Manas Day 2 - afternoon excursion to Bhudapara

January 12th 2020

3pm - after the 3 L's, we were off agains - Lunch, Lemons and Loo!

I was a free radical on this trip, so I would seat myself in any jeep, with any group, in a most random fashion.  I think on the afternoon ride I was with Kumar Sr (not cousin), Mr Shankarnarayan, and Devika in the front.  Devika preferred to occupy the seat next to the driver, as this meant less strain to her toe, while getting in and out.

Getting in and out was probably the only exercise we got!  Afternoon rides were not cold when we left, but would get super chill as we returned.

Just as we enter the main arch, the peacock and jungle fowl agglomeration is to the left, and to the right, is this curious looking glass-fronted display room, with what looked like a boat inside.  Day 1 I did not pay much attention, as eyes were glued to the birding action on the other side.

Now I had become blasé about those beautiful fowls, pea and jungle, and turned my attention to this, as we were parked and waiting for our entry formalities to be done.

Turns out, it was one of the boats used by Sir Edmund Hillary on his Ocean to Sky expedition in 1977.  Fancy that!  The expedition made use of 7 boats with powerful V8 engines, and at the end of it, the boats were donated to wildlife parks, and one boat named Air India, landed up at Manas.  So initially, it was used in the waterways and on the river, and then when the motor conked (such things do happen of course), it went in to disuse, and then someone decided to institutionalise it in 2014.  What an interesting story!

Why did the pheasant cross the road?

We found Mr and Mrs Kalij suddenly to the right of the track a little ahead of our jeep.  These birds of course are painfully shy and we sat still with engine off, to observe them.  

And then to the left was another male peeping out.  So it looked like mister on the left wanted to cross over to the pair on the right.  It took some tentative steps, 

and then quickly scuttled across in front of the jeep.  

Mr Left kept a wary eye on us all through.  Handsome chap he was.  And a much better glimpse than when I saw them in Bhutan way up n the hillside.

Suresh captured him in full strut!  The Kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) seems to have many sub-species across the Himalayas, the Western Himalayas ones have a white crest.  Ours was an all black.  But look at the sheen in the feathers!

And then Pranjal in the jeep ahead of us called out to look at the Collared Falconets!  Falconet are kutty falcons - piglet, owlet, in the same naming rationale I suppose - they are not very common and hence his excitement.  Of course another lifer.  and they were sitting facing opposite directions.  The rust is on the chest and the black is on the back.  And they have shrike-like beaks and even that band across the eyes.  We took a good look at them through the binoculars, with the evening sun falling on them.

A beauty by the wayside

The light was fast fading, but it was doing beautiful things - like lighting up this Bombax which was resplendent with flower.  Somehow, this picture doesn't quite capture the gorgeous red of the flowers, as they caught the sun and glowed.  

A little further down, and this tree was filled with Starlings.  All those little dots are birds!

The Lesser Adjutants did not seem to appreciate all this, and sat around morosely, each looking in a different direction.  A rather anthropocentric view I admit, for all you know they are the happiest and most contented bunch of birds!  

Fading light or not, the forest was alive.  

A tree full of female plum-headed parakeets

An elephant suddenly emerged from the grass and crossed over.  Our driver and guide was a little wary of him, keeping a safe distance and waiting until it was well into the forest on the other side.

And then a strange ghostly sight of a one-horned buffalo!

Sunset sights

Up the sarfuli watchtower, for another magical sundown this time with a herd of elephants.

- a matriarch, keeping her herd in line, 

she seemed to signal something to the younger elephants around and they all slowly began moving in to the forest, away from the clearing.  

some last minute jousting between the young ones

I reluctantly came down from the watchtower, it was time to leave.  There is something magical, powerful, wise and humbling about elephant herds.

As soon as the sun goes down, the cold rises.  It was not yet 6pm when we got back to Florican, but it was chill already.  Tea and pakodas awaited.   Ohh how welcome was that hot, steaming cup of tea!

But the excitement was not over.  there was a huge commotion outside the gates.  Grunting and scuffling.  Nayantara cam running back excitedly saying that there was a rhino fight underway.  The forest guards were calling excitedly, torches were shone this way and that - there was clanking of tins, as they tried to separate the two rhinos.

We were told to come in and the gates were closed - not that those gates would keep a rhino with intent out!

It was only next morning that we saw the damage.  The rhino's  side had been completely ripped.

Warming by the fire, I needed to leave my shoes there to dry as well - wondering what was the appropriate distance to leave them...too close and would the melt/burn/go up in flames, too far and they would still be cold and wet in the morning.  I went with too close.  (And they survived)

This Photo by Sudar - a good way to end the day.