Trip Summary
Travel Destination – Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu
Travel Date – 14th Jul 2013
Animal sightings –Indian squirrel.
Bird sightings –Common Myna, Rufous Treepie, Common Hoopoe, Asian Koel,
Rock Pigeon
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary, TN - When Water Runs Dry
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Homepage Birding Trip Image Slideshow
When Water Runs Dry
Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary
When Water Runs Dry
Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary
It was July 2013 and I was in
Thiruvanathapuram on a short vacation. I was itching to visit a wildlife/bird
sanctuary in the monsoon season and spend a day or two improving my photography
skills. After some brainstorming my cousin suggested Koonthankulam Bird
Sanctuary in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
I searched online and found
Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary, in Thirunelveli district, to be a good choice.
The Sanctuary was around 140 kms away from Thiruvanathapuram. Google Maps indicated
a drive of approximately 2.5 hours. The online images of the birds taken at the
Sanctuary were very encouraging. The sanctuary attracted a lot of migrant birds
incl. Flamingos, Storks, Pelicans, Ducks etc. In peak season, the birds
numbered in the lakhs!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Ranthambhore - A Trip To Remember.. Forever. - Image Slideshow
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Trip Summary
Travel Destination – Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan
Travel Dates – 27th Oct 2011 to 29th Oct 2011
Animals sightings–9 species: Tiger,
Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Nilgai (Bluebull), Chinkara (Antelope), Langur, Ruddy
Mongoose, Wild Boar, Indian squirrel, Crocodile.
Bird sightings – 17 species: Peacock,
Red-wattled lapwing, Slender-billed Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Little
Cormorant, Black Stork, Rufous treepie, Black
Drongo, White-throated Kingfisher, Intermediate
Egret, Common Kingfisher, Common Babbler, Wooly-necked Stork, Grey Heron, Cattle
Egret, Pond Heron, Changeable Hawk Eagle
Ranthambhore - A Trip to Remember.. Forever. Day 3
I was up and ready on the last
day of my trip. The events from the previous day had led me to believe that I
was gifted with a lot of luck, when it came to tiger sightings. But that belief
did not last long as I waited for the canter. The park gates open at 7 am, but
there was no sign of the canter even by 8 am!
The canters are released by the
forest department only after all the seats are filled. Therefore, if all the 21
seats in a canter were not sold, the remaining passengers had to wait patiently
at their hotels. Further, the canters pick up passengers from their respective
hotels. This can further delay one’s safari, especially if you have fellow passengers
who do not know the meaning of punctuality.
Morning Safari
By the time the canter entered
the park gates, it was close to 8.30 am. We had lost about 1.5 hours of safari
time. My last safari was not looking good.
In the next half an hour, we
spotted Langur monkeys, Sambar deer, Spotted deer and a Ruddy mongoose.
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| Ground Inspection - Grey Langur |
Ranthambhore - A Trip To Remember.. Forever. Day 2
I woke up early on Day 2. My eagerness and enthusiasm had not been dampened after Day one. And to my absolute delight, my
morning safari was booked on a jeep/gypsy. This miracle was due to the fact,
that, a couple of guests had to back out due to health reasons. With due
respect to those guests, it was a good omen for me.
Safaris on Gypsies offer better wildlife sightings than Canters due to multiple reasons
1. Gypsies/Jeeps enter the park on time as there are only 6 seats to fill. On the other hand Canters have 21 seats and filling up these seats can take time
2. Gypsies/Jeeps make far lesser noise than canters and therefore do not scare away the wildlife
3. Gypsies/Jeeps can access narrower paths and are more manoeuverable.
Safaris on Gypsies offer better wildlife sightings than Canters due to multiple reasons
1. Gypsies/Jeeps enter the park on time as there are only 6 seats to fill. On the other hand Canters have 21 seats and filling up these seats can take time
2. Gypsies/Jeeps make far lesser noise than canters and therefore do not scare away the wildlife
3. Gypsies/Jeeps can access narrower paths and are more manoeuverable.
Morning Safari
We entered the park gates at 7 am
sharp. We had been allotted Zone 1 for the safari. As soon as we entered the
zone, the naturalist was on red alert. He could sense that there was an element of tension
in the air. And then the alarm call of a Langur monkey shattered the silence.
We were now more or less sure that a predator, either a Tiger or Leopard, was
in the area. We strained our eyes to spot any movement.
The next 15 minutes of the safari
will be etched in my memory for the rest of my life!!!
A Tiger came out of the foliage
and crossed the path in front of the gypsy. “Tiger! Tiger!” whispered the
naturalist. The blood rushed to my head, I was
breathless and my mind went numb.. Excitement was at it’s peak!
The Tiger was absolutely beautiful
and majestic. The Tiger sat on one corner of the path. We twisted and stretched
to get the best view. The cameras started clicking fast and furious. By now, we
had been joined by a couple of more gypsies. The Tiger observed the tourists on
each gypsy carefully. My heart was pounding but my Index finger did not stop
pressing the camera shutter.
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| Momentous Occasion - My first tiger sighting in the wild - Tiger T-39 |
Ranthambhore - A Trip To Remember.. Forever. Day 1
I had reached Ranthambhore the previous night and
checked in around midnight. The late check-in and lack of sleep did not prevent
me from getting up early in the morning for the morning safari. As I sipped my
morning tea waiting for the safari vehicle, I grew restless and
impatient. The anticipation and high expectations were perhaps getting to me.
Advance Safari bookings can be made online (ideally, book well in advance) at http://www.rajasthanwildlife.in/.
About the Safaris
The safaris are conducted by the Rajasthan Forest Department. The park remains open from October to June and remains closed for the monsoon season (June/July to September).
Safari Timings in Ranthambore
Safaris in Ranthambore are scheduled in the early mornings and late afternoons. Each safari lasts for about 3.5 hours.
Period Morning Trip Evening Trip
October 7:00 am to 10:30 am 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm
November to January 7:00 am to 10:30 am 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm
February to March 6:30 am to 10:00 am 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm
April to mid-May 6:00 am to 9:30 am 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Mid-May to June 6:00 am to 9:30 am 3:30 pm to 7:00 pm
Safari Vehicles in Ranthambore
The safaris are conducted either in gypsies (8-seater open jeeps) or canters (21-seater open trucks). The gypsies are the preferred mode for most tourists as they are much quieter and enter the park on time, as there are only 6 seats to fill. These factors greatly improve the chances of sighting tigers. The bookings are on first-come-first-serve basis.
Advance Safari bookings can be made online (ideally, book well in advance) at http://www.rajasthanwildlife.in/.
Ranthambhore - A Trip To Remember.. Forever. Oct-2011
It was October of 2011 and the Diwali vacations were
fast approaching. I had not finalized any vacation travel plans in advance due
to work exigencies. About one week prior to the vacations, my planning finally
started.
Even though beaches were my favourite holiday
destination, I wanted a different kind of holiday experience.
Beach? …. No
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| Bagha Beach - Goa |
Birding in Goa - A boat-ride on the Zuari river: Image Slideshow
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Trip Summary
Travel Destination – Zuari River (Cumbharzua canal)
Travel Dates – 10th Dec 2012
Animals sightings–Crocodile, Indian Fruit Bats (Flying Foxes)
Bird sightings –25 species - Greater Crested tern, Little Egret,
Intermediate Egret, Peregrine Falcon, Brahminy Kite, Red-eared Bulbul, Asian
Koel, Barn Swallows, Common Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Osprey, White Ibis, Common
Redshank, Pond Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black-capped Kingfisher,
White-collared Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Common Kingfisher,
Oriental Magpie Robin, Little Cormorant, Common Greenshanks, Eurasian Curlew, Blue-tailed
bee-eater, White-bellied Sea eagle.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Birding in Goa - A boat-ride on the Zuari river
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It was December 2012 and I was in the process of finalizing my
travel arrangements to Goa, to attend the marriage of a good friend. I’ve
always had a fascination with Goa, which persisted in spite of having visited
Goa on numerous occasions. My attraction for Goa lay in it’s beautiful beaches,
the laid-back attitude towards life, the tourist-friendly atmosphere … I could
go on and on.
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| Goa's main attraction - Beaches |
Monday, March 4, 2013
The Tiger Diaries: 01-Ranthambore Revisited Day 0
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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
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