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Eco Camp nameri (Rs)

White-winged wood duck (PP)

and were accordingly about to give
up when the Parks guide excitedly
indicated that a pair of ducks were
hidden in the long grass in the pond
foreground. We crawled on hands and
knees closer and there, sure enough,
was a pair of this very large Muscovy-
like duck. Hooray!! They immediately
flushed and we absorbed every detail of Tata Trucks (Rs)
the very conspicuous white wing-panels
as they turned for a fly-by providing Minivet, Brown and Grey-backed Our Assam wildlife tour finally ended
our tour leader with an opportunity for shrikes, Bengal Bushlark, yellow-bellied with a 7-hour bus journey from Nameri
a photograph. Mission accomplished! Prinia, Dark-necked Tailorbird, Black- NP west towards Guwahati and then
After dinner our group leader used crested and White-throated Bulbul, north to the Bhutan border. En route
playback to entice the Brown Hawk striated Grassbird, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler, we collected the 8th member of our
Owl into our presence, a fitting finale Rufous-capped, Chestnut-capped group, an American doctor, and then
to a great and successful day. and striated Babbler, Chestnut-tailed travelled through typical, vibrant Indian
starling, Taiga Flycatcher, scarlet-backed countryside and villages brimming
OTHER BiRd spECiEs Flowerpecker, streaked Weaver. with rickshaws, bicycles, water-buffalo
RECORdEd AT KAZiRAnGA: carts, and garishly-coloured and
swamp Francolin, spot-bellied Pelican, And FOR nAmERi: ornately decorated Tata trucks – amid
Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Pied Harrier, Pale-capped Pigeon, Barred Cuckoo- the rural odours of spices and farmyard
Pompadour and Thick-billed Green Dove, Banded Bay Cuckoo, silver-backed animals, and the continuous honking
Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Blossom- Needletail, Greater yellownape, Black- of motor vehicle horns. The poor roads,
headed Parakeet, Asian Drongo-Cuckoo, winged Cuckooshrike, Maroon Oriole, subsistence farms, haystacks, tiny shops
Blue-bearded and Chestnut-headed sultan Tit, Puff-throated Babbler, spot- with their entrepreneur owners, and
Bee-eaters, Wreathed Hornbill, Blue- winged starling, Pale-chinned Blue the skinny men and well-groomed,
eared Barbet, Ashy Woodswallow, Flycatcher, Plain Flowerpecker, Vernal well-dressed womenfolk made the
Large Cuckooshrike, Grey-chinned Hanging Parrot, Black-breasted Thrush. trip all the more memorable.

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