Andaman.
On the map of every birder are the A&N islands. With dense forests and vast shorelines, it is not difficult to understand why so! At Andaman, I visited the Chidiyatapu, Ferrargunj and Wadaloo. Mostly for the owls! However, there was a new interesting portfolio of “lifers” that I built here: Collared Kingfisher, Asian Fairy-bluebird, Andaman Cuckoo-dove, Andaman Boobook, Hume's Boobook, Andaman Scops Owl, Walden's Scops Owl, Andaman Cuckooshrike, Andaman Shama, Andaman Bulbul, White-bellied Sea Eagle, Andaman white-headed starling, Daurian Starling, Andaman Coucal, Pacific Golden Plover, Vernal Hanging Parrot, Andaman Teal, Violet Cuckoo, Andaman Treepie, Andaman Nightjar, Andaman Woodpecker, Andaman Green-Pigeon, Andaman Flowerpecker, Long-tailed Parakeet, Red-breasted Parakeet, Andaman Crake, Pacific Reef-Heron, Pacific Swallow.
Andaman.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands seem to offer something new every time! On the first day itself I got to see about 10 Andaman Wood Pigeons, a species I had been searching for quite some time! The Slaty Breasted Rail, Rosy Pipit, Amur Stonechat, Collared Kingfisher, Mangrove Whistler were some exciting new finds this time. A boat tour in the beautiful sea area of Andamans (about an hour away from Port Blair) yielded some great shots for pelagic birds like Black-naped Tern and Brown Noddy.
One of the biggest milestones of my wildlife career this time though was a visit to the uninhabited Narcondam Islands. A dormant volcanic island where civilians are not allowed to go. One needs to go to Diglipur Port (about 10 hours drive from Port Blair) and then take a boat for about 5-6 hours to reach the Island. With special permissions and special prayers in heart (due to my fear of water), I finally managed to reach the island and got some great photographs of both male and female Narcondam Hornbill! And its biggest predator – the Andaman Water Monitor! Have put the video for this trip on Youtube too.