Owls
Owls have become a personal favourite. Each jungle, each owl has its own story to tell. Some revealed themselves after days of patient waiting, others stared right back with that unblinking gaze, as if weighing me. Every encounter etched a memory far deeper than the image itself.
Jungle Owlet
In Kanha, it became my companion. Perched on open branches, always alert, often calling in broad daylight. Unlike the secretive owls, this one feels like a forest neighbour — visible, approachable, yet never predictable.
Dusky Eagle-Owl (2023)
In Bharatpur’s winter of 2023, we searched tirelessly for three days. A faint shape, a shadowed form, a feeble glimpse through the canopy — enough to stir excitement but not enough for a picture. That season, the owl reminded us of the forest’s rules: not everything is meant to be claimed at once.
Dusky Eagle-Owl Chicks (2024)
The next winter, 2024, patience paid back in full. Two chicks glared at us from a distance, eyes wide, fierce even in youth — a sentinel in its mother’s absence. They held their ground with a poise that belonged more to a seasoned raptor than to a downy youngster.
Mottled Wood Owl
At Pench, I watched a pair roosting, almost dissolving into the bark. Their deep hoots vibrate through Sal and Teak — one of the most evocative sounds of Central Indian forests.
Oriental Scops Owl
Tiny, almost toy-like, with shifting colour morphs — grey, rufous, brown. Blends so perfectly with tree hollows that every sighting feels like winning a treasure hunt. Late evening encounter at Thattekad!
Spotted Owlet
Tattooed across the Indian countryside. In Tadoba, five sat together on a tree — quarrelling, preening, jostling. Mischievous clowns of the owl world, never failing to draw a smile.
Short-eared Owl
Winter visitors to open grasslands. We had our luck at LRK! Silent fliers, appearing like shades at dusk. You never forget the first time they rise ghost-like from ground level.
Pallid Scops Owl
A scarce gem. Sandy plumage, desert dweller. The thrill of spotting one at LRK is matched only by the disbelief at how well it disappears into dry scrub.
Brown Wood Owl
One of the most protective I’ve met — a parent shielding its chick deep in shadow in a deep forest in Pangot. A fierce guardian, reminding you that in the jungle, parenthood is a matter of survival.
Indian Scops Owl
Another familiar yet enchanting, often roosting low in urban groves or old banyans, seen here at Thattekad. Their wide-eyed stare is as much curiosity as it is caution.
Mottled Wood Owl, Thattekad
Alone on its perch, calling into the fading light, and refusing to glance at us mortals.
Indian Eagle Owls, Bhigwan
Bold, unblinking, and impossible to ignore — these Eagle Owls owned their patch of scrub like sovereigns.