Journey of Joy

Ooty - Bandipur – 4th to 9th, October 2011

2011-10-22T00:49:00.001-07:00

Welcome. Holiday season in India. We (22 of us) decided to spend some time in the wild. We chose Bandipur ! - where have I heard that word before?

We found many of these frogs in one lake inside Bandipur National Park!

Ooty First – Nilgiri Laughingthrush!

I spent the 4th and 5th night in Ooty with my family in a friend’s house. It was as usual great fun and a lot of partying. The weather was perfect. Sunshine and blue skies…

From the wildlife point of view I could not resist making a quick visit to “Doddabetta”. Being one of the highest peaks in South India, this hill attracts a large amount of tourists. In the morning at about 7am as the tourists begin trickling in a peanut vendor opens shop at the entrance. If you are interested in birds like me and wait for a while near this vendor as he sets shop, a group of “Great Tits” arrive. Soon they begin to feast on the boiled peanuts that the tourists invariably drop.

Patience and out hops a “Nilgiri Laughingthrush”! It is quite funny that this rare and shy endemic bird breaks cover and boldly hops among the ever growing tourist legs! The poor photographer with his long lens and huge tripod, intensely focused on the small brown bird is soon mobbed by the hundreds of tourists as he struggles to get a focus through the maze of human legs! Funny indeed!

Nilgiri Laughingthrush.

Bandipur – Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR)

On the 6th morning my family descended to Bandipur. It took me about 2 hrs to drive the short distance as almost everyone who had a car seemed to be on that road that day! Some of them surely must have escaped from a prison? I felt a lot safer in the midst of wild animals later that evening!

Afternoon we grouped (four families, the other two would join us next day) at JLR ,Bandipur for a three nights stay. All of us were quite excited and full of anticipation. We had six safaris to look forward to before we head back to the human jungle…

6th - Evening – Wild Dog Chase!

We entered the forest at exactly 4 pm. Later, we were approaching a T-Junction when we saw a few “Spotted Deer” dash across and in hot pursuit was a single “Wild Dog”! As we watched, the "chase" vanished into the undergrowth. One less deer soon I thought! Later another vehicle told us that there were actually nine wild dogs in that pack.

There was lot of excitement about a leopard sitting on a rock that evening. Some saw it, some did not. Those who waited saw it again, those who moved on did not. Back at JLR at 6.30 pm many who had seen the leopard showed us the images they had taken – envy – what went wrong, why did we not see it - tomorrow we also shall see it!

We saw hundreds of these Caterpillars hanging in the air all over the forest...

7th Morning – Gaur – Mother and kid!

We entered the forest at exactly 6.30 am. At 7 am I was able to shoot this wonderful “Indian Muntjac”! There were plenty of “Gaurs” and “Elephants” all over the forest. “Stripe-necked Mongoose” was a common sight along with “Spotted Deer” and “Sambar Deer”.

Barking Deer or Indian Muntjac.

At one place we saw a mother Gaur standing on the road with her kid. Few other Gaurs were grazing around. Normally, they disappear on human approach, but this time to my delight she just stood and began licking her kid and allowed close approach! Any photographers delight!

A bold mother!

7th Evening – Leopard Sighting!

We must see a cat. Basavana was driving. We had the usual sightings of Spotted Deer and Gaur to begin with...

Stripe-necked Mongoose!

At about 5 pm we saw a very alert Spotted Deer herd. One male deer we staring intently into the bush. Many were calling in alarm. We knew something was around, a cat for sure! We waited in silence for a few minutes, nothing! We moved on… later, at the reception center, Sanjay form “Country Club” showed me stunning images of a leopard on a tree with a “Giant Squirrel” kill! He shot this at the same point where we had sensed a cat – just after we left!

Alert Leader!

One kind safari bus driver told us that there was a huge tusker at “Moolapura Kere”. Good idea, the light is good let us shoot… we soon reached the tusker.

My son shoots me, shooting a tusker!

Tusker!

And then (6 pm) we were waiting at the “Mangala Dam” area when we heard a Sambar call in alarm. Move! Soon we saw the Sambar with its tail raised and leg stamping. Surely a cat! As we waited at the “Moolapura Junction” a cat crossed the road! It was a leopard. Just a glimpse – blessed feeling indeed!

8th Morning – New born elephant Calf!

This morning after the usual sightings and searching for the cat we were returning when we came across a herd of elephants. We noticed a new born calf being carefully protected by its mother. We waited a while and the herd settled down. At one time the mother and the new born were some twenty feet from us. Such a pleasure! At one time the mother and aunt actually charged at a Langur and chased him away. Soon, as it usually happens, a few other vehicles came by and the herd disappeared into the undergrowth leaving us with a nice feeling…

New born with mother.

8th Evening – Tiger, Tiger, burning bright!

Where is the tiger? No one had see one recently. Where have they all gone? We must try harder! Immediately on entering the forest we saw a “Sloth Bear”! It ran away. Let us check “Siddrayanakatte” – no luck. Time is running out. Ramesh, let us take a chance and head towards ‘Shetty Kere”. There is too much growth and no view line sir. No problem, just go.

5pm on the road to “Shetty Kere”… huge pug marks – fresh! The marks suddenly ended indicating the Tiger must have jumped off the road on our approach. Excitement.

Fresh pugmarks!

What to do? Reverse, wait or go ahead? Something said go ahead and a minute later we saw a huge tiger on the road walking away from us! The “Shetty Kere” – Male”!

We followed for a few minutes as the tiger made its way through the weed and at one place, sprayed on a small teak tree and then we lost sight of the wonderful animal! We saw him again crossing the road behind us as we heard another vehicle approach in front of us and then he was gone for the day! We were the lucky nine that day! Thrilling as one of them described the whole episode back at camp. Three in the jeep had just seen a free roaming wild tiger for the first time in their lives! Hip Hip … party time tonight!

Tiger!

Tiger Spraying!

Tiger - final look!

9th Morning – With the kids!

Shetty Kere was quite that morning!

This last round I was with the kids. There were eight of them. Very well behaved. Some of them with some top class cameras. They wanted to see a tiger too. We tried hard but no cat luck that morning… sorry kids, we shall try again, soon!

Budding Photographer!

Summary :

We had a blast. All 22 of us. The forest was vibrant and full of life. First time I saw all the top four – Wild Dog, Sloth Bear, Leopard and Tiger! Indian Muntjac, Stripe-necked Mongoose, Spotted Deer, Sambar Deer, Wild Pig, Hanuman Langur, Bonnet Macaque – All! Not to forget a large number of species of birds…

Will surely be back…

Vijay Cavale
October, 2011

More of the same?

2011-09-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

Out there every day is different! I for one am never tired driving off to Bandipur or Kabini at the drop of a hat! Look what I found on this yet another visit to Bandipur in September...

This wonderful Changeable Hawk Eagle feeds on a Bonnet Macaque!

My plans of going up North for birding in April failed. In May, I made a family trip to Kabini. May 05th to 8th I was wandering in Kabini. The usual, a leopard on the tree (though this one was a bit out of reach), plenty of Elephants, Gaurs and a pair of Otters by boat!

Kabini means Elephants!

Late May and early June found me wandering in China with family and friends. Amazing the things they eat there!

28th to 30th of JulyI was in Bandipur with MNJ. We had a jolly good time enjoying the forest in the monsoon. On the 30th, during the morning round we spotted two other vehicles that were tracking a tiger. They waved to us and soon all the three vehicles were lined up one behind the other with everyone staring into the greens where the tiger had disappeared. I was thinking – gone!

Tiger ignores us...

Suddenly the tiger broke cover and slowly marched in our direction! Closer and closer he came and lo! He actually crossed the road in between the first two vehicles! Why on earth would he choose to move in that 6ft gap, when there were only three vehicles in the whole forest – I wonder? … and then he was gone! This animal will never stop fascinating mankind I am sure.

August was mostly rains. I tried some Macro at home. This Mantis sat in more or less the same location pouncing on small prey for the 15 days I tracked it!

Learn patience from a Preying Mantis!

September, I was back in Bandipur. 09th to 13th my son and myself had a wonderful time roaming the forest and met many a nature lover. We spent the first two nights at KP’s and the next two at JLR.

On the 11th we saw this wonderful eagle feeding on a Monkey! Perhaps one of the rarest sightings in all my ten years of photographing birds!!

On the 12th we saw a group of Plum-headed Parakeets gorging on Parthenium Plants. They would cut the stem and carry it into the trees and being feeding on the seeds! Parthenium is considered a useless weed. These parakeets were quite happy feeding on them...

Parthenium eating Parakeet!

Share the joy folks! See you soon...

Vijay Cavale
September. 2011

Bandipur - March 2011

2011-07-15T01:32:00.000-07:00

This visit to Bandipur was full of Tigers! One strange encounter after another. What is going on?

Tiger rolls in fresh elephant dung!

Surprisingly, March 2011 was completely dominated by the tigers of Bandipur! Surprising due to the number of sightings we had and surprising due to the behavior we were fortunate to witness!

After my "intense birding" trip to Sikkim in January, I went on a family tour to Japan in February. We were lucky to just escape the great disaster that hit Japan in March!

From the first to the fifth of March, M N Jayakumar and myself were roaming in Bandipur. Various other friends joined us for brief periods during our stay, many of them seeing a wild tiger for the first time!

First a panther!

Barely twenty minutes after entering the forest we saw a leopard sitting on the road. It slowly got up and disappeared into the jungle thus kick-starting our trip. We then came across a pair of confiding wild dogs. They kept us company of nearly an hour and gave us plenty of photography opportunities..

Friendly wild dogs!

Tiger on road!

Towards evening, it was almost dark when we came across this wonderful tigress. She simply did not mind our presence at all. She walked unhurriedly in front of us and we had to slowly follow as it was almost dark and we had to exit the forest. We left her still walking slowly as we parted at the first available fork. Strange encounter in Bandipur I thought as I hit the sack that night...

Next morning at 8 am we came across another wonderful tigress! This one too walked slowly in front of us!! As we followed at a distance so as not to disturb her, another tourist vehicle approached from the opposite direction. Yet, she walked on unhurriedly only stepping off the road as she came very close to the vehicle. See... strange indeed!

Quite unusual for a tiger to walk without hurry so close to a tourist vehicle at Bandipur!

Later that evening we enjoyed the company of a large "Stripe-necked Mongoose" before retiring for the day...

A very thirsty Stripe-necked mongoose!

On the 3rd of March we just roamed in the forest enjoying the feel of fresh air and the song of several birds.

Sitting on the road!

On the 4th March, early in the morning we were moving slowly on the forest track when we heard a couple of crows and stopped the vehicle. We did not immediately see him even though he was out in the open! I wonder why? Ah! There he was sitting right in front of us on the road! He then got up and joined one of his siblings we could just see moving inside the bush. First time experience again in Bandipur!

Young tiger sitting on the road!

After spending some time here, happy with many clicks, we moved on for another wild dog encounter before retiring for the day...

Special morning!

The 5th of March morning yielded the most unusual experience ever for me with a tiger! It was 7.50 am. We were driving slowly on this forest road when I spied a tiger quite a bit in front of us. I guess by this time we were well tuned to tigers! As the animal left the road, we moved ahead and positioned ourselves near a small waterbody and waited in great anticipation. A sambar alarm call! Thrilling...look there she emerges from the grass!

The tigress emerges exactly where we were waiting...

And then she did the most extraordinary thing! She headed straight to some freshly fallen elephant dung and sat on it. As we watched with open mouths, she, with great relish rolled in the dung!! What is going on?

The only logical conclusion we could make as she moved on is that this clever tigress was using elephant dung to conceal her body oder from her prey? A moment to cherish for the rest of our lives indeed!

And then we had to return home!

Back again!

My wife had never seen a tiger in the wild! Yes, even after visiting Ranthambhore and even after twenty years of our marriage! Is it at all surprising that I was soon back in Bandipur with my wife and son?

On the 22nd of March we checked into Tusker Trials. Bingo! On the 23rd evening (5.15 pm) my wife saw her first ever tiger in the wild. The great male was coming right towards us when we saw each other! He quickly jumped across and hid himself in the thicket watching us all the time! I managed to get this one shot as a memento for my wife! She was quite thrilled and thanked god profusely!

First sighting for my wife!

We enjoyed the vibrant forest for three days with all the usual sightings including a lively panther that dashed across the road, several wild dogs, elephants, gaurs, sambars, spotted deers and wild pigs not to mention a large variety of birds!

A large gaur quenches its thirst...

What a March. I cannot help but think that the tiger population has certainly increased in the tourism zone of Bandipur National Park!

How can we leave Bandipur without experiencing the usual road-block!

Will be back...

Vijay Cavale
March 2011

January 2011 in Sikkim!

2011-04-10T22:03:00.000-07:00

I began 2011 with an exiting trip to Sikkim. It was an intense birding trip and I was able to add some 40 images to "INDIABIRDS"! I found that "Sikkim" was indeed one of the most peaceful of places I have visited in India.

Route map showing the places we visited...

THE PLANNING!

After reading a couple of interesting reviews about the “Bon Farmhouse” in Sikkim, we contacted “Chewang Bonpo” during the second week of December 2010 and finalized our plan for a ten day trip to Sikkim. Accordingly, we booked our air tickets well in advance and obtained the required permits…

A couple of days before our scheduled departure we got the following mails from Chewang…

Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 11:01 AM

Dear Sir,

I am very disappointed to mention about the following obstacle about our tour program:

1. There has been a strike called by Darjeeling local party GJMM int he hills of Darjeeling due which the movement of traffic across the highway 31 connecting Sikkim with Siliguri has been affected, only the State bus of Sikkim is moving as other taxi as well as private vehicles form Sikkim has been targeted by the people across the highway.

2. The weather in Sikkim is worst for the last 3 Days with hail stone, snow and fog I would suggest if you could postpone your program for about a week if it is possible.
Please do give me call as soon as you receive the message

Chewang Bonpo

Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 4:01 PM

Dear Sir,

Sorry to bother you again , good news is that there are movements of vehicle across the border as Govt of India has deployed security forces in the highway and the local leader has appealed not to disrupt the Sikkim vehicles but the weather is still bad hope it will clear by 21st Jan 2011. So we may stick to the plan as I think is impossible to change the program at the last minute..

I will be there to pick u guys up in the airport.

Chewang Bonpo

THE BEGINNING…

As per plan, on the 21st January, 2011, Rangnath Badri and myself took the 06.20 am flight from Bangalore and reached Bagdogra around noon hopping via Hyderabad and changing flights at Kolkata. Chewang was there to greet us. After a quick meal at Siliguri we were on our way into Sikkim!

From the bird photography point of view, our trip was more or less like the above two mails. Unsure beginnings and happy endings – that indeed is the beauty of India!

DURING THE TRIP…

Chewang took good care of us from the 21st January, 2011 noon to the 31st January, 2011 noon. He is an expert birder and simply loves the hill birds. For a whole week he led us to several birding hotspots in East, South and West Sikkim. Everyday we would come across and photograph several rare species of birds found only in the Himalayas and the North-East Indian Hills.

Our Homestay near Lingtam...

On the 21st and 22nd Night we stayed at a home-stay near Lingtam (East Sikkim) and explored the road leading to Zuluk (at about 10000 ft). It was very cold and the road from Zuluk upwards was covered with snow. Hence, we could not reach the area known for Monals. However, that one climbing road leading from Lingtam to Zuluk was quite satisfying and yielded some excellent opportunities to photograph some rare birds like the “Alti Accentor” and the “Grey-throated Babbler”!

We could not go any further...

On the 23rd evening we reached Chewang’s dream home The “Bon Farmhouse”"! at Kewzing Village near Ravangla (South Sikkim). Chewang has built a fine cottage in their property and the entire Bonpo Family involved themselves in making our stay very comfortable. The food was unique and unforgettable!

A fine new Cottage at the "Bon Farmhouse"!

We stayed at the “Bon Farmhouse” on the 23rd, 24th and 25th nights. Plenty of birding indeed! The trek to the hilltop inside the “Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary” not too far away from the farm yielded the “Fire-tailed Myzornis” as expected! We came across many other species like the “Red-headed Bullfinch” and the “Plain-backed Thrush”!

We drove around in the area for a couple of days and were able to photograph several rare birds like the “Wallcreeper” and the “Slaty-backed Forktail”

Our Hotel at Yuksum...

On the 26th evening we reached Yuksum in West Sikkim and spent two nights there. Yuksum is the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD. In May 1975, Sikkim officially became the 22nd state of the Indian Union and the monarchy was abolished!

A very popular guy known at "Red Panda" helps organise treks from Yuksum ...

Yuksum is one of the gateways for a trek into the Himalayas. People just land up at Yuksom and start walking – its is that simple! We did a small trek along the path to Dzongri in the Khangchendzonga National Park. This yielded the wonderful “Yellow-rumped Honeyguide”

Gupta's! The most popular eating place at Yuksum. We had all our meals here!

On the 28th we drove from Yuksum to the “Khechoedpalri Lake” and nabbed the “Black-tailed Crake”! We then drove on to reach Siliguri, West Bengal by night. Thus, ending a most wonderful week of intense birding in Sikkim. Very many thanks Mr. Chewang Bonpo and family! Thanks to Chewang's friend Lakapa from Yuksum who was with us for the entire week helping in all possible ways!

We spent the 28th, 29th and 30th nights at a very comfortable hotel in Siliguri – the “Royal Sarovar Premiere”! On the 29th we drove over to a place called Gazaldoba near Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. Mr “Amit Thakurta” a very knowledgeable birder from Jalpaiguri came over and helped us photograph the “Red-crested Pochard” and the “Common Goldeneye”. Thanks Amit!

The 30th was a rest day for me. I did nothing but laze in the hotel room! On the 31st I made my way back to Bangalore via Kolkata while Ranganath Badri flew back to Dubai via New Delhi.
Another successful birding trip indeed!

For your viewing pleasure, here are the birds I was able to add to my collection at Indiabirds:

Go to Sikkim Folks!

Vijay Cavale
January, 2011

Thank You - 2010!

2011-01-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful year! Many wonderful moments out there in Natural India!

A single wild dog chased down a spotted deer at Kabini! - December 2010

In January I ran all over Gujarat, a bouquet of birds at “Jamnagar and Porbandar”, the Asiatic Lions at “Sasan Gir”, the Striped Hyenas and Jungle Cats at “Velavadar” and finally ending at the “Thol Bird Sanctuary” in the midst of a large number of visiting birds! Another one of those outstanding birding trips!

A Tiger relaxes on the bank of the river at Kabini.

February and March saw me making a couple of trips to Kabini adding more quality to “Indiabirds”. The unforgettable “Elephant Mating” and “Peacock Dance” moments along with a wonderful “Tiger” on the bank of the river being the highlights.

And then the amazing April. The heat was on. 25 wild tigers in 9 days! From “Tadoba” to “Bandhavgarh” and then “Pench” on the trot – a record of sorts!

Back at Kabini in May for several elephant encounters and a fleeting "panther moment" and again in August (after a couple of quite monsoon months) to add the “Rufous Woodpecker” to the Indiabirds Collection! And then again in September for that most wonderful and close encounter with a Panther!

Close encounter with a Panther at Kabini.

A quick dash abroad in October and November saw me chasing birds in the Himalayas around the “Corbett Tiger Reserve” adding lots of new images to Indiabirds and helping it reach the 500 mark!!

A stripe-necked Mangoose feeds on a snake at Kabini.

A Greater Flameback at Kabini- now we know why they are called flamebacks!

Ending the “Kabini” dominated year back at Kabini in December for that all time high “Wild Dog” experience!

Spread the joy folks!

Seasons Greetings and see you in 2011!!

Vijay Cavale
December 2010

Photographing Himalayan Birds - November 2010

2010-12-23T00:16:00.000-08:00

Camp Forktail Creek - Location!

A very long time ago my late friend KN in his wisdom had mentioned this place to me. I had passed the area in 2003 on my first visit to Corbett but missed visiting this place. This time when Ranganath Badri (he had stayed here before) called to find out my plans for November, I had no hesitation in accepting his proposal to visit Corbett and stay at “Camp Forktail Creek”. It turned out to be one of the best places I have visited for Photographing Birds in India!

On our way to Dhikala, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand.

15th to 23rd November 2010. Kulashekara CS, Ranganath Badri, Nishanth Badri and myself thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance, hospitality and calmness of the camp. The main intent of the trip was to photograph Himalayan Birds, though we did make an overnight trip into the “Corbett National Park” in search of tigers, and found a leopard instead!

"Chai" anytime at this on camp dhaba!

Minakshi and Ritish run this wonderful place about 300 kms from the New Delhi airport. Situated at the foothills of the Himalayas, a bit away from the busy town of Ramnagar, the location of the camp itself is a great advantage for bird lovers. The hosts have made the camp even more attractive to bird photographers by nurturing a bird friendly atmosphere. Ritish himself is a great birder and has in-depth knowledge of the birds found in the area. Minakshi is soft-spoken and efficient. Ritish (once you get to know him) is unassuming, full of wit and is always ready to help. Together they make great hosts and are extremely sensitive to the needs of the guests.

Minakshi and Ritish at "The Thatch"!

In short, we were able to make decent images of about fifty species of birds by wandering in and around the camp itself! Any bird photographer will not regret spending a few days in this camp during the winter season starting in November and peeking in February. Below is the proof! Please click on the “thumbnails” to see a larger image…

Vijay Cavale
November, 2010

Home Sweet Home

2010-10-21T00:51:00.000-07:00

A Black Kite grabs a small bird in mid air!

I went abroad on a one week “family holiday”. We got on to a “dragon” and flew to this colossal metropolis. To me it was like entering a disturbed ant-hill !

Underground tunnels taking a zillion humans packed in moving metal boxes in all directions all the time! Skyscrapers above occupy every inch of land competing with each other in size. An astounding amount and variety of food is consumed endlessly. From Beef to Beatles anything goes! I even saw a menu that said freshly hunted wild boar! … And I saw peanut packets in a shop that contained roasted peanuts mixed with tiny dried fish!

Ah! I brought back a just launched “Nikkor 28-300 mm lens” I am dying to test! Sitting on my balcony looking at that wonderful green garden below I get a whiff of that wonderful dal being boiled. Am I dizzy or what – home sweet home!

Black kites are circling above, several Red-whiskered Bulbuls are playing about on the Spathodea tree in front of me. I spy a White-cheeked barbet trying to find a nesting hole? A Rock Pigeon suddenly takes of from near me and I spy its nest with two eggs! Is this home or what!! (That other place, Pigeons are on the menu!)

White-cheeked Barbet - No problems with urban habitat as long as there are trees!

Why do they call me "Rock Pigeon"?

Hello!? The lens must be tested! I first shoot the Spathodea flower. Did you notice the butterfly sitting inside? Not bad. The lens is only 800 gms and feels like a toy compared to the 600mm and 500mm I have been using. I grab a decent image of a bulbul. Hmmm… Actually I got this lens for some action photography. It is cloudy no? Boost ISO - 640 ok?

Spathodea Flower with Butterfly!

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Suddenly, the Bulbul grabs the butterfly! It has got a hold on the butterfly’s wing. It has no idea what to do next? The butterfly is still. The Bulbul opens its beak and the Butterfly is gone! So I click and click…☺

Red-whiskered Bulbul grabs Butterfly!

Red-whiskered Bulbul -Blinded?

Red-whiskered Bulbul - Lost Prey?

And then I hear some commotion, several birds calling in panic! A Black Kite swoops down and grabs a small bird in flight! I cannot believe what just happened and manage to click a few shots. Ah, I have it on F8! VR II, Hand -Held. I conclude that the sharp-sighted kite must have pounced on an escaped cage bird? I also conclude that this tiny 800gms lens with VR II technology is certainly intresting! See those sharp wing tips?

All the above images shot using “AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR” on a D700 body, Hand-Held.

A visit to Kabini then?

My cell phone rings …damn ☺

Vijay Cavale
October, 2010

Pench Tiger Reserve – April 2010

2010-08-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Sighting a resting tiger cub from atop a trained elephant is a daily routine at Pench.

Have you ever heard of a “Daily Dose of wild tigers”? Well, we just experienced that! Leaving Bangalore on the 09th April, traveling to Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) and Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), M. N. Jayakumar, Ajit Huilgol, Diinesh Kumble and myself returned on the 20th April with a combined sighting of 25 individual tigers! -> much learning indeed!

Day 09. 17th April 2010, after the morning round, we drove from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to Pench Tiger Reserve. By dusk we arrived at the “KARMAJHIRI FRH”. Memories of our “2007 INW meet” came rolling back!

This cub was the star attraction at Pench. The the mother were not visible during our stay. Every morning for a couple of hours many tourists go on elephant back to sight this family of mother and four grown up cubs. Late morning the tigers leave the bush for a drink.

On the 18th early morning we were led directly to an area inside the reserve by the Range Forest Officer. Here, we quickly mounted waiting elephants and within minutes we were looking down on a couple of tiger cubs resting inside the bush. The round lasted about 5 mts! My first experience of sighting a wild tiger from atop an elephant! Mixed feelings. At Pench, this is a daily routine. If you have never seen a tiger in the wild, this is your best bet. Rupees 100 per person and a quick darshan of the lord of the Indian Jungle!

When we stopped at this large water hole, at first we saw nothing. When we were about to leave I saw an adult tiger on the other side of the water. It quickly disappeared. Then I saw this tiny cub follow its mother without hurry. The other cub I saw only when I processed this image!

We made five rounds inside Pench from the 18th Morning to the 20th Morning. I had a most lucky sighting of a mother tiger with her two very young cubs at a water hole. It was generally hot and sightings rare. We however thoroughly enjoyed the forest. All the regular wildlife were in and around water holes. We saw plenty of Spotted deer, Sambar, Gaur, Wild Pigs, Hunaman Langurs and Jackals. I could tick over a 100 species of birds including a rare “Baillon’s Crake, a Black Stork and plenty of Vultures.

Such a pleasure watching the young one play without fear in tiger country!

BAILLON'S CRAKE - I was surprised to see this winter visitor in summer?

On the 20th after a short morning round we drove to Nagpur and boarded the afternoon flight back to Bangalore! Day 12. End of Tour - TATR-BTR-PTR !

Sad to say I am on my way, won't be back for many a day...

Vijay Cavale
April 2010

Trip report -> TATR
Trip report -> BTR

Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve – April 2010

2010-06-13T04:16:00.000-07:00

The emerging king of BTR!

Good morning! Day five, 6 am, Kolsa FRH, TATR, 13th April 2010. Super breakfast at Nagpur, quick lunch en-route, reach resort at “Tala” at 10 pm! 16 hrs on road, 600 + kms. Good night!

I cannot remember traveling for such a long time by car on a single day ever! (add 42*C and AC not working). My fellow travelers, M. N. Jayakumar, Ajit Huilgol and Diinesh Kumble were up and running at 6 am next morning. They came back with some superb images of the most famous male tiger of Bhandavgarh - “B2”, while I had a sound sleep and a leisurely breakfast!

Thus, started my first visit into the “Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve” (BTR)! I felt fresh and well rested, as we began the 3 pm safari on the 14th April 2010. This video tells the story of my first drive inside BTR :

We spent until the 17th afternoon at BTR and had various encounters with tigers. I was able to enjoy seeing and photographing, A tigress on hunt , A tigress in a cave, Three grown up cubs together, A wonderful young male relaxing and a young cub crossing the road, during my six drives inside the reserve.

A cub surrounded by tourists...

A common scene at BTR!

Another common scene at BTR!

More Video:

BTR is full of life! Plenty of water flowing and shade. Ideal environment for animals to beat the heat. Langurs, Spotted Deers, Wild Pigs and Sambars are in plenty. The tigers certainly have enough food, I thought.

A tigress relaxing in a small cave!

The village “Tala” and its numerous resorts just outside the main gate, is quite tourist friendly. I felt quite at home and was able to buy beer, bottled water, soda, short eats, fruits and clothes from the numerous shops all along the road.

I learnt that there is a flight connection from New Delhi to Jabalpur. I think the next time I plan a visit to BTR, I will try this option. Here is a map to help you understand the locations. Tadoba, is on one side of Nagpur. Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh and Panna are on the other side. You can look at flying into Nagpur and flying out of Jabalpur if you are panning to visit multiple parks on the same visit.

A map to help you plan your visit...

I must not forget to thank our vehicle owner cum driver “Natthu Lal”. He was great company and was with us on all our drives inside the park. A “Tala” local, Natthu has spent over two decades doing what he does best, driving tourists to the tigers!

Toehold Travel & Photography Pvt. Ltd. helped us with the logistics at BTR, many thanks to them.

Bye...

On 17th April, after a short morning round, we drove to the Pench National Park…

Vijay Cavale
April, 2010

Addendum :

About a month after our visit, a female tiger was found dead inside the reserve. Her three little cubs suddenly orphaned. Read ->Dr. Rajesh Gopal's Report. The tigress was fatally hit by a speeding vehicle inside a tiger reserve! A road kill!! This makes me very very sad. I hope that the authorities ensure that such an incident will never ever repeat...

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

2010-04-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

I was in “Tadoba”. I saw the tigers – mother with her four cubs! It was an anti climax of sorts for me. India keeps throwing up such unimaginable scenarios that one soon gets to easily accept the unusual. My “Tadoba” experience to say the least was unusual. However, I learnt a great lesson on how precious water is to all living beings!

The bolder of the four cubs at TATR!

M. N. Jayakumar, IFS, (MNJ) casually asked me if I would like to Join Ajit Huilgol (AH) and himself to Tadoba, Bandhavgarh and Pench sometime in April 2010 to enjoy the company of tigers. As it so often happens I readily agreed. He later informed me that Diinesh Kumble (DK) was joining too. I had never been to Tadoba or Bandhavgarh though I was in Pench for the “2007 INW meet”. I was looking forward to the experience, a slight deviation from my usual “birding trips”.

9th April, 2010. Our 10.40 am Kingfisher flight out of Bangalore to Nagpur hopping via Indore was exciting for us cricket fans. We had the entire “Deccan Chargers” troupe on board. They were to play a IPL T20 cricket match in Nagpur the next day. Our flight landed in Nagpur at about 2.30 pm and after enjoying a wonderful lunch in one of MNJ’s classmates house, we hit the road to Todoba!

The more or less 200 kms drive from Nagpur via Chandrapur took us close to five hours. A forest officer from “Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve” (TATR) welcomed us and wished us a happy stay. Manish Varma who was assisting us with the vehicles was at the gate. We quickly boarded the two Gypsy’s he provided and headed off to the Forest Rest House (FRH) at “Kolsa” that MNJ had earlier booked for us. A quick and simple dinner and off to bed, tomorrow we shall be shooting tigers, or so I thought.

10th April, 2010. We left the FRH by 6 am and wandered the entire “Kolsa” range for over five hours! It was hot, it was dusty and we had no sightings, no clicks. Just Gypsy following Gypsy! Eventually, we met a group of researchers who showed us fresh “camera trap” images of a tiger with her very young cubs that had been recently discovered in the area! Inspiring!

Though the forest was “Southern tropical Dry Deciduous” type with teak as the dominant species, I was seeing “Bamboo” everywhere! Towards the end of our morning round, MNJ and AH were able to get a glimpse of a tiger!

I decided to rest for the rest of the day at the rest house ☺ . The others went on an evening round and DK was able to get a great image of a tiger cub! Inspiration for the next day!

11th April, 2010. Again we left “Kolsa” before 6 am and this time drove towards the “Moharli Range”. Unlike yesterday, today DK and myself were on our own and were not following the other Gypsy. I was glad to meet several fellow photographers and our hot and dusty, no clicks, morning round ended at the “MTDC Tourism Complex”! DK and myself relaxed for a few hours in the company of renowned wildlife photographers Dhritiman Mukherjee, Jagdeep Rajput and N C Dhingra, while exchanging some inspiring wildlife experiences!

After lunch, I had a small chat with Manish and learnt that all the action happens on the main road sometime in the evening when the tiger with her four cubs come to one of the water holes by the road side for a drink!

That afternoon, DK and myself decided to explore the “Tadoba National Park” area of TATR. Sighting a tiger in the wild is always a chance, and we must take ours! For nearly three hours we sat in the Gypsy, moving slowly, part of a long line of vehicles all in anticipation of a tiger sighting!

It was almost dusk, after exiting the “Tadoba National Park”, we were returning to “Kolsa” when we noticed a large number of vehicles parked on the main road, in the “Moharli Range”. As we joined the “gang”, just as Manish had described, I saw a tiger cub sitting in the small “man made” water hole by the road side!

My first sighting!

M O T H E R

Very soon the mother walked out of the undergrowth and joined the cub. I alternated between my still and video cameras and became extremely busy for about ten minutes. The bold cub played a bit while the mother drank her fill. Mother gave us a final "hiss" as they silently disappeared into the undergrowth.

"Hiss of disgust"? or "Warning to cub"?

A bit ahead in the next water hole the other three cubs did the same. We were just about able to get a few snaps of the three cubs before the sun went down!

It was more or less a repeat the next day. Except that the mother did not make an appearance! I was shooting mostly video and focused a bit on the crowd enjoyment. I could see the excitement on the face of many a future wildlife “conservationist”!

The four cubs...

This is what is incredible about India. On a hot Sunday evening, mid-summer, over thirty vehicles with some hundred odd “informed” tourists are parked on a main asphalted road hoping for a “darshan” and a tiger and her cubs walk out of the undergrowth for a drink!

I must add here that the forest officials were constantly moving on the road keeping a close watch and the crowd was extremely well behaved under the circumstance. I guess, there must be a reason why the “water holes” are situated on the main road?

So, that is my story of Tadoba! This mother with her cubs is currently (April 2010) the main draw. Even otherwise the forests of TATR are impressive and holds an estimated tiger population of 41 individuals! MNJ and AH were able to spot and photograph a pair of mating tigers in the Kolsa range and a single tiger in the “Tadoba National Park”. Dhritiman showed me a wonderful photograph of a tiger drinking water he had just shot at the “Tadoba National Park”. TATR is no doubt serious tiger country!

Also, In the short time we were at TATR, in addition to tigers we sighted Panther, Wild Pig, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Four-Horned Antelope, Barking Deer and plenty of Hanuman Langur.

The most important lesson I learnt as I mentioned earlier is the importance of water. Almost all the wild animals and nearly a hundred species of birds we saw were near or inside water! This video I made will surely make you think! Watch ->

13th April 2010. We vacated the Kolsa FRH at 6am and drove straight back to Nagpur! Somehow the return journey was faster and we took a route that did not pass through Chandrapur! We had a wonderful surprise breakfast with “Anil Kumble” at the “Pride Hotel” and then proceeded on our long drive all the way to Bandhavgarh!

Please get more information about this tiger reserve here -> TATR

Vijay Cavale
April 2010

"Thol Bird Sanctuary"

2010-03-27T04:34:00.000-07:00

On our two week journey in Gujarat, enjoying the wildlife at Jamnagar, Porbandar, Gir and Velavadar, we decided to spend a day in Ahmedabad and explore the “Thol Bird Sanctuary” before boarding our flight back to Bangalore. A very wise decision indeed!

Greater Flamingo at "Thol Wildlife Sanctuary"

Once again, it was Yogendra Shah who put us in touch with Falguna Shah. Falguna along with her sister runs a small business making baby clothes in Ahmedabad. A great nature lover, Falguna has a fabulous collection of high quality bird images from the “Thol” area. She kindly agreed to accompany us and we (Kulashekara, Viswanath, Falguna and myself) spent the entire day watching and photographing a wide range of bird species. At the end of the day, I was indeed amazed to learn, that such a large verity of birds in such large numbers are found so close to Ahmedabad city! Thank you Falguna for all the help.

On the 25th January, 2010, we left Ahmedabad City at about 6 am. On the way we stopped at a “Dhaba” for some hot tea and polished of a wonderful homemade “Gujarathi Breakfast” that Falguna had packed for us. After breakfast, Falguna suggested that we stop at a “Cattle Shelter” at “Dabhla” on the way to Thol. After three decades of traveling in India, I am afraid I must confess that I was not prepared for what followed!

An area behind the "Cattle Shelter" at Dabhla.

At “Dabhla” we entered a large gate and immediately saw several areas filled with cattle. Many truck loads of cattle food had just arrived and hundreds of “Rose-ringed Parakeets" were stealing all the grains they could before the Cattle arrived for their breakfast.

And then Falguna lead us to an open area behind the cattle shelter. It was mind-boggling! A large verity of birds took flight on our approach. They included Egyptian Vultures, Tawny Eagles, Greater Spotted Eagles and Steppe Eagles! Then the stench hit us. Hundreds of dead cattle in various stages of decomposition lay scattered all over the place. Cattle Egrets in hundreds were feeding on the worms that were in turn feeding on the dead cattle! Whoever named them “Cattle Egret” was dead right!

That morning at “Dabhla”, I could not concentrate on photography. I was just gaping at the scene of so many birds feasting around the dead cattle. I noticed many other species in the area that included Black Kite, Black Drongo, Bank Myna, Common Hoopoe, Jungle Crow, Black-headed Ibis and Grey Wagtail. I am sure there were many more species around, but I just could not digest what I was witnessing! I had to leave the place or I would have started throwing up!

Greylag Goose rest at Thol

We then drove to “Thol Wildlife Sanctuary” more popularly known as the “Thol Bird Sanctuary”. Any birders paradise! Basically, the place is a large man-made water reservoir surrounded by agricultural habitat. A large number of waterfowls inhabit this protected area that is about 7 sq. km. and is less than 30 kms away from the bustling Ahmedabad City.

Ruddy Shellduck at Thol

We spent the rest of the morning photographing the smaller birds like Sulpher-bellied Warbler, Purple Sunbird, Jungle Prinia, Red-throated Flycatcher, Black Redstart, Lesser Whitethroat and Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher at “Thol”.

Bar-headed Goose at Thol

After a superb lunch at a nearby hotel at 1 pm, we drove to the other side of the lake for some unbelievable birding! By sunset we were able to photograph the Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Wooly-necked Stork, Greater Flamingoe, Common Crane, Pied Kingfisher, Southern Grey Shrike, Great White Pelican (Rosy Pelican), White-tailed Lapwing, Sociable Lapwing! Ruddy Shellduck, Bar-headed Goose, Greylag Goose, Kentish Plover and a Greater-spotted Eagle.

Pied Avocets at Thol

Great White Pelicans at Thol

At sunset we watched the spectacular scene of thousands of birds in various formation flights land at “Thol”. A fitting end to our two weeks in wild Gujarat!

Vijay Cavale
January, 2010

Blackbuck National Park - Velavadar!

2010-03-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

I remember many asking me, have you been to "Velavadar"? Now, I can happily say "yes"! and what a glorious time I had!

Blackbuck - Male, Velavadar, Gujarat. January, 2010.

On our two weeks journey in wild Gujarat, Kulashekara, Viswanath and myself drove from Jamnagar to Porbandar and then to Gir. From Gir we drove to Velavadar. After a smooth 6 hrs drive from Sasan, we reached Velavadar by 3 pm on the 22nd of January, 2010. We drove to Ahmedabad on the 24th morning, happy and contented! It is however easier to reach Velavadar from "Bhavnagar" which is about 70 kms, just over an hours drive. Bhavanagar has an airport.

Blackbuck - Female

The first animal that we came across was of course the Blackbuck. In hundreds! In the two days we wandered in the "National Park", we came across several large groups of Blackbucks. They seemed happy with so much food around and nothing much to disturb them except the wolf! Blackbucks are "Antelopes" found mainly in India. They are fast and are known to reach speeds of up to 80 km/hr. The male bucks are a distinctive black and white and have long twisted horns, while females are fawn coloured with no horns.

Blackbuck - Male

Blackbuck - Female

Velavadar is a large piece of flat land with a lot of grass! Ideal for the Blackbucks and Nilgais (India's largest antelope). The Wolf is the main predator in the area. The Striped Hyena often steals a kill from the wolf. The Jackal roams about and is an opportunist. The Indian fox and the Jungle cat are also common in the area.

Nilgai - Male

I was excited to see a Jungle cat as soon as we drove into the main gate! It quickly disappeared into the grass. However, an hour later we were happily shooting a very confiding "Jungle Cat" at close distance from inside our vehicle! I had waited such a long time for this moment! We saw Jungle Cats on four occasions during our visit!

A "Jungle Cat" hunting during the day!

And then, a Striped Hyena had made a den quite close to our place of stay! The den housed four of its young and was just off the internal road. We saw the family sharing some very intimate moments on the two evenings we were there. The young rested inside the den during the day and would appear after 5 pm.

Striped Hyena

Striped Hyena - Family!

At one time, the mother started digging and soon emerged with a meal she must have hidden in the den! Though, the young were still suckling, they had grown big enough to eat meat! The striped hyena has a habit of feasting on the kills of other predators and is primarily a scavenger. It will readily consume carrion and the remains of kills of other predators. We witnessed this "hiding food" behavior with interest as earlier during the day we had seen wild pigs sniffing around the den!

Striped Hyena - Suckling!

Striped Hyena with food!

Here is all the action on video for your viewing pleasure ...

We saw a lonely wolf resting in the open at noon on day two. It ran away on our approach.

Wolf - the main predator of Velavadar!

Though Velavadar is one of the largest roosting sites of "Harriers" in the world, we were able to see only a very small number of them this time...

Pallid Harrier - Male!

Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses...

Many thanks once again to "Yogendra Shah" for all the help. Special thanks to "Devesh Gadhvi". We were very happy to meet both of them at Velavadar. See you in "Thol"!

Gir - January, 2010

2010-03-01T23:08:00.000-08:00

A nature lover visits the famous “Gir National Park and Sanctuary” in Gujarat, India mainly for one reason, to see lions in the wild. I did that for the first time in January, 2008. Read that report here ->"The Asiatic Lions of Sasan-Gir!"

"A lion rests at Gir"

This time (my second visit), with the help of “Yogendra Shah” a great nature lover who lives in Gujarat and simply adores lions, we were able to locate a unique place to stay. A small tiled house in the midst of a wheat field outside Sasan!

Lakha Bapa Ki Wadi!

We spent three nights in this very basic accommodation and very much enjoyed our stay. This place is called “Lakha Bapa Ki Wadi”. Lakha Bapa, now about 80 years old, began tilling this land over five decades ago. “Jhuman Bhai” the eldest among his four sons is now continuing to till this land.

Lions passing through Lakha Bapa Ki Wadi!

It was a unique experience for me! I learnt that the entire family, are vegetarians though they live among the loins! All of them work very hard for a living and are very much in tune with nature. They lead a simple, tough and fearless life. They are quite used to lions passing through their fields and are actually happy when the pride stops for a drink! “Jhuman Bhai” and his family seemed glad to have us and did everything they possibly could to make us feel comfortable. Though the facility was basic, I felt relaxed and very much enjoyed my stay there.

A young lion takes a good look at tourists!

Kulashekara, Viswanath and myself reached “Gir” by road from “Porbandar” a bit after noon on the 19th of January, 2010. We made five trips inside “Gir” with the help of Yogendra Shah and Jhuman Bhai until the 21st, saw plenty of Lions and enjoyed ourselves! At one time we came across a pride of nine lions feeding on a "Spotted Deer" they had just killed!

Lions feeding on "Spotted Deer"!

This time I carried my video camera. Below is the video for your viewing pleasure….

An unexpected and pleasant sighting...

"Red-headed Vulture"!

We left “Gir” on the 21st morning and drove straight to “Velavadar” for another adventure in wild India! Very many thanks “Yogendra Bhai” for all the help!

Bye!

Jamanagar 2010

2010-02-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

In January 2008, I made my first visit to Jamnagar. Do read my report here -> "Jamnagar 2008". Now, two years later, I visited the place again. Nothing much had changed. The "Lake Lakota" area was full of birds, mostly winter visitors!

Watch Video ->

Lake Lakota - Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. from Vijay Cavale on Vimeo.

I was also happy to catch up with Arpit Deomurari, Yashodan Bhatia, Mustak Mepani and Chiraj Solanki. Many thanks again folks for all the help!

On the 14th of January, 2010, Kulashekara, Viswanath and myself took a flight out of Bangalore and arrived Jamnagar via Mumbai a bit after noon and were greeted by the ever smiling "Chiku". We ran around Jamnagar from the 14th evening to the 17th evening and visited all the places as mentioned in great detail in my previous report. Narara was truly breathtaking!

Birds were everywhere and I was able to make many "better images" of several species that would replace existing images on "INDIABIRDS"

Please click on the names below to view the images:

"BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER", "CASPIAN TERN", "CURLEW SANDPIPER", "COMMON POCHARD", "COMMON TEAL", "DALMATIAN PELICAN", "EURASIAN WIGEON", "GREAT CRESTED GREBE", "GLOSSY IBIS", "LESSER FLAMINGO", "NORTHERN SHOVELER", "NORTHERN PINTAIL", "ROCK PIGEON", "DEMOISELLE CRANE".

Lake Lakota, Jamnagar.

I was able to add the "SANDERLING", "FERRUGINOUS POCHARD" and "LITTLE TERN" to my collection!

Photographing waders at "Narara"!

The one upset we had on this trip was our inability to visit "Pirotan Island", a much recommended place that was high on our wish-list. Though we had planned much in advance we were told that due to the erratic tide timings permission for boats to travel to islands at night was not granted. Instead we had a great time at "Porbandar" a last minute inclusion in our plan!

"Great White Pelicans" at Porbandar.

A "Demoiselle Crane" lands at Porbander.

We drove from Jamnagar to Porbandar on the 18th Morning. After a three hour drive, we were in the midst of a large number of Great White Pelicans and Demoiselle Cranes!

Watch Video ->

Jamnagar & Porbandar from Vijay Cavale on Vimeo.

On the 19th Morning we left Porbandar and drove to Gir (next story!)

Vijay Cavale

January, 2010

Ending a “mammal centric” year in tiger land!

2009-12-30T22:07:00.000-08:00

"T17" at Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

In 2009, I photographed more mammals in wild India then ever before. Except for one trip to the “North-East” where I managed to add about fifty species of birds to my collection - "INDIABIRDS", all other trips were spent roaming in the South Indian forests enjoying the company of mammals.

Thus, it is not surprising that I choose the “Ranthambhore National Park” to end the year in the company of tigers!

"A Rufous Treepie picks food off a Sambar" at Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

It is easy to get there. Most resorts that dot the entrance to the Ranthambhore National Park are more or less 150 kms from the Jaipur airport. An easy three hours drive. We enjoyed our stay “four nights – 10th to 13th December, 2009” at the "Ranthambhore Bagh”.

Ranthambhore is one of the finest places to enjoy the company of tigers in Wild India. Many of the tigers in the “tourist area” of the forest are quite “tourist friendly” and tend to completely ignore the curious humans in their vehicles! I made seven trips inside the forest and thoroughly enjoyed myself!!

"Alert Sambars" at Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

The forest is vibrant with a large variety of wildlife. We could spot plenty of herbivores everywhere, the most prominent being the Sambar Deer. I was able to spot quite a few variety of birds too!
Once inside the park, you will soon notice that the presence of the tiger is everywhere though you need to spend some time to spot one. There are “pug marks” on almost every road. “Fresh” you can say as the “foot print” is above the “track print” of the previous vehicle. A most common method to track the tigers is to listen to the calls of the Peacock, Sambar Deer and Spotted Deer. These three call continuously when they sense the presence of a tiger and invite all the guides to zero in on the location of the predator. Thus, in order to avoid “major traffic jams” inside the park, the department has ensured that the twenty “Gypsys” and twenty “Canters” that are officially allowed to enter the park with tourists are allotted five different routes at random.

"A tourist feeds babblers" at Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

A photographer would any day prefer a “Gypsy” all to himself rather then a noisy and large "Canter". Please visit "Rajasthan Wildlife” for all information about Ranthambhore including routes inside the park and to book your vehicle in advance!

In 2009, I decided to make some amateur videos of my travels in Wild India. Here is one on this trip to Ranthambhore ->

Many thanks for sharing my joy. Wishing you another great year ahead. See you in 2010!

"T17" at Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, India

Vijay Cavale
December 2009

Cat Luck...

2009-12-27T00:08:00.000-08:00

The top cats of India, the tiger and the panther are always a delight to encounter in the wild. In the "South Indian" forests, it is mostly luck that is considered as the main factor for one to even get a glimpse of these awesome animals. Thus, I consider myself extremely lucky to have come across these cats several times on my multiple visits to these forests. I am very happy to present to you, two of my most precious moments with these top cats...

A tiger cub at Bandipur, Karnataka. August, 2009.

I. August, 2009 - Bandipur National Park, Karnataka, India

On the 28th of August, almost towards the end of our morning round, we spotted a tigress in the bush. Always a wonderful feeling of excitement! She looked at us and then yawned. As we watched she slowly got up and walked away into the bush or so we thought! Suddenly, she was right besides us! What made her take a u-turn and come right back towards us is still a mystery to me, though in all that excitement I was able to grab my camera and take a few shots of her! In the same area, others have seen a tigress with four cubs! Was this the mother we wondered?

A Tigress yawns at Bandipur, Karnataka. August, 2009.

A Tigress "too close" at Bandipur, Karnataka. August, 2009.

On the 29th of August afternoon, the much anticipated moment arrived! We saw three tigers together!! Our analysis lead us to believe that it was a mother teaching her cubs to hunt. Here see for yourself...

II. November, 2009 - Kabini, Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka, India

On the 25th of November, we were roaming in the Kabini area of the Nagarhole National Park. At about 4 pm we saw a Panther walking on the forest road not too far in front of our vehicle. On detecting us (I assume), the animal left the road and headed for the undergrowth. It disappeared inside the bushes as we crawled nearer... Gone we thought with a happy feeling of the sighting. Suddenly there was a loud noise (something like a snort) as we saw the Panther shoot up a tree and stand still just above the undergrowth. It looked keenly around for a while as a monkey would. We then saw a Sambar Deer walk out from the same spot the Panther had walked in! The Sambar gave some loud alarm calls for a while as the Panther climbed down and disappeared! We were able to get some good images of this behavior of the Panther shooting up a tree at the slightest sense of danger!

A Panther shoots up a tree at Kabini, Karnataka. November, 2009.

On the 27th Morning as we were just finishing our round, we heard some monkeys calling in panic. A little ahead we saw two Panthers sitting on a fallen log by the road side! We spent about half an hour with these wonderful animals as they sat camly on the log while the monkeys went mad above them. I guess they were mating... here see for yourself! ->

"A pair of Panthers!" at Kabini, Karnataka. November, 2009.

"The calm princess"! at Kabini, Karnataka. November, 2009.

We left the calm princess sitting on the log while the monkeys kept calling all the time!

These two opportunities, one each with tigers and panthers, I shall cherish for the rest of my days...

Vijay Cavale
November, 2009

Wild Opportunities...

2009-08-10T01:56:00.000-07:00

As I continue to enjoy my travels into the Indian wilderness, I sometimes get an opportunity to make an image that is worth a second look! Here is a small collection I put together for your viewing pleasure ->

"A 'Eurasian Spoonbill' lands for a early morning drink... Ranganthittu, Karnataka. March, 2009.

While, I continue to add to my image collection of birds found in India -> "INDIABIRDS"
These images are some examples of the vast opportunities that a wildlife photographer can expect in India. All one has to do is be out there and enjoy!

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Vijay Cavale
August 2009. On going...

Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam - May 2009

2009-06-29T04:33:00.000-07:00

Our travel plans to Arunachal Pradesh took us to "Jorhat" in Assam. On our return journey from Arunachal Pradesh, Ranganath Badri and myself decided to spend a couple of days checking out the “Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary” and the “Kaziranga Tiger Reserve”. I am grateful to Mr. N. K. Vasu the current "Director" of the “Rain Forest Research Institute” and previously the "Field Director" of "Kaziranga Tiger Reserve" for helping us take a look at these two wonderful wildlife habitats in Assam.

"Greater One-horned Rhinoceros" at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

After a good nights rest at RFRI, early morning on Sunday, the 3rd of May 2009, Ranganath Badri and myself set out to explore the “Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary” in Jorhat. (If in Jorhat, do drop into "Kalpana Restaurant" for breakfast, you are sure to enjoy the feast!)

The “Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary” in the Jorhat District of Assam with an area of about 20 hectare is located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra river. As soon as we entered the area we could hear the “Gibbons” calling! A short walk into the undergrowth and we were able to see a family of three!!

This sanctuary is a primate island! In this small area of dense evergreen rain forest surrounded by tea estates thrive seven species of primates many of which are endangered. Hoolock Gibbon, Stump-tailed Macaque, Pig-tailed Macaque, Assamese Macaque, Rhesus macaque, Capped Langur and Slow Loris. How come?

Hoolock Gibbons are the representatives of “ape” in India. It is said that these Gibbons which have now been split into the “Eastern Hoolock Gibbon” and “Western Hoolock Gibbon” share 95% of their genetic material with humans!

"Hoolock Gibbon (Male)" at Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam.

"Hoolock Gibbon (Female with Juvenile)" at Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam.

"Capped Langur" at Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam.

I was very happy to see and photograph the “Western Hoolock Gibbons” swinging in the trees and the "Capped Langur" munching on leaves. May their tribe increase!

We then drove straight to the “Kaziranga Tiger Reserve” about 100 kms from Jhorat. That evening we checked into the “Forest Rest House” at Kaziranga and relaxed.

Monday, 04th May 2009. What a day. A long day from 4 am to 6 pm among the Rhinos! I am not sure why the "Tiger" takes prominence everywhere? the “Kaziranga” area is surely the abode of the “Greater One-horned Rhinoceros”! There are over 2000+ Rhinoceros in the reserve, we saw at least 50 of them on that day.

"Greater One-horned Rhinoceros" at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

Plenty of "Hog Deers", the closest relative of the spotted deer, in the area ->

"Hog Deer" at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

Called "Barasingha" due to the "Twelve-Tined" antlers of the stags, the "Swamp Deer" thrives in this area ->

"Swamp Deer" at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

"Swamp Deers" at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

The first thing I noticed are their large horns! ->

"Asiatic Wild Buffalo" at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

Here are some bird images I managed to click in Assam ->

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Fulgorid Planthopper Nymphs? at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

"Fulgorid Planthopper Nymphs?" At first sight it looked like some kind of white fungus. When our guard went near they started hopping as you will see in the below video -> Amazing nature indeed!!

A world heritage site, the "“Kaziranga National Park" evolved into the ‘’Kaziranga Tiger Reserve” in 2007. Encompassing an area of over 1000 sq. km. the landscape consists of sprawling grasslands, water bodies and woods. The lifeline of this area is the “Brahmaputra” river and its tributaries. An ‘Important Bird Area’ with over 500 species of birds recorded, with the world’s largest population of “Greater One-horned Rhinoceros” and with the world’s largest population of the “Asiatic Wild Buffalo” this area is a must visit for any nature lover!

I thoroughly enjoyed that one special day inside the reserve…

Sunset at Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam.

Arunachal Pradesh for Birds!

2009-06-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

As it so often happens, I got that phone call! That phone call that usually sets the ball rolling for my next trip into “Wild India”. This time, it was Pratap Singh. He was calling from the field somewhere in Meghalaya and wanted to know if I would like to join him for a few days in Arunachal Pradesh! I had heard and read a lot about the rich bird life of this border state. I did not hesitate to say “yes”! What followed was a very exciting two weeks …

Arunachal Pradesh, India.

Dhananjai Mohan, IFS and Pratap Singh, IFS both “Conservator of Forests” are currently Professors at the Wildlife Institute of India. Among other things they are working on a very interesting project –> “Bird Species – Number and Densities in the East and West Himalayas”. This project takes them to various parts of the Himalayas from time to time. I was very fortunate to be in the field with them for a few days as they went about their project.

Here is Dhananjai Mohan “on location” talking about the project sitting at “Mayodiya Pass”, Lower Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh ->

Dhananjai Mohan has a PhD Degree based on his research work on “Habitat selection in Birds” while Pratap Singh is working towards his PhD on “Altitudinal and geographical variation of warbler songs”. What better company can one ask for while wandering in the Himalayas?

Ranganath Badri, a keen nature lover, who lives in Dubai was only too happy to accept my invite and as usual was great company all along!

So we finalized the plan. Ranganath Badri would fly Dubai – Bangalore. The two of us would fly Bangalore – Jorhat (Assam) via Kolkata. Dhananjai Mohan and Pratap Singh would continue their journey via Meghalaya and arrive at Jorhat by road. The four of us would meet up at the “Rain Forest Research Institute” at Jorhat and then continue onwards to Arunachal Pradesh.

Day 1 - 24th April, 2009. Everything went according to plan. Mr. N. K. Vasu the Director of “Rain Forest Research Institute” played the perfect host and ensured that our brief (one night) stay at RFRI was comfortable. Mr Vasu an IFS officer had recently spent five years as the “Field Director” of the Kaziranga National Park, famous for its “Indian Rhinoceros”. It was apparent that he was very found of the park and had worked tirelessly towards its improvement. He would later help Badri and Myself make a quick trip to Kaziranga (on our return journey) to enjoy the presence of these magnificent beasts.

That night Mr. Vasu treated us to a delicious dinner at his “in campus” residence. The next day his friendly staff ensured that we reached the “ferry crossing” near Dhola (about 300 kms from Jhorat) in good time! Thank you very much Vasu Ji for all the help!! and many thanks to Dr. T. C. Bhuyan and Mr. Pratul Hazarika for making us feel at ease.

On the 25th April, 2009, early morning, we hit the road from Jhorat to Roing. The 300+ kms drive to Dhola (Jorhat -> Dibrugarh ->Tinsukia -.Makum -> Dumduma ->Dhola) was uneventful. The roads were good for the most part. En-route we stopped briefly for a wonderful brunch at DFO, Anurag Singh’s house at Dibrugarh.

After reaching Dhola we crossed the “Brahmaputra River” by boat and reached Sadiya and then entered Arunachal Pradesh (Note:"Entry Permits"required!) to reach Roing by Dusk. A full day on the road!

Here is a “video” I put together of this journey and more…

April 25th evening to the 30th morning we were wandering along a winding and climbing 50 kms stretch of the only available road. This 50 kms stretch started at Roing at a height of 400 mts and climbed to 2600 mts at Mayodiya Pass! This area is in the Lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh and forms part of the "Maheo Wildlife Sanctuary".

A hybrid of Gaur and domestic cattle the Mithun (Bos frontalis) is the state animal of Arunachal Pradesh!

While Ranganath Badri and Myself were on a “shoot at sight” mission of any bird we came across, Pratap Singh was into some serious research of warbler calls. Dhananjai Mohan, a walking, talking encyclopedia on Himalayan Birds was a great asset as we would get “on-the-spot” ID of any bird!

For someone who aspires to photograph birds, the task is quite indemonstrable! Birds are everywhere, they can fly, you cannot! The foliage is thick and green. The terrain is sloping and you mostly have to stick to the one road. As you travel along the road the altitude keeps changing from 400 mts to 6500 mts and so do the bird species! A fascinating plethora of colors and calls all the way! The weather keeps changing too, and soon you will feel like you are searching for a needle in a haystack by candlelight!

Rusty-fronted Barwing

I did the three things I thought was sensible and I was able to make some decent images of quite a few birds I had never seen before! One. Travel slowly along the road by vehicle and stop at regular intervals to scan for opportunities. Two. Walk on the road as much as you can without getting completely exhausted. Watch and Listen. Three. Wait at what your instinct says is a potential place for something to appear. Wait as long as your patience will allow!

A "Hoolock Gibbon" - The only Indian Ape! feeds on a tree off the road...

Here is a checklist of the 140+ species of birds we came across at Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Mishmi Hills, Lower Debang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh, 25th to 30th April, 2009, kind courtesy, Dhananjai Mohan! (If only photography was as easy as seeing and hearing!)

No. Common name, Scientific name

21 Hill Partridge, Arborophila torqueola
31 Blyth's Tragopan, Tragopan blythii
41 Grey Peacock-pheasant, Polyplectron bicalcaratum
183 Crested Serpent-eagle, Spilornis cheela
193 Crested Goshawk, Accipiter trivirgatus
206 Black Eagle, Ictinaetus malayensis
222 Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
394 Speckled Wood-pigeon, Columba hodgsonii
397 Pale-capped Pigeon ?, Columba punicea
405 Barred Cuckoo-dove, Macropygia unchall
407 Common Emerald Dove, Chalcophaps indica
415 Pin-tailed Green-pigeon, Treron apicauda
447 Square-tailed Drongo-Cuckoo, Surniculus lugubris
449 Large Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus sparverioides
451 Hodgson's Hawk-cuckoo, Cuculus fugax
453 Indian Cuckoo, Cuculus micropterus
454 Himalayan Cuckoo, Cuculus saturatus
480 Collared Owlet, Glaucidium brodiei
507 Himalayan Swiftlet, Aerodramus brevirostris
511 Silver-backed Needletail ?, Hirundapus cochinchinensis
521 Red-headed Trogon, Harpactes erythrocephalus
529 White-throated Kingfisher, Halcyon smyrnensis
536 Crested Kingfisher, Megaceryle lugubris
538 Blue-bearded Bee-eater, Nyctyornis athertoni
544 Eurasian Hoopoe, Upupa epops
551 Rufous-necked Hornbill, Aceros nipalensis
554 Great Barbet, Megalaima virens
559 Blue-throated Barbet, Megalaima asiatica
568 Golden-throated Barbet, Megalaima franklinii
571 Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos macei
576 Crimson-breasted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos cathpharius
577 Darjeeling Woodpecker, Dendrocopos darjellensis
583 Lesser Yellownape, Picus chlorolophus
587 Grey-headed Woodpecker, Picus canus
594 Bay Woodpecker, Blythipicus pyrrhotis
613 Black-winged Cuckooshrike, Coracina melaschistos
621 Grey-chinned Minivet, Pericrocotus solaris
622 Long-tailed Minivet, Pericrocotus ethologus
625 Scarlet Minivet, Pericrocotus flammeus
634 Grey-backed Shrike, Lanius tephronotus
639 White-browed Shrike-babbler, Pteruthius flaviscapis
641 Black-eared Shrike-babbler, Pteruthius melanotis
648 Maroon Oriole, Oriolus traillii
650 Ashy Drongo, Dicrurus leucophaeus
653 Bronzed Drongo, Dicrurus aeneus
658 Yellow-bellied Fantail, Rhipidura hypoxantha
659 White-throated Fantail, Rhipidura albicollis
663 Asian Paradise-flycatcher ?, Terpsiphone paradisi
666 Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa flavirostris
668 Common Green Magpie, Cissa chinensis
670 Grey Treepie, Dendrocitta formosae
690 Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Culicicapa ceylonensis
700 Yellow-cheeked Tit, Parus spilonotus
702 Yellow-browed Tit, Sylviparus modestus
703 Sultan Tit, Melanochlora sultanea
728 Striated Bulbul, Pycnonotus striatus
734 Red-whiskered Bulbul, Pycnonotus jocosus
737 Red-vented Bulbul, Pycnonotus cafer
741 White-throated Bulbul, Alophoixus flaveolus
765 Grey-bellied Tesia, Tesia cyaniventer
766 Chestnut-headed Tesia, Tesia castaneocoronata
769 Brown-flanked Bush Warbler, Cettia fortipes
771 Aberrant Bush Warbler, Cettia flavolivacea
773 Grey-sided Bush Warbler, Cettia brunnifrons
776 Rufous-faced Warbler, Abroscopus albogularis
777 Black-faced Warbler, Abroscopus schisticeps
778 Yellow-bellied Warbler, Abroscopus superciliaris
781 Black-throated Bushtit, Aegithalos concinnus
794 Buff-barred Warbler, Phylloscopus pulcher
795 Ashy-throated Warbler, Phylloscopus maculipennis
806 Large-billed Leaf Warbler, Phylloscopus magnirostris
810 Blyth's Leaf Warbler, Phylloscopus reguloides
811 Yellow-vented Warbler, Phylloscopus cantator
812 Grey-hooded Warbler, Phylloscopus xanthoschistos
817 Grey-cheeked Warbler, Seicercus poliogenys
818 Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Seicercus castaniceps
848 Hill Prinia, Prinia atrogularis
858 Common Tailorbird, Orthotomus sutorius
863 Puff-throated Babbler, Pellorneum ruficeps
870 White-browed Scimitar-babbler, Pomatorhinus schisticeps
871 Streak-breasted Scimitar-babbler, Pomatorhinus ruficollis
874 Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler, Xiphirhynchus superciliaris
880 Pygmy Wren-babbler, Pnoepyga pusilla
882 Rusty-throated Wren-Babbler, Spelaeornis badeigularis
891 Rufous-fronted Babbler, Stachyris rufifrons
892 Rufous-capped Babbler, Stachyris ruficeps
894 Golden Babbler, Stachyris chrysaea
895 Grey-throated Babbler, Stachyris nigriceps
914 Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, Garrulax pectoralis
915 Striated Laughingthrush, Garrulax striatus
924 Grey-sided Laughingthrush, Garrulax caerulatus
925 Rufous-necked Laughingthrush, Garrulax ruficollis
938 Black-faced Laughingthrush, Garrulax affinis
939 Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush, Garrulax erythrocephalus
943 Silver-eared Leiothrix, Leiothrix argentauris
947 Rusty-fronted Barwing, Actinodura egertoni
949 Streak-throated Barwing, Actinodura waldeni
950 Blue-winged Minla, Minla cyanouroptera
951 Chestnut-tailed Minla, Minla strigula
952 Red-tailed Minla Minla, ignotincta
953 Golden-breasted Fulvetta, Alcippe chrysotis
954 Yellow-throated Fulvetta, Alcippe cinerea
955 Rufous-winged Fulvetta, Alcippe castaneceps
957 Brown-throated Fulvetta, Alcippe ludlowi
958 Manipur Fulvetta, Alcippe manipurensis
962 Nepal Fulvetta, Alcippe nipalensis
966 Beautiful Sibia, Heterophasia pulchella
967 Long-tailed Sibia, Heterophasia picaoides
968 Striated Yuhina, Yuhina castaniceps
969 White-naped Yuhina, Yuhina bakeri
970 Whiskered Yuhina, Yuhina flavicollis
971 Stripe-throated Yuhina, Yuhina gularis
972 Rufous-vented Yuhina, Yuhina occipitalis
979 Black-throated Parrotbill, Paradoxornis nipalensis
993 Oriental White-eye, Zosterops palpebrosus
997 Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Sitta castanea
1001 White-tailed Nuthatch, Sitta himalayensis
1024 Chestnut-tailed Starling, Sturnus malabaricus
1031 Blue Whistling Thrush, Myophonus caeruleus
1061 White-browed Shortwing, Brachypteryx montana
1074 Oriental Magpie Robin, Copsychus saularis
1086 Blue-fronted Redstart, Phoenicurus frontalis
1088 Plumbeous Water Redstart, Rhyacornis fuliginosa
1089 White-capped Redstart, Chaimarrornis leucocephalus
1090 White-tailed Robin, Cinclidium leucurum
1117 Blue Rock-thrush, Monticola solitarius
1118 Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush, Monticola rufiventris
1129 Rufous-gorgeted Flycatcher, Ficedula strophiata
1137 Sapphire Flycatcher, Ficedula sapphira
1139 Verditer Flycatcher, Eumyias thalassinus
1150 Rufous-bellied Niltava, Niltava sundara
1152 Large Niltava, Niltava grandis
1153 Small Niltava, Niltava macgrigoriae
1160 Orange-bellied Leafbird, Chloropsis hardwickii
1178 Gould's Sunbird, Aethopyga gouldiae
1179 Green-tailed Sunbird, Aethopyga nipalensis
1180 Black-throated Sunbird, Aethopyga saturata
1185 Streaked Spiderhunter, Arachnothera magna
1230 Rosy Pipit, Anthus roseatus
1258 Dark-rumped Rosefinch, Carpodacus edwardsii
1267 Scarlet Finch, Haematospiza sipahi
1279 Crested Bunting, Melophus lathami

Mr. Alok Kumar Singh the Range Forest Officer In-charge of the area offered us all possible support. Thank you very much Alok Kumar for all the help. I was very happy to meet Ipra Mekola and Ravi Meso who are ready to help nature lovers find their way in the area. (Ph: 9436226626 and 9402047473)

One of the major tribes of the Lower Debang Valley are the Idu Mishmi’s. We came across many of them. Most of them were traveling by two wheelers carrying guns and other weapons. Fearless people I thought. Pratap Singh had spent some of his initial years as a forest officer in Arunachal Pradesh. He would from time to time tell us many interesting facts about the people and the forests of Arunachal Pradesh. The more I see India, the more fascinated I am!

This man suddenly appeared from the undergrowth startling me!

On the 30th April morning the four of us flew out of Roing. We made good use of the “Arunachal Helicopter Service” and after a short flight landed safely at the Dibrugarh Airport. While Dhananjai Mohan went back to his home in Dehradun, the rest of us continued to Namdapha by road.

We reached "Namdapha National Park" by dusk. Dibrugarh -> Tinsukia -> Makum -> Digboi -> Margherita -> Jagun -> Miao -> Namdapha! (About 200 Kms).

We spent two nights at "Deban" where the Forest Department provides decent accommodation. Mr Yogesh, Field Director of Namdapha National Park was with us and offered us all possible support. Thank you very much Yogesh Ji for all the help!

On the 2nd May, 2009, Ranganath Badri and Myself dropped Pratap Singh at the Dibrugrah Airport and proceeded back to Johrat. Another full day on the road – about 300+ kms! This ended our Arunachal Pradesh trip! Yes, we had to worry a bit about the mosquitoes and leeches. But then what can you achieve sitting at home? (Thanks Dr. Prashanth N S for the tips about malaria prevention)

Tomorrow we will visit Kaziranga!

Meanwhile, please do enjoy the bird images I managed to click in Arunachal Pradesh ->

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Very many thanks to Pratap Singh and Dhananjai Mohan for making this trip happen for me. See you soon on the next!

Vijay Cavale
May 2009

Karnataka - The “BIG FIVE”!

2009-05-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

“Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple” Wildlife Sanctuary (B R T), “Bandipur” National Park, “Nagarhole” and “Kabini” area of the Rajiv Gandhi National Park are four of my favorite wildlife destinations in Karnataka. These four areas are more or less contiguous and host a healthy population of wild animals. Add “Ranganthittu” Bird Sanctuary to the above and they make the “BIG FIVE”!

B R T, Bandipur, Kabini, Nagarhole and Ranganthittu - the "Big Five"

One way of roughly looking at these locations is to look at the back of your hand. With Mysore as the center, the Little finger would be leading to B R T via Nanjangud and Chamrajnagar. Next finger to Bandipur via Gundulpet, middle finger to Kabini via Heggadadevanakote, the next finger to Nagarhole via Hunsur and the base of the thumb would be Ranganthittu!

Driving to these destinations from Bangalore is easy. All five are situated in Karnataka. B R T, Bandipur, Kabini and Nagarhole are about 220+ kms from Bangalore. Bangalore to Mysore is an easy two-hour (135 kms) drive. Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary is situated near Mysore.

The “tourism zones” in these forests have numerous roads and one can easily spot Hanuman Langurs, Bonnet Macaques, Sambars, Spotted Deers, Gaurs, Wild Pigs, and Asian Elephants while driving on these roads.

Commonly found but difficult to spot are the Mouse Deer, Indian Muntjac, Four-horned Antelope, Sloth Bear, Wild Dog, Tiger, Common Leopard, Stripe-necked Mongoose, and Indian Giant Squirrel.

Forming part of the Western Ghats, over 400 species of birds have been recorded in this area.

It is no wonder that I grab every opportunity to visit this area as I have done for many years now. Over the past three decades I would have made hundreds of visits to these areas and would have driven multiple times on every motor-able road in these areas and then walked some! Many a story to tell …

The first three months of this year (2009) saw me making multiple visits to these five destinations – Nagarhole, Kabini, Bandipur and B R T and Ranganthittu.

“Jungle Lodges and Resorts" and “Karnataka Forest Department - Forest Rest Houses" accommodations are my favorite places of stay in these areas along with a couple of private properties owned by friends.

These are the visits I made during January, Fedruary and March 2009 ->

1. January 2nd to 6th – Ranganthittu, Nagarhole and Kabini
*With M N Jayakumar, Ajit Huilgol and V P Nurdeen.

2nd January – Bird photography at Ranganthittu by Boat, early morning. Panther sighting on main road en-route near Murkal at 1 pm. Tiger sighting and photography at "Kunthur Kere" at 3pm. Another tiger sighting near Peacock road at 5pm. Plenty of elephants. Night at Cauvery – FRH. Happy new year!

Ajit and Nurdeen shooting at Ranganthittu.

Tiger at “Kunthur Kere” in Nagarhole!

3rd January – Roaming in Nagarhole. Plenty of Elephants. Night at Cauvery – FRH.

A Malabar Giant Squirrel feeds on Bamboo Seeds! This Bamboo is known to flower once in Three Decades!!

4th January – Early morning drive to Kabini area. Boat round in Kabini River. Osprey photography. Brief stop at Tiger Tank - Plenty of Elephants. Evening drive to Balle area. Night at Sunkadakatte – FRH.

An "Osprey" catches a large fish at Kabini!

5th January – Early morning boat round in Kabini River. More Ospreys. More Elephants. Night at Sunkadakatte – FRH.

Tusker at Kabini.

6th January – Morning at Tiger Tank! More and More elephants!
Drive back to Bangalore via Ranganthittu – Otters!

View from "Tiger Tank" - Kabini!

Otter at Ranganthittu!

2. February 23rd to 26th – B R T, Ranganthittu and Karanji, Mysore.
*With Suzanne Huot and Giri Cavale

23rd February – Drive from Bangalore to B R T, Check into Jungle Lodges and Resorts, evening wildlife safari - Elephants.

24th February – Morning wildlife Safari. Rest of day drive to Jodigere area via Bedaguli for some breath-takings views - landscape photography!

Jodigere area - grassland, Shola and hills!

25th February – After morning wildlife safari, Drive to Ranganthittu Bird Santuary for evening boat round and Bird Photography. Night at Mysore.

A "Spot-billed Pelican" skims at Ranganthittu...

26th Morning – Morning at "Karanji Kere", Mysore – Bird Photography.

"Western Reef Egret" at Karanji Kere, Mysore - So far inland?

3. March – 18th to 22nd – Ranganthittu, N-Begur (Bandipur), Kabini, Nagarhole and B R T !! *With M N Jayakumar and Giri Cavale.

18th March – Early morning drive from Bangalore to Ranganthittu – Morning Bird Photography at Ranganthittu. Lunch at N-Begur-FRH. Meet with Dr. Raju. Boat round in Kabini River from Bandipur side. Plenty of Elephants. Large Muggers. Night at Sunkadakatte – FRH.

"Eurasian Spoonbill" at Ranganthittu - backlit!

Plenty of large "Muggers" at Kabini.

19th March – Morning Boat round in Kabini River. Roaming the forest. Brief stop at Tiger Tank.

Kabini - Backwaters!

Elephant uses ear to wipe its eye!

20th March - Morning Boat round at Kabini. White Stork! Drive to Nagarhole for evening round. Night at Nagarhole.

"White Stork" at Kabini.

Elephants at water- Kabini.

21st March – After morning round Tiger sighting and photography by MNJ and GC, long drive to BRT. Panther sighting and Photography in the evening!

Panther at B R T!

22nd March – Drive from BRT to Bangalore.

Did you Notice ? On this trip, WE DID THE ‘BIG FIVE” on the trot!

If you have not yet! please go to any of these "Big Five" places folks, you are sure to enjoy the wildlife around!

Vijay Cavale
March - 2009

PLUG-> Watch this video I made in May 2009 at Kabini...

Basur and Muthodi, Chickamagalur – December 2008

2009-04-19T01:34:00.000-07:00

Having just returned from my mammoth North Karnataka trip, I did not realize that I would be back so soon exploring more of Karnataka. Basur and Muthodi near Chickamagalur was the target this time!

Blackbucks at Basur Kaval, Chickamagalur, Karnataka, India.

Day 1 - December 20th, 2008

Early this morning, I drove out to a place I had never heard of -“Basur”! and hold your breath, the other two in the vehicle were none other than M N Jayakumar, IFS, Chief Conservator of Forests (Communication & Information), KFD, and the veteran Tanjavur Nateshachary Ayyam Perumal himself! For the very first time I was shooting in the company of such eminent wildlife photographers. Though I was the baby in the team, never did I imagine I would be in for the “endurance test” of my life! This trip more importantly helped revitalize my long-term goals!

Inspired by Jayakumar, the three of us left Bangalore early morning on the 20th December 2008. We reached Birur by noon after a pleasant drive via Tumkur, Tiptur, Arsikere and Kadur. A superb hot lunch was waiting for us as we checked into the conveniently located “PWD IB” (Public Works Department – Inspection Bungalow!) at Birur and met up with Lingaraja and his staff.

BASUR KAVAL

A Kaval is basically a grazing space for cattle. Government in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veternary Services have in their possession thousands of acres of Amrut Mahal Kaval lands in various locations. These Kavals were meant to raise Amrut Mahal Cattle, a unique breed of draught resistant animals that required vast extents of open grazing areas. Many of these Kavals offer excellent habitats for several grassland dependant animals like Blackbucks and Wolves.

Amrut Mahal Cattle at Basur Kaval, Chickamagalur, Karnataka, India.

One such Kaval of about 1400 acres is situated at Basur just off the Birur-Yegati road. About 200 kms from Bangalore, Birur is a town in Chickamagalur district in the state of Karnataka, India. Lingaraja S S, IFS, who is currently the DCF at Chickamagalur, one day decided to explore “Basur Amrut Mahal Kaval” ! He was amazed at the bio-diversity he found in the area. Basur is the only place in Chickamagalur where these Blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) an endangered species of antelope found mainly in India have survived. He was also able to find and photograph a pair of wolves in the area. Here is his full report - > CATTLE RANCH IN KARNATAKA SUPPORTS BLACK BUCKS, INDIAN WOLF!!

Kardi Kal Betta near Basur

At 3pm we were off to explore Basur Kaval! A short (30 kms) drive from Birur through some small villages brought us to Basur Kaval. On the way we passed “Kardi Kal Betta” (Bear Stone Hill) as I heard a fascinating story of the man-eating Panthers of the area. At first we saw nothing, but, as our eyes and ears settled down we saw and heard plenty of birdlife. A pair of “Southern Grey Shrikes” gave us good photo opportunities. By sunset we would have seen over fifty species of birds including larks, pipits, doves, shrikes, various raptors (migratory and resident), warblers, sandgrouses, francolins and quails. We did come across a few Blackbucks hiding in the grass as they ran on our approach. Finally, as the light began to fade and we were preparing to leave – a pair of wolves! All of us had wonderful views of the two healthy animals – such a nice feeling! No photo opportunities though as the light was fading and the wolves were trotting away.

M N Jayakumar, T N A Perumal and S S Lingaraja!

A wonderful dinner at the IB and off to bed. How time flies!

Day 2 - December 21st, 2008

Early morning we were back at Basur Kaval. Almost until noon we spent in the wonderful “grassland”. We were able to photograph the blackbucks and various species of birds. No wolf luck that morning.

At noon, Jayakumar led us to a delicious “brunch” at “Preeti Canteen”! This hotel at Birur offers some of the best south Indian snacks I have ever tasted!

After “brunch” we bid goodbye to Lingaraja and staff and left for Muthodi, Bhadra Tiger Reserve!

MUTHODI, BHADRA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Situated about 40 km. away from Chickamagalur town in Karnataka state and covering an area of about 500 sq. kms., the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is surrounded by several scenic hills including Mullaianagiri, Hebbegiri, Gangegiri and Babaudangiri . At the western border of the sanctuary is the back waters of the Bhadra Reservoir which has a catchment area of 1,968 km² . Several tributaries of the Bhadra river flows all through the Sanctuary, that abounds with wildlife.

On our way to Muthodi via Kammengundi!

We drove from Birur to Muthodi via Kemmangundi. After a scenic (120+ kms) drive through winding narrow roads, we reached Muthodi just in time for the evening round. As we entered the forest, a couple of elephants disappeared on our approach. The Muthodi area is a favorite habitat of the “Barking Deer”. We had about twenty different sightings of this deer during our short visit! On our drive out of the forest, we had some good views of a Civet Cat browsing off the road and a Pitta hopping on the road.

Barking Deer, easily seen at Muthodi

At dusk we settled down at the popular “Seegekhan Inspection Bungalow” for some well-earned rest.

Day 3 - December 22nd 2008

What a day!

Perumal decided to opt out of the morning round. Jayakumar and myself left the IB at about 6.45 am. We suggested to the cook that we would have breakfast on our return at about 9.30 am. I never realized how cold the morning was until we descended into the forest!

Early morning view from "Seegekhan Inspection Bungalow", Muthodi

The 40+ kms drive cutting across the sanctuary (from Seegekhan to Sukalatti) was truly breathtaking! Surely the less-traveled path! On the way, we visited several anti-poaching camps deep inside the forest. At one camp, I could not resist tasting the hot food that the forest workers had prepared – Rice and Hurali (horse gram) Saru! Remember, we were to be back for breakfast at 9.30 am?

Some breathtaking views, the feel of the deep forest and the backwater ambience were the highlights of the drive as we reached the Sukalatti IB at Lakkavalli.

After a very short halt at the Sukalatti IB we started back! Well, we actually returned to the IB at 4 pm! Yes, we had spent 9 hrs on the drive – how about that for endurance? Wait there is more!

After hungrily gobbling some late lunch and quickly taking a shower, we left for Chickamagalur! It was almost dusk as we hit the road and suddenly we had a glimpse of a panther that quickly disappeared into the thicket. The sighting of a big cat always makes one's heart race!

At about 8 pm we reached Khalid Ghani’s house. Langaraja and Girish joined us. We had a wonderful dinner and some pleasant interaction.

After dinner, we drove back to Basur! Yes, the three of us checked back into the “PWD – IB” at Birur by midnight!

What a day indeed!

Day 4 - December 23, 2008

Early morning we were back at Basur Kaval! It was the morning of the fox. We had splendid views of a pair of foxes. They were too quick and always out of reach for good photo opportunities. No wolf luck that day though!

Indian Fox at Basur

Another “Brunch” at our favorite hotel at “Birur” and we were on our drive back to Bangalore!

Thank you very much Jayakumar – an eye-opener on endurance for me! Thank you very much Perumal – your energy and perseverance puts me to shame. Thanks Lingaraja – the poet in you will surely make us meet again! I do hope “Basur Kaval” thrives despite human pressure.

Sunrise - Basur!

I reached home at about 9 pm and hit the sack like I had never done before! I knew this would be my last trip for 2008 and what a trip! Did you notice four days go by?!

Another wonderful year full or wildLIFE, flew by for me!

See you soon, in the next!!

Vijay Cavale
December 2008

Daroji Bear Sanctuary – 26th November 2008

2009-02-07T00:23:00.000-08:00

I have at various times during my wanderings in the Indian forests come across “Sloth Bears”. The sighting would always be sudden and brief as the animal would dash for cover and disappear into the thick foliage. At Daroji the experience was completely different! We saw eight different sloth bears in about two hours and we did not have to move an inch!!

Up, close and Personal with bears at the Daroji Bear Sanctuary, Karnataka, India.

Below is the third leg report (26th November) of my two weeks in North Karnataka.
->Read First Leg Report
->Read Second Leg Report

Note - Visiting Hours...

About 350 kms from Bangalore, Daroji is a small village located in the Sandur taluk of Bellary district in Karnataka, India. 55.87 sq. km. of the nearby “Billikallu” reserve forest area was declared as the “Daroji Bear Sanctuary” in 1994 and is today a safe heaven for over a hundred sloth bears! This area is in the neighborhood of the famous “Hampi” village which is situated on the banks of the Tungabhadra river, in the midst of the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire.

Daroji Bear Sanctuary, Karnataka, India.

On our drive back to Bangalore from Dandeli, Giri and myself decided to spend an evening with the bears. We left Dandeli on the 26th Morning and drove straight to Hospet via Dharwad and Hubli. At Hospet we met up with Abdul Samad a great nature lover. Samad lives in Hospet and is a teacher by profession. As a boy Samad would wander all over the area and has many stories to tell about the rich wildlife around Hospet.

Abdul Samad

With Samad leading, we entered the Daroji Bear Sanctuary at 4 pm and two minutes later met up with our first bear! This awesome animal gave us some wonderful photo opportunities as it continued its wandering.

First sighting!

Samad soon led us to a "location" and suggested that we remain quite. There was this rocky area in front of us scattered with boulders. Here, at noon everyday, a couple of Karnataka Forest Department staff rub a preparation made of “jaggery” on the boulders. Many bears in the area are attracted towards this preparation and begin to appear in the open as if by magic! They take turns at licking the jaggery off the boulders and then wander off in different directions. We sat and watched as seven bears appeared in the area and went about licking the boulders. It was a strange feeling to watch several free living wild bears out together in the open during daytime! Another unique experience in wild India for me!!

On Location with Bears!

The most common bear in India, Sloth Bears ( Melursus ursinus) are nocturnal and have a life span of about 25 years. They occupy home ranges that they seem happy to share with other sloth bears. Sloth bears are omnivorous and feed on a variety of foods. They eat fruits, berries, termites, ants, bees, honey, and small vertebrates. Their long claws and hairless muzzle help them raid insect nests. The male sloth bear can grow up to a body length of 190cm and can weigh 140kgs! They are known to be quite ferocious in some forests of India. Sloth bears live in Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

See my necklace?

Bear scratches its back!

Bear reaches up for a good lick!

Antics of an young bear!

An encounter!

The sanctuary area abounds with other wildlife as well. A fine "Ruddy Mongoose" appeared on the rock and licked some of the jaggery as did several “Three-striped Palm Squirrels”. I was delighted to see a pair of “Painted Spurfowls” appear on the scene. The couple of hours we spent with the bears of Daroji will certainly remain etched in my memory for the rest of my life! It was time to go as the sun set behind us. I was amazed at the number of nightjars we came across as we drove back to Hospet.

A Ruddy Mangoose licks Jaggery!

Notice the up-turned black-tipped tail!

A Painted Spurfowl, Male, scratches for a grain.

That night we had a comfortable stay at “Hotel Malligi” in Hospet. After thanking Samad over dinner, Giri and me bid him goodnight and retired for the day. What a Day! Breakfast at Dandali, and dinner at Daroji!

On the 27th morning we explored the vijayanagara ruins. Very inspiring and worth an independent visit I thought.

Narashima - God with a Lion's head at Vijayanagara Ruins.

This Snake Charmer at Hampi had four Cobras!

Then the long drive back home to Bangalore, thus ending the “Third Leg” of my two-week long “North Karnataka Trip”. Phew!!

Vijay Cavale
November, 2008

North Karnataka - Dandeli

2008-12-14T02:14:00.000-08:00

Extending over an area of 475 sq. kms., “Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary” is situated in the Haliyal and Joida taluks of North Karnataka. Part of the Northern Stretch of Westren Ghats, the sanctuary has four types of forests – Dry Desiduous, Moist Deciduous, Semi Evergreen and Evergreen. A large variety of flora and fauna are found in this area, the most famous being the “Black Panthar”.
Researchers have found that about 40% of Panthers in the area are “melanistic” and have in recent times captured camera-trap records of fourteen such animals in the area!

Sunset at "Sanmugha" viewpoint, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, India.

Below is the second leg report (18th to 25th November) of my two weeks in North Karnataka. As usual my main focus was bird photography ->Read First Leg Report

18th November, 2008 (Post Lunch)

Yathin and myself left Sirsi after lunch and headed towards Dandeli. Vijay Mohan Raj (VMR), DCF, Sirsi once again showing us the way! The weather had improved and it had completely stopped raining. I was looking forward to some bird photography!

The “Sirsi > Yellapur > Bhagravathi > Kulgi” route of about 150 kms took us some 3+ hours. I got a decent image of the White-rumped Shama enroute. Black-rumped Flameback’s were common in the area.

A "Black-rumped Flameback" finds a meal!

We reached “Kulgi” at about 5 pm, quickly grabbed a guide and straight away entered the forest even as the sun began to set! We had a glimpse of a Jackal before we crossed the forest gate and entered the protected area. I got a slight jolt, as the first animal I saw was a cow! Yes, there are human settlements inside the forest with crop and cattle.

"Grey Junglefowl"

After a short drive, we arrived at a popular sunset viewpoint. The orange ball had just disappeared as we reached the viewpoint. I made a mental note to visit the place again for some photographs. Dandeli is formidable I thought…

"Common Langur"

That evening we checked into the Forest Rest House (FRH) at Kulgi. At about 7 pm we had guests! Dr. K. V. Gururaja, a Post-doctoral Fellow, along with C. R. Naik a renowned forest guard of the area came over to greet us. Dr. Gururaja showed me a snap of a King Cobra! he had just clicked as they had walked to our FRH.

Soon we were viewing a fascinating presentation on “Amphibians” put together by Dr. Gururaja. I learnt that he is an expert on frogs and a storehouse of information on the topic! Yathin accompanied him into the dark and came back with some images of frogs I did not even know existed! We had a nice hot dinner at the “Kulgi Nature Camp” at 8 pm. After making some plans for the next morning we all retired for the night. Another fascinating day – Sunrise at Yana, sunset at Dandeli!

19th November, 2008

C. R. Naik was leading from the front. Early this morning, he took us to a less traveled path inside the forest just off Ambikanagar, a small “Karnataka Power Corporation Limited” township, approximately 16 km from Dandeli city. We trekked a short distance into the pristine forest for some superb views of the river Kali as it made its way through the forest. This area Naik explained, is the habitat of the “Great Hornbill”, even as we heard the calls of the large birds. Finally, we did get a glimpse of a couple of birds high up on a large tree, though Naik was hoping we could experience the dramatic scene of over 40 of them flying across the valley as he had often seen!

If Yathin had not mentioned it, I would not have noticed the TICKS! I saw several small red dots on my arms and noticed one tiny tick happily sucking away. With some difficulty I pulled it out and squashed it between my nails. A mistake! I realized later, as that one spot from where I had pulled the tick out pained me the most for the rest of my trip! I soon learnt that in Dandeli and surrounding areas one has to learn to live with the ticks (replaced by leeches in the monsoon months). I could not resist asking about the ticks to people from different walks of life in the area and found that everybody were aware and had experienced the painful bites but had learnt to simply ignore them! I also learnt that the ticks in some areas cause the “Kaysanur Forest Disease” – go ahead google for that and get paranoid!

Well, though the ticks did bother me until I left Dandeli a week later with a hundred red dots, they did not stop me from enjoying the forest and photographing birds of the area. I must confess that I was a bit concerned at first but soon learnt to be a bit careful and carry-on! Luckily I am not allergic to ticks as all the bite marks disappeared a few days after I reached home.

“Syke’s Point”

We soon reached the famous “Sykes point” that is about 5 km from Ambikanagar and offers a splendid panoramic view of the River Kali flowing through the valley below. This nature spot is named after an Englishman who discovered it.

This “Dindle” tree at Syke’s Point had connected branches!

Back to “Kulgi Nature Camp” for a late breakfast and it was time for Yathin to leave. He had a 3 pm flight to catch from Hubli back to Bangalore. See you, Yathin!

After lunch, along with a guide, Gururaj and myself drove to a large lake near Dandeli. After some good bird watching and photography we made another refreshing drive into the forest.

A "Black-lored Tit" finds a meal!

A nice hot water bath, another fine dinner and off to bed. The day just flew by!

20th November, 2008.

This morning after an early breakfast Gururaja and myself drove to the office of the DCF, Dandeli, Mr. Manoj Kumar. We learnt he was out of town, left a short note of thanks in his office and proceed to explore the area around for Hornbills. The famous "Malabar Pied Hornbills" were not in the area that day. We only saw a couple of them fly by.

At Dandeli, Gururaja led me to a unique place and experience. The mugger village! Dandeli is famous for paper mills. I saw treated effluents from one of the mills flow in a narrow canal and join the river Kali on whose banks Dandeli is situated. In this short effluent flowing canal I saw about a dozen muggers! These large fresh water crocodiles thrive on the fish that in turn thrive on the contents of the effluents! I took some images of the muggers and came away shaking my head in disbelief! India is indeed unique – where else can you see dozens of muggers so very close to a large human habitat? I was told that they are sometimes seen walking next to the houses on the banks of the river!

A fresh water crocodile at Dandeli.

That afternoon after lunch I decided to pester Gururaja to show me a few frogs as he was to leave back to Bangalore by dusk. What followed was simply unbelievable!

Just a Frog…

This unassuming, 32 year old bachelor who had spent over a decade researching frogs in India led me to a small stream opposite the “Kulgi Nature Camp”. He was completely at home as he happily showed me one frog after another! It is easier to find them in the night he mentioned. Before I realized what was happening I had already photographed some five species of frogs and began finding some on my own! It is amazing what you can see in nature with someone else’s eyes! What a wonderful learning experience for me! Here see for yourself ->

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

If you are interested in entering a dark thick forest in the night in search of frogs and help him in his research, please do contact :

Dr. K. V. Gururaja

Dr. K. V. Gururaja,
Post-doctoral Fellow,
Energy & Wetlands Research Group,
Center for Ecological Sciences,
Indian Institute of Science,
Bangalore – 560 012.

Email – gururaja_kv@yahoo.com
Web - www.gururajakv.net

Soon Gururaja took leave and headed back to Bangalore.
I shifted from the FRH and spent this and the next night at the “Kulgi Nature Camp”.

21st November, 2008.

My tent at “Kulgi Nature Camp” , Dandeli.

Hello world, Good Morning !! I woke early after a good nights sleep and with the local expert “Babu” as my guide I went in search of birds! We explored several surrounding areas by walk and saw a number of bird species though photography was quite tough.

I loved the food at “Kulgi Nature Camp”!

After a late breakfast, I went and sat for a couple of quite hours all alone in a secluded tower not too far from the camp. Nice!

A gaur inside the sanctuary…

A quick lunch, some rest, another wonderful drive in the forest. This time I was lucky to come across a lone large gaur. The forest floor was littered with spider webs. I did manage to photograph a few of them.

Do step in for a meal!

This large spider was hanging in mid air and looked like it was laying eggs?

A special dinner that night and off to bed! Time really flies!!

Sunset in the jungle

Tomorrow, I drive to Anshi !

22nd November, 2008

What a day!

Initially a part of the Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, the 340 sq. kms. Anshi National Park now adjoins it. Anshi and Dandeli were granted the status of Project Tiger sanctuaries in January 2007.

I had to wake up really early! A huge family of noisy guests had woken up at 4 am and left the camp by 5.30 am. As the tents are quite close to each other I could hear some hilarious stuff! Where is my tooth brush someone shouted, please ask for some hot water another yelled. Where is manja? a lady wanted to know. Here, you forgot your slippers and so on…

I left Kulgi after breakfast at 8am. I was enjoying the solitude and fresh air as I slowly drove towards Anshi. I was hoping to shoot some birds on the way and reach “Anshi Nature Camp” about 60 kms from Kulgi by lunch time. I would be spending the next two nights at Anshi.

As I was driving toward Anshi, two policemen flagged me down. Sir, are you going to Karwar? one of them asked. No, I am going to Anshi, I politely answered. Wonderful, we are going there too! could you give us a lift? Sure, hop in I said, throwing birding along the way out of the window!

Continuing towards Anshi with the men in uniform I learnt that the Education Minister of Karnataka who hails from Sirsi was due to address an audience at Anshi after lunch and surprise! he was to have lunch at the “Kulgi Nature Camp”!

Dash! When I reached the camp after the policemen got out at Anshi village, I could sense the excitement off the staff at the camp as they were soon expecting over 150 people for lunch. Not wanting to intrude, I stayed alone in my tent and watched the minister and all the other accompanying officials and followers come, have lunch, and go. At about 3 pm the camp was empty! I then had a quite lunch with the RFO, Mr. Mohan Angadi and a couple of foresters.

Immediately after lunch, I grabbed a guide and left to explore the forest. Anshi Wildlife Sanctuary, has very limited roads to drive on. A short drive took us to a place called “Tiger Tank”. Another short drive from there took us to “Bison Tank”

I was back at the camp by dusk without shooting a single image, the entire day! Some kind of a record I suppose!!

That night I could not sleep till very late as some guests were partying into the night!

Indeed, what a day!

23rd November, 2008

Wonderful Day!

In stark contrast to the previous day, I had the entire camp to myself all day and night! No Phone, No TV, No Newspaper, No People! Precious solitude indeed, Rejoice!!

This day, after breakfast and after lunch, I drove along several village roads with Narayan Naik, the onsite staff at the Nature Camp. We spent all day exploring the area and I was able to photograph many bird species and a couple of species of snakes!

Did I mention that the area is full of snakes? I saw five of them during the trip. At one time a snake slithered between C R Naik’s legs as we bent down to get a better view of a small frog. Also, surprisingly, I was able to photograph a couple of them without disturbing them as they just stayed calm and watched me and did not disappear as snakes normally do!

"Checkered Keelback"

"Common Vine Snake"

That evening, as the sun set and I sat alone in the camp I tuned in to the various sounds of the forest. The day dwellers were making their last calls of the day while the night dwellers were making their first! The “Whistling School Boy” (Malabar Whistling Thrush) made its melodious call and I heard the Grey Francolins quite close to the camp. Soon I heard a Jungle Owlet and a few Nightjars. A little later a Eurasian Eagle Owl started hooting and continued to do so into the night. Wonderful, how a whole bunch of creatures come alive even as another bunch go off to sleep!

How come there are so many stars in the sky? Zillions really! I never see so many stars back home, I thought. Living in a large bustling city can certainly kill a lot of this joy!

Tomorrow, I go to the “Hornbill River Resort”. Good Night!

For Bookings at Both Kulgi and Anshi Nature camps,
You need to contact the office of:

Dy. Conservator of Forests,
Wildlife Division, Dandeli,
Karnataka, India.

Ph: 08284 231585

The rates are nominal, staff friendly and food simple and good. You will certainly have some fun if you are interested in Birds, Butterflies, Flowers, Spiders, Frogs, Snakes and Lizards. Mammal sightings are rare and it would certainly be a priceless moment if you are able to sight a “Black Panther”!

24th November, 2008

"Malabar Pied Hornbill"

After breakfast I left for the “Hornbill River Resort”. Giri Cavale would be joining me there on his way back from Gir National Park. We would be spending the next two nights there. This resort (about 25kms from Dandeli) is run by Umesh and is situated on the banks of river Kali. The major attraction here is “River Rafting”. Thank you Umesh for making our stay so very comfortable and showing me the Flying Lizard and the Flying Squirrel!

Our cosy hut at the Hornbill River Resort, Dandeli.

The first thing I saw at the resort was a Hornbill! Giri had already checked in as I reached the resort at about 11 am after a leisurely drive from Anshi. The two of us then explored the area and made some decent images of the Malabar Grey Hornbill and the Malabar Pied Hornbill. There were plenty of them in the area. A lone forest wagtail was a bonus.

Mr. Manoj Kumar, DCF, Dandeli .

Mr. Manoj Kumar, DCF, Dandeli had some work in the area and paid us a surprise visit. We had a pleasant interaction over tea that evening before he left to give a talk on wildlife to a bunch of kids at the “Kulgi Nature Camp”. I found that he had in-depth knowledge about the flora and fauna of India. He is well read, well traveled and a topper in academics! He is a down to earth person with great passion for nature and wildlife. It was indeed a pleasure meeting him!

Inevitably, the resort brought me back to Phone, TV, and Newspaper. In any case I would be back home soon.

25th November, 2008

This morning Giri and myself went in search of the Black-capped Kingfisher, assisted by the helpful staff at the resort. Soon we returned with some images of this not very easily seen Kingfisher! We shot the bird from a raft!

In search of the Black-capped Kingfisher!

We then drove to the Jungle Lodges property generally exploring the area. Giri spotted a Crested Goshawk that gave us the opportunity to make some neat images.

That afternoon VMR and Manoj Kumar joined us for lunch! After lunch we went for a long drive into the “Dandali Wildlife Sanctuary” birding all the way with some valuable location inputs from Umesh! Though Giri’s luck with the big cats did not materialize this time, much to the delight of VMR and Manoj Kumar, we came across two herds of Guars with several young. First time images of the large mammal in Dandeli for VMR! I was finally able to make that sunset image I was eyeing. I most thoroughly enjoyed this drive and will cherish it a lifetime!

On the way back we made a quick stop at Manoj Kumar’s house and picked up his little daughter and headed back to the resort.

After a wholesome dinner back at the resort, it was well past midnight before we bid goodnight to VMR and Manoj Kumar. Thank you Manoj Kumar garu for all the help during my stay at Dandeli. Very many thanks VMR, it was such a wonderful trip all the way!

Here are some bird images from the trip, for your viewing pleasure:

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Tomorrow, Giri and myself will drive to “Daroji Bear Sanctuary”! No prize for guessing. Yes, a phone call from VMR again!
->Read Daroji Report

Vijay Cavale
November, 2008

North Karnataka - Sirsi

2008-12-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

I badly needed a “Green Bath”! A meeting with Vijay Mohan Raj (VMR), DCF, Sirsi, was long pending. Yathin was in town and was keen on spending a couple of days outdoors before returning to the US. A phone call to VMR yielded an exciting “two week” plan for me! 16th to 27th November, 2008.

"Mohini Shikhara", Yana, Karnataka, India.

Below is the first leg report (16th to 18th, November)
-> Read Second Leg Report
-> Read Daroji Report

16th November 2008

Yathin and myself hit the road from Bangalore to Sirsi on the 16th Morning at 8 am. We enjoyed the wet weather all along as we followed the directions given by VMR and reached Sirsi by dusk. The 500+ kms drive was pleasant and uneventful. A wonderful hot dinner was waiting for us at “KFD Sahyadri” as the staff warmly welcomed us!

"2000 kms drive, route map of my North Karnataka Trip, all three legs, November 2008

Here is the "First Leg" route ->

Bangalore> Tumkur> Hiriyur> Chitradurga> Davangere> Harihar> Ranebennur> Haveri ;

From Haveri turn off the NH4 and catch the road to Hangal (30 kms from Haveri) just before you reach Hangal (around 6 Kms) there is a median which indicates one road to Hangal and one road to Sirsi (the one on the right) (around 42 Kms from this point)> take the road towards Sirsi you continue on this road via Dasanakoppa> Bisalkoppa (small villages) and reach Sirsi.

17th November 2008

Sirsi is a mountain town surrounded by lush green forest and is situated in the heart of the Western Ghats. First thing in the morning, we drove to a nearby peak for a breathtaking view of the western ghats and some much needed oxygen. River "Aghanashini" takes birth from a place near Sirsi called "Donihalla" and flows towards the Arabian Sea in the West. The river also creates many waterfalls along its path. It is a cloudy morning today, another day you will be able to see the sea from here, said our guide!

View from a Peak near Sirsi, Karnataka, India.

Our next destination was the Unchalli falls, about 30 km from Sirsi. This falls is one of the biggest tourist attractions near Sirsi. The waterfall is a 116 meter drop and offers spectacular views at all times of the year. The sun was playing hide and seek as we watched the waterfall in awe!

Unchalli falls, Sirsi, Karnataka, India.

My first impression of Sirsi is that it is a nice peaceful place. The roads are good with very little traffic. People are simple, friendly and non-interfering. The livelihood around Sirsi is mainly agriculture based.

By noon we connected with VMR and drove straight to his house for lunch and the long pending meet! I will not be forgetting that sumptuous meal in a hurry! VMR is different. He thinks differently. He is a great asset to the nature lover community. We had a wonderful post lunch discussion on various wildlife topics. We had the privilege of watching a recent documentary movie he has inspired on the wildlife of the region even as he handed me a Technical Report on the topic. The well-crafted report is titled “Assessment of the important wildlife habitat in sirsi-honnavara forest divisions, Karnataka: with special emphasis on estimation of lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus population” With such a “full of details” report and visuals, I do hope he gets some much needed help towards protecting the flora and fauna of the region.

Vijay Mohan Raj, DCF, Sirsi.

We spent that evening watching and photographing some birds around VMR’s house and then drove with him to the Sirsi Timber Yard. The area hosted a good number of birds. I started the season by photographing a Blue Rock Thrush. After some wonderful birding we returned to VMR’s house for more discussions and another sumptuous meal before returning to “KFD Sahyadri” and some sound sleep!

Blue Rock Thrush

18th November 2008

This morning Yathin and myself decided to explore Yana! Another nature’s wonder about 50 kms pleasant drive from Sirsi.

Though there are several such smaller formations in the area, Yana is known for two gigantic rock formations of a height of 90 meters and 120 meters respectively called "Mohini Shikhara" and "Bhairaveshwara Shikhara". The formations that stand among lush green surroundings are made of solid composition of black, crystalline limestone. Locals believe that some special presence of god in the place has helped these formations withstand the test of time. The priest at the “Shiva” temple at the base of the "Bhairaveshwara Shikhara" explained to me that the famous saying “Sokkidre Yana, Dhuddidre Gokarna” holds true even till date.

"Bhairaveshwara Shikhara", Yana, Karnataka, India.

"A Positive Vibe", Yana, Karnataka, India.

A quick lunch back at “KFD Sahyadri” and we bid goodbye to VMR and to a short and sweet sortie with Sirsi.

We shall now drive to Dandeli…

Vijay Cavale
November, 2008

Mukurthi - where the mountains touch the sky!

2008-09-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

At an average height of 8000 ft the “Mukurthi National Park” is a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's first International Biosphere Reserve . I first went to this area in the late 1970’s. It was love at first sight. Three decades later, the place still gives me the same high!

Mukurthi National Park, Nilgiris, Tamilnadu, India

Few words can describe the magic of Mukurthi. I will keep it that way. The drive into the hills along the narrow winding road is breathtaking. A complete contrast even when compared to the smallest human settlement. As you look at the pristine landscape unable to hold back the song that springs to your lips the low clouds slowly engulf you making the visibility zero, the song however stays!

“Todas”

The original settlers of the Nilgiris were the Todas. Many thoughts spring to mind when you stand on the Mukurthi Peak and think of the Todas …

About the toda hut...

Mammal sightings...

Though Tigers, Panthers and Elephants are known to inhibit this area, most abundant and easily seen in the area are the Sambar Deer. We saw over a hundred of them. This area is also the habitat of the Nilgiri Thar. We trekked up a large peak in the hope of spotting some Thars, but the visibility from up there, at that time, was zero. We were however happy to come across a couple of Gaurs on our drive back to camp. Also, we could easily see and photograph The Nilgiri Langur right outside our rest house at Avalanchi.

Gaur at Nilgiris!

Some Wild Flowers...

As we stood at a “view point” ogling at the unfolding hills, we could not help getting carried away by the variety of wild flowers that dotted the landscape. The first Rhododendron of the season, an orchid and some more!

The first Rhododendron of 2008!

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

A Oriental White-eye feeds at Nilgiris!

In search of endemic birds...

Some endemic birds like the Nilgiri Pipit were high on our wish-list. After some hard work, we were rewarded with sightings and photographs of some birds of the region including a couple of endemics. Please click on the name of the birds below to view their image:

NILGIRI PIPIT
NILGIRI LAUGHINGTHRUSH
NILGIRI FLYCATCHER - MALE
BLACK & ORANGE FLYCATCHER
SCALY THRUSH
GREAT TIT

Landscape - Seeing is believing!

The most fascinating part of a visit to Mukurthi is the unique landscape. Thick Shola and open grasslands interlinked! The real glory of this area is best experienced on foot.

Moss on a tree bark !

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All in a day's work!

17th September, 2008. This “one full day” we spent at Mukurthi was indeed refreshing. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. GS Bhardwaj for intiating this trip. Giri Cavale was of course at his usual best, driving, spotting, recording and photographing. The four of us had a roaring time!

Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj is an IFS officer of the Rajasthan Cadre. One day he got wind that a Tiger was creating panic in a human habitat in his area. He decided to take some action and led a team in search of the tiger. Suddenly he was face-to-face with the tiger! While, the rest of the team took to their heels, the tiger pounced on Gobind! He was left for dead. Today, several years later, he has fully recovered and is leading life with a roar! You can still see the entire “pug-mark” on his back!

Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj

Do check out his recent book - > “Tracking Tigers In Ranthambhore”

We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Rajiv K Srivastava at Ooty who happily gave us the required permission to enter Mukurthi. Thank you sir! Dr. Srivastava is an IFS officer and the Field Director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Mukurthi National Park. While in the park we could see men vigorously getting rid of the non-native tree specie “Acacia mearnsii”! Surely an indication of the field director’s passion at work.

We also had a pleasant meeting with Ms. Mita Banerjee, IFS., District Forest Officer, Nilgiris South Division, who helped us with accommodation at the Avalanchi Forest Rest House. Many thanks Madam.

That’s all Folks!

Vijay Cavale
September, 2008

Kutch Magic!

2008-03-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

A Desert Cat Yawns! Banni Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

There is this gentleman called “Jugal Tiwari” who lives in a little place called Moti-Virani in the Kutch district of Gujarat. He provides a unique window of opportunity to all nature lovers to experience and enjoy the biodiversity of Kutch. I decided to spend a week with him to seek my fortune and came back with treasures that would last me a lifetime! Thanks Jugal for all the help!

My good friend “Kulashekara C S” from Mysore accompanied me on this trip. Thanks Kula for the great company!

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Day 1 – Wednesday, February 20, 2008.

The monotypic “Grey Hypocolius”, an elusive specie of bird is easily seen feeding on the tiny berries of “Salvadora persica”, in a private farm owned by the Mutva community at the Fulay village in Kutch. In India, Kutch is perhaps the only place these birds visit in winter. Within an hour of landing in Bhuj, I was happily shooting multiple images of these birds! A treasure to cherish and of course share!

Charcoal Making...

Not too far away from the location where the Hypocolius feeds, I found the locals using “Mesquite (Prosopis juliflora)” a drought resistant small tree that is considered a weed by many, to make charcoal! They cut, dry and burn the branches of this tree to convert them into charcoal. This charcoal is then sold commercially in the urban markets of India. We actually walked through dense smoke to reach the area where these rare birds feed! Amazing India!

We then spent a fascinating hour or so at the nearby “Pakhi Bhit” meaning “Bird Rock”. Two wonderful “Rock Eagle Owls” were perched on the rocks. I was so engrossed in enjoying the proximity of these large bold owls, I hardly noticed the sunlight fade and was soon basking in bright moonlight! This was just a sneak preview of what was on offer in the awesome “Banni Grassland”.

Moonrise at Banni Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

Earlier that day, Kula and myself, boarded the 8.30 am, “Kingfisher Airlines” flight from Bangalore to Mumbai. We took the immediate connecting flight that arrived into Bhuj a bit after noon. Now, just a few hours later, I was watching Owls in the moonlight and hearing stories of the “Ghost Lights of The Banni Grasslands”! Just the right teaser for one of my greatest trips into natural India!

On our drive back to base, in the darkness of the night, we came across a Short-eared Owl, a Jungle Cat and a Saw-scaled Viper! Yes, this was just our first day!

Each of the next five days we would wake up early and leave before sunrise and return much after sunset. Choosing convenience over comfort we decided to opt for the basic accommodation that Jugal offers next to his house as our base, a wise decision from my point of view. The food was simple vegetarian that Kula and myself very much enjoyed.

Here are some images I made on this day. Please "click" on the names below if you would like to view the image - >

VARIABLE WHEATEAR
WHITE-EARED BULBUL
BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE

Day 2 – Thursday, February 21, 2008

A Chinkara takes a good look towards Bhuj from the Naliya Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

This day we decided to spend at the “Naliya Grasslands”. Even before we reached the Grasslands I had my catch of the day – close views and a fleeting photo opportunity of a wonderful Eurasian Wryneck!

As we drove through the mud roads in Jugal’s vehicle we could see plenty of raptors. A short-toed Eagle was hovering just above us, a Long-legged Buzzard was perched atop a tree and several Harriers were quartering in search of prey. Though we did not see the famous “Indian Bustards” that day, we enjoyed watching and photographing many species of birds. The Greater Short-toed Larks were seen in thousands all over the place. Grey Francolins and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouses were in plenty.

The star attraction for me, apart from birds, were the numerous “Spiny-tailed Lizards” we came across. These medium sized, mostly herbivorous, lizards merge so well with the landscape that it is difficult to spot them until they move, and when they do move, it is only to disappear underground. They form an excellent prey base for the hungry raptors above.

Spiny-tailed-Lizard at Naliya Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

After a nice lunch at a local “Dhaba” we headed towards the coast at “Pingleshwar” in search of waders. After wading in knee-deep slush I was able to shoot the Broad-billed Sandpiper! All of a sudden the coast was completely engulfed in fog! I had never experienced anything like this before, one moment I am shooting in the bright 4 pm sunlight and the next moment I can see nothing except water drops forming on the lens! Oh, the challenges a bird photographer has to deal with!

Fogged at Pingleshwar, Kutch, Gujarat.

We had to exit the coast and head back to the grasslands. A couple of minutes drive from the coast and we were back in bright sunlight again! That evening we watched dozens of harriers come to roost in the grassland as the sun set on another lovely birding day.

A Harrier Lands inside the Grass to roost at Naliya Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

Here are some images I made on this day. Please "click" on the names below if you would like to view the image - >

EURASIAN WRYNECK
CHESTNUT-BELLIED SANDGROUSE
GREY FRANCOLIN
SYKES'S LARK
GREATER SHORT-TOED LARKS
BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER

Day 3 – Friday, 22 February, 2008.

Kula and myself started the day by spending an hour or so in the “Bird Rock” area and then went on to photograph some raptors in the Banni Grasslands. An Eurasian Eagle Owl roosting under a shrub gave us some excellent photo opportunities! We came across several Steppe Eagles, Long-legged Buzzards and Harriers. I found myself getting addicted to the vast open space called Banni !

We caught up with Jugal and his friend Varu Kaka after noon and then drove up to the “Hodko Sham E Sarhad Resort” for an excellent lunch!

On the long drive back to base, at about 6 pm, I had almost called it a day, when we came across a couple of Jackals. Then suddenly, we saw cats dart for cover! There were three of them. The vehicle came to a halt. All of us assumed they were Jungle Cats that were quite common in the area. I was however a little more excited than others! Had I noticed something different?

I had spied one cat duck into what I initially thought was a dent in the ground. I quickly decided to stay put at one spot without taking my eyes off the dent. The others moved on to try and spot a Short-eared Owl.

As the vehicle moved away, I sat alone in the vast open space with my eyes glued on the dent and my camera ready. I knew I only had a feeble chance of shooting a fleeing cat in the fading light. Something told me not to approach the dent or try anything funny, just sit still and wait. The loneliness was invigorating!

A Desert Cat Appears! Banni Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

As I watched, very slowly two ears emerged from the dent, and then two bright eyes looking directly at me! It took my breath away! All I did was to sit still and “click”. The cat emerged from the hole, bit by bit, and seemed quite relaxed! It did not try to run or hide, just sat by the dent and did some “cat stuff” while I clicked and clicked! ... and I clicked when it yawned! … and would you believe it, it actually went off to sleep! I put away my camera and just sat there in the tranquility, I was enchanted by Banni, those wonderful eyes – forever mine to cherish!

A Desert Cat Rests! Banni Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

Inevitably the jeep came back and the cat disappeared underground. The others enquired if I had shot anything? When I showed them the image, Varu Kaka immediately said “Desert Cat” – a mini volcano erupted! What we all had thought to be a common Jungle Cat turned out to be a not so common “Desert Cat”!

Excitement. It was almost dark by then and as Jugal and myself approached what I had initially assumed to be a dent, I saw a vertical flat hole on one side of a Suaeda Shrub. This is the hole the cat had emerged from. On the opposite side of the same shrub we could see a larger diagonal hole with a heap of loose excavated earth at the entrance. The two were connected and in the middle of this tunnel I could see the dark entrance of another tunnel perpendicular to this one. We had inadvertently found the den of a “Desert Cat”! I did not even know cats lived in a den and I surely did not realize I was photographing a Desert Cat in the wild! What a stumble!

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

As we drove back to base, the enchanting eyes kept popping up repeatedly in my mind as it does even now! My heart was full of joy and for some strange reason “awe’! I had assumed that Jugal knew this location where I had spent half and hour of my best time in nature! To my surprise, none of us could locate the den again! Banni magic at its best!

Here are some images I made on this day. Please "click" on the names below if you would like to view the image - >

RUFOUS-TAILED WHEATEAR
DESERT WARBLER
LESSER WHITETHROAT
COMMON CHIFFCHAFF
ROCK EAGLE OWL
STEPPE EAGLE
LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD
RUFOUS-TAILED SHRIKE
RUFOUS-TAILED LARK
ROSY STARLING

Day 4 - Saturday, 23 February, 2008.

A large group of Rosy Pelicans roost in the open at Banni!

This morning we decided to try our luck with the “White-naped Tit”. Not very far, about 20 mts drive, from our base is the Rampur village. Here in the thorn forest lives the White-naped Tit. Though we could hear and spot a couple of these rare birds, I was not fortunate enough to photograph these restless small birds. I was however able to get a shot of the “Marshall’s Iora”.

After lunch we were back in the Banni area and were happy to see and photograph a “Imperial Eagle” and a Short-eared Owl”

That evening we watched the sunset at Banni as thousands of common cranes in large formations noisily flew above us to their roost. End of another wonderful day!

Here are some images I made on this day. Please "click" on the names below if you would like to view the image - >

MARSHALL'S IORA
COMMON WOODSHRIKE
RUFOUS-FRONTED PRINIA
COMMON BABBLER
RED-THROATED FLYCATCHER
IMPERIAL EAGLE
SHORT-EARED OWL

Day 5 – Sunday, 24 February, 2008.

The Banni addiction continued. We decided to spend the entire day at Banni.
On the way, we took another shot at the Hypocolius in morning light. I was also able to make good images of the “Painted Sandgrouse”.

A Wolf at Banni!

Muhammad, a local, joined us this day and showed us a Wolf and a few Foxes! I tasted some “Camel Milk” for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed spending time in this vast seemingly “nothingness”! We met a couple of “herdsmen” and listened to their stories. This day, I did not worry too much about photography and learnt much about Banni! Here is what I gathered …

Herders called “Maldharis” who belong to casts like Rabari, Mutva, Jat, are skilled in making use of the resources of the uncultivable arid and semi-arid lands of Kutch. Many are nomadic and move with their livestock in search of food and water. Banni a vast, seemingly endless flat land in Kutch that looks like a desert in summer is full of a shrub called “Suaeda fruticosa” that camels feed on. We came across several herders with hundreds of Camels roaming the grassland. Most would leave Banni before April at the height of summer as living conditions become unbearable due to scarcity of potable water and food.

Banni Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat.

I learnt that a vast number of rodents inhibit this area. They feed mostly on the tuber found in abundance in the area. They are not usually seen during the day and live underground. Almost everything except man and his livestock lives underground in the treeless Banni Grassland. Those that do not live underground have the ability to fly! The rodents attract various predators that thrive on them. These predators include a large number of migratory raptors and several resident owls. Foxes, Jackals, Wolves, Hyenas and several lesser cats breed and thrive in this area. We were able to see and photograph many of these predators.

A Fox at Banni!

When the rains come in June, the entire area is filled with water and turns green with various types of grasses sprouting. It is now time for the rodents to perish, literally drown, as the livestock return in large numbers to feed on the grasses.

This is the brief “on location” understanding I had of this magical land called the “Banni Grassland” in Kutch. I am sure the internet holds many fascinating facts of this great land… yet, I feel, there is more to Banni than meets the eye!

Here are some images I made on this day. Please "click" on the names below if you would like to view the image - >

PAINTED SANDGROUSE - MALE
PAINTED SANDGROUSE - FEMALE
GREY HYPOCOLIUS - MALE
GREY HYPOCOLIUS - FEMALE
GRACEFUL PRINIA
CRESTED LARK
WHITE STORK

Day 6 – Monday, 25 February, 2008.

When a Peacock walks with its long tail up, you can see that last "C" !

Our last day, tomorrow we head back home. This morning Kula wanted to give the “White-naped Tits” another shot. While I lingered outside the “Thorn Forest”, Kula soon returned with a shot of the Tit!

We then drove all the way to the coast – the Bhadreshwar Randh area – over a hundred kilometers from base.

On reaching the coast we mingled with a colony of fishermen who had set base there. Late noon as a few nets were pulled in we were able to photograph gulls and other shore birds. We had a fleeting glimpse of a single Crab-plover and close views of a Westren Reef Egret (White Morph) darting a Mudskipper!

We saw this "White Morph-Western Reef Egret" actually dart a Mudskipper!

On the drive back we had good views of “Indian Crousers”. Kula’s perseverance fetched him a wonderful image. We also spent some good time with a pair of “Yellow-crowned Woodpeckers” as we watched our last sunset of this trip to Kutch! All good things must come to an end!

Here are some images I made on this day. Please "click" on the names below if you would like to view the image - >

ORPHEAN WARBLER
HEUGLIN'S GULL
GULL-BILLED TERN
WESTERN REEF EGRET
YELLOW-CROWNED WOODPECKER

Day 7 – Tuesday, 26 February, 2008

We bid goodbye to Jugal and headed to Bhuj after breakfast. “Laku Bhai” who had been driving the vehicle for us on all our wonderful sorties at Kutch took us to a lake inside Bhuj where we were able to see plenty of water birds. I was happy to shoot some images of “Comb Ducks” and "Dalmation Pelicans" after which I packed up my equipment!

COMB DUCK
DALMATIAN PELICAN

We drove around Bhuj with “Laku Bhai” telling us stories of the great disaster and showings us several buildings that still bore the scars of the earthquake.

We had a wonderful lunch at “Hotel Prince” and headed to the airport for our 3 pm flight out of Bhuj.

I was back home in Bangalore by 7 pm, while Kula continued on to Mysore.

… and so the story ends! A memorable experience and plenty of joy to share! A lot of learning too!!

Sunset at Kutch, Gujarat.

Vijay Cavale
February, 2008

The Asiatic Lions of Sasan-Gir!

2008-02-13T21:38:00.000-08:00

The Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, in Gujarat, is the only refuge of the Asiatic Lions. Every nature lover who harbors a desire to see a “free living, wild lion in India” has to someday, visit Sasan-Gir. I had that pleasure on the 25th of January, 2008!

Asiatic Lion at Sasan-Gir.

What is not unusual about India is the unusual! The experience of seeing my first wild lion, was quite unlike what I had imagined it to be. It made me realize how unusual life in India can really be!

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Picture this - > You enter a protected area in search of the King of Beasts. Your eyes are keenly searching for any movement or sounds that would indicate the presence of this mighty beast. Various scenes you had seen on television keep popping up in your mind as your eyes scan the dry landscape. Suddenly, you come across a large group of “cattle” grazing calmly, their friendly caretaker sitting quietly under a nearby tree. Not too far away, you can hear the alarm call of a Spotted Deer heralding the presence a predator!

A "Maldhari" with his Cattle inside Gir Forest!

Yes, here in the Sasan-Gir forest, over 300 lions co-exist amongst hundreds of human and their thousands of cattle! These people live among the lions and milk the cattle for a living! Known as “Maldharis”, they live in scattered settlements inside the Gir forest, without fear of the lions!

Unusual and fascinating indeed!

We left Jamnagar on the 24th morning after breakfast. A pleasant, four hour, drive brought us to Sasan-Gir. Arpit had already made all the arrangements. We checked into Mohit’s “Gir Birding Lodge” by noon. The friendly staff, the newly built spacious and very clean cottage and the quietness of the place were all very much to our liking. We immediately felt at home. After a wonderful lunch we entered the Gir Forest, for the first time, with great anticipation. What are the chances of sighting a Lion? I asked Atul, our bird friendly driver. 100% sir! was the enthusiastic answer I got!

That afternoon we spent about 3 hours in the Gir Forest in search of Lions. The forest was dry and brown. The drive in the open Jeep was dusty. I soon got used to seeing several tourist vehicles in search of the lions. The pugmarks on the forest roads, the alarm calls of the chitals and the occasional roar of the lion all added to my excitement. No sighting yet! However, I learnt of the Maldharis and their cattle. I understood that the dry scrubland with hills, perennial rivers, and teak forest was quite ideal for the lions to roam freely. I saw plenty of “Spotted Deer”, “Sambar Deer” and “Wild Boars”. I was also able to see and photograph several species of birds. Tomorrow we shall see the lion!

View Larger Map

The 25th of January, 2008. This day, I shall never forget. My first “Lion” sighting! And what a day! We were almost at the end of our morning session. Various tourist vehicles with their driver and guide were making their own strategies on where the lions may be! Yesterday, we sighted four of them in this place sir, they may not have moved too far away. A mother with her two young cubs were spotted recently in this area… Shhh.. Chitals calling .. move, quickly!

After a lot of effort of going this way and that, while Atul was zooming towards yet another “gut feel”, I suddenly saw her … stop, STOP! .. my goodness a lioness! She was walking quite close to the road in the opposite direction. As our vehicle came to a dusty halt, she quickly disappeared from our view, without breaking her stride! I was amazed at how the color of the animal merged with the background. If I was not fully tuned and she was not moving, I am sure I would have missed seeing her! I was delighted at this first, lucky sighting. I just managed to shoot one image of the back of the vanishing lioness! My first sighting to cherish!

My first Sighting!

As I savored this exciting first sighting, the best is yet to come, I thought. Soon it was time to head back to the resort. The time allowed for our morning session was almost over, suddenly, there it was, a magnificent male, the lord of beasts! As the lion started strolling away to our right, Atul did some miraculous maneuvering of our vehicle to get me a better view. The beast stopped in front of us and marked a bush as he let out a royal roar! At such close quarters, hearing that roar gave me “goose bumps” as I stared in awe at the massive, powerful, wild being in front of me. He then gave me a wonderful look before jumping across a stream and vanishing into the forest. It all happened so quickly, just about a minute I would say and what a minute – phew! I am still wondering how I managed to shoot a couple of images in all that excitement!

The evening session was an anticlimax! After a few minutes of entering the forest we came to a place where many tourist vehicles had gathered. At first we could not see them, though we knew the reason the tourists had gathered. Then we saw three of them – Mother, Son and Daughter! The lions sat quietly in the shade as hundreds of tourists came for a “Darshan”. A forest department vehicle with a few officials was parked close by to ensure no man animal conflict occurred. I happily clicked several images of the three lions as a tourist amongst other tourists would. Some how, the other two “chance sightings” seemed more satisfying.

At first we could see nothing...can you?

We spent the next morning in a different area hoping to sight a Panther, which I was told was also quite easy to come across at Gir as compared to other forests. We did not have that pleasure on this occasion. Instead, we had plenty of birding and some good photo opportunities.

Crocodile at Sasan-Gir.

That evening session was more or less a repeat of the previous evening. After visiting a large waterbody and getting good views of a Crocodile, we found the same three lions under a different tree. Many tourist vehicles were in the queue, for a better look at the lions. The only difference was that this time the “Young Male” was sitting in wonderful golden light – any photographers delight! I got about three minutes before the next vehicle took over the prime position and we had to move on – I had, had my fill indeed!

This is how I saw lions at Sasan-Gir. Couple of times by luck and a couple of times being led directly to them. The five trips I made inside the forest were all wonderful. The five lions I saw were full of life and appeared healthy. There was a kind of positive energy about them I thought. It was a gratifying trip for me indeed! The lions seemed to have filled a certain void in the life of a nature lover!

On the 27th we took the short (2 hrs/90 kms) drive to Diu after a late breakfast. A boat ride at the beach for my kid, a good lunch at the Radhika Beach Resort and we were on the 3 pm Jet Airways flight back home!

Here are some birds I managed to shoot in the Gir Forest. Please click on the name below if you wish to view the image:

Short-toed Snake Eagle
White-eyed Buzzard
Oriental Honey Buzzard
Changeable Hawk Eagle
Asian Koel - Male
Painted Sandgrouse
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker
Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon
Small Minivet
White-browed Fantail
White Wagtail
Red-vented Bulbul

We were in Bangalore at 8.30 pm to enjoy a lovely home cooked meal. A week had passed in a flash, filling several flash cards of happy moments to share!

We narrowly missed seeing a lioness along with her two newborn cubs. I was however able to get this image of a fresh pugmark made by one of the cubs! This image brings a happy thought to my mind that their breed is indeed increasing…

A newborn cubs walks at Gir!
Vijay Cavale
January, 2008

My second Visit -> http://vijaycavale.blogspot.com/2010/03/gir-january-2010.html

Jamnagar - A must for any bird lover!

2008-01-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Jamnagar in Gujarat is a fascinating place for birders. I spent four days there from January 20th to 23rd. Beginning 2008 with a bang indeed!

Here you see a kind gentleman at "Lake Lakota", Jamnagar, feeding a crow as he chants ...

I decided to begin 2008 with a trip to Gujarat. While, I did want to see the Asiatic Lions, I was quite interested in photographing the birds that visit our coasts in winter, mainly waders. This led me to Jamnagar and Gir National Park. I was happy to have my wife and son traveling with me on this trip.

Arpit Deomurari and Yashodan Bhatia live in Jamnagar and have set up "WADERS* Inc." Among other things, they offer interested nature lovers all possible help in enjoying the birdlife in and around Jamnagar. I am extremely happy that I contacted them and am grateful to them for all the help they rendered to me during my entire trip.

View Larger Map

Jamnagar is situated on the coast of the Gulf of Kutch in the state of Gujarat, India. I was amazed at the number and variety of birds I came across in my four days stay at Jamnagar. I had the good fortune of having a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic youngster “Chiraj Solanki” with me during my six sessions of birding in and around Jamnagar. With his help I enjoyed viewing, identifying and photographing many birds that I had never come across before! As always, I am happy to present them for your viewing pleasure!

We stayed at "Hotel President" in Jamnagar. Unlike a quite wildlife resort in a forest, this hotel is situated in a very busy area in the heart of Jamnagar. I found this place to be very convenient as most of the birding hotspots I visited were only a short drive from this Hotel. Mustak Mepani, who runs this place is a great nature lover himself and gladly offers support to other nature lovers. Mustak keeps "About Jamnagar" live and kicking!

SESSION ONE – Dhinchada (Bedi Port) – 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm – 20th Jan 2008

Our flight left Bangalore on time at 8.35 am. The journey from Bangalore to Jamnagar via Mumbai (Air India) was pleasant and uneventful. I was worried that we had less than an hour to change flights at Mumbai but as things worked out, we had nothing to worry about at all! We reached Jamnagar on the dot at 12.30 pm. Yashodan (Bittoo) and Chiraj (Chiku) met us at the airport and quickly whisked us to the hotel.

After checking into the hotel and enjoying a sumptuous lunch, Chiku and myself began our birding at Jamnagar! We were headed to a place called “Dhinchada” to view the “Great White Pelicans”. Ten minutes drive from the hotel I was happily shooting a superb group of “Lesser Flamingos”. I was suddenly in “Bird Wonderland”! A Saunder’s Tern was hovering like a Kingfisher just above my head, as several “Ruff’s” landed close by, A Shoveler swam into view, Gulls, Lapwings, Larks, Harriers, Stints, Shanks, Wagtails, Avocets, Pipits … my only constraint was time as I went berserk with my camera! Look a “Westren Reef Egret - Click-Click-Click”! This was the way it was on all six sessions!

And finally the highlight of the first session – “Hundreds of Great White Pelicans” roosting without fear on the banks of a large water body” – as I gaped in awe!

Great White Pelicans Roost near Jamnagar.

I returned at dusk, happy and excited. A wonderful “Gujarati Thali” for dinner and off to bed!

Below are some birds I managed to photograph from this session. Please click on the name of the bird if you would like to view the image ->

"Westren Reef Egret"
"Isabelline Wheatear"
"Montagu’s Harrier"

Pied Avocets Flying...

SESSION TWO - Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary – 6 am to 1 pm – 21st January 2008

5.30 am Wake-up call, departure 6 am. 12 kms drive from Jamnagar and we were in a unique wetland eco-system. The idea of leaving very early was to settle down to view the "at dawn" movement of thousands of cranes in golden light as the sun slowly appeared! The entry permit was quickly taken care of by Chiku and we drove into the "Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary" with great anticipation. It was very very cold and the breeze made it quite challenging to be out in the open. As we waited, that day, no cranes! We however watched a wonderful sunrise amongst a wide variety of birds!

Painted Storks, Eurasian Spoonbills, Common Teals, Black-headed Ibis .. the list started building up as I warmed up to shoot. Stop – I spy a White-tailed Lapwing! At one place we saw over twenty “Zitting Cisticolas” having a party, quite unusual I thought! We could see several Greater Flamingoes in the water as a Great Crested Greb quickly disappeared. A Rufous-tailed shrike and a Black-shouldered Kite gave us good close views as we reached the watchtower to finish our packed breakfast of egg parota, biscuits and orange juice.

We roamed the Sanctuary some more to view Black Drongos, Crested Larks, Common Babblers and a couple of Indian Crousers! I briefly looked at the very well made, brand new Interpretation center before returning to the hotel for a couple of hours of rest and of course some lunch.

Below are some birds I managed to photograph from this session. Please click on the name of the bird if you would like to view the image ->

"Zitting Cisticola"
" Rufous-tailed Shrike"
"Dunlin"

A Eurasian Marsh Harrier Quartering...

SESSION THREE – Gandhinagar and Valsura Road – 3.30 pm to 7 pm – 21st January 2008

Gandhinagar (part of Jamnagar) is best avoided by non-birders. This place is full of sewerage friendly birds feasting! For me a great opportunity to shoot some birds at close distance. Valsura Road is a long straight road that leads to a port. Great birding opportunity on either side of the road as you drive to the port and back.

Below are some birds I managed to photograph from this session. Please click on the name of the bird if you would like to view the image ->

"Ruff"
"Eurasian Curlew"

SESSION FOUR – Narara – 12 Noon to 7 pm - 22nd January 2008

The Narara Marine Sanctuary and National Park are situated, on
the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch. A coral reef ecosystem and mangroves,
Narara is a fascinating place. A very clean and quite area where one can clearly feel the beauty of nature.

A less than two hours drive from Jamnagar (about 60 kms) brought me to the end of a lonely road that almost touched the seawater. I reached Narara with Chiku at about 2 pm. I had taken the morning off to be with the family. Also, we had planned to reach Narara before the tide came in. However, as we stepped out of the car, there was waist deep water all around and birding seamed difficult at first.

As I watched the water started disappearing and in about 30 mts a vast beach opened up right in front of my eyes - I just stood and gaped! Soon several species of waders including Oyestercatchers, Crab-plovers, Shanks, Stints, Knots and Sandpipers dotted the entire beach. It was indeed a wader wonderland that suddenly appeared as the water receded. For the next two hours I was transformed into a wader myself! I had a wonderful time photographing many of these species of birds I was seeing for the first time.

At dusk with my heart filled with joy and my flash cards filled with images, I returned to the hotel. One of my best birding day! Another wonderful dinner and off to bed!

Below are some birds I managed to photograph from this session. Please click on the name of the bird if you would like to view the image ->

"Kentish Plover"
"Common Redshank"
"Ruddy Turnstone"
"Crab-plover"
"Eurasian Oystercatcher"
"Lesser Crested Tern"
"Terek Sandpiper"
"Great Knot"
"Bar-tailed Godwit"

A Whimbrel and a Red Shank at Narara...

SESSION FIVE – “Lake Lakota” – 7am to 1pm - 23nd January 2008

Lake Lakota is a large lake in Jamnagar with the Lakota Palace as its center. Next to Lake Lakota there is a smaller lake. This area was quite a revelation for me! I have never seen so many birds inside a busy city before!

In the morning, hundreds of Gulls of different kinds including Slender-billed Gulls, Brown-headed Gulls, Black-headed Gulls and Yellow-legged Gulls congregate here to feed on the food offered by bird loving locals. Rotis made of wheat are torn and thrown in the water, which the Gulls pounce upon. Peanuts are sold close by for people to buy and feed the birds. I saw one gentleman feed an entire bag of a kind of fried preparation that the birds simply enjoyed eating!
You can see this here ...

Then there were ducks of all kinds like Comb Ducks, Spot-billed Ducks, Common Teals in the lake. A large number of locals come to this lake everyday to enjoy the presence of these birds, many of which are winter visitors. People are extremely friendly and leave you alone to do your Job. In fact one kind gentleman "Ashwin Bhai" called me to point out the only "Mallard" in the entire lake. I owe that image to him! Several youngsters came and shook hands with me .. it was all together a overwhelming experience.

Below are some birds I managed to photograph at Lake Lakota. Please click on the name of the bird if you would like to view the image ->

"Slender-billed Gull"
"Brown-headed Gull"
"Yellow-legged Gull"
"Phallas's Gull"
"Mallard"
"Gadwal"
"Tufted Duck"

At about 11 am we left Lake Lokata. A short drive from Lake Lakota took us to a place called "Century Salt". I managed to photograph the "Sand Lark" and the "Desert Wheatear" there to end this session.

"Sand Lark"
"Desert Wheatear"
"Timminck's Stint"

SESSION SIX – “Ranjit Sagar” – 3.30pm to 7pm - 23nd January 2008

This was my last session in Jamnagar. We decided to target some smaller birds. This led us to a place called "Ranjit Sagar" another short drive from Jamnagar. This is a large catchment area that supplies drinking water to Jamnagar. It is also a "Picnic Spot" for the locals. We were able to see Verditer, Tickle's Blue and Red-throated Flycatcher here along with a Black-naped Monarch and a Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher.

Below are some birds I managed to photograph in this last session. Please click on the name of the bird if you would like to view the image ->

"Red-throated Flycatcher"
"Plain Prinia"
"Common Tailorbird"
"Black Redstart"
"Booted Warbler"
"Large Grey Babbler"

In the evening we returned to "Lake Lakota" to see thousands of Rosy Starlings flying at their acrobatic best! They do these "formation flights" every evening before settling on the trees around this lake for the night.

You can see the spectacular sight here...

This ended some hectic birding and photography in Jamnagar. A totally unforgettable experience for me! I had been to a bird wonderland with wonderful people all around!

The next day we leave to see the Lions at the Gir National Park!

* Yes, I took those "movies" using my "Nikon Coolpix P2" Point and shoot camera :-)

Vijay Cavale
January, 2008

2nd Visit - > "Jamnagar, January 2010" .

"Dodda Betta" – ending 2007 on a high note!

2007-12-29T20:52:00.000-08:00

View from Dodda Betta at Ooty in Tamil Nadu.

I spent the “Christmas Eve” this year with family and friends at Ooty! On the 25th, I had an early breakfast and spent the morning exploring the Dodda Betta area in Ooty. Never did I realize that I was in for such a delightful morning. An apt end to a glorious year of birding!

Dodda Betta at Ooty in Tamil Nadu is the highest peak in the area at about 7500 ft above sea level. The peak is a major tourist attraction. Thousands of tourists in hundreds of vehicles visit this peak everyday. The gates to the peak, open at about 8 am in the morning and close at 5 pm in the evening.

I had been to the peak before to photograph the “Nilgiri Laughingthrush” which is always seen in the area. I also knew that the peak itself was always crowded with tourists. I thus decided to explore the lower areas first and then proceed to the peak.

There is this path that leads down from the peak in the opposite direction. This area is very calm and quite in contrast to the peak. Though the light was very good with a bright blue sky above, I did realize that shooting tiny restless birds in the shade under tall trees in a sloping terrain would be a challenge. However, with a little bit of perseverance, I was able to photograph a few birds I had never seen before!

...and I was glad to see the Nilgiri Langur breed increasing!

Nilgiri Langur with baby at Ooty in Tamil Nadu.

At noon I drove into the parking lot at the Peak. As I had anticipated there were hundreds of tourists all over the place. What I had not anticipated was the birds I would see right next to the parking lot. Standing at the parking lot, (right next to a groundnut vendor) as I looked down into the “garbage dump”, in the shade, I saw several Nilgiri Laughingthrushes, a Black and Orange Flycatcher, many Great Tits and some Eurasian Blackbirds ! The birds however were very agile and I found it very difficult to get a clear focus on any of them. Would you believe that I finally got a shot of the “White-bellied Shortwing” with some nineteen curious onlookers breathing down my neck!

Here are the birds I was able to photograph in the “Dodda Betta” area on the morning of the 25th December, 2007! A merry Christmas indeed!

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Have a great year ahead folks!

Vijay Cavale
December, 2007.

INW Users Meet @ Mowgli’s Land!

2007-12-12T21:00:00.000-08:00

INW Users Meet – December 7th to 9th, 2007

As a young boy, I most thoroughly enjoyed watching the movie “The Jungle Book”. Though a work of fiction, the wild animals portrayed in the story made a lasting impact on my young mind. I can never forget Mowgli the man-cub who was brought up by wolves and his interaction with the wild animals in the forest - Hathi (Elephant) Bagheera (Black Panther) Baloo (Sloth Bear) Kaa (Python) and Shere Khan (Tiger).

Joseph Rudyard Kipling who was awarded the first ever Nobel Prize for Literature In 1907, wrote these stories! He was born in Mumbai, India in 1865. Though Kipling had accrued much of his knowledge about the jungles in India through research and listening to others, it is now widely accepted that Pench is the place where Mowgli thrived among the wild animals. The place matches the story perfectly. An ideal location for the “INW Users Meet – December 7th to 9th, 2007” indeed!

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

India Nature Watch

India Nature Watch (INW) brings together nature lovers from all walks of life. The focus is to enjoy nature and wildlife in India. The interaction is largely web-based. However, once in a while an opportunity is made available for nature lovers to meet in person and interact.

This time "Pench Tiger Reserve" in Madhya Pradesh was the venue chosen for this informal meet. 33 nature lovers from various parts of India and abroad landed up at Pench for the meet. We stayed at a place called Karmajhiri in the Pench Tiger Reserve, Seoni, Madhya Pradesh. Together we traveled through Mowgli’s land and had great fun watching and photographing wildlife there.

Safari

The morning Safari at Pench begins at 6.30 am and ends at 11 am. The evening Safari begins at 2.30 pm and ends at 5.30 pm. We had arranged 8 four wheelers for the 33 of us to roam the jungle on the 7th evening and the 8th morning and evening.

As the name of the reserve indicates, tiger is the main attraction here. Inside the forest every now and then, you will hear alarm calls of spotted deers, langurs and peafowls. These alarm calls invariably indicate the presence of a predator. You can also see the scratch marks that a tiger makes on a tree and see its pugmarks all along the forest road from inside your vehicle. Since many vehicles move on the forest road everyday in search of tigers, not all of them will be able to see a tiger. Only one of our eight vehicles came across a Tiger, once!

Sightings

A Tiger walks back on the road after a vehicle has passed!

Apart from the Tiger, Panther, Wild Dog and Sloth Bear that are the main attractions, this jungle hosts a number of other mammals. Very commonly seen mammals here include Rhesus Macaque, Hanuman Langur, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Nilgai, Gaur and Wild Pig.

Here are some mammals I managed to photograph:

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in this area. Alexandrine Parakeets, Plum-headed Parakeets, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon were abundant.

Here are some birds I managed to photograph:

You are sure to see many more images from other participants here ->"INW"

Interaction

Mr. NS Dungariyal, Field Director - Pench Tiger Reserve, interacting with participants

We spent both the evenings interacting with fellow nature lovers. The first evening we spent getting to know each other better over dinner. Many were meeting in person for the first time though they had interacted on the net before. The second evening The Field Director at Pench and the Game Range Officer were kind enough to spend some time with us to share their thoughts. We had Dr. Shankar and his colleague from WII and Sarath and Harsha from Taj/CC Africa over. Some lively discussion and a bit of fun too followed as we came to the end of the meet.

Here are some images from the interactions...

We were able to squeeze in some time after brunch on the 8th to discuss a few image processing issues including color correction.

Many took the morning Safari on the 9th and left for home. A few stayed back for more fun!

These are the participants...

1. Ashok MS, Hyderabad. 2. Raju Kane, Mumbai. 3. James Williams, Bangalore.
4. Humphrey Tauro, Bangalore. 5. Fauzia, Bangalore. 6. Amrut S. Dhanwatay, Tadoba.
7. Aditya S. Dhanwatay, Tadoba. 8. Ranganath Badri, Dubai. 9. P. Kartik Kumar, Bangalore.
10. Sarita Kartik Kumar, Bangalore. 11. Vikram Potdar, Pune. 12. Amod Phadke, Pune.
13. Thillairasan Kumaresan, Krishnagiri. 14. Satish Pari, Chennai.
15. Dr.K.Muthunarayanan and his son Guru, Tuticorin. 16. Ganesh Nikade, Bangalore.
17. Raghu Nandan, Hyderabad. 18. Renjith Varma, Kanpur. 19. Arun Kumar, Chennai.
20. Karen Amstutz, USA. 21. Suresh Basavaraju, Mumbai. 22.Mahesh Devarajan, Bangalore.
23. Jaimon Jose, Bangalore. 24. Sandeep Desai, Pune. 25. Kaustubh Rishi, Indore.
26. Pradyum Mohan, Bangalore. 27. Kiran Dikshit, Bangalore. 28. Arjun Narayan, Bangalore.
29. Suhas Anand, Mumbai. 30. Ruthwik Bhat, California. 31. Sudhir Shivaram, Bangalore.
32. Vijay Cavale, Bangalore.

Thanks giving:

Very many thanks to all the forest department officials and staff who helped us during this meet. Specially, Mr. NS Dungariyal, Field Director, Pench Tiger Reserve who interacted freely with us and shared his thoughts. Mr. Rajnish K. Singh, Game Range Officer, Pench Tiger Reserve for making our stay comfortable. Our own Vijay Mohan Raj for the background support though we missed his presence.

Thanks to all the guides and drivers from the Mowgli Pench Workers Society, Seoni, Madhya Pradesh for taking us into the forest and patiently helping us photograph wildlife.

Many thanks to Sarath and Harsha from Taj/CC Africa for making our visit memorable. Thanks to our guests from WII who added value to the meet by sharing their thoughts.

And above all thanks to Sudhir Shivaram, Rahul Rao, Sandeep Desai and all other volunteers and participants for making this event a memorable one.

More...

Sudhir, Karen and myself spent the 6th night at "Mowgli's Den", a nice resort outside the reserve. We had the good fortune of meeting with Harsha that night. Harsha gave us a "Welcome Drink!" and a sneak preview of the superb "Taj/ccAfrica" facility at Pench. To our surprise he came over to Mowgli's Den on the 7th morning and as Rahganath joined us from Dubai, took us on our first Safari into the Pench Tiger Reserve in the Taj/ccAfrica vehicle! All good things in life are for free - thanks a ton Harsha!!

Also, Amrut S. Dhanwatay and his son Aditya S. Dhanwatay drove down from Tadoba to participate in the meet. Tadoba is a tiger habitat almost the same distance as Pench form the Nagpur Airport. They are wonderful people who run "TIGER TRAILS" which they created to help nature lovers enjoy nature in absolute wilderness. Do pay them a visit if you are looking for a good time in the wild.

That's all Folks!

Ssshhh..don't move please!

Vijay Cavale
December, 2007

My Panther Stories...

2007-11-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

A unique panther at Bandipur National Park, Karnataka, India.

It was dusk. April, 2002. Bandipur National Park, Karnataka. We were moving slowly along the forest road, completely tuned in, three pairs of eyes and ears missing nothing. I heard my dear “Tiger Crazy” friend whisper “Panther” as our vehicle came to a silent halt. Standing on an exposed tree trunk, the stealth hunter was scanning the area. On seeing our vehicle she jumped off her perch and ran directly towards us. She emerged on the road behind us and as we watched, scent marked a tree! She then slowly circled our vehicle as we took turns with the camera. At one time we thought she was actually attempting to jump into our vehicle. The panther never made direct eye contact with any of us. She sat silently beside our vehicle and waited timidly. We moved on, as the sun set on the scene. Another fascinating episode in the Indian Forest for me! Sounds Strange?

Please click on thumbnails below to view a larger image in "Lightbox"...you will see the navigation buttons on mousing over the larger image.

Baby, Baby …

Just outside the Bandipur National Park, a nature lover runs a resort. One day he found a pair of panther cubs, orphaned and helpless, destined to die. He took care of these cubs with great passion, until they reached adulthood and then set them free, back in the same forest. One of them which he had affectionately named “Baby” thrived and became a “free living”, wild animal! Baby would often be seen in the “Kulan Betta” area of the National Park. Over the years, baby has given birth several times!

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On my recent visit to Bandipur (November, 2007) I heard from the locals that she may be giving birth again as she has not been sighted for some time now. It is a possibility that Baby would have moved on... The panther we had seen and photographed the other day was indeed “Baby”!

Panther aka Common Leopard

Commonly called Panther, the “Common Leopard” co-exists with the tigers and lions and is found throughout India. Unlike tigers and lions that can be easily spotted in some Indian forests, it is almost impossible to guarantee a Panther sighting in the wild. However, this fascinating predator roams closer to human habitation than any other large cat. In fact this large cat is highly adaptable and takes dogs, cattle, sheep and monkeys regularly! It is amazing how close to human habitation these cats roam and yet go completely unnoticed!

Almost every nature lover who has been out in the field would have at least one panther story. Over time, scores of nature lovers have shared their “Panther” stories with me. Here are a few from me:

Langur Kill

On one special occasion, we were waiting in a “watch tower”, in the Nagarhole forest in Karnataka. All was quite. Soon, we spied a group of Langurs heading towards the water hole below us. Suddenly, some of them stood on two legs and started calling in alarm. To our amazement, a panther walked out of the bush with its kill. Powerful jaws clamped on the neck of the limp Langur. We watched in awe as the dangling prey and the predator disappeared into the forest. A stealth hunter had just ambushed its vigilant prey right under our nose. All the time we were in the “watch tower”, the panther was in the bush right below us and we did not have the slightest clue! For me, another everlasting moment!

Avoids humans

My first sighting was in the late 1970’s. We were on a “game round” in the Nagarhole forest, in Karnataka. Suddenly, a panther jumped down from a tree right in front of our vehicle and dashed into the bushes. An everlasting fleeting moment!

On another occasion in the same forest, we sighted a mother and her two grown up cubs.

I had another brief glimpse in the Sariska forest, Rajasthan. A panther dashed across the road in front of our vehicle and disappeared.

More recently, in the Bandipur forest in Karnataka, we saw a panther staring at us from inside the bush.

On all the above occasions the actual sighting lasted for less than a minute. I guess this shows that the animal takes great pains to avoid humans and there in may be a clue to its survival secret!

Unafraid of humans

My friend owns a small property skirting the Bandipur National Park. It was evening. We had just returned from our wandering in the forest. The walki crackled. The caretaker had sighted a panther. Excited, we quickly walked outside. We could hear alarm calls of Sambar close by. We had only taken a few steps in anticipation when we saw a panther sitting on the path leading to the house! On seeing us it silently took a small diversion into the bush. It then reappeared only a few feet from us, on the path we had just walked! As we watched, the lovely male panther slowly walked into the forest without giving us a second glance! The alarm calls continued into the night.

Closer than you think!

30 kms outside Bangalore City, just skirting the Savandurga Range, I spent a quite rainy November night in solitude. In the morning as I stepped out of the house, I saw fresh pug marks of a panther right outside the main door! I followed the pugmarks to a small water body inside the property where the panther had taken a drink. Later some of my nature lover friends visited the spot and took some castings of the pugmarks.

Just 25 kms outside Bangalore City, off Kanakapura road is a property owned by a friend of mine. He has built a beautiful house there that he visits once in a while. He has several pet dogs here. In the night he would let these dogs out of their kennel. They would roam freely in the property. One morning he found one dog fully eaten and another dead. Pugmarks of a panther with its cubs all over the place!

Again, just about 30 kms outside Bangalore City, skirting the Bannerghata forest is another lovely house, built by a friend. He had taken some visitors on that day to the nearby hill. To their amazement, they found a panther feeding her two cubs on the hill! One of them managed to photograph the “not too bothered” panther.
You can see the image ->Here!

That’s all folks!

This elusive, stealth hunter found in India is a fascinating animal to encounter in the wild. If you have not had the opportunity yet, I do hope you will be able to see one in the near future! I look forward to hearing your story soon!!

Be sure to take a good look! They are elusive …

On my visit to Bandipur this time (November, 2007), we thought this rock was a panther with a kill and clicked away with great excitement :-)

Vijay Cavale
November, 2007

A nature lover’s tiger tale!

2007-10-24T02:12:00.001-07:00

We spent a lot of time with this young tiger, her sister and mother at The Ranthambhore National Park, that lies in the Sawai Madhopur district of eastern Rajasthan, India.

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What is a tiger?

If a child were to ask you - what is a tiger? You would probably explain to the child that a tiger is a large cat that lives in the jungle. Would you add, it is a dangerous animal that eats human beings? Would you explain that it is now a threatened species and needs to be protected? Instead, how about showing the child a tiger in the wild and asking what the child thinks it is?

As a child I had seen tigers only in movies, zoos and in a circus! My young mind had been manipulated to believe that a tiger is a snarling, ferocious man-eating beast. Tales of brave men hunting down tigers lingered in my thoughts. In the circus, I never did like the ring masters make the tigers obey the whip. The tigers I used to see in the zoos, moving continuously in a small enclosure, would make me dizzy. Yet, the animal fascinated me, as it would fascinate anyone who set eyes on it!

In my teenage, I was lucky to have associated myself with several outstanding nature lovers. Some of us traveled together into adult hood with many a forest mile under our belt. To this day we continue to share the same inexplicable high on hearing the word “tiger”!

Some three decades ago I made my first visit into the habitat of a tiger. It took five years of craving and constant wandering in the forest for me to sight my first tiger in the wild. The experience remains etched in my memory and is there to stay.

First impression!

7 am. Nagarahole Forest, Karnataka. It was a fine morning, misty and cold. We gingerly climbed the few steps of the “watch tower” deep in the forest and ever so silently waited inside the elevated wooden cabin, in anticipation! Even a slight clearing of the throat was frowned upon as several pairs of eyes watched intensely, missing nothing. There was a small lake in front of us with thick green growth all around. A couple of view lines had been cleared to the left and right of the watch tower to enable wildlife viewing. We had done this exercise dozens of times before and were quite used to returning disappointed. This day was special!

As we waited, in the view line to our right, in the morning mist appeared a tiger! Gasps! Our breathing seemed too loud as the majestic beast walked slowly into our lives! And then, magic!! Another tiger appeared, and another, and another and another!! There were five of them together right there in front of us. A feast of beasts! A family of five, a mother and her cubs, I suppose. Five years of constant craving and now this. How do I digest this? Jump, shout, clap, dance? All of that later, as of now no one dared to move. Goosebumps of joy silently shared amongst us, by fleeting eye contacts! Moments later they were gone, engulfed by the overwhelming forest. Thus, I saw my first tiger in the wild, amidst friends who shared the exact same joy of sighting a tiger for the first time! A very special day in my life indeed!

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It was a completely different experience compared to my first seeing the same animal in a zoo. I find it very difficult to explain the emotions that passed through me at this time. Seeing these super stars in their natural settings puts the right meaning to the word “awe”! Their gait, their bold vivid colors, their fearless nature as explained by every other living being around them, all add to the excitement, culminating it this everlasting impression that every tiger sighting brings! I surely did not experience the slightest fear. I found it very difficult to take my eyes off the animals. There was so much “life” in these carnivores as they moved fearlessly in the forest. I was unable to relate what I was seeing to anything I had seen before or imagined! There was a kind of thrill amongst us viewers and I sensed none of us wanted the moment to end.

If you have not yet seen a tiger in the wild, do not go by the lies that have been handed over to you by one generation after another, just ask the child in you – what is a tiger? And then try to find the answer yourself!

It is always there!

Tiger (Panthera tigris), aptly called the “King of the Indian Jungle” roams freely in isolated pockets of forests spread throughout India. It leads a solitary life. While, it is fairly easy to spot a tiger in some forests like Ranthambhore in Rajasthan, Kanha and Bandgavgarh in Madhya Pradesh it is normally very difficult to spot one in most Indian forests. On the other hand it is almost always easy to sense its presence in any of its habitats! When you are in tiger habitat you will surely notice its “pugmarks” in soft dry mud or on wet lakebeds. You will notice its scat and will be able to have some fun guessing what its meal had been! You will hear unique alarm calls of Langurs, Peafowls, Sambars and Spotted Deers heralding the presence of a tiger. You will occasionally hear the king himself roaring. If you place a “camera trap” in an appropriate place you are sure to see some fascinating images of this elusive animal.

While I hope to continue enjoying the good fortune of sensing a tiger in its habitat and the occasional glimpse I get of the animal as I wander in the Indian forests, I am extremely happy to share some of my experiences with you.

One evening in Kabini.

More recently, we were roaming in the Kabini area of the Rajiv Gandhi National Park in Karnataka. Like we so often do, we were hoping to see a tiger, while enjoying everything that came our way. Dusk was around the corner as we approached a small water body easily seen from the forest road we were on. Our four-wheeler came to a silent halt and I heard a familiar whisper ‘tiger”! In absolute silence, in the fading light, we watched this drama unfold!

In the water sat a tiger! We hardly noticed the young elephant lingering nearby. Everything was still for a few minutes except the elephant. It was breaking a twig or two and feeding on the bamboo shoots. A full grown Spotted Deer stag approached the water for a drink. It did not notice the tiger until it completed quenching its thirst. The tiger did not move, it was staring intently at the stag only a few feet away. While we were expecting the tiger to pounce on its prey at any moment, the stag suddenly noticed the tiger. It gave a startling alarm call and ran for its life without once glancing back. Everything was still again except the elephant! We then noticed a solitary medium sized gaur approaching the water. What now? The gaur continued without a pause, stepped into the water and gave a loud snort. The tiger that was sitting still until then in the water, stood up, walked slowly out of the water and disappeared into the surrounding bush. The gaur calmly drank its fill and continued on its way. It was almost dark by this time and the elephant had disappeared too.

A tiger from a South Indian forest!

Surprise! On this occasion I had my camera ready and actually mustered enough composure to steady my hands and click a couple of images of the tiger in the fading light. My first and only tiger image from a South Indian forest, until date! Another surprise, one of my companions in the vehicle shot the whole sequence using his handy cam! It was time for us to head to our water hole for a spirited discussion of the magic moments, until we drifted off into blissful sleep.

Ranthambhore exposed.

It is no great secret that one can easily view and photograph a tiger in the wild at the Ranthambhore National Park in Rajasthan . I had heard several fascinating stories from friends who had visited the area about the tigers there and had seen some superb photographs in several magazines and a documentary on the National Geographic channel. Thus, it was quite normal for me to have had some elevated expectations when I set out with a few friends to visit Ranthambhore National Park one fine November morning! What followed completely exceeded any expectations I had!

A tiger habitat at The Ranthambhore National Park.

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On November 8th, 2003, we took the night train from Delhi to Sawai Madhopur City. The train left the New Delhi station at about 11 pm and we reached Sawai Madhopur Railway station at about 6.30 am in the morning. Pinto from Ranthambhore Bagh was waiting for us and within a few minutes we reached our resort - The Ranthambhore Bagh. Poonam and Aditya Singh own and run this resort. They ensured that we felt completely at home throughout our stay at Ranthambhore.

The difference!

We had time for a cup of tea before our “Open Canter” arrived. A short drive and we entered the enchanting Ranthambhore National Park. Within minutes of entering the park we saw our first tiger and I was already shooting images of it! The majestic beast walked slowly along a stream below us as we followed it from the forest road above. Yes, I had made a hundred trips spread over five years in the South Indian forests to see my first wild tiger and here in Ranthambhore I sighted one in less then five minutes of entering the park! In less than an hour from getting off the train!

A couple of hours later as we drove through the wonderful park full of wildlife, we came across a tiger family, a mother and her two grown up daughters. The three tigers were moving along the road and we stayed with them for a long time! I was shooting happily not realizing I was actually documenting some important data!

Chemical Signals.

The mother appeared at this tree in front of us and smelt it. The bark had several old scratch marks on it. It then scent marked the tree by spraying on it. As we continued to watch, one of her daughters appeared from behind the tree and smelt the scent and then sat down and gave us a "Flehmen Gesture”! I am glad I kept clicking. You can see the whole sequence here …

Eye contact.

As the three tigers moved on, our vehicle slowly followed them. At one time the mother stood on the road right in front of our vehicle and looked directly at us! Yes, eye contact with a tiger in the wild. A unique experience, I shall cherish a lifetime.

Eye contact with a wild tiger!

Sibling love.

Sisters!

At one point one daughter sat on the road and refused to move. The mother waited a while and then decided to move on. However, the sitting daughter refused to move. The other daughter came over and tried all kinds of antics to try and get her to move on, with no luck. Finally, the second daughter also sat and waited. Do we put a meaning to this behavior? Of course I kept shooting…

Habituated to human presence?

On the evening round we were in a smaller vehicle, just our team. A short drive and we met the same family of the three tigers. The mother was sitting on the forest road and the two daughters had ambled into the bushes. I clicked a few shots as the mother yawned. We waited, as we could not move forward without disturbing the tiger. A few moments passed and we suddenly heard a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. It was packed with people striving to get a look at the tiger. The news spread like a forest fire and almost every vehicle in the park came to get a view of this tiger. Some vehicles pulled up behind us while a couple more came up in front. We were trapped! A traffic jam deep in the forest around a sitting tiger? Seeing is believing!

Traffic jam at the Ranthambhore National Park!

And then, the tiger simply put its head on the ground and went off to sleep!! I just could not believe this was happening. Much later, after the tiger gave way, we escaped from the scene and continued to look for – yet another tiger!?

Ranthambhore Nationl park has an area of 1334 sq kms of which 300 sq km is considered as the core area. The tiger in the wild, lives for about 15 years. India has a population of less than 3000 tigers left in the wild. There are several breeding females residing at Ranthambhore! A very valuable tiger reserve indeed! Just tell me, in such a large reserve, why must this tiger sleep on the road, in broad daylight, with hundreds of human beings striving to get a glimpse of her?

What a day it had been – the 9th of November, 2003!

Cunning tiger?

Next evening we had almost completed our round in the forest and dusk was around the corner when we spied a tiger playing dead in the tall grass on the other bank of the large marsh. It had all its four feet up in the air and was laying flat on its back. Close by, a crocodile was resting on the bank of the marsh. As we watched, the tiger ever so slowly began to roll towards the crocodile. We watched this fascinating roll for over half an hour as the tiger began to close the gap, all the time laying flat on the ground. When it finally got within striking distance, the reptile that had not moved an inch suddenly withdrew and vanished into the marsh. The tiger stretched itself and sat down. Was this just a game? We had to move on as the sun set on one more memorable episode for me. Yes, I was shooting all the time!

I made five long drives inside Ranthambhore National Park stretched over three days on this trip. I was able to sight and photograph seven different tigers. Land of the tiger indeed!

Some lucky breaks…

Over time in the several journeys I have made in various jungles in India, I have often sensed and on a few lucky occasions sighted tigers. Every single sighting is etched in my memory as a special moment.

As a teenager I would actively participate in the “tiger census” conducted by the Karnataka Forest Department. We would set out on a long walk in a tiger habitat and come back with castings of tiger pugmarks. Tiger experts would later examine the castings, as they would try to determine the tiger population in that habitat.

Once I participated in a “Line Transect Census” conducted by a reputed wildlife biologist who was studying tigers in Nagarahole. For a week I walked the same stretch of forest, twice a day, and noted down every single sighting I had of any mammal. This would help the researcher analyze the density of prey in a particular area. I loved the experience.

On one occasion, for a brief while in the field, I actually held the equipment that is used to track a “radio collared” tiger. My hands were trembling as the equipment made a beeping sound when it picked up a signal of the tiger we were tracking. Unique experience.

That’s all folks!

I have no doubt I will continue to enjoy my special relationship with the king of the Indian jungle as I continue to travel through its habitat from time to time. If you have not yet made an attempt to see your first tiger in the wild, there is no time like “now” to make that attempt. If you have already made an attempt and not yet seen one, remember, the joy is in the process.

Vijay Cavale
October, 2007