The Tiger Diaries: 01-Ranthambore Revisited Day 0

Tobin David
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As I plan my wildlife safari trip to Ranthambore, memories of my first safari trip to Ranthambore (in 2011) flood my mind,

…..The sky-high expectations and excitement of my first wildlife-cum-tiger safari

…..the calmness and serenity of the forest with its many lakes

…..the diversity and beauty of the flora and fauna in the forest

…..the rough and punishing safaris on the tough terrain

…..the alarm calls of animals followed by a nerve-wracking wait in pin-drop silence

…..the gripping suspense in anticipation of a tiger-sighting

…..my first attempt at wildlife photography

…..the intense disappointment of not sighting a tiger

And last but not least

…..the thrill and adrenaline rush of sighting the majestic tiger in the wild

The first tiger that I ever saw in the wild  (Ranthambore 2011

The Tiger Diaries: 02-Ranthambore Safari Day 1

Tobin David

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Day 1: The Journey begins

A Washout?

The journey started with an early morning flight from Mumbai to Jaipur. It was a short and pleasant flight with the flight taking-off and landing on time.

A good start to the trip indeed.

Next was a road trip of 3 hours from Jaipur to Ranthambore covering a distance of 160 kms. As the vehicle reached the outskirts of Jaipur, the roads turned from good to bad, narrow, pot-holed and very bumpy. And the heavy truck traffic early in the morning ensured that we were moving at a snail’s pace. And then came the final blow. Rain! It was raining in Jaipur in the middle of February!!! As unseasonal as could be! Not a drizzle or a shower, but a proper thunderstorm with lightning for added effect.

It didn’t seem to be a good start to the trip anymore!

Dark Thunderclouds looming, Jaipur, India

  

Dark Thunderclouds looming

The Tiger Diaries: 03-Ranthambore Safari Day 2

Tobin David

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Day 2: The Safaris continue

Day 2 dawned and I felt hopeful and optimistic about having a good day. The early morning safari was in a canter and we entered the park around 7 am. We ‘spotted’ spotted deer, langur monkeys and birds. Just 45 minutes into the safari, we received an alert from a canter behind us which made us turn around. Lo and Behold! 

There, was the mighty tiger strolling nonchalantly between our canter and the canter behind us.  The first reaction on seeing the tiger in the wild is an adrenaline rush followed by mind-numbing awe. Sighting this majestic and beautiful animal never fails to send a thrill down my spine.

Enters the Tiger

  

Enter the Tiger

And this particular tiger was walking just a few feet away from us, so powerful yet so full of grace. 

The Tiger Diaries: 04-Ranthambore Safari Day 3

Tobin David

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Day 3: Wildlife sightings galore

The morning safari on day 3 was in a canter. Even though the large mammals, Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Deer etc. are the more famous inhabitants of the Ranthambore National Park, the park has its fair share of bird species. There are reportedly 252 species of birds in the park which without doubt will be a birding enthusiast’s delight.

Painted Stork and Crocodile, Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India

  

A painted stork fishing as a crocodile and
Red-wattled lapwing look-on on the banks

The Tiger Diaries: 05-Ranthambore Safari Day 4

Tobin David

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Day 4: Predators (not the Arnold Schwarzenegger ones)

The morning safari was in Kundal zone (zone 6) in a gypsy. We reached the zone gates around 7 am and started the safari. First came the blue bulls (nil gai) followed by sambar deer, the favourite food of tigers. Tigers prefer Sambar deer, as these deer have plenty of meat, making them slower and their poor eyesight makes it easier for tigers to prey on them. 

Owl on the watch

  

A Blue-bull (Nilgai) looks around for it's partner

And then, Lo and behold!

The Tiger Diaries: 06-Ranthambore Safari Day 5

Tobin David

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Day 5: Exploring new territories

The previous day I had befriended two wildlife and photography enthusiasts and decided to join them in a gypsy safari to Qual ji (Zone 9). Qual ji was about 45 kms away from the main gates of the Ranthambore national park. We had to set out very early in the morning at around 5.15 am so that we could start the safari by 6.30 am. 

The hour-long ride in the extremely cold and dark morning was an experience in itself.

Sunrise (Qualji Zone 9), Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India

  

Sunrise at Qual ji

We entered the zone at 6.30 am just as the sun rose. We were very hopeful and optimistic as there had been good tiger sightings in this zone in the month of February. The zone was very barren with very few animals. We managed to get some good shots of the sunrise and the landscape from the top of the hill. 

Sunrise (Qualji Zone 9), Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India

  

Sunrise 

Soon we heard an alarm call of a sambar deer.

The Tiger Diaries: 07-Ranthambore Image Gallery

Tobin David

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Trip Summary

Travel Destination – Ranthambore National Park

Travel Dates – 16^th Feb 2013 to 20^th Feb 2013

Animals sightings – Tiger, Leopard, Jackal, Blue Bull (Nil Gai), Sambhar Deer, Spotted Deer (Chital), Indian Gazelle (Impala), Jungle Cat, Langur monkeys, Crocodile

Bird sightings – Peacock, Eagle, Owl, Egret, Crane, Heron, Cormorant, Drongo, Woodpecker, Parakeet, Flycatcher, Babbler, Treepie, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Bulbul, Mynah, Patridge and many more

Number of safaris – Nine (9)

Mode of Safari    No. of safaris   Big Cat sightings

Gypsy                     Three (3)         One leopard sighting
Canter                     Six (6)             Three tiger sightings (five tigers)

Photography Equipment

Camera – Nikon D90

Lenses – Wildlife - Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

                Landscape – Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm F/3.5-5.6G ED VR

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The Tiger Diaries: 08-Funny Captions

Tobin David

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Wildlife safaris can be fun. Check out these photos of wildlife with funny captions. You can come up with witty and funny captions of your own. No prizes, just for fun! (Click on the image description to open each photo with the caption and post your caption / comment against it. )

Photo 1 - Jungle Babbler	Photo 2 - Langur Mom 'n Baby
Photo 3 - Langur Monkey	Photo 4 - Crocodile sunbathing
Photo 5 - Jungle Babbler family	Photo 6 - Tiger
Photo 7 - Spotted Deer fawn	Photo 8 - Kingfisher
Photo 9 - Deer stags	Photo 10 - Bluebull (Nilgai)

Trip Summary

Travel Destination– Ranthambore National Park

Travel Dates – 16^thFeb 2013 to 20^th Feb 2013

Animals sightings– Tiger, Leopard, Jackal, Blue Bull (Nil Gai), Sambhar Deer, Spotted Deer (Chital), Indian Gazelle (Impala), Jungle Cat, Langur monkeys, Crocodile

Bird sightings –Peacock, Eagle, Owl, Egret, Crane, Heron, Cormorant, Drongo, Woodpecker, Parakeet, Flycatcher, Babbler, Treepie, Kingfisher, Lapwing, Bulbul, Mynah, Patridge and many more

Number of safaris – Nine (9)

Mode of Safari No. of safaris   Big Cat sightings

Gypsy                Three (3)           One leopard sighting
Canter                Six (6)              Three tiger sightings (five tigers)

Photography Equipment

Camera – Nikon D90

Lenses – Wildlife - Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR

                Landscape – Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105mm F/3.5-5.6G ED VR

Tobin David

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