Travel With a Couple

Tadoba has a rich bird life with over 160 varities either  residing or visiting seasonally. The main lake in the middle and couple of other lakes mean that there are a fair amount of water birds as well – Cormorants, herons, ibis, storks, varieties of ducks, bar-headed goose, buzzards, eagles, quails, purple swamphens, bronze winged jacana, lapwigs, common redshank, common and wood sandpipers and many more…

A little cormorant by the side of the Tadoba lake (above)

The red-wattled lapwig (above)

Black Ibis (above)

Green bee eater (above)

We watched these three rose ringed parakeets (above) playing hide and seek. It appeared as if the two outside was feeding the one inside.

Yellow footed green pegion (above)

The bar-headed goose (above) is one of the world’s highest flying birds, flying over 30,000 feet. It migrates to India to spend the winter.

We spotted a good number of birds, and Shravan our guide being a bird enthusiast helped us.

Atul Dhamankar, a wild life enthusiast and avid bird watcher who is based out of Chandrapur has published a very informative book on the birds and mammals of Tadoba. We picked a copy of it from the guide and came handy while identifying birds.

On our second safari at Tadoba, a few kilometers inside from the starting point, this  board welcomed us.  As if to temper our expectations. This was at the border of Tadoba range and Moharli range where there is a small settlement.  Soon after this however we did spot a tiger.

The year 2010, hopefully augurs well for us in travel. After the good start in the new year week, one of us had a solo trip to Bangkok, while the other had a solo to Coimbatore and Kerala. But the most awaited trip of January was to Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. The planning had started in November itself.

The tourism/forest department calls Tadoba the real land of tiger. Perhaps rightfully so. For the first time, we spotted the big cat. Albeit for a short while without giving us enough time for clicking. With multitudes of Maruti Gypsies following, it quickly vanished into the jungle.

Tadoba is the only sanctuary in the country that is open throughout the year and is also the place where sighting chances are very high. That perhaps explains why we came across so many professional photographers in one place.

Spread across 625 sq km, the mixed dry deciduous forest with bamboo, teak, dhvada, and many other trees is home to a wide variety of mammals and birds. We had done advance booking with MTDC for stay and 3 safaris. Safaris in open gypsies are organised by local operators. Private vehicles are also allowed inside accompanied by a guide.

An hour-and-a-half delay at Nagpur as our train reached late cascaded to rest of our schedule and we reached Tadoba only by 3.15 or so in the afternoon. The safari was to start at 2 and we effectively lost an hour. On reaching MTDC, we just ensured the rooms are indeed booked in our names and hopped into the waiting gypsy, without even checking in.

For the next one-and-half days, Shravan, our enthusiastic local guide lead us through many trails whetting our appetite for nature, birds, and animals.

Through the first half of the morning safari on the second day (till about 8.30), we were literally shivering due to the chill. There was a short break at the forest check post at the border of Moharli range and Tadoba range. We tucked in the packed poha (riceflake upma) from MTDC and sipped hot tea offered by a local family at the check post.

The vast Tadoba lake at the middle of the sanctuary was a delight. Deer and sambhar thronged the banks, unmindful of the huge croocodiles waiting for an opportunity. The forest department initially had a rest house on the banks of the lake, but later dismantled it to avoid human interaction at the core area. The crocodile breeding centre also is now discontinued as there is sufficient number of crocodiles in the lake.

More on Tadoba soon…

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. Chandrapur is about 150 kms from Nagpur. The Moharli range entrance to TATR (where MTDC has a resort) is about 27 kms from Chandrapur. The tiger reserve is open throughout the year. But during summer temperatures might exceed 45 C.

“This island has to be saved for its trees, it has to be saved for its animals, it is a part of a reserve forest, it belongs to a project to save tigers, which is paid for by people from all around the world.” Everyday, sitting here, with hunger gnawing at our bellies, we would listen to these words, over and over again. Who are these people, I wondered, who love animals so much that they are willing to kill us for them? Do they know what is being done in their names? Where do they leave, these people, do they have children, do they have mothers, fathers? As I thought of these things it seemed to me that this whole world has become a place of animals, and our fault, our crime, was that we were just human beings trying to live as human beings always have, from the water and the soil. No human being could think this a crime unless they have forgotten that this is how humans have always lived – by fishing, by clearing land and by planting the soil.”

– The Hungry Tide, Amitav Ghosh

This is what came to our minds when we heard about the man-animal conflict at Nannaj. At a teashop in Nannaj village, we met two locals – Salim Ansari and Sohail – who help with the research on the ‘extent of crop destruction by blackbucks.’ According to Salim and Sohail, crop destruction by blackbucks is so extensive that many small farmers have given up cultivating their land. The only solution to this problem is erecting fences around the farm, which is not affordable by small farmers. Those who have the wherewithal to do this save their crops. The state government offers Rs 800/- per acre of damaged crop as compensation. To claim this money, farmers need to submit photographs as proof of damage and a host of documents. Still, this meager amount comes to them only after many months. The cumbersome and delayed process deters the farmers from claiming the compensation. They take the easier, but painful way of giving up farming and working as labourers in bigger farms.

Though the picture is not as worse as depicted in The Hungry Tide, the small farmers at Nannaj are getting deprived of their livelihood. Blackbucks need to be protected. Human beings need to live. What can be done? Is there an organisation that can help them build fences and restart farming? Our agriculture and allied activities growth is estimated to diminish by 2% in 2009-10 due to poor monsoons. Do we need more farmers to forego farming in this dismal scenario?

Nannaj is 25 kms from Solapur on the Solapur-Barshi road. Solapur is 405 kms from Mumbai via Pune. Nannaj bird sanctuary is a protected area and is known for the endangered Great Indian Bustard. The area has also a good number of black bucks who often grazes in the farmlands causing crop damage. A few researchers from a couple of universities have been researching on this.

The Great Indian Bustard didn’t reveal itself to us. But our birding experience at Nannaj Bird Sanctuary wasn’t disappointing. We spotted many other birds (don’t ask for names, though we went there armed with A Field Guide to the Birds of India) and as a bonus, saw two wolves chasing blackbucks.

Nannaj Bird Sanctuary, officially called as Maldhok Bird Sanctuary or GIB Bird Sanctuary, is at 25-odd km from Solapur, Maharashtra. It is home to the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and is one of the few places where it is still spotted. Nannaj was declared a bird sanctuary in 1979 to protect GIB (Maldhok in Marathi).

This vast grassland also welcomes a few migratory birds, though we didn’t spot any as it was not the season. The road from Solapur to Nannaj is bordered by grasslands for a few kilometers. We got glimpses of several birds on these tracts as well. The sanctuary has a good population of black bucks and we watched a few herds going about their daily lives.

Unlike other bird sanctuaries, you are not allowed to move around freely in the core area of Nannaj. At a 100-odd meters from the gate, there is a hut (brick-work structure) with peep holes and fitted with benches and desks for observing and capturing the life outside. You are not permitted to go beyond this hut. This space provides a perfect hiding place to observe birds and animals without disturbing their peace. There is also a watch tower near the gate.

Since we went there during Diwali, the watch tower and the hut were locked. The forest guards were not around. To our luck, we met an avid bird watcher and wildlife enthusiast, Vishal Jadhav from Pune. Being a regular visitor, he had managed to get the key to the hut from the forest department the previous day. We joined him in the hut and got a lot of information about Nannaj’s wildlife and some photography tips from him. Thanks Vishal, for your friendly gestures.

We went to the sanctuary thrice. On the last day, we spotted two wolves chasing blackbucks. We waited for some time for the drama to unfold, but had to leave as it was getting late to start our journey back to Mumbai.

The only stay option near the sanctuary is the forest rest house. It’s hard to get accommodation there as you have to get permission from Pune Forest Office. Nearest teashops and restaurants are one kilometer away in Nannaj village. If you want to spend a few hours in the sanctuary, stock up enough water and snacks. We stayed in a hotel in Solapur and drove to Nannaj thrice.

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Nannaj is 25 kms from Solapur (Maharashtra)on the Solapur-Barshi road. Solapur is 404 kms from Mumbai via Pune

As the dawn was breaking the Sambhur belled
Once, twice and again!
And a doe leaped up and a doe leaped up
From the pond in the wood where the wild deer sup.

Every morning, Mowgly and his friends perhaps would have woken up to this scene. We too were hoping for the same.

The early morning drive from the Maharashtra side of Pench Tiger Reserve to the Madhya Pradesh side of Pench was filled with expectations. Never mind the rattling of the old Toyota Qualis and the chilly wind. We had to cover the 50 odd km and reach the Thuria Gate at MP before the safari counter opened. We stayed at the Sillari MTDC resort on the Maharashtra side.

Pench Tiger Reserve is spread across two states with Maharashtra having a share of about 20% of the total area. Maharashtra government declared the area as a wild life sanctuary much later than the one in MP was formed. While we planned the trip, we did not have a clear understanding of geography and options available. So we decided to have Sillari as the base, do the safari, and keep a day and half for experimentation/exploration.

Sillari is a tiny village in the outskirts of the sanctuary, though one has to pass through the jungle to reach there. MTDC resort, as usual did not disappoint us. With the help of resort staff and some locals, we figured out that on the same day we could do an evening safari in the Maharashtra forests and give the MP side a shot the next day. If we could reach the MP gate before 6 in the morning, there was a good chance of doing a safari.

In the evening, we hired the only Maruti Gypsy available at the resort and headed to the forest. Leopards and tigers remained elusive. We had to whet our appetite with Indian gaurs, deers, sambhars, wild dogs, and a variety of birds including peacocks. The wild life sanctuary also included the Meghdoot reservoir and the catchment area. The old watchman near the dam shared the stories of massive work involved during the making of the dam, the landslides, the accident deaths and more. Dams have always fascinated us. It has always been a mixture of fear, awe and surprise. We also did some exploration on one of the tributaries of Pench, which had some interesting rock formations.

The MP side was five times as big and much denser. By 6 am, there were over 30 open jeeps filled with wildlife enthusiasts lined up at the gate of The Indira Gandhi National Park (as it is called). We joined them.

Shivering, we started the jungle safari, but soon got warmed up by the sight of many birds and animals. More than that we spotted during the previous day’s safari at Sillari. The vast expense of forest meant that the safari was over 5 hours long. In that delightful 5 hours, we forgot about hunger and breakfast. Despite some wild chase based on the alarm calls by deers, we could not spot the majestic tiger. We left Pench after just seeing the scratch marks on a tree, where a tiger sharpened its nails or marked its territory.

If only we could meet Shere Khan’s successors …

More photos on Pench (Maharashtra) and Pench (Madhyapradesh)

Sillari is about 110 kms from Nagpur. Sillari has an MTDC resort. Thuria gate, which is on the Madhyapradesh side is about 150+km from Nagpur. There are many private resorts on the Madhyapradesh side.

Among the few books (other than a whole bunch of maps and road atlas) that we use as travel guides, there is one called ‘Offbeat tracks in Maharashtra’. Written by Milind Gunaji, a Marathi actor and photographer, this is an interesting and handy book when one wants to do the ‘non-touristy’ travel. We take tips and pointers from it and mix our own ‘de-tours’ to get some interesting variants every time.

Nandur–Madhyameshwar was one such find. Being somewhere closer to Nasik, we put this in our Nasik itinerary. Nandur–Madhyameshwar is popular only among avid birders and is known was Maharashtra’s own Bharatpur. Rightly so!

The sanctuary is named after the ancient Madhyameshwar temple. There is a dam built on the confluence of the Godavari and the Kadva rivers, and the backwaters of the reservoir forms a perfect playground for migratory birds. Storks, sandpipers, egrets & brahmani ducks we could identify. And a host of other birds, which we couldn’t name but watch and appreciate.

The main road runs parallel to the river for a few kilometres. At a few places, one could take detour to the river bank at about 500 metres through paddy fields. Forest department has erected watch towers at these points, which offer breathtaking views and more birds.

Nandur is about 50 km from Nasik. The irrigation department has a guest house near the dam, where one can stay with prior permission. Own conveyance is the best option to reach Nandur since the state transport bus service is restricted to just two trips a day.