A quaint birding paradise in the Terai - Rathuadhab and Halduparao
Updated: Feb 18
I and Moumita decided to take a break from our usual tiger centric trips and plan a relaxed birding trip - one that didn't need us to chase animals, and allowed us to simply soak in the flavours of the nature. After several days of research, I came across a small Himalayan hamlet which is also a birding paradise - Rathuadhab. Located adjoining the northern border of Corbett Tiger Reserve, this place is part of the Kalagarh Tiger Reserve. Interestingly, Rathuadhab also has a Forest Rest House, where you can stay, however, we had chosen one of the homestays called Corbett Rajae Homestay.
At 4 am, we reached Kotdwar station, and headed straight for our homestay. It was still pitch dark, and soon as we left the city limits, we were engulfed by thick forest from both sides. Our driver Anil, was telling us about various stories of wildlife encounters along this road, when we spotted broken branches and twigs on the road, along with heaps of fresh elephant dung. Anil told us that the elephants must have passed sometime back, as this dung was fresh and moist. As we proceeded, suddenly in the headlight of the car, we could see something moving ahead of us - and there were the elephants! 6 of them, including a little calf. We respectfully let them move ahead (Anil ensured not to honk or agitate them in anyway). Soon, they reciprocated by moving into the jungles and letting us pass by . What an unexpected and exciting start to the trip!.
A herd of elephants wander through the forests, early in the morning - What a start to our trip !
As we checked into our homestay, the owner Mr. Shiwank Negi greeted us and we settled down in our rooms, with some warm tea. A spectacular sunrise across the valley soothed our tired souls, as we prepared for our morning birding session.
A glorious sunrise greets us, as we prepare for our morning birding session.
Birding along the river banks in Rathuadhab, in search of the Crested Kingfisher and the Red Starts.
Some serious test of your fitness, as you need to constantly walk up and down the hilly roads in search of the skittish Himalayan birds.
The Red Billed Blue Magpie was sitting right across our balcony
The White Capped Redstart was one of our target species while birding on the river banks
A growling tiger and an irate elephant
Having spent the morning walking along the various birding trails, we were told that the Vatanvasa gate of the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary was nearby, and there is a chance of spotting the Tawny Fish Owl there. Although we had decided not to take regular safaris, this sounded tempting, and honestly our old legs were jarring a bit after the morning birding session. Hence we headed for the Vatanvasa Gate, which was half an hour away from our homestay.
A majestic Cheetal stag crosses the river in Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary.
The beautiful landscape of Halduparao
The first couple of hours through the Vatanvasa Gate all the way up to the Halduparao Forest Rest House was pretty uneventful, as we hardly encountered anything interesting. We decided to take a break in the Halduparao Forest Rest House and enjoy some steaming hot Maggi. Post that we again started our journey and things got a tad interesting. First up we spotted the Tawny Fish Owl, perched high up on a branch. We were absolutely thrilled as this was one of our target species!
A Tawny Fish Owl, near the Halduparao Guest House
Happy after having spotted the Tawny Fish Owl, we headed towards a reservoir and a grassland. As we paused to listen to the forest, we heard two sounds, a growl and sharp trumpet. We knew that the elephants were somewhere in the vicinity, albeit firmly hidden. As we were chatting amongst ourselves, a deep "Aaaungh" reverberated across the valley ! What followed was 10 minutes of absolute excitement, as the tiger continuously growled, across the valley. While it did not reveal itself, we were chuffed to have heard the tiger from such close quarters, that too in a very little explored part of the forest. It was now time to leave, and we gradually exited the Vatanvasa gate and headed for our homestay. Suddenly, Anil slammed the breaks and yelled "Haathi" ! and immediately we heard a shrill trumpet. A young tuskar which had separated from the herd, was visibly irritated by the vehicles on the road and stood there obviously feeling disturbed and calling for his herd. Having clicked a few quick snaps, we decided it was wise to leave him in his own elements. The day ended with some lovely local rice and chicken curry at our homestay.
A young tuskar, who didn't quite approve of our presence and kept trumpeting for its herd
Birding in the hills and a chance encounter with a Brown Fish Owl.
On Sunday morning, we started our birding session after some lovely lemon grass flavoured tea and decided to walk along another trail which is popular for the Blue Throats and other skittish birds. After walking through the scrub lands, we finally managed to spot the Siberian Blue Throat as it was fluttering around in the bushes. While coming back to our homestay, we saw a lovely nursery which was full of Gondhoraj Lebu ( a fragrant variety of lime, famous in Bengal). The local worker was kind enough to spare us a few lime, and quickly obliged :)
The Velvet Fronted Nuthacth is an exquisite yet extremely skittish bird, which would be scooting along the tree branches.
Rathuadhab has some beautiful trails for birding - Even if you are not a birding enthusiast, the blissful ambience is sure to mesmerise you.
Be prepared to navigate a few mountain streams by balancing yourself delicately on the rocks
As we headed back to our homestay, we saw the resident Himalayan Ruby Throat skulking in the bushes within our homestay. This pretty bird had decided to stay within our homestay for a few days, and was happy to pose for a few snaps.
The skittish but exquisite Himalayan Ruby Throat, that had become a resident of the homestay itself.
We had sometime at hand, and decided to check the river banks for some movement. As we approached the river bank, a big bird flew across and sat in one of the perches. We strained our neck and saw it ! The Brown Fish Owl ! - This was also one of our target species and we were thrilled to have seen one. The rest of the morning was spent walking along a beautiful birding trail and soaking in the winter sun.
Target locked on the Brown Fish Owl !
Masterfully camouflaged - A juvennile Brown Fish Owl
Photographing the Himalayan Ruby Throat in front our quaint Corbett Rajae Homestay
Clean rooms, healthy food and a balcony with a beautiful view - The Corbett Rajae Homestay was a perfect getaway amidst the hills
Bright morning, warm sunshine, tea with lemon grass and some local parathas for breakfast
A short trip finally came to an end, and our souls replenished by the mountain air and local parathas.
This trip was a welcome break from our usual wildlife focussed trips, and we were left craving for more such short weekend trips across the Himalayas.
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