Corbett Tiger Reserve

Report of the IIT Bombay Wildlife Club's Summer Symbiosis '94 held at the Corbett Tiger Reserve is enclosed. This document is in the Public Domain. You are not only permitted but also encouraged to distribute this document freely in any form --- print, electronic media, or broadcasting to anyone who may be interested. This document is also available via the Internet at the following URL: http://www-int.stsci.edu/~yogesh/wildlife.html Some of the information contained in this report has been superceded by  the report of my visit in May 1997. Please send comments/corrections/requests for more info to : Yogesh Wadadekar

Mail:
Yogesh Wadadekar
I-1 Rajat
968/20 S Bapat Road
Pune 411 016
India

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Contents

REPORT OF THE SUMMER SYMBIOSIS 94 ORGANIZED BY THE WILDLIFE CLUB IIT BOMBAY AT THE CORBETT TIGER RESERVE UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA MAY 1994

Yogesh Wadadekar

 May 1995

 

We gratefully acknowledge the help and cooperation received from Project Tiger authorities at Corbett Tiger Reserve particularly the Field Director, Mr. A.S. Negi, and the Deputy Director, Mr. Rajiv Bhartari. It was their unstinting help and cooperation that made our stay at Corbett a most educative and memorable experience. We also take this opportunity to thank Dr. N.K. Khosla (Chairman Cultural) and Dr. G.K. Sharma ( Dean Student Affairs) for support and assistance for our trip. Mr. Rajiv Bhartari deserves our special gratitude for his assistance, and for sharing his knowledge, enthusiasm and perspective on conservation with all of us.

1 Basic Information On Corbett Tiger Reserve

1.1 Geography of Corbett Tiger Reserve

Corbett Tiger Reserve is spread over areas of Nainital, Almora, Pauri Garhwal and Bijnore Districts of Uttar Pradesh. The present area of the Reserve is 1318.54 sq. km. including 520.82 sq. km. of core area and 797.72 sq. km. of buffer area. The core area forms the Corbett National Park while the buffer contains reserve forests (496.54 sq. km.) as well as the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary (301.18 sq.km.). The core is bounded to the North by the Kanda Ridge, with a height of 1043 m at its highest point. The entire area of the reserve is mountainous and falls in the Sivalik and Outer Himalaya geological province. It forms the catchment area of the Ramganga, a tributary of the Ganga. The Ramganga flows from East to West in the reserve through landscapes of incredible beauty. The Ramganga was dammed at Kalagarh at the south-western end of the reserve in 1974. The reservoir created submerged 40 sq. km. of prime grassland. The area on the western side of the reservoir now constitutes the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary.

1.2 Conservation History

Corbett National Park was the first national park of India and the Indian subcontinent, when it was established on 8 August 1936. It was then called Hailey National Park after Sir Malcolm Hailey, the then governor of the United Provinces. Major Jim Corbett was largely responsible for delineation of the park boundaries. After India attained independence in 1947 the park was renamed as Ramganga National Park. In 1957, it was renamed as Corbett National Park, in memory of Jim Corbett. Project Tiger, India's ambitious conservation program to save the tiger and its habitat was launched from Corbett in 1973. In 1991 the area of the reserve was enlarged to its present area, with a large buffer area coming under the direct control of the Field Director.

1.3 How to get there

The headquarters of the Corbett Tiger Reserve are located in the town of Ramnagar. Ramnagar is a town located on the south-eastern boundary of the reserve. Ramnagar is conveniently accessible from Delhi via Moradabad and Kashipur. There is a train route to Ramnagar but the fastest way to reach it by bus from Delhi/Moradabad/Kashipur. Both private and government run services are available to go to Ramnagar. Hotel accommodation is available at Ramnagar. A Tourist Lodge is available adjacent to the Project Tiger complex. STD/ISD telephone facilities are also available.

1.4 Entry formalities

Overnight visitors to Corbett require an entry permit as well as reserved accommodation in one of the Guest Houses. reservations can be made at the Field Director's office in Ramnagar subject to availability. You are strongly advised to book in advance to avoid disappointment. You can do this by getting in touch with the Field Director by mail.

1.5 Where to stay

Accommodation is available at Bijrani, Gairal, Sultan, Sarpduli, Khinnanauli, Dhikala, Lohachaur and various other rest houses located in the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, which has been recently opened for tourists. Accommodation for staying at the Rest houses in Sonanadi Sanctuary can be booked at Kotdwar. Dhikala is the largest tourist complex and houses a magnificent library which should not be missed. Elephant rides through the forest for viewing wildlife are available at Dhikala, reputed to have the highest density of tigers in the world. Tourist pressures are high at Dhikala during the season and it might be worthwhile to visit other locations that are as rewarding for the nature enthusiast, and much less crowded.

1.6 Flora of the Reserve

Corbett's floral diversity is mind boggling. In association with bhabar about 110 species of trees 51 species of shrubs, 27 species of climbers and 33 species of bamboo and grass are found. The dominant species of tree is Sal Shorea robusta which is found over 75 % of the total area. In a few areas pure stands of sal are found. Trees like Haldu Adina cardifolia, pipal Ficus religiosa and Rohini Mallotus philipensis are also commonly found. Sheesham Dalbergia sissoo is found along the Ramganga river. Weeds such as Lantana sp. have overrun many parts of the forest and are a major nuisance.

1.7 Fauna of the Reserve

Great faunal diversity is found in Corbett because of its varied climate and habitats, abundant food sources and shelter and protection from human disturbance for half a century. A list of species reported from Corbett includes 575 species of birds, 26 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians and 50 species of mammals.

Our encounter with the big cats was restricted to spotting pug marks, first at Lohachaur and then at Sultan. At both locations we found tiger pugmarks. At Dhikala, we were treated to a number of heart rending tiger roars during our visit to the Gulargatti watch tower. We found no evidence of any other member belonging to the cat family.

The Deer family representatives at Corbett gave us the pleasure of a thousand sightings. Barking Deer were ubiquitous at Lohachaur and we sighted them at Dhikala and Bijrani too. Sambar were sighted at Dhikala, Bijrani, Lohachaur and at numerous places along the Ramnagar Dhikala road. Chital herds were spotted all over the park. The largest herd we saw numbered 115 animals. They were placidly grazing on the dry river bed of the Ramganga at Dhikala.

Wild Pig were spotted by us at Dhikala. Corbett's wild pigs are huge, probably due to the abundant food supply. Boars have been known to tip the scales at an imposing 100 kg.

At Lohachaur, we frequently spotted troops of langurs around the Mandal river. Rhesus macaques were also spotted by us in this region.

We were unable to record the presence of hog deer, leopard, and mugger etc. that have been previously recorded in the areas of Corbett that we visited. There are two main reasons for this: the first is the short duration of our visit and the second is our extremely limited experience in the field.

Useful Addresses:

  1. Field Director, Project Tiger, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Ramnagar, Nainital District, Uttar Pradesh 244715 Tel: (05945) 85332, Res: 85376 Fax: (05945) 85376
  2. Bombay Natural History Society, Hornbill House, Dr. Salim Ali Chowk, Bombay 400023. Telegrams: HORNBILL Tel: (022) 243421, 243869, 244085
  3. Wildlife Secretary, Student's Gymkhana, Indian Institute of Technology, Powai, Bombay 400076.
  4. Yogesh Wadadekar I-1,Rajat, 968/20 S. Bapat Rd, Pune 411016
References
  1. Quarterly Newsletter, Corbett, Corbett Tiger Reserve.
  2. Nature Reserves of the Himalaya and the mountains of Central Asia, IUCN 1993,pp 170-176. Extremely Useful Article
  3. Bedi R., Corbett National Park, Clarion Books, Delhi, 1984.
  4. Dillon Ripley S and Ali S. , Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, BNHS, 1983.
  5. Dr. Kumar, Girish, Land of Roar and Trumpet, Sanctuary, Sept.--Oct. 1994.
  6. Corbett National Park: A Golden Jubilee Celebration 1936--1986, Corbett Tiger Reserve, 1986.
  7. Sinclair et al, Insight Guide to Indian Wildlife, Insight guides, 1990.
  8. Corbett Jim, Man Eaters of Kumaon
  9. Brochure, Corbett Tiger Reserve, 1993

A FLORAL AND FAUNAL LIST

Only species observed by us have been listed. The complete Checklist is much bigger and may be found elsewhere [1]. The birdlist includes the reference number of each bird as given in the Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent in the first column. This should remove all ambiguity and facilitate easy reference. It should be noted that only the birdlist is fairly complete. The plant list is very short because of our shortcomings in identification & our preoccupation with birds.

A.1 BIRDS

181  Himalayan Griffon 
139  Shikra 
311  Common Peafowl 
294  Kalij Pheasant 
299  Red Jungle Fowl 
366  Red Wattled Lapwing 
369  Spurwing Lapwing 
401  Common Sandpiper 
506  Green Imperial Pigeon 
516  Blue Rock Pigeon 
534  Indian Ring Dove 
537  Spotted Dove 
546  Alexandrine Parakeet 
558  Blossom Headed Parakeet 
573  Common Hawk-Cuckoo 
576  Indian Cuckoo 
675  Longtailed Nightjar 
680  Common Indian Nightjar 
680  Common Indian Swift 
750  Small Green Bee-Eater 
755  Indian Roller 
717  Himalayan Pied Kingfisher 
719  Lesser Pied Kingfisher 
735  White Breasted Kingfisher 
722  Small Blue Kingfisher 
763  Hoopoe 
778  Great Hill Barbet 
782  Large Green Barbet 
788  Blue Throated Barbet 
Golden Backed Woodpecker 
Pied Woodpecker 
804  Rufous Woodpecker 
809  Black Naped Green Woodpecker 
813  Large Yellow-Naped Woodpecker 
952  Golden Oriole 
958  Black-Headed Oriole 
Common Swallow 
1081  Scarlet Minivet 
1089  Rosy Minivet 
1093  Small Minivet 
1106  Orange-Bellied Chloropsis 
1123  White-Cheeked Bulbul 
1128  Redvented Bulbul 
1147  Brown-Eared Bulbul 
1148  Black Bulbul 
963  Black Drongo 
967  White-Bellied Drongo 
1027  Red-Billed Blue Magpie 
1032  Indian Tree-Pie 
1040  Andaman Tree-Pie (????) 
1049  House Crow 
1054  Jungle Crow 
1794  Grey Tit 
1809  Yellow Cheeked Tit 
1830  Chestnut Bellied Nuthatch 
Tree Creeper 
1274  White-Throated Laughing Thrush 
1283  White-Crested Laughing Thrush 
1720  Indian Robin 
1661  Magpie Robin 
1684  Little Forktail 
1688  Spotted Forktail 
1733  Orange-Headed Ground Thrush 
1752  Black Bird 
Warblers(species unidentified) 
1429  Small Niltava(?) 
1442  Tickell's Blue Flycatcher 
1445  Verditer Flycatcher 
1439  Pale Blue Flycatcher 
1440  Blue Throated Flycatcher 
1455  White-Throated Fantail Flycatcher 
1461  Paradise Flycatcher 
946  Rufous Backed Shrike 
1884  Grey Wagtail 
1891  Large Pied Wagtail 
1006  Indian Myna 
Purple Sunbird 
1933  White-Eye 
House Sparrow 
2060  Crested Bunting 
1115  Blackheaded Yellow Bulbul 
1008  Bank Myna 
Additional Birds spotted in Bijrani & Ramnagar
185  Whitebacked Vulture 
186  Scavenger Vulture 
42  Pond Heron 
49  Little Egret 
1098  Common Iora 
1517  Ashy Wren Warbler 
1538  Tailor Bird 
767  Grey Hornbill 
1917  Purple Sunbird  C
Birds Seen at Dhikala
Painted Snipe
Pariah Kite
Pied Bush Chat
Black Partridge
Quail
Coppersmith
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
White Necked Stork

Key

C Common  Seen 5 or more times
Occasional  Seen 2 to 4 times
Few  Seen only once
Unidentified birds

Eagle+-, BOP dirty white throat and belly, uniform dark brown back and wings grey head with crest, yellow beak. Broad white band on wings and tail seen in flight. Seen at Lohachaur.

A.2 MAMMALS

  1. Chital Axis axis
  2. Elephant Elephas maximus
  3. Wild pig Sus scrofa
  4. Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak
  5. Sambar
  6. Tiger (heard) Panthera tigris
  7. Common Langur
  8. Rhesus Macaque
  9. Jackal

A.3 REPTILES

  1. Gharial Gavialis gangeticus
  2. Common Skink

A.4 BUTTERFLIES

  1. Common Crow
  2. Striped Tiger
  3. Blue Tiger
  4. Common Sailor
  5. Common Jezebel

A.5 PLANTS

  1. Sal Shorea robusta
  2. Haldu Adina cardifolia
  3. Pipal Ficus religiosa
  4. Lantana
  5. Sheesham Dalbergia sissoo
  6. Rohini Mallotus philipensis
  7. NOTE: The list presented above is merely a fraction of Corbett's rich natural heritage that we were able to sample with the limited amount of time (6 days) and knowledge available to us. It should be noted that we could learn so much in spite of having no background in Life Sciences whatsoever. Students of Botany/Zoology would undoubtedly find it easy to multiply the list many fold. We would also state here that we saw a few bird species than we were unable to identify. There were many reasons for this - wary birds, low light conditions, low magnification on our binoculars and thick vegetation.

B DAILY LOG

6 May 1995: Got up at 0530. Many birds in campus of Project Tiger office -- Indian Tree Pie, Sunbirds, Mynas. Went and met FD (Field Director). He sent us to the Deputy FD Shri. Rajiv Bhartari. Sat with him and chalked out our program for the following five days. Went to reception office and made reservations. Shri Bhartari came and gave us a talk on Corbett Tiger Reserve, standing near the map at the reception. Met FD and talked to him about concessions in accommodation. We were charged a concessional rate of Rs. 100 /day for the whole group. Got permits and receipts from reception. Left for Bijrani in the afternoon. Entered CNP (Corbett National Park) for the first time through Amdanda gate. Hoopoe on road. Few cheetal. Reached Bijrani after 30 minutes. Tree house-- Costly canteen-- Elephant rides-- Forest RH-- rich public-- Resident RW Lapwing pair, probably on nest, Bulbuls, Spotted Dove, Scavenger Vulture etc. Went down to River Bank. Solitary wild elephant in the distance. Small Blue Kingfisher, Large Pied Wagtail on river bank. Left at 3 p.m. in Forest Dept vehicle for ride beyond Bijrani, in Bijrani Malani Tal area. 2 hour ride. Frequent spotting of Cheetal, Sambar, Langur. No Rhesus Macaques. One group of 2 elephants seen -- Tuskers. Tortuous, steep winding road. Traveled about 30 km. in two hours. Rested at Bijrani for ~ 45 minutes. Short ride once again. Barking deer spotted. Reached Ramnagar at 1915. Dinner out. Ganne ka ras. Slept at 2130.

7 May: Got up at 0545. Bought provisions. Potatoes, rice etc. Breakfast at 0930. Got into bus for Lohachaur. Extremely crowded. Bus left at 0900. Mud road beyond Dhangarhi gate. Steep ups and downs. Rivers crossed on flimsy looking bridges. Reached Lohachaur at 1130. Great FRH ! British Raj time suites with running water and a fireplace. Surrounded by thick sal jungle. Prepared Maggi noodles for lunch. Had bath in river. Sighted Common Skink. At 1630 left on trail. We walked some distance along the river upstream. Not too many birds. Peafowl, Red Junglefowl on river bed. Also Drongos, Blossom headed Parakeets, Rufousbacked Shrike. Saw fresh elephant dung and tracks. Big troop of Common Langur feeding on sheesham island. Returned at 1845. Ate kheer and rice. Slept at 2100. Night completely silent. No barking deer barks.

8 May: got up at 0545. Left for trail on road to Durgadevi with guide who was starting tiger census procedures. Orangeheaded Ground Thrush, Spurwing Lapwing, Small Minivet, Blossom headed Parakeet. Saw fresh elephant dung and tracks. Tracked elephant ~ 750 m. Black Bulbul seen. Returned at 0945. Ate Bhurji and tomato soup. Slept in the afternoon. Evening looked stormy. Went along road on Maidavan side. Saw barking deer, Kalij Pheasant, Lesser Goldenbacked Woodpecker and male Crested Bunting. Within minutes the sky was covered with thick clouds and a howling wind stared blowing throwing up a lot of dust. We ran back to the FRH. Rain started after 1/2 hour. Not very heavy. Ate dal--chaval. Slept at 2130.

9 May: got up at 0400. We were supposed to accompany forest guard on his beat. Tiger census was starting today. The guard had a map of his area. Today he would go around just wiping off the pugmarks that he saw. Walked towards Durgadevi with him. Fleeting glimpses of Redbilled Blue Magpie and an unidentified bird, probably a Great Hill Barbet. The bird would sit on trees with dry leaves and then disappear as we neared. We were not able to get a good look at it. Many butterflies but not much variety. Striped Tiger, Blue Tiger, Common Crow, Common Jezebel. On return journey, saw 4 Redbilled Blue Magpies trying to shoo away a Rhesus Macaque feeding in their area or near their nest (?) . Extremely beautiful sight. When we were watching the magpies, the Forest Dept. vehicle arrived to pick us up. We left for Sultan at 1000. reached at 1145. Lunch of Maggi noodles and soup. Left for a waterhole ~200m away at 1715. Heard dry leaves crackling near waterhole. Turned out to be a small herd of cheetal. All the animals were very well camouflaged and silent even while moving about on a dry leaf bed. Saw bear claw marks on a tree. Saw Broad Billed Roller at the Sultan FRH after sunset. It seemed much smaller than the size mentioned (Pigeon +-). Saw Longtailed Indian Nightjar pair at dusk. At night saw another nightjar sitting on a dried branch ~ 5 feet above the ground. Eyes shine brightly in torchlight, but not as brightly as Cheetal. Also spotted a male Cheetal stag in torchlight. We tried to follow it. It bolted when we were about 50 feet away. Did some stargazing. M44 stunning. Ursa Minor high up and clearly visible. Sisodia bitten inside room by a tiny scorpion, hardly bigger than a cockroach. Gave him a pain killer and applied some antiseptic cream. A little swelling on his toe where the scorpion had bitten him. Rainstorm around midnight. Night colder than usual.

10 May: Got up at 0400. Left with forest guard Naqvi on road to Dhangarhi. New forest guard, inexperienced and scared of the jungle. made so much noise that there was little chance of spotting wildlife. Saw fresh, clear tiger pugmarks in a nearby sot. The pugmarks were only a few hours old. (It had rained around midnight.) He put a glass plate on top of the best pugmark and traced its outline on it, which was later transferred to tracing paper. Walked on with the guide. Guide told us that the pugmarks were of a tigress. (elongated egg-shaped toe marks -- tigress. Circular toe marks -- tiger). We followed numerous streams and soon got lost. Used some rough idea on the direction we ought to take and made it back to Sultan. Then went on mud road towards Gairal. Reached river bed and waited for birds. Nothing seen. Came back and packed up. Lunch of dal-rice. At 1630 Shri. Bhartari arrived and gave a lift to 3 of us to Dhikala. They stopped at Gairal, Sarpduli, Khinnanauli and High Bank, where they saw a Gharial male basking on the river bank. Rest of reached Dhikala by bus. Dhikala complex quite large. Electricity available. Many hutments, loghuts (dormitories), best wildlife library anywhere, dhaba, restaurant, range officers quarters, elephants, mahouts and a shed for screening movies etc. Not much crowd. a herd of 150 cheetal feeding on dried up river bed. Dineer at restaurant. Costly. Slide show by Shri. Bhartari. Some star-gazing done. Slept in anticipation of a fruitful elephant ride the next morning.

11 May: 6 of us on each elephant. My elephant went on chaur side. Other elephants went across the river. Saw wild pig and jackal


Map of Corbett Tiger Reserve
URL: http://www-int.stsci.edu/~yogesh/wildlife/corbrep94.shtml

Last modified on: Tue Apr 5 15:36:02 2005