City of Lakes Udaipur is famous for many things but rarely for its birds. Ironically village Menar, 15 kms from Udaipur's Dabok airport is known for many things including its birds. Menar is also called as the bird village. More than couple of lakes in close surroundings of the village are known to host a huge number of migratory birds every year. Menar also has a long history which connects it closely to the Kings of Mewar. Rich in culture, this village also has an honour to produce some of India's finest chefs who have worked in kitchens of many celebrities- home and abroad. Residents of this village have been known as Menarias. But my recent trip to this village, roughly around 45 kms from my hometown Udaipur, was purely to catch some morning light. Capturing birds at sunrise (f...
Read MoreTag: bird sanctuaries
For many people visiting to a wildlife sanctuary or a national park, what matters most is a good trip to the park, but it certainly helps if you get a comfortable place of stay after a tiring trip to park. Sunbird hotel at Bharatpur gives many reasons for a pleasant stay. Too many plus for a hotel which normally won't fall into the big brand category. Actually, to my surprise it was few of those hotels which hardly gave any reason to complain or even dissatisfied with. When we checked in, the staff said that we were being given the two best rooms in the property and we couldn't have disagreed. For a place like Bharatpur, this hotel has one of the best location you can ask for. Property is just five minutes walk from the main gate of Bird sanctuary. Hotel is located in th...
Read MoreKeoladeo Ghana National Park at Bharatpur has been the earliest and most popular of bird sanctuaries in India so much so that until few decades back whenever plans to visit a bird sanctuary will come in mind, name Keoladeo used to prop up almost instantly. But this park, popular for its cranes and once a critical wintering ground for endangered Siberian cranes, is also known for its giant soft shelled turtles. Park has seven species of turtles. The number of turtles is very good, in few hundreds. There are many myths and folklores associated with these turtles, but indeed there lifespan is very good. In that sense many turtles here are said to be living here for more than couple of hundred years. Now the catch is that this park doesn't have perennial source of water. It depends lot on m...
Read MoreHonestly, I had high hopes when I went to Kadalundi. It was one of the places which I had planned to visit during a very small leisure window on my visit to Kozhikode (erstwhile Calicut). It was late November and I could not have missed watching and photographing a few migratory birds. But, it was a disappointing outing. Spread over a cluster of islands, this sanctuary is said to be the abode for more than a hundred species of native birds and 60 species of migratory birds. The area where Kadalundi river flows into the Arabian sea is surrounded by hillocks. These hillocks besides creating a scenic environment also give a splendid view of the sanctuary, river mouth and the sea. Even the main railway line to Trivandrum passes through the sanctuary. Kadalundi also has a mangro...
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However busy the national capital might be, it always gives you a break- to relax, enjoy and be yourself. As it is always said that Delhi is for the ones with heart (Dil walon ki Dilli- what is termed in Hindi). So even if you may not find snow clad mountains or sandy beaches or even dense forests but still you can have some perfect weekend trips to the heart of the nation. More so, if you find a host as hospitable as a Club Carlson hotel. So, come let’s plan an ideal weekend trip to Delhi. Culture and heritage is something that is unique to any place. Despite having a cosmopolitan nature of society, Delhi has a very rich culture and a heritage which dates more than thousand years. Having seen so much turmoil, upheaval and rulers- Delhi now has a habit of welcoming anything new ...
Read Moreहवा में ठंडक कम हुई है। लेकिन सर्दी अभी गई नहीं है। हजारों किलोमीटर दूर सुदूर उत्तर के यहां से भी ज्यादा ठंडे इलाकों से प्रवासी पक्षी भारत में कई जगहों पर अभी बसेरा बनाए हैं। ऐसा वे हर साल करते हैं। बड़ी लंबी व दुष्कर उड़ान के बाद उनका अपने तय ठिकानों पर हर साल आना, वाकई कुदरत का बड़ा हैरतअंगेज करिश्मा है। अब जरा कल्पना कीजिए कि साइबेरिया (रूस, चीन व उत्तर कोरियाई इलाकों) के अमूर फॉल्कन हर साल 22 हजार किलोमीटर दूर अफ्रीका में प्रवास के लिए जाते हैं और इस दौरान वे बीच में भारत के उत्तर-पूर्व में नगालैंड में थोड़ा आराम करते हैं। यहां से अफ्रीका जाने के लिए यह पक्षी समुद्र के ऊपर चार हजार किलोमीटर की उड़ान बिना रुके भरता है। ऐसे ही कई पक्षी भारत में प्रवास के लिए आते हैं। दुनियाभर के पक्षी प्रेमी इस मौसम में भारत आते हैं, परिंदों की इस खूबसूरत दुनिया का नजारा लेने के लिए। बर्ड वाचिंग के श...
Read MoreBird lovers across India including Delhi spent the entire day on Sunday, 16th February trailing birds in different bird-rich locations. As part of the Big Bird Day 2014, 384 birder teams-comprising about 3,000 to 5,000 people-documented the diversity of bird species. In the capital, 27 teams participated. They covered Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Asola Wildlife Sanctuary, Yamuna Biodiversity Park, Aravalli Biodiversity Park and other sites. For the first time, six teams from Pakistan joined the bird race. Teams also came from Spain, Dubai and the US. Every state and union territory including Daman and Diu, Pondicherry, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and others participated, organizers said. "The response has been huge this year. Last year, there were only 160 teams," sai
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