Eurasian curlew at Bhitarkanika

In Bhitarkanika National Park we  hired a boat and cruised in the lake. Event it is off season we wanted to try our luck to spot some birds. One of them is Eurasian curlew.

It is one of the largest wader that is 50–60 cm in length. This is a greyish brown bird with a white back and greyish-blue legs. It is a very long curved bill. 

It feeds by probing soft mud for small invertebrates. It is one of the most widespread of the curlews, and can be seen across Europe and Asia. 

Birds in Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika National Park is home for many common as well as rare birds. We spotted few common birds while going in a boat ride in the river.

Saltwater Crocodile Rearing at Dangamal

At Dangmal which is part of Bhitarkanika National Park is a conservation center that houses a few crocodiles born and bred in captivity.

The population of salt water crocodiles was on decline from the middle of nineteen seventies and these endangered species were on the verge of extinction. The decline of population was mostly due to over exploitation, poaching and hunting. 

Orissa State Government through Forest Department launched a conservation program to save them and since then around 1700 crocodiles were released in the nature.

Cattle Egret at Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika National Park is home for many common as well as rare birds. We could spot some cattle egrets here as there are cattle gazing in this area.

Dangmal, Bhitarkanika National Park

At Bhitarkanika National Park we hired a private boat for a cruise over the river. The Government boats were not available for one or other common reasons like they have already have been booked or they under maintenance.

We first got down from the bot at Dangmal and followed the guide along a winding trail. Here there is a conservation center that houses a few crocodiles born and bred in captivity.

On the mud banks of the river we spotted many red fiddler crabs and skipper fish.

Cattle at Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika National Park is home for many common as well as rare birds. We can also see cattle in and around the place.

Here we spotted egrets and myna around cattle on the river-front.

Flight of Egret at Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika National Park is home for many common as well as rare birds. Here we spotted egret flying across the river.

Finally it landed on the shore.

Cone Shells at Bhitarkanika

Bhitarkanika National Park is home for many common as well as rare birds. But birds are not the only wild life here. While boating we came across many cone shells on the shore.

They are thick golden and black color cone shaped shell of varying stripes or speckled appearance. Cone Shells or Cone snails as they are sometimes called have teeth like small harpoons.

Rufous Treepie at Bhitarkanika

In Bhitarkanika National Park we hired a boat and cruised in the lake. After cruising for hours we got down from the boat on a different shore. We could spot some birds there and one of them is the Rufous Treepie. 

The main color of the body is cinnamon with a black head and the long graduated tail is grey and is tipped in black.

This is a omnivore bird that feeds almost completely in trees on fruits, seeds, small reptiles and the eggs and young of birds. 

It is found mostly in Indian subcontinent.

Deer at Bhitakanika

Bhitarkanika National Park is home for many wild animals and birds. Spotted deer on the river bank can be seen while cruising on the boat in the river.

The place is known for variety of birds.

Rose-ringed Parakeet at Bhitarkanika

In Bhitarkanika National Park we hired a boat and cruised in the lake. After cruising for hours we got down from the boat on a different shore. We could spot some birds there and one of them is  the Rose-ringed Parakeet. 

They are gregarious tropical Afro-Asian parakeet species that has an extremely large range. They are one of few parrot species that have successfully adapted to changed living styles. 

In the wild, this is a noisy species with an unmistakable squawking call.

Images of India - 55

A glimpse of India in black and white. 

View of the country side on the way to Bhitarnika National Park

Pin-tailed Snipe at Bhitarkanika

In Bhitarkanika National Park we hired a boat and cruised in the lake. Event it is off season we wanted to try our luck to spot some birds. All the photos of birds are taken from a moving boat.

We spotted few Pin-tailed Snipe birds on the river banks. It is a small stocky wader seen in damp marshes as well as drier habitats. These birds forage in mud or soft soil, picking up food by sight. Their main diet is insects and earthworms.

This bird is 25–27 cm long with greenish-grey legs and a long straight dark bill. The body is mottled brown on top, with cream lines down their back. They are pale underneath with white belly. They have a dark stripe through the eye, with light stripes above and below it. 

It is seen prominently in Northern Russia and in the non-breeding season it migrates to Southern Asian countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia. 

Kingfisher at Bhitarkanika

In Bhitarkanika National Park we  hired a boat and cruised in the lake. Event it is off season we wanted to try our luck to spot some birds.

People have spotted here 8 varieties of kingfisher. And all of a sudden we spotted one of them flying across the lake and finally it sat on a far of tree.

Apart form kingfisher one can also get to see other birds like wood pecker, horn-bill, bar headed geese, pintail, white bellied sea eagle, tern, sea gull, waders and many more.

Bhitarkanika National Park

As part of our Orissa trip we had been Bhitarkanika, which is one of the largest Mangrove Eco systems in India. The place is on the river delta of Brahmani and Baitarni rivers. It is home to diverse flora and fauna, migratory birds, turtles, and the menacing estuarine crocodiles.

The wetland is divided into 3 protected Areas, namely “Bhitarkanika National Park”, “Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary” and “Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary”.

If lucky one can spot any of salt water crocodile, king cobra, water monitor lizards, marine turtle, kingfisher, wood pecker, horn-bill, bar headed geese, brahmany duck, pintail, white bellied sea eagle, tern, sea gull, waders and a large variety of resident and migratory birds. It supports an amazing 8 varieties of Kingfishers in its habitat.

The best time to visit the place is November to February. We had been here in the month of April and could see few of the birds and other creatures in the area. Khola and Gupti are the two main entry points to the park. Visitors should take entry permit from the Forest Check Gate at Khola and Gupti.

We hired a boat to ferry us in the river system for observing the scenic beauty and the biodiversity resource including basking crocodile, water monitor and spotted deer.

We went around the park in the boat for around 4 hours and visited crocodile breeding area, museum, red crabs, birds and even basking crocodile. Even though off season it was a good experience. In other posts on this I will show you what else I discovered. But,  a tour of this place is must during the peak season.

How to Reach: Entry pints to the park is 160 kms from Bhubaneshwar, 140 kms from Cuttack and 70 kms from Bhadrak. We reached this place from Kendrapara which is at a distance of 35 kms.