A day in the Territory of Bandits- National Chambal Sanctuary,Dholpur

               After an exciting and eventful first day at Keoladeo National Park with forest birds and waterfowls, it was now time for second day of our trip i.e. our visit to National Chambal Sanctuary, Dholpur.A new day, with new habitat and new birds.This place is situated about 90 km from Bharatpur and famous for a healthy population of critically endangered Gharials.However, the main attraction for me wasn't the gharials, but a bird found there, not a very rare species but the one selective about its habitat.

               The National Chambal Sanctuary is located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.The place is now co-administered by these three States.The Chambal river cuts through mazes of ravines, hills and many sandy beaches.We all know Chambal was famous for the bandits but how many of us know about this sanctuary? Even I didn't, till I visited. 

            The day broke, we got up and got ready with our gears waiting for our vehicle to arrive.It was a lovely morning and we witnessed a beautiful sunrise, there's something about every sunrise, something that just can't be confined in words.I guess when they say "A picture is worth a thousand words" this is what they mean.

Golden hours at Bharatpur

            Finally after waiting for some time our vehicle arrived and we started off which turned out to be an amazing day.Everything was going well till a few kilometers before the place our vehicle broke down, that caused some delay but that actually boosted my level of excitement.After all this we finally reached.A small boat was waiting to take us on a journey to witness some of the elusive beauties that place held.I was awestruck by that marvelous place.As we started our boat ride we progressed through the magnificent ravines of Chambal.One must visit the place to experience the tranquility.

Magnificent ravines of Chambal

            My wait was finally over when we reached a spot which had several sandbanks which happen to be the favorite roosting place for the elusive bird which I was waiting to see 'The Indian Skimmer'. These gorgeous birds prefer habitats like rivers and estuaries.We stopped our boat at a comfortable distance so as to not disturb the birds.As soon as we stopped, all the photographers went on a clicking spree though this was a state of a short-lived elation as they flew and perched on the other side of the banks.Nevermind, blessing in disguise was ,an opportunity to get some flight shots and we utilized it to its fullest.

Indian Skimmers in-flight

             So, you'll say what's so special about these skimmers? Can you guess anything from its name, yes it's related to skimming.These birds have short upper mandible(upper part of its beak) and longer lower mandible.They open their beak and while flying above the surface of water skim through it.There are many birds which have such peculiar feeding/nesting habits which really amuses me.

Ready to skim

            These birds are listed as vulnerable as their population is on a decline and the leading reason is habitat loss, sad indeed!Chambal is a great place to see these birds, last year a solitary bird was sighted near Uran, Mumbai.But I was happy to see them, again a lifer for me and we counted a healthy number of skimmers that day, 59, to be precise, which was great.After that now it was time for other birds and, not to forget the Gharials.

Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis)

            Venturing deep into those calm waters of Chambal, we focused on other birds like Bar-headed geese, Greater flamingo, Ruddy shelduck.After all these, we finally saw one Black-bellied tern which is listed as endangered species by IUCN.These birds are similar to whiskered terns but distinguished by a deeply forked tail and black lower belly.I could only manage a record shot, never mind there is always a next time.

Black-bellied Tern (Sterna acuticauda)

             I am already short of words to describe these winged beauties, which anyway won't do justice to their superb colours, so let's just enjoy them through pictures. 

Bar-Headed Goose (Anser Indicus)

Wondering why bar-headed? see this

            Let me interrupt here, because this species deserves some attention.These migratory geese are the residents of Mongolia, Russia etc. and they winter in Indias subcontinent hence widespread during that period .They are one of the highest flying birds in the world, there are records of them flying above Mt. Makalu, fifth highest peak on earth and an unconfirmed record from Mt.Everest highest peak on earth.Migration is a subject studied by numerous scientists from all over the world still there are so many things about it which are not yet known to science. 

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

River Lapwing (Vanellus duvaucelli)

Just chilling

            Addition to the list was spotted owlets which were seen roosting in the rocks.Throughout this whole write-up, I have ignored the gharials like anything and they deserve a few lines, so here is a little something about the gharials.

The gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as the gavial, and the fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian of the family Gavialidae, native to the Indian Subcontinent. The global gharial population is estimated at fewer than 235 individuals, which are threatened by loss of riverine habitat, depletion of fish resources and use of fishing nets. As the population has declined drastically in the past 70 years, the gharial is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

The gharial is one of the longest of all living crocodilians, measuring up to 6.25 m (20.5 ft). With 110 sharp interdigitated teeth in its long thin snout, it is well adapted to catching fish, its main diet.The male has a distinctive boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known a ghara.

Gharials once inhabited all the major river systems of the Indian Subcontinent, from the Irrawaddy River in the east to the Indus River in the west. Their distribution is now limited to only 2% of their former range. They inhabit foremost flowing rivers with high sand banks that they use for basking and building nests. They usually mate in the cold season. The young hatch before the onset of the monsoon.

The gharial is one of the three crocodilians native to India, the other two being the mugger crocodile and the saltwater crocodile.

SOURCE- Wikipedia.

Mugger crocodile(Crocodylus palustris)

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

            Our boat ride was of mere three hours, but we were lucky to sight so many things including birds and other wildlife, that was all for the day and we started our journey to our hotel, everyone was happy and content.Seriously one must start birding for the sheer joy it gives you.I have got very few opportunities like these to spend a lot of time in jungles or sanctuaries but, I am sure these experiences enrich you as a person and teach you to appreciate the treasure that we possess in our country in the form of wildlife.I am waiting  for many such experiences in coming years.

So that's all for this week I hope you enjoyed reading.Subscribe, like, share if you want to read my future posts and feel free to comment and suggest improvements if any.Till then happy birding!Cheers!