I found this unpublished draft: It is time to step back for a moment from the urgency of the Horseshoe Two Fire, and to reflect on just why the Chiricahua Mountains are so important to so many people. Many people, entering Cave Creek Canyon for … Continue readingA Sense of Place: Chiricahua
One big––really big––caution applies to birding in Kanha Tiger Reserve: Tigers abound, and they find people quite as tasty as a Sambar deer. Therefore, birding is primarily pursued from the confines of a jeep. And therefore, big birds are the easiest to spot and to … Continue readingBirds of Kanha, India: Raptors
Our last wildlife sanctuary in India (on this Naturalist Journeys trip!) is Kanha Tiger Reserve. Located in the heart of north-central India, Kanha Tiger Reserve is comprised of lands having several designations: Kanha-Kisli National Park covers about 360 square miles and has a surrounding buffer … Continue readingTiger Time!
The birds of Sundarbans National Park deserve their own post. Here in the world’s most extensive mangrove forest, kingfishers, waders and storks forage at low tide on the abundant invertebrates. Among the kingfishers, the rare Brown-winged Kingfisher specializes in mangrove and tidal river habitats along … Continue readingBirds in Sundarban’s Mangrove Forest
Sundarbans National Park protects the world’s most extensive mangrove forest––3900 square miles of mangroves!––located in the delta of the combined Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers. About a third of the mangroves are in neighboring Bangladesh. Both governments are committed on paper to preserving this important coastal … Continue readingSundarbans: World-Class Mangroves!
Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site in northeastern India, is not only home to two-thirds of the world’s Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros, wild Asian Elephants, and Tigers––it is also a designated Important Bird Area. Its exceptional biodiversity stems from its location at the margins of … Continue readingKaziranga’s Birds of Forest and Field
One morning en route to Kaziranga, when the fog was thick, we stopped at a local restaurant for hot tea to accompany our packed breakfasts. Towering over the restaurant was a giant fig tree, laden with fruit and birds. Great Hornbills reached delicately with their … Continue readingA Feast of Figs, India-Style
Although the mega-mammals draw most of the visitors to Kaziranga National Park in India, the birdlife is equally stellar. Let’s start with the denizens of shore and water. Bar-headed Geese at Kaziranga National Park, India (All photos by Narca) For years, I have wanted … Continue readingMeet the Bar-headed Goose and Friends!
Kaziranga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northeastern India, is among India’s finest national parks. The great Brahmaputra River flows through it, bringing annual cycles of flood to replenish the swamps and grasslands along its shore. The park holds a vast expanse of … Continue readingKaziranga’s Grand Rhinos
Come with me to the Himalayan fastness of Singalila National Park, high along the border of India and Nepal, and home to the superlative Red Panda. Red Panda, Singalila National Park (All photos by Narca) Recently I joined an India tour run by Naturalist Journeys … Continue readingRed Pandas!