Cetaceans Galore!

Office work has been getting in the way of posting some photos from our recent whale-watching trip to the Maldives this past week.  So here goes….

Loved this Cuvier’s Beaked Whale that swam right around our safari boat and kept putting its head out of the water to take a look at us.

Cuvier's Beaked Whale

 A pod of 8+ Short-finned Pilot Whales also followed us for quite a while and we had wonderful views.

Short-finned Pilot Whale

 Spinner Dolphins were very common.

Spinner Dolphins

Maldives Update

Have been on a whale-watching trip with Dr Charles Anderson sailing around the Maldives this past week and despite a choppy sea, which is a direct result of the cyclone currently causing such devastation in India, we had a highly successful week. The undoubted highlight was this Persian Shearwater that constitutes the 1^st record for the Maldives – only a shame nobody else on the ship got on to it!

Persian Shearwater - 1st Record for Maldives. Not a great photo but.....

The other ‘biggie’ was a mother and calf of Longman’s Beaked Whale – considered to be the rarest whale in the world at one time.

Longman's Beaked Whale - note the dark vertical band behind the 'melon'.....

The full story will follow soon, to include Whale Shark, snorkelling with Manta Rays and Black-tipped Reef Sharks, Jouanin's Petrel, Tropical Shearwater and a few more cetaceans….

New tours to India

We have just added a couple of new tours to India for 2014. First of all there is our India 1 – Birds, Tigers and Taj tour which visits the Chambal River, Taj Mahal, Bharatpur, Ranthambhor and Sultanpur. Highlights could include Indian Skimmer, Painted Spufowl, Painted Sandgrouse, Sind Sparrow and Tiger. Click here for full itinerary.

Indian Skimmer is one of the key species on India 1

Indian Black Ibis is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent

Indian Courser

More skimmers

Painted Spurfowl is a speciality of Ranthambhor

Sloth Bear

This was our first Tiger

India 2 is our Classic Himalayas tour where we visit Corbett, Pangot, Nainital, Sat Tal and Okhla for Lammergeier, Himalayan and Scaly-bellied Woodpeckers, Rufous-chinned Laughingthrush, Pink-browed Rosefinch and more mammal possibilities. For a full itinerary just click here.

Gharials

Another Tiger

River Lapwing is common

Great Hornbill

Asian Elephants at Corbett

This is the view from Dhikala where we stay inside Corbett National Park

Jeep safaris at Corbett are always exciting

Black-headed Jay

Cheer Pheasant

Collared Owlet

Elephant Ride at Dawn - Corbett NP

Lammergeier