Wild Encounters @ Bandhavgarh

16th - 21st May 2009

[ Picturesque Hills ~ Pic. - Balamahesh]

Thunderous skies welcomed us to Bandhavgarh. It had been very hot the previous day and people rather welcomed the shower that followed. Our group took the evening gypsy ride in this ethereal weather as it tried to cleanse the dust-ridden trees with its cooling drops. Bandhavgarh has the ability to surprise every visitor no matter how old or new he/she is to the Park.

[ Jhujhura Female Cub ~ Pic. - Shailesh Karkhanis ]

Tiger sightings bring immense thrill and anticipation but there is more to this Park than mere ‘sightings’. One could observe wildlife in relatively undisturbed areas like Ketkiha, Bhitari, Sehra, Banbehi for hours together. One could note the way Chitals, Langurs, and Sambars coordinate to alert the rest to the imminent dangers. The stealthy pace of Jackals, the sudden leap of Hares, and the incessant calls of the Lapwing when a monitor lizard is on prowl, has its own story to tell!

At the Fort, one could notice the presence of Vultures with their faeces smeared all over the cliff. Just as you are observing the young ones in the nests, a Shaheen Falcon could fly past you so swiftly that you would barely manage to get a glimpse of it.


[ White-backed Vulture ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

The glee in a Bee-eater’s flight, the display of Rollers, and the charming ballet of the Peacocks are enough to set your heart aflutter.

[ Green Bee-Eater ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

Amid this wonderful cacophony and breathtaking sights, our gypsy made its way, with everyone trying to focus on signs of tiger movement – pugmarks, calls, alert animals and occasionally, a growl.

Whenever a tiger walked through the woods, Langurs would panic and hop from branch to branch, a Sambar would honk so loud that our hearts would almost skip a beat - the anticipation would be at its peak and then, far away we would see a figure moving towards us- only to realise that it was a wild pig... but behold, that was not it! To our side, a tiger would stride disinterestedly through the woods and then the chaos of the vehicles would be inexplicable!

[ Pugmark of a tiger on a wet road ~ Pic. - Sayali Ashar]

[ Mirchaini Male cub ~ Pic. - Shailesh Kharkhanis ]

In a matter of seconds, shutters would fire as fast as machine guns and we would try our best to stay calm at the King's sight... that’s what wilderness does to you…it engulfs and subsumes.

Content with the sights and sounds of the Park we would set back to the gate only to wonder what the next ride would bring. At times, there would be no tiger sightings at all, at times, we would be able to see an ear or a paw and at other times, we would sight one 20 feet away from us. Sometimes a bold female cub would hang out in her tiny cave, not too far from the road. One day while she was fast asleep and rolling in her den, she suddenly realised that her head was stuck in a gap. Imagine waking up to realise that your head is stuck in a small opening! She struggled hard for about 30 seconds and eventually managed to free herself. Heaving a sigh of relief she headed towards the dam for a drink.

[ Jhujhura Female cub ~ Pic. - Vidya Venkatesh ]

We spotted her on more than one occasion, drinking or dipping herself in the cool water to ward off the oppressive summer heat. One evening, while we were watching her take a nap in the cave, it began to drizzle and the sky turned golden-yellow. She woke up from her slumber and began looking around drowsily. To watch a tiger at such a delicate and beautiful moment, with the rain falling softly around her while she’s studying it peacefully from her bed – is worth a million lives!

Apart from the surreal tiger sightings, we also spotted Crested Serpent Eagle and Changeable Hawk Eagle up close. Down the road, we saw three White-naped woodpeckers (an adult and two juveniles) fluttering about their nest. Sirkeer Malkoha, Lesser Adjutant, Malabar Pied and Indian Grey Hornbills continued to delight us with their flapping. We would regularly see White-backed, Long-billed and Red headed Vultures looking out for remains of a kill. On one occasion we even saw Jackals scavenge on the remains of a Chital and one of them urinated on it in order to claim it as his own.

[ Changeable Hawk Eagle ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

Four days in Bandhavgarh crafted unforgettable memories. The inhabitants of Bandhavgarh are magnanimous, more so if you are patient. And there’s plenty of evidence to go with it.

[ Rajbehra Grassland ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

__________________________________________________________

Some more pictures from the trip...

[ Lesser Adjutant ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ Grey Headed Fish Eagle ~ Pic. - Sooraj Bishnoi ]

[ Indian Roller ~ Pic. - Balamahesh ]

[ Jackal ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ Jungle Bush Quail ~ Pic. - Sooraj Bishnoi ]

[ Indian Peafowl ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ Fan-throated Lizard ~ Pic. - Amit Bandekar ]

[ White-naped Woodpecker ~ Pic. - Rajashree Karkhanis]

__________________________________________________________

[ From left - Sayali Ashar, Saloni Bhatia, Ashutosh Bishnoi, Madhura Bandekar, Amit Bandkear, Rajashree Karkhanis, Balamahesh, Shailesh K, Sachin Rai, Rama Bishnoi, Vidya Venkatesh, Sooraj Bishnoi, Salim (our ace driver) ]