Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary

Introduction

Visited this bliss of a paradise after ages, along with Sachin Pushkarna, making up the old duo who had explored this area for the first time multiple times back in 2017. The sights, sounds and aromas of the forest. The Spring dropdown pitter patter of Sal Leaves raining down on us. A Forest Rest House Renovated to suit modern day comforts, whlist keeping the age old ambience of the wilderness that magnetically pulled us toward it in the first place. Driving myself in the forest after years, and thoroughly enjoying the experience where one drove through dense bush, flowing streams, dry and bouldered riverbeds, forest roads, and hills. Leopards and Elephants dominated with their presence around, with a passing signature of a tiger. Lots of Alarm Calls of Deer and Langurs. 113 species of bird where the presence of the Great Hornbill and Great Slaty Woodpeckers contrasted themselves with a glimpse and resounding calls throughout of the former, and good views and cacophonic presence of the latter. A Summary of Each Day given below.

Day 1. 22nd March. Friday.

Drove from Rudrapur to Chorgalia. Sightings of Nilgai, Sambar and a Grey Mongoose as we approached Chorgalia.

Leopards Mating behind Forest Rest House

Entered the Chorgalia gate post 9:00 AM. Glimpsed a Great Hornbill post the PeelaPaani Waterhole after crossing Jaulasaal. Reached Senapaani FRH AT 1:30 pm. Pleasantly surprised at the entirely renovated interiors that offered all the modern day comforts while keeping the aesthetic of the age old exterior. Had a Maggi Lunch with the resident stray puppy for company while sitting atop the boundary of the rest house embankment that overlooks that forests beyond. A Flock of Great Slaty Woodpeckers seen in the Nullah below the Rest House. Red Jungle Fowl Alarms in the dense bush on the opposite side of the dry river bed in front of the embankment. A lone Langur heard from the forest just behind the nullah behind the FRH giving out single barks with fairly long pauses in between the barks. Heard the alarms of the Langurs and Red Junglefowl from behind the same nullah get frantic between 4:00-4:30 PM. The growling of Leopards from the same zone indicated a courting and mating pair around. Didn’t manage to see the Leopards but to hear them from a point just 60-70m behind the Rest House Gate made the event even more exciting.

Tusker sighting

Drove onto the Kilpura road at dusk and ran into a fully grown Tusker moving into the forest. Stopped in line with his movement as we saw him almost disappear into the forest, before suddenly turning around and looking at us from about 40-50m away. He then took a couple of steps towards us, before standing and doing a downward dog like stretch to show he was relaxed and confident. He however, shook his trunk thereafter and raised his trunk to give a gentle trumpet of annoyance at our presence. Thankful that he hadn’t been aggressive, and offered us such a lovely view, we decided not to press our luck, and heed his warning and thus drive away leaving him to his desired solitude.

Alarm Calls after dark

Got back to Rest House just after dark by around 7:00 PM. Frantic Alarm callsof Barking Deer from the bush area in front of the embankment where the Red Junglefowl had been calling earlier that afternoon. Frantic Alarms of multiple Spotted Deer from the track leading north east from the rest house a couple of 100m away. A half hour later Alarm calls of Sambar to the track a couple of 100m south west of the Rest House from the track that lead to Dogadi Village and where we had approached the rest house from earlier that afternoon. The Alarms of Sambar continued periodically late into the night as well indicating the movements of at least two if not three different predators. Continuous background score of Savannah and Large Tailed Nightjars as they signaled in their breeding season. As well as Oriental Scops Owl and Brown Hawk Owl as well.

Day 2. March 23rd . Saturday.

Visit to Kathol Village

Sambar Alarms from the forest in front of the embankment before dawn. A family of 3 Sambar seen crossing the riverbed on the northeastern side and heading into the forest track that leads to the forest shrine. Sighted a pair of Common Rosefinch after ages just in front of the FRH. Spotted Deer Alarm Calls 1 km before Kalonia Forest Chowki. Drove on the forest track towards Durga Pipal today, and thus explored an area that had been impassable to us till date, due to not having the correct Vehicle, or the road not having been made. Both aspects were checked off today. The track went up through hill forests, and then down through flowing streams, and finally out across through the dry parts of the riverbed, bordered by terai bhabhar grassland and hill forests on both sides. Made it only to Kathol Village halfway to Durga Pipal, and decided to drive back after a cup of tea and maggi from there itself as it was getting late in the morning, and we wanted to get back and rest a bit before the evening drive. Chanced upon Crested and Common Kingfisher as well as plenty of other forest species like Great Slaty Woodpecker, Indian Nuthatch, Greater Yellownape, Blyth’s Leaf and Grey-hooded Warblers and Scarlet Minivet to name a few. Went to Dogadi Village a few km from the Forest Rest House to pick up the guard in charge of the place and got invited to have tea and lunch at his beautiful cottage in the village, in the company of his wife, two teen sons and two adorable little lambs. The evening saw us explore a previously unexplored track through a plantation off the Kilpura road. It hit a dead end after a few km and so we came back and went on the Temple track from near the rest house. Good Spotted Deer Alarms as we returned just after sunset in a woodland patch within the dry river bed near the rest house. However, we were unable to spot anything of note and went back upto the rest house thereafter.

Following a Leopard After Dark

Post Dinner had intense alarm calls of Barking Deer, and soon followed Spotted Deer from the forest patch in front of the rest house. The alarms indicated that the predator was moving near or on the road to Kilpura. On instinct one decided to get in the vehicle and take a chance. Took a few minutes to get down there, and alarm calls had gone quiet as well, indicating the predator had moved away. Decided to drive a bit further down the road and check. A km further down on noticed a pair of eyes close to the track about 400m away. They kept appearing and disappearing from view as one approached closer to them. With literally no vegetation of note to hide an animal on the track it indicated an animal constantly looking back and then moving slightly ahead as one approached it. Excited at the possibility, one slowly approached closer so as not to spook it. Was within a 100m of it, when one realized the size and shape of a Leopard prowling the track. It was still not fully comfortable in the presence of the vehicle, and so would go off track as one approached close to 50m of it, and then come back only when the vehicle had stopped. This went on for about a kilometer, at which point one had been allowed to approach within 10m. With the Leopard now comfortable in the vehicle’s presence it was a pleasure to observe how it moved between marking it’s territory and stalked to investigate any little sound it heard from either side of the track. It was a Male, but not outsized like some of the others one had seen in the area over the years, so possibly one just entering adulthood. After about 2 km he heard something inaudible to me in the forest and padded himself stealthily towards it in the forest, before sitting down and just resting casually as he listened. He sat 20m away at this point. One knew the forest hit another plantation 30m ahead of the Leopard. It was from there a Sambar started to bell in alarm a minute or so later. The Sambar was possibly 100m away and with little or no breeze around to pick up this Leopard’s scent, all facts indicated to the presence of another unknown predator nearby. Both I and the Leopard listened to curiously and intently as the sambar called for the next few minutes. Certainly hoped the other would show itself at some point, but after 10 min the alarms stopped and it all went quiet. I had switched off the vehicle during this time, and would periodically turn on the torch to see the position of my Leopard. It remain unchanged. It must have gone on like this in the quiet for 20 more minutes. I remember getting a bit lost in checking the pictures and videos I had captured of him on my phone, before realizing more than a few minutes had passed since I last checked on his position. Flashed the torch, and he was nowhere to be seen. I had been alert to sound even amidst checking my phone, but he hadn’t made one as he stealthily vanished without a trace. Went ahead and turned onto the track that lead in the direction of the plantation the Sambar had been alarming from, but after a few minutes felt it was futile and one should be really thankful for already having spent such a fabulous 45 min alone with such a gorgeous cat, and drove back out and toward the rest house thrilled and content.

Day 3. March 24th . Sunday.

Fresh Leopard Tracks in Kalonia Riverbed and Birds

Saw the sunrise over the distant forests of Nepal in the east from the Rest house embankment, while enjoying the birdsong around, and even an elephant trumpet from an area of the forest below. Had initially planned on driving out toward Durga Pipal and exiting the forest from Chorgalia further on. However, we decided to head towards Tanakpur from Kalonia Forest Chowk. Found fresh tracks of a Male Leopard amidst the Terai Bhabhar grassland as we crossed the river bed. However, no birds nor deer etc. indicated any further movement of the cat, and so we continued on. Found tracks of a Sloth Bear a bit further up, most likely from the previous night.

Bird Highlights

Birding Highlights further on included White-rumped Shama, Velvet Fronted Nuthatch, Great Hornbill and finally capturing a decent close up video of a Crimson Sunbird on white Sal Flowers.

Deer alert for a Predator

Another highlight was a surprise encounter with a pair of Spotted Deer Stags on the track in front of us as they alertly looked into the forest on the side. An alarm call from another unseen Spotted Deer and Barking Deer a few seconds later indicated the passage of a predator further in, with us stipulating it was most likely another Leopard.

Exited from another area called Banbasa through tracks we hadn’t explored earlier covering Sal compartments, a dry river bed leading into another village and finally a military outpost of the Rajput Rifles near Banbasa. Reached Rudrapur by 12:30 PM and left for Delhi post a bit of rest and lunch just past 2:00 PM.

Was so happy to see that this wilderness had remained unchanged in terms of its solitude from what one remembered, but had gotten better in terms of protection of wildlife and animal numbers as well as development of safari tracks and infrastructure of rest houses. Already looking forward to going back.

Highlights

113 Species of Bird including good views of Slaty Woodpeckers, Great Hornbill, Ashy Bulbul and Common Rosefinch.

10 Species of Mammal including a really good experience following a Male Leopard after dark, hearing a pair of Leopards mating behind the rest house, a big Bull Elephant (Tusker) fairly close and tracks and signs of Tiger, Sloth Bear, Leopard, and Indian Crested Porcupine.

5 Species of Butterfly including beauties like Orange Oakleaf, Common Crow, Blue Tiger, Striped Tiger, Common Tortoiseshell

Diary of Highlights

Day 1.

1. Pair of Leopards heard mating in a nullah 50-60m behind the Forest Rest House
2. Great Hornbill enroute to the Rest House from the gate
3. Flock of Great Slaty Woodpeckers just below the Rest House
4. Large Tusker seen a couple of km from the rest house on the Kilpura Road
5. Alarm Calls of Spotted Deer in the streambed below the rest house after dark

Day 2

1. Alarm Calls of Spotted Deer and Great Hornbills on the Senapaani-Kalonia Road
2. Visit to Kathol Village
3. Tea and light lunch at Forest Guard’s house in the village 5km from Senapaani FRH
4. Tiger Tracks on the edge of the streambed below Senapaani FRH
5. Alarm Calls of Spotted Deer and Langur in the streambed bordering the temple track below the Rest House
6. Very Heavy Alarm Calls of Spotted Deer and Barking Deer in the streambed below the rest house leading to Kilpura Road.
7. Adult Male Leopard seen for 45 min post those alarm calls as he walked towards Kilpura on the Senapaani-Kilpura Road.

Day 3.

1. Wild Elephants heard from the Kilpura side of the forests opposite the Rest House.
2. Fresh Tracks of an Adult Male Leopard found in the Kalonia-Tanakpur Streambed
3. Tracks of a Sloth Bear on the Kalonia-Tanakpur track
4. Good views of White-rumped Shama, Great Hornbill, and Crimson Sunbird on Kalonia-Tanakpur Road
5. Two Spotted Deer Stags seen highly alert at the strong alarm of another Spotted deer from within a Wood cutting compartment on the Tanakpur-Kilpura Track. Possibly for a Leopard.

Itinerary

Cost

Inclusions

Gallery