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!!!