Birds

We had plenty of opportunity to see the avian fauna of India in both Ranthambore and Bharatpur, as well as chasing a few round the hotel gardens when daylight and time permitted.  This is really a very small subset of Indian birds many more of which may be found in the warmer tropical parts of India.  We managed to see 5 or 6 birds of prey, including a booted eagle and a crested serpent eagle that didn't hang around long enough for a portrait session, unlike the Black Kite that perched opposite the Hotel Continental (the grotty one).

Black Kite - Milvus migrans

Common Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus - Ranthambore

Spotted Owlet - Athene brama -seen at Bharatpur

A departing Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus - Bharatpur

A distant Osprey - Pandion haliaetus - Bharatpur

The same osprey in flight, but still distant

Sadly, with the exception of the Spotted Owlet, all the above birds could have been seen in the UK.

Of water birds, there were many, from moorhens to painted storks, though again we only managed to get a few that were prepared to pose nicely.

Black-headed Ibis - Threskiornis melanocephalus - Bharatpur, though also seen elsewhere in India

Red-wattled Lapwing - Vanellus indicus - Bharatpur

Little Cormorant - Phalocrocorax niger - Bharatpur

Painted Stork - Mycteria leucocephalus - Bharatpur

Indian Pond Heron - Ardeola grayii - Bharatpur

Asian Open-billed Stork - Anastomus oscitans - Bharatpur

Grey Heron - Ardea cinerea - Bharatpur

Little Cormorant - Phalocrocorax niger - Bharatpur, one of two species found 

in India.

White-breasted Waterhen - Amaurornis Phoenicurus - Bharatpur

Another Black-headed Ibis posing nicely at Bharatpur

Purple Heron - Ardea purpurea - Bharatpur

Bronze-winged Jacana - Metopidius indicus - Bharatpur

Little Grebe - Tachybaptus ruficollis - Bharatpur.  I know you can see them in the UK, but they're ever so pretty.

Spot-billed Duck - Anas poecilorhyncha - Bharatpur and Flapshell turtle

Painted Stork, almost perched on an Acacia tree

And lastly a couple of smaller birds associated with water.

Common Kingfisher - Alcedo atthis - not the same as UK species

White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis - what a beak!