The stalkers

The alarm buzzed, it was 5 0’clock of a December morning. We planned to start early that day, as to see the hornbills before they leave from their roost.  So we went up to a watch tower inside forest, which was just adjacent to the roost site. We reached there by 5: 30, but it was still dark and the sunrise was expected to be around 6:10, as per the weather reports. In front of the watchtower, there is an artificial waterhole built by the forest department authorities. So sighting of wild boars, leopards and elephants are quite common here in the early morning but that day there wasn’t any kind of movement. Me and my assistant, Sitaram went up to the watchtower and sat there, waiting patiently for the sunlight to peek out of the dark sky.

Just as there was a tinge of sunlight, we felt of being amidst a grand orchestral performance. From the majestic call of Great hornbill to the cries of the Great Barbet. Even the sound of dew drops drenching down from the leaves of the nearby fig tree added to the symphony. As the things in front of us were going on like a poem on a misty morning, we saw something coming out from the undergrowths nearby. We were extremely excited to see what it could be, but we were super excited when we saw them, a pack of wild dogs! They were 5 of them, came down to the waterhole but interestingly they didn’t notice us. In the meantime, a wild boar also tried to come down to waterhole from the opposite side, but was chased out by these superbly amazingly cute canids! The pack went out for a round of the undergrowths bordering the waterhole, checking out what else is there to play with, but there was none to their expectation. They came back down again by the waterhole, but now the light was sufficient to help them get a proper sight of us!

While I tried to take pictures of them taking bath on the cold winter morning, they kept on observing me and my field assistant. It went on for some time, all of them took bath, drank water just like how you expect to start your day fresh, isn’t it? As they finished, all five of them sat consecutively one after the other by the undergrowths, adjacent to the waterhole. This was a hell experience when five of the shy canids looking directly into your eyes for almost 20-25 minutes, you can experience the chill that went down of your spine giving you goosebumps. The individual sitting at the last got up first and went inside the dense vegetation, then the second, later the third and then the fourth all sequentially within 2 minutes but the first-row individual was still there looking at us. Then we got to hear this shrill whistling call of the wild dog expectedly coming from the directions those guys went, which was the signal for the sentinel who was keeping an eye on us, that to join them and leave these humans!

As the sentinel left, I felt a bit sad and extremely happy about this experience. Why I felt happy I needn’t mention the reason, it is obvious but sad because I missed noticing the hornbills in the meantime.

But as everyone says, No one knows what lies ahead, just at the right moment to make this experience an extremely memorable one and to have a picture-perfect ending to the morning, a pair of great hornbills came soaring and perched down on the branch of a Sal tree, in front of us!

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