Khitauli

To tell you the truth that this was my first visit to Khitauli this season.  Dust and the crowd keeps me away from Magadhi and Khitauli will take another 4-5 years to grow.
Garhpuri, Parasi and another village behind Parasi are the major drawback in Khitauli as far as the wildlife is concern but how they can be drawback. After seeing life in Garhpuri and Bamera no one would like to shift from there. I wont.
There are few good places in Khitauli but lack of water bodies and road network makes it difficult for tourism.
Our main aim to visit Khitauli was to see Damdama female.
Khitauli has a very upcoming forest. Forest that I remember in Bandhavgarh in 1982. Small sapling like trees with dry grass and hardly any undergrowth. Deer gathering near waterhole and feeding where ever the monkeys are.
We had no clue about this area that where this tigress can be so we decided to wait at one place and spent the morning in listening the alarm calls. Our dividends paid. After half an hour we heard first alarm call of a monkey and seconds later Chital started getting mad. This was the time to move because this Tigress is moving towards Deers.

What we saw. About 30 deer looking at three tigers.
After finishing their drinks they all moved in to the jungle.
Thats it. What else we could expect. Nothing at this time of the day. Guide said there is hardly any time left to wait for any other animal so head back to home.    

Another great Day in the Park.

Another great day in the Park. It was our annual day to be in the park. It has become a habit or a ritual that we have to be in the park on certain days in the year. Munmun and Mahi skip the school to be in the park this morning. Some function in the village did not let us go to sleep till over midnight so waking up early in the morning was little difficult. Munmun joined us and Mahi's excuse was "I was in deep sleep and didn't feel like getting up."
By the time we enter the park most of the vehicles rushed pass the Chakradhara meadow. There was no sign of Shashi or Vijaya or of their cubs. Yesterday afternoon he was seen lazing near water at Bathan Junction and today no sign or pug-marks of him on the road. So where he spent the night? His lady is also not around, where he can go and share a meal. So where is he? we left the meadow with his thought and decided to check the Gopalpur.

Gopalpur never disappoints us. Few Lesser Adjutants were feeding in shallow water. A peacock was displaying to impress a female feeding nearby but, as usual, she didn't took any notice of him. Poor chap was still wasting his energy. Sometimes hope is bigger than the god. 
Yesterday Hariom brought a very good video of a Nightjar sitting roadside at Sitamandap. Darbari, our guide, suggested to check one that sits behind Badi Gufa. We thought that could be good.  

 And it was good.
There were so many alarm calls of Langur at vulture nest. Many tourist wasted there prime time listening to these calls while cubs were walking on opposite hill. Even the elephant did not find anything around Banbehi. 
By the time we came back to Chakradhara meadow Shashi was already gone. There were no owls in Charanganga either. It was too early for exit so Kay said let's us go to Vishnu. Munmun agreed.
There were few more tourists at Sheshshaiyya. While Munmun went to the statue, I photographed Caper flower. Suddenly Munmun shouted come come there is a tiger here. I rushed with my camera. Tej Pratap Guide was telling the old story of B2 at Sheshshaiyya seen 9 yrs back.
Vijay guide saw a Tiger cub walking in fire line. By the time we reached he sat behind the bamboo. Everyone was trying to see this cub through their binoc's or camera. Suddenly someone shouted he is coming in fire-line? No one knew from which direction he is coming so everyone fixed their eyes in fire-line and there he was. 

Domestic stray Dogs.

There is a big hue and cry about the cruelty against these dogs. It's like human rights issue in Britain where most of the British dont agree. Same over here. Most of the wildlifers don't agree with these rights for dogs.
Anyway here is the truth.
Whole area of Bandhavgarh national park is surrounded by villages. Most of the villagers owns a dog or feed them when needed. These dogs follow them in the jungle in Mahua, Tendu and Chironji season or at the times when they are entering the park for collecting fodder or firewood. They do provide some sort of protection to them and at the same time gets the habit of chasing deer.
This habit push them deep in the forest in search of a meal. 
I saw it happening twice in last few days.
We were coming back from Magadhi zone. We saw two dogs  chasing a Sambhar deer and fawn in Thauni meadow. Don't know the outcome of this incident because Sambhar ran away in forest while dogs were still chasing them.

Other incident was at Gohni gate where two dogs were chasing a Spotted Deer. Two village boys saved his life.

 Yesterday when we were in Khitauli zone first thing we saw was a pack of village dogs looking for deers.
This was about 4 kilometer inside the forest. These dogs must have 

followed their Masters in the jungle and left them unprotected.
These dogs must have been killing the deer everyday in the jungle otherwise they would not enter the park area. 
Big question is How to save wildlife from them?
Other question is Do we need them?

Vultures

I dont see any increase in vulture population here. Some guides saw a vulture dropping from the tree at Rajbehra dam. I was not in the park that week so by the time I photographed it only wings were lying on the ground.

Last year we saw more than thirty vultures at once bathing in river but this year their numbers has gone down little more??
Recently a dear was killed by a Tiger in Chakradhara meadow. He killed it in late evening finish the meal in night and left the spot before any tourist vehicle could reach to the spot. Vultures found this kill in the afternoon. I could count only 22 vultures including 3 Red headed.

If Diclofenac is not available in the market then what is killing them? Why Long Billed are getting affected now?
These are few tough questions. Not easy to find the answer.
I wish I dont have to photograph another dead Vulture.


  

Tigers in Bandhavagrh

This is not a complete list for Bandhavgarh but what we are writing here is authentic information as on today. Figures can be more than this but not less. What is being seen in last few months in Bandhavgarh  by Tourists, Forest staff and villagers and mostly photographed are12 females and 13 male Tigers. One can check the individual tiger on www.tigernation.org. This is a kind of weird ratio. I think all those who love figures will love this. So far we saw total 9 cubs in the park and according to our photographs 7 are male. Another interesting data for data lovers.  

Ramnavmi

I remember the enthusiasm I had about our festivals in my childhood days but later in my life I lost the interest in all these festivals. Now since last thirty five years I don't celebrate any festival except Rakshabandhan that too only because that's the day when we all siblings are at home together. At the time of my son's marriage last year when Pandit called me my uncle (Mama) assured him that why waste time on him he wont come and he wont do your this puja. His other sentence was I know him since his childhood. He's more interested in Panjeeree than your Katha. He was very much right and I proved him right. After the marriage when they both came to me I told them that Now you both are eligible for Divorce. A couple who was living together since last few years gets married only for societies  customs to make life easy.
Anyway I come back to the point what I wanted to say here. 
Yesterday there were less than 50 people, can't describe them as pilgrims, at Tala gate for fort visit. One fellow who came from Dindori told me that he came to see the Ramnavmi mela here. So he was here more for some entertainment than any religious reasons. Now at the time of Mahua collection and wheat thrashing people has set their priorities. They want to earn their living. That's the priority. There was no local person in that crowd from Tala village. About 8-10 people were sitting with Kabir temple priest means they may be Kabir followers too.

Anyway. Vijaya with her cubs decided to sit near the road at Gopalpur. Park authorities could not dare to allow the pilgrimage. How they can when a Tigress with her very curious cubs is sitting near the road. Hence this year courtesy Vijaya no one could visit the fort temple. Poor Priest at the fort temple lost some assured income this year.  ( People seen in this picture are the total number of people came for Ramnavmi pilgrimage)

Vijaya and Wakketa's cubs

I was really busy since last few weeks but in all this time I had some good opportunities to see these tigers. Wakeeta's cubs are about an year old now. She is loosing the prey base density in her territory. Sometimes she leaves her cubs for four five days in a row. In the meantime the cubs start looking for small game to kill their hunger. On other day these three cubs killed a spotted deer fawn and shared. I think it must have been the job of female cub. That's why the one male never got any meat. Poor fellow was struggling with legs and head.
One male cub and his female sibling spent their time together while the other male is always elusive.

Vijaya's cubs are about 6 months old now. She is also having the same problem as Wakeeta. I think they know's better than us about their territory and food availability in their area. She has still not moved her cubs to the Chakradhara meadow. She takes them for a round and comes back to the shade of Jamunia and Chorbehra. No tiger is active in Chakradhara and Rajbehra. This will provide a good chance of survival to all these fawns born in last three months. By the next rutting season in July this year there will be good population of Spotted deer in these meadows. Rajbehra still needs some positive work to be done. 
Daming Charanganga at Jamunia and in Chakradhara meadow has already produced the results. Brown fish owl, Woolly Necked Stork, Black Ibis and Lesser Adjutant are back in meadow. This is a good sign. Hope they do the same thing in Rajbehra meadow.