We are being very well fed-and-watered by our hosts Rajvir and Hemendra of Bhainsrorgarh, Rajasthan at a private location outside the forest.
The picnic is a rare chance for the younger generation (represented today by 7 cousins) to experience a 'camp' meal. Everyone pitches in. Essential cooking ingredients have been brought from the Fort. This includes the mutton and flour for the 'battis'. The menfolk are in charge of the 'maas' which is cooked in a large handi over a open wood fire. The ladies are adept at creating 'katoris' from the tender leaves of the 'Flame of the forest' (Butea monosperma), woven into cup-like shape with pliant stems. At this time of the year the fresh leaves have a soft furry texture.
Soon the meat is simmering away and the rest of the prep is left to the staff.
We drive a few miles into the forest to Lohariya-ka-talab. A covey of Jungle Bush-Quail cross the track
between our vehicles. It is now late in the morning so our chances of seeing any game is slender. These forests once sported plentiful cheetal, sambhar, wild boar, sloth bear and leopard.
As we approach the lake through the surrounding forest, a pair of courting White-eyed Buzzards are dwarfed by a pair of Crested Serpent Eagles in flight. Another large Eagle makes cameo appearances through the densely-packed mature trees of Tendu, Arjun, Churail, Dhokra, Siris and others. This individual has not taken kindly to our intrusion. And we soon discover why. It appears to have built not one but two nests in a stately Arjun tree. We are careful to allow it some space. I manage a hurried record shot of this handsome creature.
Changeable Hawk Eagle
This is not a commonly encountered raptor in Rajasthan. One would possibly chance upon it in a mature forest - but several visits to Rajasthan's Sanctuaries has not thrown up even a single record for me over the years, so this is special.
The forest abutting the lake is green and vibrant, almost like a mirage in this harsh, sun-bleached rocky terrain. It is now almost noon and the heat is enervating. Yet the water and the leafy trees have attracted a multitude of birds. The forest rings with their calls and they are quite unaffected by our presence in their midst.
Male Paradise Flycatchers, both adults (above - white) and juveniles (below - rufous) dodge and twist through the thick foliage. They are vying for the attentions of the few females in this part of the forest.
Trusting White-browed Fantail Flycatchers,Common Woodshrikes and Oriental White-eyes are mixed in with comparatively wary Golden Orioles. White-bellied Drongos make graceful sallies after insects. I had recently seen web-posted pictures from a nearby forest of Chestnut-tailed Starlings so am not surprised to see a small group of them here, high up in the trees. Another unusual bird to find in Rajasthan.
Now that the senses have tuned out the commoner birds like the Petronias, the different Mynas, Silverbills and others, I become more aware of a relatively friendly, yet unfamiliar flycatcher.
This individual keeps peering at us shyly from close quarters, and I am able to get good views, but no bells are ringing ! So, the best is to take a few shots and see if one can ID it later ...
Spotted Flycatcher (... ID corrected later to Asian Brown Flycatcher)
This is a lifer for me. The Spotted Flycatcher is usually sighted during Passage Migration in March and October - and most of the photographs are from Kutchh (Gujarat) ; so this is an unusual record to find one here in the peak of summer (21st May 2012).
This oasis at the parched edge of the forest has naturally drawn the kingfishers.
Pied Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Happy has picked up the calls of Crested Tree Swift. He points out their distinctive flying profiles above, but I am only able to catch glimpses through the binoculars - a lifer for me, but dissatisfying since they don't actually perch today.
Oriental White-eye on Flame of the Forest
The lake is full of amphibians. Both times that thunder from a dust-storm rumbled in the distance, with an answering chorus of calls, scores of bullfrogs would suddenly appear on the surface.
And if you walked down to the lake's edge, the smaller frogs would jump anxiously at the last instant from almost underfoot and go skittering away into the water.
The lake itself shrinks to a fraction of its size in the summer. The vegetation and feed in and around the water have drawn the usual suspects including River Terns, Egrets, Ibis ( White and Black), Storks ( Painted and Open-billed), and Lesser Whistling Ducks. Also a pair of Sarus Cranes - always a lovely sight.
We now have word from Camp that lunch is ready. So we move away from this enchanted forest, leaving the languorous langurs to their daydreams ...
A mongoose scurries away after a furtive drink of water. The lake and forest are left to their rightful denizens.
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