BIRDING IN SATTAL
Situated in the foothills of the Shivalik range in Uttarakhand, Sattal is a hidden gem just 22 kms away from the city of Nainital! Being a paradise for wildlife photographers, Sattal attracts tourists from all parts of the country, who come to observe and photograph the varied avifauna present here. The area is home to over 350 species of birds, out of which about 200 of them are resident and are found throughout the year. It is also home to over 20 species of mammals and over 500 species of butterflies! The forests in the area are covered with dense oak and pine trees. Sattal directly translates to ‘the land of seven lakes’ and the lakes include Garud Tal, Bharat Tal, Laxman Tal, Ram Tal, Sita Tal, Hanuman Tal and Nal-Damyanti Tal. Being just 332 kms away from New Delhi makes Sattal easily approachable as it’s just a short 7-8-hour drive from Delhi. I have been there twice now and it is my favourite destination for wildlife photography. The best time to visit Sattal in my opinion is either between April-May or in January as the activity is usually quite high during these months.
PHOTOGRAPHY HIDES
Sattal is really famous for it’s hides as most of them have great activity. One of the hides is Prabhu hide, it is owned by Mr. Prabhu Hazara [+91 95362 75550], a naturalist in Sattal. The phenomenal morning light, added with exceptional backgrounds and bold subjects, make for some fabulous images. I would definitely recommend going to this hide. A few meters before the entrance of the hide, there are a few gladiolus flowers where the Black- throated sunbirds perch during the morning hours and it could make for some fabulous images. It is really difficult to create good images of this bird due to its skittish nature, but I managed to get a good shot during my last visit. The hide is located really close to the ‘Sattal paidal marg’ and is denoted as ‘Prabhu’s Bird Photography Hide’ on google maps.
The next hide is the Birder’s Den hide. It is owned by Mr. Hari Lama, an experienced birder and a good friend of mine. His hide has a variety of species that visit and has beautiful perches set up. A trip to his hide is definitely a must if you are visiting Sattal. Another hide is the Christian Ashram Hide, also known as the Methodist Birding hide. The main reason everyone goes there is to photograph the Rufous throated Partridge. I have experienced that the activity of birds in this hide is slightly lower compared to the other hides. Another great hide you could visit is the
hide in Incredible Birding Camp. It is owned by Mr. Rahul and Mrs. Khushboo Sharma and has excellent activity!
SATTAL STUDIO
Photography in Sattal Studio is any wildlife photographers dream come true! It is an open area consisting of several streams where birds come to bathe and drink water, meanwhile all of it is celebrated by a rain of camera shutters! Close to the stream, is an army of photographers, geared up to create exceptional frames. During the warm summer
months, temperatures rise significantly, which leads to the birds staying closer to the stream. April/May is the best time to visit the studio as we get to photograph a variety of species during this time.
Flycatchers are among the common summer migrants here and we get to photograph various subspecies of the bird, including Verditer flycatcher, Ultramarine flycatcher, Blue- throated blue flycatcher, Indian paradise flycatcher and many more! From barbets, owls to woodpeckers and thrushes, all can be found close to the studio point! Rarely anyone who goes to the area during the right season comes back disappointed. The freshness in the air, combined with the magical aura and being surrounded by the beautiful Himalayan foothills leaves everyone speechless as the calm stream flows.
CHAFFI
Chaffi is a small village approximately 15 kms away from Sattal. The village lies on the bank of Kalsa River and birding can be done by walking on the large uneven boulders and stones. If you’re visiting Sattal between October-February, one full day here is an absolute must! Bird activity in Chaffi during winters is booming and you will surely get to see and photograph various species of birds!
The most photographed bird here is the beautiful Brown Dipper. Fortunately, I was able to photograph it during my trip last year. Usually we get to see a lot of birds perched on the large boulders and it provides great opportunities to make some breathtaking images. The other species we get to see here include Plumbeous water redstart, White-capped redstart, Crested Kingfisher, Little Forktail, Spotted Forkail and a lot more. Chaffi is a heaven for wildlife photographers and I would surely recommend everyone to at least spend one session of the trip there.
SATTAL ROAD
Birding can be done anywhere in Sattal, however a few places have much better activity than others. Sattal road is a good area for wildlife photography and everyone should visit this area atleast once in my opinion because this place is quite unpredictable and may turn out to be extremely fruitful. This is the road that runs before the studio point that takes us to Sattal paidal marg. Photography can be done while moving on the road and stopping when there’s activity. A few species that can be photographed here include Black throated and Crimson sunbird, Asian barred owlet, Long tailed minivet, Siberian rubythroat, Long tailed broadbill, Himalayan bulbul and a lot more. One should visit this area during the morning hours and not the evenings as the light isn’t usually favourable there during the evenings.
GUIDES IN SATTAL
A few places in and around sattal like Chaffi are quite difficult to locate alone and I would really recommend to take a guide along. Mr. Mikma Tamang is one of the best guides in the area. With over 14 years of experience, he knows every place in Sattal extremely well. I would highly suggest taking him along as he is really hard working and is an amazing guide. He is a passionate birder and would try his best to cover as many species as possible. I am leaving his contact information below in case anyone would like to contact him.
Mr. Mikma Tamang [96752 39174]
