A 9 day tour of the islands of South Andaman and Havelock focusing on the resident endemics that form part of the rich and varied avifauna of this tropical island paradise, alongside a number of species more commonly associated with Southeast Asia than India and accompanied by migrants during the winter months. 

Species highlights:  20 species endemic or near endemic to the more accessible parts of the Andaman Islands, including Andaman Teal, Andaman Crake, Andaman Serpent-eagle, Andaman Barn-owl, Andaman Scops-owl, Andaman and Hume’s Hawk-owls, Andaman Nightjar, Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Shama, Andaman Cuckoo-dove, Andaman Treepie, and Andaman White-headed Starling.

Best season to visit:  November to April

2009-10 scheduled tour dates:  Sunday 20th December - Monday 28th December 2009

Tour price:  on request - please contact us for availability & prices 

The Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago is a collection of more than 500 remote islands that form part of a submarine mountain range extending from Myanmar to Sumatra, dividing the Bay of Bengal from the Andaman Sea.  This tropical paradise hosts a spectacular number of endemic birds, evolved here as a result of the sheer isolation.  These species are afforded considerable protection as a result of inaccessibility – only 26 of the 204 islands that make up the Andaman chain are inhabited – and the resultant extraordinarily extensive cover of natural vegetation.  26 species are found in the Andamans and Nicobars alone, with 3 near-endemics for which the Andaman and Nicobar Islands form the greater part of the species’ geographical range, making this one of the most significant of BirdLife International’s Endemic Bird Areas in the whole of Asia.  The islands are one of the few places in the world where the original human inhabitants continue to adhere to their primitive way of life, and it is for this reason that the Nicobars and much of the Andaman chain remain largely off-limits. Our itinerary takes us to the easily accessible islands of South Andaman and Havelock in search of the 20 endemics and near-endemics of the islands available in the forests and coastal mangroves.

Days 1:  Chennai

Arrive in Chennai.  Local birding at Guindy National Park.

Days 2-8:  South Andaman and Havelock Island

Depart Chennai on an early morning flight across the Bay of Bengal to South Andaman.  We have 7 full days to spend exploring the range of habitats represented on South Andaman and Havelock Island, in search of island endemics in particular and a host of other regional specialities.  Our base on South Andaman will be Port Blair which, as the capital of the Andamans, is making the rapid transition from a forgotten outpost to a busy, and overpopulated, commercial centre.  This has been accompanied by inevitable deforestation in the vicinity, with the astute exception of much littoral rainforest, maintaining the impression of pristine beauty when viewed from the sea if not the actuality of it.  Despite this, some good birds can be found in Port Blair and time permitting we will start birding within the town itself, where the few spare hours in the morning of our arrival will allow us to explore Corbyn’s Cove, a marsh and mangrove creek, or the coastline of Phoenix Bay where we may find some of the island’s more common inhabitants, such as Stork-billed Kingfisher, Yellow and Cinnamon Bitterns, Watercock, Pacific Reef-egret, various warblers including Oriental Reed, and Dusky, Terek Sandpiper, Greater Sandplover, Asian Koel, Long-tailed and Red-breasted Parakeets, White-bellied Swiftlet, and White-bellied Sea-eagle.

Further afield, visits to Chiriyatapu (Chidiya Tapu) or ‘bird point’, a small patch of coastal rainforest at the southernmost tip of South Andaman, will provide the opportunity to find a good number of endemics, in particular Andaman Serpent Eagle, Andaman Shama, Andaman Bulbul, Andaman White-headed Starling, and the near-endemic Andaman Coucal and Andaman Drongo alongside Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Common Hill Myna, Green Imperial Pigeon, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Black-naped Blue Monarch, Orange-headed Thrush, Large Cuckooshrike, Asian Glossy Starling, and Emerald Dove.    Andaman Crake forages in the leaf litter and damp gullies here, however it is a highly elusive species more easily heard than seen. 

Mount Harriet National Park, a small area of dense tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforest, is one of the few terrestrial environments in the Andaman Islands to be given true protected status, with most reserves created to protect marine ecosystems.  At an elevation of 365m Mount Harriett is the highest point on South Andaman and one of the highest in the entire archipelago.  The summit is an exceptional watchpoint for raptors, swifts, and hirundines, in particular the endemic Andaman Serpent-eagle, Crested Serpent-eagle, Changeable Hawk-eagle, White-bellied and Edible-nest Swiftlets, House and Barn Swallows, and Brown-throated Needletail.  A motorable track through the sanctuary from the base of the hill to its peak allows easy access to dense forest that provides ideal habitat for a variety of species including most, if not all, of the endemics occurring on South Andaman.  Species such as Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Cuckoo-dove, and Andaman White-headed Starling can be found in the scrub and degraded forest of lower areas while Andaman Treepie, Andaman Shama, and the elusive Andaman Woodpigeon begin to make an appearance as this scrub makes the gradual transition into thick forest at higher elevations.  Other key species here include Forest Wagtail, Dollarbird, Black-naped Oriole, Asian Fairy Bluebird, Green Imperial-pigeon, Alexandrine Parakeet, Blue-tailed Bee-eater, and Spot-breasted Pied Woodpecker.  Mount Harriet is an exceptional site for night birds which we will place particular emphasis on finding during evening visits here.  These may include Andaman and Hume’s Hawk-owls, Andaman Scops Owl, and Andaman Nightjar, all endemic to the islands.

Throughout the Andamans almost every waterway and coastline is edged with mangrove swamps, which are estimated to comprise an impressive 15% of the total land area.  The ecology of many such habitats, including Sippighat , was adversely affected by the widespread devastation caused by the 2004 tsunami, and although they demonstrate the effect of the impact and subsequent inundation such mangroves continue to provide refuge to a good range of species, including Ruddy, Collared, Black-capped, and Stork-billed Kingfishers, Striated Heron, Chestnut and Yellow Bitterns, Slaty-breasted Rail, Ruddy-breasted and Eastern Baillon’s Crakes, and Mangrove Whistler.  Coastlines and marshes host a variety of waders, such as Ruddy Turnstone, Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers, Wood, Broad-billed, and Curlew Sandpipers, Rufous-necked Stint, Bar-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Grey Plover and, rarely, Beach Thick-knee and Crab Plover, while flooded fields inland provide refuge to good numbers of Andaman Teal among commoner Lesser Whistling-duck and Cotton Teal, Great, Intermediate, Little, and Eastern Cattle Egrets, and Indian and Chinese Pond Herons. 

During our time on the islands we will spend 2 nights on Havelock Island to the northeast of Port Blair, travelling between the islands by passenger ferry.  Havelock is a delightfully quiet pastoral idyll where white sandy beaches fringed with coastal rainforests gradually merge into coconut plantations and paddy fields.  In terms of bird species those found on Havelock and on south Andaman are somewhat similar, yet this is an excellent place to track down the more opportunistic of the Andaman endemics, including Andaman Flowerpecker, Andaman Cuckoo-dove, Andaman Cuckooshrike, Andaman White-headed Starling, and the near-endemics Andaman Drongo and Andaman Coucal, alongside Brown Shrike, Red Collared-dove, White-rumped Munia, White-breasted Woodswallow, Olive-backed Sunbird, and Yellow Wagtail, with Andaman Scops-owl possible here in coastal rainforests.  Havelock Island is part of Ritchie’s Archipelago, home to one of the world’s richest coral reef ecosystems, and our visit would not be complete without the chance to experience the spectacular marine life from a glass-bottomed boat.

Day 9: Port Blair – Chennai, depart

Depart Port Blair on a morning flight back to Chennai.  Depart on your onward journey.

ACCOMMODATION

We will use a comfortable sea-view hotel on South Andaman, and a cosy beach resort on Havelock, each with private en-suite facilities. 

TRANSPORT

Domestic flights (2hrs) will take us from Chennai to Port Blair and back, while an inter-island passenger ferry will be used to travel between Port Blair and Havelock Island.  We will use jeeps or cars to travel within the islands.  All birding will be on foot at all sites included in the itinerary.

CLIMATE          

The climate of the Andamans is tropical, and temperatures will be warm to hot throughout this tour, with some relief from the otherwise considerable humidity due to the continuous presence of gentle sea breezes.  Although almost all precipitation falls during the monsoon light showers are possible at any time and should be anticipated, even in the dry winter months.

For more detailed information, or to book a place on this tour, please contact us.