Green lines...

Rendezvous with the jewel of monsoon

2011-09-17T13:46:00.123+01:00

This is all about - undoubtedly the most COLOURFUL monsoon ever in my life.
Roaming around extensively in the jungles all these years, I have witnessed the most flooding monsoon, experienced excessively drenched outdoors, have been through the thickest green vegetation......BUT this recent India visit was an exclusive one - being blessed with some astonishing sightings of a spectacular jewel on earth - The Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher.
Meaning of the word "Colourful" has now been totally redefined for me!!!

During my past 20+years of extensive birding in India and especially in Western Ghats - I had always been dying to see this beauty - barely bigger than the thumb of my hand.

I have no words to describe how much this tiny feathered miracle mesmerises me. As if God probably had plenty of quality time and possibly the best palette of colours available to create this bird.

Ever since I have been in the UK , I missed the monsoon magic every year. When I lived in India - monsoon months used to be the most busy months for day outings and frequent mountain treks.

But travelling from the UK -it has always been a bit of a challenge for me to catch up with the lush green surroundings, moist soil, slippery rocks and fluffy clouds descending down to your feet !

Oh...I get so nostalgic for those foggy jungle walks, misty views, the sound of constantly dripping water drops from the trees and numerous waterfalls roaring down the mountain slopes!!

In addition to the Western ghats habitat, grassland sanctuary at Nannaj (Near Solapur) was also on my agenda of this visit. One of the reasons being the existence of Great Indian Bustard (a highly endangered species). For a long time I didn;t have any glimpse of this majestic bird and thus was a reason for a quick touch and go to Nannaj grasslands. Nannaj is also an interesting habitat for Black bucks - one of the most dynamic creatures.

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First, about the Western ghats extravaganza -

All jungle streams start gushing with their full vigour and feels as if every drop of water has got a new life.This rejuvenation is the nature's life line and that is what keeps it alive throughout the year-

The fully drenched habitat provides some unique sightings as well. A Quail peeps out of the paddy fields fully soaked in water.

Floating clouds, emerald atmosphere and lingering mist and moist ambiance -

The valleys and mountains get a total different face lift during the magical monsoon months.

The outdoors everywhere speak only one language - water !

This wonderland provides an ideal habitat for these Little birdies to pair up and they find the monsoon mood perfect for courtship and mating.

These tiny birds dig a small nesting hole in the soft soil around the edges of waterfalls and scoop the soil out with their little beaks and its indeed a Herculean task !!

Its been talked that these cute little birds migrate from far away South Asian locations especially Sri-Lanka etc and spend their mating and nesting days in Indian subcontinent. but this only seems to be a speculative assumption. There hasn't been enough evidence of this yet. This is indeed a subject to be studied further. Probably, they display much more activity during the breeding season compared to rest of the year and hence are seen more frequently during monsoon.

Western Ghats always have plenty in stock to amaze a nature lover during monsoon and even after so many years of exploration in this area, I always get some pleasant monsoon special offerings -

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Second spell

Moving on from the green and moist environs, my second spell was towards the grasslands. The area was relatively far more dry and the yellow-brown shades had still retained their summer inertia. Solapur is a shadow -zone region during monsoon and it desperately awaits some good rains every year to support the crops and the human lives together with the wildlife scattered in those drylands !

My visit to Nananj was with a wish to get at least a glimpse of "Maldhok"(local name for Great Indian Bustard) but this time my destiny was Blackbucks and few other winged wonders -

Romance in flight-

Grace is written all over the life of these speedy antelopes -

Agility is the way of life for a Blackbuck -

One on the ground , another one airborne !

In all it was just one week of monsoon mood ..and life long monsoon memories ....cherished for ever !!

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More BIRDS, few words - Uttarakhand 2011

2011-06-03T14:12:00.080+01:00

Usually my travelogues are quite verbose ; unfolding all the bits and bobs....about the journey, the food, the vehicles, the roads, the safaris, the beauties, the beasts of the jungle and so on…… once again, I have numerous anecdotes to share from the recent trip – however this time I’m keeping it to the minimum here – More BIRDS than WORDS !!

Mesmesrising colours from the Himalays- White Browed Shrike Babbler

Exploraing the wildernerss - in quest of the rare ones !

Up the hills - Where Eagles soar

Wilderness unplugged - the jungle lore !

The surroundings -abode to all those amazing species
Beginning of summer in Indian jungles has always been an obsession for me. This precisely was the motive fuelling my India visit in mid-April.

Call of the wild

The legacy forest rest house At Dhikala (Corbett)

Inside the tent - at Sattal Birding Camp - what a pleasure !
All my travel logistics were brilliantly done by Foliage, Pune – as always.
Staying in the wonderful Sattal Birding camp and Jungle lore lodge up the hills was another delight. Both these places are a real fruitful venture for any nature lover.
In addition to being located in some beautiful environs and lovely settings, all the staff members (cooks, guides, drivers) provide you such a warm and hospitality that you cannot resist visiting them again and again. On top of that - the internal décor of these lodges and collection of murals, terracotta, wall hangings are thoughtfully selected and so complimenting to the mood and spirit of birding enthusiasts, that it makes your stay – not merely a stay but a lifetime enjoyable experience.
Icing on the cake was the wonderful company of “Lokesh Kumar”. More than being just a guide for me..he is a superb birding companion all around and has got some excellent spotting and observational skills. His presence and assistance was indeed a great asset for me!

My guide companion Lokesh looking for something rare !

The Corbett country - a different meaning for every wildlifer

Enchanting Pheasant habitat - land of suspenses and surprises

The characterisstics slopes of Himalaya -rice fields
After finishing Corbett NP in the inital part - the real excitment started moving high up towards Vinayak – and on the very first morning, the maiden sighting turned out to be a glorious one – the elusive “Koklass pheasant ..can’t expect a better start of the day than this !

Koklass Pheasant - Indeed a rarity

Call of the casanova - A Koklass pheasant calling out to its female

And from there on, for the next three days in Sattal area - the birds were raining….....Tits, Thrushes, Leiothrixes, Minlas, Woodpeckers, Tree-pies, Flycatchers, Warblers, Owls and owlets, Forktails, Eagles, Sunbirds, Babblers and the list never ends…. an extensive feast of feathers all around !
Out of these heaps of images – I can only share a few here….hope that’s a glimpse good enough to share the immense joy that this summer visit provided me! Rest of the images- I will try to upload on my website in due course of time, watch the space on – http://www.saleeltambe.com/

Green Magpie - magical greens

Spot Winged Tit

White Crested Laughing Thrush

Striated Laughing Thrush

Forktails - Charm of Sattal

Some lifers for me -Black Throated Sunbird

The cute - Black throated Tit

Tesia - the tiny wonder in the bushes

Fire on its tail !

The streaked dancer of Kumaon

Green Backed Tit

Grey Hooded Warbler

The colourful companions - Leiothrix

The familiar face of Himalays

Red Junglefowl - the feel of wilderness

Woody at work

Shikra -eyeing on its prey

Drying up after a dip - Verditer flycatcher

Plethroa of colours - White eye relishing April nectar

Mistle thrush

Carving the curve

Rhododendron dwellers

Pied Bushchat

Woody again !

Some Corbett NP highlights -

The initial two days of my visit were scheduled in Corbett NP area. But honestly speaking I found the Corbett NP habitat to be degraded a bit. It didn’t seem to me as charming as it used to be earlier. Probably this was partly due to the impact of severe floods last year. I could not sense the usual lure of Dhikala chaur and the Sambar road area was lacking its popular cadence. However, Corbett vicinity rewarded me with some good Avifauna and obviously some pachyderm excitement. A charge by a “mast” Elephant (image below) – was a bonus !

A challenging charge

I encountered a very diverse kind of accident this time inside Corbett NP. As my gypsy was heading towards the waterhole on Sambar road – A tiger was sighted near Khinnauli area. A whole convoy of vehicles started getting into the crazy tiger frenzy and the noise levels started booming up. I guess almost every vehicle present in the jungle crowded at the hotspot.
In all that psychosis – my driver tried to shove the vehicle through the extreme left side of the dirt track. His adrenalin rush could not speculate a big rock hidden under the undergrowth and with that stony bump- the vehicle jerked almost like an earthquake.
I was holding one of my camera body in my hand with a 100-400mm zoom lens, whereas the other body with the big prime lens & a converter was lying on the rear seat cushion. With this unexpected shock – the second body and the big lens assembly got tossed like a football and within the next fraction of second, I could observe a few springs, rings and broken pieces……Oh my God….I could not believe the manner in which my equipment was shattered into pieces. For a few minutes ..it was total dark in front of my eyes !
Being terribly annoyed – I asked the driver to immediately leave the so called “tiger hotspot” and come back to the resort. On a closer inspection, I discovered that the luck was still with me – though partly. The converter being the weakest link in the whole assembly – got ripped apart. My lens and body was still working fine and was not damaged.
But still it was a big despair - as the major part of my trip was still remaining. With this damage and the disappointment for the rest of the trip – I was feeling very dejected.
Suddenly the next morning – my gypsy crossed another gypsy on the jungle route – where I met a gentleman Mr Shahnawaz Khan from Delhi moving around with his equipment. I had never seen / known Shahnawaz before…may be we knew each other via facebook images or so…but as soon as I started with my story to him…before I could even complete my sentence…he pulled out a converter out of his bag and offered it straight to me…so that I carry on my trip uniterrupted……!!!
I don’t have words to thank him for this big-hearted help and all the joy of my trip and all the images are dedicated to his generosity! Else, right in the middle of a deep jungle- there was no way for me to obtain a replacement for my broken piece of equipment
I was overwhelmed by this wonderful and precious facet of friendship in the wilderness….something to cherish by all means !!

End of the day ( and the trip too !)

The Eastern Ecstacy

2011-01-22T15:40:00.114Z

Assam had been on my wish list since long and I was dying to touch this marvel for the past so many years. The blessings of Brahmaputra, the glory of grasslands and the bountiful biodiversity has always enticed me to a great extent !!

Now after having visited the area in last few weeks - I am completely astonished and wondering - why did I not go there much earlier in my life??

After my London flight landed in Delhi during early morning hours – on my next flight to Guwahati, I was fascinated to see the shining Himalaya snow peaks on my left. This was a wonderful curtain raiser for me. As always – all my friends from Foliage Outdoors, Pune had superbly ensured all logistics and arrangements to be in place and their wonderful support has been a great pleasure for me all these years.
As I landed on the Guwahati airport - the vehicle was waiting outside and within a few minutes I was already driving fast towards Kaziranga with the driver “Pronjol” who was a great companion to me over the next few days.
I soon realised that both my SIM cards ( the UK as well my India) were not operational in Assam due to the Telecom regulatory constraints….but then for the next few days I was so happy spending the time in real wilderness without any TV, internet, emails and mobiles. I had almost forgotten the feeling that a human being can survive without these “attachments” to his / her life.
About 70 kms before Kaziranaga, I observed the sky to be dotted with hundreds of birds hovering high up. On approaching closer – was overwhelmed to see numerous Openbill storks circling above my vehicle. This was one of their roosting site near the river and they were all gathering on the trees to mark the end of the day!

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Kaziranga - Fables from the grassland

When I reached “Wild Grass resort” late in the evening, the steaming aroma of sweet corn soup and the older British look and feel of the dining room triggered me into a different rustic atmosphere. I had a quick planning session with the resort manager followed by a superb dinner with some interesting Assamese dishes.

As I had been through a rigorous and continuous journey from UK-Delhi- Guwahati-Kaziranga , This all was enough for me to hit the bed quickly with some dreams of the “duars” !

The Charactristic atmosphere at Wild Grass resort

Getting up early the next day at 4:00 am was not at all a struggle for me because I was fully charged up with all the excitement and curiosity. Next day at 4:30 am, my gypsy driver “Buddheshwar Konwar” greeted me, wearing a nice American camouflaged pattern jacket. The typical Assam fog was so dense that I could'nt even see my gypsy in the parking unless the headlights / parking lights were switched on.

We decided to make a start in the Eastern Range – which is supposed to be an area preferred by birders. As our vehicle was driving through the foggy environs of tea estates – I stopped to procure some rice for filling up my beanbag.

The Easrtern range was very pleasing with thousands of Bar Headed Geese, hundreds of Grey Lag Geese and several pairs of Ruddy Shelducks. The healthy population of these ducks is indeed a pleasure to watch. I could also witness some hunts by a Pallas’s eagle as well as an Osprey. On the distant wetlands – there was plenty of movement amongst the Swamp deer. The Black Necked Stork pair was pretty busy on one of the small islands. A lone Elephant took a stroll in the area during the time I was watching the Storks. In a nutshell – this zone of Kaziranga NP seemed to be sustaining a good biodiversity & was teeming with a lot of activity.

A Pallas's Fish Eagle hunts a Gadwall duck

Near the Eastern range forest office, I met and talked for some time with Sathya Pegu, the mahout of the elephant which was attacked by the Tigress. Probably everyone has watched that video clip of this ferocious attack in a village near Kaziranga. The mahout showed his fingers clipped in the incident.

Fingers of the mahout with that horrifying experience

Next three days in majestic Kaziranga were full of Rhino experiences- Rhinos in the mist, Rhinos in water, Rhinos running, Rhino sleeping, Rhinos hiding, Rhinos at Sunset-sunrise. Kaziranga being magnificent grasslands is really supporting a big Rhino population as an integral part of the World heritage site.

The foggy mornings in Kaziranga are well known. The early morning elephant ride into the famous elephant grasses of Kaziranga is a magical experience. “Rakhi” the baby elephant was so friendly with the visitors and was keen to accompany the adult elephants every time they set out for the morning rounds.

As I glanced through the barely visible features of the terrain – the mahout unfolded stories about various denizens of this wonderland and the foggy mood gave me a dramatic feeling of subconscious state of the mind. Then…somewhere deep in the grey cloud …slowly the silhouette of a Rhino started appearing …and then it took a while for me to realise that actually it’s a mother Rhino with two baby Rhinos hidden behind her ! I could clearly hear some tourists on couple of other elephants traversing in the same area but wasn’t able to see anything due to the thick fog !
Just within a short span of 6 safaris – I was successful in sighting Otters, Water Buffalos, Elephants, Tiger, Hog Deer, Sambar, wild boar, Swamp deer, Barking deer, Capped Langurs, Monitor lizard, turtles and a host of birds including eagles, hornbills and darters – which is an evidence to the rich biodiversity of this mesmerising habitat nurtured by the majestic river Brahmaputra.

A Group of Otters - what a sight !!

While in Kaziranga, I had to struggle a lot with the quality of light. The situation that the sun rises quite early and one can get into the forest so early is quite good, but the obstinate fog lingers late until about 9:30pm and by the time the atmosphere clears up for some fruitful photography – it’s almost the time to finish the morning round and come out of the jungle.

My gypsy man - Buddheshwar was indeed a great asset for me during my time at Kaziranga. His wife is a skilled weaver and on my last day I visited his house to see the handloom fitted in his front veranda. I picked up a few silk items that she had skilfully created on this rudimentary set up. Its amazing to see Assamese housewives doing such dexterous work on a very crude kind of set up.

The wilderness of Assam treated me well !!

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Nameri - Juggling in Jia Bhorelli river

Winding up Kaziranga after a quick breakfast, I set out towards Nameri. It is a grand feeling to cross the vast expanse of River Bramhaputra. The breadth of this river provides a total different perspective and is evident only when the sizes of various boats floating around is taken as a reference. Because of the road works, it took longer than expected for me to reach Nameri. I had planned an afternoon birding session but by the time I managed to reach the wonderful surroundings of Eco Camp at Nameri – the sun was about to bid good bye. After a wonderful meal -I enjoyed sleeping in the tented accommodation. This camp is basically oriented towards the angling (Masheer) in the river but is equally “occupied” by birders from around the globe.

Tented accommodation at Nameri

The morning knocked in with a lot of dew drops all around my tent and multitude of bird calls. The campus of Eco Camp Nameri very much reminded me of the Kulagi camp at Dandeli.

Quickly I headed for a rafting session on river Jia Bhorelli– which is indeed a “must” agenda in Nameri.

Jia Bhorelli River - the lifeline of Nameri

Our team - comprising of Jeevan, Phukan (raftsmen), Bhaikon (birding guide) and Pronjol (Driver)- quickly uploaded the raft on top of the jeep and we drove to a point about 15 km away from the eco-camp. En-route , I was fascinated by the wonderful views of the Himalayan peaks that actually are from Arunchal Pradesh and are a tempting hint of Tawang area. Wish my jeep could fly to those areas!
We descended to a point where the exhilarating Jia-Bhoreli river touches the embankment. Off came the raft and within next couple of minutes – we were surfing the charming blue waters of the river and the wealth of the greenery on the edge of the river was a pleasant accompaniment to the great atmosphere.

Rafting on river Jia Bhorelli - a true adventure

And that was our quest for the exotic species like Ibisbill, Merganser, Mallards etc. When you set off on a rafting session with those names on your mind…obviously the energy level shoots up leaps and bounds. The rubber raft was a quite narrow one and balancing myself carrying one tripod, one bazooka lens, one medium zoom lens and two bodies was certainly a very tricky affair and even a smallest jolt could have easily deprived me of all my glassy barrels and the bodies would have drowned like bricks!! Especially while passing through the rapids, I covered the equipment with large plastic bags (used for garbage collection) that I had specially carried along with me from the UK.

Ibisbill - significant attraction of Nameri

As our raft surfed further, my guide asked me to be ready for a merganser …and there it was!! I was speechless to spot three Mergansers (Two males and one female) sitting on the biggish white pebbles of Jia-Bhoreli river. Both my camera bodies got busy for next few minutes and to capture these beauties in flight through a rocking boat was a tough challenge. However I made several attempts without bothering for the risk of raft and my equipment.

A Merganser in flight !

Obviously an Ibisbill is an iconic species of Nameri habitat and my eyes were desperately searching these exotic waders amidst the pebbles. I had seen Ibisbill only in photographs till now and had missed them during my past visit to Corbett area. Hence Ibisbill was very high on my wishlist. The boat was passing gradually wallowing through the changing currents of the river and I was continuously scanning the edges for a hint of any red beaks – the characteristic identification of an Ibisbill !
And just near one of the rapids, my raftsmen suddenly twisted the bamboo ore in a criss cross manner and I was witness to one of the prized catches – two Ibisbills in front left of our raft. With the first sighting of these astonishing birds – I decided not to photograph them immediately. I nicely observed them through the binoculars in the morning light and that emotion was recorded for ever in my memory. After about 7-8 minutes of observation, I got hold of my long lens and tried a few shots.
Other most coveted species in Nameri National park is the “White winged wood duck”! The search of this duck is targeted on the other side of Jia Bhorelli river. I made three attempts to search this exotic attraction. Meenaram – the experienced guide was with me. Inspite of all our hard work and unlimited walks – didn’t bring us any luck with the duck. However these trails provided a glimpse of several beautiful butterflies – which of course is a significant facet of Nameri NP and surroundings. At one point I stood still in the undergrowth and about 9 butterflies delicately gathered around my feet. Although I was regularly using anti leech spray on my legs, arms & neck – it didn’t seem to deter the butterflies in anyway.

At 8:30 pm in the night -while I was struggling to get good signal for my cell phone, I walked a few steps on the road towards the fields outside the village. I was surprised to see a forest deptt vehicle with a search light and few forest guards with a gun. Talking to them- I got to know that one of the Rhinos has strayed from Kaziranga and is being seen near Nameri village ! So the forest deptt was on a urgent mission to tranquilize the Rhino before it created any problems to the villagers. I walked a few steps with the forest guard carrying the tranquilizer gun and as we started approaching the water stream – my limited wisdom suggested me to retract because I realised that I had walked in my rubber slippers and it was no way suitable for tracking a Rhino in pitch dark !!
On the mention of footwear, this time I carried my bottle green rubber lightweight wellis (gumboots) from the UK. I must say that these are a great help at places in Assam. They are extremely useful for swamps as well as tall grass. It makes me very comfortable to focus my attention on the birds and not to worry about leeches, insects and snakes etc. During this trip - on couple of occasions it also saved me from serious injuries to my ankle.

Wearing Welli boots was very helpful in Assam
While at the eco camp I spent some interesting time with Ronesh Roy – the owner of the camp. We discussed about the birding and its various aspects in context with Kazirnaga surroundings and Nameri. The whole team of Eco camp staff was so friendly and helpful all the time. I liked the manner in which they all actively enjoyed volleyball during the spare time.

Wreathed Hornbills - A pair to cherish

On the final day – As I was getting onto the morning ferry boat to cross the river – a pair of Wreathed Hornbill crossed over leaving me amazed!! Seeing their elegant wreathed necks – I lost all words of exclamation and kept looking at them till the pair disappeared in the distant hills. This sighting is now “earned” in my mind (and heart) for ever!!
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Gibbon Sanctuary – an “apesome” experience

On the way back from Nameri – staying overnight at Hotel Earls Grey, Jorhat-I made a quick touch and go visit to the Hollongapar Wildlife sanctuary (Gibbon sanctuary) near Mariani. This is a unique place is India to see the uncommon “Ape species” and is a home to some significant primates - four species of Macaques, one species each of Langur, Gibbon and Loris. These seven sepcies are Western hoolock gibbon, Capped langur, Bengal slow Loris, Stump-tailed macaque, Northern pig-tailed macaque, Rhesus macaque, Assamese macaque.

A Hoolock Gibbon at the Sanctuary

My time at the Gibbon Sanctuary wasn’t as fruitful as I wished it to be – partly because most of my morning time was eaten up by the heavy fog and even though the fog cleared a bit later, the Gibbon activity was very dull. The cloudy surroundings and hidden Gibbons made the sightings a very difficult task.

However, this place is indeed a very special ecological area. There is a tremendous disturbance to this habitat because a major railway line passes through the core area and the roaring diesel engines say it all!
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Dibru Saikhowa – the eastern ecstasy
Finishing the Gibbon Sanctuary a bit earlier than the schedule – I decided to proceed to my next destination – Dibru-Saikhowa- which I was most curious about! The Road from Dibrugarh to Tinsukia goes all along the railway line and is lined up with several tea gardens. Tinsukia is a commercially prominent town and is an appropriate place to procure all common commodities (medicines, food items, clothing, batteries and bank ATMs etc). If you are going to Dibru Saikhowa it’s the best idea to source a few things in Tinsukia if you need to.

As I reached the sandy banks of Saikhowa river, the sun was setting and the red- orange hues made a dramatic atmosphere. At the gate of Banashree–Benuda’s camp, I downloaded my luggage from the vehicle and entered the little bamboo hut named “Hornbill”.

My little hut at Banshree - Benuda's camp

Benuda returned from Arunchal trip and we met up late in the evening to decide the plan for the next three days. I was largely excited with the action plans that we worked out in pursuit of rarities like the Black breasted Parrotbills, Jerdon’s Bushchat and Marsh babblers.
Next day morning a diesel propelled gruelling boat took me to the other side of the river. Witnessing sunrise on a boat amidst thick fog is a divine experience. After about 20 mins of boat ride, we were to touch a specific landing point on the other side of the river. There was absolutely no clue of any landmarks there and I was wondering that how could the boatmen manage to drop us at the exact location!
Alighting from the boat ..there was a further walk for about 4-5 kms and taking my heavy equipment on the shoulder was a real test of stamina, zeal and strength.
On the way, Gopal was displaying some amazing multitasking. Holding the breakfast basket in left hand, he was continuously scanning the habitat using the binoculars hanging on his neck. He had a machete (kukri) tied to his waist belt which was an indispensible tool to clear up the route through the thick grass. His right hand was occasionally being used to play a few birds calls. I was trying to keep a few feet away from him – observing the free movements of the kukri that was opening up the route for us. Pulakesh – another person from Benuda’s camp also accompanied us.
As per our plan, we decided to occupy a small trench that leads into the grassland and wait for some Blackbreasted parrot bill to give us a “fateful darshan”!
As we reached the trench and I started to rig-up my long lens with the gimble head and tripod As we were just about to settle– I heard a spontaneous scream from Gopal “bhago”! Suddenly, Gopal and Pulakesh jumped back and waved their hands in panic. They started running back and Gopal alarmed me to run quickly too. And there it was – poor me running to the breath of my life- holding my long lens and tripod along. The guys suggested me not to carry the equipment and urged to be left there. Without even knowing what were we running for…. I left all my equipment there near the bush to God’s mercy and started running as fast as I could.
Later I came to know that a lonely elephant started charging towards us and Gopal saw it when it had already approached quite close to us. The guys mentioned that a lonely elephant is very dangerous. Had it been in a herd with several other elephants- it would not have been so risky and dangerous then. Ironically, this was the only time that I was not accompanied by an armed escort from forest deptt !
Hence our quest for Parrotbill that morning was “waived” away by this pachyderm experience and I had to come back to the camp empty handed. Some of the Parrotbill images seen earlier were whirling in my mind and the knock of the elephant was reminding me of the ache in my calf muscle and ankles.
the afternoon, there was another exploration. Passing through typical alluvial areas and crossing several slippery streams inside the Dibru-Saikhowa national park zone, We reached Kolomi camp to try our luck with distinctive species like Marsh Babbler, Jerdons Bushcat, Jerdons babbler. I was wondering about the habitat- what is so special that it makes this habitat a home to such endemics.
The forest guard there accompanied us holding a large machete and cleared some grass in a very clever manner. Searching through the twigs and grass blades, there were enough hints of these tiny birds – but all the clues turned out to be illusions.
Suddenely at one point, the extremely elusive Jerdons Bushchat popped out for a few seconds and disappeared again. A bare two sec “darshan” of an elusive bushchat…I was delighted. And to my wish, later it popped up again in about three minutes to fetch me a couple of clicks.

Jerdon's Bushchat - One of the extreme rarity of Dibru Saikhowa
Moving on, near a blind turn near the river – The Jerdon’s Babbler gave another glory glimpse and I could click a record image of this obscure bird in the grasses. End of the day, I was back with these two “star” species recorded on my camera sensor and well imbibed in my memory.

Another extreme rarity - Jerdon's Babbler
Though my ankle was still “soar” with the remembrance of elephant panic - Next day morning, I decide to try my luck again with the Black breasted Parrotbill which I had missed. We again got into the morning boat proceeding the same way holding the breakfast basket again – this time watching out carefully for any possible elephant presence. This time I decided not to carry the big lens and tripod – in case if there is a panic marathon again ! However ,I had a handy combination of a single body with 100-400mm. To my luck – the area seemed to be settled and favourably quiet. And after about half an hour of restless rummage, I could see a grass twig vibrating in a magical fashion ! A Black breasted parrotbill was trying to emerge and was shaking the twig with its delicate gestures. The indication was a total thrill for me. But giving a tough time, the little birdie wasn’t ready to come out in open at all. Staying hidden in the thickets – it delivered a few teasing calls. More than following the movement of the bird amidst those clumsy patches, I was following up the series of occasional calls that the Parrotbill conveyed. And finally – it came out to the upper side of a twig to provide me a quick glimpse for about six seconds. I observed this the rarity and attempted a few frames through the far end of my 100-400mm. Didn’t get a chance to even look at my LCD till the bird was in front of me ! Probably my movements to check the LCD would have been more than enough to flee it away!

Bird on the wishlist - Black breasted Parrotbill - very elusive

Moving on, few moments of joy were getting gradually added to the my Dibru-Saikhowa chapter and for me this spirit of chasing the rare species always is an interesting gamble.
For the last week and half – rice, daal & Sabji / chicken had been my foremost diet in Assam. I was a bit desperate to find my original staple diet – wheat rotis ! Here “Munna” a very good hindi speaking guy helped me everyday with some rotis made from regular “atta”. What a great boost for me!

Evening Skyline full of Ducks - Dibru Saikhowa

"Maguri-Beel" is a huge freshwater lake spread over several kilometres around and is a duck & geese paradise. I was supposed to spend a whole day ( from sunrise till sunset) on the small dinghy kind of boat here. Both boatmen Maimon and Guron were quite skilled and the boat was sourced with breakfast (bread slices with mayonnaise sauce, boiled eggs, bananas, oranges and biscuits) with a hot tea pot. The lunch was also loaded on the boat in a tiffin carrier (rice, daal and cauliflower sabji). Having packed the stuff for an anticipated voyage for 12 hour, we set out into the lake.

Spending full day on a boat - life in water ..with all the essentials!

I was so close to the water surface that sometimes the small waves generated by the bamboo oar – were just about touching my long lens. The set up was quite risky – any time ready to tumble down into the waters of that huge lake !

But in all, I had some my best moments with distinguished species like Falcated Teal, Baikal Teal, Ferruginous Pochard, Red Crested and Tufted Pochards, Gadwalls, Mallards, Ruddy Shelducks, Bar headed geese, Grey lag geese, Pintails, Gargeny, Grebes, Jacanas, Swamphens and Darters. Seeing those glamorous teals within Indian boundaries is an cherished experience.

A Feruunginous Pochard takes off - not seen so often in India

A speedy hunt by a Pied Harrier pouncing upon a frog was a complete surprise and seeing the Northern Lapwings on the western edge of the lake was a pleasant addition for me. This was the first time for me to see a Northern Lapwing in India and that too so close to our boat.

Pied Harrier with a frog catch !

Maguri-lake has immense potential to host thousands of ducks and geese every year. There is a extensive coverage of aquatic surface due to the Water Hayacinth (Eichhoria crassipes). I am not sure if this is good for the health of the lake & birdlife – but it seems to be helping a lot to the local fisherman.

Bidding goodbye to this unique avian habitat, the Indigo flights brought me first from Dibrugarh to Kolkata and then from Kolkata to Nagpur.
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Pench – the last episode of my trip

Although I was not very keen to visit any of the typical Madhya Pradesh tigerlands during this trip, I included Pench just because it was on my way to catch the Nagpur-Pune Flight. Of-course I always love to stay at the Mowgli’s den at Pench – so I didn’t mind including Pench in my itinerary.

I was anticipating a lot of year end picnic crowd but thanks to the revised rules of Pench NP – that they don’t encourage ad-hoc visitors. With the new rules, if your rounds are not booked in advance- you may not get a chance to enter the forest. The morning queue at the entry gate and the online pre-booked visitors are a pleasant change to see the improved discipline and control over the vehicles randomly entering into the national park.

One of the things I like about Pench is the wider view of the jungles here. One can see deep inside the trees as well as can gaze a good width of the jungle. This usually is difficult in parks like Bandhavgarh etc.

Although I don’t keep high expectations of birds while I am in Pench – however I was rewarded with some reasonably good sightings of Changeable Hawk Eagle, Scops Owl, Spurfowl, Wooly necked Storks, Redstart, Alexandrine parakeets kept me fairly busy.

Raptors of Pench - Changeable Hawk Eagle

On the mammals side usual sightings of Gaur, Sambar, large herds of spotted deer, Jungle cat, Bluebulls followed by narrow miss of Tiger at couple of places and the final concluding sighting of a Leopard in dwindling light. The chaos of colliding vehicles made the sighting a bigger challenge and looking to the noises that the excited crowd was making at the spot – I found more wisdom in keeping my camera away and just watching the yellow spots and a bushy tail vanishing behind the bamboo thickets.

Finally after spending some pristine time in the wilderness being secluded from the wheeling routines of concrete jungles, I am now back to the same hustle and bustle again so it won’t be too long that I will start eyeing for my next destination.

The exploration continues...!!!

Many more images on - www.saleeltambe.com

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A Spotted surprise in the Tigerland

2010-06-15T14:33:00.019+01:00

For me, this India visit was almost like jumping into an oven !

I started from London with a temperature of 8 degree centigrade and when I reached the forested outskirts of Bandhavgarh – it was soaring high 48 degrees! Coming out from the Jabalpur airport gate at 1:45 in the burning afternoon - the drops trickling down from my water bottle spilled over the heated floor and they disappeared instantaneously – quick evaporation.
What an Indian summer it has been this year!

My visit to B’garh was in fact a last minute alternative for the cancellation of previously planned Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve. Within the constraints - Bandhavgarh was the only feasible choice for me.

But, the moment I finalized my destination as Bandhavagrah – the sad demise of the famous Tigress – the mother of three innocent cubs – came to me like a big blow. Not only that I felt extremely distressed – but I felt so ashamed of this incidence. The brutal instincts of just a handful of wildlife killer overpowers the multitude of love of millions of nature lovers ! The thought of orphaned cubs shatters me down to pieces. My heart is still not ready to accept this at all!!
Anyways, in this grim situation - the welfare, protection of the three orphaned cubs and the promises & hope of a strong action was a bit of solace that I motivated myself to pack my equipment bag.

Delhi – Jabalpur flight touched down an hour late and the taxi driver was waiting ( & sweating) in the fierce heat at 13:30 hrs outside the airport gate.
I started the drive to Bandhavagarh right away. As I reached the bumpy vibrating road patch before Tala – the headlights of my car suddenly went off. Pitch dark….rough road …and we could not move even an inch ahead. I wonder why this particular patch of the road has been like that for past so many years. It’s a familiar torture for every visitor to Bandhavgarh.
My taxi driver managed to make a series of phone calls to several mechanic(s) and after a makeshift fuse built from a broken piece of wire - finally made me reach Tala late in the night. Thank god I was still able to reach well before my morning round.

Next morning - my first safari was in the Magadhi zone - not a much preferred zone as the sightings are very limited here. But to my luck, just within first half an hour – we spotted two tigresses and one of them gave me a good time moving through the trees, crossing the roads and finally seeking some aquatic shelter in the small pond of water near Sehra meadows.

Mukesh Burman is a wonderful companion in Bandhavgarh and his presence is always a pleasure on every safari in the park. It was also nice to meet so many wild lifers and nature lovers who were flocking in Bandhavgarh during the same time. Spent some joyful moments with Sandeep Desai, Harshad Barve, Kiran Kanzode, Pankaj, Sharad, Nikhilesh Trivedi, Manish Bagalkote, Anant Shahane, John Isaac, Micheal J Vickers and many more.
As the main A & C routes were closed due to the recent incidence- the movements in the jungle remained very restrictive and B’garh already being a small park – all the time I was struggling to get the “real feel of the jungle”.

The Spotted Surprise

It was the end of my last morning round ....9:30 am ….returning to the main gate ....via Sidhababa.....the familiar grassy open patch near the stream…and on the opposite side unfolded the most exciting moments of my jungle life !

Firstly, to expect a Leopards in a strong Tiger territory - is an exaggeration of wishful thinking! Just the sight of a leopard in itself is a great joy in a place like B'garh.

Taking a strategic position atop a high rock - this feline ghost kept an alert eye on its probable prey and suddenly started stalking towards a deer below and then it was all an astonishing display of sheer speed, agility and strength !!
Am I seeing a dream.. ??? My eyes could not believe what all was happening in front of me. The grace, the glory and the gasp !!
Being totally mesmerized...I lost a sense of everything around me ...
Whether to use my 500mm+1.4x or stick to 100-400mm ? Whether to pre-focus only on the predator or both prey and predator? Whether to use a larger depth of field...but then losing the shutter speed.....the unwanted blurr....whether to push the ISO...........whether to use AI servo or not.....how to balance the shadows and sunny patches..... hundreds of questions crowded in my mind ….AND ….I had hardly only two seconds available to decide all that !
There was all the chance of messing it up completely if I thought too much about technology!
My heart stopped for a while but never realized that my finger on the shutter trigger was still doing its job inadvertently… Some 9 frames frozen in 4 secs!
When I looked to the captured frames in my viewfinder ...I skipped a heart beat! Its so good that cameras don't have hearts but have only chips! If my Canon equipment had a heart …I would have surely missed this shot !
This whole power game lasted just for a 4 seconds and I was speechless for next 4 days till I downloaded the images on my home machine in London !!

In the later rounds – it was all usual sightings around Banbehi, Ghoda demon and Mirchaini. It was good to see the Mirchani cub walking towards us amidst the usual chaos of vehicle rush and cacophony of excited visitors.
Some good ticks to my bird list with some late summer species like Orioles, Hawk Cuckoo, Monarch, Paradise FC, Thrushes etc.

But in spite of a fruitful spell of eight safaris- I was still feeling something missing this time inside the forests of Bandhavgarh. If one does not visit the nostalgic Rajbehra and Chorbehra areas- the visit doesn’t feel be satisfying. I badly felt the absence of these two areas. The grassy, aquatic surroundings of these iconic areas are definitely an indispensable asset of this tiger reserve.

Moreover the vacuum created with the death of a mothering tigress further bends it down.
However with a heavy heart and my bag full of a few random images...I left Bandhavgarh ...with a serious question in mind ...whether this tiger land is prospering or declining !! The coming couple of years will probably tell the answer!!

More images can be seen on - http://www.saleeltambe.com/

Homeland Hues - winter visit to India

2010-01-24T14:30:00.104Z

After almost a year long wait, I was all excited to start my journey next day morning towards the homeland……and just before going to the bed, I switched on the 10:35 pm BBC weather forecast…“There is going to be heavy snow during the late hours tonight and majority of the international flights are likely to be cancelled” ……Gosh ! I was dumb struck -why should it all happen only to me…that too exactly at the time of my flight!! Why can’t the snow hold on for another day or two …..!
Keeping my fingers closed…but keeping all the hopes open…..I set the alarm for an early morning drive to the airport….and next day…….magic……in spite of all those thick showers of snow around…and slippery routes to the airport ….. …hurray …. my flight to Mumbai finally took off from Heathrow…..! Thank God !

Landing in Mumbai, I always get instantaneously transformed into homely sentiments at Sahar because of the warmer temperatures, familiar lingo at the immigration and somewhat characteristic aroma in the air!
The customs clearance was surprisingly very quick this time and even carrying so much of photography equipment with me – my exit from Sahar was much smoother than all my previous visits. I think the guys at the counter now seem to be a bit easy with the white canon guns being transported in and out quite often.
A midnight drive towards Pune in a Tavera is a true fun which gets multiplied by a hot medley of steaming wada-pao with red chutney at the expressway mall. That tangy feeling brings me right back into real India….by all means!

Pune and around
As this visit to India was not a “for wildlife photography only ” - my schedule in Pune was going to be quite tight with a list of usual tasks to do – banks, accounts, insurance, house taxes, bills etc.

Still I managed to squeeze some quick visits with Rahul and Gaurav to nearby places like Sinhagad Valley one on the first day and then Kavadi the next day.
Sinhagad valley - as always, offers a treat of Flycatchers, Parakeets, Shrikes, Munias and Birds of prey. Even though for a very short time – this spot has always been a refreshing experience. Being a weekday – the crowd was reasonable and noise levels were much in control. My friend Kunal and his enthusiastic son Arnab also came along on a short notice. Sinhad valley visit gets truely endorsed when concluded by a tasty "misal" topped up with freshly cut onion at the usual joint – corner “tapari” near the diversion of the fort route and valley approach road!

Next day -a short and sweet visit to Kavadi and Saswad – spotting some Rudy Shelducks, River Terns, Wagtails, Sandpipers, Spotbills, Gargany and Stilts. The characteristic smoky fog at Kavadi always makes me a bit nostalgic and reminds me of my earlier days with a 35mm film camera and a 70-200 lens – struggling to reach closer and closer to the migratory flocks that arrive here every year. However, I was quite surprised to note the total absence of Marsh Harriers this year. A further visit to Saswad was equally rewarding with some more birding and a mandatory attendance at Asmita vada pao centre. A grand finishing touch !

Pune Bird race function was scheduled the same evening – but due to prior commitments – it was not possible for me to attend.

Goa and surrounding areas

Bidding good bye to Pune - the Kingfisher ATR flight reached Goa in amazing 40 mins. The on- board snack was yet to be finished and the captain started landing instructions !!

Prasan Parab welcomed me at Dabolim airport and was a great pleasure to meet him after a long relationship over emails, chat and phones. My hats off to the amazing enthusiasm, pure dedication and continued perseverance that Prasan is blessed with. These are some essentials traits that constitute a good naturalist. I was totally overwhelmed by the wonderful company of Prasan and his buddy Sriguru. This duo made my life a total joy – in the field and off the field during my Goa visit. The relentless driving capacity and appetite to explore nature is indeed an asset for these guys.

The habitat around Goa has always been of a special significance for me because while authoring the “Bird of Western Ghats” book- I spent most of my time around Molem, Bondla & Dandeli chasing various species. It had been a considerable gap for last few years and I was quite keen to revisit this area.

I had always heard a lot about Cotigaon during the days of writing our western Ghat book. After Dandeli - this place was always high on my list. I was expecting a lot of western ghat specialties and also a great deal of birding in Cotigaon area but unfortunately the habitat was very dull and unproductive. To my surprise - three elaborate rounds inside the sanctuary ( Baila lake side) revealed absolutely nothing !
However, later along the outer edge of the sanctuary – sighting some Grey headed bulbuls, Pied flycatcher shrikes, Leafbirds and Imperial green pigeons was a consolation.

On the Eastern side of the same geography– a beautiful habitat exists in the name of Netravali forest. Under tremendous pressures of mining and unauthorized forest activities, this wonderful piece of land can be a paradise for birds, butterflies and reptiles. The expanse and the richness of the vegetation is quite conducive for the presence of some exclusive wildlife & I wish some serious constructive efforts are carried out to conserve this area.

Time spent in Bondla area was not very productive from photography point of view but was certainly quite interesting. One fine morning I was surprised to see a female Sambar panicked and rushing in the waterhole after being chased by some 6-7 feral dogs.

This area is obviously a protected area under Bondla wildlife sanctuary and it is certainly a bit sad to witness such incidents happening within the boundaries of a sanctuary. Others usual sightings in Bondla included Wood shrikes, Ruby throated bulbuls, Minivets, Paradise flycatchers, Monarches, Nuthatches. I was amazed to see a gathering of 6-7 Fairy blue birds at one spot very close to Bondla waterhole. Occasional appearance of Grey headed bulbuls keep you motivated all through the area.

Over and above all – it was the greatest delight to discover a pair of Ceylon Frogmouth in Bondla. This bird being a highly secretive bird, really takes all your luck to be spotted in the bush. But this was an important sighting for me as I had never seen this mysterious birds anywhere other than Kerala (Thattekad) and to me its existence anywhere to northern side was only in books.

Near Margao, I enjoyed some time indeed at the Curtorim wetlands – because there was some encouraging activity around the three lakes due to substantial population of whistling Teals and Cotton teals.

The best part of Goa trip was a boat ride on the Zuari river in search of the “Collared Kingfisher” – which has been on my target list for last few years.

There is only a limited zone around Zuari river - A characteristic mangrove habitat - where you find this exciting Kingfisher and I managed to spot it this time.

This boat ride is a fantastic way to reach some exclusive species – Collared kingfisher together with Storkbilled and Black capped, Small Blue and White throated Kingfishers. The boatmen were quite well aware of the bird habitats and are quite skillfull in navigating the boat in line with your needs. As the boat shakes a lot, handling the accuracy of focus become a true challenge.

Additionally – you come across bonus species like Osprey, Brahminy Kites, Waders, Herons, Egrets, Curlews, Ibises & some Marsh crocodiles. This reminds me of the kingfishers in Sunderbans or Bhitarkanika boat rides and the mangrove habitat.

Kanha – the nostalgia

Originally I had planned for a visit to Pench, but looking to the logistics and entry problems at Pench – I changed my destination last minute to Kanha. In fact, I have a strong nostalgia from my early days at Kanha and it had been quite a while that I visited Kanha – so was quite happy with this last minute change of destination.

On the way to Kanha – I always have a favourite stop over. Just about 5 kms before Mandla – there is a small village called “Katara” and one must try the Aloo Parathas in the “ Prakash Dhaba” near Katara hospital. These Aloo parathas (teamed up with a special tomato chutney and dahi) are out of the world and all my Kanha trips have always included this on the “hit list agenda”.
I have seen much better face of Kanha in the past – full of prey and predator activity but honestly speaking this time the overall activity and the movements in the park were very reduced and a kind of dullness was felt all around- a bit of “bring down” feeling for me.
Probably, I was in the park just two days after the new year rush time…. and probably the after effect of those huge crowds that must have celebrated the year end bashes had left the wildlife a bit scared and the animals / birds must have fled away from the public routes.
In a nutshell- I had a few Swamp deer and couple of Tiger sightings together with a white morph Changeable hawk eagle, Collared scops owl, Adjutant stork, Orioles and flamebacks.

Being in the habitat of Swamp deer (Barasingha) in early morning fog of Kanha is indeed a special experience. However I fully enjoyed the winter afternoon sun in Kanha – Vitamin D- which I otherwise totally miss in the UK !!

As there is a whole wew generation of Tiger cubs coming up in Kanha (and also Bandhavgarh) – I wish that the coming years will be better and safe for them….I pray to God for the survival and welfare of their tribe! With the clouds of risk shadowing their existence – my thoughts are now shaken whenever I see a tiger cub in the wilderness!!

Indore – visiting the home town
The final hop was Indore – my home town.
Meeting parents and all close relatives is indeed a great experience and amidst all this – I made a quick visit to Sirpur – as I can’t keep myself away from this lake. This is the water body where my dream of a bird sanctuary is now coming true with the great work by team of nature lovers including Bhalu & Kaustubh. I can see the realization of my dream through their wonderful efforts. Even with a short notice, both of them arrived at the spot and Kaustubh made the day with a lovely “Pohe-Jalebi–kachori Nashta” ….quite in line with the traditional Indore hospitality!

I also had a quick visit to a nearby town – to a spot known from my schooldays – where you can see the Demoiselle Cranes at very close quarters near a lake and the temple there serves as a wonderful hide.

The only thing that was unfavourable for me during this whole trip was - I didn't ever get a good clear sky and bright sunlight. It always stayed cloudy, dark, smoky and foggy. Probably that is how December end has been last few years for me in India.

All through my trip –the support and logistics by from Foliage / Saad Tourism was fantastic and that brings much more efficiency into such tightly scheduled trips.

More images can be seen in the Gallery of individual species on my website - www.saleeltambe.com

After that “short” winter stint with my favourite – the wilderness in the homeland ….I’m back to the UK…again amidst layers of snow…..watching the same weather forecasts every night ……but somewhere at the back of my mind …. I’ve already started dreaming for the next trip!

Stripes ! Stripes !! Stripes !!!

2009-04-20T15:20:00.051+01:00

Although it was a quite a pleasant spring time in the UK and I could have happily spent my Easter holidays amidst the floral blooms across England, but somehow I was getting attracted to the rising mercury levels of Central India.

Watching the Central Indian temperatures soaring to 42° C, I started getting nostalgic in the UK and made up my mind for a quick touch and go visit to the land of tiger in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh– Bandhavgarh National park.

While on the London-Frankfurt-Delhi Lufthansa flight, I was all the time dreaming about Indian summer - the blistering heat, the rustling of dry leaves, the early morning calls of the jungle and the late afternoon activity around the water holes. Followed by a Delhi- Jabalpur flight and a car pick up, I was right at the doorstep of Bandhavgarh national park for an afternoon round.

Quickly unpacked my equipment, bought some 3 kgs of rice to fill up my beanbag, removed one of the rear seats of the gypsy to open up my Gitzo and wimberly and was all set to go for shooting the stripes then !!

It was a surprising to realize that within just 24 hrs of having my lunch in London, I was now having my lunch near the entrance to the door of a famous tiger land. Thanks to the ever growing air connections.

All my travel and safari arrangements were made by Foliage-Pune and everything that they co-ordinated for me was just perfect- as always !! I stayed at Tiger trails – a resort which I always prefer for some excellent service, good food and very friendly staff.

Mukesh Burman was the fantastic and charged up jungle man who accompanied me with his gypsy and Santosh the driver. This duo fetched me some wonderful moments in the wilderness. His determination was to get me all that which I narrowly missed during my previous visit to Bandhavgarh with family in Dec’08.

During my stay this time - I could meet quite a few popular names in wildlife photography from Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Pune and we shared some wonderful time together. Staying in some specific resorts I like couple of things – first is that you easily get to meet like minded people in the jungle round breaks and secondly the birds and smaller wildlife visiting the resort campus provides a very good enjoyment even during the hours away from official boundary of the national park.

I had interesting "sessions" with Black naped monarch, Black rumped flamebacks, Puff throated babblers, Orange headed ground thrushes, Brown fishing owl, Crested Hawk and Serpent eagles Rollers in breeding diaplys and dancing peafowls.

Now talking about Bandhavgarh National park – it’s always a mixed feeling for me. Although I have visited this tiger land several times in the past 12 years, I’ve always observed a gradual decline in the habitat and the charm of the park. Honestly speaking it is no more the jungle that I used to experience during late 80’s or early 90’s. I remember the days when this little jungle used to be a real pleasure.

Lately, this national park has been criticized a lot because of the mad rush of vehicles, the crazy tiger chase, the desperate tourists, the undisciplined movement of vehicles and on top of this – the question the about natural freedom of Tigers here.

At this point – I would refrain myself from making any more comments on the status of the park , but in a nutshell – it is certainly turning into a crazy “highway” of gypsy laden tourists and I strongly doubt if there is any genuine privacy / seclusion left for the tigers and other wildlife here.

Personally, I dislike the trend to “name” the tigers in any national park. Calling them as A1, A2 or B1, B2, Xyz etc is something that I sincerely hate. ….this naming convention is of course a debate among nature lovers ….but I would like to stay away from that argument and I would prefer them to be called “Tigers” – either a male or a female …and that’s it.

(hence in this whole write-up you won’t see any specific names to these tigers – sorry for that !! )
Since the heat was rising day by day, I could observe a gradual transformation in the activity and movement of tigers in line with this change of climate from my first to the last day of my visit. Their routes to the waterholes and their patterns of movement to the cooler parts of the forest were evidently modulated by this obvious change of temperature.

One of the most interesting incidences during this visit was witnessing a kill by a Tiger. This male tiger pounced on a moderately sized spotted deer, dragged the prey to the edge of a nullah and was busy eating away the chunks. We could reach this hunt spot with the help of some strong and repeated frantic alarm calls –probably made by the fellow deer of the one that got hunted ! After about 20 minutes, this huge male tiger got up and started moving away from the place. We were all surprised to see that it was carrying the head of the hunted spotted deer in its mouth ! It was like a “trophy” being carried as a symbol of victory or some kind of a celebration. It was clear that the tiger ate the rest of the body of the prey and retained this head to be carried as a show off !! Though the head was peeled off , I could still see some expressions in the watery eyes of the deer.

Further the tiger got a bit disturbed by the swarm of surrounding vehicles –and it cleverly changed its path towards a bush where this “trophy” head was then secretly hidden in a thickets. What an experience ! First time in my life !!

Another interesting incidence was while moving towards Rajbehera route; we spotted a Sloth bear that was “encroaching” a den which apparently belonged to the two tiger cubs. Totally unaware of the real owners it entered the den – the two tiger cubs returned to find this big black furry ball inside the den !! The cubs were curiously waiting for this sloth bear to come out of the cave. I had a strong feeling that the tiger cubs probably were seeing a Sloth bear first time in their life ! The curiosity and the sense of surprise could be seen in the body language of this tiger cub. It was indeed a unique experience- for the tigers, for the sloth bear and for me as well !!!

While moving in the open 4x4 gypsy, you really need to hold yourself tight in place. I was holding the two camera bodies with two big lenses and hence both my hands were occupied. Suddenly there comes a distant alarm call from a spotted deer..and before you could control yourself…the vehicle is throttled to the top speed…darting towards the alarm call…powdering away a big cloud of dust on the equipment ( and the face !).

With all the equipment in hand and barely holding anything – you get a sudden jerk.. the racing vehicle comes to a sudden stop and you are almost thrown out the vehicle like a stone …if you were not holding things properly!!
After taking these rides - it gives a real good skeletal massage at the end of your visit !! You can count all your muscle and bones - if at all they are left intact !!

But over and above all this – when the king of the jungle emerges in front of me inside the deep corners of the forests- all that grace, the majesty of power and the charm of memsmerising stripes–the moment indeed touches deep into my heart and inadvertently I bow my head to this striped gentleman called “Tiger”– wishing a much better future to their tribe– may their numbers grow safe and healthy to retain the original charm of true wilderness – with all the freedom - which is their birth right by all means.. as they were "BORN FREE"...no doubt about it !!

2009-01-12T09:46:00.058Z

Once again ..into the wilderness of “Apna-Desh”…

The best bit that I like about every India visit is the day-dreaming that starts a few days prior to the actual date of departure. The very thought of visiting India bubbles up a new cheer and every activity seems to be taking a happier tune. Clocks in the office start ticking faster…the days seems to be passing quicker than before and the calendar page starts appearing smaller!!

Usually our (me, wife Deepa and son Shakunt’s) air tickets are booked about 3-4 months in advance, but those last two–three weeks before departure are the real thrill…..that’s when we plan our luggage and start packing , gather all my photography equipment, stack up the clothes, pick up gifts & sweets etc for relatives/friends….get worried about being overweight for the flight….and then I get too excited thinking about the list of wildlife sanctuaries and locations that are on the itinerary. This time it was another triangle- Maharashtra, Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh.

Although it was our regular annual trip to the home country and was surely a good reason for all the joy and excitement, but before taking off from London airport on 6th December -a series of unfortunate events raised a big question mark in my mind -
1. The 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai had just shaken the whole world and I was sunk in a very sad feeling about the whole incidence. My trip was a dilemma for me because from inside I was a deeply disturbed to see all this happening back home, but at the same time I was not able to hide all the excitement that flooded out with the thought of getting to the homeland after one long year.
2. It had rained very heavily in the Kutch and my visit was almost on the verge of cancellation. Whole Rann of Kutch was flooded with this unexpected rain water and the interior routes inside Rann were all inaccessible. All my hopes for this exciting place seemed to be dying.
3. The overall economic slowdown was shadowing all the trade houses, shops were down on their business and the usual Christmas cheer was absent from the air !

However, end of the day - this trip turned out to be a great visit (socially as well as for wildlife) and we thoroughly enjoyed being in “Apna-Desh” and its enchanting jungles !!

Landing at Sahar airport, passed through the usual custom checks on my big lens and other equipment. Few typical questions – as always – and those fixed answers from me !

Soon, we were cruising on the Mumbai- Pune expressway. Although, Pune was not really a place on my wildlife destination list but every year I need to complete a few essential tasks like bank accounts, house tax, electricity bills etc – the rather uninteresting side of visit – I guess.

Maharashtra - Pune and around
Thanks to Gaurav Purohit and Foliage – with their help in planning and arranging the logistics– every visit becomes a pleasure for me. Backed up by the in-depth knowledge of the wildlife & various locations plus an excellent promptness of communication - interaction with Gaurav and Foliage is a great boon.

My first local outing from Pune was to Saswad & Veer Dam. It was a great pleasure to meet Rahul Rao after a long gap and this visit truly revived many memories from a few years back. I admire Rahul’s passion, dedication and his supernatural spotting skills. He accompanied me to the top of Diveghat…sighting some Chinkaras, Kestrels, Montagu Harriers, Larks on the way….and following further to Veer Dam. During my earlier days in Pune, I had some special feeling associated with this dam and I have always had some surprise sighting at this dam. This time I was hoping for the Bar headed Geese, but being a wrong time of the day (it was almost lunchtime….), Veer Dam could only fetch us with a Greater spotted eagle, Woolly necked stork and a few waders.

An extremely interesting event was the breakfast at “Asmita vada pao centre”. This is surely a must to do agenda & without this "ritual" the visit to Saswad-n-Dive ghat won’t be complete. Finally we rushed back to Pune by afternoon. We also had Rohan Pandit with us – who helped me in a big way by lending his beanbag for my whole trip. I had planned to get one made while being in Pune, but didn’t have enough time – so this beanbag from Rohan was indeed a great gift.
This was also a test round for my newly picked up Canon 50D Body. I think the D40 & D50 combination works best for me with a 100-400 lens on one and the 500+1.4x on the other. However, I found the noise level a bit high on the output images of Canon 50D. To be honest, by the end of my trip - I am more happy with 40D compared to the 50D, not sure if I change my opinion in a few more days with some more shooting with 50D.

Though I wanted to cover a few more destinations in and around Maharashtra this time, but time was a real challenge and I had a full schedule ahead for other locations !

Gujarat - LRK, Velavadar & Jamnagar
Next destination was Gujarat. All my Gujarat itinerary was planned / managed by Vishalbhai Thoria – a wonderful guy to work with. He himself is a wildlifer and nature lover and also has got an excellent grip over whole of the wildlife circuit in Gujarat. I got connected to Vishalbhai through Nirav Bhatt – another “godfather” for me! Nirav helped me for every small and big thing….and most importantly Nirav is a fantastic person & a great friend to be with !!

My flight from Pune to Ahemdabad was supposed to be a quick 50 min one – but got delayed and hence my plan of reaching LRK and having an evening round on the same day was ruled out. As such with the heavy rains the previous week – LRK was a big doubt in my mind….but I was glad that atleast I could get there and was able to make a few rounds to Rann.

Incidentally while on the outskirts of Ahmadabad, I saw a signboard for “Thol Bird Sanctuary” and asked the driver to steer the vehicle toward this well talked birding spot ! No doubt this place is an interesting location but by the time I reached the lake, the sun had almost set and what I could get was a few calls of roosting cranes, few comb ducks edging to the shelter and some Pelicans returning to the far side of the lake. Since it was almost dark, we headed to Patadi – A village close to Little Rann of Kutch. I stayed at Bhavana farms – a very nice and comfortable resort run by Prashantbhai Raval. He is an organic farming enthusiast and is involved in a lot of initiatives for the salt pan workers and people of LRK.

Tying up with the wonderful duo of guide brothers-Pratapbhai and Ranjeetbhai, we chalked out the next day and entered LRK early morning…to start tracking my favourite – The Falcons ! But luck was not on our side that morning…all falcons eluded us…and we could only end up with few Common cranes, Greater flamingos and a few waders.

However, the afternoon round with Ranjitbhai turned out to be a more fruitful one – A desert cat followed by two Desert Foxes, Imperial, Steppe and Tawny eagles, Short eared owls and then with a sighting of 4 McQueen’s Bustards – certainly an icing on the cake. The sun had already set and the dwindling light was a big hurdle, but seeing these bustards for the first time was an unforgettable experience.

The second day at LRK started with a dull and cloudy morning - not the kind of day one would like to ever have in the field- still we entered-and got a fabulous opening score of McQueen’s bustard sighting. But moving further a few hundred meter….OOOPS…our vehicle got stuck in the muddy soil which had got soft due to the recent rains, our guide and driver tried all the ways and means to get the vehicle out but all the efforts were in-vain….the tyres were sinking deeper and deeper with every attempt…..there was not a single person around to call for help…we were the ONLY three warriors in that endless expense of Rann….and finally we were rescued by a tractor which came down from the village few kms away…and pulled us out of this trap !

We had already wasted almost 3-4 precious morning hours and it was actually the time to come out of LRK and return to the resort.

And what a surprise ahead -a fantastic Peregrine Falcon within a few hundred meters of me !!
I tried and managed to reach quite close to this wonderful speedy raptor with a very slow approach of the vehicle......and what a shame…..our driver got a ring on his mobile right at this moment and he started speaking in loud voice….the Falcon…my dream…flew away with all this drama….and I was left back with my mouth wide open….what a stupid thing that could happen with me ! This was a disappointment at its best !!

To my highest dissatisfaction, I bid an immediate good bye to this “clever” driver and thankfully Nirav and Vishal could get me another vehicle+driver- Sumo & Sameerbhai…and this alternate combo worked wonderful all through the further journey. I must say that these days a “mobile phones” have really become a pain for wild lifers.

We then moved on towards Surendranagar and it was here that I got to meet face to face with Nirav Bhatt, Chikubhai Vora and Vishal Thoria at the weeding ceremony of Vishalbhai’s sister. It was a pleasure attending the function and at the whole ceremony with everyone dressed up in festive kurtas and sherwani’s …I was the only odd man out in camouflaged and rugged claddings…with the Canon biggie and Gitzo tripod on my shoulder and dust filled lowepro bag on the shoulder …a guest arriving from Rann of Kutch !!

It was indeed nice meeting Nirav Bhatt. I was happy to see that Nirav also has interest in classical music which is another passion for me as well. He gifted me some superb music CDs – which are indeed a great collection. Together with Nirav, we visited the Eurasian Eagle owl quarry – which is a wonderful habitat and an asset for Surendranagar. The surroundings of Surendranagar are indeed very favourable for good birding and it’s a nice , peaceful town. Wish I could find a job there!!

Further it was a straight 3.5 hrs drive to Velavadar. The road was a bit bumpy and there were a few traffic jams on the road which caused a bit of pain…but a timely break at a small shack on the highway.. with some hot pakodas and jalebi straight out from kadahi…. proved to be a better idea. We were a bit late to reach Velavadar guest house in the night, but being a full moon – the grassland seemed a great habitat. The food at the guest house was already ready – had a nice meal of Gujarati sabji, daal and rotla. I slept with all the harrier dreams in mind.

Next morning the welcome to the park was from the numerous harriers (Montagu, Pallid, Marsh) emerging from their roosting locations and setting off for their day to the grasslands. As the daylight got better, another surprise meeting with a Hyena and its pup made the morning very special. To my surprise, this was the second sighting of a Hyena in my life…the first one being only a fleeting glance in the night crossing front of the vehicle headlights. So seeing a Hyena in broad daylight was something that I had to pinch myself to believe.
Moving on further, there were graceful herds of blackbucks peeping in an out of the grass accompanied by Bluebulls. Occasional sightings of harriers in flight and other birds of prey were keeping the lens busy all the time.

At the water body, a flock of White storks, Pelicans and Flamingos fetched us a great time. I found these storks to be more colourful, healthy and brighter than those I had seen last year at Great Rann of Kutch.

Velavadar is indeed a magnificent grassland habitat. The presence of Lesser Florican in the monsoon months and the exclusive density of Harrier population makes this location a very prominent on the wildlife map of Indian subcontinent.

After Velavadar, it was an extensive drive of seven hours to reach Jamnagar. The road was quite nice and the journey was much easier than what I had expected.

Jamnagar is a destination that should be on the wish list of very bird lover. Many of the species that you struggle to see else where in India…..are easily sighted around Jamanagar. I stayed at Hotel Aaram – a very comfortable and nice hotel – a sure recommendation if you are in Jamnagar. Kunal Joshi accompanied me to the birding spots in Jamnagar and Kunal’s company was a great help – as he was good on bird sighting and identification and was very well conversant with tide timings, routes to various areas and the lighting / sun angles during the day.

We explored Narara for waders, Valsura Road for Greater flamingos and Dhichda for other waterbirds. The presence of numerous Godwits and hundreds of Lesser flamingos was a stunning sight. Khijadiya bird sanctuary and its surrounding area is another place in Jamnagar which provides an excellent opportunity for water birds.

On the way back from Dhichda, we had a unique experience which I will never forget. Since it was a red alert all along the coast owing to the recent Mumbai events – all the villagers were forced to a vigilant approach by Jamnagar police.

While we were birding on the back side of Dhichda…I took a lot of effort to crawl on my knees with the big lens and beanbag in my hands and managed to reach the edge of the lake to try some eye level experiments with flamingos and Pelicans. I like to call these as ELI (eye level images). While I was struggling hard to work with this ELI - some over eager villagers saw us doing this strange act of crawling and reported to the nearest police station that they have just seen some “suspicious people with camouflaged equipment and dress” and as a result of this we had to land up in the police station for all that unnecessary enquiry, irrelevant discussions and I had to run them through all my 40 GB of CF cards to prove that all that I was photographing was birds and nature…nothing else…it was big task to convince these police guys…their computer operator guy was more than an operator.....in all it was a session full of agony…and -we all somehow managed to get out of that bloody place..only when the senior Thana in-charge came down and listened to us in more detail and we had to get some external authorities to resolve the things.

These are the kind of incidences that sometimes make a nature photographer’s life extremely miserable. Luckily I had a couple of good UK birding organisations letters / membership cards with me..which helped to save our life !!
Later we visited Lakhota lake–which is quite popular for its “Swarm of Gulls” and I was also amazed to witness the acrobatic waves of the roosting starling flocks.

Madhya Pradesh - B'garh & Pench
Next destination was Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh - my home state. I have been associated with Bandhavgarh for past so many years but somehow, I dislike the idea of giving names to the tigers in the national parks. Especially Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Ranthambore – this practice is very popular but would be good if these Tigers are not identified by such “hard-coded” names. Surprisingly this time – Bandhavgarh usuals ie B2, Bokha et all eluded us and it was only on the last safari round that we could get a Tiger sighting. Although I have never been a tiger-buff , but we really wanted to have a good Tiger sighting for my wife and son…who had their first visit to the park. We were with the guide-driver duo - Mukesh Berman and Vikas. We stayed in tiger trails - which is quite a decent resort to stay with the family.

Outside of the park boundary, I could get three remarkable sightings. First was a Brown fish owl – which I saw for first time in my life- fishing in a water stream…true to its name. Also, spotting a Mottled wood owl pair and a Blue bearded bee eater was quite rewarding for me.

Since last few years – I am quite excited about Pench. I had visited Pench few years back on a bike !! Now visiting Pench again after 10 years was quite interesting for me. The joy at Pench got multiplied because of the wonderful resort called “Mogli’s Den”. This is indeed a very nice place to spend a few days in Pench. Neat, clean and spacious rooms, excellent service and hospitality, wonderful and sumptuous food and a convenient distance from the park gate. I liked those tasty starters like Hara bhara kabab & spring rolls which they served after returning from the afternoon safari round. This resort feeds you like a king !
Next morning our vehicle was the first one ..and to my greatest surprise - just within 2 mins of entering the Pench park gate… ..and I was still hearing the voices of the people near the entry barrier gate…. a majestic Tigress came walking straight to us…gave a cursory look and disappeared in the side growth. Another unbelievable experience!
Sometimes things happen so quick and unexpectedly in the wild that there is much more fun in experiencing that moment fully ….rather than photographing it… I couldn’t click a single frame!

In Pench, I had scheduled for 5 safaris, but the next whole day was almost a spoilsport due to cloudy and murky sky and somewhat smoky surroundings. We tracked the famous leopards of Pench very hard and most of the times closed in on pertinent alarm calls, but somehow these clever cats tricked us in every way. Rohan- the popular Pench personality was with me. It was just on the last safari round that I got to see a fleeting glimpse of this graceful predator of Pench.

Last three days of my visit we were at Indore - my hometown with my parents. But on top of that I was very keen to visit the Sirpur lake- where I had seen a dream few years back – to transform it to a Bird sanctuary- and today I was delighted to see that the dream coming true. A healthy population of migratory birds amidst the urban pressure was pleasant surprise and thanks to the efforts of “TNV” (The nature Volunteers) that the place is sustaining and the species and population of birds is growing here every year. I had a few press / media interviews/ Television cahennel recordings in Indore about the lake. Some of these are here -

Also, my 5th major contribution as a book - "Ducks, Geese & Swans of India" - was launched on 03 Jan'09 - for which I've shared images to author Dr.Asad Rahamani, Director-BNHS and this book has been jointly published by Oxford and BNHS. The book includes around 50 of my photographs including front page and the back cover. This is the book -

And then…it was the LAST day of the year 2008 and also the last day of my India visit….didn’t realise that the whole month had already gone by so fast…and it was the time to catch my return flight back to the UK.
I was a bit sceptical about my Indore-Delhi-London connection because Delhi had been under severe fog for prevailing for two days and some of the flights were cancelled. Keeping my fingers crossed and eyes glued to the gradually fading fog, we could manage to reach Delhi and then to Indira Gandhi international airport, got the flight to London in time and finally entered the British “habitat”!!

YES…and now it will take a while for me to get out of this nostalgia of the exciting wilderness and its inertia…..and its difficult to get back into the office work…..but you know what…..I‘ve already started dreaming about my next visit to India !!

Some lessons learnt from this trip –
1. Towards end of December usually the sky gets a big foggy and the light quality is a bit smoky. This uncertain weather condition prevails usually for a couple of weeks in most parts of India and then it clears up later probably after a few showers.
2. While moving in the jungles, a fine layer of dust settles on the lens front element, especially if the long lens. This layer is usually not visible but can only be witnessed if you wipe off the front element with a slightly moist duster cloth. This dust layer cause a slight reduction in the image quality. So while in a jeep, its best to keep the front of the lens covered by some suitable means.
3. Ensure that your vehicle driver (if he is unaware of the wildlife) is instructed to keep his mobile off while driving in the sanctuaries….especially if you are expecting to sight something important.

(The images with this write up are general memories of the tour, for more images - specifically of the wildlife species and their behaviour would be available soon on my website http://www.saleeltambe.com/ or http://www.naturewebindia.com/ – which is awaiting a changeover to a new version…so please do visit the website in a few days…thanks).

2008-03-17T17:55:00.021Z

After being cohesively attached for several years with Indian wildlife and the habitat, it is certainly a very difficult situation to be suddenly away from it.

Believe me ...this almost feels like snatching away a favorite toy from a child's hands while he is fully engrossed and absorbed with it !

Soon after completion of authoring the book "Birds of Western Ghats, Konkan and Malabar" published by BNHS / Oxford - I have been living out of India for last five years due to my professional commitments.

However the nostalgia keeps nagging me everyday to be back into the rich wilderness of India as and when possible. There is hardly any day in my life abroad – when I don’t miss the aroma of Indian jungles. Eagerly seeking any possible opportunity - I am always desperate and dying to be with the flora and fauna of the homeland!

Strongly driven by this urge, this time I intended to cover the following three diverse areas with my wife Deepa and son Shakunt–
1. Kumaon (Corbett and Pangot)
2. Greater Rann of Kutch
3. Western Ghats ( Thattekad & Munnar)

Also, this visit had another interesting context – I recently upgraded all my gear to new Canon equipment including the biggie (IS 500 mm/f4) and 100-400mm, 40D body together with a range of other lenses and accessories, Gitzo tripod and Wimberly head ……hence – a lot of excitement propelled the visit with this new gear in hand !
(By the way; in addition to the optical performance –my new biggie also got accidentally tested for its mechanical strength -when I had a tumble down ..a bangread the Kutch story!!)

This triangular visit turned out to be a fantastic one and yielded me almost 75 lifer species – the birds, mammals and reptiles that I came across for the first time along with the interesting sightings of the routine species. It gave me a glimpse of some rarities and unfolded a spectrum of wildlife of our own country.Please refer to the separate blog for each of these three destinations. Thanks to the valuable inputs and information provided by all the friends and the excellent travel help extended by Gaurav & Rahul (Saad, Pune).

More images from this trip can be seen in the “Recent Images” slide show section on the left side of home page on my website –

www.naturewebindia.com

Looking to the exploding network of domestic flights within India, now it is quite possible to think of some aggressive travel plans which otherwise required several buffer pause days in between for accommodating connecting trains and tricky bus routes.

Five years back - I could cover only one or two destinations in a duration two weeks but now the reach is so well facilitated that one can easily cover the four corners of the country within a limited time of two weeks. Previous night you are listening to the Owl calls in interiors of some south Indian jungle and next day before the breakfast you are able to photograph an Eurasian Eagle owl up on a rock …somewhere very close to India-Pakistan border. Isn’t that a miracle ?

Truly reviatalised…coming back to the UK and getting back into the routine office work….I am now endowed with some recent memory markings that I can survive with till my next visit to the wilderness of homeland. I’m sure it won’t be too long because …I am yet to restore my luggage and clothes from this recent trip and I have already started dreaming of the next trip to my favorite places in the Indian wilderness…!!

Raining of species in the desert - Kutch

2008-03-17T17:54:00.002Z

If someone calls a desert just a “dead and dry” place full of only sand …..then must visit Rann of Kutch ! There is so much happening every minute in Banni and Naliya grasslands of Kutch that it leaves you astonished and redefines the concept of a desert land ! Honestly this can better be experienced than described in words !

Moreover, the showering help of people like Jugalbhai Tiwari, his co-host Vaibhavbhai and the great sumo rider Laxmanbhai makes the visit to this desert a pleasure indeed !

After the Delhi Ahemdabad flight and then train journey - as we arrived at Bhuj Railway station, Jugalbhai picked us up along with an interesting breakfast of “Kachories”. En-route we scanned a lake full of Pelican activity and loads of waders dotted on the edge. This was certainly an exciting curtain raiser to the area that we were going to be in next three days.

The only curse to this wonderful place is the charcoal making by locals which is not only a severe eco degradation act but also a very highly dangerous activity to the human life. The local tribes camping around Fulay Village are indulged in converting a species of plants called Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora) into charcoal through a crude process of smouldering. The smoking surroundings and the hell of carbon is a slow death to humans as well as the ecology in this whole area. This surely need an urgent action from the concerned authorities.

Day’s start was with some sightings Grey Hypocolius – a significant species of Kutch. Mohammed the local person at Fulay village took us to the Salavadora persica bushes to show these Hypocolius..as if they are his pets !

Later the visit to Thorn forest fetched us with the long awaited sightings of White Naped Tit, White Bellied Minivet which are the specialities of this area.

And then a different world was unveiled on a place called “Banni Grasslands” !! Talking of this miracle grassland - I am simply amazed by the sense of direction the locals have in the middle of this “nowhere” and my hats off to the vehicle drivers (like Laxmanbhai) who drive without any track laid out in front of them in this endless terrain…….it not only vast…but it is hugely random…..its an ocean of soil…its un-limiting …no widths measurable ..no length estimations ! The camera exposure meter and the autofocus gets a bit tricky with the mirage and all that light brown expanse.

While we were amidst this wonderland, a lunch at the ethnic Shaam-E-Sarhad was an added pleasure in this extravaganza. Second day’s lunch to a Punjabi Dhaba was another enjoyable affair as well.

Lined by a continuous series of Mirages, we had as superb time with Imperial Eagles, Eurasian Eagle Owls, Short Eared owls, While Storks, Ruff & Reeve, Isabelian, Desert and Variable Wheaters, six species of Larks, Common Carnes, While Storks, Pelicans and Black Eared Kites.

A careful watch around the “Pakkhi bheet” rewarded us with Eurasian Eagle owls, Francolins, Wheaters, Mongoose and Jackals. At a few places. ..the blooming Flame of the forest (Butia) is a host to Rosy Pastors, Bulbuls, Sunbirds & Warblers which queue up for a few drops of “floral squeeze” in this dryness.

During the day…moving through the expanse of sandy soil with interspersed growth of Suaeda fruticosa, we had excellent sightings of Short Eared owl, Imperial, Steppe, Tawny and Short Toed Snake Eagles, Common Cranes and the climax was a Desert Fox spotting ….which indeed was a rare catch.

In a single day - the unbelievable scores of 11 Owls, around 40 eagles, More than 10 Jackals, hundreds of Francolins….Hundreds of Storks, Loads of Harriers & Numerous Waders…was something like an unrealistic account coming true in front of our eyes !

One of the unique experience was the Eurasian Eagle Owls activity around dusk when these were seen in “flocks” of four-five perched atop the reddish rocks overlooking the setting sun, the red orange hues reflect into their eyes and the widened iris displays a peculiar shade of color.

Naliya Grassland is another amazing area where you can witness the grassland ecology in its true sense ! We were gifted by some excellent spotting here……Indian Coursers in big flocks….numerous Spiny tailed Lizards all around….Jackals and Foxes feeding on them…Jungle Cats ….Chinkaras….Chestnut and painted Sandgrouses …Francolins…Doves….hundreds of Harriers roosting …..and …the grand finale here was a “Wolf” Crossing our path just a few meters of our vehicle !

And while the sun was already set, our vehicle stopped suddenly to find something quite unusual…a Hedgehog very near the front tyre…immediately turning into a rigid ball of thorns !! We displaced it to the grassy side of the road and moved on.

Adding a different dimension to this desert depiction, a visit to the sea coast at Pingaleshwar gave an excellent opportunity to be with some lifers and rarities like Broadbilled Sandpiper, Huglins Gull, Caspian Tern, Sandwich Tern, Osprey, Juv Lesser Flamingo, Bar tailed Godwit, Gull Billed Tern, Greater Thicknee and many more. The mudskippers here formed a staple diet for all these coast dwellers.

The last morning before departure turned out a misty surprise – something unusual in such a dry area – and we still decided to give another try for the White napped Tit and White Bellied Minivet in the thorn forest area near Mahadeo phod and these couple of quick hours yielded another good sighting of both these species.

On a small stop dam here…holding my 7 Kgs of equipment on a wimberly head & Gitzo tripod, one of the naughty boulders under my feet slipped away….and within a split second …there I went …rolling down the slope….banging my biggie on the ground with a loud hit…my elbow scratched on the rough gravel… and…Thank the almighty… in addition to the optical quality …my new 500mm lens got tested for the mechanical build quality as well ! Intact as it was before…no damage at all …Surprising..isn’t it ?

Finally after a quick visit to the local handicrafts shop, Laxmanbhai dropped us at the Bhuj airport …an end of a wonderful saga ! While on the return flight …I confessed that the earlier concept of “dry desert” in my mind was completely washed out by this wonderful “Rain of experiences” !

more images on http://www.naturewebindia.com/

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Call of Kumaon - Corbett & Pangot

2008-03-17T17:54:00.001Z

Corbett is not only an amazingly scenic destination but its surely one of the most remarkable Indian habitats with a significant diversity of species. The richness of this place has different facets which are revealed differently in the three different seasons of the year. In spite of seeing this location in numerous films and documentaries…actual visit to this wildlife paradise every time opens up a magical bag full of whole new experiences.

After a dramatic last minute frantic chase from Delhi airport to old Delhi railway station - we finally succeeded to jump into the Delhi~Ramnagar train within the last 4 minutes of its departure and were able to touch down next morning to Ramnagar – as scheduled!

Staying in the wonderful Tiger Camp resort which deserves a full score, our entry into the Bijarani area started with a beautiful morning. Crossing over popular while pebbles of the river Ramganga, the welcome spell included some excellent sightings of Wallcreepers, River Lapwings, Changeable Hawk & Crested Serpent eagles, Woodpeckers (Flamebacks and Scaly billed), Blue Whistling thrushes, Redstarts topped up by amazing arrival of Great Pied hornbills. Scattered Spotted Deer and Sambars always keep the count ticking as the vehicle continues through this wonderful jungle. Occasional Barking Deer sightings tend to keep your eyesight alert over the side bushes. Shrikes and Drongos keep flapping across. Orioles and Minivets keep the canopies busy.

Later part of the day was in Jhirna section which is approached by passing through a couple of small villages on the outer periphery of the jungle. Surprisingly there was no guide available to accompany the safari at the entrance gate of Jhirna and the gate forest officer happily (or helplessly) allowed us to enter without a guide ! Our gypsy "captain" Diwan singh himself had a good feel of the wildlife spotting and he was much more enthusiastic than some of the routine guides. This Jhirna area has a slightly different landscape and geographical profile compared to the Bijrani area and is a habitat hosting sloth bears, junglefowls, vultures and hornbills.

Driving around a turn to look for a Crimson sunbird that vanished fast into the bush, we landed near a ficus tree that was full of figs as well as loaded with Hornbills ! There were 8 Great pied hornbills and 3 Oriental pied hornbills on this singular tree and surprisingly they all were hidden so well that none of them could be seen unless they moved inside the thicket of the leaves. I could never believe that huge birds like Great Pied Hornbills, that too in big numbers could remain unnoticed in spite of being so close to the tree. The same tree was also dotted with about 20-22 barbets (they were all very silent – for a change !) and could be counted only when flew away from the tree. Up in the sky were circling White rumped vultures together with Griffons and made a very exciting cyclic appearance & disappearance behind a hillock.

While the sunlight was getting more into its setting hues, the road further yielded some excellent sightings of Plum headed parakeets, several Red jungle fowl pairs whizzing across the route and a beautiful flock of Emrald Doves which flashed their greens while roaming in and out of the side bushes. In the background, the Francolins were heard on and off.

Staying only in peripheral resorts at Ramnagar does not reveal you the full of what this park has to offer. To get a true flavor of the wealth here, one has to essentially stay in the Dhikala area and move around the wonderful habitat that surrounds the government rest house overlooking the reservoir. The experience is certainly different when you stay inside the park at Dhikala. In fact the road from Ramnagar to Dhikala is in itself something that needs to be explored and is a wonderful area for some exclusive sightings.

Just entering a few hundred meters of the Dhangadia gate and settling our binoculars on a Crested Serpent Eagle – a huge sloth bear appeared suddenly out of the thicket giving us a unique lifetime sighting. Wandering in the Indian Jungle for whole of last decade, this was only the third sighting of a Sloth bear for me and was certainly a hair raiser at the beginning of the jungle round.

Some exclusive sightings from this area included rarities like Tawny Fish Owl, Collared Falconet, Grey Winged Balckbird, White Crowned Laughing thrushes, Asian Barred Owlet, Chestnut Belied Nuthatches, Long Tailed Minivets, Short Eared Owl, Hog Deer and Yellow Throated Martens.

The Chaurs (grasslands) around the reservoir are an excellent venue for some raptors crossing across the jeep routes and spending some quiet time here provides a good time with Harriers and Eagles. Otherwise also, this is a very interesting landscape – changing its looks with changing moods of the sunlight.

The canteen at Dhikala Guest house is being run by contractors and is indeed a very pleasant experience. The chef here tries to fully treat you with his culinary excellence and is creditable to see this superb quality of food deep inside the heart of the jungle with such a limited bandwidth of supplies and support facilities. Two days at Dhikala were sumptuous in both ways – the wildlife and the food in the guesthouse.

Bidding goodbye to Corbett, we climbed up the hills to touch “Pangot” - a lovely village with barely a dozen cottages around. Pangot is naturally carved in an extremely beautiful location…. and situated on the edge of a scenic cliff overlooking the vast expense of the graceful Kumaon range, it has a great potential for most of the sought after Himalayan species. Nestled amidst “Cheed and Deodar” trees, the atmosphere here is simply splendid.

Staying at the Jungle Lore resort is definitely an added benefit as this is at a strategic location for some good birding…but talking of the essential support for birding (local guides-vehicle-logistics), I would certainly expect and anticipate a much better support from a lodge meant and specialized for birding. There are some obvious loose ends that need to be tied up irrespective of the type/race/ skin color of the person visiting this place, otherwise it does not justify to be called a “birding resort”.

The search for Koklass pheasant started in the morning on a breathtaking route to Vinayak. Our driver Harish was keenly observing on either side of the road for any surprises and was keeping a good control of the Bolero 4x4 with equal dexterity. This search did not reveal any Koklass to us but ended up in a unbelievable sighting of Ghoral – which darted speedily with a slight noise of the vehicle door. Enroute we had some excellent activity of Himalayan Griffons circling over a scenic valley. Altai Accentors were happily flocking on the edge of this valley.

Taking the scary turns through the steep mountain roads, we reached the woodpecker point. At the first sight this area looked quite inert and static….but soon was flooded with some astounding activities of Rufous Sibia, Tree creepers, Mountain Hawk Eagle Himalayan and Rufuous bellied Woodpeckers. There is some inherent haze here in the atmosphere and the photographs reflect that as a thin hazy blue curtain on the images. Even if the sun is high up in the sky and the day heats up, the haze still continues to linger.

A short stroll down the valley easily covers species like Himalayan Bulbul, Slaty Headed parakeets, Black throated Tit, Blue Whistling thrush, Steaked and Whilte throated Laughing thrush, Russet Sparrow, Great Barbet, Black headed jay, Chestnut Crowned Laughing Thrush, Green Backed Tit etc.

To multiply this exhilaration, the sighting of Brown Wood Owl near the ravine left us stunned ! This beautiful specimen perched atop a tree near a culvert made a permanent impression on our minds which will last the whole life !

On the way towards Sat Taal area, we peeped at a water stream that is known for Forktails and we surely saw two of the Slatybacked forktails along with a Brown Dipper and 3 Lesser Spotted Eagle on a nearby tree.

By the time we reached Sat taal, it was a bit late for the day and the sun was rushing fast behind the hills cutting down the light in the area that we were in. However a brisk walk in a nullah turned out to be quite rewarding with some unusual encounters with numerous Blue Magpies,Scaly Billed Woodpecker & Black throated accentor and a Mountain Bulbul hidden in the clumsy thickets…both were lifers for me !

Overwhelmed by the beauty of Pangot and rewarded with some excellent bird sightings, it was surely a difficult proposition to take the train and return to Delhi.

More images on http://www.naturewebindia.com/

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A window to Western ghats - Thattekad

2008-03-17T17:50:00.000Z

Life lined by the prosperity of Periyar river, this place is a must for every birder from anywhere in the world. Carry any Indian bird book here and you will come back with majority of the birds ticked "spotted" on the book. This is one of the places where your checklist would grow to three figures in just a day or two!

I would say that being one of the most rich western ghat bird habitat- Thattekad is certainly a birding hotspot that offers a wonderful birding experience, but the photography becomes a bit tricky affair here. In other words…your binoculars will be more busy here than the trigger of your camera.

I was delighted to be in the Junglebird home stay run by enthusiastic Gireesh (a lawyer by profession) and the company of his energetic mother Sudha who is an excellent example of how the joy of nature & birding is not restricted to age, education and background. It is the pure joy that anyone can enjoy – if inclined to and involved into it!

I discovered that the new upcoming guides in Thattekad area are comparatively a better company because most of the times - while trying to persuade some of the hyped up names at Thattekad-the interaction ends up in a lot of disappointment and people get cheated while trying to be with these so called "established guides". Some of the upcoming guides are very well conversant with good birding background and they also seem to be reading and watching a lot of reference material from around the world which makes them quite competent.

The trail started with Brown Hawk owls continued to the deeper parts of the jungle with scattered mixed hunting parties. On the two sides of the path appeared Ruby Throated Bulbuls, Malabar and Vernal Hanging Parakeets, Bronze and Racket Tailed Drongos, Both the flamebacks, Barbets, Heartspotted & Rufous Woodpeckers, Grey Junglefowls, Orioles, Thrushes, While Bellied and Rufous Treepies. While we moved toward the bushes with confirmed presence of Ceylon Frogmouths – a family of Elephant with babies in the herd caused a sudden stir and drifted us to the watch tower. In turn- a Malabar Trogon fetched us a wonderful sighting together with its better half. Moving further another stunner- a Black Baza flew across the thick growth of trees and made our day ! The mysterious sunset hours at the “first and second rocks” was another exciting time to witness Indian Pitta, Jungle Owlet, Scops owl and Grey Nightjar.

Next morning started with a hilarious bumpy bus ride …followed later on by pleasing birdcalls on a big rock towards the eastern side of Thattekad and this turned out to be a fantastic location to witness some exclusive sightings like Dollar Bird, Crimson Throated Barbet, White Bellied Woodpecker, Emrald Dove, Nuthatches and Hill Mynas in action.

Munnar is a certainly a place worth a visit while being in Thattekad. With the Scenic Carpets of Tea garden and plenty of water bodies – it’s a famous holiday ( more the honeymoon) destinations and being home to the famous shola areas in the vicinity of western ghats – provides some excellent nature and wildlife opportunities. Taking a car from Thattekad one can easily cover Munnar as a day long excursion and the road to Munnar itself can fetch some good birding.

Overall this area is an interesting window to the western ghats where every birder would surely come back delighted and rewarded with a few new species on every visit.

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