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Tigers and Then Some


Atravelynn

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Mukki Section of Kanha

 

Mukki generally has fewer guests and vehicles, and fewer but more expensive accommodations than Kisli. The wildlife density is less in Mukki than Kisli. But dhole sightings were more common, at least during my stay.

 

In Mukki my naturalist was Ashok, Rajan’s brother, and equally renowned naturalist who took over the camera that Rajan had used. Seren remained our talented driver. The transfer/game drive between Kisli and Mukki took about 3 hours and produced one of our private tigers—the mother of three 18-month old cubs we had viewed earlier. It also took us to a lookout point and tower and to the infrequently visited Bishaupura Meadows, inhabited by the elusive four-horned antelope, the Chousingha. We were lucky to see one.

 

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As we were enjoying the Chousingha, Sri Lanka was batting in the finals of the Cricket World Cup and Ashok and Seren were still a couple of hours away from settling in to watch this game, which had shut down much of India. To their credit, they remained focused on nature and wildlife and we did not rush or shorten our afternoon transfer and game drive.

 

When we arrived at Royal Tiger, Manager Narren greeted me and invited me to join him for supper. This hospitable gesture was elevated to new heights considering that the India-Sri Lanka final match of the Cricket World Cup was playing as we dined. I kept telling Narren to feel free to excuse himself and go check the score as often as he wished. I wasn’t sure where there might be TV, but figured they must have one turned on somewhere. He declined my invitation to step out, but lamented that after Pakistan’s formidable 274 points, India was not faring well at the moment with an early 2 wickets and only 30 points.

 

My cursory reading of the sports sections in the days leading up to the final match saved me from despair because I knew the tremendous depth of India’s batters and that two of Sri Lanka’s best bowlers were out with injuries. And to think 5 days earlier I thought cricket was merely a noisy insect.

 

I went to bed not knowing the outcome of the match and I must have slept soundly through celebrations that followed the final score: Sri Lanka 274/6; India 277/4.

 

Royal Tiger, offered basic, clean accommodations with good food, and a most hospitable manager. It was very close to the Mukki gate, maybe 7 minutes. The grounds were spacious enough that the morning after my arrival, which had been in the pitch dark, I needed assistance finding where to board the vehicle. Royal Tiger, like all the places I stayed, suited me very well and I’d recommend it.

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Love your comparisons. Great report. You do look very regal sitting outside of the Taj. Good to see you in some of the pics.

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Thank you for the regal comment, Cris.

 

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A favorite photo of the trip

 

Mahua Flowers, Tigers, and Nothing at All

In April the yellow Mahua Flowers were dropping from the trees everywhere and local people could be seen gathering them. The honey from the flowers is used to make a wine that is potent and popular in equal parts. Brothers Rajan and Ashok each told me this same story about Mahua wine: When friends and families gather, the guests could be served many vegetable dishes, mutton, chicken, chipatis, fruit, and desserts; but if there is no Mahua wine, the guests will likely comment, “We had nothing. Nothing at all.”

 

Likewise, Rajan and Ashok continued the story: Visitors to the parks may see many species of monkeys and deer, and even rare animals such as the jungle cat or sloth bear, but if they do not see the tiger, their response to, “Did you see anything?” is often “No, nothing. Nothing at all.”

 

 

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Shooting from the Elephant

Photography from the back of the elephant can be difficult due to the movement and shade of the jungle. I was thrilled with the photos from my Sony DSC HX1 because I used a special button available on this model. It is the “anti-motion blur” button shown as a little hand with squiggly parentheses around it. All decent P&Ss now have image stabilization, but this is in addition to that standard feature. The camera takes 6 photos and then combines them somehow to avoid the blur. It takes about 8 seconds for the combining to happen, so there is a lag. But without this feature I’m sure most of the tiger show photos would have been very low quality and hardly worth saving. Maybe this is a standard feature on many cameras, but I had not seen it before. It’s certainly something to consider if you plan to photograph tigers from an elephant and want decent results.

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All taken on elephant back

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Such a fantastic report, photo and trip combined to make great reading. Totally enchanting and a lesson to us all with the "no, nothing at all" comments when we are surrounded by so much of interest and beauty.

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Thanks Twaffle, the in-person account of that "nothing at all tale" by each of the brother-guides on separate occasions with their beautiful accented English and their earnest message of the importance of appreciation tempered with humor was a treasure.

 

Accented English reminds me of an initial humorous misunderstanding I had right off the bat due to my complete lack of understanding of accented or unaccented Hindi. My first naturalist was explaining to me various rituals that "all the travel people" do. These included mass consumption of Mahua wine, smoking home made cigarettes, scaling steep cliffs, etc. Concerned that I might be expected to engage in these activities since I was a "travel people" myself, I tried to determine how widespread this practice was. I was assured that everyone, male and female, engaged and I was told, "You will see."

 

"Oh dear," I thought to myself, "These activities were definitely not on the itinerary."

 

Good thing I just kept my mouth shut and did not object to undertaking these activities as a "travel people" because I soon realized it was all the "tribal people" not the "travel people" who did these things as illustrated in a museum exhibit in Kanha.

 

Whew!

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Super LEEDS

Oh man! I was reading this report the other day and I thought it was over... dumbo :o

 

Loving this report ATL, and love it even more that there's more to read now. Tigers are #1 for me.

 

Sorry if this is in the bit I haven't yet, but how did you find the dreaded crowds and uncouth locals you always read about around any major sighting?

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Over? Ha ha ha ha. I'm just getting started. My plan is to use up every bit, byte, megawatt, bandwidth, and pixel allotted to this forum. Sort of like Jaws, just when you think it's safe to get back in the water...just when you think India is wrapped up, here's another installment.

 

It will not be a fat lady singing that signifies the end, but there will be some bird lists. Actually I think I have about 3 more posts before the bird lists. Then it's THE END.

 

My philosophy is to throw it all out there so anyone who is researching/investigating a trip has the info.

 

"Dreaded crowds"--no crowds anywhere except for tigers. Other sightings were mostly solo and most of our driving in Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Corbett was without any other vehicle in sight.

 

In Kanha we were spread out enough because the tigers were at a distance, so it wasn't crowded. Tigers from the elephant had only 2-3 eles in the area, so no crowd. I had a couple of solo sightings of tigers in Kanha.

 

In Bandhavgarh there were 10-11 vehicles per track and when we encountered tigers (except for our solo sighting) there were indeed 10 vehicles jockeying for position.

 

In Corbett I had one private fleeting glance of a tiger and then whoosh, all the vehicles materialized around us, but the tiger had vanished. Another time I was part of a group of 15+ vehicles all trying to see the tummy of a sleeping cat hidden in the forest. I had to stand on top of the Gypsy, balancing on two rollbars to see the white tiger tummy.

 

During the sightings I did not hear shouts, no one fell out of the vehicles, and there was no tiger cheering section or people doing the wave. Everyone seemed intent on viewing the cat. When we were just sitting and waiting in an area in hopes of a tiger sighting sometimes people were loud or talked between vehicles.

 

I was prepared to endure a horrible experience in order to see tigers. That did not happen. What helped was I went during a non-peak time. What also helped is that within the last year or two Bandhavgarh, which had been the source of many horror stories, changed their rules to limit the number of vehicles to each track.

 

Maybe I was lucky with the lack of uncouth, unruly guests. The experience with other vehicles was not as good as Southern Africa where only 3 vehicles are allowed per sighting and most of the time no one else was around. The experience with other vehicles was better than some of the nonsense I witnessed at the Mara River with people flagrantly urinating next to their vehicle and vehicles blocking the path of the wildes. It was also far better than a couple of "leopard hunts" I saw in the Mara.

 

The experience was one that I'd gladly repeat.

 

Now let me see if I can round up the fat lady and get her to sing and make the bird lists.

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Super LEEDS

Thanks, ATL :)

 

Good news on the "crowds" and their behaviour... quite surprising too.

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Amazing ATL, simply awesome!

 

Especially loved the python - reminds me of the one we saw in Yala.

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Indian Shikra

 

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Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

After a final morning drive in Mukki that had to be shortened a bit, Ashok and I departed, along with the transfer driver for Bandhavgarh. From Royal Tiger in Mukki, Kanha to the Bandhavgarh entrance gate, it took 5 hours and 20 minutes of actual driving time, not including our lunch at a restaurant, and another 7 minutes to get to Nature Heritage Lodge. Half way through the transfer, the roads became more winding and hilly and I realized I would need to pop half a Bonine to avoid car sickness.

 

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For Ashok (and the driver) the round trip amounted to over 10 hours of road travel, all to ensure I had no problems during the trip or when I checked in to Nature Heritage. Ashok’s assistance at a crowded ATM machine in Mandla, a citiy between Kanha and Bandhavgarh, was very helpful and it was reassuring knowing to have him along for the ride and visit with him.

 

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In Bandhavgarh there are four sections:

Tala--highest tiger density, 32 visitor vehicles allowed in 3 Zones (B, C, D) That’s where I went.

Magdhi--66 vehicles allowed

Khitauli--32 vehicles allowed

Panpatha Sanctuary that I was told was near the buffer zone and I don’t know how many vehicles are allowed there.

 

In Tala, Zone A was not currently accessible. Zones B and C had 25 km each of road and Zone D’s road was 20 km. The B in Zone B must stand for Bouncy or Better secure your sports Bra, ladies!

 

On my first morning, I missed a male tiger sighting by about 10 minutes and was not successful during the tiger show. “No big deal,” I figured, “I’ll have plenty more chances.”

 

During the following two and a half days of my stay, an unusual phenomenon occurred: the tigers vanished from Bandhavgarh. The naturalists had not experienced disappearing tigers during that time of year before, though they had in December. I asked about phases of the moon or shifts in weather, but nothing explained the sudden lack of tigers.

 

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For five drives, including one tiger show, no tigers in Bandhavgarh. Earlier in my trip I had visited with a woman who lived near Kanha and was a long-time advocate of the park. She recounted how twice in Kanha’s history the tigers had disappeared for about a week, pug marks and all. The park officials were so concerned that they contacted members of the local Baiga tribe and asked them to perform a ritual to ask the tigers to make themselves visible once again. Apparently it worked—both times.

 

I was ready to ring up the head Baiga and request he make a hasty road trip to Bandhavgarh and talk to the tigers. Intellectualy I know that demands of tigers or Baigas, or of guarantees, are out of place when dealing with nature . But emotionally, 90 minutes into my sixth and final game drive in Bandhavgarh without seeing a tiger, I could sense the growing presence of my “inner pout.”

 

Over the course of the previous few outings, I kept interpreting various events as a lucky sign that a tiger would appear: the rustling of a monitor through dried leaves; the fact that Guarav who came to join me for my last two days in Bandhavgarh had the same camera and binoculars as I did; the audible prayers from one of the naturalists as we departed. None of these provided sufficient luck, though.

 

Then, with an hour and a half gone on the last drive, I spotted a pair of barking deer and was about to call them out as my latest potential good luck symbol when Driver Puneet and the naturalist announced with great excitement, “Tiger, tiger, tiger!”

 

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That was an accurate description as there were three grown cubs ambling along. After Puneet had stopped the Gypsy for photos, he turned around and gently grabbed my arm, signaling his relief that I would not leave after a four night stay in Bandhavgarh without seeing a tiger. There were about 9 other vehicles in the vicinity and the tigers were visible for 15 minutes. A very good sighting.

 

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An hour later I saw a tiger coming down the road and we had a private viewing for the few minutes that it approached us and then slipped into the jungle. Examining the photos afterward revealed one the tiger’s eyes was injured, and I hoped not missing. The tiger had been moving normally, though, a positive sign.

 

We joined another line of about 8 vehicles to see a tiger walk across a creek on a log through thick foliage and then disappear. Later Guarav and I shared an elephant with two other people for a view of that same tiger, sound asleep. While photos were poor due to the darkness of the tiger’s jungle retreat, the sound of its snoring could be heard loud and clear. I was glad the tiger felt undisturbed enough to sleep so soundly that it snored. That was the final audio-visual of a tiger in Bandhavgarh and it wrapped up an action packed and exciting three hours of tigers

 

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Nature Heritage is a really nice lodge, active with birds. All the room locations seemed equally good. The first afternoon that I was out looking for tigers (and missed them), one came looking for me and apparently could be seen in the open area behind the lodge. The staff generously offered me the use of their Internet when it worked, for some quick emails home. From omelets at breakfast to gulab jamun (dessert) after the evening meal, the food was great. Nature Heritage, like all the places I stayed, suited me very well and I’d recommend it.

 

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Even in Bandhavgarh seeing tigers is a special privilege and cannot be taken for granted. I had initially toyed with the idea of 3 nights in Bandhavgarh, thinking that would be certainly enough time to see some cats. I’m glad I stayed 4 nights or I would have missed a tiger in Bandhavgarh because with tigers, nothing is certain.

 

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Great report and excellent decision to stay that extra day. I was not as accurate (or as precise) as your guide when I exclaimed 'cat, cat, cat' on me last safari. I was off by one.

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Great report and excellent decision to stay that extra day. I was not as accurate (or as precise) as your guide when I exclaimed 'cat, cat, cat' on me last safari. I was off by one.

Does that mean you saw 2 or 4?

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That sighting turned out to be a leopard carrying a cub.

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Corbett By Way Of Agra

 

Guarav and I were driven from Nature Heritage at about 2:00 pm to Katni, which took 2 hours, where we boarded the Gondwana Express that took us by rail to Agra. Earlier in the report are the details of the Agra visit. I was impressed with the logistics that allowed me to see 5 different tigers and the Taj Mahal at a relaxed pace, with the added feature of Indian rail travel, all within about 24 hours!

 

After the Taj Mahal, Gaurav, Wild World India Owner Vikram, Driver CB and I drove to Delhi. Thank goodness for CB’s excellent attentive driving skills during the 4.75 hour trip. At the Ahuja Residency in Delhi I said good bye to Vikram and Guarav, though later I would have the privilege of visiting Guarav’s home and family.

 

To beat some of that Delhi traffic, CB and I got an early start for Corbett the following day at 5:30 am. Our daybreak departure and the fact that it was a Sunday helped us make the door to door journey in only 7 and a half hours, which included a 25 minute break near the midpoint between Delhi and Corbett where there is a nice restaurant and a nice restroom and grounds to walk around and stretch your legs. The other pit stop I requested during the 7.5 hour journey required a hop into the roadside bushes.

 

After I settled in to Forktail Creek in the Biranji section of Corbett, CB and I went off looking for birds. I was amazed CB still had energy for a couple hour bird walk after getting up before 4 a.m. and driving 7 plus hours. But birds are his passion and he was ready to show me some beauties.

 

In about two hours, along a stretch near of not even 300 meters, we saw about 40 different and interesting birds. Highlights included prolonged views of the Collared Falconlet, watching a pair of Red Breasted Parakeets feed their chick, seeing a Great Hornbill fly by, and getting nice views of a pair of Kalij Pheasants, which I was hoping to see. A complete bird list appears at the end of the report.

 

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It is possible to stay in the jungle in Corbett by booking the government rest houses. From my brief experience, the rest houses I encountered were indeed in the jungle, but in an expansive cleared, compound of numerous buildings, enclosed by a fence. The location is great because you do not have to travel to a gate to enter the park, but your room is not ensconced in jungle. On the other hand, I did stay in a place where narrow paths through the forest led to each cottage and the dining area. That was Forktail Creek on the edge of the park in the Biranji section.

 

Of the places I stayed Forktail Creek offered the most secluded, personalized lodging--fine dining with the staff ; sitting around the campfire in the evening and enjoying a hot cup of soup after a day in the park; wandering the camp’s paths through thick vegetation. The fact that I was the only guest for my two night stay probably helped the personalization.

 

A bird bath near the “Thatch” as the main gathering area was known, was always active with fantails or sunbirds or other species The rooms were great, taking advantage of solar lighting. No electricity, but the staff charged my batteries. If you are not a sound sleeper, the four domestic dogs that lived at Forktail Creek could awaken you with their frequent barking rants in the night.

 

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The drive from Forktail Creek to the Amdanda Gate to enter the Biranji section of Corbett was 40 minutes, with the road leading directly to/from Forktail Creek quite steep and rugged. To avoid the lengthy midday drive to Forktail Creek for lunch and then back to the park we spent the 11:00 to 3:00 lunch/downtime at the complex in the jungle that included the Biranji Forest Rest House. Also available in the complex were bathrooms with seats or not, a small store with snacks, an enclosed dining room, a small library, a shaded rest area with benches, and the mahout’s home and elephants.

 

Some people brought pillows with them for a more comfortable nap. The children (ages 5-10) of the mahout liked to visit and practice English and invite guests to sit in their home, so that offered a nice pastime after my packed lunch was eaten.

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The transfer between Biranji and Dhikala took about 3 hours at a leisurely pace that allowed for wildlife stops, which were almost as plentiful as a regular game drive. It was on the transfer to Dhikala that I saw my first wild Indian elephant.

 

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The transfer also provides the best views of the crocodile species in the Ramganga River, especially at the lookout points.

 

Dhikala Forest Rest House is a large open complex with about 4 buildings of very simple rooms, a cafeteria, and a library. Of the many rooms, I thought mine in the “Annex,” on the end overlooking the meadows had the best view. Last year’s extra strong monsoon meant I was overlooking expanses of sand (reminding me of the Kalahari Desert) rather than meadows where deer and elephant usually grazed.

 

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I was not the only one who liked that room because I was forewarned when I got to Corbett that it was likely a VIP would be removing me from it. My protests that I too was a VIP who had booked probably way before these Johnny-come-lately VIPs were in vain. At the government lodges, you are at the mercy of the government.

 

Fortunately there was another place for me to stay in the complex—a sizeable (bigger than my room) storage/laundry/kitchen unit with the same bathroom facilities as my room in which a newly made cot was set up. Just as Aurangzeb had exiled his father, Shah Jahn, to the confines of the Agra Fort, I was being removed to the storage unit. Shah Jahn was able to gaze out of his prison at the magnificent Taj Mahal he had built. I could gaze at the adorable suction cup footed lizards that adorned each of my two windows. My journey was uncannily similar to the lives of the kings! Unlike Shah Jahn’s chamber in the Agra Fort, my storage room had boxes of toilet paper that might have lasted a lifetime, so I had no fear of running out during my brief exile.

 

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While not frequent, such displacements can happen at the forest lodges. VIPs hanging around for a week after the Cricket World Cup contributed to my ouster.

 

One hint for Dhikala Forest Rest House: bring your own carton of water bottles, unless you routinely drink filtered water in India. Bottled water is not available at Dhikala. I asked for and was given a carton of bottles.

 

For both Forktail Creek in Biranji and Dhikala Rest House in Dhikala, as well as everywhere I stayed, the accommodations suited me very well and I’d recommend them.

 

The size of Corbett and variety of landscapes could easily occupy a week or two of travel, especially if you do one of those extended elephant back safaris. There are two other zones to explore in Corbett , beyond Biranji and Dhikala, where I was. Those are Jhirna and Durga Devi, which I was told were superior for birding. And if I went there in search of birds, I’d want Corbett Naturalist Harise with me to find them. No bird escaped him, or anything else.

 

I had thought seeing elephants in India would consist of glimpses in thick jungle, so I was pleased to see herds out in the open in Dhikala. There were two areas, one by the river and one in a particular meadow, where herds could be seen predictably. The no off-road rules meant that some herds were meant to be admired at a distance.

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When it was time to leave this diverse and beautiful park, I was nowhere near ready.

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End of Trip

 

The afternoon weekday transfer back to Delhi from the Amdanda Gate took around 8 hours of actual driving, plus a lunch stop at the midpoint restaurant. I noticed some gatherings and festivities along the way and asked CB about them. He explained to me the significance of celebrating the April 14 birthday of Dr. Ambedkar, who was the first highly educated and politically prominent member of the untouchables caste. Dr. Ambedkar dedicated his life to removing stigmas, fighting social injustice, and promoting equality through education. He continues to be remembered and honored for his contributions to equality for all in India.

 

As a farewell, Guarav graciously invited me to a wonderful dinner at his home with his family before my night flight home.

 

From start to finish, this was a trip fit for a king. I’d also recommend this itinerary for any wildlife enthusiast traveling to India.

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Now let me see if I can round up the fat lady and get her to sing and make the bird lists.

 

The fat lady is in the house.

 

 

Bird Lists

Bird List Between Agra and Delhi

Sarus Crane

 

Bird list Kanha and Bandhavgarh

Alexandrine Parakeet

Asian King Vulture or Red Headed Vulture

Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Ibis

Black Necked Stork

Black Redstart

Black Rumped Flameback

Black Shouldered Kite

Blue Eared Kingfisher

Brown Fish Owl

Brown Headed Barbet (Usually Just Heard, But We Saw It)

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Common Hoopoe (My Favorite, Great Close-Ups)

Common Kingfisher (But Not As Common As The White Throated)

Common Sandpiper

Common Wood Shrike

Crested Serpent Eagle

Crested Serpent Eagle

Eurasian Golden Oriole

Eurasian/Indian Roller

Eurasion Thick Knee

Gray Breasted Prinia

Gray Hornbill

Great Tit

Greater Coucal

Green Bee Eater (Everywhere)

Green Pigeon

Grey Headed Fish Eagle (I was told there was only 1 in Kanha)

Grey Hornbill

Indian Pond Heron

Indian Shikra

Jungle Owlet

Lesser Adjutant (All Over Bandhavgarh)

Lesser Whistling Duck

Long Billed or Slender Billed Vulture

Mountain Hawk Eagle

Night Jar

Oriental Honey Buzzard (Around because it was honey bee nest building season)

Oriental Magpie Robin (All Over)

Oriental Turtle Dove

Painted Francolin

Paradise Flycatcher

Peacock

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Purple Sunbird

Red Jungle Fowl (Everywhere)

Red Spurfowl

Red Vented Bulbul

Red Wattled Lapwing (Everywhere)

Red Whiskered Bulbul

Richard’s Pipit

Roufus Treepie (aka Tiger Bird)

Sirkeer Malkoha

Small Niltava

Spotted Bellied Eagle Owl

Spotted Dove

Spotted Owlet

Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher

White Eyed Buzzard

White Rumped Shama

White Throated Kingfisher (Everywhere)

White Throated Munia

Wooly Necked Stork

 

Bird list Corbett

Ashy Bulbul

Ashy Prinia

Alexandrine Parakeet

Black And White Fantail

Black Bulbul

Black Crested Bulbul

Black Drongo

Black Francolin

Black Lored Tit

Black Shouldered Kite

Blue Common Kingfisher

Blue Eared Kingfisher

Blue Whistling Thrush

Brown Fish Owl

Brown Fronted Woodpecker

Brown Hawk Owl

Changeable Hawk Eagle (Seen with parakeet in talons)

Chestnut Headed Bee Eater

Chestnut Headed Starling

Collared Dove

Collared Falconlet

Common Green Magpie (a favorite)

Common Hoopoe (my favorite)

Common Myna

Crested Kingfisher (biggest kingfisher, saw one with a fish)

Crested Serpent Eagle

Crested Tree Swift

Crimson Sunbird

Dark Throated Thrush

Dollar Bird (a favorite)

Eurasian Wryneck

Gray Headed Fish Eagle

Gray Winged Black Bird

Great Hornbill (impressive)

Green Flycatcher (everywhere)

Greenbacked Tit

Himalayan Bulbul

Indian Shikra

Kalij Pheasant (my goal to see)

Lesser Fish Eagle

Lineated Barbet

Long Tailed Shrike

Oriental Magpie Robin (all over)

Oriental Pied Hornbill

Oriental White Eye

Pallas’s Fish Eagle

Paradise Flycatcher

Peacock

Pied Bushchat

Pied Hornbill

Pied Kingfisher

Pintailed Pigeon

Plummeted Parakeet

Puff Throated Warbler

Purple Sunbird

Red Breasted Parakeet

Red Jungle Fowl (all over)

Red Vented Bulbul

Red Wattled Lapwing (all over)

River Lapwing

Rose Ringed Parakeet

Rosie Minivet

Ruddy Shelduck

Rufous Fronted Woodneck

Rufous Woodpecker (impressive)

Scarlet Minivet

Slaty Woodpecker (largest woodpecker, very impressive)

Southern Gray Shrike

Spangled Drango

Speckled Piculet

Tickell’s Thrush

White Crested Laughing Thrush (a favorite)

White Eyed Buzzard

White Rumped Shama

White Rumped Vulture (In nest with chicks, enroute to corbett)

White Throated Kingfisher (all over)

White Wagtail

Yellow Backed Tail

Yellow Crowned Woodpecker

Yellow Wagtail

 

 

TH E E ND

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Such a wonderful read and amazing detail. Thank you doesn't seem to do it justice at all.

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Thanks for the nice comments. Encore encore means I must plan a return. Thanks for the permission Pangolin.

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Lynn - don't see the peacock/tiger photo anywhere? Did I miss it completely?

 

Lovely to read the whole thing here with the photos and the orange & black fonts :) What a wonderful 1st TR contribution to the India sub-forum here.

 

Sangeeta

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Sangeeta, glad you liked the black and orange. The tiger and 2 peacocks is in installment #54. I've posted it here as well.

 

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Thanks, Lynn! Aah, I can now get my little fix without having to go to installment #54 every time. Lovely, lovely picture, and once again, I think you should try and wangle a free Indian safari from it :)

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  • 3 weeks later...
MisterAviator

This is the most fabulous trip report I have ever read! Beautiful photos and great information.

I am considering a trip that will include some of the &Beyond lodges in India. Did you gather any intel on these properties?

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