Going to Ranthambhore

We left our hotel at 6.45am and drove for around 6 hours to Ranthambhore and the Tiger Moon Resort. Along the way we made a quick stop and watched two Eurasian Hoopoes feeding and having a bit of aggro no more than 3 metres in front of us. It was an excellent opportunity to take some pics and luckily enough one of the birds repeatedly raised its crest. Lovely! 

Eurasian Hoopoe

Eurasian Hoopoe

The drive seemed to pass by very quickly and about an hour before reaching our destination we stopped to view a colony of Streak-throated Swallows – an often tricky species to find. 

Streak-throated Swallow

There was a cloud of them in the air and we wondered why they were not on their nests, but on closer inspection we saw a female Shikra perched on the nests under the bridge trying to claw out the chicks! So we politely asked  her to leave, which she did!

Following our arrival at the Tiger Moon Resort we had a little while to relax before embarking on an impromptu afternoon safari into the Tiger Reserve. Normally we would go birding outside the park but our local guide, Ganesh, managed to arrange this safari at very short notice, knowing how much our group wanted to see the wee stripey beastie. In the meantime we saw several White-bellied Drongos, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Common Iora, Plum-headed Parakeet and White-browed Fantail in the gardens.

White-bellied Drongo

So our afternoon safari was a pleasant introduction into the park’s wildlife, with numerous Sambar and Spotted Deer, Marsh Muggers, Wild Boar and Northern Plains Langurs. We also picked up some good birds with a male Greater Painted Snipe being a good catch up for Dave H. There was also Large Cuckooshrike, both Black and Woolly-necked Storks and Marsh Sandpiper as well, plus a good selection of previously seen species such as Painted Stork, Black-tailed Godwit, Wood Sandpiper, and a pair of confiding and extremely vocal Dusky Eagle Owls. And that was our day and all very exciting to be able to have 5 more safaris into the reserve to follow.