Tadoba - Kids Camp - Author - Arpita Kulkarni (Camp 16)

It all started a year ago. All the parents wanted a camp for their kids.Accordingly iCampers planned a student's special camp. All the kids were eagerly waiting for the camp. Different place, away from parents & moreover new friends.....quite interesting & adventurous!!!!
       
And finally the day arrived:7th may 2015....time to say Good bye to parents. Everyone was very excited.We boarded the train & the fun filled moments begun. It was 7 in the evening and all kids were bored by the talks, so we decided to play cards....

The jokes,the pun, the fun and what not.....a truly exciting journey...Even though the kids were not familiar with each others, they adjusted within no time...and i got many new friends...Although i was the eldest, I was enjoying myself with all the kiddy gang.

 
Dhriti, the youngest one, was so happy to climb onto the upper birth....A smile of satisfaction gleamed over her face....

After a long time of enjoyment,quite naturally we all were hungry...so had our dinner..very tasty...yummy...n the joy of dining with new friends is truly mesmerizing.

Enjoying dinner....!!!..truly an amazing  experience to dine with friends...

Time to sleep....Good night..

On 8th may we started our journey to our resort...which was in the buffer zone. wow...we were very excited to stay in the buffer zone....a joy of reaching our destination gleamed over our faces...

masti...majak....aur bahot kuch....

Finally we reached our resort....refreshed ourselves....n were very excited for our first jungle safari!!!! After having our lunch....all of us had a power nap for getting charged up.As the temperature was quite high...we had put on scarfs , suncoats to keep ourselves cool....and it was time for our first jungle safari....we all were seated in our gypseys eagerly waiting to capture the moments of the wild........

Day 1: We had one safari on day 1. But this was the most memorable one. Actually, it was icing on the cake.We sighted 3 tigers. This is very rare.....one has to wait for long time for sighting a tiger...and all the kids sighted 3 tigers; Gabbar, Maya  and Tyson on the first day itself..Also,we got to see numerous varieties of birds.Eventually,our exceptions soared high.

Crested Hawk Eagle

The crested hawk eagle gave a great pose..

Monitor Lizard

A species of lizard...quite contrast to the one we often see....

Gabbar Cooling Down

Firstly, we sighted gabbar...in the tadoba lake....who was cooling down . He was far away, but he was the first tiger which was sighted ...so all were very happy..

P2.. Maya

Maya, the only dashing tigress...which is sighted the most....Coming out of water...

Maya

Tyson is the biggest tiger in Tadoba......firstly we sighted Tyson in the thicket....later it crossed the thicket and was cooling down in a small pond...later on it started coming towards the road.....its exciting to see a tiger when it is quite away from us....but when it starts moving towards you....especially the biggest one....then even i turned into a color pale green..Some shots of Tyson taken by Kedar Kulkarni while it was crossing the road..

Tyson

Tyson

Eye to Eye

lo!!!!!eye to eye contact!!!!

Royal

How great it is to capture the royal Tyson!!

Crossing Road

Great shades of colours seen on the fowl....which enhances it's beauty.

Grey Jungle Fowl

It was 7 when we reached our resort...all the kids were excited to share the pics captured by them and tell about their safari...everyone had many queries and Kedar mama solved it and also gave additional information about  the wild.....this increased our excitement as well....
   
Our dinner was the best....paneer, fryums....and butter milk were the favourite items....all the kids were very excited for the next safari hoping some better sighting....like the first safari... 

Finally it was time to sleep....

Good Night

Day 2:All the kids were instructed to get up at 4 in the morning...we got a wake up call and everyone got ready for the next safari....very excited for sighting something new....

The sun was shining in its full glory...

but everyday is not the same....on day 2 we spotted  birds....and a few kids spotted a tiger....but we didn't get to see much variety...

Although we didn't spot a tiger, we got to see many birds and enjoyed birding...

Good Morning

Wild Boar

Brainfever

Eurasian Thicknee with Chick

Brhmini Starling

Airborne

The swift glider.....truly airborne....

Spotted Dove

Paradise Flycatcher - Male

Tadoba is truly a paradise for paradise flycatcher....

Honey Buzzard

Brainfever - troubled by Bulbul

Quite amazing to see the chattering and fights between birds......

Katezari Male cub

Although a cub, it is getting ready to sustain all by itself....a few more days and it will be an all developed tiger.....searching for its own territory and ruling it.....a brave and royal one.

Crested Serpent Eagle

The will to be the best is seen through its eyes.....

Monitor Lizard

Yellow Throated Sparrow

                                                                     sun bird

        

Panting to maintain its temperature....quite common in all  the birds and animals                                                                                                                                                                     

         

                                                            Maya P2
 
walking along the bank.....

                                                                  Amazing moment

So amazing to see a tiger just in front of  its prey....the deer quite alert ....looking at the hunter....as the tiger could attack them at any moment.....

                                                            Indian darter
Day 3: day 3 was amazing for some kids as they got to see a sloth bear which was crossing the road......very rarely a sloth bear can be seen...so it was quite amazing and adventurous....also we got to see the Katezari male cub....which was busy swimming in the pond...among the thicket.....it was difficult to spot it...as it was camouflaged in the  bamboos......

                                                                Red wattled lapwing

The innocence can be seen ............

Peafowl.
Blessed with natural beauty.........

Through the Bamboos

Amazing Road

Its an amazing experience to enter the wild habitat.....

Jungle is not just about animals

This is a historic pillar which was built for the king Gond while crossing the jungle at night.....the top used to be lit with the help of lanterns......which would light up the jungle at night....

But they cut their road at times

Finally, it was time to say bye to the jungle and return back...but in these we got to make many new friends...got to know how the wild habitat is....and were returning back home with a package full of sweet memories ,the fun, the pranks...and moreover....a great eye for the wild.

This was our group...the sweetest and naughtiest one...although we were returning back....we were happy to be a part of the camp....taking back a big suitcase of sweet memories...which just can't be washed away from our minds....it was great fun to be a part of the camp....a big thanks to Kedar mama and team for organizing the camp....hoping the next camp to come soon.


Bird List -

Cattle egret	Red wattled lapwing	Jungle myna
Red avadavat	White breasted kingfisher	Common tailorbird
Little brown dove	White breasted waterhen	Ashy crowned sparrowlark
Spotted dove	White bellied drongo	Crested serpant eagle
Little green bee-eater	Alexandrine parakeet	White throated fantail
Intermediate egret	Bramhiny starling	Ashy drongo
House crow	Eurasian golden oriole	Common blue kingfisher
House sparrow	Grey junglefowl	Common hawk cuckoo
Rock pigeon	Indian peafowl	Pallid harrier
Jungle prinia	Rose ringed parakeet	Sirkeer’s malkoha
Oriental magpie robin	Black rumped flameback	Eurasian stone curlew
Red vented bulbul	Purple sunbird	Purple rumped sunbird
Red whiskered bulbul	Asian koel	Montague’s harrier
Ashy prinia	Common myna	Oriental darter
Long tailed shrike	Red spurfowl	Dusky crag martin
Indian robin	Black crowned night heron	Bay backed shrike
Paddyfield pipit	Brown cheeked fulvetta	Oriental turtle dove
Black hooded oriole	Yellow footed green pigeon	Black headed ibis
Tickell’s blue flycatcher	Orange headed thrush	Pied kingfisher
Jungle babbler	Grey hornbill	Indian little nightjar
Indian roller	Greater coucal	Skykes lark
Rufous treepie	Plum headed parakeet	Crested treeswift
Crested hawk eagle	Racket tailed drongo	Brown fish owl
Asian paradise flycatcher	Indian pitta	Marsh harrier
Oriental honey buzzard	Black naped monarch	Amur falcon
Black drongo	Shikara	Black kite
Little cormorant	Black shouldered kite	Lesser adjutant stork
Little egret	Lesser whistling ducks	Bank myna
Pond heron	Jungle crow	Common hoopoe
Black ibis	Eurasian collard dove	Baya weaver
Asian openbill	Great egret	Bronze winged jacana
White eyed buzzard	Yellow throated sparrow	Indian shag

Thanks Everyone for reading this!!
Arpita Kulkarni

Tempting Tadoba - Dec 2014 - (Camp 13)

Its been long time since the parks were opened and we had not planned any wildlife camp. There were no camps planned in Diwali and Xmas, so we decided to end the year on a great note and planned this quick camp to Tadoba. This time due to the time crunch, we decided to travel by flight to shrink the camp into 3 days and still achieved 4 jungle safaris.

Post announcing the camp, the bookings were finalized in weeks time and all were ready to fly.

Started checking the water bodies from the flight itself :)

From Flight

 
Winter camps are just perfect for photography. Playing with the golden light and fog makes it a magical combination.

As I always say, jungle camps are not just hunting for the big cats but it has many other amazing things to offer. In this blog I have emphasized on the same.

In early morning rides, the water bodies are just too awesome to visit. The landscape around these are just mesmerizing..

Early Morning Fog

Reflections

When the sun comes out with its golden wings, the light traverse through the dense forest making it a superb sight...

Sun Rays

The vehicle passing through the fog and dust in the golden sun rays asks me to click again and again.

iCampers Gypsy

Some roads are so amazing that you cant keep your camera off for longer..

Jamun Bodi

Even a travel on a tar road on the open top vehicle would also be a fun

Early Morning Ride

Sun sets and moon rise are also majestic inside the jungle.

Sun Set at Tadoba Lake

Moon Rise

Some older wooden constructions also make the scene photogenic.

मचाण

Then comes the birds. The jungle has to offer a huge number of birds species that you can get tired of counting. My daughter Shreya, is always with her pen and pad to jot down the birds seen in the camp. Here is the list of birds we saw in this camp

1. House crow
2. Green bee eater
3. Great tit
4. Purple sunbird
5. Tailor bird
6. Bush chat
7. Dusky crag martin
8. Black drongo
9. Indian roller
10. Cattle egret
11. Barn swallow
12. Wire tailed swallow
13. Long tailed shrike
14. Rudyshell duck
15. Spot billed duck
16. Little cormorant
17. Rock pigeon
18. Shikra
19. White breasted kingfisher
20. Black winged kite
21. House swallow
22. Red avadavat
23. House sparrow
24. Pond heron
25. Rose ringed parakeet
26. Spotted dove
27. Laughing dove
28. Jungle babbler
29. Magpie robin
30. Rufous treepie
31. Red wattled lapwing
32. Yellow wagtail
33. Rock bush quill
34. Yellow footed green pigeon
35. Little egret
36. Black headed ibis
37. Peacock
38. Intermediate egret
39. Oriental honey buzzard
40. Red collard dove
41. Ashy prinia
42. Grey headed fish eagle
43. Bronze winged jacana
44. Marsh harrier
45. Jungle crow
46. Black rumped flameback
47. Jack snipe
48. Common kingfisher
49. Plum headed parakeet
50. Alexandrian parakeet
51. White cheeked barbet
52. Black hooded oriole
53. Red breasted flycatcher
54. Sikeers malkoha
55. Crested serpent eagle
56. Grey heron
57. Oriental darter
58. Tikkell's blue flycatcher
59. Bramhiny starling
60. White eyed buzzard
61. Grey jungle fowl
62. Coppersmith barbet
63. White bellied drongo
64. Asia paradise flycatcher
65. White browed fantail
66. Black redstart
67. Black kite
68. Oriental turtle dove
69. Osprey
70. Lesser whistling ducks

Not all were photographed, but there were few I could catch in my camera. 

The Maharashtra state bird, "Yellow Footed Green Pigeon" (हरियाल ) were making the bare tree alive with their movements.
 

Yellow Footed Green Pigeon

Awkward Moments

In Golden Sunlight

Some raptors also show up with their supreme vision on the branch of the tall trees.

Grey Headed Fish Eagle

Water birds were adding to the beauty of the water bodies..

Snipe

Bronze Winged Jacana - Check my foot

Black Ibis

Taking Off

Parakeets also showed up their existence with their tweets and quick flights. And at times you are  not sure what you are going to witness!!

Plum Headed Parakeet Male

Rose Ring Parakeet - Love in the air

Rufous Treepie

Id?

Even after capturing the little green bee-eaters for so many times, every time we see it, my cam clicks it.

Little Green Bee-eater

Little Green Bee-eater

Woodpeckers and Barbets also showed up their beaks on the tall trees

Flameback Woodpecker

Coppersmith Barbet

Most common birds also shine in the golden light 

Magpie Robin

After birds there are insects to grab your attention in the wild. The giant wood spiders are seen in plenty on their huge webs. They are generally found in winters only in these jungles. Females are bigger in size and makes as big as 25-40 sq ft webs

Giant Wood Spider

Then comes the mammals. In winter the babies are too small and are taken care by the mothers. Clicking the shots of this parenthood is also experience in itself.

My baby

Herds at Tadoba Lake

Royal Stag

Injured Sambar Deer

Above all things do add lot of fun to the wildlife camp. And if you have the group like this you dont really need anything else!! The below group photo is clicked by artistic photographer Mukul!! With his permission I am adding this to my blog. This time the mighty German Shepard also made it to the frame!!

My Gang

As a group we enjoyed a lot. Pakoda  and tea post the evening ride was enjoyed before the bigger party at night. We had lot of chats, jokes at the campfire in the night. Children sung songs and poems and were cheered by the elders. Nagpur special गावरान सौजी Chicken made all the non-vegetarian crowd to cheer for...

With all these things to offer, if your luck is better even the big cats do show up. This time I saw 2 big cats but not for photos as they were just ignorant about our existence in their dens. The big male Gabbar was dead asleep when we saw him and decided not to wake up for more than 30 mins. We waited on the site, but there were no signs he getting upon his feet!! Finally we took a record shot and said adieu  to try our luck on other locations.

Gabbar Male Tiger Dead asleep

The mother of 2 cubs also crossed the road in hurry and did not give me any time to focus. Nevertheless seeing the big cat is icing on the cake..

P1 with GPS collar - out of focus

Some of us were so lucky to see the tiger for more than 40 minuets and that too from so close that they clicked the full frame shots from their mobile phones

If you are luckier enough, the spotted beauty also shows up. This time when we were doing some bird watching from our gypsy the female leopard came from the woods and started walking on the road. We followed here for a minute. I was able to catch her in my camera but she refused to turn back. Almost 1 min of following her, she showed her dislike and turned back. 2-3 seconds of time was offered to catch her in cam. I somehow tried to click in hurry to get head shot. Immediately after seeing us, she changed her path and entered into the thick bush and disappeared. But those 2 minuets were worth the whole ride!!

Cat Walk

Eye to eye

Nose to Tail

With lots of great memories, we said goodbye to Tadoba, but not to part for very long. With the promise of coming back soon we concluded our camp.

Thanks all who joined the camp and all those who read this blog!!