Rajajiv National Park

On Tuesday I rose early and headed out with Ramesh and John Corder to Rajajiv National Park. John is a Brit who is intimately involved in the pheasant community in India (he was a speaker at the Shimla meeting). In his life, he has also been an Olympic swimmer, accompanist for Eric Clapton, magistrate of the English education system, United Nations coordinator of the Avian Flu effort in England, and a world-renowned pheasant breeder. Needless to say, our conversations were fascinating and I am proud to say that I have met a truly extraordinary being.

We drove 1.5 hours to the park, then loaded into a jeep and headed into the park, accompanied by 2 guides. Our 3-hour drive was incredible, and we saw perhaps a dozen birds and mammals. Ramesh and John are bird experts and identified everything I pointed to. I was awed by their knowledge and tried to soak in as much as possible. Since I am in a new country with new fauna, I have to start from square one with my identification skills, and I soaked up as much of their knowledge as I could.

I felt intensely alive being in the field again, and our bumpy ride through the park amplified my enthusiasm for my own imminent field work.

Here are a few photos from the park:



When this Indian Roller flew, its indigo wing feathers stood out against the grass like a gem.


Ramesh, wearing a cap from Himachal Pradesh.


The remnants of an Indian peafowl (peacock).


11 tigers roam Rajajiv, making it one of the most steadily growing populations in India. We passed fresh "pug" tracks on the trail.


Cheetal were present throughout our drive. They retain their spots as adults and grow massive antlers.