 |
| Dhak,Tesu,Palash |
Spring is the most beautiful time of the year and it feels even more beautiful when you drive for a holiday through the countryside with like minded friends soaking in the colours of nature.
 |
| Flowering Mango Tree |
 |
| Semal, Cotton Silk |
"….……ambua phoole, tesu phoole aur gaye chidiya chu, chu,chu...." the words of this lilting song of basant ritu, poured out from my memory as we saw the yellowish flowering Mango trees, the blooming orange Palash and Semal with its fleshy and flashy red flowers. Watching the beautiful reds on the tree tops we crossed the Gaula river to Kathgodam
and soon started the ascent to Sattal.
 |
| Walk in the Oak forest |
As we climbed the gentle hills, Sattal welcomed us with its shades of green, browns,pink and white on its hillside. The grasses on the hillside were blooming with pink flowers, the Toon tree seemed to be wearing all the shades of pink with its new leaves, the white bushes of wild rose and pink blooms of pear tree all seemed to be singing the song of Spring. Going up the hill to our accomodation we got glimpses of the lakes of Sattal. Sattal, we were told, gets its name from its seven lakes namely the Garud tal, Bharat tal and Sattal tal which itself comprises 5 tals i.e. Ram Tal, Laxman Tal, Sita Tal, Hanuman Tal, Nal Damyanti Tal which appear merged together. Besides the lakes, Sattal has lovely oak and pine forests which invite you to walk their shaded canopy.
 |
| Garud Tal |
Another highlight of the trip was my friend, Payal's four month old puppy called Kaloh! As we stepped into the forest, dear Kaloh's joy knew no bounds, she hopped and jumped and scampered like a goat! She kept running back to us as if looking for reassurance. As we stepped into the forest a carpet of leaves covering the ground welcomed us. Involuntarily, I crouched to pick up acorns of oak and the ever fascinating pine cones. While at Sattal we enjoyed a few walks and treks on the hillside, through the forest and around the Garud Tal. The peaceful Garud Tal was surrounded by drooping pink Toon branches and bushes of white rose flowers that looked so enchanting and were a balm to city souls. Our dear Kaloh got super excited on experimenting with the lake waters and then jumped over us expressing her thanks for such a marvelous experience.  |
| Kumaoni Meal |
Soaking in the beauty of the forest we listened to the amazing symphony of bird calls like the piou-piou-piou-piou of the Great Barbet, joined by the ‘took-o-rrook!’ of the blue-throated Barbet. As if orchestrated by Zubin Mehta, the Red- billed blue Magpie, Black- headed Jay, would contribute a few 'notes' and the high pitched grating screech by the Slaty-headed Parakeets, the Aria by the Black francolin and Fugue by the thrushes together made a fascinating Composition of nature's music. This bird music urged us to do some bird-watching!
In the afternoon we walked in the reserve forest for
 |
| Brown Wood Owl |
a while and watched a few birds flitting around and performing their antics near a water 'cove'. Meantime, to avoid startling the birds and possibly disturbing the other birders, my friend took her Miss Kaloh for a kayak ride in the Sattal lake. A little later we came across a few other birders who joined us on the trail and with a lot of patience helped us spot the Brown Wood owl resting among the canopy of thick leaves. Luckily for us the sun was setting and it was time for the owl to get active with its daily routine . Just as we focused our binoculars at the owl, the Wood Owl made a deep sound and flew on to an open perch to begin a session of courtship. Meal times in the day we enjoyed outdoors with a bird bath in view. Entertained by the Grey-treepies, the white-throated laughing Thushes and sundry birds splashing in the bird bath, our meals went down with a special joy. On the first afternoon the White -crested laughing Thrushes gave the guest appearance and next afternoon the Woodpeckers and the third afternoon the Emrald Dove. For dinner we decided to savour the Kumaoni cuisine and enjoyed Bhat ka churkani, Palak ka kapa, Kumaoni Aloo and Madhua ki roti with butter,salad and fried red chillies. The fare was simple yet enjoyable.
 |
| Himalayan Rubythroat |
Next morning we walked and birded around our home stay on the Sattal Road and came across quite a few colourful species including the Himalayan Ruby throat and the Crimson Sunbird.
Later we drove to Chaffi where we got a fleeting glimpse at the spotted forktail as it was nudged away by the blue whistling Thrush claiming its territory.
 |
| Twany Fish Owl |
We walked along the river, saw a few regulars and spotted a Whistler's warbler, the beautiful Yellow bellied fantail, Chestnut-headed tesia and a few other species which were flutering in the bushes around the banks of the river. The area was quite disturbed due to road construction and sand mining in the river but luckily for us a little walk down the river our guide Hari managed to spot the much sought after Tawny fish owl.
The next morning was magical. We drove to Nanital to look for a rare migrant, the 'vinaceous rosefinch' which is now being seen near this area after many years and that too for just a month or so. The stony wooded scrubland at Ayarpatta (Near Nainital Polytechnic) rewarded us with the sighting of the Vinaceous rosefinch besides the Common rosefinch and the Pink-browed rosefinch as well.
A little further we were lucky to see the Hill patridge and the Rufous-bellied patridge, Blue-capped redstart, Chestnut-crowned Laughing Thrush, Striated Laughing Thrush among many other birds. The evening was spent walking on the trails of the Christian Ashram along with our scampering Miss Kaloh and observing the birds flying and simply enjoying the mountain air.
On the third morning we planned to visit the reserve forest opposite the Sattal lake. As we stepped out of the car the slaty-headed flycatcher gave us a titillating glimpse. A few feet away the Asian Paradise flycatcher was seen briefly and disappeared in the tree canopy showing off its white tail. Just as we got down the steps looking for birds the chestnut-bellied nuthatch was creeping up a massive Oak trunk. Walking along the path we saw a flitty black-throated tit while the blue whistling thrush calmly walked along with us and a green- backed tit in the Oak tree canopy sang along as we walked!
 |
| Black-chinned Babbler hanging |
We crossed the pump house which controls the runoff from Sattal Lake and sat at a spot overlooking the creek. Further up we could see a barking deer grazing at the base of the hillock. One side of the creek is shaded with large rocks and on the other edge it forms a puddle right under the shade of overhanging trees and bushes.This little cove under the bushes and next to the puddle makes an ideal place for the birds to hop in, have a drink and maybe a bath too. The tree and the bushes provide ample perches for the birds to hide, nest, preen and sun themselves. In the creek a few branches have been placed strategically to provide additional perches for the birds. This point in the forest has been nicknamed by the birding community as 'Studio point'. To me it felt like a theater as the show unfolded in a remarkable, almost rehearsed, sequence. Or maybe they follow their pecking order in a very disciplined manner. At the daybreak a few white-throated thrushes along with one streaked laughing thrush hopped in as if to inspect the area like the road opening party in the Army. Once all was declared 'safe', a flock of red-billed Leothrix descended, sipping water, looking around and few of them took a splashing bath. Just then a team of white-throated laughing thrushes noisily occupied the edge of the water, apparently in their turn, and prompting the Leothrix flock to withdraw.
 |
| Ultramarine Flycatcher |
Then like an important character in the play the ultramarine flycatcher flew in taking a dip and then delicately fluttering its wings. It took a high perch to preen its wings and for us all to admire its beauty. Next it seemed was the designated turn of the Himalayan bluetail, which now hopped into the water, gave its performance while bathing and quickly withdrew, giving way to the mountain bulbul!
Meanwhile, the black-chinned babblers began their performance by dancing and hanging upside down from the creepers. Successfully, drawing all the attention the white-browed fantail hopped into our view spread its tail like a fan, danced around showing off its fantail it hopped on a few perches and turned around to show its tail from every angle! The babblers and the fantail then withdrew to give way to the showstopper, the Rufous- bellied Niltava, which gracefully glided in. I was totally spell-bound by the beauty of the Niltava,  |
| White-browed Fantail |
I think my heart skipped a beat and then started to race as it started its performance of its fluttery bath in the water, and delicate preening thereafter. I stayed glued to my binoculars and simply forgot to click this most valuable part of the 'show'. The Niltava now withdrew gracefully and despite my prayers it did not give another chance for a photo shoot. Maybe the choreographer of this wonderful show had no plans for the return of certain singular and uncommon species! It's only the dancing flocks that reappear to keep up the tempo. The Blue whistling thrush flew in and landed on the stones.  |
| Blue-Whistling Thrush |
It hopped around and inspected the area and walked with elan and authority (As a general would survey his troops!) compelling the audience to notice it. The whistling Thrush softly whistled while the morning sun rays fell on its beautiful blue star studded body. It hopped in under the bushes to check on the back stage friends and so created a lot of commotion, and what sounded like protests from the lagging participants in the bush. Mr. & Mrs Gray-winged black Bird now hopped in cautiously looked around and then took a sip of water. It was another heart-fluttering performance and the show seemed to have reached its climax.  |
| Mr & Mrs Grey-winged Blackbird |
Distracting our attention from Mr. & Mrs Gray, a pretty couple of long-tailed Minivets in yellow and red attire landed on the tree top.
Focusing our gaze back on Mr Gray we saw the Rufous-chinned laughing thrush which silently made a guest appearance, took a sip of water and simply left like a very disciplined guest! The activity in the bushes sparked by the Blue whistling thrush continued. Focusing our binoculars we saw a pair of black-throated sun-birds chasing each other. The Sunbird couple was joined by a third sunbird and they flew all over the bushes in and out at top speed confusing the audience completely.  |
| Verditer Flycatcher |
The sleepy blue-winged Manila could be seen peeping through the thick leaves of the bush as if it was rudely woken up by the scampering sun-birds while the Verditer Flycatcher continued to sit on a safe perch unaffected by the activity going around.
 |
| Mr & Mrs Striated Laughing Thrush |
Even as the performance seemed to have reached another climax, we three friends were approaching our cut off time and we had to start our drive back to Delhi. We looked at each other and reluctantly decided to move out in the next 5 to 10 minutes. Not really wanting to peel our eyes (or our bodies away) from this most enticing show that too at the peak of activity, we hesitantly started to gather our things and raise ourselves from our prime spots on the ground. As if the birds were requesting us to stay a bit longer and to convey this feeling, a beautiful pair of Striated Laughing thrushes quietly appeared from under the bushes, took a sip of water and settled themselves comfortably on a perch.
The rest of the birds all gracefully withdrew to allow them the space needed to perform their courtship act. Holding the memory of these beauties we walked away towards the exit and saw a family of magestic Khalij pheasants moving away and bidding us farewell. As we were watching the pheasants a wagtail flew past us and entered the water canal. I thought I should acertsin the species of wagtail so I walked to a point from where I could see inside the water drain and low and behold who was foraging next to wagtail!! A spotted forktail!
 |
| Spotted Forktail |
Our trip to Sattal gave us much more than what we had expected and it left us yearning for more such trips. We silently thanked the Almighty for this beautiful world and for letting us see its wonders.
