Birding In The 'Wild East' Of India

There are few finer ways to experience nature than to be out walking in the wilds. And what gives gentle purpose to such walks is to look out for those flying avians doing what they have been doing long before humans came along. The author shares some of the delights of doing so in one of India’s least-explored birding havens… Nagaland.

- Dr. Ram Gopalakrishnan

I rested my head on the Grimmett’s bird guide and dozed off. Not a sound disturbed us other than the chirping of the mynas. What was amazing was that we were not in a forest, or anywhere remote, but on a park bench right outside Dimapur airport!

We were in Nagaland on a bird watching trip and a local bandh, which was to lift only at six p.m. had forced us to alter our plans. So instead of heading off immediately on the two and-a-half-hour drive to Khonoma, we killed four hours at this sleepy airport, where literally nothing happens after the two daily flights land and take off after brief halts, much like a city public bus. We managed to tick off 20 species including a Rubythroat, Dark-rumped Swift and three species of mynas, before the early sunset typical of the Northeast put an end to our airport birding.

Nagaland has the best and the worst - tremendously rich bird life with many rare endemics but a reputation for hunting and, over the years, almost exterminating anything that flies. So much so that birds are skittish and difficult to spot in most areas. A Great Barbet, which would hardly notice you and continue with its piew... piew… elsewhere in the Himalaya, flew off as soon as we alighted from our car. Khonoma (altitude 1,500 m.), about 20 km. from Kohima, is unique in that it is a community conservation reserve and has followed a hunting ban and eco-tourism policy for the last decade. It has, therefore, picked up a reputation as a birding destination, and would be our home for the next few days. We checked in at the brand new Dovipie Inn, the first hotel to be constructed in Khonoma, perhaps a reflection of the increased traffic of birdwatchers and tourists to this picturesque village, which carries its eco-friendly tag proudly.

THE BIRDING CUP OVERFLOWETH