Ratnabh - Wild-in-Soul

If you have seen a tiger in the wild, then you already know how exciting it is and if you have not, then it is time you did.😃 Tigers are arguably, one of  the most beautiful animals on the earth. As I tell everyone (whoever is ready to listen) that – if God exists (I happen to be agnostic) and created all the life on earth, then probably God stopped after creating the tiger as nothing could surpass the beauty, grace and swagger of a tiger. The Bengal tiger, also known as the Royal Bengal Tiger or the Indian tiger, is the subspecies with the largest population. It is the national animal of India. India is now home to over 70% of the Tiger population in the world and perhaps the only place where you can see tigers in the wild. Tigers in India are mostly found inhabiting six different forested landscapes—Shivalik Hills and the Gangetic plains, Central India, Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, North-eastern Hills and Brahmaputra plains, and Sundarbans—with different topographical features....

  Come January and parts of the Mumbai city will don a layer of pink, as flamingos (mostly lesser, and some greater too) fly for over 600 km to make Mumbai their home until the first monsoon showers arrive at Sewri. A large number of flamingos reach along with their babies from their breeding area in Kutch. Flamingos were first spotted in Mumbai back in 2000, and large flocks have since been seen here every winter from 2003. Their time of migration and the number that arrives in the city depends on various factors like the weather and rainfall in Kutch, as well as the suitability of the wintering habitat, level of disturbances, and hazards in the flying route Since their first visit, flamingo numbers have grown; the numbers seem to be stable for the last couple of years. In 2017, more than 20,000 have been recorded. By May end the birds start leaving for Kutch and by the first week of June, the last batch leaves. The scenery is a contrasting one with thousands of flamingos, mud...

  From the high altitude terrains of Spiti in Himachal Pradesh to the Sunderban delta near the Bay of Bengal, from the dry scrublands of Gujrat to the lush hills of Kerala, from luxury abodes to simple lodges, we list some of our favourite wildlife stay recommendations for your next wildlife holiday. We have selected only those, where your experience is likely to be extraordinary and immersive. These are not the usual lodges / resorts dotting around the popular national parks. Each of these are situated in gorgeous locations and offer experiential wildlife stays where location, ambience, food, activities and wildlife encounters converge to create a magical time. Some of these lodges are spartan in nature, but that helps to keep the wildlife areas clean and conserve nature.  You will have an unfolding of wildlife ‘magic’ every minute of the day. Nomad's Cottage in Himachal Pradesh The Nomad's Cottage is located approximately 140 kms from Manali, in the untouched wild beauty of ...

  Always wanted a photograph of a group of wild boars crossing a forest track…. and never got one till this day in Tadoba. This was perfect… the light … the time… and the number of them and the various sizes.  The Indian wild boars (Sus scrofa) doesn’t draw much attention from the visitors to the forests but … they look gorgeous with their firm dorsal crest. It may be interesting to note that until the Turko-Afghan invasions of North India in the 12th century, the wild boar was greatly admired due its association with Varaha. A number of temples dedicated to Varaha still exist today across India. The boar was also the royal symbol of dynasties of the Guptas in the North and the Cholas and Vijayanagar in the South. These are fierce and powerful animals and present a formidable challenge even to predators like the tiger and leopard. There has been many incidents of boars fatally wounding tigers. They are prolific breeders and breed throughout the year. Females start breeding a...

She was concerned because she had spotted a juvenile Monitor Lizard checking out her eggs. We watched her face-off with the lizard, but due to my poor photography skills the images of the confrontation did not come out well. They are found near to water bodies, fields, dry lands and lakes. Though, they can be easily seen in wild and open grasslands looking for insects. Mostly, this bird is found in pairs or small groups. Its striking appearance is supplemented by its noisy nature, with a loud and scolding Ti-Ti-Ti-Ti call. Their breeding season is mainly March to August. The courtship involves the male puffing its feathers and pointing its beak upwards. Several males may display to females. The eggs are laid in a ground scrape or depression sometimes fringed with pebbles, goat or hare droppings. They soak their belly feathers to provide water to their chicks as well as to cool the eggs during hot weather. The eggs hatch in 28 to 30 days. Egg mortality is high due to predation by lizard...