BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK

2019

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The Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris).

Aside from a female and her off spring, they are mainly solitary animals.

Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis).

There's a hint of its stunning light and dark blue wings, rump and tail, more easily when in flight.

The Bengal Monitor lizard (Varanus bengalensis), which is one of four species found in India.

Group Grooming.

Gray Langurs (Semnopithecus)

The Swordtail Party.

A gathering of Spot Swordtails (Graphium nomius), belonging to the swallowtail family, feeding on the salt on the ground. They are a beautiful caramel and light blue colour underwing.

Flying off from the foray is a solo Checkered Swallowtail (Papilio demoleus).

An Asian Barred Owlet (Glaucidium cuculoides) eyed us up as we were leaving Bandhavgarh National Park, after our first safari of the trip.

The Gray Langurs have long prehensile tails, which means they can use them to hold on to things, which is very useful when moving around trees.

The patterns on the tigers are their fingerprints as such, as no two tigers look the same. This is one of four young tiger siblings. They all crossed the track ahead of us, returning to the area near their den.

The cubs were seven months old and quite active, which was fabulous to watch, although sometimes it was difficult to photograph them as vegetation often impeded our view.

The dark overhang of the rocks would've been where their den was.

Cool Shade.

When it's over 40°C during the day, finding some respite from the heat is important for humans and animals. This female tiger was tucked away high up above the track behind vegetation. The vehicles weren't able to get us closer, but an elephant did. I felt very conflicted about riding on it.

An Eye Doesn't Lie.

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus).

I've written a bit more about our elephant riding experience and my internal conflict in my blog.

Morning Stroll.

We spotted this male tiger wandering through the grass in the lovely early morning light. After a rest it eventually crossed the track and walked along the raised bank on the other side of us.

Close Encounter

Chital (Axis axis), also known as Spotted Deer. Females and fawns are feeding at the water's edge whilst the stag watches, probably keeping an eye open for predators. The antlers are not palmate (like a hand), as seen on Fallow Deer, but instead they have three distinct points.

I love how human-like the behaviour of primates can be.

Fan Throated Lizard (Sitana) trying to impress a female.

Two of them were noticed alongside our vehicle whilst we were waiting for the tigers to show up.

Two of three 11 month old tiger cubs visiting the waterhole for some much needed refreshment and to cool down.

I tracked this one with my camera as it bounded along the water's edge and then lept into the air.

Play Fighting

The Shake

The Slap.

Animal play fighting often determines a heirarchy amongst siblings.

The Dance

The Chase.

Getting to witness so much different behaviour in the water was such a privilege, as it's not commonly seen.

And Then There Were Three

An Indian Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus) - I think - also known as a Dhole.

This looks like a White-Backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) coming in to land. It was the smell of a carcass we noticed before seeing the vultures. They are incredibly important birds because they clean away the remains of dead animals, removing toxins from the environment that could be deadly for other wildlife.

The Commute

Face To Face

Indian Scops Owl (Otus bakkamoena) blending in with the wood very well.

Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) having a daytime snooze.

Indian Boar (Sus scrofa cristatus) amidst the autumn leaves. I'm liking the hairy ears!

Crested Hawk-Eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus).

This looks like it could be a juvenile as its head is much paler than the adult.

For hours our eyes scoured the vegetation and listened to the alarm calls of other animals, hoping to catch a glimpse of a tiger. Other times we didn't have to work so hard.

On our last safari one of the 11 month old tiger cubs came down to the waterhole with a langur in its mouth. A sad end for the langur. You might've thought it was dinner, but the youngster didn't really know what to do with it. He ended up taunting his siblings with it and managed to lose it in the water.

The highlight of the trip was definitely seeing the young tigers playing in the water. I love this shot, not only because of the tigers, but also the movement of water around them, especially from the tail.