Sultanpur has more than just birds

The Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary (also known as the Sultanpur National Park) is just 15 km away from the millennium city of Gurgaon near Delhi. 

The Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary

The Bird Sanctuary is a habitat for local birds as well as migratory birds that come all the way from far off places like Siberia. 

A Purple Heron in flight

But the place should not be associated with birds only. I was surprised to see that several turtles were nesting there (difference between a turtle and tortoise is that turtle live in water and tortoise on land. Also the shell of turtle is shiny black whereas the tortoise may be dull in colour). 

A turtle at the Sultanpur National Park

Initially I could see only something shining so I thought either it is a reflection of the sun against the water or some bird nesting. It was only when I used my camera zoom that I realised that on the hay mounds in the water the shiny objects are turtles. It goes without saying that there were fish also in the water body as I did see one Pond Heron picking up a fish. 

Nesting turtles at the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary

Also there are several Nilgai (An Asian Antelope or Blue Bull) in the sanctuary. There was one bunch of more than ten female Nilgai (a female Nigai is brown in colour) who were very playful.

Seems I was an attraction for these Nilgais at Sultanpur!

I was able to see the Nilgai racing past me at very close quarters. 

Two racing Nilgai

The two males (males are bluish in colour and hence the name Nilgai) remained aloof and did not mix with the herd or with each other! What was surprising was that these antelopes were very comfortable in crossing the water body. Till now I had never seen them in water.

A male Nilgai. Also see a peacock in the left corner & a Heron behind the Nilgai

The best time to visit the park is in winters as that is when the migratory birds come in big numbers. Also the park is closed in summers for some time to allow the birds a safe nesting period.

Also read:
This is also Gurgaon: The Sultanpur National Park

Ranthambore National Park

The Ranthambore National Park is 14 kms from the Sawai Madopur town in the state of Rajasthan. It is 350 kms from Delhi and is well connected both by the railways and good expressways. Spread over 392 sq. kms of forested Aravali and the Vindhya ranges. It is among the largest national parks of India. The forest is  dry tropical deciduous type.

A beautiful water body inside Ranthambore Park with reflection of the hill

I drove from Jodhpur to Sawai Madhopur last winter to visit the Ranthambore National Park. I started early in the morning so as to cover the distance of 440 kms in daylight. I had not traveled this stretch of the road earlier.

Tourist in a Canter

I had booked hotel Vinayak of the Rajathan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) run by the state government. The location of the hotel is very close to the Ranthambore National Park. I had also pre-booked online the Canter for sigh-seeing. While booking online I was disappointed that none of the Gypsies were available but I think it was a blessing in disguise. The view from a Canter (a converted truck) is better than a Gypsy as you are able to view from above and one can also look farther.

Who is watching whom!

As the hotel is very close to the park I was among the last ones to be picked by the Canter early next morning. Most people had taken blankets to cover themselves from the cold but I think one jacket with gloves and cap is a better idea. The very first surprise I got was this bird who came and sat on the railing of the Canter and gave all of us ample opportunity to click it.

Cheetal or Spotted Deer

There are several types of antelopes in the park like the Nilgai, Sambhar, Chinkara and Cheetal. Though tigers are the main attraction of the park it is pure luck if you get to sight a tiger.

A Crocodile!

I was also able to see a crocodile lazing outside a water body  If you click the above photo you can make out a crocodile in the center of the photo sunbathing outside the water.

Waterfowl at Ranthambore 

The park also a a treasure trove for the bird lovers. Best time to visit the park is the winter season. Despite my lack of bird knowledge I was able to recognize some of the birds as waterfowls, kingfishers etc. One can see several varieties of migratory birds during the winter time in the park as the park is dotted with several water bodies - stationary and flowing.

Un-metalled Path inside the Ranthambore Park

The park also has Leopards, Ratel, Caracle, Jungle Cat, Fox and Jackal. I saw some pug marks which according to the guide belonged to a Tendua (Panther).

Nilgai

The Nilgais (or the Blue Bull) and the Sambhars are the two big antelope varieties in the park and I was lucky enough to see the Sambhars during day time which normally don't come out in the open.

A male Cheetal

The whole town is crazy about tigers and wherever one gets quizzed- did you see the tiger! Also the guides try to create excitement in the jungle that we are about to see a tiger and the foot-marks are recent ones and they will also tell you that the call of the animals is because somewhere nearby a tiger is roaming.

Mongoose

I also sighted two mongoose by chance as first they crossed the path and then stayed in viewing range for sometime in the nearby grass as well.

Conference of Langurs

The park has an abundance of Gray Langurs or Semnopithecus (also known as Old World Monkeys). What I have observed is that where there is a habitat of Langurs, the ordinary monkeys (New World Monkeys or in Hindi Bandar) disappear as monkeys are scared of Langurs. Comparatively speaking the Langurs are better behaved compared to the monkeys who would attack you to snatch your stuff.

Peacocks

Of course there is abundance of peacocks is the Sawai Madopur area as northern India is the general habitat for them.

It was a good trip to see the wildlife in its natural habitat. Though the trip inside the parks lasted only just over three hours but the memory of it will last a lifetime.

Also read -


Guda Bishnoi for bird and wildlife in Jodhpur area of Rajasthan.
Sambhar Lake for bird and wildlife in Sambhar area of Rajasthan.

Sambhar Lake

Sambhar Lake is located in the Jaipur and Nagaur districts of the state of Rajasthan and is the largest inland salt lake of India. It spreads over approximately 230 square kms with a circumference of nearly 100 kms. It is also a designated Ramsar Site i.e.it is a wetland area of international importance especially as a waterfowl habitat.

It is due to this reason that I decided to go in winters as this area is a heaven for migratory birds from northern Asia when they come here in huge numbers from October to March each year.

Waterfowls

Sambhar town is located about 100 kms from Jaipur. It took me nearly eight hours to reach (including breaks) due to the fact that Delhi- Jaipur National Highways nowadays in a complete mess due to the six laning project.

Nilgai

I stayed in the Sambhar Salt Works Circuit House which gives a wide angle view of the whole area as it is located at a height. But I would write about the Circuit House in another post.

Peacocks

The best time to see the birds and other wild life activity is the morning period as they are more active at this time therefore I ventured out before the dawn the next day.

A huge Banyan tree

Besides the migratory birds I was also able to see lots of pheasants, peafowls and peahens as well as several Nilgais. Nilgai is the biggest antelope that can be found on the Indian sub continent.

Nilgai giving a pose

The waterfowls and various kind of migratory ducks were in abundant numbers. The area is dotted with water bodies and some bodies have abundance of one variety whereas the other water bodies were home to other varieties.

Waterfowls

Besides the waterfowls I was able to spot a few Indian Pond Herons as well.

A nesting Pond Heron 

Picture perfect

A paradise for birdwatchers

The area is also host to vast number of flamingos but they will not come near the human habitations and prefer the bigger water bodies which are surrounded by marsh land. Due to this one cannot go too near to view them properly. One can only make out flocks of them but cannot see them clearly with naked eyes so it is advisable to carry powerful binoculars and telephoto lenses.

Dried up part of the lake

I took my car on the dried part of the lake as far as possible before the marsh prevented me to go further. In the photo above the car can be seen on the lake bed with the Sakhambari temple and the cenotaph on the hill in the background.

Marsh land in front and the lake shimmering in the background 

To move around it is essential that you have a vehicle as the area is vast as for example the distance from the town to the Sakhambari temple is about 22 kms. Also one should avoid cars like Honda City which has very low clearance from the ground. As I knew that I can expect rough roads in the interiors of Rajasthan therefore I took the Swift for the journey.

Shakambari Temple at Sambhar

The Sakhambari temple does not receive many visitors on a normal day. It seems that only during the fair large number of people come and visit. I was the only visitor, for example, on the day I reached there. Like so many other temples in India, the vicinity has not been kept clean as one can see polythene packs lying around the temple area as well as in the small temple baoli (water reservoir).

Sakhambari Cenotaph

The cenotaph on the hill above the Sakhambari temple is an excellent spot to view the area far and wide. The trees in the photo below look like patches of grass as the photo was taken from above.

View from the cenotaph of the Sakhambari temple

Rajasthan Tourism has unfortunately not developed this area nor are they advertising about it though it is definitely a paradise for the ornithologists.