We were late coming into Nameri, because we were enjoying ourselves so much in Kaziranga…so we went off immediately to the rafting point on the Jiyabharolli river (another post about that later, have patience!)

The gods have finally heard my pleas about birds mooning me, and rushing off to keep other hurriedly-remembered appointments, etc, and this time I just cannot complain about the number of birds we saw, including some fairly rare ones!

Almost as soon as we set off in the rubber raft, we saw these two IBISBILLS:

We did not know that they were difficult to sight until the guide told us so; also, two photographers who had been waiting at Eco Camp for a week hoping for a photo op were mighty annoyed!

Here’s one preening:

Also just made-for-the-surroundings was the appearance of this LITTLE RINGED PLOVER: Then we saw a lot of RUDDY SHELDUCKS: Of course we saw plenty of the State Bird of Karnataka, the INDIAN ROLLER, everywhere. I liked this fly-into-the-bottom-of-the-picture shot of one: Deep in the foliage, our guide pointed out the GREEN-FACED MALKOHA (though to us it was quite a dark-faced, dark-bodied bird!)..here's my lousy shot of it... On the banks of the Jiyabharolli sat this little PIED KINGSHER, his beady little eyes watching for food: As we went past, he started his typical hovering/diving behaviour. A great raptor sighting I got was of this PIED FALCONET, far away on the further bank: That evening, we got just half an hour in the Potsali Nature Camp for which one has to cross the Jiyabharolli river,but managed to spot several birds, starting with the endangered WREATHED HORNBILL: Here's a habitat/flight shot: As it was dark and we had to row back, we bid goodbye to this WHITE-CAPPED WATER REDSTART: Though we did get to see the WHITE-WINGED WOOD DUCK and the SULTAN TIT, it was now too dark for any photography! Also walking first in the sand, which "gave" at the feet and later on caught one in the calf muscles, and then in the mud where various leeches lovingly fastened themselves to one, was not a great motivator for me! I bled profusely all over my Nikes! The next morning, KM went off with the guide, but I got up in a more relaxed way, and just decided to go outside the gates of the Eco Camp and see what I could see. And it was lovely! First, in the early morning light, was this tree full of Wreathed Hornbills: Then came our bright red friend, the SCARLET MINIVET: An ORIENTAL HOBBY sat high upon a tree-branch: I found a BLUE-THROATED BARBET: a LINEATED BARBET: some CHESTNUT-TAILED STARLINGS with a JUVENILE trailing along (probably calling, "Mommy!" but I couldn't understand!) A RACKET-TAILED DRONGO flashed about, here and there: While I was watching a GREATER FLAMEBACK WOODPECKER... I spotted a GREATER YELLOW-NAPED WOODPECKER also pecking at the tree-trunk: I then got the shot I like best, of a JUNGLE MYNAH, a lineated barbet and a greater yellownaped woodpecker all at once... Several FINCHES (I have to find out their id) sat top of a tree: They were most certainly having fun, because they were jumping around in the manner of people everywhere, who are with a crowd of boisterous friends, and are out for a good time. This FINCH took off so beautifully:

It seemed to want to match the veins of the ELEPHANT APPLE TREE:

Well, the birds had fun, I had a lot of fun, and I hope you did, too, and were not bored to death!