Birding at Taal Chhapar wildlife sanctuary

Two of us visited Tal Chhapar wildlife sanctuary, Churu district, Rajasthan (India) for a weekend birding trip on November 28 and 29, 2009. We set off from Jaipur on the morning of November 29 and en-route halted briefly at Naliasar Lake near Phulera town. The lake is largely dry though some patches still hold rainwater. Black-tailed Godwits, a Spotted Redshank and Northern Shovellers (c100) were the birds we could spot at Naliasar. Highlight of our halt at Naliasar was a spectacular, low, circular flypast by a group of Gadwalls (c20).

Above: A Spotted Redshank at Naliasar lake, Phulera. (© Gaurav Bhatnagar)

From Phulera, we drove around Sambhar lake and reached the new ‘Mega Highway’ that connects the town of Kishangarh to Pathankot in Punjab. Chhapar is one of the towns this new highway touches. The drive to Chhapar was smooth and we did not stop on the way for birding though Shrikes, Wheatears and Black-shouldered Kites could be seen in the countryside from the moving car. We reached Chhapar at about 3:30 pm and and after a quick tea and daal kachori break at Bidasar tea stall at the bus stand, entered the sanctuary.

Above: The beautiful track that leads into Tal Chhapar wildlife sanctuary.

It did not take us long to realise that Chhapar wasn’t booming at this time of the year, like it does during passage migration (autumn and spring). Overall the place was quiet but a pair of Red-necked Falcons on a tree east of the main track were seen as soon as we entered the sanctuary, one of them gave us a good and swift flypast.

Above: Red-necked Falcon at Tal Chapar. (© Gaurav Bhatnagar)

Wheatears (all three: Isabelline, Desert and Variable) were common all around the park, Variable was seen the most and its stark plumage contrasted beautifully with the drab and earthy look of Chhapar. Birds were otherwise scattered around the vast area of the sanctuary and some of the interesting species seen on the first day were Desert Warbler, Bar-headed Geese, Rosy Starling, Laggar Falcon, Spotted Eagle (?), Lesser Whitethroat, Southern Grey Shrike, Green Bee Eater, Black-shouldered Kite, Greater Short-toed Lark and Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark. Sunset on Nov 28 was spectacular; thanks to Chhapar’s vast expanse, sunsets are usually great here!

Above: A beautiful sunset at Taal Chhapar

Morning on day 2 (November 29) was misty with little bird activity and Blackbucks dominated the sanctuary landscape and activity.

Above: Blackbucks on a misty morning at Taal Chhapar.

Bird activity began late on the 29th but was rewarding. We had some nice flypasts by Bar-headed Geese (c20) and Demoiselle Cranes (6). Sanctuary staff claimed that up to 2,000 Demoiselle Cranes were coming to the sanctuary to rest at dusk. Greater Short-toed Larks were very active and it was a delight to see them feed and fly around in large groups (c200).

Above: Southern Grey Shrike on an Acacia tree: a characteristic Tal Chhapar moment.

Rufous-fronted Prinia, Orphean Warbler, Red Headed Vulture (a single female), Imperial Eagle and Black Stork were also seen and some Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse gave us a nice flypast. The waterbody behind the sanctuary office had c10 Northern Shovellers and some Black-tailed Godwits. Despite two searches, the Yellow-eyed Pigeons eluded us. We left Chaapar around lunchtime, after picking up some packets of authentic Bikaneri Bhujiya from Bidasar Tea stall It seems there is good birding at the woodlands around the hills west of Chhapar (under forest department) but our schedule did not allow us to visit the place. If you plan to visit Chhapar, it may be a good idea to set aside half a day for the hills.

We drove on the ‘Mega Highway’ to Kishangarh and would recommend this route to anyone coming to Chapar from Jaipur / Ajmer / Gujarat side. The highway (though 2 lane) is smooth, modern and well made. About 10 kms before Kishangarh we took a random country road in search of a good picnic spot for lunch. About a kilometer inside we came across a small pond and a nice belt of Khejari trees. As soon as lunch was laid out on the back of the car, it was abandoned for binoculars and cameras as one of the Khejaris close to the pond had a Spotted Creeper! We had good views of the bird for a few seconds before it flew away. Gaurav managed a picture.

With the surprise and welcome sighting of Spotted Creeper, our trip couldn’t have had a better climax! From Kishangarh we took National Highway 8 back to Jaipur, stopping for a cup of tea in between. In all, a simple but refreshing and satisfying birding trip!

Report by
Mayank Bhatnagar and Gaurav Bhatnagar
(November 29, 2009)