Birds of the Himalayas - Sattal, May 2021

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Birds of the Himalayas - Sattal, May 2021

General Information

A mystical place with lots of stories from the Vedic ages, timeless beauty of the majestic mountains, beautiful meadows and gorgeous valleys, well that’s Himalayas for most of us. What many miss is the phantasmagorical avian life which call this part of the earth a home. Uttarakhand a state that has over 80% covered by mountainous regions and over 60% forest is the best place for any bird photographer to spend time in the serenity and enjoy the rich avian life and capture the memories for a life time.

Sattal & Bhimtal at the edge of the Kumaon mountains are home to wide variety of avian species and are the places where a lot of migrants from the higher peaks of Himalayas descend every winter. There are number of places around Sattal & Bhimtal where one can enjoy capturing images of colourful winged beauties from a close quarter.

Some Target Species

Birds

Khalij & Koklas Pheasants, Black Francolin, Crested Kingfisher, Himalayan & Rufous-bellied Woodpeckers, Flycatchers (Verditer, Ultra Marine ,Rufous Gorgetted, Indian Paradise, Canary & Himalayan Blue-tail), Finches (Red Headed, Rose, Common, Dark Breasted), Niltava, Laughing Thrushes (White Crested, Streaked, Striated and Variegated), Yuhinas (Whiskered & Stripe Throated), Flower peckers, Minivets (Scarlet & Long Tailed and Sunbirds (Fire Tailed, Vigor’s).

Mammals

Jackals, Yellow Throated Martin and Mountain Goral

Itinerary

Scheduled dates: 21st - 24th May 2021 (3 nights 4 days)

Day 1

The trip begins at Kathgodam (Haldwani, Uttarakhand) on the morning of Day 1. We reach our camp at Sattal (from Kathgodam) driving up the Kumaon range which typically takes about 60 - 90 mins. Ideally we should reach the cottages by 7 AM. Welcomed by our hosts with a hot cup of tea / coffee to beat the journey blues, we complete check in formalities and freshen up before leaving for a trail looking for birds to photograph. The entire day will be spent photographing at various locations around the Garud-tal & Sattal Lake area with lunch served at a convenient location or delivered wherever we are at the time. The target birds include Minivets, flycatchers, broadbill, Owls and Laughingthrushes. We will be back to our cottages by 6 PM for a hot cup of tea / coffee. After freshening up and plugging your batteries for charging, you can join the team for a quick discussion to reflect on the day’s sighting along with plans for the next day. Dinner will be served by 8 PM.

Day 2

Start the day at one of the hide to photograph the numerous parakeets, sibia’s, Magpies and Grey treepies that frequent. The star species of this hide is the rufous throated partridge, Blue-throated barbet and white-crested laughing thrush. We are back to the camp for a quick breakfast and will head out to the trail near Garud-tal looking for owls (Brown-wood & Asian Barred owlet). Post lunch we will visit another hide to target numerous birds in the evening soft light to photograph the Khalij pheasant, bush-tits and other passerine birds that frequent the place. This will not only give the participants to experiment with the light but also the beautiful species. Get back to the cottage by 6 PM for a hot cup of tea / coffee. Discuss the days happening till dinner is served at 8 PM and retire for the day

Day 3

We will spend the first half today at the Chanfi river area looking for Crested Kingfisher, Small Niltava, Ruby-throat, water redstarts and dippers. Breakfast will be arranged on the field to avoid commute back to camp and save on time. We will come back to the camp by 11 AM-12 PM. After freshening up, will head for lunch. Post lunch we will spend the remainder of the day around Sattal area looking for flycatchers, broadbill and other birds which visit the waterhole in the hot afternoon. This session is the first session around this area and will give an opportunity for the participant to create stunning images in the wild. Come back to the camp, refresh and discuss the plans for Day 4 based on the first 3 days images and the kind of images the participants wants to make (or missed) over a hot cup of tea / coffee.

Day 4

We will follow the agenda and locations as decided on Day 3 so as to enable participants to fulfil the pre-visualized images or any species that they would like to cover. This will also help the participants to explore new trails rather than sticking to a specific schedule. Breakfast and Lunch can be arranged on field or can be had at the camp based on the schedule. We come back to the camp by 5 PM. Post packing and freshen up, we will have a quick snacks & tea / coffee at the camp. Bid adieu to our hosts & guides we make our way back to Kathgodam for our journey back home.

Gallery

Getting Ready

The following safety kit is provided free to all registered participants

Things to carry

Telephoto lenses – preferably above 400 mm
Carry fully charged batteries for your camera / flash.
Carry battery charger. Carry extra pack of camera batteries
Carry backup memory cards / HDD storage drives, Laptop
Carrying a Tripod is a must for all bird photography workshops
Carry a big towel / cloth to protect your gear from dust
Carry a big cloth / bandanna / scarf to protect you from the dust
Body Warmer for the chilly early mornings.
Sun screens are very important
It is advisable to carry basic first aid along with you.
Please carry Odomos to keep you protected from mosquito bites.
Carry a pair of good binoculars

Equipment available on rental - please mail us at rentals@dcpexpeditions.com.

DO's & DONT's

Maintain social distancing with other participants.
Use mask and face shield all the time.
Sanitize your hand frequently.
Alcohol is not permitted.
Carry Personal medicines if any.
Be humble fellow photographers.
Do not litter the place.

Field Learnings

On field learning from the experts is said to be one of the best methods of improving your skillsets. Our expert will hand hold you at every possible step for a better understanding of perspectives, camera controls and how to make use of the best opportunities to get better images. The training will focus on the following

Different modes of shooting (Av / A, Tv / S, M and P)
Exposure control in field under difficult light conditions
Mastering metering techniques (Spot, partial, center weighted, evaluative)
Mastering auto focus, focusing points, AF locking and focus tracking for moving subjects
How to get sharp images of moving subjects
Framing and composition in the field

DCP Expert

Shivayogi is an IT Services industry veteran with over 18 years experience and holds a Bachelors degree in Computers. He has traveled extensively across the globe as part of his career and is now based in Pune. His love for nature started during the college days and enjoys spending time in the serenity. A visit to photography exhibition in 2014 ignited the hidden passion for nature & photography and kept growing as the years have passed. He enjoys photographing birds and mammals and has traveled across the country and abroad photographing wilderness. His work is regularly featured at various exhibitions that include Kirloskar Vasundhara, PPL Kalakriti, DCP Annual Exhibitions to name a few. He is associated with the group as Panel Expert - Team DCP Pune

Stay

We will be staying in decent resort with separate beds. Resort will be well sanitized before we check-in and in between. To avoid cross contamination and to keep social distancing beds are placed accordingly. Resort staff are well-trained and keeping social distance.

Package Cost

Rs 24,000 per head inclusive of all taxes.

Cost includes

* Insurance is subject to eligibility. Insurance claim process & settlement is purely between customer and insurance company and DCP is not involved in any claim process & further disputes. Insurance is subject to rules governing the policy as specified by the insurance company.

Accommodation for 3 nights 4 days.
Pick and drop to Kathgodam railway station
Veg breakfast, lunch and non-veg dinner during the stay.
All park charges, entry fee etc.
DCP photography expert and guide for 4 days.
Covid-19 hospitalization insurance of Rs. 50,000*.
Discount Coupon for testing Covid-19 RT-PCR
Disposable Face Shield
10 Surgical masks
2 pairs of gloves
100 ml sanitizer
All taxes and service charges

Cost does not include:

Travel from New Delhi - Kathgodam – New Delhi.
Camera-fee at sanctuaries.
Mineral Water, Soft Drinks, Laundry Charges, Phone Calls, Tips etc.
Any kind of insurance, Medical or/and Emergency Charges.
Any extra meals not included in the above itinerary.

Cancellation policy

All cancellations before 30 days of the event date - 100% credit
All cancellations between 20 - 30 days of the event date - 50% credit
All cancellations within 20 days of the event date - No credit possible

Registration

Please click on the 'Register for Workshop' tab on the top / bottom right corner of this page to register yourself. Once you fill in your details and click submit, you will be redirected to the online payment page. Your registration is completed and confirmed only after a successful payment process. Once you complete the online payment, you will receive an auto generated email from CC Avenue, our online payment portal. Consider the same as a confirmation of the transaction. Our team will soon revert with further details of the tour. In case of any difficulty, please connect with us through any of the following route - Land line: 022-61818464, Fax: 022-61214950 Mail: info@dcpexpeditions.com

Birds of the Himalayas - Sattal, May 2021

Day 1

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