Today was our first full day, and only non-weekend day, visiting the Kaziranga National Park. One of Indias most famous national parks, with a large population of Indian Rhinos and also good numbers of Elephants and Tigers. Although we had some birds to target here, mammals were a key part of our reason for visiting, and we were excited to see what we might be able to find.
Our first drive in the reserve was in the eastern section of
the park, which has less tourists but also less chance of seeing Tiger. For us,
this was an important destination as it hosted more of the parks waterbird
species, and we wanted to try to find a few targets. The main water body here
was full of wildfowl, mostly common species from Europe but also two drake
Falcated Ducks that were a bonus for us. Along the waters edge we found a few
common species of wader and heron, with Lesser Adjutant being another key target
for us.
In the woodlands around there were less birds, but there
were a few species we wanted to try and find. We had some luck with Grey-bellied
Tesia, although it was a nightmare to get out of the bushes when we could only
look into the vegetation from the car. A few perched up raptors were also nice,
especially a close Grey-headed Fish Eagle, and overhead we had a group of
Spot-billed Pelicans and a mixed flock of Vultures, featuring Slender-billed
and Himalayan Griffon.
On the mammal front we easily saw most of the parks herbivores,
with the iconic Indian Rhino being present in large numbers around the lake.
For the most part they were distant but there was a single individual that was
nice and close to the road. In addition, we had Water Buffalo, Hog Deer, Wild
Boar and a few distant Barasingha. Only on our way out did we spot a distant
Indian Elephant on the far side of the lake, badly obscured by the haze.
After lunch, and a confrontation with some Rhesus Macaques
that had entered the grounds of our lodging, we headed back to the park, this
time to the busy central zone. There were many cars getting into the National Park,
and the roads were busy. We did not make it far along the track since we wanted
to target birds and these were difficult to see with cars passing by
frequently. Still, we managed to find Swamp Francolin, our main target for the
area, easily, and Chinese Rubythroat was a stunning bird that eventually came
out of the reeds. Additionally, Red-breasted Parakeets flew by in a small flock,
and in an open area we had a nice Rosy Pipit.
Our progress was slow due to trying to find various birds,
and as such we had not ventured far into the park. We had left the Rubythroat
spot and were searching for Chestnut-crowned Babblers further up the road,
which we did indeed find, when we glanced back to see the shape of a Tiger
crossing the road, a distant orange shape that quickly vanished. Only three of
our group of six saw it, and although I was one of them, it was still a very
frustrating encounter. Our guide had a suspicion that it might cross a water
body further up the road, but we waited there for more than an hour as the sun
gradually set, and we never saw it.
On our way out we stayed as late as possible, and were
rewarded with a very nice Dusky Eagle Owl. However, as we were leaving, I
spotted a orangy-brown animal moving through the grass ahead of us. I could not
work out the colour scheme with any of the other animals in the park, until it
finally clicked! TIGER! I called out and our driver quickly stopped so we could
look properly, and confirm it was indeed a Tiger. It was walking towards the
road, so Papu suggested we move forward and get ready to watch it crossing.
Already jeeps were starting to assemble even in the short time frame, but we
had the front-row seat to watch an absolutely massive male Tiger cross the road
in the front of us! It then wandered into the trees, where we were able to
watch it sniff at a tree and then scent mark! An absolutely incredible encounter,
especially for a park where finding Tigers can be very tricky!
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