Magic of Bandhavgarh !

Bandhavgarh is a gem of a Park and despite the heat, the crowds and the unruly behaviour of some people, it still worth a visit! I spent 4 lovely days in this Park recently and was rewarded with some amazing sightings!

View of the surrounding jungle from the Fort, which is sadly ignored by most visitors! We saw very fresh Pug marks of the Dominant male Tiger, B2 on a hot summer afternoon..he had emerged from a deep pool of water, just before our jeep reached there and we could see droplets of water on his tracks...and i could 'feel' his presence!!

I have this strange bond with him..he always makes an appearance for me..and i was so thrilled that in my first drive itself..and that too in the most unlikely place..on top of the Fort, i saw his fresh Tracks!!

The 'new male' seen in Chakradhara meadow..the heart of B2's territory! He is B2's son and is about six years old and in prime condition! He is called, 'Bamera male' and is challenging B2 for his territory!!

He paused to scratch himself..with his tongue sticking out, he made a funny sight!

A young Tigress at Rajbehera..she is about 3 years old..and shares her mother's territory.

As we were watching the young female, her mother walked into the Rajbehera meadow!

She was obviously keen on a hunt and began to stalk some Chital and a few Sambar grazing not very far away !

She is so graceful and lithe in her movements..she has a new litter of 3 four-month old Cubs.

Checking out the position of the potential prey!

Spot the Tigress !!

She was within 20 meters of the unsuspecting Deer! We had to leave unfortunately..as it was time..but i was sure, she made a kill after the light failed and gave her the advantage of darkness..

A beautiful Egyptian Vulture in flight...

The Mirchaini Cubs in action! The female made a dash across the small meadow! Their mother must have gone on a hunt..and they were shy and tentative..about 8-9 months old?

The male Cub was much bolder as he walked in the open...

The third Cub..another female...

A curious new-born infant..peering from the security of her mother's lap...at the strange new world! I am not sure if it knows that it is destined to have a lot of fun as a Langur! I always envy their fun-filled and carefree life in the jungle-there's never a dull moment!

Spring is in the air !

The Mahua trees add much colour and buzz to Kanha. The flowers attract many animals like these Chital, which find them nutritious and tasty?

Spring or late winter is also when nectar gathering by the Rock Bees is at it's peak..evident by this cluster of honey combs on this beautiful Red Silk Cotton tree, just outside Mukki gate. Why these Bees prefer specific trees nobody knows ?!

One of the most striking raptors, the Changeable Hawk Eagle..this one had such a prominent crest!

I managed to get this shot of him taking to flight..and the one below immediately after! Sometimes one gets lucky with such shots!

The beautiful Short Eared Owl! A winter visitor to Kanha..notice it's typical habitat..open grasslands..i saw it on Bamhni Dadar..the highest point of Kanha..an amazing spot for birding and sheer scenery!

Wild Boar Sows nursing young 'stripers'..a scene rarely witnessed!

An inquisitive Wild Boar staring at me..they are so well endowed in winters!

The striking Black Shouldered Kite hovering over the grasslands looking for prey!

I really like to observe interesting animal behaviour..and sometimes get lucky to capture it on camera! In this shot a Jungle Cat is dashing for cover!

Hotly pursued by a Pea-hen! Tables turned ?!!

Beautiful evening sky viewed from Bamhni Dadar.

Kanha in Winter!!

Spring is already in Kanha..but i thought i should begin with a few of my select pictures taken in Kanha this winter. You can double click on these pictures to get an enlarged view.

A Handsome Barasingha Stag...my favourite Deer

One beautiful winter morning in Kanha..i love to observe these delicate shafts of light..

Barasingha females..walking into the lovely Sondhar meadow; one of the best places in Kanha to see these elegant Deer

A herd of Sambar, which got chased into the Bishanpura waterhole by a pack of Dhole..

Whistling Teal or Tree Ducks

The rare Brown Wood Owl-so aptly named, as we can only find it in thickly wooded cover.

Roosting Brown Dusk Hawk Dragonflies (Zyxomma petiolatum)

A very special winter beauty-the Black Giant Wood Spider (Nephila kuhlii)

A curious 15 month old juvenile Tiger in Mukki!

A Barasingha Stag

Changeable Hawk Eagle feeding on a Coucal..which it had hunted in front of my eyes!

Common Stone Chat..a winter visitor to Kanha

Common Giant Wood Spider..preying on a Asiatic Blood-tail Dragonfly

Juvenile Peacock trying out it's skills!

Impressive Sambar Stag in it's best breeding condition

Am Back in cyber-space!

Hi..i was out of circulation for long now! A conspiracy of factors like a new personal computer (i fell for Kalyan's seduction to buy an Apple and took ages to get used to it!), ennui and not knowing where to begin again, kept me away! But there's one little chap who kept asking me to get back to my blog..Sujay! He missed it the most! I am back Sujay!!

He's got his own blog and it's amazing! Check it out: www.sujaychampati.blogspot.com

Graceful movement in the tall trees !

Orangutans are the largest living arboreal animals and weigh between 45 kg to 110 kg! But their movement in the tall trees of the rain-forest is so unique and graceful! Because of their weight and size, they do not leap like Langurs or swing like Gibbons. Instead they move slowly by grasping the next branch with their long forearms and sometimes bending the branch to reach out. But at times they can move surprisingly fast ! In these series of pictures i could capture the movement of a wild mother.. and how she helps her young one to move..specially when the gap between trees is too much for the latter.

In this picture, the mother is lending a helping hand to it's 5 year old young one.

You can see how she is actually forming a bridge between the gap..so that her young one can use her back to cross over!

The young Orangutan is on her mother's back!

The baby has crossed to the other side!

What an amazing behaiviour! You can imagine, the fate of these graceful creatures as their habitat is constantly being destroyed by logging...even a gap in the canopy is so detrimental to them.

Notice how the young one is hanging by it's long forearms and using it's hind legs to grip the branch tightly!