Bhadra Tiger Reserve

Had a weekend off, so thought of heading out to one of the jungle lodges properties as a solo trip. However, most resorts required two people so got a colleague to join in. I wanted to avoid the more popular and expensive ones, so Bhadra seemed to be a good option, it was supposed to be scenic while sightings were lesser than the other more famous ones. The first shocker as I booked was the price additions of jungle entry fees and GST, while the 500 per safari for DSLRs with over 500mm lenses made it quite an expensive trip. Also the price on the cameras meant I could take only one in and had to shuffle lenses. One thing the costs have ensured though, is that crowds are thinner in the off seasons.

We arrived at the resort, late in the morning after a scenic drive. The rooms were ready and the first view from the room of the backwaters is a great way to start the trip. A short while later, we started off on the first safari. Despite the noon heat, there were quite a few birds around and we saw females of the paradise flycatcher and Malabar trogon in addition to multiple others. As the evening set in, we spotted a leopard that promptly jumped into the bushes to watch us patiently for an hour or so. The absolute surprise though was when as we were completing the safari, our guide spotted a pair of leopards sitting on the road. We watched them play and then run into the forest as another jeep came by.

The next morning boat safari was all about the flocks of terns on smaller islands and an osprey eating a fish. A couple of grey headed eagles, pratincoles, plovers and spot billed ducks kept us company as we moved around the backwaters. Post breakfast, the resort has a couple of canoes and paddle boats to play, or you could get in for a swim. There are crocodiles, but they stay away from the resort area. The resort itself has a lot of greenery where Indian pitta, shama, babblers, paradise flycatchers and other birds can be spotted. Evening safari had a buzzard, a few woodpeckers and a gaur in addition to the chittal, sambhar and barking deer. The last set of shots at night would be star trails over the backwaters.

The last safari was also quite eventful, as we came across a sloth bear early on which was digging up roots while a grey jungle fowl followed it around pecking on the dug up mud. The forest had a heavy mist which took time to clear, but the birds, especially raptors were visible in quite a number despite the low visibility. We saw multiple serpent eagles and buzzards, a falcon with a parakeet kill, jungle owlets, yellow nape, flame back and rufous woodpeckers hunting at  termite nest and white bellied treepies among other birds. As the sun came up pied and grey hornbills joined in. I had come down expecting a relaxing weekend with a few drives through the forest, but these safaris had some of the best sightings I have ever had.