Tuesday, December 18, 2012
MANAS NATIONAL PARK WITH BNHS
MANAS NATIONAL PARK
This gets its name from the Manas river which dissects the park into east and west sides.
The river flows next to forest bungalow at Mathanguri.You can just sit by the icy blue waters,feasting your eyes on the scenery.
You can safely say that earth looked like this with pristine forests and breathtaking scenery before MAN set foot on earth.
I was fortunate to go to see this place with my family along with BNHS. Isaac Sir, Nikhil bhopale,and Rustom the bodo (local guide ) without whom I would never have enjoyed. Rustom knows the place very well. I would like to share his telephone number here 7896946621.
The arrangements were superb 5 star facilities in the forest.....amazing!!! We were put up at Birina Lodge,with lovely cottages and Isaac being ever so kind gave us 4 (family)a cottage of our own.
day 1 24/11/12
reached lodge and left for a safari at 2.00 p.m.
we went to the Machan inside the forest,birding all along the way. swamp francolins (4) were being followed by a mongoose.
Rufus breasted laughing thrush
pompadour pigeons
yellow footed green pigeons
wedge tailed pigeons
changeable hawk eagle
lineated barbets
red whiskered and loads of red vented bulbuls and peacocks all along
from the machan saw
one horned rhino
wild buffaloes
pack of wild dogs
Day 2 25/11/12
left very early to reach the east side of the park. kokilabari farms and maozigendri .
birding all along was very fruitful.
fulvous breasted woodpeckers male /female
blue throated barbets
great hornbill
indian roller
blue bearded bee eater
common hawk cuckoo
white breasted kingfishers
red breasted parakeets
asian barred owlets
green imperial pigeons
oriental turtle dove
laughing doves
spotted doves
red collared doves
On reaching Kokilabari ,place for the bengal florican
juvenille pied harrier
hen harrier
osprey
black eagle
greater spotted eagle
I troubled Rustom for the Bengal florican. November the grass is very tall and so it is difficult to see the Bengal Florican..I felt very sad that i would leave this bird out from my sighting list ..I was coaxed by all to go for breakfast which was arranged at the Farm itself.Maggie Noodles and Black tea and toast /butter /jam/eggs .....But for me it was the BENGAL FLORICAN which my eyes were scanning
the fields continuously.
As if the sky heard my voice and my yearning to see this bird ,the farmers disturbed this bird and suddenly Rustom shouted Florican and a female or ?non breeding male jumped up for one minute to give us a full view. BUT THIS WAS NOT IT.AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS Rustom again gave out the florican call, ANOTHER MALE BIRD FLEW SOME DISTANCE FOR ABOUT 2MINS AND PEOPLE WITH CAMERAS COULD CATCH JUST THE BLACK WHITE FLASH OF THE FLORICAN. I saw the florican for full 2 minutes through my 10x50 swaroski binocs and was very pleased. After thanking Ruston immensely ate a hearty breakfast. Left to go to Bhutan border.Raptors on route were black eagle,steppe eagles
black stork flew over.
Reached maozigendri and did a lot of birding in surrounding forest and all along in the fields as well.The list grew fast to 110 birds and was very happy eating lunch in the open skies.
After Lunch at 2.30 p.m again some birding on foot on a dry river bed. piled into our jeeps to head back to Birina lodge. very happy and contented with my days birding. Camp fires and some local folk dances were arranged for us.
These are a few photos taken by Dr Kiran Marthak.
The bird photos can be seen in Dr Ravi bird album where he has just about captured the bengal florican as a proof of our sightings
www.flickr.com/ravidoc
Day 3 26/11/12
river Mans
left for mathanguri to see the manas river to which the national park owes its name.It is the largest Himalayan tributary.Manas splits into 2 major channels Beki,and Hakua -besides a number of smaller streams as it enters the plains of the reserve at Mathanguri.Birding as we went good quality birding of maroon oriole,little and streaked spider hunters,grey capped pygmy woodpeckers,blue bearded bee eaters....and so on.(entire check list can be provided on request).
On the banks of the river we saw white capped redstart and blue rock thrush.Soaking in the beauty and just the pristine waters where the juvenile and adult large cormorants were basking themselves was just SERENE.-PEACEFUL A common merganser flew across.All of us had Lunch at the guest house and got good views of Malayan giant squirrel feeding on the tree branch opposite the guest house.Birding on our way back to the lodge.
Day 4 27/11/12
Morning elephant safari was not very fruitful for animals though roufous treepies were very vocal and flying everywhere.
Morning walk around the tea estate saw blue whistling thrush and woodpeckers at close quarters.Evening Machan was not good for animals but we did see little bunting,rosy pipit which added to our already long list of 150 birds.
Day 5 28/11/12 wishing all goodbyes with group photos is never a happy moment...but all good things do end .Left for Guahati.
Day 6,7 29/30 november.
We stayed back and went to pobitara Rhino sanctuary and also enjoyed the Chandubi Lake and Peacock Island. I would recommend these outing if if you have the time.
Peacock Island has loads of Golden Languars and white vented Mynas.
Chandubi lake: we picked up water chestnuts,and saw the grey headed lapwings (5) and mixed flock of lesser and fulvous whistling teals.
Pobitara :
besides the Rhinos with babies,we saw the chase of 2 greater flamebacks, grey headed fish eagle, rose ringed parakeets nesting and alone hoopoe.
sleepy and tired in the plane looking out at the majestic eastern Himalayas returning back to work.
The river flows next to forest bungalow at Mathanguri.You can just sit by the icy blue waters,feasting your eyes on the scenery.
You can safely say that earth looked like this with pristine forests and breathtaking scenery before MAN set foot on earth.
I was fortunate to go to see this place with my family along with BNHS. Isaac Sir, Nikhil bhopale,and Rustom the bodo (local guide ) without whom I would never have enjoyed. Rustom knows the place very well. I would like to share his telephone number here 7896946621.
The arrangements were superb 5 star facilities in the forest.....amazing!!! We were put up at Birina Lodge,with lovely cottages and Isaac being ever so kind gave us 4 (family)a cottage of our own.
day 1 24/11/12
reached lodge and left for a safari at 2.00 p.m.
we went to the Machan inside the forest,birding all along the way. swamp francolins (4) were being followed by a mongoose.
Rufus breasted laughing thrush
pompadour pigeons
yellow footed green pigeons
wedge tailed pigeons
changeable hawk eagle
lineated barbets
red whiskered and loads of red vented bulbuls and peacocks all along
from the machan saw
one horned rhino
wild buffaloes
pack of wild dogs
 |
| swamp francolins |
 |
| common mongoose |
Day 2 25/11/12
left very early to reach the east side of the park. kokilabari farms and maozigendri .
birding all along was very fruitful.
fulvous breasted woodpeckers male /female
blue throated barbets
great hornbill
indian roller
blue bearded bee eater
common hawk cuckoo
white breasted kingfishers
red breasted parakeets
asian barred owlets
green imperial pigeons
oriental turtle dove
laughing doves
spotted doves
red collared doves
On reaching Kokilabari ,place for the bengal florican
juvenille pied harrier
hen harrier
osprey
black eagle
greater spotted eagle
I troubled Rustom for the Bengal florican. November the grass is very tall and so it is difficult to see the Bengal Florican..I felt very sad that i would leave this bird out from my sighting list ..I was coaxed by all to go for breakfast which was arranged at the Farm itself.Maggie Noodles and Black tea and toast /butter /jam/eggs .....But for me it was the BENGAL FLORICAN which my eyes were scanning
the fields continuously.
As if the sky heard my voice and my yearning to see this bird ,the farmers disturbed this bird and suddenly Rustom shouted Florican and a female or ?non breeding male jumped up for one minute to give us a full view. BUT THIS WAS NOT IT.AFTER ABOUT 10 MINS Rustom again gave out the florican call, ANOTHER MALE BIRD FLEW SOME DISTANCE FOR ABOUT 2MINS AND PEOPLE WITH CAMERAS COULD CATCH JUST THE BLACK WHITE FLASH OF THE FLORICAN. I saw the florican for full 2 minutes through my 10x50 swaroski binocs and was very pleased. After thanking Ruston immensely ate a hearty breakfast. Left to go to Bhutan border.Raptors on route were black eagle,steppe eagles
black stork flew over.
Reached maozigendri and did a lot of birding in surrounding forest and all along in the fields as well.The list grew fast to 110 birds and was very happy eating lunch in the open skies.
After Lunch at 2.30 p.m again some birding on foot on a dry river bed. piled into our jeeps to head back to Birina lodge. very happy and contented with my days birding. Camp fires and some local folk dances were arranged for us.
 |
| honney buzzard |
 |
| common hawk cuckoo |
 |
| red breasted parakeet |
 |
| russet sparrow |
 |
| spangled drongo |
 |
| lesser adjutant |
 |
| wild Buffalo |
 |
| golden langur -peacock island |
These are a few photos taken by Dr Kiran Marthak.
The bird photos can be seen in Dr Ravi bird album where he has just about captured the bengal florican as a proof of our sightings
www.flickr.com/ravidoc
Day 3 26/11/12
river Mans On the banks of the river we saw white capped redstart and blue rock thrush.Soaking in the beauty and just the pristine waters where the juvenile and adult large cormorants were basking themselves was just SERENE.-PEACEFUL A common merganser flew across.All of us had Lunch at the guest house and got good views of Malayan giant squirrel feeding on the tree branch opposite the guest house.Birding on our way back to the lodge.
Day 4 27/11/12
Morning elephant safari was not very fruitful for animals though roufous treepies were very vocal and flying everywhere.
Morning walk around the tea estate saw blue whistling thrush and woodpeckers at close quarters.Evening Machan was not good for animals but we did see little bunting,rosy pipit which added to our already long list of 150 birds.
Day 5 28/11/12 wishing all goodbyes with group photos is never a happy moment...but all good things do end .Left for Guahati.
 |
| Manas field trip participants |
Day 6,7 29/30 november.
We stayed back and went to pobitara Rhino sanctuary and also enjoyed the Chandubi Lake and Peacock Island. I would recommend these outing if if you have the time.
Peacock Island has loads of Golden Languars and white vented Mynas.
Chandubi lake: we picked up water chestnuts,and saw the grey headed lapwings (5) and mixed flock of lesser and fulvous whistling teals.
Pobitara :
besides the Rhinos with babies,we saw the chase of 2 greater flamebacks, grey headed fish eagle, rose ringed parakeets nesting and alone hoopoe.
 |
| grey headed fish eagle |
 |
| common hoopoe |
 |
| sleepy heads??? |
 |
| Himalayan range taken from plane |
