Chhatrasagar is a Birder’s Delight

More popularly renowned for its forts and palaces, Rajasthan is also a birder’s paradise

Home to nearly 450 species of birds, many of them migratory birds seen in winter, Rajasthan boasts of a vast diversity of bird life. And the best place to take in the deserts and forests under the star-lit sky and watch the lakes teeming with a storm of stunning birds is RAAS Chhatrasagar.

Eco-conscious and design-forward, RAAS was made for nature and nature lovers alike. Birding enthusiasts can experience a taste of how the royals of yore set up camp in the wilderness. Thoughtfully designed amid 1,500 acres of wilderness, Chhatrasagar offers a rare opportunity to engage with the rich birdlife without sacrificing any creature comforts. A truly luxe camping experience, where you can spot coots and tufted ducks savouring the water of the 130-year old reservoir or red-wattled lapwings, streaking through, from your deck chairs while sipping on drinks the same colour as the multi-hued sky or our fine feathered friends delighting you with every dip and twirl.

From inquisitive green bee-eaters and iridescent blue kingfishers to flocks of shoveler ducks, you will learn to open your ears to the forest, rich in birdsong and replete in a grammar that’s all its own.

India hosts a dizzying variety of birds, like a dizzying variety of everything else.

RAAS Chhatrasagar alone is home to over 200 bird species, thanks to our commitment to rewild the land, engage local farming communities and create a lush environment that contributes to a thriving birdlife.

We believe this is particularly important and necessary given that several bird species in India are endangered and their habitats are increasingly threatened, as we rapidly expand roads, mines and steel plants into environmentally sensitive areas.

RAAS Chhatrasagar is quietly making a name for itself as a storied birding destination, and a lavish one that affords you a sensorial experience.

A lazy lake safari will take you to the home of gorgeous avians like great white pelicans and common cormorants. Under the expert guidance of our resident naturalist Bhanu Pratap Singh, guests can expect to be delighted and amazed by how much nature can tell us, if only we learn to look for the signs.

Birding can teach us to appreciate the rewards of being still. You hear a call. You see a flash of colour. A slight flutter and you hold your breath. Suddenly something magnificent appears, as if in a vision. And then disappears gracefully, leaving you with a sense of awe and wonderment.

In the age of information, much of it inconsequential, it’s worth remembering the advice of yogis: Sit still, they say, so still that a bird can land on your head. And at RAAS Chattrasagar, they just might.

Think of it as a secluded retreat, a little slice of paradise where for a brief while, you can forget the world as it is and experience it as it could be — a world that’s in perfect harmony with nature.

BIRDS SEEN AT CHHATRASAGAR

Pelican, Darter, Cormorants and Grebe

Egrets and Herons

Little Heron, Pond Heron, Night Herons

Storks, Spoonbill, Famingos and Ibis

Geese and Ducks

Honey Buzzard and Kites

Accipiters

Buzzard

Hawk Eagles

Aquila Eagle

Osprey

Vultures

Harriers

Snake and Serpent Eagles

Falcons and Falconets

Galiforns or Gamebirds

Peafowl

Cranes

Rails and Gallinules

Waders

Gulls, Terns and Skimmers

Parakeets

Cuckoos and Malkohas

Koels, Coucals and Nightjars

Owls

Swifts

153. Hose (Little) Swifts

Rollers, Kingfishers

Bee-Eater, Barbets and Hoope

Hornbill

163. Indian Grey Hornbill

Woodpecker and Wryneck

Ioras, Oriole and Pitta

Larks

Swallows and Martins

Drongoa

183. Black Drongo

Woodshrikes and Shrikes

Starlings and Mynas

Treepies

196. Rufous Treepie

Crows and Ravens

Minivets

Bulbuls

Babblers

Flycatcher

Prinias

Tailorbirds and Warblers

Robins and Redstarts

Wheatears, Stonechats and Bushchats

Creepers

234. Spotted Creeper

Pipits

Wagtails

White-eyes and Sunbirds

Silverbill and Munia

Sparrows, Petronias and Weavers

Rosefinches

254. Common Rosefinch

Buntings