Satpura National Park James Forsyth Adventures

James Forsyth first pitched his tent in the dense canopy at Satpura National Park. If you visit Pachmarhi you are sure to visit the cottage that has been turned into a museum commemorative the huntsman and naturalist. The unimaginably rugged and torturous landscape was inhabited by various tribes. Forsyth perhaps was the first outsider to venture into the deep confines.

His foray into the Central Indian Highlands was not only to survey the terrain, he keenly studied the local communities their customs, and more while stationed in these dense forests. Unfortunately, his observations benefitted the outside world but he shot down many wild creatures.

As you read the book you realize that the author was not an accomplished writer, but nevertheless, his accounts are fascinating. His interpretation of what he experienced while staying at Satpuras has been scripted in a romantic manner but his reference to tribal and local communities is much wanting. His rating of locals is at best low and he does not hesitate to mention them as unintelligent people trapped in obscurantism.

James Forsyth was an allrounder. Besides being an adventurer he knew geography, natural history, and wildlife. His accounts of what he experienced have been aptly recorded in his book "Highlands of Central India."  Get hold of the book if you can to dig into past communities and wilderness.

Satpura Tiger Reserve

Satpura National Park and tiger reserve is the core of the Satpura Range and encompasses Bori Sanctuary and Pachmari Hill Resort. Together they for the Satpura Biosphere Reserve comprising around 3000 sq. Km.  Satpura range is the core area while Bori and Pachmarhi are buffer zones. The reserve is home to 52 species of mammals, 300 species of birds, and 31 species of reptiles. The targetted species are Malabar Whistling Thrush, Orange-headed ground thrush, racket-tailed drongo, and hornbills.

The floral element comprises Sal, teak, dhawa, kosum, bel, aonla, bamboo, mahua, and many more.

The park comprises:

1339.26 sq. Km core

794.04 sq. KN buffer

2133.40 TOTAL area.

Tourism takes place from Madai a small township near Hosgabad. To reach the core tourists have to take a motorboat ride over the River Denwa this is a short ride lasting a few minutes. The safari begins after crossing the river.

Like all reserves in MP, a tiger safari permit is required. You can book a safari permit for Satpura Tiger Reserve online or at the gate. During the rush time, permits are not available at the gate hence it is wiser to book online. a permit is required. You can book a safari permit for Satpura Tiger Reserve online or at the gate. During the rush time, permits are not available at the gate hence it is wiser to book online.    

 

Tiger Safari Holiday at Kanha

Tiger Safari Holiday at Kanha National Park.

Kanha is situated at Maikal Hills and the system is nurtured by tributaries of the Narmada River. The river originates from Amarkantak Resort at Maikal Hill and flows over 700 km to merge into the estuary of Baruch in Gujarat. Interestingly Makal Hills are a confluence of Vindhyan Hill north of MP and Satpura Hills south of Madhya Pradesh. Jabalpur is the the Center of India lying east towards Kanha National Park.

Maikal Hills are a part of Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve which comprise Amarkantak Forests and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. Kanha is not part of the biosphere reserve but is contiguous with the origin of Maikal Hills and Achanakmar once forming a corridor for wild animals to translocate. Thus a large ecosystem was in place and formed a habitat for all life forms.  On the western side, the forests were connected with what are now Bandhavgarh, Sanjay Dubri, and Panna.

Some of the regions have been mentioned by James Forsyth in his book Central Indian Wildlife. This has become a sad story now since the contiguity is intruded on by human settlements, agriculture, and livestock. Among the isolated pockets, three popular ones are

• Kanha National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Panna National Park

These are situated in Madhya Pradesh while another reserve the birthplace of white tiger Sanjay Dubri has yet to face the limelight. It too is situated in Madhya Pradesh barely an hour's drive from Bandhavgarh.  

Kanha National Park

Most popular among all the National Parks is Kanha which is also a tiger reserve. It is home to more than 100 tigers, but the fame has come about due to saving the hard ground barasingha or swamp deer. It was a remarkable conservation initiative and made the park popular all over the World. From 66 heads the population now stands at over 600. To save the gene pool some animals have been translocated to other destinations.

The biodiversity is rich and improved after it turned into a conservation unit. All Central Indian mammals and reptiles are found here while more than 250 bird species can be checklisted.

Tourism at Kanha National Park

Twenty percent of the inviolate core is reserved for regulated tourism while the outer area or buffer is also open to tourism. Being the best place to see the tiger and other animals tourists throng in large numbers every year. But the entry is limited hence safaris or game rides should be booked in advance. Those planning a tiger safari holiday should thus book a tiger safari in advance. The safaris should be booked through MPOnline Portal belonging to Madhya Pradesh Government.

There are a large number of wildlife resorts outside the park that organize tiger safaris, rest and recreation. They range from budget to upscale properties.  

Kanha is best accessible from Jabalpur Airport in MP. It is well connected with the capital and all major towns. From the airport, the drive is three and a half hours only. Kanha Tiger Reserve is well connected by a road network. It is well connected by a rail network as well. The park is closed from 1st July and opens on 1st October.            

Birds of Kanha

Kanha Forest though popular for tiger safaris is an excellent bird habitat. Though a diverse habitat by all means it lacks large water bodies. The wetlands basically comprise Sondhar and Bisanpura and a medium-sized tank at Kanha Meadow called Shravan Taal. There are many small shallow lakes beside the rivers Banjar and Halon and their tributaries. The water bodies are the habitat of quite a number of aquatic birds but are not as impressive as in other birding habitats.

The National Park is an excellent habitat for forest birds as well as some grassland birds. The surveys conducted by me and many naturalists checklist an exciting number of resident and migratory birds.

The most popular birds of Kanha are those that are easily seen. Among them are Grey Headed Barbet, Coppersmith Barbet, Racket Tailed Drongo, Golden and Black Headed Oriole, Shama, Blackrumped Flameback, Grey Francolin, Painted Francolin, Northern Pintail, Lesser Whistling Teal, Common Teal, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Grey Hornbill, Alexandrine Parakeet, Red Billed Malkoha, Plum Headed Parakeet, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Crested Hawk Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Grey Headed Fishing Eagle,White Eyed Buzzard, Oriental honey Buzzard, Shikra, Osprey, White Backed Vulture, King Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Brown Fish Owl, tawny Fish Owl, Mottled Fish Owl, Jungle Owlet, Spotted Owlet, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Paradise Flycatcher, Lesser Adjutant Stork, Open Billed Stork, Painted Stork, Woolly Necked Stork, Black Ibis, White Ibis, Great Cormorant, Egrets, Orange Headed Ground Thrush, Common Iora, Brown Cheeked Fulvetta, Spangled Drongo, White Bellied Drongo, Ashy Drongo, Black Drongo, Gold Mantled Chloropsis, Jerdon’s Leaf Bird, Common Wood Shrike, Large Cuckoo Shrike, Black Headed Cuckoo Shrike, Oriental Turtle Dove, Red Collared Dove, Emerald Dove, Green Footed Pigeon, Laughing Dove, Spotted Dove, Eurasian Ring Dove, Black Naped Monarch, Verditor Flycatcher, Blue Capped Rock Thrush, Asian Brown Flycatcher, Red Throated Flycatcher, Ultramarine Flycatcher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher, Little Minivet, Black redstart, Rosy Starling, Jungle Myna, Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch, Velvet Fronted Nuthatch, Great Tit, Black Lored Tit, Wire Tailed Swallow, Plain Martin, Barn Swallow, Red Rumped Swallow, Streak Throated Swallow, Grey Breasted Prinia, Crested Tree Swift, Plain Prinia, Hume’s Warbler, Lesser White Throat, Common Chiff Chaff, Tickell’s Leaf Warbler, Sulphur Bellied Warbler, Tawny Bellied Babbler, Yellow Eyed Babbler, Purple Swamphen, Black and White Ibis, Peacock, red Jungle Fowl, and many more birds.

The birds check listed includes residents and winter migrants. There are more than two hundred and fifty avian species in the Kanha Nature Preserve in the state of Madhya Pradesh.

The best birding season is winter from Mid October to March. After March migrants depart from the tiger reserve. Kanha offers the best tiger sightings and wildlife watching. Like in Bandhavgarh preserve one can enjoy birding as well as tiger safaris at Kanha. Most of the birds can be sighted on tiger safaris in the park while trekking in the buffer zone will yield more sightings.

Birding in Central India is becoming very popular as the concept of forest birding dawns upon tourists. The added fun of enjoying the preserves is having an all-encompassing outlook. Bird watching adds to your experience at Central Indian Parks. Seek a good naturalist.

Tiger Tourism in February

After the hectic December and January months, tiger tourism at Bandhavgarh and Kanha begins to ease. The exhaustive Xmas and New Year holiday rush begin to decrease as February approaches. The winter too becomes merciful, in fact, the weather is pleasant. The warm sunshine quite tolerable in the early hours of the morning is the best way to bask in the glory.

The surroundings though not a lush green area near the lush green. The beautiful hues and colors of flowering trees especially the Flame of the forest tree liven the forest canopy. The wintering birds are still here. Their chaotic plunder of flowering trees, full of sweet nectar and ripe fruits is a delight to experience. Not only tiger lovers’, bird lovers too flock to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve and Kanha to witness nature’s glory at its peak.

The real animal watching begins from February onwards. The crowd thins out, and the animals like majestic gaur or bison at Kanha Tiger Reserve start to descend from the hills. The graceful swamp deer too congregate in park meadows along with growing herds of spotted deer. The heat will rise from April onwards and stress animals and birds. For tourists, this is a blessing as stress forces animals and tigers into the open, and the need for water makes them more active during the day.

In February the parks are at their peak, full of life and hectic animal activity. The wintering birds and residents are easy to see as the foliage opens up to the coming hot months. Wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, birders, and naturalists wait for this season to visit the tiger reserves. Their experience makes them choose the right time to capture the right moment on camera or in their memory banks. This is my favorite season too… maybe soon, I will be traveling to Kanha or Bandhavgarh tiger reserves.

Sloth Surprise

It is not often that you checklist an animal to see in a wildlife sanctuary or a National Park and get to see it.

But it happens!

My American friends came to Kanha on the final leg of their long safari from Corbett, Ranthambhore and Bandhavgarh. They had seen the tiger and many other animals and wanted to see wild dogs and a sloth bear.

"Sloth Bear!" I said rather surprised. "Well lets see," I said Kanha is full of surprises so everything is a possibility.

Sloth bear are shy and nocturnal animals by habit and hence prefer to move in at night. Nevertheless some awaken in search of food and can be seen around the park meadows but with great difficulty. I have seen sloth bears around this jungle camp at Kanha on the periphery which has substantial forest cover and fruity shrubs to forage on. With luck a tourist can see a leopard around this resort as they often hunt spotted deer which make their way here after sunset. Most of the resorts at Kanha safari park are situated in the buffer zone and hence surrounded with lush green forest. The forest at places are dense and hence a habitat for lots of wild animals and birds.

Sloth bear are more often seen at Bamni Dadar hill road which they prefer due to some food factor and perhaps less disturbance. We headed on to the hill top on our morning safari but no luck as there were lot many jeeps on safari here which disturbed all animals including the sloth bears and the tigers.

It was in the evening ride as we were rolling down the hills whence we managed to spot the sloth bear which was well hidden in the jungle bush. The animal has a peculiar gait and is completely hidden in short bushes when on four legs. It was a big surprise not only for my friends but for me as well. It was there perhaps in answer to our prayers. At Kanha you can spot the tiger with greater certainty than a bear or a wild dog.