INDIA 2010 : Delhi to Jaipur

The first moments of birding in a new country are always exciting. Especially during breakfast, when binoculars and cameras come out to the amazement of other guests, and birds take precedence over food! Colorful Rufous Treepies, a gang of Jungle Babblers, Red-vented Bulbul are first up, and even mundane species such as House Crows and House Sparrows get everyone excited. As our bags are loaded on the bus, Red-whiskered Bulbuls (below) pose nicely at the top of a tree and Arden spots a juvenile Common Hawk-Cuckoo.

As we inch our way through the heavy traffic southwards out of Delhi, we get our first looks at the sights, sounds, and madness that makes this country so endearing. Horns blaring, intersections packed with pedestrians, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, cars and trucks vying for what they perceive as pole position even at the expense of oncoming traffic. There would even be the occasional traffic jam as we had to negotiate our way around the inevitable fender bender. Almost like clockwork we would encounter a vehicle driving down the wrong way of the highway, every 15 minutes! There was more than enough to keep us enthralled as we made the long 260 kms journey to Jaipur. Once away from the city the countryside was full of agricultural plots, some fallow others being seeded by men, and women in bright saris could be seen picking various crops. Camels become a common sight, most being used to pull a small cart of goods.

We soon got to grips with Black Kites, Red-wattled Lapwings and Black Drongo’s. The occasionally Shikra would circle overhead and a Black-shouldered Kite was seen perched on a pylon. The first real “wow” bird came when Eric spotted the iridescent blue back of a White-throated Kingfisher. There would be many! A stop at Midway, about half way between Delhi and Jaipur (!), produced Asian Pied Starlings, Plain Prinia and a hawking Green Bee-eater.

Six hours later we were once again battling the bustling traffic in the “Pink City” as Jaipur is known. We had to dodge all forms of motorized and peddle transportation, as well as the many sacred cows that amble across the old walled city streets. Finally we had made it to our hotel where we were greeted by a doorman (above) with a huge moustache and turban the size of a hot air ballon!

It has never rained a drop on this trip before. That streak ended this afternoon when a good drizzle soaked us for an hour as we were being escorted on a city tour. We began at the extraordinary outdoor Observatory (above), built by the Maharaja in the early 1700’s. Various astrological, astronomical and sundial pieces of all sizes, accurate to seconds, are a marvel to the Maharaja’s genius. In spite of being huddled under umbrella’s and hustled along due to the rain and fading light we did get to see a Yellow-footed Green Pigeon feeding in a fig tree.

Across from the Observatory is the City Palace, a major landmark in Jaipur. It covers a large area with gardens, courtyards with ornate doorways, and buildings housing some of the history of the Rajasthan’s Maharajas.