In India birding takes place in many states especially in North India, Bharatpur, Southern India and now Gujarat. Central India or Madhya Pradesh has not been seen as a bird watching destination despite having tremendous forest cover. The state has been an object of tiger tourism the most.
Tigers are often easily seen in the National Parks of the state. Pench, Kanha and Bandhavgarh are the most popular for tiger tours in India. The density of the big cats is reasonable high for frequent sightings. Incidentally these are very good bird watching destinations. The abundant tree line along with secondary growth and grasslands provide ample habitat for forest and grassland birds. I have been birding since a long time in these tiger parks and have had a wonderful experience. I have escorted many inbound tourists who have arrived here solely in quest of avian species with a glimpse of the Bengal Tiger thrown in.
It is very recent that I have conduct large group packaged bird tours in Kanha & Bandhavgarh. Other companies may have also started with birding packages to these destinations in Madhya Pradesh. In my last trip I had sighted more than 110 species for my guests from UK. The three day trip resulted in good tiger sighting as well.
Ornithological trips are good in these parks even in summer for resident species. And if you are talking about Indian Pitta, Shama, Indian Schimitar Babbler, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Painted Francolin, Golden Orioles, Crested Serpent Eagle, Crested Hawk or Changeable Eagle, who does not wish to see these birds come summer or winters.
Other interested Avian species are Alexandrine Parakeet, Plum Headed Parakeet, Warblers, Tawny Babbler, Blue Capped Rock
Thrush, Munias, White Eyed Buzzard, Honey Buzzard, White Backed Vulture, Long Billed Vulture, King Vulture, Indian Scops Owl,
Brown Fish Owl, Spotted Owlet, Barred Jungle Owlet, Mottled Wood Owl, Shikra, White Naped Wood Pecker, Sirkeer Malkoha,
Indian, Eurasian Cuckoo and Brain Fever Bird, Grey Bellied Cuckoo, Verditor Flycatcher, Black Naped Flycatcher, Asian Brown
Flycatcher, Tickells Blue Flycatcher, Yellow Fronted Wood Pecker, Brown Capped Wood Pecker, Red Avadavat, Spotted Munia,
Eurasian Black Bird, Pallas’s Fish Eagle, Grey Headed Fish Eagle, Grey Bushchat, Utralmarine Flycatcher, Pied Bushchat,
Common Stone Chat, Plain Prinia, Grey Breasted and Shy Prinia, Common Tailor Bird, Racket Tailed Drongo, White Bellied
Drongo, Black Drongo, Velvet Fronted Nuthatch, Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch, Tickells Thrush, White Cheeked Thrush, Greater
Flameback, Red Jungle Fowl, Painted Spurfowl, Red Spurfowl, Coppersmith Barbet, Grey Headed Barbet, Common Grey
Hornbill, Pipits, Larks, Common Myna, Gold mantled chloropsis, Spangled Drongo, Pied Starling, Rosy Starling, White Browed
Bulbul, Common Iora, Sulfur Bellied Warbler, Tickell’s Warbler, Blyth’s Reed Warbler, Hume’s Warbler,Greenish
Warbler,Common Chiff Chaff, White Eye, Painted Snipe, Common Snipe, Zitting Cisticola, Red Rumped Swallows, Wire Tailed
Swallows, Crested Tree Swift, Plain Martin, Red Breasted Flycatcher, Magpie Robin, Brown Cheeked Fulvetta, Common Kestrel,
Spotted Dove, Laughing Dove, Yellow Fronted Green Pigeon, Jungle Babbler, Purple Sunbird, Long Tailed Minivet, Small Minivet,
Rufous Treepie, Large Cuckoo Shrike, Lesser Whistling Teals, Northern Pintail, Wooly Necked Stork, Chestnut Shouldered
Petronia, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Pied Kingfisher, White Throated Kingfisher, Brown Rock Chat, White Ibis, Green Sand Piper,
Marsh Sand Piper, Wood Sand Piper, Common Red Shank, Black Winged Stilt, Avocet, Temminck Stint, Black Ibis,Jungle Myna,
Jungle Prinia, Yellow Eyed Babbler,Indian Cormorant or Shag, Little Cormorant, Brahminy Starling, Yellow Wattled Lapwing, Red
Wattled Lapwing,Great Indian Cormorant, Eurasian Thicknee, Little Green Bee Eater, Blue Tailed Bee Eater, Common Teal,
Eurasian Wigeon, Spot Billed Duck, Blue Bee Eater, Bee Eater, Chestnut Headed Bee Eater, Nakta, Rufous Tailed Lark, Olive
Backed Pipit, Tree Pipit, Streak Throated Swallows, Barn Swallows,Chestnut Tailed Starling, Brown Shrike, Bay Backed Shrike,
Long Tailed Shrike,Indian Robin,Oriental Turtle Dove,Little Ring Dove,Asian Koel, Indian Silver Bill and many more.
Reaching the National Parks:Jabalpur is at the Center of all the tiger parks in Central India. Well almost!
Kanha: New Delhi JBP Flight, Mumbai JBP Flight
New Delhi JBP over night Rails.
Jabalpur to Kanha National Park approx 156 KM to Mocha were most hotels are.
Bandhavgarh National Park: Distance from JBP Approx 170 KM
Overnight Train to Umaria from New Delhi. Umaria – Bandhavgarh 32 KM
Pench Tiger Reserve: JBP to Pench 200 km.
Nagpur Airport to Pench 80 KM
Kanha to Pench: 255 KM
My email: pateluday90@hotmail.com
Wildlife of India 