A few minutes from the borders of Guwahati lies Brahmaputra Jungle Resort nestled in
the hills sprinkeled around Sonapur. It was Bihu and, I, along with my family had gone
there for a quick getaway from the city. Now, I had been to the place a few times before
on day trips and knew that the place had a nice forest vibe to it with trees all over
the place. So, this time around, I thought, why not take my binoculars along and maybe
I’d spot a few birds if I roamed around a bit. But the thing is, I didn’t get to explore
the place at all!
Take a sneak peak and glimpse of bird watching at Brahmaputra Jungle Resort.
Here’s what happened. The room we were checked into offered a beautiful panoramic view
of the hill we were on, down to the valley below and to the hills beyond and, nearly the
entirety of it was just forest (and a bit of tea garden on the next hill). I had just settled
down with an icy drink, getting into the holiday mood and was enjoying the view when a few
little dots flew into view and perched on the tree right outside the window. I grabbed my
binos and well, what do you know! Those dots were Black-crested Bulbuls. Boom! Lifer!
That got me excited. Beginning the day with those smart looking birds in my life list got
my hopes high. And sure enough; over the course of the day all I was sit in my chair,
yep, that first chair I had settled into, and spotted over a dozen bird species (complete
checklist at the end), most of which were new to me. The birds of BJR literally put on a
show for you. All you have to do is watch, and you don’t even have to leave your room.
Bulbuls, Robins, Cuckoos, Thrushes and uncountable flitting tiny birds all come right to you.
There was even a special appearance by a couple of Grey Langurs off in the distance.
What started out as a getaway from the city turned into a full blown birding trip. I am still in
wonder at the unique experience of the view right from the room. If you’ve got a pair of
binoculars I’d recommend you to give that place a visit. If you dont, well, the resort
has you covered. They have their own in-house guide, complete with binoculars and guidebooks.
COMPLETE CHECKLIST:
Date: April 15, 2021.
Time: 1pm – 6pm (approx.)
* Black-crested Bulbul
* Dark-necked Tailorbird
* Green-billed Malkoha
* Asian Koel
* Asian Emerald Cuckoo
* Black-hooded Oriole
* Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
* Common Iora
* Large-billed Crow
* Common Tailorbird
* Red-vented Bulbul
* Lesser Necklaced Laugingthrush
* Common Myna
* Oriental Magpie-Robin
* Crimson Sunbird
The Blog has been written by Mr. Anurag Phukhan, our esteemed guest at Brahmaputra Jungle Resort.
