The flight from Mumbai takes a long halt at Kolkatta and thereafter lands at Gauhati's - Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. it has been a 4 1/2 hour flight. Fortunately, the airport is quiet compared to the bustling Mumbai airport and the 14 of us excited hard-core birders get our baggage quickly and head out to catch our waiting jeeps only to be told that one jeep has developed some problems so they are sending a car for us. First event of the trip as we hang around outside the airport for what seems like eternity. This is the first orientation to Assam - learn patience. But being birders, we did choose to make the best of our situation and trained our Binoculars in every direction - Were amply rewarded with few bird sightings.
at last a car arrives and we load ourselves into 3 vehicles and head for our first lifer of our trip -guess where? Well hold your breath (literally)! To the Garbage dump of Gauhati - ughhh!!! But that is just the place to see the Critically Endangered Greater Adjutant Storks
Leptoptilos dubius . In addition got to see some more lifers to. Here are some photos of them.
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| Greater Adjutant |
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| Above & below - Greater Adjutant in flight |
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| Paddyfield Pipit - a commoner |
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| Black-headed Munia |
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| Striated Grassbird |
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It is a long drive to Nameri especially through a traffic jam and some not so good roads and we reach the Nameri Eco Camp at 11 p.m. We are also duly informed that the day is ULFA foundation day. ULFA is a separatist movement which has ravaged the state of Assam for few years. It has since lost its steam.
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