The society organised a survey trip to Malda on 11th and 12th January 2020. The trip was primarily for surveying of the Ganges sandflats and its surrounding lands. A total of fifteen members participated in the survey. The group reached Malda on 11th Jan at around 5am. BWS members from Malda region had organized the logistics, namely hotel, transportation and boats for the survey. Day long surveys for two consecutive days were carried on.
Trip Report
Places Covered:
On Day 1, we started our journey from Manikchak Ghat on the Ganges and we reached Panchanandapur Ghat. In between we covered around 21 km. On Day 2, we started our birding from Panchanandapur and reached very close to Farakka Barrage and returned back to Panchanandapur. Total distance covered on Day 2 was 24 km.
Highlights:
White-tailed Stonechat
Graceful Prinia
Black-necked Grebe
Small Pratincoles 2000+
Black-necked Stork
Pied Avocet – swimming
eBird Checklists:
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63342212
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63342213
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63342215
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63342216
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345080
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345079
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345078
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345075
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345074
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345071
https://ebird.org/checklist/S63345072
Consolidated List of Species
| Species Name | Scientific Name | Jan-11 | Jan-12 |
| Ruddy Shelduck (Brahminy Duck) | Tadorna ferruginea | 0 | 4 |
| Northern Shoveler | Spatula clypeata | 0 | 1 |
| Gadwall | Mareca strepera | 0 | 4 |
| Indian Spot-billed Duck | Anas poecilorhyncha | 0 | 17 |
| Northern Pintail | Anas acuta | 0 | 200 |
| Green-winged Teal (Common Teal) | Anas crecca | 0 | 1 |
| Red-crested Pochard | Netta rufina | 0 | 160 |
| Common Pochard | Aythya ferina | 0 | 20 |
| Tufted Duck | Aythya fuligula | 7 | 129 |
| duck sp. | Anatinae sp. | 0 | 50 |
| Great Crested Grebe | Podiceps cristatus | 13 | 11 |
| Eared Grebe (Black-necked Grebe) | Podiceps nigricollis | 0 | 3 |
| Asian Palm-Swift | Cypsiurus balasiensis | 3 | 0 |
| Grey-headed Swamphen (Purple Swamphen) | Porphyrio poliocephalus | 2 | 0 |
| Pied Avocet | Recurvirostra avosetta | 0 | 1 |
| River Lapwing | Vanellus duvaucelii | 1 | 0 |
| Grey-headed Lapwing | Vanellus cinereus | 1 | 0 |
| Red-wattled Lapwing | Vanellus indicus | 1 | 0 |
| Kentish Plover | Charadrius alexandrinus | 0 | 1 |
| Little Ringed Plover | Charadrius dubius | 19 | 20 |
| Bronze-winged Jacana | Metopidius indicus | 1 | 0 |
| Temminck’s Stint | Calidris temminckii | 29 | 59 |
| Little Stint | Calidris minuta | 0 | 29 |
| Common Sandpiper | Actitis hypoleucos | 3 | 3 |
| Green Sandpiper | Tringa ochropus | 2 | 0 |
| Common Greenshank | Tringa nebularia | 0 | 2 |
| Common Redshank | Tringa totanus | 0 | 1 |
| Small Pratincole | Glareola lactea | 5 | 2002 |
| Brown-headed Gull | Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus | 8 | 2 |
| Pallas’s Gull | Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus | 1 | 1 |
| gull sp. | Larinae sp. | 0 | 4 |
| Asian Openbill | Anastomus oscitans | 5 | 5 |
| Black-necked Stork | Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus | 0 | 1 |
| Lesser Adjutant | Leptoptilos javanicus | 1 | 3 |
| Little Cormorant | Microcarbo niger | 3 | 2 |
| Great Cormorant | Phalacrocorax carbo | 0 | 23 |
| Indian Cormorant (Indian Shag) | Phalacrocorax fuscicollis | 0 | 25 |
| cormorant sp. | Phalacrocoracidae sp. | 5 | 0 |
| Grey Heron | Ardea cinerea | 0 | 3 |
| Purple Heron | Ardea purpurea | 1 | 0 |
| Great Egret | Ardea alba | 11 | 2 |
| Little Egret | Egretta garzetta | 3 | 2 |
| Cattle Egret | Bubulcus ibis | 0 | 1 |
| Indian Pond-Heron | Ardeola grayii | 4 | 0 |
| Red-naped Ibis (Indian Black Ibis) | Pseudibis papillosa | 5 | 2 |
| Osprey | Pandion haliaetus | 1 | 3 |
| Black-winged Kite (Black-shouldered Kite) | Elanus caeruleus | 1 | 1 |
| Crested Serpent-Eagle | Spilornis cheela | 0 | 1 |
| Indian Spotted Eagle | Clanga hastata | 2 | 0 |
| Eurasian Marsh-Harrier | Circus aeruginosus | 1 | 0 |
| Black Kite | Milvus migrans | 9 | 6 |
| Long-legged Buzzard | Buteo rufinus | 2 | 0 |
| Eurasian Hoopoe | Upupa epops | 0 | 1 |
| White-throated Kingfisher | Halcyon smyrnensis | 5 | 1 |
| Pied Kingfisher | Ceryle rudis | 12 | 2 |
| Streak-throated Woodpecker | Picus xanthopygaeus | 2 | 0 |
| Eurasian Kestrel (Common Kestrel) | Falco tinnunculus | 2 | 0 |
| Peregrine Falcon | Falco peregrinus | 0 | 2 |
| Black Drongo | Dicrurus macrocercus | 3 | 1 |
| Long-tailed Shrike | Lanius schach | 1 | 0 |
| Large-billed Crow | Corvus macrorhynchos | 0 | 0 |
| Bengal Bushlark | Mirafra assamica | 1 | 2 |
| Sand Lark | Alaudala raytal | 4 | 12 |
| Graceful Prinia | Prinia gracilis | 2 | 2 |
| Plain Prinia | Prinia inornata | 1 | 2 |
| Grey-throated Martin (Plain Martin) | Riparia chinensis | 85 | 10 |
| Barn Swallow | Hirundo rustica | 152 | 0 |
| Red-rumped Swallow | Cecropis daurica | 1 | 0 |
| Common Chiffchaff | Phylloscopus collybita | 0 | 1 |
| Striated Babbler | Turdoides earlei | 5 | 10 |
| Asian Pied Starling (Pied Myna) | Gracupica contra | 0 | 0 |
| Bank Myna | Acridotheres ginginianus | 6 | 20 |
| Siberian Stonechat (Common Stonechat) | Saxicola maurus | 0 | 1 |
| White-tailed Stonechat | Saxicola leucurus | 4 | 8 |
| House Sparrow | Passer domesticus | 0 | 0 |
| Western Yellow Wagtail | Motacilla flava | 1 | 0 |
| Citrine Wagtail | Motacilla citreola | 8 | 108 |
| White Wagtail | Motacilla alba | 5 | 7 |
| Paddyfield Pipit | Anthus rufulus | 3 | 0 |
Participants
| Sujan Chatterjee | Pampa Mistri | Sagar Adhurya |
| Abhijit Das | Subhashish Sengupta | Asabul Islam |
| Abhishek Das | Samiran Jha | Tanmoy Bakshi |
| Jayanta Manna | Siddhartha Bhattacharya |
Photo Courtesy
Sagar Adhurya
Sujan Chatterjee
Pampa Mistri
[Let us know if your name is missing from this list]
