Redstart at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted the Redstart in open areas of the forest.

The adult male has overall dark grey to black on the upper parts and a black breast. The lower rump and tail are orange-red, and tail feathers dark red-brown.They have bright orange-red tails. The wings are blackish-grey.

They are rarely seen on the ground. They are usually seen on the trees.

Asiatic Lions at Gir

Asiatic Lions are found only in Gir Forests of Gujarat. They have been marked as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of threatened species. The approximate population of the lions is between 300 - 400.

In Gir Sanctuary went for Jeep Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted pride of Asiatic Lions in a small open area in the forest.

They are very similar to the African lion in physical size and appearance, though they are somewhat smaller. The height at the shoulders is approximately 3.5 ft The mane of the male lions is short, sparse and darker in color. 

The fur ranges in color from ruddy tawny, heavily speckled with black, to sandy or buff-grey. They have a very unique longitudinal fold of skin that runs along their belly. 

They live in prides, that include only two to five females each. The different jeeps in the Safari take different predefined routes inside the forest. We were one of the few lucky ones who could spot the lions in our route.

Indian Peahen at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted the Indian Peahen in open areas of the forest.

It has a mixture of dull grey, brown, and green in the plumage.  It has brownish upperparts while underparts, lower breast and belly, are whitish. 

The flight feathers are darker brown. The neck is glossy green whereas the breast is dark brown with green gloss.  On the head, it has glossy green forehead and crown, with the same form of crest but greenish at tip. The bare skin of the face is white.

Spotted Deer at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see few animals as well as birds in the forest. We could see plenty of Spotted Deer. 

Here are few pictures that I had taken.

Red Vented Bulbul at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted few Red Vented Bulbul in the forest.

We could see it around ticket booking counter for the jeep safari.

Their body is dark brown with a scaly pattern while the head is darker or black. The rump is white while the vent is red. The black tail is tipped in white. 

White-browed Wagtail at Malyadi Bird Sanctuary

Malyadi Bird Sanctuary near Udupi is one of of the upcoming site for bird watchers. There are various birds that one can see here. One among them is White-browed Wagtail.

It is a medium-sized slender bird with the long wagging tail. Their body colour pattern is back above and white below, along with a prominent white brow, shoulder stripe and outer tail feathers. 

It is seen in several parts of India and is endemic to the Indian subcontinent. They are seen in pairs or small groups near open water.

Indian Jackal at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted few Indian Jackal in the forest under the tree during the open Jeep safari in the forest.

It is small to medium-sized animal with fur that is a mixture of black and white. Black hairs predominate on the middle of the back and tail. The belly, chest and the sides of the legs are white.

They are mostly seen in lowlands on the outskirts of towns, villages and farms, where they shelter in holes among ruins or dense bush. 

They are opportunistic omnivores, predators of small- to medium-sized animals and proficient scavengers. They feed on rodents, reptiles, fruit and insects. 

Common Mynah at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted few Common Mynah in the forest.

It has brown body with a black hooded head. It has bare yellow patch behind the eye with bright yellow bill and legs. It has a white patch on the outer primaries.

It is a omnivorous bird and feeds on insects, arachnids, reptiles, small mammals, seeds, grain and fruits and discarded waste from human habitation. 

Indian Grey Mongoose at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see animals going around the forest. We spotted the Indian Grey Mangoose in the mud tracks in the forest.

This is a medium-sized animal that is around 40 cm in length that is yellowish grey in colour with a lighter underside. It has darker feet. The length of the tail equals to the body length with red tail tip.

             
It is commonly seen in open forests, scrublands and cultivated fields. It's home is burrows, hedgerows, groves of trees. It's diet mainly comprises of rodents, snakes, lizards and variety of invertebrates.

Indian Peacock at Gir

In Gir Sanctuary went for Safari in an open jeep and we could see some birds flying around. We spotted the Indian Peacock in open areas of the forest.

It has iridescent blue and green plumage. The fan-shaped crest on the head is made of feathers with black shafts that are tipped with bluish-green webbing. Above the eye it has a white stripe and below the eye it has a crescent shaped white patch formed by bare white skin.

The whole of the body measures around 2.4 meters including the train that is around 1.6 meters in length. Each feather of the train is marked with an ornamental ocellus or eye-spot and possess long disintegrated barbs, giving the feathers a loose, fluffy appearance.

It lives mainly on the ground in open forest or on land. They mainly feed on berries, grains. They also like eating snakes, lizards, and small rodents. 

Red-wattled Lapwing at Malyadi Bird Sanctuary

Malyadi Bird Sanctuary near Udupi is one of of the upcoming site for bird watchers. There are various birds that one can see here. One among them is Red-wattled Lapwing.

The wings and back of the bird are light brown with a purple sheen. The head, chest and front part of neck are black. It has white patch that runs between black and brown colours, from belly and tail. It has a red bill and red eye. They have yellow coloured long legs.

They are usually seen in pairs or small groups not far from water. They are seen in large flocks.

They feed on insects, snails mostly picked from the ground. Their diet also includes grains. 

Black-headed Ibis at Malyadi Bird Sanctuary

Malyadi Bird Sanctuary near Udupi is one of of the upcoming site for bird watchers. There are various birds that one can see here. One among them is Black-headed Ibis.

They have white-plumage with some greyer areas on the wings. The bald head, the neck and legs are black. The thick down curved bill is dusky yellow. 

They are mainly seen in marshy wetlands inland and on the coast. Their diet is fish, frogs and other water creatures, as well as on insects. 

It can be seen walking around on marshy land probing with its bill into soft mud and shallow water.

Malyadi Bird Sanctuary

Malyadi is a small village just 24 kms from Udupi. It has been home for both large congregation of resident birds. One can also see lot of migratory birds here. Over the years number of birds visiting this  place us increasing steadily. This has prompted the people in developing it is bird sanctuary.

This place, spread over 1.5 sq. kms, is actually an abandoned clay query. Since then it has become a marshland as excessive rain water got accumulated in this land. 

The flora and fauna differs from what is found locally. This may be one of the reasons for the birds showing interest here. You can see migratory birds coming here during the winter time and leave before the first monsoon rains.

One can see numerous birds here. To name a few – Whistiling Teals, Purple Moorhen, White Ibis, Comb duck, Carmorants and Darters.

Gir Wildlife Sanctuary

This sanctuary is located at a distance of 43 km of Somnath, 65 km of Junagadh. Established in 1965 it covers a total area of 545 sq miles out of which 100 sq miles is protected area. It is a deciduous forest interspersed with semi-evergreen and evergreen flora, grasslands and rocky hills.

It has lot of water bodies spread across all over the park. It is the only abode of Asiatic lions on the last count they were approximately 523 in numbers. It was once the hunting grounds of the Nawabs of Junagadh until it was declared as protected area in 1900 by Nawab Sir Muhammad Rasul Khanji Babi. Before being declared as protected area the count of lion had come down to as low as 20. 

Apart from the lion other wild life found in this forest are leopard, deer, four horned antelope, Jackal, Striped Hyena, Jungle and Rusty-spotted cat, Langur, Porcupine, marsh crocodile.

The forest is known to have around 250 species of birds. Rare species such as Lesser Florican and the Sarus Crane are seen in the grasslands of the sanctuary.

We reached this place from Diu around 10 in the morning. We had to wait in the queue to get tickets for the jeep Safari to go around the forest. There are lot of online sites where one can book the safari, but it is difficult to identify the genuine sites. Hence we booked the tickets for safari in person. More on this soon.

Kumbalgarh, the Unconquered Fort

Next day early morning we left from Mount Abu towards our journey to Udaipur. On the way we visited quite a few marvelous places. One among them is Kumbhalgarh.

The most important tourist attractions here are:

The Fort

Rana Kumbh built this massive fort in 15th century in the Aravali ranges. A few kilometers of zigzag road through deep ravines and thick forests leads one to this fort. This massive fort stretches across 36 kms of the Aravali Mountains and is 1100 m high from the sea level. This is surrounded by thirteen mountain peaks, guarded by seven great gates and seven ramparts, strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watchtowers. This mountain fortress has been through many battles and has remained un-conquered.

The fort has seven gates and the last gate leads one to the palace. The first one is Arait Pol, where you can trace the watch-tower and Other gates are Hulla Pol, Hanuman Pol, Ram Pol, Bhairava Pol, Paghra Pol, Top-khana Pol and Nimboo Pol.

The seven ramparts folded with one another with designed walls toughened by curved bastions and huge watch towers. The strong structure of walls of the Fort made it unbeatable till date. The hefty walls of the fort are broad enough to stand eight horses side by side.

There are many palaces, temples and gardens inside this huge fort complex. It is believed that there are not less than 360 temples inside the complex of the Fort. Amongst all of them, Shiva Temple is worth visiting that comprises a huge Shivalinga (Phallic form).

On top of the fort is the Badal Mahal Palace or the Palace of Cloud. It encloses beautiful rooms with pleasant color schemes of green, turquoise and white. This palace is very different when compared to rest of the raw and grim fortress. The palace was rebuilt by Rana Fateh Singh in the late 19th century. The legendary Maharana Pratap was born here.

The Wildlife Sanctuary

Sited in the flourishing green zone of Udaipur, Kumbalgarh is the only sanctuary of Rajasthan, where one can see one of the rarely found wolfs. This is one of the few parks that allow people on horseback. The best time to visit the reserve is from October to June.

We did not visit this as we had not planned for this.

From Kumbalgarh, we traveled to Udaipur, City of Lakes.

Distance: Kumbalgarh ---> Udaipur 64 kms

P.S: December is the month when lot of tourists land in Rajasthan. So if you really want all the arrangements to be done properly this has to be done before October end.