Bharatpur hasn’t disappointed….we saw so many birds that were new to me, and the day was studded with highlights….I must thank Geetanjali for this lovely trip. I have so many photos, that I can’t post with this slow net connection (yes, I’ve pinched KM’s Reliance card again)….and will probably delete most of them by the time I get home….

The Dusky Eagle Owl and her chick….the mother being mobbed by the crows and my feeling guilty that somehow we’d given away her location to them…the Sarus Cranes dancing….the Redstarts and White-eared Bulbuls flying around…the Bluethroat delighting us….the Jackals being so used to human beings…hot chai and finger chips and cauliflower pakoras for a sinful but satisfying lunch…Collared Scops Owls, seen through the spiny fronds of a date palm….Spotted Owlets in the distance….Rufous Treepies and Greater Coucals walking unconcernedly out in the open, not skulking like they do at home…a Greater Spotted Eagle soaring overhead….a domestic (feral?) dog, running with a jackal….half a python (that some predator had eaten and thrown on the ground)…a fabulous sunset, and then one of the best cups of adhrak chai I’ve had, to end the day…

Oh, I can run on for hours, but…I am looking forward to more birding in Bharatpur in the morning, and then the trip to Chambal, picking up Rupa from Agra on the way!

Q. Why are we all excited about going to Chambal?

A. Because we are going via Agra….