A Date with the majestic Raptors of Rajasthan
- Dr.Preetika Garg
- Aug 7
- 2 min read
Kickstarting the 2024 vulture count, held from September 7th to October 6th, I got an opportunity as a WWF volunteer to visit the beautiful rugged Bayana Cliffs in Bharatpur district, a historical city in Rajasthan.
The assembly was at WWF -India Secretariat where about 25 volunteers and a few team members of WWF were to meet at 6.00 am. We were to leave for the destination in a bus by 6.15 am, however, we were able to start the journey only at 7.00 am, putting us behind schedule already.
But as it is said ‘Sometimes it’s more about the journey than the destination’ which is exactly what this journey was about. Before the trip commenced, a brief introduction about the expected species at the destination was given by Mr. Somreet Bhattacharya and a few important dos and don’ts by Ms. Tannu Saini.
After we began our journey, Mr. Navin Das took over the role of a mentor and elaborated on the 9 species of vultures in India and their behavior, habitat and status through funny anecdotes and personal experiences making it an interesting and a memorable share.
As the five-hour long journey progressed, we began chatting and observing other birds on the way. We stopped for a sumptuous breakfast midway and resumed our journey picking up Mr. Hemendra from Bharatpur on the way who was supposed to guide us in the rocky cliffs of Bayana.
Upon reaching the destination, we were just mesmerized by the breathtaking view of the rocky terrain and the even rockier cliffs. We were welcomed by the sight of Indian and Egyptian vultures soaring majestically in the sky moving in circles using their thermals. Soon, some of them settled on the nearby cliffs and their resting and taking-off behavior carried on for some time.
However, excitement ran high amongst the volunteers when a Bonelli’s Eagle decided to show its prowess and challenged the mighty Indian Vultures. For a brief moment the sky was charged with tension as the two giants fought it out amongst themselves.
Soon it was time to leave behind the scene of action and take with us only wonderful memories of the remarkable encounters. During our onward and return journey, we had a few other notable sightings of a Red-necked Falcon, Indian Gray Hornbills, a Small Minivet, Long-tailed shrike, Pied Crested cuckoos, a few Indian Rollers, Black winged stilts, egrets, lapwings etc.
Finally, the journey ended at around 10.00 pm when we reached the WWF Delhi office. With mixed feelings I said my good -byes and thanked the WWF team for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be a part of their Vulture Count team and experience the vultures in their natural habitat exhibiting their true behavior fearlessly.
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