Bircham Ramblings

it's a diary of my ramblings

Tadoba and surely a Tiger ?

22 minutes ago

Chambal and The River

3 days ago

India February 2026

Mar 13

Lundy May 18-27 May 2023

Jun 1, 2023

Bayala - final part

Dec 22, 2022

Bayala part 3

Dec 21, 2022

2 3 4 5

The Blog

Tadoba and surely a Tiger ?

Monday 2 February - a five hour drive from Agra to Delhi and then we caught the two hour flight to Nagpur.

We stayed overnight in Nagpur and then the following morning travelled to Svasara Lodge near Tadoba.

Tuesday 3 February Finally it was hot ! Officially 28 degrees but we felt it was less, probably because we were defrosting form the north. We checked in had lunch and then familiarised ourselves with the reserve rules.

First off no mobile phones allowed inside the reserve. This applied not only to us but also the drivers and guides who had to put their own mobiles in a locked box. The driver was then given a mobile phone by the reserve staff which was only to be used in emergencies and could be tracked by the reserve to ensure they didn't exceed the 20km speed limit and were never stationary for more than 15 minutes. Finally we had to be out and back through the gate by 6pm.

I managed an hour round the lodge grounds before heading off on the drive and the first bird I saw was Tickell's Blue Flycatcher.

Greenish Warbler, Purple Sunbird, Common Fantail and Common Taylorbird were also seen before it was time to head to the jeeps and to experience our first game drive. We met our guide for our time here, Anushka.

Game Drive No 1 in the Buffer Zone: and we were off......

Our first drive was in the Buffer Zone of the park and one of our first birds here was Green Bee-eater.

stop off in compound for a relaxed loo break - unlike Thursday was to be !

Alongside the tracks we saw small numbers of India's biggest deer the sambar. Given they are predated by wild dogs, leopards and tigers they looked remarkably calm which possibly meant there were none of these predators in the vicinity.

We drove to a small pond where a tiger had been seen the day before and waited our allocated 15 minutes. No Tiger but this Asian Paradise Flycatcher soon became Sam's favourite bird of the trip.

Other birds included Black-naped Monarch, Rufous Treepie, Black-headed Oriole, White-naped Woodpecker and White-eyed Buzzard.

A pair of Grey Mongooses were playing close to the track and one decided to cross in front of the jeep.

We were several hours in, when our guide quickly stopped the Jeep as he thought he'd heard a deer barking, an alarm call which is often the sign of a nearby Tiger. We waited a while but to no avail.

A Crested Serpent Eagle sat quietly in a tree over hanging the road.

There were numerous groups of Chital or Spotted Deer which all looked very relaxed. Great for them of course but I was itching to see them suddenly prick up their ears and start running off! We left the park bang on 6pm having had a very satisfying first afternoon. A Tiger had been seen that morning but with some eight game drives to go I was confident we'd soon be seeing the magnificant Bengal Tiger. I mean with a further seven game drives to go it was surely on the cards.............

Wednesday 4 February Game Drive No 2 Core Zone am

Day 2 and we started in the dark after coffee and biscuits. It was a cold start but we took advantage of the Jeep blankets, although that still didn't stop Tom from pinching my coat so was then looking quite comfortable. Lots of Chital as previously seen and a few stops later the guide heard a deer barking.

Female Sambar drinking without a care in the world

Bird sightings so far included Red-nappped and Black-naped Ibis, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Alexandrine Parakeet, Indian Roller and many more.

Time was pressing and our curfew had almost begun so reluctantly we meadered back to the exit.

Game Drive No 3 Core Zone pm

Tom's big announcment this morning was that this would be the drive where we would see a tiger. It was a good day for other mammals with Ruddy Mongoose added to our list and as we drove one of the tracks I saw a black lump in the undergrowth. Sloth Bear! I shouted and the Jeep rapidly reversed and then I could just make out the shape of a Sloth Bear. It was hard to see but unmistakeable.

Our final mammal of the day was Wild Boar. NO TIGER! still!

There had been no sightings across the whole reserve of tiger during the day. Three drives in and had more to go but I was beginning to feel some unease.

Trying to look relaxed and unphased by lack of tiger sighting

Next up surely a tiger sighting and a near disasterous toilet break............

Chambal and The River

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 ........

India February 2026

Nearly three years on from my recent post and finally I have my diary back together again. This trip had been long in the planning. Two failed attempts but finally the bucket list trip in search of the Bengal Tiger was on. We were excited and a little aprehensive.

My memories of Indian airports from some 25 years ago were very outdated as arriving in Delhi airport I was shocked to see it was better than Heathrow, clean, efficient and no hassling. We were through in quick time and off in a taxi to our first destination, the famous bird reserve at Bharatpur - a five hour journey time. This allowed us to get used to the sights and sounds of Indian roads. Our taxi driver informed us that to successfuly drive in India you needed three things; good horn, good brakes and good luck ! The former was certainly working well.

Our itinery for this trip was failry full on, starting at Bharatpur for an afternoon and following morning, then two days at the Chambal River Lodge, a zip over to see the Taj Mahal at Agra then a flight down to Nagpur and onto Savassa Lodge near Tadoba for the final part of the trip with seven game drives booked.

After the five hour drive we arrived at Bharatpur city in Rajasthan and luckily were on our way out of this sprawling mass of chaos, pollution and noise. Not somewhere I'd recommend but a few miles out was the Sunbird Hotel which had been hosting birdwatchers for the past twenty years.

We had two electric rickshaws booked which are actually Tuk Tuks .The reserve enterance at Bharatpur was only a few hundred meters away, but an interesting ride as we headed straight into the oncoming traffic down a four lane highway.

Now known as the Keoladeo National Park it is recognised as one of the world's most important reserves. It originated as a royal hunting reserve in the 1850s and was a game reserve for Maharajas and the British. Keoladeo has also been listed as a World Heritage Site in 1985.

We were through the gates with appropriate permits, our bird guide and drivers. Sam and Tom in one rickshaw, myself plus the guide in the other.

The hazy India weather was just beginning to wear off as we started our birding.

Yellow-footed Green Pigeon were the fisrt sighting and that was rapidly added to by Babblers, Parakeets, Bulbuls, Storks, Ducks and Geese. We stopped in an area that was good for Indian Rock Python. I was amazed at how big they were and how quickly they moved when we got a bit too close.

The numbers of birds was truely impressive, this was a wetland stuffed full! While concentrating on the birds I managed to miss this Monitor Lizard which Sam and Tom found.

Keloeda is a key stronghold for the near threatened Painted Stork.

The list of birds was growing. White-breasted Kingfisher were plentiful

Tom was busy videoing the Macaques and Chittal ( Spotted Deer )

It's behind you .....

A great walk round the reserve and we left at dusk. Back to the hotel somewhat tired having left Bircham some 27 hours before. Tom was not entirely on board with the birdwatching but was busy editing his videos of Chittal and Macques, Sam was heading for a large G and T and I was busy counting up my list of birds for the day (also with a G and T ). The next day loomed and we prepared as many clothes as possible from our luggage as it was cold !

Day 2 the morning at Bharatpur - a cold and hazy start but lots of birds. A couple of Spotted Owlets posed nicely for us

We had a four hour visit this morning and a stand off with a Wild Boar

The Viceroy to India Lord Linlithgow recorded shooting 4273 birds on 12 November 1938 with 39 guns. I too was shooting birds but with my camera and here follows a few more images.......