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25th January 2011, 17:09
| #16 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai
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25th January 2011, 23:16
| #17 |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Hyderabad
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25th January 2011, 23:27
| #18 |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Hyderabad
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| Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv As promised here are 'some' of the pics that I had taken of the vultures...       |
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25th January 2011, 23:36
| #19 |
| BHPian  Join Date: May 2010 Location: Nagpur,Bangalore
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25th January 2011, 23:57
| #20 |
| Newbie Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pune
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26th January 2011, 16:59
| #21 |
| BHPian  | Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv Great pictures. Waiting for more  |
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26th January 2011, 17:18
| #22 | |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv Quote:
Great photographs of the vultures, soaring free on the up draft winds, the blurred back ground and the near monotone have all come out so well. Back in 1975 when I was in 7th grade, still remember in our lunch recess when we would have our lunch in the huge school play ground and about a dozen white Egyptian vultures with orange beak would be hovering high up in the sky. Everyday, I used to finish my lunch with my head pointed upwards watching them. Today, I live right adjacent to a 300 acre army land and enjoy the eagles. Vultures...we see them only in the zoo cages. What will our children see and what will they never? Thanks for sharing and bringing back memories. Regards, Last edited by fazalaliadil : 26th January 2011 at 17:33. | |
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31st January 2011, 16:51
| #23 | |||||||||||||
| BHPian  Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nagpur
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| Day 2 evening drive and announcement of our next visits to Bandhavgad Quote:
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Thank you for all the comments friends and amazing Vulture snaps saleem. I will surely keep everybody posted on the outcome of the results of our documentation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- continuing onto Day 2 evening drive: Text by Adwait Mahajan Day 2 (Evening) – Maybe luck is even wearing the same underwear all over again. To rub it in further, we set off for the fourth part of our trip through the CD route which was exactly opposite to the morning route. As we trailed along the same route from where we departed in the morning, doc suddenly spotted the pugmarks of the elusive Mahamant female. A bit old, they were mostly treaded in the noon. This female is a mother of 4 fully grown adult cubs fathered by Bokha, the dominant male of Magdhi zone. A particular characteristic of Bokha is his shy attitude towards the vehicles. Though being huge in size, he avoids walking on the roads for long to avoid the vehicle movements. Interestingly, this characteristic is inherited by the mahamant female and her cubs also who are highly elusive. As we followed the pugmarks, a screeching stop was made in front of a cluster of pugmarks and seating marks of large carnivores. Adult Tiger cubs. As the Mahamant female made her way into the Khitauli zone, she had surely left her ‘babies’ behind. Sikander had some doubts over the presence of these cubs, but all doc had to say was, ‘ Pugmark miss karein hum? Aisa toh ho hi nahi sakta!’ Binded in his words, we sped forward to spot any movement of the cubs. In the blink of an eye, to my utter disbelief, I spotted a fully grown cub bang in the right side of us some 15 feet away. Looking large enough for a 18 month cub, he made a small leap into the thicket and stared back at us momentarily. Before we could manage any decent snaps, he wandered into a small clearing of grass and lay down giving us a partial view of his head and white belly. It was obvious that this guy was not going to rise up soon. Doc noticed that there was hardly any vehicle movement which suggested that a major sighting had been made which had to be either the Mirchaini cubs or the king himself, B2. Now, from the earlier reports it was suggested that B2 had returned back to his territory after a long trip outside the park. Trust me, the hunger to see the king devours every other appetite. So we rapidly set off the C route, where it was confirmed that everyone got to see the 3 Mirchaini cubs at very close quarters.As we approached the site, a forest dept jeep ensured that every vehicle spent a limited time observing them. Luckily, we were the last ones to see the cubs thereby giving us ample time to photograph the cubs at very close quarters. As the male cub peered and made an eye-to-eye contact, the goose bumps came alive in all of us. Clicking on, the other two sisters of him were also found lying in line In the bushy undergrowth. Not much to click due to lack of proper light, but surely a visual treat. Leaving the mirchaini cubs behind, we made one final attempt to trace B2 and subsequently bumping into a mob of 4-5 vehicles. The Siddhbaba female, or the Kaankati was lying bang in the middle of the road! Though she was facing the opposite direction, a dusk sighting and upon the road is surely memorable. Since this was an exit route for many vehicles and every bit of effort was made by everyone to get a glimpse of her, a mini traffic jam was created. My effort to get a good snapshot by standing on the bumper failed and I was caught in the commotion badly. I insisted to hold on and sit on the bumper firmly till the jam was cleared, but then soon realized my insanity of the moment! The female gradually went off road and as Doc says, she was joined by a cub later on. Thus, the unlike-never-before fascinating trip ceased into the confines outside the Tala gate. News of the prolonged absence of Kalua are making rounds. Some say that he has been tracked by a group of BBC guys some 50 km away from the Tala zone. Others firmly believe that he is dead. Territorial fight? Road accident? Or poached? The absence of Kalua is definitely a major issue. Why would a young dominant male with ample prey base and atleast 2 females under his might leave his territory just like that? Saddening and mysterious. No answers. Last day and fort trip tomorrow. Eyeballs popping out. Severe lack of sleep before a long day. One photograph from day 2 evening drive: Mahawant cub record shot  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Among other updates, our second Tiger Photography and documentation team led by Varun returned super successful from Bandhavgad shortly and here is the best shot of the exercise :  Notice the level of the head in comparison to the height of the Gypsy We are revisiting this park again from 17-21 Feb and therafter again from 18-22 March and the best shot of the last visit adorns the poster for the third visit this season.  I invite interested Team-bhp members and others to join us in these 2 and future expeditions if anyone is game. Let me tell you that our expeditions are no frills and only for hardcore wildlifers. We like to camp outdoors and track alarm calls at night so that we can plan our next morning drives based on those. regards, Dr. A Ghosh 09960332228 Last edited by abheekg : 31st January 2011 at 16:55. | |||||||||||||
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31st January 2011, 17:00
| #24 |
| BHPian Join Date: May 2010 Location: Nagpur,Bangalore
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31st January 2011, 17:47
| #25 |
| BHPian  | Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv Abheek: are you organising a photography expedition to Pench around June or July? Please PM me the dates and costs so that I can plan for the same as well as save up to buy tickets to and fro Bangalore Would love to join one! |
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31st January 2011, 18:30
| #26 | |
| BANNED Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv Quote:
Me too! Very Very inspiring!! Your travelogue helped me dream my trip even as I browsed the posts. Now brimming with anticipation ...  Cheers | |
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1st February 2011, 02:52
| #27 | |||
| BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Nagpur
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| Day 3 report: The conclusion Quote:
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 3 (Morning-noon-evening) A long day awaited us. Today’s action was non-stop. First we had to do our morning round, immediately followed by our visit to the fort and then subsequently the evening round. We had planned to leave immediately after the evening round so our luggage was all packed up in the car. Sikander had once again placed the gypsy first. Modelling session at Tala gate:  And once again, to our surprise, we got the BC route. We hoped to have a similar misty morning like the day before. Though the mist today didn’t match the dreamy sequence the day before, any morning in a forest is beautiful in a different manner. Its like a same subject drawn by a different, yet equally talented artist. Barely 200 meters of entering the park, we were startled by the sharp alert call of a sambhar, exactly at the same place were Kankati had vanished in the dark yesterday evening. Since it was too dark, and waiting there would mean letting other gypsies race ahead of us, we decided to give it a pass. Our today’s aim was a male..specifically B2, who had been spotted in the previous evening’s round. Speeding ahead and trying to locate the king’s huge pugmarks was a tedious job, since B2 covered almost the entire Tala zone as his territory. We made furtive efforts to track him down along with our cranky guide. Surprisingly dry day today regarding the sightings. No signs, no signals at all. This is the beauty of a forest..one moment you have all the cacophony of a predator on the move. The other moment it is all gone..deep silence. After the usual chai-nashta at center point, Sikander asked everyone to wrap up immediately as he had got an important news. The Bamera male was back in the park. As mentioned earlier, he had gone to patrol his territory on the other side of the park and the guides and forest staff had estimated him to return in about 8 days approximately. But again, the tiger has the most unpredictable behavior. So he had returned back in the Tala zone in 3 days itself! According to the drivers and guides, the Bamera male was the biggest male ever seen in this park. Bamera male record shot from the second visit by Varun  He had a flowing mane accompanied by a royal stride. He also had a habit of lying besides the road casually unperturbed by the ongoing gypsies. But this time, he had returned early for a purpose. He was tracking down the scent of the elder Jhurjhura female who was in heat. A positive sign indeed towards the growth of tiger population in this land. A desperate search attempt was launched immediately. We crossed a gypsy who had seen the male move over into the Chakradhara meadows. The HUNK of Bandhavgad  We couldn’t track him further as it wasn’t on our route. Gulping down this fact, we took a pause on the D route to hear some alarm calls. Suddenly a sharp whistle broke the silence and we sped towards that direction. It was the man himself, Kuttapan. Sitting atop his beloved elephant Gautam, Kuttapan is one of the oldest mahouts in Bandhavgarh. An ace in tiger tracking, he has seen all the highs and lows of the park. ‘ Bus abhi nikla’, quipped the burly Kuttapan while nudging Gautam behind his ears. He has whistled because the male cub of the Chakradhara tigress was sitting alone in the middle of the road until the two mahouts tracked him. As a young sub-adult cub is not very comfortable with an elephant’s presence, he had quickly dashed into the thickets. Kuttapan has whistled sharply in order to give an indication to us to reach there quickly which we couldn’t do. Almost every other vehicle had seen him strolling on the road which rose our tempers upon the lousy guide. We made an exit soon after that so that we leave for the Bandhavgarh fort immediately. Just before the fort ride  The extremely cooperative field directors understood our point when we asked for a change of the accompanying guide. So this time, Ram Biraj who looked as old as the mountains, accompanied us to the fort. We hurridly entered the gate once again at 10am in order to take a second chance to see the Bamera male who might be patrolling the Chakradhara meadows which lay on our way to the fort. Not very useful search but we reached the fort and beheld the enchanting statue of Lord Vishnu, Shesh Shaiya. The reclining statue rests on the bed made by coils of the seven hooded serpent, called Sheshnag. It dates back to the 10th century AD. It is amazing to imagine how this monolith has been carved out from a huge rock. A rivulet having its source in the mountains flows besides it, making a large pond of algae-covered surface. The water is crystal clear, potable with a surprisingly sweet taste. After much heaving and panting along the path, we reached the majestic entrance of the Bandhavgarh fort. At last,,we had made it! Overlooking the fort  Trekkers atop  King vulture takeoff record shot  Touching the extremely rusted spikes on the half-eaten entrance gate, one can imagine the lost history behind it. This fortress spread over 580 acres at an elevation of 811 meters above sea level is believed to have been built in the 3rd century AD. The fort was the seat of power of the Vakatak, Kalchuri, Solanki, Kuruvanshee and Baghel dynasties between the 3rd and the 20th century.The poet-saint Kabir lived here during the 16th century. In 1617, the capital of Baghel dynasty was shifted to Rewa and the fort was vacated. It was then taken over by the denizens of the forest, and thus it became the fortress of the tiger. The legendary Charger had made this fort his abode long back. His son, the current emperor of this kingdom, B2 can be seen at unbelievably high altitudes on this fort. Again it is surprising regarding tiger behavior as climbing such steep slopes is a mammoth task for any animal. Currently, this fort comes in the territory of the Chakradhara female and her two vicious cubs. Known to be quite short tempered, climbing the fort on foot didn’t seem too good an idea! But since the female, along with her cubs was patrolling another territory that time, it was a safe route. But once again, unpredictable tiger behavior has always been the highlight! Reaching on the flat top, Sikander took us to a place and showed us a serpentine path far away. This was the same path which we had taken to reach here. The whole picture was magnificent. This was the highest part of the fort and had a concrete like throne besides the steep cliff. As we were told, the king would push down the guilty from this point. I just tried to take a glance below the cliff, and imagined how horrific that death might be. Gulp. Further ahead, the guide showed us around the age-old ruins which included the seven avatars of Vishnu and some Ganesh carvings. Soon we reached a temple where the old priest lives alone. He witnesses every day of the park from the highest perch. After offering prayers and finishing lunch, we were startled by a shrill cry. It definitely had to be the Malabar pied hornbill. Malabar pied hornbill courtship display  Malabar pied hornbill record shot  The fort is a major habitat of this beautiful bird, which seems to have come out straight from some prehistoric age! Descending down was much easier, except a steep shortcut. As I slipped down the rocks, I had two choices; whether to save my Nikon baby or break a bone. The choice was obvious, and luckily I just ended up with a graphical scar on the elbow. Sikander felt really guilty about it as he had asked me to take that path. He immediately arranged for my first aid from a fellow gypsy driver. Indeed an overwhelming attitude! After a long wait for the fourth member to descend and striking various ‘shesh-shaiya’ poses, we left for the gate for the final round here in Bandhavgarh. Vicious shesh-shaiya pose   For the final round, Mukesh had replaced the gentle Sikander with the spunky Bikas who seemed to be very confident about his driving skills. We had already met him a day before and quickly developed a liking for his brash and super confident attitude. As we were trying to convince ourselves that we’ve seen enough tigers in Bandhavgarh, deep down in everyone’s heart there was a hope floating along this last round. ‘Bandhavgarh kisiko naaraz nahi karta hain sirji!’ , a line commonly used by every second guide/driver here. Surely we weren’t disappointed at all, but a mild greed of a better sighting had developed in our hearts for the last round, quite obviously so. As we were surfacing the Rajbhera meadows and photographing a wild boar habitat, a sharp call of a chital summoned up our senses from behind. Predator on the move! There was just one gypsy apart from us at the scene. They were all pointing in one direction in between the trees. Definitely a tiger had been spotted! Rushing to that spot and crossing the fleeing chital herd, we saw that gorgeous striped figure..all alert and definitely in a mood to hunt. Rajbehera Female in stalking mode  After a quick approximation, Bikas decided to place the gypsy in the direction in which she was staring point blank. After a wait of about 30 seconds, we were signaled by the other gypsy that she had changed the track and was striding towards the other side! Rajbehera Female  Magical habitat  Tiger behavior..as unpredictable as ever. And then what we witnessed was the sharpest reverse drive ever. The driving sklils of Bikas reached a mercurial high. And there she was..the majestic elder daughter of Jhurjhura. It was a dream setting altogether with just 2 vehicles witnessing her royal stride. As she crossed the track and went on the other side, we could hear an occasional compressed roar she let out. Check this video of the encounter. watch this in full screen and with Full volume Definitely in heat. Walking lazily into the valley of wild white flowers, we couldn’t have asked for more. Bikas had confidently parked the vehicle in reverse in the restricted zone and asked us not to bother about it and just enjoy the amazing sighting. As the queen further descended into the thickets, we decided to retract and let her alone. Phew! A silent hi5 was shared amongst the group. As we drove further, a vehicle passed opposite us and informed that the Mirchaini cubs were sitting near the pond since a long time. Whoa! It was surely raining tigers today! We rushed to the spot and witnessed almost 10 more gypsys stationed on the spot. The cubs, all well fed and healthy were lazily lying on the damp soil near the pond. Finally we got to see them out in the open..and man, weren’t they Huge!  The paw size of the male sitting ahead of his brother and sister was massive.  Definitely another king in the making! Being fathered by the legendary B2, these adult cubs had every bit of it to reign this territory in the future.  As our machine guns (read – cameras) started shooting every movement of these cats, a miniature traffic jam of gypsys had been formed meanwhile. Meanwhile a ranger, who had parked his motorcycle at a distance got down to guide the vehicles in a proper manner so that everyone gets a chance to see them. As the ranger was doing this, everyone was noticing the female’s eyes locked in a direction upon some object.  She rose and steadily started walking towards it. Everyone froze. Indeed some action was on the cards. Both the males also started looking in her direction, as she hunched and stealthily advanced forward. Biker, here I come  Then what we witnessed was an amazing spectacle as she approached the motorcycle of the ranger. Meanwhile the ranger had already dived into a tourist gypsy! She came closer, sniffed it and immediately retracted backwards.  The whole scene was amazing as well as highly amusing. We were told by the guide that the cubs were totally accustomed with the gypsys, but a motorcycle or a bicycle of the rangers or the labourers often arose their curiosity. Sometimes to an extent that they have ripped apart the seats completely. Having clicked innumerable snaps, we checked that we hardly had 25 minutes left before we made an exit from the gate. And the sighting of the Bamera male was still pending. As we rushed further towards Sita mandap, where Bikas was confident of showing us the male, a vehicle crossed us informing that he had already passed from there a few minutes ago. No one had seen him, and he had silently made his way deep inside the forest. Honestly, it was a small disappointment but then human greed is unending. Bandhavgarh had already given us more than we could have asked for. The law of conservation was strictly followed. We had amazing, hair raising sightings in 3 of the 6 safaris. So maybe, a B2 / Bokha/ Bamera male sighting is on the cards for the next visit. So finally, the elated group advanced towards the great Tala gate, which beholds magic and mysteries inside it. A new hope and immense satisfaction had already invited us for another trip here. And as we left Bandhavgarh finally, the golden words rang in my ears, ‘ Bandhavgarh kisiko naraaz nahi karta Sirji.’ Nahi kiya dost, bilkul nahi kiya.................... | |||
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2nd February 2011, 11:57
| #28 |
| BHPian  Join Date: May 2007 Location: UP 16
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| Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv Awesome captures there Doc! Great to know that the Tigers are reclaiming. That Mirchaini cub seemed to be disappointed with its paws. And that Tiger doing hugging the tree; was it marking its territory, sharpening claws or was it just a tree lover? It's surprising to hear that the rangers use motorbikes within the reserve. Isn't it dangerous?  |
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2nd February 2011, 12:09
| #29 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad
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| Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv Leave along motorbikes (in pench, bandhavgarh) and cycles in Tadoba, from our recent visit, we saw park rangers walking  . When we asked our guide about the risk these folks were taking, he told us while there is a risk, they are well trained to tackle tigers by climbing trees or staying still at one place until the tiger walks off. We were told by the guide that at most times the tigers seem to have adapted well to human presence. But it sent shivers down our spines to imagine ourselves in their shoes. Park rangers walking in the core area at Pench  |
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2nd February 2011, 12:43
| #30 | |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Magical Bandhavgarh : A group visit cum study tour to a high density Tiger reserv I've seen them waliking in Corbett & Ranthambhore as well. I asked one of them about the dangers and the non-chalant reply was - "hum to ped par chadh jaate hain" Quote:
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