Go Birding For 1 Week in Andamans for 21 Endemic Species

The Andamans bring to mind beautiful landscapes with clear waters, sandy shores, and beautiful sunsets, or even exploring the mysterious world under the sea–an ideal summer getaway to destress from your everyday life.

But apart from being home to the beautiful island views and great water activities, the Andaman Islands are also a delight for birdwatchers, making a bird-watching Andaman getaway highly enjoyable. Being closer to Myanmar and Thailand and Indonesia than India, the avifauna is also closely related to that of Southeast Asia, and unlike much of the South Asian birds found in the rest of the country.

Capital of the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar and located on the east coast of the South Andamans, Port Blair offers a plethora of watersports, history, and culture, and even birding. 

Chidiya Tapu is a small village famous for bird watching and amazing beach views. Birdwatching here is also a great activity, with many endemic birds, including Andaman Wood Pigeon, Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Shama, Andaman Hawk-Owl, Andaman Coucal, Andaman Flowerpecker, calling it home, making a Chidiya Tapu birdwatching tour highly fruitful.

The main attractions here include the Chidiya Tapu Biological Park, Chidiya Tapu Beach, the Sylvan Sands, and the Munda Pahar beaches. There is also a forest guest house at the top of the hillock that provides sunset views as well as views of the islands beyond Chidiya Tapu. The water in this region is alive with bright corals which makes it an excellent site for snorkeling. Swimming can be done here but beware of saltwater crocodiles.

My week-long island getaway

The Andamans bring to mind beautiful landscapes with clear waters, sandy shores, and beautiful sunsets, or even exploring the mysterious world under the sea – an ideal summer getaway to destress from your everyday life.

It’s no surprise then that this is a place I have long wanted to visit. Egged on by movies depicting beautiful beaches, and water sports, I knew this would be the perfect place to kick back and relax before getting back to work.

While many here would go for the usual beach visits, scuba diving, snorkeling, etc, I wanted to do something a little different than the usual Andaman tour package for the family. As a birder, I knew that bird watching in the Andamans would be amazing, with so many endemic species, so my itinerary was more or less decided. 

I spent the entire week based more or less in Port Blair itself. Even birding tours in Port Blair can be highly enjoyable, with the amazing Mount Harriet National Park, Sippighat Swamp, Wandoor, and, of course, Chidiya Tapu. The birds here were so amazing that many times I didn’t even bother lifting up my camera, and just spent time watching them. From Andaman Teal and Andaman Green Pigeons to the shy Andaman Crake, and of course, the variety of owls here! My week was simply stunning. 

I won’t lie to you. My week here wasn’t all offbeat birding. I did a fair amount of touristy things. Scuba diving has long been something I wanted to try and thanks to this trip I got to do that too. And who can resist those pristine beaches! After a day full of birding, it was nice to kick back and watch a beautiful seaside sunset.

I didn’t even realize how quickly the week passed, and before you know it, it was time to go back home. Needless to say, my mind and heart would be back on the islands as I spent my days in the office.

 

Please Note, the Acronyms in Bird Species
R stands for Resident Birds
S stands for Summer
W stands for Winter