Located
on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra River, Kaziranga covers an area
of approximately 430 Sq. kms with its swamps and tall thickets of
elephant grass making it the ideal habitat for the Indian one-horned.
The vast open country makes Kaziranga very accessible and wildlife
viewing fairly pleasurable. Here one can leave in the early hours of the
dawn for an elephant-back-ride. One could see wild elephant herds roaming around or rhinos browse past visitors unconcernedly. Since Kaziranga is easily accessible, it provides a chance to see animals in the wild at close quarters, thus making a trip to this National Park a very rewarding experience. The Park lies in the flood plains of the Brahmaputra River,. The Kabri Angling Hill ranges rise around the park pressing it against the Brahmaputra River, flowing as its northern boundary. Into the soup plate between the river and the ranges, flow several rivulets. They bring down rich silt and sand, spread in small lakes, silt up the lakes to make swamp and marshes, alluvial grasslands rising to alluvial Savannah woodlands; and then as the land loses its moisture with height, rise to mixed deciduous forests and finally, to tropical evergreen forests. It is believed that if nature had not designed such a breathtakingly beautiful habitat, it would have been extremely difficult for man to create a national park with such natural diversities suited to a diverse range of animal species. Kaziranga is the stronghold of the one horned rhinoceros. There are over 1000 rhinos in this reserve.
The wild elephant, another exotic animal of the region and often-found in herds number over 700 here. The wild buffalo is another attraction of the reserve and again there are over 6oo of these in the reserve. The mouse deer, the hog deer, barking deer, chinkara gazelle, bears, leopards, leopard cat, wild boars and the gaur are to be found here besides a variety of the primate family. The bird life of Kaziranga is typical of the north-eastern Foothill of India.
The highlight of the bird life here are the sights of hundreds and hundreds of Pelicans, which breed here. The other birds commonly found here are Crested Serpent eagle, Pallas fishing eagle, grey - headed fishing eagle, swamp partridges, red jungle fowl, Bengal florican, bar headed goose, whistling teal, egrets, herons, black - necked stork, and open billed stork.
RANTHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK
This
reserve is known to have India's Friendliest tigers Assured of
protection, these nocturnal creatures are seen often in the day.
Sprawled on the Aravalli and Vindhya ranges of Rajasthan, Ranthambore
National Park encompasses an area of 410 sq km in which live a healthy
population of about 40 tigers. A large number of deer inhabit the area
and leopards are occasionally sighted .The Pandam Taloa lake, located
adjacent to the jogi Mahal hunting lodge, is the park's favorite water
source. Smaller pools at Raj Bagh and Milak also attract a variety of
wild life The best way to explore Ranthambore is in open jeeps or in
open vans, as the park is well connected by arterial roads and tracks
Mammals of Ranthambhore: Tiger, Panther, Hyena, Jackal, Jungle Cat,
Caracal, Sloth Bear, Sambar, Chital, Nilgai, Wild Boar, Chinkara, Indian
hare mongoose . Birds Of Ranthambhore: Bonelli's eagle, crested serpent
eagle, great Indian horned owl, grey partridge sandgrouse, quail,
spurfowl, common peafowl, tree pie, paradise flycatcher, pheasant tailed
jacana, painted stork, black stork, spoonbill, green pigeon, ducks.
BANDHAVGARH
Located
in the Vindhya Hills, Bandhavgarh in Madhya Pradesh encompasses 32 hills
covered with a mixed forest of sal, dhobin and saga and large stretches
of grasslands with bamboo grooves., Bandhavgarh is famous for its tigers
and the adventure unfolds at day break. The early morning mist blankets
around your open jeeps. As we advance into the heart of the Bandhavgarh
Forest, a sense of expectation grips you. Tigers regularly give audience
in these parts. Other wild animals are also easy to sight and capture on
film. Experienced naturalists unravel the mysteries of nature as you
drive deep into the jungle. Carnivorous species like the mighty tiger,
elusive leopards, caracals, wild dogs and jungle cats rule the forest
with other species of herbivores like gaurs (worlds largest oxen), sloth
bears, macaques, various species of Deer families like sambar, cheetal,
muntjac, antelope species like Nilgai (blue bull), Chinkara, Chow singha
(4 horned deer) and supported with scavenger species like jackals,
hyenas etc. Around 150 species of resident birds including migratory
birds like Steppe Eagle. KANHA
4.
KANHA The Kanha National park boasts of having the largest variety of
fauna than any other wildlife reserve in the country. Often called
'Tiger Land', Kanha is situated in a horseshoe shaped valley bound by
two districts spurs, and supports 22 species of mammals in the central
parkland and the adjoining plateaus. Over the years, animals at Kanha
have become bolder and more confident, making the park excellent for
wildlife viewing and photography. Kanha is Asia's finest and largest
National Parks. 1940 Sq. Kms of diverse habitat with elevations from
1480ft to 2950 ft., studded with grassy meadows and perennial springs.
Two major rivers flow through the park. It is a wild country where huge
wooded trees form lush forests.The forest is home to a variety of wildlife and offers unrivaled scope to keen photographers of Indian wildlife. The magnificent Gaur and the rare barasingha are prime attractions. With its large population, there is a great chance for sighting the tiger. The other wildlife species found here are sloth bear, leopard, Sambar, spotted deer, black buck, Muntjac(barking deer), Chinkara, Nilgai, wild boars and jackals besides large families of rhesus monkeys and Langurs.. However, the bird life of Kanha is special. Our Naturalist would take us on nature walks through the fringes of the forest for bird spotting. In fact, the reserve itself maintains a small waterhole where varieties of birds assemble.
With over 350 species of birds, Kanha is a bird watchers paradise. Some of the birds found here are plovers, drongos, green bee eaters, sandpipers, kingfishers, stilts, red wattled lapwings, tree pies, bulbuls, Indian Roller, grey hornbills, munia, black headed oriole, golden oriole, paradise flycatcher, malabar hornbill, Indian pitta, Indian stone Curlew, green pigeon, black ibis, white necked stork, serpent eagle, crested honey buzzard, shikra, lagger, shahin falcon, barn owl , barn fish owl etc