Western and Central India Dec 2023 – raining cats and dogs: Trip Report

Pictures: Jannis Göttling

Text: Ravi Kailas (ficustours@gmail.com)

A natural history oriented guided tour to Western (primarily) and Central (an aside) India, proved extremely productive for the diversity (and quality of sightings) of mammals and birds, many of them regional specialities and on the pre-tour wish list. Asiatic Wild Cat, Tiger, Leopard, Asiatic Lion, Indian Wolf, Striped Hyena, Bengal Fox, Asiatic Wild Ass and Barasingha were among the mammalian highlights. Indian Bustard, Syke’s and Desert Larks, Syke’s Nightjar, Trumpeter Finch, Short-eared Owl, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Sarus Crane, Asian Desert Warbler, Cream Courser, Red-tailed Wheatear, Cinereous and Red-headed Vultures, Laggar Falcon and a plethora of other raptors (including an heartening surfeit of Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers at Velavadar), were among the avian highlights from the trip. There were a handful of reptiles (most seen on one warm afternoon at Gir), including an interesting Lacertid from the Desert (Anthodactylus sp.?) and even fewer frogs, that showed as well. As always Blackbuck National Park shone for the sheer abundance of highly visible wildlife, packed into this tiny space, but we had memorable sightings from all other locations as well. It was a pleasure to host Jannis and Heike, on their first visit to India.

Dates

4th to 13th December 2023

Locations visited

Desert National Park; Kanha National Park; Wild Ass Sanctuary; Blackbuck National Park; Gir National Park

Tour Participants

Guests: Jannis and Heike Göttling

Naturalist: Ravi Kailas

Report

Days 1, 2 & 3, Desert NP: As it turned out, three days was plenty at this location for two sightings of the critically endangered Indian Bustard as well three sightings of Asiatic Wild Cat – the highlight species from this location. Both Indian Bustard sightings occurred around the Sudasari area, the first of which was of a trio of distant females through the heat haze of the late morning and the other one of four individuals playing hide and seek in the bushes, late in the evening, the latter saving an otherwise quiet evening. Our sightings of Desert Cat, normally quite random, exceeded expectations, with two lingering, views (only thirty feet or so away on the second occasion), apparently hunting Indian Jird (tail flicking behaviour on display), late in the afternoon, and one rather more fleeting view at night. Other highlights from our 6 sessions exploring the desert included a number of raptors, including three pairs of Laggar Falcon, Cinerous and Red-headed Vultures, numerous Desert Fox and, even more so, Chinkara, a solitary Indian Fox, a few Indian Jird, Desert and Bimaculated Larks, Cream Courser, Asian Desert Warbler, Red-tailed Wheatear, Trumpeter Finch and Syke’s Nightjar. Notable misses included MacQueen’s Bustard (evidently becoming increasingly rare here) and Greater Hoopoe Lark (despite dedicated effort). There was a lower abundance of migrant raptors than usual for this time of the year (correlated with poor rainfall in the summer monsoon, and a late, unseasonal spell?).

Day 4, Raipur: After an abridged morning effort at the Desert National Park, we took an early PM transfer from Jaisalmer to Raipur, with an airside transfer at Delhi.

Days 5 & 6, Kanha NP: This Central Indian location of moist/mixed deciduous forest and meadows was an aside to the otherwise arid/semi-arid habitats we visited west of here. Our four safaris in the core zone of park (two in Mukki and two in Kisli), was modestly productive for two sightings of Tiger – the second of which, of a pair of sub-adult siblings, being especially intimate as they strolled across the safari route, in soft evening light. On our final safari, we also spent a few minutes listening to a pair of tigers vocalising (a territorial dispute), just a few feet from us, but hidden in the thickets with an Oriental Honey Buzzard picking off a beehive, providing the visual entertainment, while we waited, in vain, for the felines to show. Kanha hosts among the last remaining hard ground swamp deer and, as per expectation, we had great views of this species, especially in the vast meadows of the Mukki Zone. This was also the only location where we saw Ruddy Mongoose. Birdlife was modest, and highlights from here included Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Oriental Scops Owl and Lesser Adjutant, among a representation of forest and wetland birdlife typical of Central Indian forests. We also had a couple of sightings of Indian Flapshell Turtle around a forest pond.

Day 7, Ahmedabad: After AM safari at Kanha, we transferred to Nagpur Airport (5 hr drive) for a night flight to Ahmedabad. Overnight stay at Ahmedabad.

Day 8, Wild Ass Sanctuary: This brief visit to the vast Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch, encompassing salt pans and sparsely vegetated islands, was a mixed bag. We visited the Rann (local name for the Salt Pans) and were duly greeted with a sighting of a solitary Indian Wild Ass, grazing on Suaeda, surprisingly only one of two individuals of the species from this evening, which are otherwise locally abundant. The only other wild mammal on view this evening were Nilgai and while it is presumptuous to read too much into this paucity of sightings, this appears to be further evidence of decreased abundance/diversity of mammals in this park, purportedly due to increased human population/associated disturbance (feral dogs are believed to be among the main culprits here). Birdlife was modest in the evening, with a small congregation of waders and waterfowl in a wetland within the Rann and murmurations of Rosy Starling (the species also seen in good numbers feeding on the berries of the Salvadora persica – a keystone food resource in this region) among the highlights. The following morning, however, was much more satisfying with an abundance of waders, raptors and waterfowl at the Nava Talav – an artificially irrigated tank on the periphery of the Rann. Our two hours or so here produced good species like White-tailed Lapwing, Bar-headed Goose, Greater Flamingo, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Dalmatian Pelican, Eurasian Spoonbill and Clamorous Reed Warbler.

Days 9 & 10, Blackbuck National Park: After the morning at Nava Talav, our four hour drive to the Blackbuck National Park produced a pair of Saras Crane and a lone Indian Wild Ass, both in the general vicinity of the Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary. Our four safaris here exceeded expectations, which were already high given past experience in this tiny park. The main highlight was of multiple sightings of a family of Striped Hyena, which included the mother , three sub-adults and three pups. The sub-adults were especially bold, often comically so, tentatively chasing an adult Nilgai, before the tables turned, playing with plastic pipe material and especially memorably, stealing an Indian Wolf kill of a Nilgai fawn (four wolves and a herd of wild boar, their role unclear in this drama, were in the vicinity when the Hyena emerged with the kill from within the grasses and feeding on the spoils, while seemingly bickering among themselves. We saw them on all our safaris, both dawn until late morning and close to dusk. We also saw Indian Wolf, the best sighting of which in the aforesaid incident with Hyenas, great views of Jungle Cat and Indian Fox (outside the park) among commoner mammals (including large numbers of Blackbuck which the park is known for). It was also heartening to see good numbers of Montegu’s and Pallid Harriers, in this site known as among the world’s largest harrier roosts, but where numbers had dropped somewhat in the recent past. The local naturalist suggested that this change in trend was likely a result of farmers going back to planting native cotton recently, which had a positive impact on grasshopper populations, significant prey for harriers in these grasslands. Birdlife was satisfactorily rich even otherwise with Syke’s Lark, Dalmatian Pelican, Short-eared Owl, Long-billed and Tawny Pipits, Pied Avocet and Common Crane among various raptors, waders and waterfowl.

Days 11 & 12, Gir NP: Our three safaris in Gir lived up quite close to the riches of Velavadar, this despite the mayhem at the reception centre created by the large crowds that visit the park in recent years as well as the pre-located lions that tourists are directed to. However we also had ‘organic’ Asiatic Lion sightings, where we happened upon them, which is of course the satisfactory manner of seeing anything in the wild. Another highlight from Gir was the sighting of two Leopards – one during a Jungle Safari, and the other while driving around the periphery of the park. There was a healthy representation of forest birdlife here, including of Crested Serpent and Crested Hawk Eagles, numerous White-eyed Buzzard, White-browed Fantail, Brown Fish and Indian Scops Owls among others. Gir was also the most productive location for reptiles on this trip, with one warm afternoon accounting for Mugger Crocodile, Indian Flapshell Turtle, Bengal Monitor Lizard and Checkered Keelback showing among them.

Day 13, Rajkot/Ahmedabad: After a morning safari at Gir, travelled by road to Ahmedabad via Rajkot

List of Mammals Seen

Species	Desert NP	Kanha NP	Little Rann of Kutch	Velavadar	Gir NP	Transit
Indian Gazelle	x					x (around DNP)
Blackbuck				x
Nilgai	x		x	x	x	x
Gaur		x
Indian Wild Ass			x			x (around Nalsarovar)
Wild Pig	x	x		x	x
Swamp Deer		x
Spotted Deer		x			x
Sambar		x			x
Indian Munjtac		x
Indian Hare						x (in the periphery of Velavadar and Gir)
Indian Desert Jird	x					x (around DNP)
Five-striped Palm Squirrel	x			x	x	x (around LRK)
Northern Plains Langur		x			x	x (between Raipur and Kanha)
Rhesus Macaque						x (between Kanha and Nagpur)
Asiatic Wild Cat	x					x (around DNP)
Jungle Cat				x
Leopard					x	x (around Gir)
Tiger		x
Asiatic Lion					x
Desert Fox	x					x (around DNP)
Indian Fox	x					x (around Velavadar)
Golden Jackal		x				x (around Gir?)
Indian Wolf				x
Striped Hyena				x		x (around Gir?)
Indian Grey Mongoose	x			x	x
Ruddy Mongoose		x
Small Indian Civet?						x (Around Gir?)
Indian Flying Fox						x (Around Gir and between LRK and Velavadar)
Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat						x (around Gir)

List of Birds Seen

Species	Desert NP	Kanha	Little Rann of Kutch	Velavadar	Gir NP	Transit
Isabelline Wheatear	x		x	x		x
Desert Wheatear	x		x	x		x
Variable Wheatear	x		x			x
Red-tailed Wheatear	x
Eurasian Collared Dove	x		x	x		x
Laughing Dove	x		x			x
Spotted Dove
Rock Pigeon	x					x
Yellow-eyed Pigeon?	x
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon		x			x
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse	x					x
Indian Bustard	x
Indian Thicknee						x
Cream Coloured Courser	x
Common Babbler	x		x	x		x
Jungle Babbler					x
Brown-cheeked Fulvetta		x
Green Beeeater	x		x	x	x	x
Black Drongo	x	x		x	x	x
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo		x
Ashy Drongo		x			x
White-bellied Drongo		x
Southern Grey Shrike	x					x
Brown Shrike				x		x
Long-tailed Shrike		x		x
Isabelline Shrike				x
Bay-backed Shrike			x	x		x
Black-breasted Weaver			x
Baya Weaver				x		x
House Sparrow	x		x	x		x
Chestnut-shouldered Petronia					x
Trumpeter Finch	x
Indian Silverbill	x			x	x	x
Scaly-breasted Munia		x			x
Red Avadavat					x	x
Shikra	x		x	x		x
Egyptian Vulture	x					x
Cinereous Vulture	x
Eurasian Griffon	x
Red-headed Vulture	x				x
Steppe Eagle	x				x	x
Eastern Imperial Eagle			x	x
Greater Spotted Eagle			x	x
Indian Spotted Eagle				x
Booted Eagle						x
Grey-headed Fish Eagle		x
Oriental Honey Buzzard		x
White-eyed Buzzard					x
Crested Serpent Eagle		x			x
Crested Hawk Eagle					x
Short-toed Snake Eagle				x
Long-legged Buzzard	x					x
Black Kite	x					x
Eurasian Kestrel	x		x	x		x
Laggar Falcon	x
Black-shouldered Kite	x	x	x	x		x
Western Marsh Harrier			x	x
Pallid Harrier				x
Montegu’s Harrier				x
Rufous-tailed Lark	x			x		x
Desert Lark	x					x
Bimaculated Lark	x
Black-crownded Sparrow Lark	x
Greater Short-toed Lark	x			x		x
Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark				x		x
Crested Lark	x		x	x		x
Syke’s Lark				x
House Crow	x				x	x
Large-billed Crow	x	x			x	x
Rufous Treepie		x		x	x
Common Peafowl	x	x		x		x
Red Junglefowl		x
Grey Francolin		x	x	x	x	x
Greenish Warbler						x
Asian Desert Warbler	x
Clamorous Reed Warbler			x	x
Lesser Whitethroat	x			x		x
Zitting Cisticola		x
Rufous-fronted Prinia	x
Plain Prinia				x
Indian Whiteeye		x				x
Common Tailorbird						x
Pipit sp	x			x
Long-billed Pipit				x
Paddyfield Pipit		x		x
Grey Wagtail		x			x
Yellow Wagtail				x
White-throated Kingfisher	x	x	x	x	x	x
Pied Kingfisher			x	x		x
Common Kingfisher		x	x	x
Little Cormorant		x		x	x	x
Indian Cormorant			x
Darter				x
Red-naped Ibis	x		x		x	x
Black-headed Ibis			x		x	x
Glossy Ibis			x
Indian Pond Heron		x	x	x		x
Little Green Heron		x
Black Crowned Night Heron				x
Purple Heron			x	x
Grey Heron			x	x
Little Egret		x	x	x		x
Intermediate Egret			x	x
Great Egret			x	x
Western Reef Egret				x
Cattle Egret		x		x		x
Painted Stork			x	x		x
Eurasian Spoonbill			x	x
Lesser Adjutant
Asian Openbill						x
Common Crane			x	x		x
Saras Crane						x
Bar-headed Goose			x
Greylag Goose			x
Dalmatian Pelican			x	x
Yellow-wattled Lapwing		x				x
Red-wattled Lapwing		x	x	x		x
White-tailed Lapwing			x
Pheasant-tailed Jacana		x
Bronze-winged Jacana		x
Black-winged Stilt			x			x
Little Stint			x	x
Temminck’s Stint			x
Kentish Plover			x
Little Ringed Plover			x
Green Sandpiper		x			x
Wood Sandpiper			x		x
Common Sandpiper			x	x
Common Greenshank			x
Common Redshank				x
Spotted Redshank			x
Black-tailed Godwit			x	x
Oriental Pratincole				x
Pied Avocet			x	x
Eurasian Curlew			x
Whimbrel
Common Snipe		x
Greater Flamingo			x
Lesser Flamingo			x
River Tern			x	x
Whiskered Tern			x
Gull-billed Tern				x
Brown Rock Chat	x					x
Pied Bushchat		x		x		x
Siberian Stonechat		x		x
Oriental Magpie Robin		x			x	x
Small Minivet		x				x
Cinereous Tit					x
Taiga Flycatcher		x				x
Red-breasted Flycatcher					x
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher						x
Black-naped Monarch		x
Asian Paradise Flycatcher					x
White-browed Fantail					x
Black Redstart	x					x
Eurasian Hoopoe		x			x
Indian Robin				x	x	x
Crested Treeswift		x
Indian Roller		x				x
Purple Sunbird					x	x
Pale-billed Flowerpecker					x	x
White-eared Bulbul			x	x		x
Red-vented Bulbul		x		x	x	x
Common Iora						x
Brown-headed Barbet		x
Coppersmith		x				x
Alexandrine Parakeet		x
Rose-ringed Parakeet				x	x	x
Plum-headed Parakeet		x			x	x
Common Myna		x
Bank Myna						x
Jungle Myna		x
Brahminy Starling					x
Rosy Starling			x	x		x
Asian Pied Starling		x
Black-hooded Oriole		x
Indian Golden Oriole					x
Indian Grey Hornbill		x
Indian Spotbilled Duck				x
Northern Pintail		x		x
Gadwall		x		x
Northern Shoveler			x	x
Common Teal			x	x
Eurasian Wigeon			x	x
Little Grebe		x		x
Eurasian Coot				x
Purple Swamphen				x
White-breasted Waterhen				x
Red-rumped Swallow		x
Barn Swallow		x	x
Wire-tailed Swallow				x
Dusky Crag Martin					x
Spotted Owlet		x	x		x	x
Jungle owlet		x
Oriental Scops Owl						x
Indian Scops Owl					x
Brown Fish Owl					x
Short-eared Owl				x
Black-rumped Flameback		x			x
Asian Koel					x	x
Greater Coucal				x