RANTHAMBHOR N.P. (RAJASTHAN, INDIA), FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 2, 1999
Tom & Margot Southerland (princetonnaturetours@email.msn.com)
Note: some US Travel guides spell this national park as "Ranthambhore" but
we prefer the Indian way as shown.
Background. Ranthambhor N.P. is located in the state of Rajasthan 82 miles
from the historic city of Jaipur. You can reach Jaipur from Delhi (62
miles) by car, plane or train. We took the train as we had done in
mid-January 1998. The park was established in 1955 under Project Tiger and
is perhaps the most reliable place in northern India to see Tigers. We led
a group of 25 to northern India and Nepal arriving at Ranthambhor February
28 around noon. We again stayed at Tiger Moon, this time for two nights,
departing for Keoladeo N.P. after lunch on March 2. There were only four
birders in the group including the two of us. The reason we chose this time
of year, some six weeks later than our 1998 trip, was to optimize our
chances for seeing a Tiger because they -- and their game -- start spending
more time at water areas with the increasingly warmer and drier weather. At
this time, the early mornings are cool but not cold unlike January when we
experienced temperatures as cold as 34 F. A late-February/early March visit
paid off for the entire group but one had at least one sighting of a Tiger
and some enjoyed several sightings. The one individual who didn't, opted
not to go out on our last game run when one was seen at close range.
(Fortunately, she got to see one out in the open from the back of an
elephant in Nepal !)
Park Vehicles. We made trips on a rotational basis into the park on both
"canters" (long, flat-bed trucks with benches on the top that can hold up to
20 people) and "gypsies" (open jeep-like-vehicles). Although the smaller
vehicles offer more road flexibility, they are not allowed to turn around
and birding is handicapped by the tight seating arrangements with four
riders tightly squeezed in the back facing each other with little room for
cameras, field guides and other accessories. The cramped quarters make
turning all the way around to look for any birds on your side (thus, behind
your back) difficult. And standing in the vehicle is a challenge plus to do
so can result in too much movement for nearby passerines.
All small vehicles are assigned one of four routes (actually two tracks but
each in two different directions) and the canters are assigned one of the
two (again, in two different directions) and part of a third. The routes
the canters take are the best for seeing Tigers because they go near
favorite water areas. And ALL vehicles have to complete the routes in a set
time. The time is basically generous and does allow some time for looking
at birds and other mammals but it is not unusual for a group finally to find
a Tiger only to have to pull away just as it starts to come out into the
open. That can be frustrating.
Mammals. Other mammals we saw besides the Tiger included Spotted Deer,
Sambar, Blue Bull, Wild Boar, Indian Gazelle, Black-tailed Mongoose, Langur
(monkey) and one vehicle saw a Jungle Cat, a rare sighting. We believe a
Sloth Bear may also have been seen by another vehicle.
Birds. We did see several birds that we missed in January 1998 but both
variety and numbers were down even allowing for being there a day less than
in 1998. Particularly down were vultures and water birds (for example, no
River Terns or jacanas). We missed seeing Indian Peafowl (Peacock), the
national bird of India, that was so common in January 1998. Finally, a
number of birds can be seen in and around Tiger Moon including the Asian
Paradise-Flycatcher (several sightings).
As mentioned in our 1998 report, our lists are always based on the world
check list of James F. Clements (Santa Barbara Software) so confusion could
result from common names. For example, the Plum-headed Parakeet (Psittacula
cyanocephala) listed below is shown in some Indian field guides as
Blossom-headed Parakeet.
Birds: Ranthambhor N.P. (2-28-99 to
3-2-99)
Lesser Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna javanica (3 or 4)
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea (one)
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala (one plus
one flying)
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus (one)
White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis (several)
Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus (a few)
Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus (one soaring)
Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela (two sitting)
Shikra Accipiter badius (one
sitting nearby)
Gray Partridge Perdix perdix (about 8-10)
F Painted Spurfowl Galloperdix lunulata (one plus
two together)
Brown Crake Amaurornis akool (one)
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus (a few)
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (one)
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia (one)
Eurasian Thick-knee Burhinus oedicnemus (two)
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus (a few)
Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus (a few)
F Painted Sandgrouse Pterocles indicus (several inc. two
males)
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis (one)
Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto (one)
Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala (a number)
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis (several)
F Brown Fish-Owl Ketupa zeylonensis (one in tree,
great view)
Spotted Owlet Athene brama (one)
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis (two)
Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
(several)
Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense (two)
White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola (eight)
Asian Paradise-Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi (male, white
phase)
Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus (several)
White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens (two)
Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda (several)
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos (one)
Common Iora Aegithina tiphia (two)
Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus
(female)
Brown Shrike Lanius cristatus (en route to
Bharatpur)
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach (one)
Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus (two)
Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica (two)
F Blue-throated Flycatcher Cyornis rubeculoides (female)
Tickell's Blue-Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae (one)
Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis (four)
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros (two)
Indian Chat Cercomela fusca (female)
Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus (one)
F Jungle Prinia Prinia sylvatica (one)
Plain Prinia Prinia inornata (several)
Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius (several)
Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides (two)
Large Gray Babbler Turdoides malcolmi (group of 12)
Great Tit Parus major (two)
Chestnut-shouldered Petronia Petronia xanthocollis (15)
Gray Wagtail Motacilla cinerea (one)
Orange-bellied Flowerpecker Dicaeum trigonostigma (pair)
Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica (male)
57 SPECIES
NOTE: "a few" is used for 15-25 birds and "a number" for at least 50 birds.
Tom and Margot Southerland
Princeton Nature Tours, Inc.
282 Western Way
Princeton, NJ 08540 USA
609-683-1111
609-924-0023 (fax)
princetonnaturetours@msn.com
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