What a whirlwind year it has been for everyone! The forests surrounding our resort in Tadoba and Kabini have come alive towards the end of 2020, blessing us with fond memories from both regions. Here is a recap of some of the best sightings around our resort in Tadoba and our resort in Kabini!
Sightings From Tadoba:
Kavya, our Tadoba naturalist, recounts her tale of an exclusive tiger sighting at the Zari gate near our resort in Tadoba that occurred at the very start of the month, giving us a taste of the days to come!
“On Dec 4th morning we set out from zari gate looking for Kuwhani, the well-known tigress of the kholsa zone of Tadoba, as she has been seen around with her cub. As we explored around the Raayba area we heard alarm calls of a spotted deer and we went ahead to see another gypsy watching some movement amongst the bamboo.
To our surprise, there were 2 tigers, a mating pair in courtship. A huge male tiger, Shiva walked out and sat by the grass followed by the queen of Kholsa, Kuwhani. She seemed very aggressive snarling at her mate indicating him to back off, but eventually, she gave in. They were mating infrequent intervals and resting on the grass, every time Kuwani in the sunlight and Shiva in the shade. She kept snarling at him, this aggravated Shiva and he roared so loud a few times, I still get goosebumps when I think of it. The adrenaline rush hearing them roar and looking at the aggression in her eyes was priceless.
But a tigress generally does not mate when she is mothering her cubs, this was what we were worried about as she has 1 cub from her present litter. There was a lot of discussion on why she was mating, if she had lost her cub or if she was false mating to protect her cub. We kept waiting after every safari, every day to hear the news of the cub.
Today, Kuwhani was seen with her cub, what a relief to see that she has not lost her cub again. Turns out that she left her cub hiding and was with the male and now she is back mothering her cub just to protect her cub and herself from the males of the region.”
Of Birds From Far Away:
Winters have graced us, and with the chilly days come our winter friends from the North. One of the most iconic winter migrants to arrive at Kabini are the huge flocks of Bar Headed Geese. You may have heard tell of the astonishing feats of this bird during its migration; having the ability to fly at heights taller than Mount Everest itself sans stopping anywhere. Mountain air is hypoxic in nature making normal breathing a task. So how does it manage to fly at those altitudes without proper oxygen? These geese have a special ability to extract as much oxygen as possible via muscle fibers. Being equipped with larger wingspans than similar species, Bar Headed Geese can also sustain flights for hours together without so much as flapping their wings thereby reducing the amount of effort they need to use.
Another winter resident that you may have a chance of spotting on the Kabini backwaters at our resort in Kabini is the Spot-Billed Pelican, a near-threatened water bird that visits the plains of India every winter to breed. Spot Billed Pelicans have multiple colonies throughout the subcontinent and some are ancient although a majority of the colonies have been wiped out due to habitat loss and poaching. Today, there are specific breeding sites that the older colonies migrate to every winter with some choosing to use the water bodies in and around Kabini itself.
If you’re lucky, you may also see River Terns that fly all the way from Iran to the Bhadra River, with some continuing to head further south to the backwaters of Kabini and the Cauvery. River terns are best known for their mass nesting rituals at Bhadra every year but there’s a good chance you will see a few stray fliers that may have had the wrong map location on, land at Kabini…
A new year filled with potential sightings awaits you at our resort in Tadoba and our resort in Kabini. The time is now to venture out and start travels again, and to discover the treasures of the wild in our forests!
