One of the most picturesque tiger landscape Bandhavgarh is a one of the most popular for tiger safaris as well but little do the enthusiasts know that the destination is a birding hotspot in Central India. Hence many times wildlife enthusiasts are surprised by sightings of amazing avian species on safari. I am visiting this little paradise since many years. On my first visit, I had no interest in the feathered friends, I was just on a holiday trip.

The only accommodation was the rest house at Tala what is now one of the key zones of this tiger reserve. As we landed a bright yellow object lightening quick flashed past us through the verandah. This was my first feel as a bird watcher immediately our guide pointed out the common name. The golden oriole struck me with it melange of colors some bold some subtle. We finished off the holiday with fantastic sightings of the big cats and other enchanting animals that the park proudly hosts. But the yellow flash kept tingling my senses - there is more to a tiger reserve than just mammals.

That same year I sighted a paradise flycatcher while on a tendu patta collection trip. That was it soon a bird book landed on my lap and a set of cheap binoculars came nto my possession. On our next trip with family to the tiger reserve, I was well loaded. I was properly introduced to the big cats and the deer species especially during frequent trips that followed, but I was slowly learning about our feathered friends as well.

River Charanganga was close to the gate and while staying at newly constructed White Tiger Lodge I spotted the paradise flycatchers breeding. At the banks of this river if you stand at the hotel garden with a powerful torch you could see a leopard trying to hunt down a deer, when this event occurred it could be your happiest day. It was now birds and animals both for me and the safari holidays became more interesting. I was turning into a naturalist.

While zipping past the forests on open jeep or ambling along on an elephant back the latter moving at an ants pace I kept a lookout for the avian species and all were new to me. The experience at Bandhavgarh is esoteric making it the perfect destination for a safari holiday.

Bandhavgarh is an interesting destination with lot of history and intrigue. You moved in between the dense canopy and marshy grasslands searching for tigers and encountered a bewildering number of species. When you become excited about a destination's offering you imbibe all the aspects and so I was keen on mammals, reptiles and birds. When I borrowed my brothers camera with a macro lens it introduced me to the dainty little winged creatures the butterflies. Snakes constitute another dimension of this National Park but they are elusive and nocturnal. So I was satisfied by the sight of the python or the deadly cobra which frequented the forests. Nevertheless the intrigue became deeper, and I wanted to explore the biodiversity further. Most of my time was taken up by the avian species as I became an avid bird watcher.

The park is home to twenty two species of mammals and reptiles found in Central India. But it has substantial species of birds some of which are winter migrants. The varied habitats inside and outside of the park are full of the winged creatures besides on a luck day you could come across the leopard moving stealthily towards a village, a bison herd peacefully grazing by the Bhardashilla tank. Life at this little reserve is fun, exciting and full of discoveries.

Once the park came under the aegis of Project Tiger it became a tiger reserve in addition to being a National Park. Today the biodiversity of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve is completely protected and preserved. A large number of tourists visit the destination and stay at many hotels and resorts built for them. Thankfully the biodiversity has increased and a larger number of resident avian species can be seen. In winters migrant make the tours more exciting.