Andaman Birding Tour

We board a flight from Kolkata to Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The flight usually takes around two-and-a-half hours and, adding up the commute time, we check into our hotel in Port Blair around noon. We rest and have lunch before stepping out to watch the birds of Andamans.

Port Blair and the areas around it so teem with birds that all it takes is a short trip to one of the local water bodies to see some incredible avian beauties like Chinese Pond Heron, Chinese Egret, Pintail Snipe, Common Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Great Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Red-necked Stint, Long-toed Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Grey Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover, Lesser Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Oriental Plover, Grey-headed Lapwing, Crab Plover, Oriental Pratincole, Gull-billed Tern, and Lesser Crested Tern. This India Short Birding Tours of Port Blair warms you up for the busy birding days ahead.

We dine at the hotel, or you may try out local restaurants if you wish to. Overnight at the hotel or resort.

We start the day early to clock in precious hours of morning birding. After a short drive, we take a ferry to Shoal Bay, a patch of rainforest with marshy wetlands where aquatic birds throng to in large numbers. Time is of the essence in these early hours, and so we have packed breakfast and even carry our packed lunches.

Shoal Bay is where you may see almost all the endemic birds of Andaman, besides a lot of other winged beauties. A good day of birding at Shoal Bay yields the likes of Andaman Woodpecker, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Dollarbird, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Ruddy Kingfisher, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Violet Cuckoo, Asian Koel, Brown Coucal, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Alexandrine Parakeet, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Andaman Wood Pigeon, Red Collared Dove, Andaman Cuckoo Dove, Emerald Dove, Pompadour Green Pigeon, Green Imperial Pigeon, Pied Imperial Pigeon, Andaman Crake, Slaty-breasted Rail, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Andaman Treepie, apart from many others.

Lest we break our birding rhythm, we have packed lunches at Shoal Bay itself and continue birdwatching until the evening, when we return to our hotel in Port Blair for dinner and overnight.

A full busy day of birding awaits us as we leave our Port Blair hotel for Chidiya Tapu (Bird Island), which is an hour's drive away. The birding trail starts about 4 km before Chidiya Tapu and runs right into the heart of the mangrove island and along its seashore forest.

The woods and waters here host many endemic, resident and migratory birds. A fruitful day of birding at Chidiya Tapu treats you to the sights of Andaman Crake, Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Treepie, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Andaman Shama, Changeable Hawk Eagle, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Andaman Drongo, Beach Thick-knee, Olive-backed Sunbird, White-headed Starling, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Stork-billed Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, Brown Coucal, Alexandrine Parakeet, Asian Emerald Cuckoo, Violet Cuckoo, Asian Koel, Red-breasted Parakeet, and a lot more birds.

Around evening, we spend an hour or two lounging on the beach and watching the sunset. There are also some water sport opportunities nearby. After dusk, we scour the surroundings for night birds, such as Andaman Masked Owl, Andaman Scops Owl, Oriental Scops Owl, Brown Hawk Owl, Andaman Hawk Owl, Hume's Hawk Owl, Andaman Nightjar and Andaman Barn Owl. Following this successful stint of nocturnal birding, we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Mount Harriet National Park is named after the third highest peak (Mount Harriet) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is a favourite stomping ground of nature lovers and birders alike, owing to the glorious flora and fauna that one finds here. The park is also touted as a butterfly hotspot and has a fascinating marine ecosystem on its eastern coast.

This biodiversity haven is located about 10 km from Port Blair and we arrive here early in the morning to make the most of our birding trip to Mount Harriet National Park. A day of birdwatching here unveils a wide range of avifauna, including Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Wood Pigeon, Andaman Cuckoo Dove, Andaman Crake, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Black-naped Oriole, Black-hooded Oriole, Large Cuckooshrike, Bar-bellied Cuckooshrike, Ashy Minivet, Small Minivet, Andaman Drongo, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Black-naped Monarch, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Blue Rock Thrush, Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Dollarbird, Collared Kingfisher, Brown Coucal, Alexandrine Parakeet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Pintail Snipe, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Andaman Treepie, Orange-headed Thrush, Olive-backed Sunbird, and White-headed Starling, and many others.

In the evening, we return to our hotel in Port Blair for dinner and overnight.

This is an interesting day of our Andaman birding holiday. For on this day, it is you who decides where to bird in the vicinity of Port Blair. Having covered Shoal Bay, Chidiya Tapu and Mount Harriet National Park, you are in a position to repeat any of these birding destinations of Andamans as you please.

The idea is to seek out the missing species in our checklist. We may tread around the wetlands, marshes, forests and sea shores to catch a glimpse of these avian specialties of Andaman. To make the most of this day, we may continue birding even after dusk and into the night to see some nocturnal birds. This day rounds off four back-to-back days of most interesting birdwatching in Andamans. We return to our hotel by evening or night and then dine and overnight.

After breakfast, we transfer you to the airport for a morning flight to Kolkata. Our birding adventure of Andaman comes to an end.