Tuesday, May 29, 2012

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!!!

31 comments:

  1. Spectacular & Captivating images.

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  2. I wonder what you could have seen if you had looked to your left....lol

    Lovely post, I recognise the barbet and Hornbill from my Malaysian trip last year - what a wonderful bird. I alos like the yellow footed green pigeon

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  3. So many amazing animals! love that Hornbill!!

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  4. Great pictures, Shantana. You all took a very interesting little trip --and got to see so many different animals. I love seeing all of the different birds... That Hornbill is awesome.. I've never ever seen a bird like that one. Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  5. Looks like a great trip out- birds and animals, not to mention the jungle. Th Hornbill looks so striking in flight like that - can't mistake for anything else I would guess.

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  6. Some cracking birds to be seen there. I like the Roller.

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  7. Great photos. The scenery is magnificent and the birds are beautiful - such a great variety.

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  8. I read and then watched the show and it's great!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  9. Great post on your world birds. I loved them all, especially the Barbet and Roller. The owlet is adorable. Great sightings and photos.

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  10. Beautiful shots! My very favorite is the barbet leaping through the air.

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  11. The pelicans look familiar but the rest of your birds are so exotic to me! Thanks for sharing this lovely site and the great birds.

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  12. What a pleasure to stop by here and see the brilliant variety of wildlife you have photographed. Outstanding post as always!

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  13. Gorgeous scenery! The bird shots are wonderful!

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  14. looks like a gret place for birders. :) Especially loved the image of the hornbill. Really cool looking head.

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  15. Hi there - what a great set of images - the Hornbill is a great bird.

    Stewart M - Australia

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  16. It really was a wonderful visit and you have some lovely photos of it. My favourite bird on this post is the Coppersmith Barbet and I like the Indian Roller and the sweet little owlet too.

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  17. Wonderful images! Loved that leaping barbet, but can offer no explanation for the "blob from the deep!"

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  18. Wonderful captures! Love the Indian Roller; I've never seen one. :)

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  19. WoW-zers....you sure did get a lot of wonderful pictures. i think the owlet was my favorite, what a cutie pie!!

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  20. What a gorgeous place, and your photos are so lovely!

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  21. This isa a beautiful place with such colorful birds.

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  22. Oh I love the shot of the mustard fields and that amazing first shot! Wonderful series again. Most impressed with the capture of the hornbill in flight. I had seen a pair at Nameri before my blogging had started. Kaziranga looks so beautiful...more so, in your photos.

    Didn't join this week. Nishant's results were out and he scored 93.25% The celebration continues.....

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  23. I really like your photos of all the wild life...
    and no, I'm not able to figure out what was that on the water... I was hoping you could tell what it was... but we will never know, I guess. ;)

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  24. Thank you for posting your travel photos. If it were not for folks like you, being our travel guide, many of us would never get to see beyond our back doors. While I would love to travel it is not within my abilities so I depend on bloggers and their great photos to show me the world.

    Your photographs are fantastic , and your narrative helps me to follow in your shoes and see what you have seen.

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  25. I especially like all that yellow of the mustard field. Another great group of captures.

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  26. I had been to this rhino haven few years back...the sweet memories are revived...

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  27. Really beautiful shots and very intriguing bird shots!

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  28. oh, its nice clicks
    well captured the real moments

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  29. You were lucky to spot the Assam Roof turtle, Pangshura sylhetensis (technically a terrapin). Great photos, Thanks for sharing.

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