A week in pictures

It has been an exciting week here at SUJÁN JAWAI. The dry winter continues to host an ever increasing number of migratory birds in the skies, whilst on the granite hills there are eyes forever watching the movements on the lower grounds. As winter sets in, with temperatures dropping down to 5 °C our wild friends seem to want to catch as many rays of sunshine as possible. Let's get immersed in to this incredible landscape through some highlights captured this week, I hope you enjoy!

The dry thorny vegetation of Jawai is the perfect habitat for the nilgai (boselaphus tragocamelus) literally meaning "blue cow". It is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. These are diurnal animals and are usually quite shy in nature, but slowly and steadily they are getting used to our presence.

This male was busy feeding and looked up to give us a nice stare before bolting into the bushes.

Below is one of the most iconic sights of Jawai, seeing the dash of red of a Rabari herdsman returning with his livestock after a long day roaming the hills.

Down on the lakes a mugger or marsh crocodile (crocodylus palustris) was seen basking at the southern part of the Jawai dam. Did you know mugger crocodiles, are extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar and have been listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1982?

The mugger crocodile is considered a medium-sized crocodilian, but has the broadest snout among living crocodiles.

Eye to eye with an Indian Eagle Owl

Seen very regularly on safari at SUJÁN JAWAI Indian eagle-owl (bubo bengalensis), also called the rock eagle-owl or Bengal eagle-owl, is a large horned owl species native to hilly and rocky scrub forests in the Indian Subcontinent.

Our friendly neighbours, the gray langurs, also known at Hanuman monkeys, are seen all around the Jawai region. They provide much entertainment if you take the time to pause and observe them.

A family of Gray Languar monkeys huddle on the temple walls.

Jawai, is often called the ‘Land of the leopard’ but is sometimes overlooked for the amazing range of birdlife that can be found here. I had this beautiful sighting of an Indian roller this week. The Indian roller (coracias benghalensis) is best known for its aerobatic displays of the males during the breeding season. Their blue feathers are eye catching.

Indian roller birds are often seen perched on branches or on wires outside the temples or villages.

Hide and seek! camouflage at it’s best. To the naked eye the leopards of Jawai blend very seamlessly into the rocky landscape. The camouflage of their fur works perfectly against the granite rocks, revealing themselves to us only with movement or when the dappled light catches their piercing eyes.