| There are over 10,000 species of birds in the world, | | | | comprising 29 square km of marsh, woodland and |
| including 1,000 in Europe, 2000 in North and Central | | | | scrub. Here you will find 330 species of both nesting |
| America and the Caribbean, 2,900 in Asia, 2,300 in | | | | indigenous and migratory water birds inhabiting or |
| Africa and more than 3,200 species in the richest | | | | visiting this big, shallow lake. The Sanctuary is the |
| region of all, South America. | | | | wintering ground for about 52 of the 350 Siberian |
| Try as you may, you'll never be able to see more than | | | | cranes left in the world. |
| a tiny fraction of this number. But, if you are willing to | | | | Corbett (near Ramnagar, about 270 km from Delhi) is |
| go a little off the beaten track, the effort to see that | | | | another great bird park, with over 600 species |
| tiny fraction will be rewarded over and over. | | | | subspecies of birds, more than the total number of bird |
| In Europe | | | | species found in Europe. Of the 69 species of raptors |
| In Europe, the best place for birds is undoubtedly the | | | | found in India, 49 can be seen in Corbett. Bird diversity |
| Danube delta, where the river splits into numerous | | | | is at its peak in winter, when the keenest European |
| channels before entering the Black Sea. The Danube | | | | birdwatchers visit. With luck and a keen eye, you may |
| Delta Biospheres Reserve in Romania is 580,000 | | | | also spot rarer species such as oriental white-eye, |
| hectares of pure heaven for birdwatchers and is the | | | | jungle owlet, Himalayan swiftlet, lesser fish eagle or |
| largest reed surface in the world, interrupted by lakes | | | | even the stork-billed kingfisher. Birds are not the end of |
| and channels. Here you will find Europe's largest colony | | | | the story here: the park hosts tiger, Indian elephant, |
| of pelicans, as well as herons, ibis, warblers, and ducks | | | | chital, sambhar, muntjack (barking deer), hog deer and |
| in their thousands. To see the birds at close range you | | | | the common langur. The historic and heritage cities of |
| need to get out on the water - a boat is also the only | | | | Jaipur and Agra are near by. |
| way to reach the Monastery of St Atanasie, where | | | | In South And Central America |
| the monks live in wooden houses and live almost | | | | Another glorious attraction for twitchers is Crooked |
| entirely off their own produce. | | | | Tree Sanctuary in Belize (on the west side of the |
| South of the delta is a reserve where you can see | | | | Northern Highway at Mile 33), featuring 276 species of |
| from the roadside thousands of water birds including | | | | waterfowl, as well as Morelet's crocodile, black bowler |
| 60 species of waders, terns, ducks, gulls, geese, | | | | monkeys and otters and all Belize's species of |
| cormorants, pelicans, herons and egrets. Piatra Craiului | | | | freshwater turtle. This mosaic of lagoons is partly |
| and Retezat mountains and the large Bicaz Gorges | | | | surrounded by the largest continuous stand of |
| are large areas still untouched by human influence, | | | | logwood trees remaining in the country. Especially in |
| offering spectacular birding. | | | | the dry season, which peaks in April, double-crested |
| On a comparatively tiny scale is the Oasi di | | | | cormorants, egrets, herons and various ducks can be |
| Sant-Alessio, near Pavia, in northern Italy, a privileged | | | | seen. In November the jabiru stork, the largest bird in |
| habitat for birds, set in the grounds of one of the oldest | | | | the Americas, may arrive to build stick nesting |
| castles in Europe. Covering only ten hectares, this spot | | | | platforms and raise its young by June. Crooked Tree |
| in the Po valley counts kingfisher, stork, heron, ibis and | | | | also hosts the peregrine, the world's fastest falcon, |
| cormorant among its delights. It also raises birds from | | | | which is powerful enough to grab an adult coot right |
| endangered species and releases them into the wild. It | | | | out of the water. The Sanctuary is open every day. |
| is thought that nearly all storks in the southern | | | | In The Rest Of Europe |
| Lombardy and southeaster Piedmont regions of Italy | | | | Extremadura in Spain is a vast area of grass- and |
| are direct descendants of those raised at the Oasi in | | | | woodland. The Spanish imperial eagle is endemic here |
| the late 1970s. | | | | and there are other raptors galore, including black, |
| In India | | | | griffon and Egyptian vultures. |
| India may not be the first place you'd think of for | | | | Isle of Mull, Scotland, is an ideal place for viewing the |
| birdwatching, unless you're a dedicated old hand and | | | | white-tailed sea eagle and the golden eagle, as well as |
| you know that it has 2,060 species of birds, in addition | | | | colonies of puffins, kittiwakes, guillemots, razorbills and |
| to its thousands of species of mammals, reptiles and | | | | storm petrels. You are almost bound to see also |
| insects. India has 11 national parks and 135 wildlife | | | | otters, seals, dolphins and whales. |
| sanctuaries. | | | | Hortobagy, a national park in Hungary, is a patchwork |
| Sariska Wildlife Sanctuary (near Alwar, Rajasthan) is | | | | of marshes farms and fishponds, famous for its |
| part of Project Tiger. Its rich avifauna includes more | | | | 70,000 common cranes and migratory geese. You |
| than 200 species of birds, among them the babbler | | | | may also catch sight of the rare great bustard and |
| (common, jungle & large grey), black-/red-headed | | | | red-footed falcon. |
| bunting, little brown dove, crested serpent eagle, pale | | | | Lesbos, Greece, is the best place of all to watch the |
| harrier and dozens more. | | | | migration, between late April and early May, of |
| Keoladeo Ghana Bird Sanctuary (in Rajasthan, 176 km | | | | bee-eaters, hoopoes, rollers and other birds flying in |
| from Delhi), better known as Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, | | | | from Africa, pursued by impressive numbers of |
| is regarded as the best bird marsh in the world, | | | | raptors. |