THIS MONTH IN WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS | APRIL 29, 2023 | VISHVAJEET
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #Jan2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #Feb2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #March2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #April2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #June2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #Sep2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #Nov2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #Dec2022
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #March2023
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #April2023
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #May2023
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #June2023
- This Month in Wildlife Sightings #May2024
As Gir National Park goes through the transition from winter to spring, our naturalist Vishvajeet talks about how this period offers guests a unique opportunity to witness the park’s diverse wildlife and ecosystem.
As smaller streams start to dry up, this mother of 3 cubs was roaming at the banks of the majestic Kamaleshwar dam to quench her thirst. This reservoir was built on the evergreen Hiran river: Hiran means spotted deer. On the periphery of the forest, we spotted the Golden Jackal satisfying his thirst at one of the water saucers built by the forest department.
It was 1 PM under the intense sun, but Weaver Ants take no rest. The ants build their nest by wrapping the leaves with the help of their own larvae, which works as glue. They take 250 naps each day, and are awake and active during the rest of the day.
The red-headed vulture is a critically endangered species and to see it on the ground was a privilege. We can see how massive it is by comparing it with the spotted deer fawn and mother duo.
Raptors are often not easy to identify from the distance. Also they are very good at camouflage. Here you can see Crested Serpent Eagle on the left and Crested Hawk Eagle on the right perched on a tree. Looks just like a tree branch, doesn’t it?
The beauty of the Gir forest carpets – they are nothing short of mesmerizing.
As a naturalist, we indeed are lucky because we get to see even the minutest of changes in the forest from up close.
What makes the stay at our lodge an unforgettable experience is being able to witness the coexistence of Maldharis and the Asiatic lions in Gir. Our recent guests had a wonderful time during their visit to the Maldhari Ness – getting to learn and understand more about this tribe, their culture and philosophy toward life.
One of the other major highlights was the celebration of Easter at our lodge. An opportunity for spiritual renewal, Easter is a joyous season and signifies fruitfulness, rebirth and new beginnings. Like most families, we celebrated it with a sumptuous array of festive treats. Our little guests had a phenomenal time during the magical egg hunt adventure.
Surprisingly, during one of these days when we were just returning from the morning safari, we saw the uncommon and critically endangered Indian Vulture aka Long Billed Vulture soaring at a low height above our lodge’s Haveli gate.