In search of the Grey Ghost

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks for the update @@janzin.

[TonyQ]

Very sad news about the guide.

 

More positively, some lovely bird photos, I really enjoyed the Gaur photos - and the Sloth Bear.

And the tigers did cooperate

[kittykat23uk]

Thankfully yes! They did cooperate!

 

3rd March 2016

 

I mentioned in this post, that on the information provided by another safaritalk member we re-booked two drives in Kolsa range, on the belief that Maya had moved into that area as we didn't want to risk not having any chance of seeing her and the cubs. But as it turned out I think this information was not accurate. It is a long drive to the Kolsa zone gate and the routes in the zone were restricted so I would not really recommend making the journey there, given that both the buffer zone and the main park from Moharli gate were delivering good sightings.

 

We had an early start at 0430 to leave at 5am to get to Kolsa gate. We were taken by car, not gypsy to the gate. The drive there was productive in that we saw a herd of nilgai, two black-naped hares, sambar and several nightjars. The route takes you right at Moharli village, past the entrances to the buffer zone and then through a small town.

 

We transferred to a gypsy at the gate for our drive in the park. This area of the park is more open with more human habitation in evidence. We searched for a tigress with four cubs that had been seen the previous day but we had no luck there. We saw three black stork, a little group of jungle bush quail, Indian roller, wild boar, langaurs and a few stone curlew. On the way out we stopped at a large tree that hosted a roost of Indian fruit bats.

 

20160303_070806 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20160303_073438 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032469 Scenic Kolsa Zone by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032496 adj Indian roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032517 adj Black stork by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032527 Jungle bush quail by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032548 Long-tailed Shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032550 Indian Stone Curlew by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032577 Indian roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032602 Indian roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032608 Three egrets by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032636 Indian Fruit Bats by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3032648 Indian Fruit Bats by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

We were back in the main park in the afternoon and had a great drive! Our forest guide spotted fresh pugmarks which led to Sonam's waterhole and one of her cubs was relaxing out in the open by the water. She rested for a good, with her elbow resting on a rock, at one point she shifted her weight and dislodged the rock which tumbled into the pond. Eventually she left the bank to rejoin mum who was resting under some bushes above the waterhole.

 

P3030015 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030044 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030053 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030056 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030061 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030078 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030088 "Sonam's cub" by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

We waited a while but none of the family reappeared so eventually we moved on.

[kittykat23uk]

We went on to look for Maya but we didn't stay long.

20160303_160859 Maya's place by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

We carried on to Panderpauni and a sloth bear was seen foraging below a tree containing a large colony of bees.

 

P3030127 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030132 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sloth bears are notoriously difficult to photograph, they seem to keep their heads constantly low to the ground and their black fur seems to absorb any light that hits it making them look like big shaggy lumps!

 

As the closest tigress to our gate we naturally returned to Sonam's waterhole on the way back. The crowds had grown substantially:

20160303_165910 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

But the tigress and her cubs did not grace us with their presence. Sonam had three eight month old cubs when we were there. We spotted a mongoose on the way.

 

20160303_150932 View of Sonam's waterhole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Waiting for tigers can be so tiring!

20160303_150950 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

A wild boar was desperate for a drink but the scent of tiger must be in the air and he was naturally wary of making an approach. He appeared twice, but bottled his nerve both times. On the third approach he plucked up the courage to finally take a swift drink before trotting off back to the forest.

 

P3030157 WIld Boar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

It was getting on for 6 pm, as the light began to wane, with storm clouds gathering, a sloth bear also approached the water hole.

 

P3030176 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030181 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030183 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030196 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030201 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030204 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3030205 Sloth Bear by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

When the sloth bear left, so did we. It was a mad scramble to get back to the gate before the park closed. Thankfully the road back is tar and in good condition.

[Galana]

Well some very good sightings there so no complaints? Nice Bears too as well as the study of sleeping beauty..Why no individual 'like' button?

Atmospheric shots of the jungle too. Its got everything. (Not to mention the crowds. Eugh! )

Perhaps it is OK to mention that your "Black-necked Storks" are actually Black Storks? Three Egrets and three different species too.

Thanks for sharing with us. (And pricking a certain lady's conscience [151] )

Edited May 11, 2016 by Galana

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks for pointing that out!

[Atravelynn]

The tigers eventually cooperated very nicely. More sloth bear! Were you able to converse with any vehiclemates (if you had them) or other safarimates about where you had been? You might have succeeded in selling a few more spots on the snow leopard trip through your interactions.

 

 

 

And thank you @@janzin for the additional information on that sad, sad event.

[SafariChick]

Sonam's cub is beautiful and you got some nice clear views and shots of her! Ah, those shots of the crowds of vehicles waiting for tigress to appear brings back memories. I agree that sloth bear are hard to photograph but you did a good job, and you were lucky that this last one was out in the open.

 

Yes, @@janzin thank you for the information about Chirag. That was a very nice piece you linked to written by his friend.

Edited May 11, 2016 by SafariChick

[janzin]

You really had some great Sloth Bear sightings! We only had a very brief one, and none at all in Tadoba. Bear at the waterhole, very cool!

[kittykat23uk]

Yes we had lots of bear action this time!

[kittykat23uk]

4th March 2016

 

We were due to go to Kolsa range again but we swapped out our drive in favour of returning to the buffer zone where Madhuri and her tiny cubs had been seen the previous day by another group staying at Serai lodge. Two black-naped hares were seen on the way to the gate.

 

P3040171 Tiger crossing by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

We went into the right had compartment and searched for Madhuri but to no avail.

 

20160304_075926 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20160304_075935 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Back to the gate, and we crossed into the left had compartment where the "largest tiger in India," the magnificent Waghdoh male was found resting in thick bamboo cover. His origins are unknown but he had been in the southern range of Kolsa for a number of years in his youth but somehow never quite made it there, finding it hard to exist in this region.

 

It is quite possible that his main prey, spotted deer and sambar were in too low numbers for him, even though it should be good habitat for herbivores. However it has been known for sometime that there is heavy bush meat poaching coming in from the south-east. It was in the buffer forest area bordering Kolsa that two tigers were found caught in deadly jaw traps in 2012.

 

By late 2010 the Waghdoh male, now of immense bulk and with huge paws, was beginning to challenge the resident males further north in the richer feeding grounds of Mohurli and even Tadoba, squeezing north his rivals Crooked tail and the Hilltop Male. However, what the Waghdoh male did learn in Kolsa in his youth was to hunt gaur, and it was while trying to bring down a large male in the early summer of 2011, that he got his eye blinded by his victim’s horn, before finally overcoming his battling prey. This how he also gained the nickname "Scarface". He continued to feast on his hard won carcass for days while his injury healed, but by now his good looks had deserted him and his vision had been badly impaired.

 

For all his grumpiness as a dominant tiger, he is though immensely caring to the females under his protection, and will often be seen being affectionate around them, at meal times or sharing a waterhole. As with most dominant males he is prone to laziness and often indulges in his tigress’s most recent meals, but this maybe a feint and the price paid by his females for his protection.

 

With the largest territory in Tadoba he will be covering immense distances mostly at night keep other rivals off his newly established territory and his harem of tigresses, and their boisterous families. He moves between Waghdoh, Telia lake to Tank no 2 in the Mohurli range and then all the way to up to Vasant Bandara in Tadoba.

 

He eventually rose to grace us with his presence as he headed to his private pool, a location known as at junona buffer aategaon chowki waterhole comp. no. 175, for a mid morning dip. He drank and bathed for quite a while, so whilst he soaked up the cooling water, we soaked up our views of him!

 

P3040060 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040092 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040162 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[Galana]

Great sighting! I wonder what the Trail camera caught? It looks almost too close.

[janzin]

Wow! Waghdoh has his own swimming pool, what a lucky tiger! Fantastic sighting.

[elefromoz]

@@kittykat23uk, spectacular, I'd trade "action" for a lethargic Tiger in a waterhole anyday. So lucky to see that.

[kittykat23uk]

When we got back at lunchtime we were excited to hear the news that Sonam had a kill out in the open, so of course we headed straight for her waterhole in the afternoon and were not disappointed!

 

It was our first and only stop. Sonam appeared and bathed in the pool for a while before heading up the bank to rest in the shade of the bushes.

 

One of her cubs joined her briefly, then later either that cub or another one, came down to the pond to bathe.

 

 

P3040226 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040233 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040241 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040251 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040267 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040291 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040306 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040334 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040352 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040350 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040354 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

24063093-85ce-4442-b402-842bbd00ebc2 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040352 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[kittykat23uk]

P3040360 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Later on Sonam reappeared and started tugging the carcass up the bank.

 

P3040385 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040427 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040438 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040443 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040457 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040460 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040460 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040465 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040470 Sonam by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

[kittykat23uk]

The same cub reappeared and fed briefly before heading off to the bushes.

 

P3040555 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040559 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040565 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3040569 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Soon after the storm clouds gathered and the wind and rain whipped up around us. One of the other groups of tourst had a nasty surprise when an overhanging branch cracked and fell on the bonnet of their car, raining twigs and debris on the occupants.

 

We sheltered under the plastic rain cover that was hastily brought out and made sure we positioned ourselves out of danger of falling branches. When the rain and wind finally died down, there were no further sightings and soon it was time to leave for the gate.

[Galana]

Terrific sightings and well worth the slow start. Further comment superfluous so I will just paraphrase your own signature.

<If an experience is amazing enough to be "once in a lifetime," I want to do it every year.> Never said a truer word! It is up there among the awesomes.

The background to the otherwise excellent video reminds me why I don't video on India.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Galana

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks! I had to edit out a lot from the video, too many heads getting in the way!

[Galana]

I heard the "thank you" and guessed as much.

[kittykat23uk]

5th March 2016

 

It was our last drive this morning before we had to catch our flight to Mumbai. Maya had been seen with the cubs at Panderpauni the night before along with a male tiger. So we made a beeline for that area.

 

20160305_051040 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

A lovely Sambar was seen en route.

 

P3050607 Sambar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050618 Sambar by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

When we got to Panderpauni but did not find Maya or the male tiger. There was a thin layer of mist reflecting the golden light as a herd of chital made their way through the long grass.

 

P3050626 adj Chital by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We tried some newly opened routes, but did not see anything of note. We returned to Sonam who showed soon after we arrived, taking a bath before retiring to the bushes. The sambar had been moved further back and there was much less interest compared to the previous day.

 

 

Her bold little cub reappeared after mum had departed and took a dip as well

 

P3050705 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050720 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050723 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050743 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050749 adj Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050766 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050790 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050787 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The little cub grabbed a piece of offal before heading off to eat with her mother and siblings.

 

P3050804 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

P3050813 Sonam's cub by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We met a couple of mahouts who told us that Sonam and the other two cubs were asleep.

 

20160305_093253 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

20160305_093256 by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

We tried some more new routes, and found a gorgeous white-eyed buzzard.

 

P3050828 White-eyed buzzard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

Afterwards, we returned to Sonam but there was not further action before we had to leave, we took a packed lunch with us for the journey, leaving at 11.30 for our transfer to Nagpur for our Jet Airways flight no. 9W7134 which departed Nagpur at 1710 hours and arrived in Mumbai at 1835 hours. We had a few hours to rest up at the Suba Galaxy Hotel before we had to leave for our early flight the next morning. The hotel had a well-stocked minibar, which was useful as the restaurant was closed due to a function. We didn't look elsewhere for dinner as we'd had plenty of snacks at the airport and en route so neither of us felt particularly hungry.i

 

6th March 2016

 

Our driver met us at the hotel reception at 0345 hours to transfer us to Mumbai International Airport in time to check in at 0400 hours for our international flight home with Air India flight no. AI 131 departing at 0700 hours arriving at London Heathrow at 1130 hours the same day. Peter got us into one of the airport lounges, so it was an odd breakfast of scrambled egg on toast with a rum and coke chaser!

The flight back was comfortable and uneventful.

 

And so ended a rather successful trip!

[Galana]

So sad that it has come to an end and thank you for taking us with you and showing some wonderful pictures. Right up to the last day so no complaints there.

Of teh tiger sightings I have been fortunate to have I have yet to see one in water either drinking, lazing, swimming or doing what that cub just did. What is it with kids and swimming pools? Good to see it at least went to the other end of the pool first.

Thanks again.

Edited May 22, 2016 by Galana

[Kitsafari]

@@kittykat23uk Wow the Tigers paraded for you! That's a stunning male and it's amazing how a physical impairment has not impaired its domination Of the area.

 

And that's a lot of sloth bears too. Glad the cats showed up for you.

[kittykat23uk]

Thanks,yes we had some pretty good sightings! I do wish we could have got a clear view of mum with the cubs altogether. In fact I think we only saw one of Sonam's cubs. We did glimpse Maya and her three cubs together but as I mentioned the views were poor, being obscured by the bamboo and trees.

 

In total though I think we had two snow leopards, two lynx, four wolves, and ten individual tigers! Plus I think five sloth bears, still no dhole!