India 2008 Summary
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2008 Trips   India Wildlife Photos   India People & Places Photos   Diana's Tale  

Among our many interests is seeking out those destinations that combine new cultural experiences, abundant birding opportunities and unique wildlife.  Thus we chose India as our 2008 destination as it is home to Tiger, one of the many declining species we have targeted to view in their natural habitat while there is still time and opportunity.

Tigers are threatened by a combination of poaching, habitat loss, the loss of corridors between areas and retaliatory killing of tigers for preying on livestock or attacking humans. The existence of international markets for illegal tiger parts is identified by many as a matter of grave concern.

So in November of 2008 we set out for a 3 week excursion from Delhi to Ranthambore NP, the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Nainital, & Corbett NP.  Our hotel accommodations ranged from typical hotels, to former palaces, to former forts, to eco lodges and to the rustic but comfortable lodging within Corbett National Park. 

Ranthambhore National Park is one of the largest and most famous national parks in northern India; situated in southeastern Rajasthan.  The park sprawls over a varying and undulating landscape, alternating between dry deciduous forest and open grassy meadow, dotted by lakes and rivers and its magical landscape is littered with ruins from their impressive forts, temples and hunting lodges, now taken over by the wildlife.  The park covers an area of 392 km², and is famous for its tiger population, and is one of India's Project Tiger reserves.

When traveling to these destinations, one can’t help but imagine what will be in store for them and yet worry of the possibility of missing your target.  Yet, our first sighting of tiger couldn’t have been more satisfying.  We were fortunate enough to come across a tigress sitting not more than 10 feet from the side of the road for over 25 minutes.  She cleaned herself without much thought of our presence.  Even as she departed she passed so close to the open top jeep, I couldn’t help but think – I could simply reach out and touch her, yet in an instant she could turn upon us with such speed and agility that we couldn’t possibly react fast enough.  She marked her territory on a nearby tree and disappeared into the tall grasses along the lake and just like that she was gone from view but will forever linger in our memories….

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, also known by the name of Keoladeo Ghana National Park, is also situated in Rajasthan. One of the finest waterfowl habitats in the world, it was created artificially by the Maharaja of Bharatpur to store the water brought by the annual floods in this area and it’s dam gradually turned into an ecosystem which the Maharaja used for hunting.

The sanctuary as advertized was rich in waterfowl.  One couldn’t help but be drawn to the noise emanating from nests within the rookery.  Here we found the rookery was abundant with Painted Stork nests, Openbill Storks, Eurasian Spoonbills and Black Ibis. Watching the behavior was fascinating, the calls from young within the nests could be seen and heard as parents were continuing to add sticks to enhance the nest as the young got larger and the nest got too small.

Throughout the park, especially towards dusk, calls from Jackals could be heard in the distance, and from what always seemed to be right around the corner.  Yet we never seemed to come upon them.  Although once we were finally able to spy them in a dry river bed it seemed like from that point forward they were prevalent throughout the parks.

Beyond the wildlife viewing, India boasts an impressive listing of monuments throughout the various regions that we were able to visit. The enthralling Taj Mahal (the symbol of undying love), the Red Fort of Agra, the Wind Palace and the Amber Fort of Jaipur providing just a glimpse of what India has to offer.

One of the many places we visited was Nainital - a scenic hill station located within the foothills of the Himalayas at an elevation of about 6,500 feet.  It was here that we spent time looking for Himalayan specialty birds that come to lower elevations for the winter although this year the weather was unseasonably warm – highlights included a Yellow-throated Marten, Slaty-backed Forktail, Red-billed Blue Magpies, Asian Collared Owlet, as well the Lammergeier.  A lasting memory will be: coming back to the room to find the hotel staff had warmed the bed utilizing hot water bottles.  It was also here that something disagreed with us (the assumption is warmed milk used for hot chocolate) such that we became sick enough that we had to turn to Cipro that we had brought with us just in case.

The riverbeds of the Kosi River just outside Corbett NP provided some of the most memorable birding for the trip.  It was here that we found Wallcreeper, Brown Dipper, Crested Kingfisher and the sought after Ibisbill.

The last segment of our trip was scheduled for Corbett National Park.  At 2:00 AM the evening before our park entry, I received a call from my parents asking if we were OK.  It was then that they told us of the terrorist attack in Mumbai.  At that point reports were vague of what transpired, luckily for us it was far to the south of our travels, but our thoughts will always be with those who unfortunately lost their loved ones.

Corbett National Park is located within the foothills of the Himalayas and is famous for its wild population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants. The park was established in 1936, as the Hailey National Park; India's first national park and the first sanctuary to come under Project Tiger. 

One of the most entertaining aspects of the trip started at an overlook to the Kosi river.  As we  were watching Gharial (fish-eating crocodile) along the riverbank, a rambunctious group of 14 or 15 river otters came bounding down the river. It was comical to watch them nip at the nose and tails of the Gharial in a playful yet dangerous manner. 

We had spotted leopard previously in Tanzania some years back and again earlier in the trip at Ranthambore, but in both cases at a fair distance.  So it was an unexpected bit of good fortune when we came across a Leopard that had dragged a spotted deer into a tree.  Below in the bush the alarm call of a Barking Deer could be heard, while the Leopard busily worked away at the kill. Over the next few days the leopard could be found in the same tree continually working the kill with 3 or 4 jeep parked along the roadside peering into the trees to see this once in a lifetime opportunity.

A much anticipated highlight within Corbett was an elephant back safari to look for Tiger.  Earlier in the morning we had seen wild Asian elephants from a distance in the tall grass.  Having already been provided with astonishingly good viewing of Tiger and Leopard we decided to search for a better view of the wild Elephants.  As we entered the tall grasses, the alarm calls from barking deer changed our plans, as we turned and tracked the Tiger.  I’ve never had a true appreciation of how difficult it is to track Tiger, no great shock as the opportunities in Massachusetts are limited.  We had 4 elephants with 5 people on each searching the brush for the Tiger.  As we got close you could feel the elephant quiver but amazingly no one saw the Tiger as it slipped past us all.  Those in jeeps on the road waiting for a glimpse later told us of how the Tiger leaped all the way across the road and all the people saw was a tail and rump as it worked its way into the grasses.  Having missed our quarry, we continued on for the wild Elephants and this time we were not disappointed.  We encountered a family group of 5 Elephants that included a young elephant guessed to be about 9 months old.

With our trip starting out with such great views of Tiger it was surprising at how difficult it truly turned out to be to find them.  The next day after locating the first Tiger at Ranthambore we again came across a different Tiger, this time in a densely wooded section of the park, However it was fleeting glimpses between trees.  Within Corbett it was amazing to drive down a soft dirt road, turn around 5 minutes later and see Tiger prints on top of the jeep tracks we had just made.  This happened 2 or 3 times without us ever seeing Tiger in Corbett - it was an eerie feeling.

Diana and I totaled 340 species of birds of which 258 were life birds.  Beyond our targets of Tiger, Leopard, and Asian Elephant we also tallied: Rhesus Macaque (Monkey), Hanuman Langur (Monkey), Golden Jackal, Yellow-throated Marten, Indian Grey Mongoose, Small Indian Mongoose, Wild Boar, Barking Deer (Indian Muntjac), Spotted Deer (Chital), Sambar Deer, Blue Bull (Nilgai), Indian Pipistrelle (Bat), Seath Tailed Bat, Flying Fox (Fruit Bat), Marsh Crocodile, Indian Gharial, Softshelled Mud Turtle, and Indian Smooth Otter.

India provided us the opportunity for amazing wildlife viewing and to experience the numerous monuments that reflect their diversity of culture and heritage, yet at the same time we struggled with the  environmental impact. India's ongoing population explosion has placed a great strain on the country's environment and its natural resources.  

Deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution continue to worsen and are hindering economic development in rural sections of India, while rapid industrialization and urbanization are straining municipal services and causing serious air pollution problems in India’s major cities. 

We can only hope that these wildlife areas are able to survive so that others can share the joy we experienced….

2008 Trips   India Wildlife Photos   India People & Places Photos   Diana's Tale