Lesser Flameback Woodpecker
Lesser Flameback Woodpecker

My bird photography ventures took an interesting turn after I reached Rishikesh to pursue academics at AIIMS Rishikesh. I was inspired to bird photography after seeing the spectacular clicks of photographers from Sattal region.

The journey:

A long weekend was a perfect setting to explore the wilderness of the region. I had earlier visited Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora but had not been to Sattal.  Sattal is a cluster of seven lakes (“Sat”- seven, “Tal”- lake) in a close proximity nestled in the Kumaon mountains. Apart from migratory birds these jungles host a wide diversity of flora and fauna.

When I checked the accommodation options, KMVN Sattal seemed to be the most apt, budget friendly option right along the lake. It was a long tedious drive from Rishikesh. The 340 km ride took around 8-9 hours. It was a tough ride intermittently owing to the construction activity on national highway. Finally, we reached guest house in the night.

Sattal Uttarakhand India
The landscape !!
Sattal Uttarakhand India sattal uttarakhand birding wildlife
Into the woods
Sattal Uttarakhand India
Forced Birder !!

The birding:

Early next morning we headed out to the renowned Sattal studio, basically, a jungle trail which had an observation desk and sitting area around vantage points. I started my sighting with the cute little red billed leiothrix group, a whistling thrush and grey hooded warblers. As we entered the jungle, bird sightings improved. As we headed to the waterfall trial deep into the jungle, I was lucky to sight the striated laughingthrush in the dense bush. After testing my patience for quite some time I got a decent picture through the woods. We returned to the guest house after fruitful morning. After having sumptuous breakfast it was time to explore the seven lakes.

The main lake had boating, and adventure activities which have attracted a lot of people. We decided to see the quaint little Sita tal inside a missionary property and there was good bird sighting. Unfortunately boating was prohibited there as it was a private property. In the evening, we headed to another property where bird photography sessions are organised. There was a wide array of birds at their hide. We clicked Eurasian Jay, few varieties of thrush, green pigeons, brown fronted woodpecker, greater and lesser flameback woodpecker, oriental magpie robin and a variety of tits. It was an awesome experience to photograph birds close up in their natural habitat.

Sattal Uttarakhand India
Streaked Thrush
Sattal Uttarakhand India
Having a splash!! Blue Whistling Thrush
Chestnut tailed Starling
Angry birds  !! Chestnut tailed Starling
Black headed Jay Sattal Uttarakhand India
Black headed Jay
Eurasian collared dove
Eurasian collared dove
Greater Flameback woodpecker sattal Uttarakhand India
Love the colours !! Greater Flameback woodpecker

Next morning, we ventured into the Church area. We were lucky enough to find a pair of Khaleej pheasants among various other species.

Sattal is a paradise for nature lovers. Jungles and nature trails are ample to choose from. Just walking along the tarred road in the morning is a very pleasant feeling. Overall it was an extremely fruitful two days of experiencing avian wildlife. We headed to Pangot via Nainital later in the day.

Basic Information: 

There are plenty of options to stay. We stayed at the KMVN Sattal rest house just overlooking the lake. The Sattal Studio is just a 5 minute walk. Exploring the Sattal Studio early in the morning and evening time is the best way to catch varieties of species. Otherwise you can also visit a hide around the Christian Missionary to get close up clicks and meet up with other avid birders.

There are a lot of birding centric tours in the area. You can also check them online for details.

Nearby tourist places include: Bhimtal, Nainital, Pangot and Chaffi. All are with an hour distance from Sattal.

Bali pass trek blog 

Chakrata travel blog 

Khalij pheasant Sattal Uttarakhand India sattal uttarakhand birding wildlife
The blog is definitely not complete without the Khaleej pheasant !!
Exploring Sattal Uttarakhand: The birders heaven !!
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11 thoughts on “Exploring Sattal Uttarakhand: The birders heaven !!

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