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A two-hour drive took us 68 km south to the Chambal River, a uniquely clean river in India. As a consequence we expected more waterbirds, but the good news was sun! Finally. After a two km walk through rutted clay, we boarded two skiffs to motor along the riverbanks. Most numerous were the Mugger Crocodiles and the Gharial, huge fish-eating crocs with a large ghara (knob) on the top of their snout. They can reach 15-20 feet; the population endangered from poor water quality. The crocs took advantage of the sun, warming themselves on the sand banks. We, too, enjoyed the warmth on our bodies and at last could shed layers.
Along with crocs were a Brown Roofed Turtle and a huge Indian Soft Shell Turtle probably five feet wide. River Lapwings, Painted Storks, a couple sandpipers, all seemed to position themselves among the crocs around each bend of the river. On shore, floating along the surface of the water, the Gharial raised snouts to thermoregulate.
The river experiences massive flooding during the monsoon season. It floods back into the couple kilometers where we walked. The trees atop the high banks all had debris left from the floods. People lined up on each side of the river get ferried across in overloaded boats along with motorcycles. But a bridge is in the process of being built, tall supports stand ready. We lunched in the garden of the Chambal Safari Lodge on delicious curries, crispy spinach, displayed on copper serving dishes over steaming pots. A walk through the grounds found three owls: Spotted Owlets, Indian Scops-Owl, and a Brown Boobook, either asleep or studying us peering up at them. An extended search sometimes on knees gave us glimpses of an elusive Orange-headed Thrush (orange head, blue body).
Nap time on the return bus trip, arriving at the Trident Hotel for another good meal. After walking the grounds in daylight we thought this place looked familiar. It's been renovated all except for key features in the courtyard. This is the same hotel we stayed in in 2007! We remember it because of a rise above the pool where a staff member walked around waving a flag with a symbol for "no birds", shooing away the pigeons. Ironically we have a picture of me with the flag.
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