Birds of North India | An award winning documentary on birding

Uttarakhand, a state in northern India crossed by the Himalayas. This state is known for its Hindu pilgrimage sites. Huge diversity of altitude and different landscapes makes this place a heaven for bird watchers and the birds. Not just the birds, the diversity in altitude and habitat helps this state hosts 102 species of mammals found in India. At the foothills of Uttarakhand we get to see a lot of Indian elephants. They are pretty common for the state. Also this state has a lot of antelope species which includes cheetal as well as the barking deers. Not only the antelopes and the elephants, this state has three of the majestic big cat species which includes the Indian leopards, the snow leopards as well as the mighty Bengal tigers. Sattal is a prime bird-watching hotspot of Uttarakhand. Located at an altitude of 4,700 feet above sea level, this place is heaven for the bird watchers. Primarily dominated by oak and pine forests, this place also has a whole lot of riverbeds and water streams which attracts a lot of birds. Many species of wagtails can be very easily seen around these water bodies. Also a crested kingfisher is a very common sight in this kind of habitats. The plumbious water red starts are also among the common birds that can be found near a water body. The forest habitats nearby these water streams are always full of bird activities which includes many small passerine birds as well as many frugivorous birds as well. Common green magpies are definitely one of the most colorful birds of this region. However, they are not easily seen. The Asian bird owlet are one of the most common owlet seen in this region. During the summer, the Indian paradise flycatchers can be easily seen in Sattal. They come to this place for the purpose of breeding. Both the male and the female bird can be seen building the nest and performing their parental duty. Bird photography blind also known as the bird hides are very common in Sattal region. These hides provides an opportunity to film and photograph the birds which are otherwise very hard to see in the wild. For example, the common green magpie. Since these bird hides have bird feeders as well as plenty of water source, the wild birds are attracted to these places. However, a question which arises whether this is ethical way to photograph the birds or not. Well, we cannot comment on that whether it is ethical or not. However, in the Sattal region, there was a massive conservation problem for poaching wild birds which now has reduced to almost zero. So, we can most certainly say that the ecotourism and the bird hides has a positive impact in the nature and in the field of conservation as well. The chestnut bellied nuthatches are very common to these bird hides. They come there in search of nuts and seeds. The white-throated laughing thrushes are probably the most common hide birds. They are generally seen in very large flocks. The rufous-chilled laughing thrushes are probably the most silent of all laughing thrushes but can be very easily seen in a bird hide. A green-backed tit is also a very common bird in Sattal region. They can be seen both in the forest as well as in the bird hides. Many woodpecker species can be easily seen in these hides. The most common ones are the grey-headed woodpeckers and also the lesser and the greater yellow nets. The black-headed jays are also one of the most common hide bird. A flock of red-billed leopards is very common in every bird hide. This blue whistling thrush is possibly scared of the other birds. So, it tried to snatch the food quickly and run away. The red jungle fowl is a beautiful bird which is not so common in the hide. However, whenever it comes to a hide, it is very cautious. At an altitude of 8,000 feet above sea level, Manila is such a place where one can easily see the cheered and the cockless pheasants. So, a lot of birders are attracted to this spot in order to look Not just the pheasants, one of the rare and the most elusive owl which is known a similar altitude as Manila, there is another hot spot known as Pangot which is also home to many pheasants as well as many passerine birds. One of the collared owlet can be seen here very easily. Once in a while, foothills bird like this rufous woodpecker are also found in this place. Rare bulbuls like the ashy bulbuls are also seen in this place. Harsil is a small village of Uttarakhand located at a higher altitude of 11,000 feet above sea level. Around this area, not only the landscape is beautiful but also there are a lot of life forms like the elusive snow leopard can be found. In the outskirts at the foothills of Uttarakhand lies two of the most famous national parks of India, the Corbett National Park and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve which is not only home to the prime predator Bengal tigers but also is a very good spot for birding. These sal dominated habitats are very good spot to see the Himalayan woodpecker and also there are many small passerine birds that can be seen here as well. The beautiful snowy brow flycatcher, the song star, the puff-throated babbler and the most elusive pinstriped tit babbler can be found very easily at the outskirts of Corbett Tiger Reserve. On the other hand, the Rajaji Tiger Reserve might not be as famous as the Corbett National Park but still it has huge as the jungle owlets can be seen very easily in the Rajaji Tiger Reserve's Mohand range. In Rajaji Tiger Reserve's the raptors are in very good numbers. Two of the most commonly seen raptors in this region are the changeable hawk eagle as well as the crested serpent eagles. They can be seen in the park very easily. Another attractive bird the pied hornbill can also be seen in Rajaji Tiger Reserve Not just the raptors and hornbills, the outskirts of Rajaji Tiger Reserve has very good habitat for the ducks as well. Uttarakhand is a magical place. I'm not sure if my documentary was good enough to justify the beauty of it. However, if you have enjoyed this documentary and if you want to support my work, you can now donate me. The donation details can be found in the description. Thank you