Kaziranga National Park.Assam, India.



Kaziranga National Park, a UN world heritage site. It is located in the North-eastern state of Assam, India. To name a few animals which calls this home - One-horned Rhinos, Wild Buffalos, Elephants, Royal Bengal Tiger, Swamp Deer, Barking deer, Leopard, Jackal, Turtle, Tortoise, the winged varieties are a bird watchers delight. This forest lies in the flood plains of the river Brahmaputra, in the monsoon season the river often overflows and floods the grasslands, when animals migrate to higher grounds. A national highway cuts through the forest disrupting movement of wildlife. Inspite of all odds, this forest thrives and is haven to wildlife and lifeline for people like us who detest the concrete jungles.
We were there last December.We hired a jeep from the forest department to tour the forest. Our team constituted our lady guide Trishna (the same wild life enthusiast who took us around last time we were there), car driver and our family of four including our daughters aged 5 and 21 months.

Mustard fields on the way...

 

Bengal Monitor Lizard(Varanus bengalensis) or Common Indian Monitor.

We did not get a very clear shot .This is a monitor lizard found widely distributed over South Asia.This large lizard is mainly terrestrial, and grows to about 175 cm from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail. Young monitors may be more arboreal, but adults mainly hunt on the ground, preying mainly on arthropods, but also taking small terrestrial vertebrates, ground birds,eggs and fish.

Coppersmith Barbet(Megalaima haemacephala) The local name in Assamese is Hetuluka.

A heavy billed grass green Barbet with crimson breast and forehead, yellow throat and green     streaked yellow underparts. Short, truncated tail, distinctly triangular in flight silhouette. They are found commonly wherever there are fruit trees. A familiar loud, monotonous ringing tuk tuk repeated every second or two, reminiscent of a distant coppersmith hammering on his metal

 

Managed to capture this one on the leap...

Yellow footed green peigon.

 

 

 

Indian Roller(Coracias benghalensis)

A striking blue bird, with biggish head, heavy black bill, rufous- brown breast, and pale blue abdomen and under tail. The dark and pale blue portions of the wings show up as brilliant bands in flight. They are found in the open cultivated country and light deciduous forest. From a lookout on the telegraph wire or other point of vantage it pounces upon some large insect, frog or lizard on the ground, returning with it either to the same perch or flying leisurely across to another nearby. Here the quarry is battered to death and swallowed. Highly beneficial to agriculture since it destroys vast quantities of injurious insects.



 

Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum)

Dark brown above and conspicuously barred with pale rufous.Underpats rufous and white, closely barred with blackish brown. Mainly feeds on beetles and other insects.Its preferential habitat is open forest such as mixed teak and bamboos.

Oriental Pied Hornbill(Anthracoceros albirostris). The local name in Assamese is Kao dhanesh.

This one was realy far away but we were happy that at least we saw it:)

A large black and white Hornbill with massive yellow and black bill with a high ridge-like casque ending in the front in a single point. It has a white- tipped black outer tailed feathers. Neck black, white below .It is found in open areas in moist-deciduous and evergreen forests and large groves of trees. Arboreal and largely frugivorous, living on frits, small birds, reptiles, fish, termites etc…It occasionally feeds on the ground. Said to be fond of dust bathing. 



Short-toed Snake- Eagle(Circaetus gallicus)

A brown ,thick-set eagle with underparts below breast white, broadly barred with dark brown. Head large and owl like. In overhead flight, general aspect silvery grey with darker head, and dark bars(usually 3)across tail. On close view, unfeathered legs and upwardly directed bristly feathers of face suggest identity. Feeds on snakes and lizards , but also on small or sickly rodents and birds.



We were capturing this turtle and we noticed something moving in the water...we never figured out what it was...can u???







Spotted Pelicans





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Springman for hosting World Bird Wednesday.To check out for more birds please visit http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/ Enjoy and have a great day!!!

Oman Turtle Release( Red-eared slider) and birds at Qurum Beach.

The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is the most common type of water turtle kept as pets.
Red-eared sliders get their name from the distinctive red patch of skin around their ears. The "slider" part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly.
We found this red-eared slider trying to cross the road near our house a few days back.We were not sure whether it was someone's pet or one who just went astray:)We put it in a bucket of water and tried feeding fish food and tiny bread crumbs but we are not sure it ate anything...


 

The next day we all set out to Qurum beach to release it...

More friends join in to see the turtle being set free...

Finally we let it out of the bucket...

It must be so happy...freedom at last...

It's immediate reaction is...

and then checks for any danger ...

and starts heading in the direction of the sea...

Arun gets busy click...click..click and the children watch every move it makes...

It goes halfway and then stops and takes a turn and heads towards Arun..we are all SURPRISED!!!

 

Who knows maybe it just wanted to thank Arun...but it was a touching moment for us when we saw this...

gently Arun lifted him up and put him near the water...

and off it went...and we said our byes!!!We were happy to see it free but a little sad we would be missing it...

We lingered on for a while to se that one one harms it and after a while when we did not see it any longer we left...

This is the beach we would frequent during the winters...a few birds from the past...

The Heuglins Gull.

maybe a word of advice for the Juvenile Heuglins Gull.

A Great Cormorant in flight...

 A Great Blue Heron in flight...

 A few Black-winged Stilts in flight...

 A very beautiful beach...

 

And finally the sunset at Qurum Beach!!!

Thank you Springman for hosting World Bird Wednesday.To check out for more birds please visit http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com/ Enjoy and have a great day!!!

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, India.(Part III)

Day 3

The tea gardens....



Grey backed Shrike







Yellow -footed green Pigeon.





Common Hoopoe

Red-vented Bulbul.

After lunch we started out on our Safari...not a very lucky one as we were not able to spot any birds as the weather was not on our side...

Red Junglefowl.

After a while black clouds gathered in the sky...

Diya enjoying the ride...

and the rains start...

and surprisingly the rain stops and we take a break...that's our guide...

The sun sets...

It gets darker...

We even have the jeep lights on...even if it's only 4p.m...

 Forest department lights fire to dry grass in patches for fresh vegetation to grow.

Thank you Springman for hosting World Bird Wednesday.To check out for more birds please visit http://pineriverreview.blogspot.com. Enjoy and have a great day!!!