Join David & Pui Hang for this wildlife photography holiday to Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary; Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, also known as Keoladeo National Park, is India’s most renowned bird sanctuary located in in Rajasthan, India.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary is home to a vast number of species, including Bar Headed Geese, Barn Owl, Black Neck Stork, Blackbuck, Brahmini Duck, Brown Fish Owl, Brown Hawk-owl, Chital, Cinereous Vulture, Collared Scops Owl, Common Pochard, Common Teal, Coot, Dusky Eagle-owl, Egyptian Vulture, Eurasian Eagle-owl, Eurasian Griffon, Fishing Cat, Gadwall, Greylag, Jungle Cat, Leopard, Long-billed Vulture, Mottled Wood-owl, Nilgai, Northern Shoveller, Openbill Stork, Oriental Scops Owl, Painted Stork, Pallas’s Fishing-eagle, Pintail, Red-headed Vulture, Sambar, Short-eared Owl, Spotted Owlet, Tufted Duck, White Eyed Pochard, White-rumped Vulture, White-tailed Eagle, Widgeon, Wild Boar, Woolly-necked Stork & many more

The spectacular bird sanctuary, which is the focus of this wildlife photography tour, has its own historical story. The Maharaja of Bharatpur is credited with its creation in 1850, although conservation was the last thing on his mind. It was a tradition to shoot many ducks in the lake of the reserve in the honour of the British viceroys. In 1938, over 4273 birds including mallards & teals were killed by Lord Linlithgrow, the then Governor-General of India.
In 1965, the government banned the indiscriminate shooting of birds in Bharatpur & by 1982, the area was deemed a national park. Three years later, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary was designated a World Heritage Site.
Close to 380 species have been spotted at Bharatpur Sanctuary, making it one of the most inviting destinations in the world for ornithologists, amateurs & nature lovers. These species fly from distant places like Siberia & Central Asia specifically in winter. Migratory birds at Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary include several species of Cranes, Pelicans, Geese, Ducks, Eagles, Hawks, Shanks, Stints, Wagtails, Warblers, Wheatears, Flycatchers, Buntings, Larks & Pipits.
Bharatpur is an ideal host for so many bird species because of its strategic location to attract migratory waterfowl in the Indian subcontinent before dispersing to various regions. In addition, the wetland is a wintering area for massive congregations of waterfowl. It is the only regular wintering area in India for the critically endangered Siberian Crane. Apart from Feredunkenar in Iran, Bharatpur Sanctuary is the only place where the Siberian crane migrates. The cranes arrive in December & stay until early March.
This bird paradise also hosts mammalian species such as nilgai, samha, chital, blackbucks, jungle cat & wild boar. The large rock python (which can be spotted at Python Point beyond Keoladeo temple) as well as its nemesis, the mongoose.
Photographable Species: bar headed geese, barn owl, black neck stork, blackbuck, brahmini duck, brown fish owl, brown hawk-owl, chital, cinereous vulture, collared scops owl, common pochard, common teal, coot, dusky eagle-owl, egyptian vulture, eurasian eagle-owl, eurasian griffon, fishing cat, gadwall, greylag, jungle cat, leopard, long-billed vulture, mottled wood-owl, nilgai, northern shoveller, openbill stork, oriental scops owl, painted stork, pallas's fishing-eagle, pintail, red-headed vulture, sambar, short-eared owl, spotted owlet, tufted duck, white eyed pochard, white-rumped vulture, white-tailed eagle, widgeon, wild boar, woolly-necked stork