With rarities being reported in Dighal and Sultanpur, around 20 of us met at the Sultanpur gate at 7 a.m. to try our luck at catching a glimpse of these birds. 6 carloads of people set out from Sultanpur towards Dighal – the target being the Marbled Duck. At around 8:15 we reached Dighal where we met up with Rakesh Alhawat. Rakesh led us through the confusing roads leading to the pond where the Marbled Duck was being reported. Upon reaching the pond, it did not take Rakesh more than 5 minutes to locate the Marbled Duck in the water body teeming with Common Coots, Ferruginous Pochards, Red Crested Pochards, Little Grebes, Eurasian Wigeons, Gadwalls and Northern Pintails. Our hopes of catching the Marbled Duck at close range were dashed when we realized that the lone Marbled Duck was sitting far off in the distance in the company of Common Coots. Despite the distance, spotting scopes and huge lenses helped in obtaining good views of the bird. Other birds sighted here included the Osprey, Graceful Prinia, Sind Sparrow and a Phesant-tailed Jacana. We waited and wished for the duck to come closer but it didn't seem in the mood to come any closer. We decided to move on and to explore the area nearby and then return later to see whether the Marbled Duck decided to venture any closer. The area around Dighal was teeming with birds and we managed to see Dusky-eagle Owls, Woolly-necked Storks, Black-necked Storks, Egyptian Vultures, Ruddy Shelducks, Comb Ducks, Small Pratincoles, a Booted Eagle and a Greater Spotted Eagle. A pair of Northern Lapwings was a nice addition.
On our way back we visited the Marbled Duck pond again and sure enough, the duck had moved closer! It was swimming alongside a few Common Coots. After spending considerable time photographing and observing this duck, we moved on to Sultanpur to try and see the two other rarities – The Long-billed Dowitcher and the Baikal Teal.
At Sultanpur, a few pet Budgerigars which had been released by somebody in the morning received a lot of attention from all the Delhibirders.
First on the list was the Long-billed Dowitcher which had been sighted in the morning. Rakesh once again didn't take much time and within 10 minutes we had the Long-billed Dowitcher sitting in front of us. Alongside the Dowitcher were Common Greenshanks, Common Redshanks, Red-wattled and White-tailed Lapwings. Hardly had the Dowitcher graced us with its presence for 5 minutes, when a couple of Red-wattled Lapwings raised an alarm and made the Dowitcher fly away. Nevertheless, we still followed it and managed to relocate it once more. This time it was seen sitting in between a Black-winged Stilt and a couple of Common Redshanks. Other notable birds seen during the search of the Dowitcher were a Common Woodshrike, Long-tailed Minivet, Yellow-crowned Woodpecker, Siberian Stonechat, Red-breasted Flycatcher and a Black-necked Stork.
Tired after a hectic day of birding, half of the group called it a day while a few of us stayed back to continue the search of the Baikal Teal. During this time we spotted a few Small Minivets, a couple of Brown Shrikes, lots of Northern Shovelers, Pintails and Garganeys. A few Brown-headed Gulls were also seen. A couple of Dunlins were also seen while searching for the Baikal Teal. All Common Teals were carefully scrutinized with the hope that at least one of them would turn out to be a Baikal Teal. Sadly, no Common Teal magically transformed itself into the elusive Baikal Teal.
All in all, a pretty good day of birding. Special thanks to Rakesh Alhawat for showing us around Dighal and spotting the Marbled Duck and the Long-billed Dowitcher in particular.
- Kavi
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