Birding in South Andaman

Andamans and Nicobar Islands; they are an island chain to the east of the Indian subcontinent. And being islands quite away from the mainland, over the years they have gotten some bird species that are endemics to them. So birding in these islands is something almost every birder is interested in doing. I was no different. Though planning a trip there took a while, it finally happened in Jan end of 2023. And that is what matters 😀 . This blog post is a summary of that trip. On the trip I was accompanied by Rahul and Kumar.

There are various popular itineraries when birding in those parts. They islands are pretty spread apart, especially the Nicobar Islands from the Andamans. Birding in the Nicobars is usually done as a dedicated trip given the travel times and the effort to get there. And we didn’t have both of them. So it was going to only in the Andamans, that too only South Andamans.

The main targets were of course the endemics of the Andamans. But being still the migration season, we also hoped to sight some winter visitors 🙂 .

When thinking about how to structure this post, I initially contemplated writing it as a day-wise one. I then decided against it. Instead I have chosen to present it as a summary of the key sites that I recommend you visit and the “specials” we saw there, based on our experience.

Chidyatapu Biological Park and Surrounding Area

This is a must visit site. We ended up visiting it 3 times. This is the place where we got to see the Andaman Shama, Andaman Serpent-Eagle, Red-breasted Parakeet, White-breasted Woodswallow, Long-tailed Parakeets, Mangrove Whistler and winter visitors like the Amur Stonechat, Pacific Swift and Arctic Warbler during the day.

This was the place were we got our best views of the very shy Andaman Crake. We got to see 3 of them. However they scrambled away they moment they saw us and thus did not allow us to photograph them 😦 .

This is also a good place to possibly get to see the elusive Andaman Wood-Pigeon. However we were not lucky enough to see one.

The night had us seeing the Oriental Scops-Owl (Walden’s) and the Hume’s Hawk-Owl.

Kalatang

Another great site for some of the endemics. Here we got to see the Andaman Cuckoo-Dove, Andaman Coucal, Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Drongo, Andaman Treepie, Andaman Bulbul, Andaman Green-Pigeon, Andaman Cuckooshrike, White-headed Starling and Andaman Flowerpecker.

The other stars were the Black Baza and the Freckle-breasted Woodpecker.

We also got a passing view of a Chinese Sparrowhawk.

Ograbraj Wetland

This place is very good for winter visitors. Here we got to see the Red-throated Pipit, Long-toed Stint, Oriental Reed Warbler, Black-browed Reed Warbler, Pied Harrier, Eastern Yellow Wagtail, Amur Stonechat and the Oriental Pratincole. Here we also got the Andaman Teal, Andaman Glossy Swiftlet and the Edible-nest Swiftlet.

Stewartgunj Wetlands

Here we got the Andaman Coucal, Andaman Teal, White-bellied Sea-Eagle, Collared Kingfisher and the winter visitors like the Oriental Reed Warbler and Pacific Swallow.

Sippighat

A wetland where we got to see the Andaman Teal and winter visitors such as the Brown Shrike (Philippine), Common Snipe and Pin-tailed Snipe.

Flat Bay

One of the lesser known ones. Our main targets were the winter waders. Here we got good views of the Long-toed Stint and Red-necked Stint.

Mount Harriet NP

We did this on the last day since we had time to spare in the first half, given our return flight was in the afternoon.

Here we got wonderful views of the Andaman Serpent-Eagle right on the road and finally some obscure photo of the shy Andaman Crake. A Violet Cuckoo also gave us some aha moments.

But the surprise star here was a winter visitor, a Sakhalin Leaf Warbler; an uncommon visitor!

Other random place

For some of the local endemics, we had to go searching for them in separate places. These were for the Andaman Hawk-Owl, Andaman Masked-Owl, Andaman Nightjar and the Andaman Scops-Owl.

Ruddy Kingfisher is another one on many people’s target list. This was not a easy bird to get for us. But we did manage to see one after some visiting a couple of places.

Besides Birding

Being an island, it is difficult to miss the ocean around as one gets around from one place to another. The waters are crystal clear and beautiful, especially on a clear. Here are some pictures of what I mean:

Video

Here is a short video of some of the birds that we got to see.

Recommendations

Based on our experience, here is what you can consider if you are planning a birding trip to the Andamans:

• Ours was a 5 days birding trip plus 1 day of return travel. Our main targets were obviously the endemics. These many days are sufficient to get all of them. The Andaman Wood-Pigeon is of course a tough one and is based on one’s luck. We did not get to see it.
• We visited only South Andamans. Including Little Andamans will be worthwhile, if you have the time and money. So of the birds like the Andaman Crake are easier to there. There is also a decent chance to see the Beach Thick-knee.
• You will need a local guide to see some of the endemics, especially the owls. They are tricky. The others can, I think, mostly be seen spending enough time in the places I have listed above. The winter visitors of course depend on the time of the year you visit.
• The terrain is not difficult to bird around once at the locations. It does not involve too much of trekking.
• Some places can have lots of insects out to irritate you. So having an insect repellent may be a good idea. Wear long sleeve shirts or t-shirts.
• It can get hot and humid. So dress accordingly as well as take sufficient water and a hat.
• II gets dark by 5:30PM. The day also starts earlier than on the Indian mainland. So be mentally prepared for it.