Bharatpur 2019

Saras

Life offers but few escapes- time with oneself is hard to come by! I decided to have some quiet time when I booked my tickets for Bharatpur. The erstwhile Fort & Kingdom- the one which the Britishers could not conquer in their 150-odd years of rule in the subcontinent. What with its Mud covered high walls which absorbed the shock of any artillery fire & its strategically placed Moat all around, teeming with crocodiles.

This year around, in variance to our regular plans, me & my friend, took a flight to Delhi on the first Thursday of the new year. Landing there in the fog we went straight to The Nizamuddin railway station- what with the Uber driver being a novice to the Metro & hence he was driving in circles so that the journey which normally takes 45 minutes in the dying hours of the day was stretched to a hilarious & a little bit anxious 2 hours. We barely made it to the platform to catch our onward train to Bharatpur. We reached Bharatpur at 2 am, with fog swirling around. Hailing an autorickshaw we went to the hotel- a property run by the Rajasthan Tourism corporation. Catching a few quick winks we were up betimes & ready by the time our trusted MANSASINGH came along. Mansa Singh is our rickshaw driver & friend at Bharatpur.

We entered the park & our first stop was just before the barrier, where we tried to make some Jackal shots- but luck failed us- a rare occurrence at Bharatpur where jackals abound & are not too shy of humans. We sallied forth & at the barrier turned towards the forest guesthouse- behind which runs a trail bordered by the wetlands & where we were told that this year, a flock of Flamingoes had arrived. So thither we went in earnest. There was some nice activity of pied kingfishers, 5 of them at a place & making a fight for the food available there. A couple of Blue Bulls ( Neel Gai) put up a brief appearance in the fog. NO Luck with the flamingoes though!!

We returned to our rickshaw & enquired about the star guest at Bharatpur near the barrier- The Siberian Rubythroat, which we did see & get a few shots of, the year prior. But like any beautiful bird, we were not satisfied & wanted to see it once again. But we were dismayed to know that it had not made its appearance this year. So our next stop was to be Sapan-Mori at the midpoint. En route at a point near the heronry, a grey heron startled us by landing close by & with a big fish for a catch in its beak. We could get barely a shot or two before the fish was deep inside its gullet. Amazed & excited at the excellent omen we started on foot- looking for Blue-throats in the shrubbery, shooting Jacanas & reached Sapan mori in some time. Being the early birds in the park we were there before the crowd. A darter was sitting close to the road & gave us some wonderful image opportunities in some amazing early sunlight.

Sometime later a Marsh harrier popped in & had a coot for a meal on a branch.

We coursed to the right of the main road & were soon on our way to do what was our main aim this year at Bharatpur- Saras cranes.

Saras Cranes

This bird, once on the verge of extinction from India along the footsteps of the Siberian cousins has made a strong comeback, thanks to conservation efforts & can now be sighted in good numbers inside & outside the park. Known for the commitment to a partner for a lifetime it has a special place in Indian Myths & legends.

We spied a pair grazing in a shallow swamp at the very end of the dirt track. & surprise! Surprise!! There was a juvenile in tow! What luck.

After taking some routine shots from a distance I changed tactics & gradually circled around to a side road & made my way stealthily to the very edge of the swamp with the help of the cover of the underbrush. Sitting comfortably ( as much as the biting cold allowed me to be) on my field chair I got ready for the long haul. Slowly but surely the mother & its young one started coming close to where I sat. I made some of my most satisfying images of the mother feeding the juvenile with clams/mussels. Great light & a lucky spot gave me some of my best saras shots to date. Crisp & clean!!!!

By the time I was back to my senses, it was already 1:30 pm. Getting food inside the park is difficult. The RTDC resort near the barrier is the only place else you need to go out of the park & come back again- wasting a good 2 hours on the whole.

We hurried to the RTDC resort & had some food. Quieting our hunger we decided to once again go to the same spot & see whether the Saras was still there- & yes we were in luck

This time I got all three individuals in the single frame. What luck.

Satisfied with the day's work we retreated to the resort.

A word here about the resort- Till now our preferred place to stay but this time we saw the worst phase yet of the place. I would not recommend it to anyone anymore. Bad food, the terrible condition of the rooms, the linen & blankets had a very bad odour.

The next day was pretty much the same. We started back for Delhi Via Mathura. A delayed train due to fog allowed us to have some much-needed coffee & food at the railway station. Reaching Delhi we hit a hotel near the airport. & luckily for us, despite a dense fog our flight took off on time & allowed us to be back on time home.

Bharatpur this year was surreal- beautiful, captivating & teeming with birds. It was a throwback to its pre-2011 days. After a gap of & a scare that it will be lost to birds, this year the birds were happily back & the place was agog with activity.

A blessed break from our routine & some amazing images to show for it.

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Eager to be back next season for some more exciting times at one of my favourite places in India.