidiyatapu Biological Park. It’s mostly forest with paved trails but there are a number of animal enclosures so it’s quite a popular place for visitors. 

Even so, we saw a good variety of birds here such as Andaman Drongo (Endemic #2), Changeable Hawk-Eagle, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Alexandrine & Red-breasted Parakeets and Andaman Shama (Endemic #3). As we walked back to the entrance an Andaman Crake was found preening just inside the forest (Endemic #4).

Red-breasted Parakeet

Andaman Drongo

GIMP or Green Imperial Pigeon

After a short stop for coffee we went owling. It gets dark very early here as there’s only one time zone in India and the Andamans are a long way to the East of Delhi. 

Dusk across the bay from the coffee stall

A typical roadside shop

At dusk we first tried for Hume’s Boobook. We heard several and got regular brief views but it took a lot longer to find one that sat around in the open (Endemic #5). We moved to another spot and saw Andaman Hawk-Owl (or Boobook) (Endemic #6), making it a very successful night session. 

Hume's Boobook

Andaman Hawk-Owl

We returned to our hotel where they had a buffet laid out for dinner. We finished the evening in the bar over a round of Kingfishers. 

Wednesday 20^th

After a good night’s sleep we met up at 5.40 and took the ferry across the bay to a different part of the island. It was on a small ferry with only room for a few cars but was pretty packed with motorbikes and foot passengers who use it for commuting.

View from the ferry crossing

A roadside stop by a marsh got us several Pacific Golden Plover, some Pintail Snipe, the first of many Brown Shrikes, Oriental Magpie-Robin, Black-naped Oriole and a single White-breasted Woodswallow.

Pacific Golden Plover

Pintail Snipe

We explored a small patch of forest which was very productive. We soon started adding more endemics starting with Andaman Cuckoo-Dove (Endemic #7). Dusky Warbler was heard and a Pacific Swift flew over. A Himalayan Cuckoo was seen well, these winter on the islands. We had a picnic breakfast and then it was time for more endemics with another trio seen: Andaman Flowerpecker (Endemic #8), Andaman Woodpecker (Endemic #9) – a large mostly black woodpecker with a red nape and Andaman Bulbul (Endemic #10).

Himalayan Cuckoo

Andaman Cuckoo-Dove

A couple of Hill Mynas flew over and a Freckle-breasted Woodpecker was also seen. In a fruiting tree there were a few White-headed Starlings (Endemic #11) but they kept inside the canopy so we didn’t see them that well. After a few Small Minivets came in it was time to head back to the hotel for a rest and lunch.

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

We met up again at 14.45 and headed out to a wetland area. A couple of Edible-nest Swiftlet flew past and a Dusky Warbler was heard tacking away in the undergrowth. Out on the marsh were several Grey-headed Swamphens (AKA Purple Chickens) and some Lesser Whistling Ducks while Blue-tailed Bee-eaters hawked for insects. Joining the ubiquitous Smyrnas were Collared Kingfisher, a flypast Stork-billed Kingfisher and a skulking Blue-eared Kingfisher.

The Andaman Teal weren’t on their usual lake as it had a few people in it and we couldn’t locate them on the adjacent ones either. A couple of Cinnamon Bitterns were seen and the muddy edges held good numbers of Pacific Goldies as well as a Redshank.

Cinnamon Bittern

As we drove to the next spot an Andaman Coucal (Endemic #12) was perched briefly by the side of the road. This spot was more marsh and grassland so there were a few Long-toed Stints amid the common waders, plenty of Eastern Yellow Wagtails which sound almost like Zitting Cisticolas and a flyover Red-throated Pipit. In the reeds an Oriental Reed Warbler was heard.

Long-toed Stint

We stopped for coffee then headed off to our next owling site. In one site we had excellent views of an Andaman Scops Owl (Endemic #13) and heard Oriental Scops Owl and Hume’s Boobook.

Andaman Scops-Owl