March 7, 2023, Morning
Route
After the brief pre-safari birding session in the morning near Hati Mandir, we started our safari in the Central Range for the remainder of the morning. We entered around 8:30. It was a bright and sunny day, and as usual we covered roughly 20km in the jeep. Today’s jeep was modified so that the middle seat was entirely taken out. This was so that a scope could be setup inside the jeep, however the scope did not turn out to be all that useful. This kind of arrangement in the jeep is also done for those shooting with big and heavy lenses where the empty space created by the seat removal is used to setup a tripod or to get low perspectives with the camera. I was sitting in that space, and it wasn’t terribly comfortable 😉 Our guide had laid down some blankets to cushion against the bare metal frame on bumpy roads, but I think some more blankets were necessary! On returning from the safari we decided not to take another safari in the afternoon, opting for rest instead. Lunch was at old-faithful, i.e. Larmika restaurant.
Bird and Other Wildlife Sightings
We got a second look at the nesting Pallas’ Fish-eagles, and this time a good view of the adult bird. A few smaller birds were seen closer to the jeep today allowing for better photos. In addition to the commonly seen Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters here, we got a Green Bee-eater today (also a common species in other parts of India). At some point we encountered an elephant walking amongst some very tall elephant grass. It was interesting to see how close this animal was to the jeep and yet so well concealed in the grass. A Shikra made an appearance, as well as what was probably a Greater-spotted Eagle, it was some kind of aquila species (see photo below). As we were exiting the park, we got quite a unique view of a Himalayan Griffon Vulture sitting an arm’s distance away from the jeep and not at all alarmed. This was on a wooden bridge, just wide enough to carry one jeep, and so behind us was a caravan of jeeps, with people getting up to see this unique sight.
Here is the complete eBird checklist.
Audio Recordings
I recorded this bird, which is probably a kingfisher, either Pied or White-throated. Some other bird makes a whistle call in the middle, which I don’t recognize. A Blue-throated Barbet can be heard in the background.
Photos and Media
