Bharatpur National Park- Most Talked About Abode of Enchanting Birds!
Caught by an ardent desire to treat my senses to sights of the colorful birds, I with my guide Bhuvan stepped into the paradise of birds, Bharatpur National Park. Birds have always inspired me in some way or the other. Sometimes their flight made me wonder what true freedom means, sometimes their melodious voices inspired me to understand what life is. In fact, their very presence bring a smile on my face and joy in my heart.
After some tea and breakfast we drove inside the Park, the land of my dream, with my
camera ready to capture the delightful birds. A few birds nested on flowering babool trees were our first guests. Wow! the birds dressed by nature in beautiful plumes were flaunting their brilliant colors. They were preening, displaying, rubbing necks and clacking beaks with each other symbolizing a world of perfect harmony.
Post savoring this sight we moved further. I thought to myself, no wonder this Park is declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Both the resident and migratory birds are the treasure of this Park which attracts bird enthusiasts, both local and international, in great numbers. Located in Rajasthan, this is one destination that occupies a special place on Nature-lover’s itinerary.
A few meters ahead we saw blue-tailed bee-eater savoring its breakfast( grasshopper), Grey francolin enjoying each other’s company, Bronze-winged jacanas swimming swiftly as if showing their skill and Indian rollers displaying their wonderful colors.
Painted storks, cormorants, Spoon bills, Openbills, Black-headed ibis, Grey herons, Night
herons, darters and egrets, Cotton pygmy geese, woodpeckers were the other birds we sighted. How overwhelming! It is really not possible to describe the beauty of these birds in words. One must see it to feel it. I almost spent an hour in clicking the pictures of these fascinating creatures.
Now we headed towards the temple in the Park where the sights of cheetal, jackal and a conglomerate of Grey herons were revealed to us. Contented yet craving for some more, we now headed back, passing some more avian species. Bharatpur National Park is truly a bird’s paradise. While going back a quote by Emily Dickinson raced through my mind, “I hope you love birds too. It is economical. It saves going to heaven”.