Virtuoso Life - September/October 2008 - (Page 182) GREAT OUTDOORS Songs of the Subcontinent A novice birder finds her calling in India’s northern wilds. By KaThy SchULTz n 182 avigating through scrub brush and acacia trees just inside Keoladeo ghana national Park, we stop inexplicably in a dusty clearing. “Just wait five minutes,” says Darshan, my bicycle rickshaw guide, as he points to holes the size of dinner plates. Within minutes the shiny greenish tan snout of a giant python emerges, slithering out to reveal a body some ten feet long. “he is LaaYzee,” says Darshan – this from a man who pedals hundreds, if not thousands, of miles a year. We watch as the snake suns and snoozes for several minutes. this alone is worth the park’s price of admission, and not something i expect to see at Keoladeo, one of the most famous bird parks in the world. Located near the northern indian city of bharatpur in rajasthan, Keoladeo was originally developed as a hunting reserve by Maharaja ram singh in the late nineteenth century. today, birds and wildlife reign over Fishing lure: White-throated kingfishers call birders to Keoladeo Ghana National Park. V I RT U O S O L I F E BERNARD CASTELEIN/ALAMY its forested areas, grasslands, canals, and ponds, earning it national park status and a place on the unEsco World heritage site list. a string of weak monsoon seasons and farmers’ diversion of water for irrigation combined to dry up much of the wetlands, but thanks to pressure from naturalists and unEsco, the government has stepped up
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