Monsoon Magic….in Debrigarh.. A short Wildlife Photographic travelogue …

 Brati Majumdar (Chatterjee)






After a long gap of nearly three years, after finishing the story of the life of Dry Fish Workers and stressed due to work pressure…there was a need for refreshment. Many beautiful destinations popped up, with numerous suggestions from friends and relatives, we decided to pick the impossible,” A jungle safari, amid monsoon”.  We were informed promptly, that, most of the WLS’s been closed for three months during monsoon, there was no hope for a safari….but a sudden meeting with a friend of mine, and we came to know about the Debrigarh WLS, which remains open in September.

With no delay, we visited the site, and our trip was planned. On September 22, 2023, we reached Sambalpur, where we were greeted by the staff of the WLS. After light refreshments, we headed towards our destination.

As we leave the hustles and bustles of the beautiful township of Sambalpur, blessed by Goddess Sambaleshwari, the scenario began to change. Winding up along the road, with the beautiful gleaming Hirakud Dam on the right side and green Eastern Ghats on the left side….the beauty of monsoon clouds engulfed the greenery is mesmerizing. 


The Clouds Gathering on the Eastern Ghats…

Clearing the formalities, we entered deep in the jungle, amid heavy rainfall. The path was visible, with the clattering of rain and silence the aura was so awesome. Less visibility, with low shutter speed enabled in some dream photographic sequences. 


The Way towards the Sanctuary.  Slow shutter speed and raindrops..Created magic


After settling in the Nature Camp, we reserved our Safari timing, with our Guide Sri Narendra Pradhan ji, who offered us a trekking tour through the jungle for better sightings. In the evening, as rain ceased with little relief, we toured within the camp side area and the reservoir side. We met our first beautiful inhabitant of the forest, basking in the waterlogged path...A Scaly Brested Munia.  

The Scaly Brested Munia…..

Day 1: 22/09/2023, Morning, 5.30 am ..our first safari sightings

The Spotted deer pair was peeping… shot with slow shutter speed and 400 ISO and f3.5, a beautiful image came up. 



The next morning at 5.30 am, we started our first safari. As we entered the deep jungle, it was drizzling, and view was marred. Setting the lowest ISO setting, with high dynamic shutter speed, my camera captured a pair of spotted deer, an Indian Gaur and a Sambar deer. Shooting them in rain is a wonderful experience. 

The Indian Gaur..it is the prime inhabitant of Debrigarh. The big bull was staring at us, as we clicked him….

The Sambar Deer was surprised by the sound of the shutters..


Day 1: 21/ 09/2023…evening 3 pm…our sightings


At evening, Pradhan Ji arrived and we set off to our evening safari. On way we saw numerous Wild Boar, with majestic Paradise Flycatcher… waving its tail to disappear in a glance, before shot. With sun God showering a little relief.. we were able to shoot a beautiful family of wild boar…. and a spotted deer fawn running in fear…. yes the alarm call of a langur and a peacock…. was sharp and shrill…


The fawn ran panicked and the langur…was in an alarming mood… 


A pair of Wild Boar was scavenging their last bit as the sun sets….



Guide Mr. Pradhan, guiding me through the dense forest..


The Wild trail was the most exciting part of our 2 day trip to the beautiful forest. 


Mud Puddling of butterflies..


   A black Winged Kite                                    

A beautiful Juvenile Shikra…

The trail continued for about one and half hour, we walked 2.5 kilometers deep inside the dense forest. The trial is about 3 kilometers, but the last few meters inside the core had to be abandoned due to rain….and dangers of feline presence, with warnings from the forest guard behind us. Plus we had to respect the rules of the jungle, not to venture in deep wild during breeding season.

We returned in boats as the roads were in its worst condition. The serene beautiful Hirakud was bursting with dense rain clouds with the egrets making a white canopy in the trees, and peacock resting on the branches near the water body….


The beautiful Hirakud reservoir…engulfed in rain and clouds…


At about 11am we wind up from the campsite and started our journey back. We bade farewell to Mr. Pradhan, who insisted on sending some snaps taken during the trail. He invited us to visit again during winter….for clicking winter birds.    

*Student, 1996

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 21, 2023 at 11:44 PM

    Very nice 👌🏻

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 22, 2023 at 3:41 PM

    Excellent Broti....jemon chobi temon tar sathe lekha.....khub valo hoeche

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sudeshna SanyalOctober 24, 2024 at 8:16 PM

    Excellent article and fantastic photographs. I felt as if I was there.

    ReplyDelete

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