Tadoba, Tigers and more…

Being one of the tiger reserves in India with a good density of tigers, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve is a must visit for wildlife lovers; not only for tigers but for other wild mammals and birds as well. Opportunity knocked on the door at the last moment to visit Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve as part of Wild-India.in along with Bhavesh. We were a total of 12 people; hence had reserved two gypsies for each of the safaris.

Coming back to our trip, we reached the resort owned by Manish Varma who had taken care of all the logistic requirements. After having a good lunch, we were ready for our safaris. The resort was close to Moharli gate; around a KM away. After a short discussion with our guide and driver, it was decided that we will explore the Katezari zone and Tadoba lake. Our 1st sighting of the safari was a Crested Serpent Eagle. As we explored further we saw Spotted deers, Sambhar deers and Wild boars. We also saw lesser Adujtant, White-throated Kingfisher as well as a Common kingfisher. Time just flows when you are on a safari and we did not realise that it was getting dark already. We did manage to see quite a number of birds in this session including a lifer for me, which was Red Spurfowl.

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We were back to the resort by 7 PM and after relaxing for a while, we had our dinner and dozed off as we had to be ready by 5:30 AM next morning. As we approached the gates, our driver informed that lets try Kolsa zone today. I was little unsure as I had heard that Kolsa was a little far from the Mohurli gate. Once the guide joined us, he also suggested the same and after discussing with all members we decided to visit the Kolsa zone. As soon as we entered the zone, we got our 1st sighting in form of a Sloth bear. It was very far but a superb sighting nevertheless. We also got to see the Yellow-footed Green Pigeons in good numbers, along with Indian roller, Common Hoopoe, Crested Serpent Eagle, Asian Paradise Flycatcher, Lesser Flameback and Red-naped Ibis.

Going ahead, we heard loud multiple calls of Grey Junglefowls and I was on a lookout if I could spot any; and then suddenly we say a Indian Bison kill right on the middle of the road. As we approached it, it looked like a kill of a tiger. The guide informed us that it surely must be killed by 2-3 tigers at dusk. We decided to wait in anticipation that the tiger will arrive to eat its kill. The guide added that there is a water body less than a km away where we may see the tigers and hence we decided check the same. There were no tigers at the water body but we did manage to see a Black stork and an Eyebrowed Thrush; both of which were lifers for me.

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Not wasting more time at the water body, we returned back to the kill and there it was..! A tigress was busy feasting on the kill already. I had seen a tiger before up-close at Ranthambore but never ever seen such a sight; where in the tigress just ripping apart the Indian bison kill with raw power. We were lucky indeed; along with 3 other gypsies to view this sight for a good 20 minutes.

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I was also able to record a 15 minute video; here is small 1:30 minute clip from the same. (Watch in HD for better quality).

After feasting on the kill for a good 20 minutes, the tigress move across the road amongst the thick bushes and bamboos and laid down. We could clearly see the stripes and also the fact that she was keeping an eye on its kill. We spent the next couple of hours waiting to see if she or her cubs will come back to feast again but they did not. We returned back to the resort and all had one fantastic lifetime experience.!

As we were back to resort by 11 AM, I quickly got fresh and decided to explore the area behind the resort with Bhavesh, Kabir and Seema. Bhavesh had informed me that there is huge lake just around 200 meters away and we can spot some birds there. We did see quite a number of birds that included Common kingfisher, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Lesser Whistling ducks, Bronze-winged Jacana, Lesser Adjutant, Great Egret, Indian Pond heron and Grey heron.

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After spending a couple of hours, we were back to the resort for lunch. Safari started on schedule at 3 PM and we again decided to explore the Katezari zone and near Tadoba lake. This time we again saw the Spotted and Sambhar Deers, Wild Boars, Marsh Crocodile and a pair Ruddy Mongoose. As for birds, we sighted the Yellow-footed Green Pigeon, Common Woodshrikes, Lesser Whistling ducks, Tickell’s blue flycatcher, Grey Junglefowl, Red Spurfowl, Black-naped Monarch and the Barking Deer.

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It was the final day and we were ready for our final Safari of the trip. This time we decided to explore the buffer zone. Safari in Buffer zone doesn’t require and prior booking however only 10 gypsies are allowed which means one has to reach at the buffer gate as early as possible. As we entered the buffer zone few gypsies had already sighted the tiger moving into a particular patch of Jungle. Exploring around that patch we soon spotted another female tigress (Named as Madhuri). As we explored further we saw 3 of her cubs. Yet another fantastic sighting of the species.

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On way back to the resort, we did halt at few places to see some water birds. We also explored the area behind resort again and did get to see the same birds as on the Day 2. Asian Openbills, Common Moorhen, Rosy starling, Pheasant tailed Jacana were some of the key sightings.

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Finally we were back to the resort and it was time to check-out. Everyone had some fantastic experiences with so many stories to tell…! As a group we spotted over 10 different species of mammals and over 90 species of Birds including the beautiful Black Stork and the rare Eyebrowed Thrush. The Eyebrowed thrush is not a usual sighting in Maharashtra region and could very well be the 1st sighting for the region.

It was a fun-filled wildlife trip in fantastic company of Sundaram Sir, Leela ma’am, Kabir, Khush, Siddhi, Maya, Seema, Ramesh, Anshu, Krishna, and of course my mentor, guide and dear friend Bhavesh. The arrangements by Manish Varma were just what you need on a safari trip and I am sure that people who are in wildlife are very much aware about Manish Varma. For those who are not, do checkout his profile here -> Manish Varma. He has contributed to wildlife in Tadoba to quite an extent and is one of the most respected individual when it comes to knowledge on wildlife in and around Tadoba.

Personally it was my 2nd trip into any national park, 1st being Ranthambore (Trip report -> Ranthambore ) and was surely an experience of a lifetime. Also, it was my 1st trip as a Wild-India member and would like to thank Bhavesh and Sunil for trusting and giving me the opportunity to join Wild-India.

Thanks for reading. Let us know in-case of any queries, suggestions, critics and we will be happy to respond.

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– Rudraksha & Shraddha

Mammal species sighted in our trip:

– Bengal Tiger
– Gaur (Indian Bison)
– Ruddy Mongoose
– Civet Cat
– Sloth Bear
– Barking deer
– Sambar Deer
– Spotted Deer
– Wild Boar

Key bird species sighted in our trip:

– Eyebrowed Thrush
– Black Stork
– Red Spurfowl
– Sirkeer Malkoha
– Asian Pied Starling
– Lesser Adjutant
– Crested Serpent Eagle
– Cotton Pygmy-goose