Site Report: Nainital

Nainital Lake

Blue-capped Redstart (Phoenicurus coeruleocephala) Male

Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum)

Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos auriceps)

Nainital is a town in the Himalayan foothills that sees a lot of Indian vacationers. To get there requires riding the bus on a very slow winding road, distances are a lot further by road than you would expect. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants in town, and a short hike will take you to some good birding spots.

Visits

2006-01-17: None
2006-01-18: We stayed a couple of nights here in Nainital. Due to the higher elevation and latitude, it was freezing here at night, and we even saw some snow. Nainital Lake was not good for birds, but the forested hills around town had some species not found at lower elevations.

Species Seen

Kingdom: Animals (24 records)

Phylum: Chordates (24 records)

Class: Birds (24 records)

Order: Cranes, Rails, and Allies (1 record)
- Family: Cranes
- Sarus Crane (Antigone antigone)

Order: Perching Birds (20 records)
- Family: Bulbuls
- White-Cheeked Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)
- Family: Bushtits
- Black-throated Tit (Aegithalos concinnus)
- Family: Chickadees and Titmice
- Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus)
- Black-lored Tit (Machlolophus xanthogenys)
- Family: Jays and Crows
- Common Raven (Corvus corax)
- Family: Laughingthrushes
- Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum)
- Family: Leafbirds
- Orange-bellied Leafbird (Chloropsis hardwickii)
- Family: Leaf Warblers
- Gray-hooded Warbler (Phylloscopus xanthoschistos)
- Gray-cheeked Warbler (Phylloscopus poliogenys)
- Family: Old World Flycatchers
- Spotted Forktail (Enicurus maculatus)
- Family: Old World Sparrows
- Russet Sparrow (Passer cinnamomeus)
- Family: Tree-Babblers, Scimitar-Babblers and Allies
- Striated Laughingthrush (Grammatoptila striata)
- Rufous Sibia (Heterophasia capistrata)
- Family: Treecreepers
- Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana)
- Family: White-eyes
- Indian White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)

Order: Turkey-like birds (1 record)
- Family: Grouse, Turkeys, and Allies
- Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos)

Order: Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans, and Honeyguides (2 records)
- Family: Piculets and Woodpeckers
- Brown-fronted Woodpecker (Dendrocoptes auriceps)
- Himalayan Woodpecker (Dendrocopos himalayensis)

Lifelists

Trips

India