In the jungle - Chitwan National Park, Nepal
Determined to see and learn about some Asian birds, I went around the jungle and river with a local guide in the early morning. It was a valuable trip, and my guide was very knowledgeable and keen, showing me not only birds, but some vegetation, insects, and elephants, too.
We walked along the river, seeing wading crocodiles, and bank swallows and kingfishers nesting along the shore. We also wandered through the elephant sanctuary, past the electric fence that keeps the wild bulls out. My guide was excited to see his favourite bird for the first time in a few years: a collared falconette. He said this tiny bird of prey can take down much larger birds, even a stork. The most interesting bird for me was the Asian Paradise Flycatcher; beautifully white with with a long tail chasing after it. In total for the morning, we saw 48 species. You can check out the full list here.
Wildlife spotting continued in the afternoon with a Jeep Safari through the park. It was fun enough just bumping along the jungle in the open truck. We stopped abruptly next to a field of tall elephant grass to watch a gray lump foraging around in the distance. It took a long time to recognize it as a rhino, but it was slowly grazing its way towards us.
We sat and observed it for a long time as it meandered closer, paying us no attention, as it pulled up long bunches of grass. On there way back out of the jungle, we pulled up to another Jeep with a family all standing up, stopped in the road. "Tiger", mouthed the father, finger to his lips. We all stood up, too, hyperaware of any movement, when commotion came from the Jeep behind us carrying the other half of our group. The tiger had casually walked across the road and back into the tall grass in behind the Jeeps while we were all intently looking ahead, and only two in our group, one being the leader, noticed its smooth exit. Suki, the leader, said it was the first time he'd ever seen a tiger in Chitwan.
We ended this eventful day by watching the sunset from a riverside restaurant with Happy Hour.
We walked along the river, seeing wading crocodiles, and bank swallows and kingfishers nesting along the shore. We also wandered through the elephant sanctuary, past the electric fence that keeps the wild bulls out. My guide was excited to see his favourite bird for the first time in a few years: a collared falconette. He said this tiny bird of prey can take down much larger birds, even a stork. The most interesting bird for me was the Asian Paradise Flycatcher; beautifully white with with a long tail chasing after it. In total for the morning, we saw 48 species. You can check out the full list here.
Wildlife spotting continued in the afternoon with a Jeep Safari through the park. It was fun enough just bumping along the jungle in the open truck. We stopped abruptly next to a field of tall elephant grass to watch a gray lump foraging around in the distance. It took a long time to recognize it as a rhino, but it was slowly grazing its way towards us.
We sat and observed it for a long time as it meandered closer, paying us no attention, as it pulled up long bunches of grass. On there way back out of the jungle, we pulled up to another Jeep with a family all standing up, stopped in the road. "Tiger", mouthed the father, finger to his lips. We all stood up, too, hyperaware of any movement, when commotion came from the Jeep behind us carrying the other half of our group. The tiger had casually walked across the road and back into the tall grass in behind the Jeeps while we were all intently looking ahead, and only two in our group, one being the leader, noticed its smooth exit. Suki, the leader, said it was the first time he'd ever seen a tiger in Chitwan.
We ended this eventful day by watching the sunset from a riverside restaurant with Happy Hour.
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