Date: 26th Feb'14 08.00 am to 1st Mar, 2014 12.30 pm (travel days excluded). The bookings for our Super-Hot Destination Tal Chappar Wild Life Sanctuary & Bikaner - Bird- watching trip are on…..book your seats now (see the details at the end)..... Tal Chappar is an exciting Destination with a unique Grassland habitat surrounded by Desert that has recently come to limelight because of its Rarities....while Bikaner is wellknown for hundreds of Vultures and Eagles .... An offbeat destination that surprises any birder with its amazing quality and quantity of birdlife.....
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TAAL CHAAPAR - A Grassland Oasis, Rajasthan
"Kesariya Baalam Aavo Ni, Padharo Mhare Des" this sign can be seen throughout the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, to signify that THIS is the gateway to India. Perhaps this sign is best applied for the Migratory birds that enter the mainland India through this corridor..............
There are several incredible Bird-watching destinations in India.... some are frequently visited for their abundance and variety, while some are visited for the endemic species that they offer. However, there are very few destinations which can be termed as "Hidden treasures" and which have been seldom visited due to either ignorance or poor logistics..... Amongst them Tal Chappar WLS is on Top of the list.... It is truely an Oasis for Birds surrounded by Desert.
It is only in recent times that Tal Chappar has come to limelight, due to some credible work by Rajasthan's forest Dept. especially by the current DFO Mr.Surat Singh Poonia. He has transformed this place from a dry featureless scrubland to a bird rich habitat where amazing varieties and Rare species of birds can now be encountered.
The Tal Chappar sanctuary is located on the fringe of the Great Indian Desert and is Located at a distance of 220 km from Jaipur. It is a small but rich wildlife sanctuary in Churu district of Rajasthan between Ratangarh & Sujjangarh. The word "Tal" means plane land which is actually a flat saline depression with open grassland scattered with acacia and prosopis trees which give it an appearance of a typical Savanna. Tal Chappar Sanctuary is known for its enchanting natural beauty and a unique fragile ecosystem spread across 719 Ha. And is more famous for the amazing population of Black Bucks, having highest density in India harboring more than 2000 of these elegant antelopes.
The location of the sanctuary makes it suitable as a passage stop for many migratory birds travelling to India. Thousands of birds of various species either stop-over here on their passage to mainland India or spend most of the winter months in this bio-diversity rich grassland habitat.
Rarities Galore: Tal Chappar WLS has especially shot up in prominence due to some of the rare birds recorded here that include Yellow-eyed Pigeons, Stolickza’s Bushchat, Spotted Creeper, Laggar Falcon, Spanish Sparrow, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Flocks of Demoiselle Cranes, European Turtle Dove, Lesser Kestrel, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, Spotted Flycatcher, Singing Bushlark, Eurasian Skylark, Water Pipit, Sociable Lapwings, Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, Raven etc.
The bounty of bird, spiny-tailed Lizards and rodent population also ensures incredible variety of Raptors including Greater & Indian Spotted Eagles, Tawny, Imperial & Steppe Eagles, Short-toed, Booted and Bonelli’s Eagle, Harriers, Falcons, Sparrowhawks, White-eyed Buzzard , Indian Eagle-owl and several species of Vultures.
The park also harbours several other migratory and resident birds in good numbers including collard Doves, Greater Short-toed, Rufous-tailed, Crested, Indian Bush, Bimaculated and Oriental Sky Larks, Peafowls, Wheatears, Pipits, Francolins, Quails, Wyrnecks, woodpeckers, Bee-eaters, coursers, Cuckoos, Warblers, Wagtails, Shrikes, Rollers and owls.
The Saltpans near the North-western corner of the Park attracts a number of waders and other waterbirds including Sandpipers, Godwits, Avocets, Ibis, Storks, Stints, Egrets, Herons etc. which adds significantly to the list of this unique landscape.
Apart from the rich avifauna, Tal Chappar also hosts several other fauna that can be encountered easily including huge nos. of Blackbucks, Neelgai, Desert Jerbils, Desert Fox and Desert Cat, Indian Fox, Hedgehogs, Mongoose, Spiny-tailed Lizard.
It is just amazing to see the plethora of fauna in a land otherwise known as impoverished desert….. The best time to visit the Tal Chappar Wildlife Sanctuary in Churu is from September to March.
(Some of the images in this blog are courtesy: Mr.Nirav Bhatt)
BIKANER - Where Eagles & Vultures Rule the Sky
Do you know the only place in India, where the critically endangered
species of Vultures are still found in thousands or Aquila Eagles
cover the skies in huge flocks ????..... there is only one place - Bikaner
Bikaner is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan in northern India.
It is located 330 kms northwest of the state capital, Jaipur.
The city was founded by rajput Rao Bika in 1486 and from its small origins it has
developed into the fifth largest city in Rajasthan.... it is more famous for
sweets and snacks (or namkeens in Hindi).
One of the reasons why such huge congregations of Vultures and Eagles
are still found in Bikaner is because of the Bisnoi community that dominate
this place and their large no. of livestock. The people here do not send their
cattle to abattoirs and instead dump the dead animals in the carcass dumping
yard situated in a place close to Bikaner. Hundreds of dead animals are brought
in here from the nearby places as a result the Vultures and scavenger Eagles
are lured to this spot. One should see it to believe it. Literally hundreds of
Steppe Eagles and Egyptian Vultures pour over the area like crows in our
dumpyards. The trees are full with these raptors.
Apart from hundreds of Steppe Eagles and thousands of Egyptian vultures,
there is a fair sprinkling of Tawny, Eastern Imperial and Greater Spotted
Eagles..... along with Eurasian Griffons, Cinereous Vultures, Long-legged
Buzzards, Laggar, Red-necked & Peregrine Falcons, etc.
This lesser known place is also home to one of the globally threatened
species – Yellow-eyed Pigeons. The nos. Of this species here is amazing and
they too come here in hundreds..... a significant world-wide population.
Nature India has organized an exclusive Birdwatching trip to this paradise from 26th February, 2014 to 1st Mar, 2014 (travel days excluded). We shall cover The Grasslands of Tal Chappar, The surrounding Scrubland and Carcass dumping ground in Bikaner.
read our last years experience...
http://natureindia-tours.blogspot.in/2009/07/final-trip-reports.html#tal
read our last years experience...
http://natureindia-tours.blogspot.in/2009/07/final-trip-reports.html#tal
Have a look at some of the Trip reports & photoblogs on Tal Chappar WLS, Rajasthan
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Tour Itinerary & Other Details:
Date: 26th Feb'14 morning 08.00 am to 1st Mar'14 eve 12.00 pm (travel days excluded)
Date: 26th Feb'14 morning 08.00 am to 1st Mar'14 eve 12.00 pm (travel days excluded)
Mode of Travel : Tavera Jeeps (From Jaipur to Tal Chappar to Bikaner)
Overnight train travel can be booked from Mumbai..... however since it is a busy sector, the train bookings should be done soon to get the desired train and class .... there are several trains available for Jaipur from Mumbai....Nature India can ASSIST in bookings if required.
Rough Tour Itinerary:( Ex.Mumbai)
25th Feb'14 (Tuesday): Departure from Mumbai to Jaipur 12216 +DEE Garibrath Express. at 12:55 Hrs (from Bandra) or 12979 Jaipur Sup Fast Exp @ 15:45.
26th Feb'14 (Wednesday): Arrival in Jaipur (7.10am) - Breakfast - Proceed to Tal Chappar Sanctuary - check-in hotel at Sujjangarh- Birdwatching in the park in evening - Night stay at Hotel in Sujjangad (10 kms from Tal-chhapar WLS)
27th Feb'14 (Thursday): Early morning bird watching @ Tal Chappar for Grassland species - Lunch - Proceed to the Scrubland and Saltpans towards North of Park and Cow shed area - Return to Hotel in Sujjangad - Dinner and Night Stay.
28th Feb'14 (Friday): Early morning check-out and proceed to Bikaner city (160 kms) - Breakfast on the way - Visit the Bikaner carcass dumpyard for Eagles and Vultures - Lunch - Continue birding till evening - Checkin hotel in Bikaner for night stay.
1st Mar'14 (Saturday): Early morning Checkout from Hotel and visit other birding sites in Bikaner to see Yellow-eyed Pigeons, Desert Coursers, Black-crowned Sparrowlarks, Wheatears etc - Lunch and proceed to board 12489 +BKN Dadar SF Exp @ 13:50 from Bikaner
2nd Mar'14 (Sunday): Arrive in Mumbai on 2nd Mar'14 by 12.00 pm.
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Trip charges (Jaipur to Bikaner only)............. Rs.15400/-
Includes A/C stay in a hotel in Sujjangad on twin sharing basis with attached toilet and in a Homestay in Bikaner in Non-AC rooms on twin sharing, Travel by AC Tavera Jeeps - Jaipur to Tal Chappar to Bikaner travel, Park entry charges, vegetarian food , Guide charges, Information articles & on board snacks and mineral water…….
Includes A/C stay in a hotel in Sujjangad on twin sharing basis with attached toilet and in a Homestay in Bikaner in Non-AC rooms on twin sharing, Travel by AC Tavera Jeeps - Jaipur to Tal Chappar to Bikaner travel, Park entry charges, vegetarian food , Guide charges, Information articles & on board snacks and mineral water…….
This does not include travel charges from Mumbai to Jaipur and Bikaner to Mumbai, Photography fees or any charges other than the above.
Group Size: Max.8 persons only
How to Registration: You can register by sending a confirmation mail to natureindiatours@gmail.com and by paying a non refundable Advance of Rs.7000/- after our registration confirmation on e-mail…..The remaining amount will be collected on the day of travel.
Kindly register soon as the train bookings are not easily available in this sector.
Stay Arrangement:
(In Tal Chappar) At BDS International, Near Sujjangad, Churu District in AC
rooms on twin sharing basis. Note: This is a remote place in Rajasthan, where the facilities are extremely basic.... and this hotel is the only option for staying near the sanctuary.....however, the Hotel is clean and food is hygenic. the hotel is situated approx. 10 kms from Tal Chappar Sanctuary.
(In Bikaner) Vinayak Homestay, Bikaner
(In Bikaner) Vinayak Homestay, Bikaner
Resource Person: Mr.Adesh Shivkar, Mr.Mandar Khadilkar
Mode of Payment: You can either
1) Transfer the advance money directly to the HDFC A/c (Please send a mail for details).. please mention your name, date and other details….
2) Courier a cheque of Rs.7000/- as advance amount to the following address
2) Courier a cheque of Rs.7000/- as advance amount to the following address
Name: Mr. Adesh Shivkar
Address: D-8, The Adi Janata Society, Behind HP Petrolpump, Near Sion Signal, Sion (East), Mumbai - 400022
Please revert on natureindiatours@gmail.com ID, in case you need any clarification …..
Please Note:
1) Once registered, the amount of Rs. 7000/- is strictly non-refunadable
2) Alcohol & Smoking is strictly prohibited on Nature India Tours
3) Nest photography or any collection of specimens is prohibited
4) Kindly register on this trip only if you agree with Nature India's rules and policies
4) Kindly register on this trip only if you agree with Nature India's rules and policies
For any other queries we are available on 9869071091 or 9820455713 (Adesh) or 9930318665 or 967518665 (Mandar).
Thanks for your patience.
Looking forward for a very rewarding trip with you all !!
Warm Regards,
Adesh Shivkar & Mandar Khadilkar
Nature India
Appreciate, Respect and Conserve
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