A four hour drive and we arrived late afternoon at Chambal River Lodge but with just enough time for a walk around the grounds. We met our guide Gaj and he quickly had us watching a pair of Brown Hawk Owls, Indian Scops Owl and some Spotted Owlets. Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher was a new bird to round off our walk as we returned back to the rooms in the dark. A promising start.
It was cold ! Blankets provided and they started a fire for us. Gaj suddenly appeared to say he'd just seen an Indian Palm Civet so armed with a torch we headed off leaving Sam and Tom round the fire.
Gaj soon found the Palm Civet and we watched it slowly climbing through the trees.
I returned to the fire and a G&T and just as I sat down a Jackal ran across one of the tracks.
Saturday 31 January a very misty and cold start. We were having an early morning pre breakfast bird walk and as I walked the path to to meet with Gaj there was a fabulous Orange-headed Thrush feeding in the gloom.
We met up with a hand waving Gaj who had just located a Tickell's Thrush, dull compared to my find but much rarer. Our walk had us watching the previous days owls in slightly better viewing conditions. We decided on a route that would take us to the village outskirts and here racked up a good number of birds.
Taiga Flycatcher, Eastern Black Redstart, Indian Rock Chat, Yellow-wattled Lapwing, Bronze-winged Jacana to name just a few. As we wandered through the small village the mist was slowly lifting but it was still cold. We came across a group of boys playing cricket as they do everywhere in India. " are you bat or ball ? " one of the boys shouted and Sam offered my services with the bat ! The bowler I was facing was quite young, skinny and didn't look particularly atheletic - I hardly saw the first ball ! A few more and I started to get my eye in. I left on a high knowing if I's stayed and longer the stumps aka bricks would be hit.
The local people were all really friendly and wanted their pictures taking.
We returned for lunch as the mist turned to a hazy sunshine. Tom got stuck into the buttered Nans.
We were soon off to the Chambal River a tributary of The Ganges and once a cursed river. But now it is one of India's most pristine waters. Previously a land of bandits which helped protect it from development it is the place to go for certain species such as Indian Skimmer, River and Black-bellied Terns, the odd looking Gharial, Marsh or Mugger Crocodile and if really lucky the Ganges River Dolphin.
We headed out on a small boat to a sand bank which had some 50 or so Indian Skimmers. They were not in skimming mood rather resting but looked just the part.
A Pied Kingfisher gave a close flyby as did a group of Small Pratincoles and two Greater Thick-knees also on a small sand bank.
We added more birds as we turned and headed up river. Pallas's Gulls another speciality of the river, along with Striated Herons, Egyptian Vulture, Osprey and then our first of many Mugger Crocodiles.
About the same length of the boat we were in, these powerful reptiles were resting or maybe lying in wait. They are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List being threatened by loss of habitat, entangled in fishing nets and some persecution. This particular freshwater croc looked anything but vulnerable showing off half it's 38 teeth. We passed half a dozen or so large adults plus this young Mugger.
As we headed further up river we chanced a couple of brief sightings of the rare Ganges River Dolphin. This endangered and one of the oldest of Dolphin is known as the Tiger of the Ganges. I was unable to get any pictures as the sightings were so brief but it's long snout and steep forehead were just as in the library picture below.
We continued on with the afternoon becoming increasingly hazy which was challenging for photography. And then one of the animals I was most looking forward to seeing was lying close to the river bank - a Gharial. These critically endangered crocodiles are superbly adapted for catching fish with some 110 very sharp and interlocking teeth.
Some estimates for breeding adults are now as low as only 250 in the wild .
We stopped for coffee by the river bank and some more familiar birds appeared. Getting close to the subject for pictures was now key as the afternoon was getting hazier and hazier.
Time then to head back and Gaj told us that he had seen Leopard five times in the last two years so to keep an eye on the river escarpment. Five time in two years so fat chance I thought and concentrated riverside - a group of Small Pratincoles held my attention as I tried to get a decent flight shot of these fabulous little birds.
And then Sam shouted "there's a Leopard!" I quickly turned round to see Sam looking directly opposite the boat at the steep escarpment. I asked her where it was but all she could do was keep shouting "it's there, it's there" I gave up asking for directions and started to scan and there sitting on a earth mound I saw Sam's Leopard. It was watching us intently.
We slowed down and drifted with the current watching the Leopard for some ten minutes. It stood up and started to climb the escarpment - and then it was joined by another smaller Leopard !
This was fantastic and Gaj said this was his best ever river sighting. I managed some video of them climbing (but still haven't worked out how to add video to this blog site).
What a day. We returned to the drop off quay, only one other boat had been on the river that afternoon so it felt like it was all ours.
As we drove back through the small hilly hinterland we spied a Jackal sitting alert watching us drive past.
So back for dinner and several celebratory G&T's but Gaj hadn't done with us just yet as he grabbed me from the fire pit and we were on the hunt for a Green Keelback which someone in camp had seen.
That night there was a huge thunderstorm.
Sunday 1 February
An early morning walk for me with Gaj in the aftermath of a heavy storm overnight. It was cold, misty and muddy underfoot. We started with Bay-breasted Shrike, Citrine Wagtail and a Red-naped Ibis
We were walking along side a canal type ditch and looking into the ground cover when I saw a movement but couldn't at first make out the bird. It was a cryptically coloured Wryneck.
Other birds were Baya and Black-throated Weavers and Blossom-headed Parakeets
We crossed a bamboo bridge to see the camp of a Holy man and his gardens. A confiding Oriental Magpie Robin was with the flocks of Babblers and Weavers
With a few spare hours we just had time to visit the Bateshwar Hindu Temple complex. It's an 8th-10th century site featuring nearly 200 sandstone temples many being reconstructed.
Our time at Chambal had come to an end and we were sad to leave. The staff had been fantastic, the food was great and Gaj our bird guide was a true gem.
So we left after lunch and headed to Agra for an afternoon visit to the Taj Mahal. I can see why it's listed as one of the seven wonders of the world.
That evening we took a taxi to The Salt Cafe which was in total contrast to our previous quiet evenings. Tom found the cocktails and the music was banging.
Next up Nagpur and Tiger country - with eight game drives booked surely we would see a Tiger ........
