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nAture
5 hours was interrupted by only one stop
at a smouldering rubbish dump where we number for the entire trip, were recorded
were delighted to find no less than about
30 Greater Adjutants, an endangered comprised largely of various curried
stork species very similar in appearance
to the Maribou of Africa. During the final
half hour of the trip the scenery changed
to that of less populated forested areas.
On entering the NP, we spotted 4 Great The next morning, we departed for the
One-horned rhinos and an enormous Panbari forest located within the Park
Asian Wild Buffalo. boundaries for some forest birding.
The trip produced an additional 8 lifers,
An excellent lunch at the Diphla River bringing my tally for the Kaziranga NP
Lodge, our overnight hotel, was followed
by an afternoon birding/game viewing jeep
ride during which Asian Elephant, Hog
and Swamp Deer, Rhesus Macaque (a
primate) and Wild Boar were observed.
Birding was equally successful with a list
in excess of 100 species adding to a most
enjoyable day.
We rose early (4.00am) the next morning
for an elephant-back ride primarily to
search for the very rare and critically
endangered Bengal Florican (member
of the 27 species strong bustard family
and featured in the 100 Birds to See
Before You Die book by D Chandler
and D Couzens). Our group of 7 was
split into 3 for what turned out to be a
most uncomfortable (for the backside)
experience. Our one-hour ride was
unsuccessful in flushing a Florican but
afforded further spectacular views of the
rhinos, including several mothers with
calves providing an intimate encounter
with one of the world’s great but
endangered mammals. The rest of the day
was spent birding the central and western
part of the Park with a 2-hour break for
lunch back at the Diphla River Lodge.
and Bar-headed Goose, which also
features in the 100 Birds to See Before
You Die. The latter qualifies for inclusion
in the book by virtue of its ability to
migrate 1 600km over the highest part of
the Himalayas, survive 320km per hour
wind speeds, fly at an altitude of over
10 000m (2/3 less oxygen than that at sea
level), and endure intense cold. Needless
to say, this bird freak has evolved with
certain physiological features which enable
it, using its specialised haemoglobin, to
extract from ‘thin air’ more oxygen than any
other bird species, and sustain vigorous
flapping flight which in turn produces
sufficient heat to prevent its feathers from
becoming encrusted with ice.
naMeRi nP
After lunch we bade farewell to our friendly
hosts at the Lodge and commenced our
3-hour journey to the Nameri NP for a
2-night stay at the Eco Camp in the forest.
Shortly after arriving, we were very lucky
to encounter a small family of 3 Hoolock’s
Gibbons, an endangered primate species.
The adult male and female, along with an
Above White- immature male, provided excellent views
winged Duck (PP) as they sat motionless in the trees, staring
Below: Tata at us as intently as we stared back at
Trucks (RS) them.
26 new (lifer) bird species, the highest Our late afternoon arrival at Eco Camp
(large tents with adjoining ablutions)
over this period. The buffet dinner, enabled a short walk to the river Jia
Bhareli for a sighting of a pair of very
dishes around a bamboo fire, was good, handsome Hodgson’s Redstarts (lifer)
but it inevitably resulted in upset stomachs followed by a dinner of tasty curried
for a few group members. vegetables. We then turned in, with the
intriguing calls of a Brown Hawk Owl
lulling us to sleep.
The QueST FoR The WhiTe-
WingeD DuCk
One of the 5 rarest duck species in the
to 34 lifers, including Red Junglefowl, world and critically endangered, this forest
(ancestor of our domesticated ‘chicken’) duck (numbering probably less than 500
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DPL