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[quote="Bharat"]Very well narrated, keep up the good work and waiting for the Corbett report....... I sure its going to be even more exiting.[/quote]
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" class="forumline"> <tr> <th class="thHeadL" width="22%" height="18">Author</th> <th class="thHeadR">Message</th> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>prakash subbanna</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 10:45 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Fantastic! I just finished my trip to chambal by reading your report. Stunning pictures of Sarus Cranes & Gharials. Keep it up.</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>pvijaykumar</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:57 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Awesome :)</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Dost, Excellent pics...just loved the Skimmer's flying shot....the colors of the beak and contrast are simply superb <img style="float: none;" src="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif" alt="Smile" border="0" /></span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>jayanth</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:10 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: chambal trip</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">very nicely expressed article about one of the least known wilderness areas in india, the chambal river experince was very exiting and makes us feel that a trip has to be made, soon there nice trip carry on jayanth</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Pradyumna Radhakrishnan</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:49 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Gr8 experience narated</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Jayanth, <br /> <br />Its a great experience, as though i can see all the action in front of me. Looking fwd for your Corbett exprience <br /> <br />-Pradyumna</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Far</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 5:28 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">thanks for the pics... fantastic ones</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>kart</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 11:33 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Jay... <br /> <br />Bravo boy, Excellent trip report & pics as usual. all most lived Chambal for a while, missing India & Indian wildlife... I could realize how rich India is in terms of wildlife & we don't explore most of it half the time. <br /> <br />Keep writing Jay <br />Kart <br /><a href="http://www.wildlifee.com[url][/url]" target="_blank">www.wildlifee.com[url][/url]</a></span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Ashwini Kumar Bhat</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2008 8:30 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Very nice write up</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Nice write up Jayanth and excellent images. Nice to know that you will be travelling to Corbett and Pangot.... Looking forwards for some magical extravaganza from you... <br /> <br />Cheers, <br />Ashwini Kumar Bhat</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>sriharsha ganjam</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:52 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Great write up Jayanth and pics to die for! <img style="float: none;" src="images/smiles/icon_wink.gif" alt="Wink" border="0" /></span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Kiran Kumar PY Pilly</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:29 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Congrats..</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Hi Buddy, <br /> <br />Great collection.. <br /> <br />Cheers, <br />Kiran</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Murali Santhanam</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Sat Apr 12, 2008 7:37 am<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Fantastic Account</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Dear Jayanth, <br /> <br />Thanks for sharing this wonderful account on Chambal Valley. The picture of courting dance by Sarus Cranes is simply one of the best I have seen so far. I can 't help turning green with envy at the experience you had and the pictures you could produce. <br /> <br />- Murali Santhanam</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Pranay Chandra</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:51 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Pranay Chandra</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Very professionally and nicely penned down report. Thanks for sending the link. Grateful.</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>suhas</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:55 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Nice report,and the photographs are simply STUNNER as always......and thanks for report......!much eager for next report........ <br /> <br />suhas fuladi</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Bharat</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:22 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Splendid</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Very well narrated, keep up the good work and waiting for the Corbett report....... I sure its going to be even more exiting.</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Pramod Viswanath</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:27 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: </span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Fantastic report as usual. You always take us to the place of your visit through your writeup. Feels like walking the valley of Chambal right away. <br />All the best for Corbett!</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>prasis</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:47 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Eagerly waiting</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody">Eagerly waiting..for your trip report..!! <br /> <br />--Prasad Sudhakar</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="22%" align="left" valign="top" class="row0"><p class="p1"><span class="name"><a name=""></a><b>Jayanth Sharma</b></span></p></td> <td class="row4" height="28" valign="top"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="100%"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/icon_minipost.gif" width="12" height="9" alt="Post" title="Post" border="0" /><span class="postdetails">Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:03 pm<span class="gen"> </span> Post subject: Skimming through Chambal – National Chambal Sanctuary</span></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><hr /></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2"><span class="postbody"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2073/2402540683_e907c9693a_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2073/2402540683_7142f297a1_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=100641373613740938090.00044a6a72d7db13a8abd&om=1&t=h&z=11" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2404415729_aaafec228d_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold">River Chambal</span>, a tributary of Yamuna in central India, flows north-northeast through Madhya Pradesh, running for quite a distance through Rajasthan, and then forming the boundary between <span style="font-weight: bold">Rajasthan </span>and <span style="font-weight: bold">Madhya Pradesh </span>before turning southeast to join the Yamuna in <span style="font-weight: bold">Uttar Pradesh</span> state. The Chambal River remains one of North India’s least polluted rivers, which is also home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna. <span style="font-weight: bold">The National Chambal (Gharial) Wildlife Sanctuary </span>is famous for the rare Ganges river dolphin as well. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2305/2403370238_e6074f5ed5_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2305/2403370238_3a1c7a7516_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>The sanctuary was founded in 1978/79 and is part of a large area co-administered by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, within an area of 5,400 km². Approximately 400 km of the river is within the reserve. Apart from the <span style="font-weight: bold">Ganges River Dolphin</span>, the other inhabitants of the sanctuary include Mugger (crocodile) and <span style="font-weight: bold">Gharial </span>(Gavialis gangeticus). Migratory birds from Siberia form its rich avian fauna. The area of the Chambal River near<span style="font-weight: bold"> Bah, Uttar Pradesh </span>is a birding hotspot and chances of sighting the endangered <span style="font-weight: bold">Indian Skimmers </span>are thick. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2402542727_4b196e36d5_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2402542727_87178b7a9a_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>After having feasted on the Muggers in the past and recently on the Saltwater Crocodiles in Bhitarkanika National park in Orissa, Gharials were the only subspecies of crocodiles I was yet to sight and photograph. Gharials are supposed to be the second-longest of all living crocodiles on earth and grow as long as up to six meters in length, it is believed. Young Gharials eat insects, larvae, and small frogs. Mature adults feed almost solely on fish, although some individuals have been known to scavenge dead animals. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2402536831_480806e49c_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2402536831_bf3d632768_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/2403371236_e665195e6a_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2079/2403371236_6226f464c4_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>As a kid I knew Chambal only as<span style="font-weight: bold"> Phoolan Devi </span>– the Bandit’s territory. Even today some parts of the ravines are supposedly infested with Dacoits and Bandits it is learnt. How ever, over the last few years, Chambal has turned out to be an attractive wild destination for nature lovers far and wide. Apart from the <span style="font-weight: bold">Gharials </span>whose sighting was more than assured, my other target species of the trips were the endangered <span style="font-weight: bold">Indian Skimmers </span>and it was also a good place to sight the <span style="font-weight: bold">Sarus Cranes</span>. After my flight to Delhi, a six hour drive to the town of “Bah” in Uttar Pradesh (60plus kms from Agra) was where I was supposed to camp. “<span style="font-weight: bold">Chambal Safari</span>” is a nice resort near Bah which accommodates just a few tourists and it is probably the only wildlife centric accommodation for tourists around here. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2403366496_632145543c_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2403366496_26be266870_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>Shruthi my wife was brainwashed by my father to keep ourselves safe and secure from the dangerous “Dacoits”. But I was sure nothing of that sort could happen – usually. We were happy to see very few guests in the resort and all of them were guests from outside India. Most of these guests had binoculars in their possession and things looked positive at first sight. It would have been a disaster to end up spending time with groups which had no interest in wildlife, but thankfully here, all we found were bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts. <span style="font-weight: bold">Grey Hornbills, Pied Mynas, Fruit Bats, Jungle Babblers, Rose-ringed Parakeets </span>were all over the place and our little room was nice and beautiful. We hardly had an hour to refresh and get ready for the evening boat safari in the Chambal River. After a twenty minute drive from our resort to the village of Ater, Chambal was sighted and our boatman was waiting for us with other guests. Soon the motorboat took off and we ventured on our first boat safari in the pristine Chambal River. <br /> <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2402537929_a233d8fb1a_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3026/2402537929_8ff40b2cb3_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>Within less than ten minutes of our journey on the boat we started identifying beautiful birds and in no time I sighted my first Gharial basking on the banks of Chambal. As we approached the Gharial I could count at least twelve tiny Gharials basking alongside the elder. They were motionless for most of the time but on a few occasions, they jumped in to river as the boat approached. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/2403366634_9ca665d40d_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/2403366634_aa20d07a3d_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold">Ruddy Shelducks, Bar-headed Goose, Egyptian Vultures, Lesser-whistling ducks, Mugger crocodiles, Stone Plovers, River Terns</span> were all a sight to watch. We gradually moved down stream and from at least 400 feet distance our guide and the boatman alerted us of the <span style="font-weight: bold">Indian Skimmers</span>. I was overjoyed to have found skimmers so quickly. Almost resembling the River Terns, the Indian Skimmer is a gorgeous bird with a colorful beak that helps it skim through the surface of the water. They are usually found in pairs and at this point at least 12 pairs of skimmers were resting on the ground. <br /> <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2403367744_d2709fcb50_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3136/2403367744_79f24f2d3e_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>Occasionally they would fly around our boat making loud calls and get back to their base. I was very eager to try and photograph them while they were skimming. But unfortunately they seem to be skimming only early in the morning and usually after sunset. How ever, I did have a glimpse of one bird skimming very close by my boat. The evening light was magical and the skimmers were the best we had seen that evening. A quick drive up the stream got us back to the jetty and we went to bed with a wonderful first innings at Chambal. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">The Sarus Crane trail</span> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2402539085_b472d2e106_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2402539085_4b1c1a1c22_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2118/2402539229_3dd69e1fa0_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2118/2402539229_0555ffc6a3_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>I had an option to either go back to the boat safari or try and explore the fields nearby in order to sight and photograph the extremely endangered <span style="font-weight: bold">Sarus Cranes</span>. Last time in Gujarat, I had a disappointing experience with the Sarus Cranes as they were extremely shy and always on the move. They would sense my presence from 200 feet away and fly away. I was crossing my fingers and hoping to get closer to at least one pair this time. We crossed village after village, town after town and little did we realize that we had already traveled 45kms in search of the Sarus Cranes. Hope was almost dead and we reached <span style="font-weight: bold">Sepai</span>, the native of the politician Mulayam Singh Yadav. We decided to check till the end of the abandoned air strip in this village whose inauguration was halted by a court order. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/2402536607_e2d3ecc717_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2179/2402536607_561d462ceb_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>Hurray! I shouted when I sighted two adult Sarus cranes walk briskly across the field at a distance of 300 feet. But before I ended my celebration they flew away making calls and I was again disappointed. But after a couple of minutes they came back from the other side and landed on a huge dump of hay in the open field. I quickly mounted my camera on the tripod and with binoculars in hand; I set out on foot inside the fields of Sepai. The farmers were eager and keen to know what was happening. But my driver handled them well and none came closer to me and I was not disturbed. Within five minutes I got as close as 200 feet to the cranes and I started stalking them hiding behind a huge bush and some trees. When I peeped out of the bush I realized I didn’t do a great job of stalking. The Cranes already knew of the enormous body hiding behind the bushes. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2402536743_cbeeff9226_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2402536743_94914b671b.jpg" border="0" /></a>But surprisingly, the pair was tolerant and didn’t move a bit. I slowly grabbed some oxygen and started clicking their pictures. Every minute I stepped a foot or two closer and in less than 10 minutes I was as close as 50 feet from them in the open field. I was thrilled that the cranes didn’t perceive me as threat and didn’t fly away. I don’t remember anything other than the movements of the romantic <span style="font-weight: bold">Sarus Cranes in courtship</span>. They sang and danced and after half an hour of pleasing me and making me jealous of their romance, they bid good bye to me and my camera. It would be an understatement to say I was thrilled. I was super-thrilled and excited and I ran back to the car to tell the story of them to my wife and driver. But they were always observing through the binoculars and already knew we had struck gold. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2402537053_146641bf60_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2402537053_14f41db35d_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2402536371_c5953af0c5_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2402536371_8f9e88de83_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>That evening in the boat was no other guest and I had all the time in the world to spare for the beautiful Skimmers. I spent at least two hours watching them fly and call in turns and during this phase I managed a few action shots of the skimmers. I was again disappointed that I couldn’t see them skimming. How ever in the second innings with Skimmers proved very fruitful. Since I knew more about these birds by then, I could take pictures of them in action and while at flight. At least a dozen River Terns and a few hyper-active <span style="font-weight: bold"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2403369246_338cd5857a_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink">Black-bellied Terns </a></span>also treated my eyes. Eurasian Spoonbills were sighted close by and the day ended with a lot of Skimmer activity. While returning back to the base, a <span style="font-weight: bold">Bonelli’s eagle </span>was sitting on the ground and was being constantly attached by a river lapwing. The eagle had been conspiring over the lapwing’s nest and as usual the lapwings abused the eagle time and again. It was getting dark and I had very less time to witness the argument of these two birds. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2403367492_321a561d0a_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2403367492_2c9a2e783e_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>One my last boat safari in Chambal, I decided to focus my efforts on the Gharials. Since it made sense to drive up stream on mornings keeping the sun behind our backs, we decided to visit parts of the river we hadn’t seen till then. Gharials were seen in dozens over the banks of the river and Lesser-whistling ducks, Comb ducks, Ruddy-shelducks accompanied the lazy gharials. I spent nearly two hours trying to produce something different. But I must admit it is quite tough to get different shots of these as they hardly move and simply bask in the open. Loads of them lie around the tiny islets on the river and spend the whole day basking. It was interesting to see the Gharials move on land. They are probably the slowest amongst all crocodiles on land. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">The Glimpse of the Dolphins</span> <br /><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2402537823_5656ed041f_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3218/2402537823_44940ebed3_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>After a while, we reached an area where the river widened. The boat was switched off in the middle of the river and we waited for the <span style="font-weight: bold">Ganges river dolphins</span> to show up. After nearly 10 minutes, our boatman sighted Dolphins which we all missed. But after a while we had a glimpse of another dolphin nearby. Over the next 15 minutes, we sighted four more dolphins surfacing up and vanishing in the blues of Chambal. On the way back to the jetty, I decided to get off and look for the tiny <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2402541893_3dc0c7972c_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink">sand larks</a>. In the heat of the day, crawling on the soft grounds of Chambal’s banks, I had a tough time finding these tiny shy birds. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2402541571_9aba97d80b_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2402541571_89b23d9550_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>Finally, it was time to pack my bags and move out of Chambal. I had to travel to Delhi. After having sighted all the crocodile species of the subcontinent for which I had to travel long distances, I am a satisfied man. In spite of my mind discouraging me from wasting a boat safari on Chambal by going on the Sarus Crane trail, my heart pushed me towards the latter. I cannot express in words the amount of satisfaction that I underwent after this tedious session in the Paddy/potato fields of these villages. <br /> <br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2292/2402540937_eb7e2eaf1c_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2292/2402540937_374bc6b4aa_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>I do suggest anyone visiting this place to surely spare some time for the Sarus and also do a safari on the fields in order to sight the Black-bucks and Nilgais up close. Mr. Ram Pratap Singh of the Chambal Safari told me that not many Indian tourists visit the place and most of his guests are from outside India. Not many of us realize what a paradise we have been ignoring over here. After the recent Gharial deaths in the river, I was happy not to have sighted even a single carcass and it seems the situation was improving. After all Chambal is known as one of the country’s pristine rivers. Why shouldn’t it remain so? <br /> <br />From here, the road ahead for me leads to the legendary Hunter-turned Conservationist Jim Corbett’s den. I am spending a few nights in the Corbett National Park and then hoping to travel towards Panghot and Nainital to experience some high altitude Himalayan birdlife. Please stay tuned for more excitement in the coming weeks. <br /> <br /><a href="http://www.wildlifetimes.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=search&search=chambal08" target="_blank" class="postlink"><span style="font-weight: bold">All Photographs of Chambal</span></a> <br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Birds</span> <br />1. Grey Hornbill <br />2. Pied Starling <br />3. Bank Myna <br />4. Jungle Babbler <br />5. Rose-ringed Parakeet <br />6. White-browed Wagtail <br />7. Grey wagtail <br />8. Darter <br />9. Little Cormorant <br />10. Great Cormorant <br />11. Little Grebe <br />12. Grey Heron <br />13. Pond Heron <br />14. Little Egret <br />15. Cattle Egret <br />16. Great Egret <br />17. Woolly-necked Stork <br />18. Painted Stork <br />19. Black-necked Stork <br />20. Sarus Crane <br />21. Black Ibis <br />22. Spoonbill <br />23. Ruddy Shelduck <br />24. Bar-headed Goose <br />25. Northern Shoveler <br />26. Comb Duck <br />27. Lesser Whistling Duck <br />28. Gargeny <br />29. Black-shouldered Kite <br />30. Black Kite <br />31. Sparrow Hawk <br />32. Bonelli’s Eagle <br />33. Short-toed Snake Eagle <br />34. Montagu’s Harrier <br />35. Osprey <br />36. Egyptian Vulture <br />37. Common Quail <br />38. Grey Francolin <br />39. Peafowl <br />40. Black-winged Stilt <br />41. Thick-knee <br />42. River Lapwing <br />43. Yellow-wattled <br />44. Red-wattled Lapwing <br />45. Small Pratincole <br />46. Common RedShank <br />47. Wood Sandpiper <br />48. <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/2403368586_d55ce215c1_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink">Pallas’s Gull</a> <br />49. Indian Skimmer <br />50. River Tern <br />51. Little Tern <br />52. Black-bellied Tern <br />53. Yellow-footed Green Pigeon <br />54. Sand grouse <br />55. Rufus Treepie <br />56. Greater Coucal <br />57. Black Drongo <br />58. Ashy Drongo <br />59. Green Bee Eater <br />60. Coomon Hoopoe <br />61. <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2402541893_3dc0c7972c_o.jpg" target="_blank" class="postlink">Sand Lark</a> <br />62. Ashy-crowned Sparowlark <br />63. Brahminy Starling <br />64. Large Billed Crow <br />65. Red-vented Bulbul <br />66. Red-whiskered Bulbul <br />67. Common Babbler <br />68. Jungle Babbler <br />69. White-throated Kingfisher <br />70. Pied Bushchat <br />71. Small Blue Kingfisher <br />72. Pied Kingfisher <br />73. Black-headed Oriole <br />74. Great Tit <br />75. Velvet-fronted Nuthatch <br />76. House Sparrow <br />77. Indian Roller <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Mammals</span> <br />78. Fruit Bat <br />79. Jackal <br />80. Nilgai <br />81. Ganges Dolphins <br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold">Reptiles</span> <br />82. Monitor Lizard <br />83. Gharial <br />84. Marsh Crocodile <br />85. Terrapin <br />86. Tortoise</span></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2" height="1" class="greenBorders"><img src="templates/SoftGreen/images/spacer.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" /></td> </tr> </table>
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