Bird Watching
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Resident and Migratory
Bandhavgarh is one of the best park when it comes to probability of tiger sighting. Bandhavgarh is accessible from Jabalpur (180 kms) / Umaria (32 kms) and Katni (100 kms) stations / Kanha (260 kms).
Besides the much celebrated and endangered tiger, Bandhavgarh is also considered excellent for Bird watching and is home to more than 250 species such as Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Comb Duck, Cotton Teal, Common Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Barred Buttonquail, Eurasian Wryneck etc.
Hills around bandhavgarh are breeding grounds for Long billed Vulture, King Vulture and rare Egyptian Vultire and is a recommended option for guests looking to photograph them. Bandhavgarh is one of the three places in India where you can find more than one species of Vultures at a go. Bandhavgarh is home to 5 different species of them and these are regularly sighted in Tala Zone.
While the best season for bird watching is winter (Oct - March), even in very hot months of May and June, we were able to see 50 varieties of birds in 3 or 4 safaris that included Long billed Vulture, Paradise Flycatcher, Sirkeer Malkoha, Indian Pitta, White backed shama, Crested Serpant Eagle, Shikra, Blue Bearded Bee eater, Oriental White Eye, Golden Oriole, Orange headed Thrush, Tickle's Blue Flycatcher, Common Blue Kingfisher, Brown headed Barbet etc.
Jungle Lodges in Bandhavgarh are situated around Tala range. Magdhi and Khitauli are other two ranges in Bandhavgarh. These are not too far away (6-7 kms) and therefore guests can opt for any of the three zones based on permit availability. The buffer zones of Dhamokhar (Parasi), Johila, Panpatha, Tala (Buffer) offer a diverse and exclusive experience for bird watchers. Terrain of these are different from Tiger centric zones and no. of jeeps are much lesser here.
Note: Entry Permits are limited and therefore its must to procure entry permits before planning a trip.
Seasonality - Oct-March is considered good for Bird watching but guests arriving in April - June season is when you see more Vultures and summer migrants like Indian Pitta.