When we arrived to Pench National Park it was raining! And it rained, on and off, for a couple of days more. Maybe the bad weather made the animals more moveable, who knows? Unfortunately our tour operator, Manoj Sharma, had had an accident with his already bad neck, so he couldn’t join us during the first days. On the other hand Manoj was with us when we visited Dudhwa and Corbett National Parks, and with his extreme good knowledge he helped us to see many animals we otherwhise had missed.

The animal life in Pench was adventageous to us, and we saw some animal species that are seldom or almost never seen. For example our skilful natur guide Laxmi Mudgal found a Palm Civet during day time the first day i Pench! Besides being a tiger expert, Laxmi has the eyes of a hawk and he finds animals long before we do. Just before lunch, day two, in Pench, some of us had the luck to meet dholes. It were 5-7 individuals, and even the park guides were up in the skies of happiness. We had the dholes under observation for about twenty minutes. It was amazing to see the small ’wild dogs’ play with each other so intensely. They were in constant rush or had a very short break when they just rolled over or lay in playful ambush for each other.

In total we saw 3 different tigers in Pench. Among other interesting observations were gaur (10), nilgai (2), Jungle Cat (1), Mottled Wood Owl (1), Malabar Hornbill (1) and three drongo species in the same place.

In Kanha NP we had had many opportunities to study tigers. We both saw and heard at least six different tiger specimens. Most spectacular was the observation at Kanha Plains where a head of a tiger had been spotted from the road. Almost all vehicles were gathered along the road, it was raining but that didn’t disturb us (or the tiger). After thirty minutes the tiger started to move, and not long after that another tiger became visible – a male and a female! The male followed the female, and we had good opportunities to study them both for about another 15-20 minutes before they returend to the jungle.

Naturally the Barasingas are of great interest to the spectators, and we saw about twenty of the 450 individuals who exist inside the park. In captivity there are 66 Barasingas who just wait to be released. There are also about 25 Black Bucks behind fence for breeding purposes.
We also had very fine close ups of 2 Black Storks and 1 Black Ibis.

In Bandhavgarh we stayed at a new place, in very fine tents. Unfortunately there were thunder storms during the first night, so the electricity went bananas. And with that many camera and phone charges broke down. However, the ackomodations were very pleasant, and the surroundings were exellent. Here we saw many small birds, for example Purple Sunbirds and Oriental White-eyes, and – in the evenings – many fireflies. In a pond grow the beautiful Nymphoides indica with white delicate flowers.

In the park we saw one specimen of the rare Black-bearded Bee-eater, as we did last year.
Now the rain was over and the sun flowed. Here we didn’t see any tiger, but we heard alarm calls from both Axis and Sambar deers.

Just before Lucknow, close to Bheemsen, we saw 2 Sarus Cranes along the railway track. It was a relief to meet Manoj when the train stopped at the railway station in Lucknow. During the five hour car drive to Dudhwa we saw another Sarus Cranes (2+7) along the road. In Dudhwa there were new ackomodations. I think Manoj has used his influenses a great deal to see so there are new houses. The old ones were in bad condition, so we enjoyed the luxury of new houses.

We exchanged the cars for elephant backs inside the park. It was because we should try to see the Indian rhinos. This time of the year they were in the wetlands with the high grasses. We had the opportunity to study three of them at close distance, and one a little bit farther away. Red-wattled Lapwings followed the foot prints of the domestic elephants for finding insects. In the wetlands were many bird species, for example Open.billd Storks, Stork-bild Kingfishers, Fork-tailed and Red-rumped Swallows.

On the way back to the camp our keen-eyed guide, Laxmi, found two dark spots moving at a distance. Sloth Bears! A great surprise to us, as they are almost never seen during day time. Many of us got a new species to add to the mammals list.

From a viewing tower beside a small lake we saw many birds: Black-necked -, Openbill – and Woolly-necked Storks, Lesser Adjutants, Pheasant-tailed – and Bronze-winged Jacanas, and many many other birds.
We also studied Desmostachya bipinnata, the grass that is so important to the herbivors here, as well as in Corbett.

We stayed on a bridge we slow running water under us, and here we saw many colourful birds above 6 Muggers: three species of Kingfishers, Pied, Common and White-throated, and a Hoopoe.

In Dhikala, in the center of Corbett National Park we stayed the last nights of our animal tour to India. Just inside the fence to Dhikala we found a stationary Monocled Cobra. It was so cold during the nights so it didn’t show until lunch time when the sun had warmed the ground to a decent temperature. All of us could come and see the snake, but if we come too close it disappeared into its hole in the ground.

Very close to the gate was a kill (probably an Axis deer), and there we saw a Leopard at close range a few times.
The wild Elephants had started to return from hills, and we saw some of them in the tall grass lands.

We had a fine and long observation of a tiger trying to cross the almost non existing river. However, at last the tiger did not cross the river as there came a rusty truck with a terrible noise that was not known to the tiger – so he went back and disappeared in the bush.

Where there was water in the river there were many animals, for example a couple of Otters – which are rarely seen so we were lucky.

During the evenings we had a nice concert of Savanna Nightjars.

On our way back to civilisation we stayed at a viewing point where we saw some Gharials along the river. Here we also got some short glimpses of a Wallcreeper when it clinged to a steep-faced granite slope. A very pleasant good-bye present.

Thank you Manoj and Laxmi for a very nice time and enjoyable company.

Lars-Åke Janzon
Swedish tour guide

Thank you Manoj and Laxmi for a very nice time and enjoyable company.

Lars-Åke Janzon
Swedish tour guide