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  Thursday 15th of March 2018 and we left Irai Safari Retreat – Resort at Tadoba and we arrived to the main gate 10 minutes later. We entered the park and as usually, we left the paved road after 100 meter and we drove by the dam to see if we could spot the tiger mother with the babies. No sight, but there were plenty Night Jars in the area, but it was dark and no pictures. Back on the paved road and we drove straight to the gate to the National Park. We turn left just after the gate and we're on the dust road going deeper in to the forest. I asked about the gate to the National Park. It is an old gate over the road, no fence or nothing. But it seems like it, well, no one know why there is a gate. There were 3 villages in the National Park, they moved 2 of them last year. The third village refused to relocate so they had to come up with an “agrement” with the government.  Gate to the National Park
 We pass a monkey
No people to live in the National Park, but outside the park there are people living. And the tigers and wild life goes to the villages. Hell, I remember back in 2016 and I read a review of a hotel I was going to stay at in one of the national park. In one of the reviews they had found a scorpion in the bathroom. So, well, if you don't want to know, don't ask. So I never ask about snakes and scorpion. Anyway, I kept my eyes out for scorpions after reading the review. We have to walk to the restaurant and it is dark, pitch dark. There are light along the walk path. Anyway, one of the staff told me that they have found leopards in the bushes in the hotel area. I shat my pants. And I got it confirmed by the restaurant staff. But this was no problem, they have just found a few and one of them had been eating a wild dog. India and tigers, people think tigers kill and eat people, yes, they do. But not many, except in Sundarban. But the leopard is the BIG killer in India when we're talking animals. Smoking and traffic etc. is of course a much bigger killer. Anyway, we were soon running in to a lot of jeeps at a waterhole. They had spotted a tiger and now they were there waiting to see the tiger again. Well, this group of jeeps was an experience I could live without. So we put the jeep in reverse and we backed a few hundred meters. There was a Changeable Hawk-eagle sitting just next to the road.  Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
Sitting on it's prey, a Red Spur Fowl
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
They Changeable Hawk-eagle takes off with it's prey
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
 Changeable Hawk-eagle
 Not exactly what I call tiger safari in the “wilderness”
 Not exactly what I call tiger safari in the “wilderness”
 We were lucky with this bird! We continued to look for tigers and we came to another waterhole. The place was full of jeeps, not exactly what I call tiger safari in the “wilderness” I told the driver to turn around and leave. But all the jeeps were what they call “changing cars” and they will have to be out from the tiger reserve at 10 thirty. And as we will stay in the national park for a full day we don't have to leave. The jeeps left after about 15 minutes, there was one jeep remaining and we were worried that it might be another one for a full day. But they left after a few more minutes and we were all by lonesome looking out over the waterhole. WHAT WAS THAT!!!???? 2 minutes after the jeeps had left we saw something moving on the right side of the water hole. A few seconds later and a huge male tiger came out behind the grass. It was a majestic sight even though the tiger was covered by grass. The tiger walked to a tree where he marked his territory.  A male tiger shows up
 A male tiger shows up
 A male tiger shows up
 A male tiger shows up
 A male tiger shows up
 A male tiger shows up
He put his scent or whatever they do, drop urine? Then He walked towards us and disappeared. We started up the jeep and we put the vehicle in to gear and we took off to a waterhole further up the dry river. There was water in this waterhole and we stopped the jeep and we watched the monkeys’ drinking water. And we expected the tiger to come up the dry river. No tiger came up the river and we grow tired of waiting after 10 minutes or so. We drove back the same way we had come on and we turned in to the other waterhole (dry at this time of the year) to see if we could see the tiger.  Monkeys drinking at the waterhole
We can see the dry river on the upper right corner  Monkeys drinking at the waterhole
 Monkeys drinking at the waterhole
 Monkeys drinking at the waterhole
 Male Spotted Deer
 Male Spotted Deer
 Male Spotted Deer
On the way to the dry waterhole we stop to take a picture of Slot Bear poo and Slot Bear footprint. We have seen almost everything we want to see, except a leopard, slot bear and wild dogs. The poo is kind of fresh and we can see that the bear have been eating beans, nuts etc. We could also see Slot Bear tracks on the dust path to the dry waterhole. But no sign, well, no other sign of any Slot Bear. And we could see the tiger and he was sleeping behind the bushes so there wasn't much to see. So we left again. We have a full day of safari, I have breakfast and lunch provided form the Irai Safari Retreat – Resort at Tadoba. But the Guide and Driver need their lunch. So we drove towards the main gate where the lunch will be delivered.  Slot Bear poo
 Slot Bear poo
 Slot Bear tracks
 Slot Bear tracks
 The tiger is there, but not much to see
 The tiger is there, but not much to see
 The tiger is getting feed up with us and go to hide
 Sambar Deer
 Sambar Deer
 A beautiful Gaur (Indian bison)
We spotted many deer and we had several of the beautiful Gaur - The Indian bison as the gaur is also called. But I'm very unlucky with the gaur. They never look at the camera when I want to take their pictures. We ran in to a Blue Bull, Nilgai and I made a video of the male antelope eating from a tree before we continued towards the main gate and the lunch bags for our Driver and Guide. Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project is a beautiful area and we drove slowly back towards the main gate. Plenty deer, we have seen the 4 Horn antelope, very very rare to see. But I never got any pictures. So 2 different antelopes: 1) 4 Horn antelope 2) Nilgai or Blue Bull And 3 different deer. 1) Spotted Deer 2) Sambar Deer 3) Barking Deer
 Nilgai or Blue Bull
 Nilgai or Blue Bull
 Nilgai or Blue Bull
 On the way back to get the lunch boxes
 Leaving the national park
 Passing ancient lamp post
 Passing ancient lamp post
 Passing ancient lamp post
 We stopped at the dam down at the main gate for lunch. Of course, I had finished my lunch a long time ago so I was drooling watching them to eat, something that looked very good. Cumin potato and I will see if I can have them to make that for me at the hotel. Of course, without the  chili which does noting to add any good flavour.
There are ancient lamp post along the paved road through the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, 600 years old and according to my Guide they fired up these lamp posts when the king was riding through the jungle. We can just imagine how impressive this must have been 600 years ago. Still here today, but what a shame! Many of the lamp post have felt in to decay and some of them are missing. We drive back to the waterhole but we cannot see the tiger there anymore. So we continue, passing the big lake. We take off the main road and 50 meters up the dust path we have to stop. A huge female tiger is sitting on the road. What an impressive sight! She have babies that she had hide somewhere in the forest and now she is hunting. How do I know? She had very big tits. And she was looking for prey. We had a Sambar Deer 200 meters away giving a warning sign. And yes, when I'm back home I will go to MBK to leave my camera for cleaning, and then I will by the sound recorder. So I will  hopefully be able to record all these amazing sounds.
Anyway, why don't the tiger catch the Sambar deer? Well, she will never be able to catch the deer. The deer is already giving warning signals so the deer knows about the tiger. And fun facts, a tiger only manage to catch the prey in one of 10 or 20 times. So no need to waste the energy.  Female tiger
 Looking at the Sambar deer
 She knows that she cannot catch the Sambar deer and leaves
 She knows that she cannot catch the Sambar deer and leaves
We can see one of the tits, and yes, she have babies
 Or maybe...
 OK OK, easy cowboy
 And yes, she wants the Sambar Deer
 She sees me, yes, food for several months....
 She decides to give up
  If this would have been in Sundarban we would have been tiger food by now
 If this would have been in Sundarban we would have been tiger food by now
 She go to drink water - Look at the size of the tit!
 Drinking water
  The tiger leaves us
We had 5 or 10 quality minutes with the tiger before she left to look for something to kill. We turned around and we continued on the road in the same direction that we had originally planned for. And I'll be darned!!!! At a waterhole we spotted 3 tigers. A mother and her two babies. Well, Babies, 22 months old male tiger babies and the tiger babies usually get pushed away by their mother when they are 18 months old. You can see on the pictures below that the babies are much bigger than the mother. I don't know why they stay, maybe because the lack of habitat. There are no area for the male tiger babies to make their own territory, about 70 km3 needed per male tiger. I don't know, maybe the reason, or not. Anyway, these three tigers make it a total of 5 tigers today.  Baby tiger relaxing in the water
 Useless son #2 - Mother on her back
 Useless son #1 leaves the water
  Useless son #2 come to drink water
 Useless son #2 come to drink water
 Mother remains under the three relaxing
Of course, she must be exhausted having these two useless suckling sons
Look at the size of them, they must drain her every time the need milk  The whole family
 I was growing tired of tigers, we had seen everything now except leopards, slot bears and wild dogs. So we continued down the dust road in search for more excitements. I spot a bird landing in the grass ahead of us, I tell the diver to stop and it turns out to be a Sirkeer Malkoha. Too far away and covered by grass so not really any good pictures. We continue and we're soon back down at the lake were we see a whole flock of the Gaur- The Indian Bison. And they have companies of the Cattle Egret. Of course we stop to have a look at them and to try to get a few pictures.   Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Cattle Egret
 Cattle Egret
 Cattle Egret
 Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
 Gaur and Cattle Egret
  Female Sambar Deer
 Male Sambar Deer
    A beautiful ghost tree
 Last picture for today was a Grey Junglefowl and we had have yet another gorgeous day in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project. We had seen 5 tigers and a very close encounter with a female tiger. Dinner and I asked for the Cumin potato and they would make a bowl for me. But I think they forgot it. Well, in bed at 10 as usually and my alarm is set to go off at 4o'clock. Click HERE to find out what we find in the forest tomorrow.  |
OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it  be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.
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