Saturday, April 18, 2015

Three Birders in Tadoba



A birding/tiger trip Travelogue

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger reserve, Maharashtra, India
Dates: 12 to 14 April 2015
Travelers: D Joshi, Sangeeta Joshi, Shivani Joshi
Photographs: Nikon P 600 ultrazoom, point and shoot. Birdwatching setting.
Trip Arrangements: Natureindia.

Going off the grid for a few days is every city dwellers dream. To be in a thick jungle without being connected to the mobile phones, work worries, television and newspapers is like being in an alternate universe. So when the Missus gently reminded me about the yet – to – be - ticked item on the bucket list i.e seeing the big cats in the wild, it wasn’t a very difficult decision to jump into the Tadoba  trip when the announcement was made by NatureIndia.


Needless to say, most of our friends, thoroughly spoilt by Bangalore weather, were loath to even entertain the idea of visiting the central Indian plains in the hot month of April.

But then there is a time and season for everything. Birds are to be seen in winter at dawn and dusk. Reptiles and amphibians are best encountered in peak monsoon.  For sighting tigers, it has to be the hot season, for the simple reason that they feel thirsty and visit the water holes frequently where one can lay in wait, camera in readiness. So the hotter it is, the better it gets as far as tiger spotting goes.

We chose the season very carefully, but everything seemed to go wrong for us on the weather front from the word go as we boarded the Nagpur flight on 12th of April. When we landed at the Sonegaon airport, we were greeted by a cool breeze and a wet runway. As we sped southwards on the four lane highway (incidentally the NH 7 which we Bangaloreans call Bellary Road and which actually passes from Varanasi to Kanyakumari via Nagpur) the lush green countryside was almost mocking those of us who expected a dusty, hot and arid landscape.  It had been raining and we couldn’t have asked for better weather if we were to be going on a picnic.


The Breakfast stop was at the traveller friendly Hotel Asoka at a place called Jam, which was a nice midway halt in our 180 Km journey. At this point we turned on to the state highway which in turn took us through winding but metalled roads passing through quaint villages. We reached the village of Moharli and onto our ‘resort’ called Hornbill Resort. The choice of name is unique, since every other resort there has the word Tiger in it, and interesting since the name of our resort was not actually mentioned anywhere!!

Hornbill Resort, Moharli

Today in the world of internet and Tripadvisor, it is possible to have all the information about where to stay and what to expect, even before one has set foot out of the house. The more one surfs, the more number of choices one is confronted with. All have amazing websites and reviews. And all have almost equal number of very satisfied and very dissatisfied customers. One actually wonders if they are talking about the same property. One could actually turn into a bundle of nerves when deciding to book a particular resort. What if it does not turn out to be what it promises to be?  Worse still, what if one misses out on a “deal” which is cheaper and better. In fact this commitment phobia applies almost to everything else today. Am I really committing to the right phone, camera, TV, internet pack, cable pack….partner!?@#

Anyhow that’s why we decided to take a leap of faith several years ago and hitched our wagon to Adesh and Mandar of NatureIndia. Knowing that they would select the “right” place, and everything else.

When on a nature trail, though comforts are welcome, they are not the central theme. It requires a specific sense to understand that a double room with bathroom can be made infinitely more efficient if the wash basin is outside the bathroom. Especially if two or three people have to get ready to move before sunrise. Having multiple charging points on wall sockets in a room is far more useful than having  paintings hung on the walls. Carrying portable breakfast at 0530 is far more meaningful that a lavish spread at 1030 hrs. Thankfully we were in the able hands of our very well intentioned local resource person called Manish who managed the admin arrangements and the resort, which more like a homestay I would say.

After lunch we settled in our rooms and were quickly ready for the afternoon safari. The forebodings were not good as we crossed the group who were checking out after a stay of two days and no tiger sightings thanks to the wonderful weather and plentiful rains!!

The entry formalities at the Moharli Gate, did take a little while, but soon we were driving through the Andhari forest (the outer layer of forest area ensconcing the Tadoba forest) which has a metalled road running right through. In fact there is a scheduled state transport bus which services some villages still located deep inside the forest.  The mixed deciduous forest was looking like a lovely painting in the golden evening sunshine against the backdrop of distant low dark clouds.



Majestic teakwood trees with the large leaves lined the road and every now and then a grey jungle fowl would scurry across the road.  As we learnt, the Sal forests in the northen part of the country support the red junglefowl. We turned into the kutcha road and headed towards the Teliya dam and lake.  We spotted a large flock of Lesser whistling teals at the lake. White and black Ibises were also on display. We encountered several wild boar, chital, sambar and barking deer. The prey base of this forest seemed quite healthy even to the casual observer.




By dusk we made it back to the resort and after a refreshing cup of tea, sat down for the customary introductions with the group members. The discussions which followed regarding various subjects related to nature and tigers and birds is actually the real reason why we prefer to go birding with this group. We gleaned interesting facts about tiger conservation. We also learnt that the Black Panther is actually just a leopard with melanocytic overload. And that the white tiger is an albino form of the regular Royal Bengal Tiger found in India. Incredibly all white tigers in existence are bred in captivity from just one forefather called Mohan who was found by the prince of Junagarh.


Just as we were finishing dinner, Adesh heard the call of the Savanah Nightjar. We tried to spot the bird in the open field behind, but it seems it had decided not to come down from its tree perch. As we learnt, nightjars roost on the open field by day and hunt from the tree perch by night. They are so sure of their camouflage in broad daylight that they don’t bother to move even if you are standing inches away from them. Flying around with its huge jar like mouth open, not only earns it the name, but also seems to be a unique strategy to catch flying insects.

It started to drizzle and must have rained through the night. It was cool and rain soaked forest that greeted us on the morning safari. The safari plan was very simple. Go to any of the water bodies, where the tiger would be expected to come for a drink, park the jeep and wait. Obviously that strategy was not going to work for us on this beautiful cool rainy day…   We had to be content with excellent views of the jungle bush quail, yellow footed green pigeon, Indian roller, magpie robins, Tickells blue flycatcher and oriental honey buzzards.  Presently news came of Shivanis jeep having seen the Brown Fish owl.





Owls, especially the large ones, are known to inhabit specific areas and are a good consolation prize when tiger sightings are not happening as expected!! So we retraced our steps and went to the specific spot and found that the reliable owl had decided to take a hike. We stuck around and our patience was rewarded with the sighting of a herd of Gaur (mistakenly called Bison) which are basically enormous cows which appear to wear white stockings and look decidedly wild. One was actually hoping to have a NatGeo moment with a striped feline suddenly charging onto the unsuspecting Gaur.  Alas no such thigh happened.  The ten strong herd of Gaur  came to the water body, had their fill and moved on.  



But suddenly there was rustling in the bushes nearby and a full grown sloth bear made an appearance and crossed our vehicle barely at a distance of 20 yards. In the excitement of the spotting and trying to click a photo, one failed to appreciate that this was a 400 pound beast with significant claws looking at us in an open jeep. The trip was suddenly looking quite worthwhile. 



We headed back for lunch after picking up the customary T shirts and fridge magnets at the souvenir shop near the park gate. Afternoon brought some clear skies and heat, and along with it a faint hope that the big cats would be thirsty by now and make an appearance at the water holes. 


We kept coming across various kinds of deer on the way and large troupes of black faced langur monkeys; differentiated from macaques by the presence of long tails. The highlight trees of the forest included the “ghost tree” so called because of its nude white appearance, now displaying a blush of red on account of recent rains. The crocodile bark tree actually lives up to its description. The much talked about Mahua trees were in full bloom, though the freshly fallen flowers are devoid of the intoxicant which appears only after a period of fermentation.

Suddenly we saw our driver and guide getting excited as they saw a jeep which had stopped ahead. A large male leopard had decided to settle down for an afternoon snooze barely 30 yards from the road. Within minutes about 25 jeeps descended on the spot with barely controllable tourists trying to get a view. The leopard lazily went about his activities. Presently he decided to move on. But not deep into the jungle!! He seemed totally unfazed as was to be expected from a leopard; rather he displayed the behaviour befitting a tiger. In fact he decided to head exactly for the road where the jeeps were standing, and with complete disdain walked past the last vehicle and crossed over to the other side of the road and into the shrubbery. For most of us it was a true NatGeo moment. Mandar who was in the last jeep with the worst view till now, got the best video of all! As usual.



The adrenaline rush that accompanied the few moments when the full grown male leopard walked towards the jeeps can hardly be put into words. It also makes it amply clear that the wildest of animals are hardly bothered about us if we don’t actively stand on their tail or threaten their cubs.

The pre-dinner discussion was obviously full of leopard stories. There was also a special occasion. That of Adesh’s birthday celebration, made more special when Manish produced a cake decorated with…you guessed right..birds. As we were gorging on the cake, all hell broke loose. There were gusty winds resembling a hurricane and deafening thunder. Several bolts of lightning fell very close in the fields and we were convinced that we were going to be next. We were getting the true jungle experience, with all its unpredictability.  The power tripped and the torrential rain went on through the night.

We woke up to a grey morning and it was still drizzling as we headed for the welcome cup of hot tea. Someone asked Adesh if we are still going to go ahead with the morning safari. And he said something which embodies the whole spirit of birding/naturewatching. “Rain or no rain. We are heading into the forest and going to enjoy the trees, the flowers, the birds or simply the beauty of the forest.”
Luckily the rain let up as we headed along the Chandrapur road. It was an exhilarating experience as we drove into the misty morning, surrounded by the wet forest, the cool breeze on our faces in the open jeep.


After the entry formalities at the gate, we entered the buffer zone forest. This is an actual forest complete with its own lake. We had some nice spottings of the white browed bulbul, jungle owlet, black shouldered kite and the stork billed kingfisher on the way. As we turned towards the Ambazari lake, things started happening.

Our guide spotted a leopard sitting on a tree about two storeys high. Excited clicking ensued and we were soon joined by three more jeeps. Suddenly one of the guides noticed that the leopard was not looking at us but at a spot directly below the tree. It didn’t take us long to decipher this extraordinary spectacle of nature playing out right in front of our eyes. There was a tiger sitting there playing the waiting game. Was he really thinking of making a meal out of his distant cousin? After several moments the tiger got up and moved closer to the tree. Someone actually noticed the leopard wetting his pants and then we saw him climbing up the tree higher… Just to be sure that he had put enough distance between himself and king of the jungle below. Was the predator going to become prey today?


What happened instead was that the tiger lazily groomed himself for a while and then got up and disappeared into the jungle towards the lake. One group of jeeps decided to spot him at the other end of the thicket, which they did, Mandar included!! Our guide decided to stay put. What we saw then was even more amazing. After a few safe minutes, the leopard climbed down the tree like a nimble cat. He stopped at the base of the tree, and picked up what had probably attracted the tiger in the first place. It was his kill (a deer) which he picked up and disappeared. Now we know firsthand that the King doesn’t feed on leftovers!!

So all in all it was quite a successful trip, weather notwithstanding. To paraphrase Paulo Coelho, if you really badly want something, the universe will do everything to make it happen for you.







Travel tips:
Tadoba is located about 180 Km south of Nagpur.
Park is open year round but tiger sightings are supposed to be more frequent in the hottest months.
Safari timings are strictly followed.
Even if you book a safari online, you have to physically show the ID that was mentioned at the time of booking.
There is strictly no walking allowed even in the buffer zone.
Personal vehicles are allowed inside the park. Guide is compulsory in all vehicles.
Park is closed on Tuesdays but buffer zone is open.