There are
175 varieties of birds in
Kanha
National Park. So if you happen to
be bird watcher, look forward to a full
spotting itinerary. The terrain inside the
park is varied, nonetheless enjoyable.
Bamboo forests flow into Sal forests and
meadows. There are herds of spotted deer to
be seen with smaller herds of spotted deer
to be seen with smaller herds of beautiful
antelope, the black buck. With a little
luck, you could also spot the timorous
barking deer. It's snapping warns other
denizens of the forest that a predator is
around. There is also a very strong
possibility that you will see the rare
Barasingha, the Swamp Deer. Once there were
only 66 of these in Kanha, but careful
conservation and management raised their
population to over 400.
It was at Kanha that the eminent zoologist
George Schaller undertook the first
ever-scientific study of the tiger. Another
landmark at Kanha is the preservation of the
'hard ground' Barasingha. This was achieved
by extending the grasslands, relocating
villages and by increasing habitat.
The Topography(Kanha National Park):
Kanha has two main valleys, Halon in the
east and Banjar in the west, and the grassy
'maidans' (often old village sites), dotted
with clumps of forest harbour large numbers
of herbivores. The hills offer support
sizeable plateaus (locally called 'Dadars')
and the characterized by extensive
grasslands and scant trees. These 'Dadars'
are much favoured by Gaur and Four-horned
Antelope.
The forests are deciduous, the main tree
being the Sal, and there are large stands of
bamboo. Higher up the slopes the forests
tend to become dense and mixed with Haldu
and Bija trees. Birds in the park include
the Painted Partridge, Shaheen Falcon and
Golden Oriole.
Birding in
the Bandhavgarh National Park:
Cattle Egret, Pond Heron, Black Ibis, Common
Peafowl, Crested Serpent, Racket-Tailed
Drongo, Hawk Eagle, Woodpecker, Pigeon,
Dove, Parakeet, Babbler and Mynah, Indian
Roller, White-Breasted Kingfisher and Gray
Hornbill.
Visiting
Season (Kanha National Park):
Months from November-June are favorable for
visitation in the park; still the best
period is February-April.
Access
(Kanha National Park):
By Air: Drive from Jabalpur
(6 hours), which is also the nearest airport
or from Nagpur (7 hours drive). There are
regular air services to Raipur and Nagpur
(270 kms) from other airports in India. From
these airports one has to drive to the park.
By Rail: The most
convenient railheads for Kanha are Jabalpur
and Nagpur. These two are well connected by
fast and superfast trains other destinations
in India.
By
Road:
To access the Kanha National Park there are
two ways, via Khatia or via Kisli. From
Jabalpur there are daily bus services to
these places. From Jabalpur, Bilaspur and
Raipur one can hire taxis to the park. No
vehicles are allowed inside the park after
dark so get there before dusk.
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