iCampers: Peacock Dance

We all packed our bags and were ready for an adventure! We all boarded Pune-Jaipur Express and I was especially very excited since it was my first trip to Ranthambore jungle. We couldn’t wait to reach the jungle. After a small round of introduction we started chatting, playing card- games, dumb charades and had lots of fun. We reached the Hotel at around 11am. We all were exhausted but very excited. After lunch Kedar kaka told us we will go for our first jungle safari at 3pm. So we packed our bags and left. When we reached the Tiger reserve we all felt as if -

Finally, Closer to you I shoun,
Wishes & cravings longly awaited found
Full of might lord stown,
Feel of woods am, trying to pendown.
Overwhelmed by your charisma, I stood,
My mind simply gazed you in astound.

We were astonished at the sight of the jungle. There were many animals that we could spot. It can be aptly expressed as:

Over the antique mountains in background,

Royal leopard spots the crown.

In bronzy woods & basil foreground,

Mighty Tiger stripes its hometown,

Deers and monkeys jumping playground,

Birds tweeting soothing sounds.

Yess, Peacocks wear their party gowns,

Ranthambore Truly a Fairytown!!

As we went closer and inside the jungle the guide told us about ‘Machli’ the world’s oldest tigress to be missing. She is also known as ‘Lady of lakes’. Machli is named so because a mark on her body resembles a fish. One of her cubs name was T19. We spotted T19, the current queen of Ranthambore, near a lake. But she was asleep and was enjoying peace. We stood there for about two hours waiting for her to wake up. Alas, but the lazy tigress wouldn’t get up. Near her was a male tiger who was also sleeping peacefully.

In one of the safaris Gitesh kaka’s gypsy saw a leapord walking and climbing the rocks. Wow!! That was a brilliant sighting since leopards are very shy and hard to spot. As we moved further in the jungle we saw monkeys on branches of trees. They were very curious about the things happening around them and hence are known as the eyes of the jungle. There were also spotted deers or chital, sambar deers and peacocks in the jungle. Deers are the ears of the jungle. Normally peacocks, deers and monkeys give calls when they spot a predator on move.

Along with tigers we also spotted wild boar with tusks which are very rare to spot. We also saw a Nilgai also known as blue bull and a hare. In reptiles we saw a monitor lizard, crocodiles and tortoise. But jungle is not only about animals it also has a wide variety of birds. Birds help it to be more beautiful than ever.

List of birds we saw :-
1. House sparrow
2. House crow
3. Rock pigeon
4. Indian robin
5. Black kite
6. Rufous treepie
7. Sirkeer’s malkoha
8. Red vented bulbul
9. Little green beater
10.White throated fantail
11.Golden oriole
12.Black drongo
13.White bellied drongo
14.Painted spurfowl
15.Great tit
16.Grey francolin
17.White eyed buzzard
18.Greater flameback woodpecker
19.Indian peafowl
20.Yellow throated sparrow
21.Plum headed parakeet
22.Rose ringed parakeet
23.Yellow footed green pigeon
24.Laughing dove
25.White throated kingfisher
26.White breasted waterhen
27.Red wattled lapwing
28.Common myna
29.Asian paradise flycatcher
30.Striated heron
31.Little cormorant
32.Oriental magpie robin
33.Bramhiny starling
34.Indian scoups owl
35.Lesser pied kingfisher
36.Cattle egret
37.Great egret
38.Wooly necked stork
39.Crested bunting
40.Silverbill
41.Ashy crowned sparrowlark
42.White bellied drongo
43.River lapwing
44.Mottled wood owl
45.Spotted owlet
46.Indian vulture
47.White rumped vulture
48.Jungle crow
49.Yellow eyed babbler
50.Jungle bush quil
51.Purple sunbird
52.Spotted dove
53.Pompadour pigeon
54.Pond heron
55.White browed fantail
56.Indian nightjar
57.Bay backed shrike
58.Brown fish owl
59.Asian openbill stork
60.Black crowned night heron
61.Intermediate egret
62.Common moorhen
63.Eurasian thick knee
64.Common sandpiper
65.Black winged stilt
66.Bar headed geese
67.Purple heron
68.Western reef heron
69.Little ringed plover
70.Alexandrine parakeet
71.Black headed ibis
72.Grey heron
73.Oriental honey buzzard
74.Lesser whistling ducks
75.Black hooded oriole
76.Shikra
77.Stork billed kingfisher
78.White browed wagtail
79.Coppersmith barbet
80.Common coot
81.Bank myna
82.Crested serpent eagle
83.Tikells blue flycatcher

Ranthambore trip was not just about animals and birds but also the food delicacies that were offered at hotel. We enjoyed Pakoras, Pasta, Noodles, Koftas, Limbu sherbet, Soups, Rasgullas and Ice-cream. On the last evening we had an entertainment show where Rajasthani folk music was performed by artists. We were asked to join the folk dance and we enjoyed it. We all had lots of fun dancing with them.

Ranthambore jungle was a very new experience for me. It was for the first time I had gone on a five days trip without my parents and I really enjoyed it. I made new friends and would be delighted to go on a kids camp with icampers pretty soon. We left Ranthambore with a heavy heart and our feelings can be summarized in two lines:

Alas! My return dimly weighs me down

To feel you again my heart will pound

Chitra mavshi and Kedar kaka took really good care of us. They planned the trip so well that we enjoyed every moment with them.

Poem Credits : Shilpa Ingle
Photo Credits : Kedar Kulkarni & Ninaad Joshi