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Old 21st May 2018, 17:40   #1
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Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Post # 300 had to be something special - and what better way to mark the 3rd century by sharing a trilogy of stories - Stories of my experiences at Kabini! Three Stories of Joy, Excitement, Goof-ups, Pain (elbow & wrist pain from holding the heavy lens - to be precise!), Disappointment, Anxiousness, Amazement and more importantly, stories that strike a cord with me, and my family members that encourage me to create write-ups like this travelogue!

So, without further ado, let the stories begin!

After having a reasonably good trip to Bandipur (read the TL here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...h-stripes.html), I must say that the safari bug had bitten me. The thought of heading out into the forests, with that earnest anticipation of sighting some wild animals (and wild cats of course) has a very addictive charm to it. It kind of grows on you and the longing to get back into a Safari jeep is very tempting. The fact that the entire experience is coupled with photography - a hobby that I cherish fondly - is only icing on the cake.

I had heard a great deal about Kabini and had read quite a bit about the TLs here too. Kabini, now suddenly had become this dream destination, and I had elevated the visit to this place to a Godly level - something that had to be done - something that had to be experienced, and if I were lucky, something that I would take back with me forever.

Part 1: Debut at Kabini

Fast forward to Summer of 2017 and I am looking at the reservations website, trying to book accommodation at the JLR Kabini. Once bitten, twice shy, I knew exactly what to do and went ahead with the booking. No surprises this time, but the pricing of JLR Kabini still stings the pocket! However, this time, my wife would accompany me on a one day trip to Kabini - just to see if we really were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of elusive cats.

Finally, the D-Day arrives and we're cruising on our way to JLR Kabini. After a quick break for coffee at Mysore, we reach JLR by 1pm and head straight to lunch after checking in. We're updated that we are assigned the "B Zone" for the afternoon safari and the next morning, it would be "A Zone". The excitement build up was palpable and we quickly finished off a superbly delicious lunch. Two hours later, we're sitting in our heavily modified Boleros and I'm setting up my camera to the so called "Safari Optimized Shooting" mode. Soon, we start off and head into the forests of NagarahoLey National Park.

All this time, I was constantly looking up at the sky as there were some really ominous looking clouds over the backwaters and I knew pretty well that a downpour can literally ruin the safari experience for us as animals would go deeper into the forests when it rains. This was the season of so called Summer Showers or April Showers to those who are fans of Geography. Sudden cloudbursts, heavy rains and winds, lightning and thunder were a part of this package deal from the heavens. However, our guide/naturalist/driver was more than hopeful saying they have had sightings even in very heavy rains.

Now, there was one more irritating factor that was ruining the Safari experience for us - our co-passengers in the Safari vehicle. Unluckily, we got bunched up with a group of middle aged ladies who were on the safari just for the heck of it (its a part of the package - so why not use it - type of mentality). they had absolutely Z-E-R-O interest in any wildlife sightings and they were constantly gossiping about anything and everything. It appeared that they had decided to go out for a "kitty party" in the middle of a forest. Our driver requested them at least 5 times to be quite and even my wife and I did our bit to make them "shushhhhhhhhhhhh" but after the initial 10 seconds of calm, the gossip began as usual. This was really annoying.

Soon, we started spotting animals - first, we saw a lonely Langur in the branches.

Playing with the tree
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Then, as the driver drove the jeep deep into the forest, we approached the area around the backwaters. Far far away, we saw a peacock majestically posing for us. Sadly it did not have its' feathers on display.

Lonely poser
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At another angle, I saw what seemed to be a composition which had a comical angle to it - there were 3 Painted Storks walking on an erstwhile jeep track, and it looked like they were extremely busy discussing some serious matter. This scenario reminded me of silver/grey haired men walking in Bangalore's Parks - with hunched backs, discussing politics or something else of great concern - something that only they could relate to or understand.

In serious discussion
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While all this was happening amidst a constant din of mindless chatter and frivolous gossip, my worst fear came true - it started raining - no - it started POURING! All hell broke loose and it appeared that the sky was about to collapse. I have never witnessed such heavy rainfall in my life - and it started so suddenly that it took all of us by surprise. The driver quickly got up and started closing the dusty velcro tarpaulins and we all did the same to our sides of the Bolero. Most of us ended up getting partially wet while we were wresting with the stubborn velcros and get them to close completely. We could barely hear each other speak - such was the noise of the clattering of the rain above us - but it was a welcome relief from the highly irritating background score of gossip, chatter and juvenile giggling.

After the rain had calmed down to manage-able levels, the driver started going into the forest again where we had spotted a herd of elephants. The herd was also trying to get to cover - and avoid the rain. Soon, we followed them into the forest and waited as they crossed over onto the safari tracks and trudged along into deeper forests. I was skeptical about clicking pictures in the rain but I came across some scenarios which gave me a wonderful composition and I could not resist clicking pictures. I carefully wrapped my hand-kerchief and a plastic bag around the lens as a temporary rain guard and put it out in the rain. It held up well and I was able to get some really wonderful clicks of the herd. It was so dark in the forest that I had to use very high ISO numbers. The added noise from the high ISO and the rain made the picture look almost like a sketch - and this was something even I did not expect. Only after taking the picture, I realized what was happening and I went ahead and clicked a few more shots in this setting.

Charcoal Drawing
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Soon, it was very dark (almost night like) in the forest and our driver told us that there is no point in sticking around and its better we head back, rather than wait and get stuck here in case it rains heavily again. So we decided to head back to the resort and this meant that Safari #1 was done and dusted - no cat sightings. By the time we reached the resort the temperature had dropped significantly and the fact that we were drenched made things worse. It was very windy and the sharp spray of cold rainwater made things freeeeeeezing. Thankfully, JLR had some coal fires running in the Gol-Ghar and the warmth was supremely comforting. To top it all, we were served with piping hot Bajjis and that was a really amazing moment! Unforgettable!

Moving on, after a good night's rest and a nice little wake-up coffee, we were ready for the Morning Safari. To our utter dismay, we realized that the "ladies' club" would accompany us again. Without any other option, we grumpily agreed to tag along and were mentally prepared for another agonizing 3 hours of banter. Soon, we were headed into the forest and personally, I had no hopes of any sightings, specially after the crazy amount of rain the previous evening. Anyways, since it was still technically "Summer", there was a chance that the water would have dried up and some animals may show themselves to us. With this sliver of hope, and a silent prayer, we bounced along into the depths of "Zone A" where we were greeted by an excited bunch in another Jeep. they had spotted something near the "Power Line" and were waiting eagerly - all cameras on that jeep were out and pointed in one direction. This was certainly good news! (To those who are not familiar with Kabini, the "Power Line" is like a landmark on the Safari Circuit and extends for a distance of 2-3km. There is a Safari path right below these heavy [high tension] power lines and its a common place for sightings). On inquiring further, we discovered that the sighting was that of a sloth bear which darted across the Power Line and would probably make itself visible again. Although the driver was ready to wait it out, the impatient ladies club did not think much of it, and asked the driver to keep moving. The driver reluctantly agreed and started going around Zone A. The ladies continued their chatter as we covered ground and we didn't have much luck on any other sightings, except for a curious Sambar and a couple of 'Indian Rollers' merrily sitting on tree branches very close to us.

A curious Sambar
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Indian Roller
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Another Indian Roller
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... and another!
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After some time, even the driver gave up on trying to silence the bawly crowd and simply covered the circuit without showing much interest in showing us other animals. We happened to spot a Giant Malabar Squirrel and probably a Hawk Eagle (please correct this if I'm wrong).

Giant Malabar Squirrel
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Hawk Eagle?
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After a disappointing 3 hours in the forest, we were on our way out and soon, arrived at the resort. On inquiring with the others, we discovered that no one else had any luck with big cats and the rains probably had a part to play. My wife said that she was probably unlucky since she never got to see any other animal. While we packed our bags and got back on the road back to Bangalore... One thought kept coming back to me constantly. There is always a next time - I thought to myself - "there is always a next time" ...

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 13:21. Reason: Grammar.
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Old 24th May 2018, 14:15   #2
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Part 2: In Pursuit of Panthera

The disappointment of not having spotted any big cats was stowed away for a while in some corner of my mind since there was a wedding in the family. Things got busy and very hectic as the big day came closer and all of us were quite busy with the shopping and the preparations for the wedding. However, the power of social media and how it can influence a person is something one cannot ignore. Casually browsing through Facebook, I come across a stunning picture of a leopard in the trees which was spotted at Kabini. To top it, the photograph was absolutely brilliant and it made me sit up and take note. I curiously pored over the EXIF data of that pic and at the same time, I had a feeling of "how I wish I could get a pic like this!" in my mind. Since we were busy with the wedding preparations, I put that thought on hold but it was definitely a thought that would haunt me for the following weeks. I then decided that it would be a great way to "cool-off" after all the wedding tension/preparation, etc. by getting back to doing what I enjoyed - clicking some good pics - and doing it in Kabini. This time, I'd be in pursuit - in pursuit of the elusive big cats, Panthera pardus and Panthera tigris, to be precise.

While the big day in the family was getting closer, I was trying to find out about a good time to visit Kabini. It was a date that was definitely after the wedding and it had to be in one of the drier months, where the chances of spotting big cats would increase significantly. Again, I see pictures of leopards and tigers on Facebook during the casual "scrolling" and I noticed that they were posted by Toehold, a company that organizes these photography trips. Disclaimer here neither am I advertising for Toehold nor being paid by them. I know the company since I had been to the Ladakh Photography trip with them and it was a fantastic experience for me. (Read the Ladakh TL here). Also, another MAJOR factor here is that going with them meant that I would not be sharing a jeep with talkative people who would destroy the safari experience; but rather be pooled with a group of aspiring & dedicated wildlife and photography enthusiasts! I checked their tour plans and thankfully, they had one such trip to Kabini just a couple of weeks after the wedding date. Fantastic!

After a quick exchange of emails and other basic details, I was booked for the Kabini Trip. I was ready for the pursuit of the Panthera-s!

The best part of getting ready for a wildlife photography trip is that one really doesn't need to pack much gear - just a couple of camo clothes and cameras with sufficient SD cards, and one big honking lens! There is no second guessing whether I'll need that wide angle lens, the 35mm Prime or that all day 24-70 or an even broader 18-300! One lens - One Camera - One Pursuit - and a hell lot of patience! That's it!

With everything packed and set, I left home early by 7am. It was an early start for the destination Kabini, but I had to leave early as there was supposed to be a verdict on the Cauvery Issue on this day, and the last thing I'd want was to get stuck on the infamous Mysore Road due to random highway blockades. Thankfully, there was no such incident and I reached Kabini bright and early - by noon . On reaching, I got introduced to the group and we all had a scrumptious lunch. One thing I must mention is the fantastic food available at JLR Kabini. Although they charge a small fortune for the 2 days we spend there, the facilities and food are really wonderful. It's hard to believe that the place has been maintained by the Govt.

After exchanging ideas and photos of previous exploits at JLR during lunch, I had a pleasant surprise when I met 'Stryker' from TBHP - he's been the blue-eyed-boy here as well as in Kabini, and has had some amazing sightings and equally wonderful pictures. It was a great experience to meet a TBHPian! What a small world we live in! Coincidentally, he was a part of our Toehold photography group and had offered to carpool and pick me up from BLR! But, we're all TBHPians and we all Live to Drive, don't we?!?!

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 13:26.
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Old 24th May 2018, 14:52   #3
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Safari 1:

Soon after lunch, we were allotted a Zone and we were told to assemble for the Safari. It was 3:15 pm and after a quick gulp of nice hot coffee in the sweltering mid afternoon heat, we were on the way to the Forest. Our focus this time was on the big cats. Do note that I'm not against capturing / sighting other animals but it's something about seeing a big cat in the wild that gives this un-explainable feeling of satisfaction. Moreover, there was a buzz in JLR that a Black Panther had been spotted the very same day, during the morning Safari and that made us all sit up in anticipation, holding our lenses and cameras, ready for that elusive glimpse of the feline.

We moved along gently through the Safari paths in the forest and came back to the Power Line area. It was here that the Black Panther was spotted in the morning and predictably, more or less all the other jeeps were here too. We were doing the power line circuit repeatedly, looking out for any alarm calls or anything that may be an indication of a wild cat. There was definitely a buzz in the air near the power-line area, quite literally! It was the electromagnetic buzz from the heavy electrical wires above our heads that was making this faint chattering buzz!

There were hordes of spotted deer and jungle fowl doting the landscape. We also caught glimpses of flame backed woodpeckers who happened to be very shy and didn't want to pose for the camera. It's amazing how the "tokkk tokkk" pecking noises that these woodpeckers make sound in an otherwise calm forest.

I clicked pictures of whatever species was posing for the camera, and in the process, locked focus on a Langur family, a Serpent Eagle and Red Wattled Lapwing which was feeding along the edges of a watering hole.

A Langur Family- Cute little one!
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Red Wattled Lapwing
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Red Wattled Lapwing
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Red Wattled Lapwing
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Serpent Eagle
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Serpent Eagle
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Serpent Eagle
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We were still on the lookout for tigers or leopards, but it seemed that they didn't want to come out in the open. Meanwhile, our Bolero was doing the rounds of the forest and stopped at a group of Langurs. I was able to get one in a position where the warm afternoon sunlight was catching it's eye and hence, clicked a couple of these pictures.

Not very interested in my camera!
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Perfect catch-light in the eye
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Since the felines were playing hard to get, and it was already past the half way mark on the safari clock, we concentrated on other species now. I was finally able to get a decent (yet poorly lit) shot of a Woodpecker. We then drove on deeper into the Jungle where we were lucky to spot a group of Elephants.

Flame Backed Woodpecker
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Elephants
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The big cats still eluded us and we decided to circle back to the power line area once again - one last time before we had to get out of the forest gates.

On the Power-Line Path
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Note that the above image is of another Safari vehicle moving along the power line path. The vehicle was easily a km or two away - just that I have zoomed in all the way and because of this, the Bolero looks much much closer. Frankly speaking, it was not even visible to the naked eye - and just looked like a blackish blob in the distance.

With our hopes going down with the fading sun, each minute in the forest was precious now and we were desperate to catch a glimpse of a tiger or a leopard. Sadly though, we got nothing - nada - zilch!

Time to go back!
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With the sun setting fast, we had to call it a day and head back into civilization again. Our driver made quick progress towards the forest gates and was out within the stipulated time.

Safari #1: Done!
Sightings: Zero!

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 13:32.
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Old 24th May 2018, 15:39   #4
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Safari 2:

After a disappointing start, the group was ready for yet another excursion into the forests. We carried our heavy cameras groggily in the morning fog and made it to the Gol Ghar where I had some strong coffee that kicked the sleep out of my eyes. Back into the safari vehicle, we entered the forest again - yet another chance to catch a glimpse of the elusive panthers.

The thick morning fog didn't help with things either. The forest seemed eerily silent and the lack of any action was dampening the mood of the group. I took the following pic from my cell phone camera since the lens I had on my SLR wouldn't allow for such wide shots. Henceforth, most of these "wide" shots indicate that they are shot on my cell phone (non watermarked images) - and no its not an iPhone

Eerily Silent & Heavy fog in the Forest
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Well into the halfway mark of the stipulated time, we had not seen anything new in the Safari - the usual bunch of spotted deer that seemed to be everywhere, a few disinterested and extremely shy peacocks, peahens, jungle fowl, serpent eagles, etc.


As the sun rose higher, the fog disappeared and things were looking much brighter now (from a photography perspective).

Light improves in the forest
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While we are moving along the path, we hear extremely loud alarm calls! The calls came out all of a sudden - out of nowhere and pierced through the silence of the forest floor! Our Bolero stopped immediately and all of us were ready with our cameras! This was the moment we'd been waiting for! This was the moment "I'd" been waiting for almost a year now! The alarm calls continued for over 5 minutes and then we heard a very characteristic growling+howling sound coming from the bushes right ahead of us. Our skipper from Toehold informed us that this is a signature call of Leopards and he told us to peel our eyes on the bushes ahead of us - our driver concurred and he whispered "he's gonna come from there", pointing to a small clearing in the bushes.

Hearts pounding, we waited with bated breath (and sweaty trigger fingers) for the Leopard to make himself visible to us. Few seconds later, we saw a rustle in the bushes ahead of us and we could make out that the Leopard was making its way towards us - right towards us! Cameras trained at the entrance, we waited patiently and within no time, he was there - in all his glory - walking majestically towards us, not even being bothered one bit by our presence. The only sound at this moment was that of camera shutters closing at very high frequencies. No one said anything - this was the moment we were waiting for and it was there in front of us.

That moment!
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Torn Ear!
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What a Majestic Creature!
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You lookin' at me?
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Soon, the leopard was identified as the "Temple Male" or "Torn Ear" as he's commonly known in this part of the country. As he walked towards us, he crossed the safari path ahead of us and went on to the other side. This view was blocked by other Safari vehicles and we couldn't get a glimpse of him crossing the path.

Crossing over to the other side!
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That look!
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Confused
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However, to our surprise Torn Ear stopped, and decided to go near a tree. Our driver mentioned that he may climb a tree and sit on the branches up above and simply bask in the morning sun. Were we going to get lucky or what!?!

Gonna climb the tree!
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However, all he did was to climb the tree partially, scratch his front paws on the bark, and then, he got down! It looked like he didn't want to climb the tree!

Or not!
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After glancing back at us again, Torn Ear decided to move away from all of us and simply walked away into the distance, and into the bushes on the other side. We had clicked as many pictures of him as possible in the short span of time he was visible to us! Yes - this was indeed a leopard spotting at Kabini and the energy in the Jeep was bursting!

Realizing that it was time to end the safari, we moved onto the forest exit and got back to a delicious breakfast at JLR. All of us were excitedly showing each other the pics we got, and in no time, breakfast was polished off our plates.

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 14:21.
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Old 24th May 2018, 16:33   #5
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Safari 3:

Since the morning Safari ended so well, the entire group's energy levels were on an all time high! In the time we got between breakfast and lunch, we had a little 'masterclass' from our skipper from Toehold where he explained the various facets of wildlife photography and busted some common misconceptions. Time was flying and before we realized, it was lunch time! Excitedly, we finished lunch quickly and were ready for the afternoon safari.

Fast forward to 3:15pm and we're on the way to the forest. It was going to be "Zone B" this time, B meaning 'Backwaters' - colloquially speaking.

The Bolero nibbled along the beaten safari path in the blazing hot sun and we entered a clearing where the backwaters of the Kabini river are visible. There was a lone Sambar in the distance and it was too far to photograph anyways. Seeing nothing, we moved back into the forest, and came to the opposite side of the backwaters, which would enable us to look at the water from the other angle, closer to the Sambar we'd seen earlier. For the geography experts, this place resembles a gulf - or the shape of the letter "C" for the uninitiated. While moving along to the other bank of the so called 'gulf', we hear alarm calls - this time it was the Sambar that we had spotted and it was frantically making these short sharp alarm calls that echoed through the forest.

Our driver quickly turned the bolero around and raced through the forest to reach closer to the alarm calls. Coincidentally, this happens to be the a small patch of land - right next to the place where we had seen the Sambar in the distance earlier in the afternoon. There was another Safari vehicle here already and everyone in that vehicle were curiously looking for the reason behind the alarm calls - were we going to get lucky again?!?!

"Rkaaaa" came another call - nothing visible though! We were frantically searching for the source - training our lenses on the forest floor ahead of us, sweeping the vast expanse of bushes, trees and what-not through our cameras. We spotted nothing! May be a false alarm, we thought. But - again "Rkraaaa"! What was happening!?!

Then, the guys on the Safari vehicle next to us pointed at a bush ahead of us in the distance - on the other side of the water, and whispered ever so softly "theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere". This was a sound like the one made in the movie "Predator"! That whisper definitely caught my attention and like Arnie in the movie, I looked in the direction of the pointed finger.

"Theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere"
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Initially I could not see anything clearly in the bright afternoon sun. Once I locked in on the bush and zoomed in, I saw the source of the alarm calls!

Woah! Didn't see this guy earlier!
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There - right in the middle of the bush, a tiger was sitting and yawning lazily in the shade. While we helped the others in the vehicle spot the tiger, he decided to come out of his hiding and show himself, much to the delight of everyone else! He walks out of the shade, trudging along lazily on the soft banks of the backwaters and stretches himself nicely!

Out after a nice nap?!
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After the stretch, he moves along slowly and onto the water - he needs a drink!

Needs a sip!
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Quenching his thirst on a hot summer day
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After drinking to his heart's content, he wallows into the water and decides to cool off!

Feeling the water
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...and settles down
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Very soon, something fascinating happens! A lone cow separated from its herd walks along and comes near the edge of the water. It starts drinking water too and is totally unaware of the tiger's presence.

Meanwhile, the tiger is taking stock of the situation, and is analyzing the probabilities of threat and whether it needs to charge or not. Unfortunately I was not able to get the shot of the cow and the tiger in one frame, but our fellow BHPian Stryker was able to frame this shot very nicely. Since both of us happened to be in the same vehicle, he got a better angle and a nicely framed shot here.

Attack or not!?
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Soon, the tiger gets disinterested in the Cow and decides to move on. He wallows in the shallow waters and comes to our side of the bank.

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Disinterested in our safari vehicle, and the gazillion shutter clicking noises, he makes his way across us - right in front of us!

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Soon, he moves out and goes away to our right, walking majestically along the banks of the backwaters. Quickly, we circle our jeep back to the opposite bank and we spot him again, walking away in the distance. Note that this shot was taken to show the perspective of things - the tiger looks so insignificant and small compared to the entire landscape!

Still not interested in cows!
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We also noticed that the folks on the Boat Safari also had a chance to look at the tiger.

Boat Safari - Watching the Tiger
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Peacock in the distance
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As the sun set, we also noticed that a lot of painted storks were drying their feathers in a very strange manner. The way they were sitting (or standing?) was amusing and this on it's own was worth a couple of shots!

In deep thought
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Looking at this pic makes me wonder too - what's the meaning of the "city" lives we lead - the rat race - the concrete jungle, etc, etc.

What's the meaning of life?
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We had completed Safari #3 and we had a camera full of stunning pictures and a chest full of pride and joy! What a day it had been! 2 sightings in 2 safaris! All that we wanted to have was a fitting finale the next morning!

Would it 3 on 3?

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 14:34.
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Old 24th May 2018, 17:06   #6
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Safari 4:

After the stunning luck we had the previous day, we were looking forward to the final morning safari of our trip! Would it be our third lucky strike? We had spotted a leopard and a tiger - what was next? Would it be the black panther? What a story it would be to spot a black panther! We could tell this story to our children and grandchildren and they would (probably/hopefully?) listen to us with wide open mouths and will have their imaginations running wild!

We woke up to a morning that would be very special - or would it? Our dreams were put to question as soon as we walked out of our rooms and onto the Gol Ghar for the routine cup of coffee before the Safari. There was fog - everywhere! Lots of FOG - so much fog we could barely see 20 feet ahead of us. The air was heavy, damp and humid and one could feel the mist settle down on the skin while walking through the fog! By the time we had walked to the Gol Ghar, our cameras and lenses were wet - a glistening coat of mist had condensed and settled on them!

Nervously, we all had the coffee/tea and sat in our vehicles. The situation looked grim and a couple of exchanges with the drivers made us realize that the only way the fog would go away, is when the sun shone brightly. With a silent prayer and hoping for the best, we made quick progress through the chilly morning air. The fog was so thick that it gave me a wonderful opportunity to take a couple of pictures creatively. Again, these pics were shot through my cell phone.

Safari vehicles in the fog
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A Game of Shadows and Light!
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Soon, we were in the forest and to our dismay, the fog was even thicker inside! We could barely see a few feet away!

Power Line - in the fog!
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Luckily or unluckily, while we were driving around, a small leopard darted across our paths right ahead of our vehicle. Since it was so foggy, we didn't have the faintest of ideas that she was there. It darted across so quickly that we could only see a leopard shaped shadow move across us. There was no chance we could even pick up our cameras, let alone a get a picture!

Inspired by this, we decided to roam around the same areas where the leopard was spotted.

No way to spot anything!
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Slowly but surely, the sun came out and started clearing patches of fog, but as we drove on, the thickness of the fog varied. Ultimately, we decided to stay put in one place and hope that the fog would clear soon.

Eerie looking tree in the fog
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As time went by, things didn't seem to improve and the fog remained. Meanwhile, I spotted a white throated Kingfisher and captured it through my lens.

White Throat Kingfisher
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As time flew, the fog didn't clear and before we knew, it was time to retreat. With a heavy heart, we turned back and moved out towards the exit. As a parting shot, I was able to catch a Malabar Giant Squirrel high on the branches.

A curious Langur looks on
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With our dream of getting lucky the third time (technically, we did - just that we could not capture it in our cameras!) getting fogged down, we got back to JLR. After a good breakfast and after exchanging pleasantries, we broke off and headed back to our homes, ready to tell them the stories of our sightings!

Little did I know that these stories would make me come back to Kabini a third time - and more importantly, would it be "Third Time Lucky" ???

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 15:18.
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Old 28th May 2018, 15:09   #7
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Part 3: The return to Kabini

The second trip to Kabini had been fantastic. We had great luck spotting the big cats and surely, it was a story to tell! On sharing the pictures with my friends and relatives, it was clear that everyone enjoyed the stories of the safaris and our encounters with species 'Panthera'. Most of them were curious about the safety aspect and wondered how the big cats didn't just pounce on us and have us for a meal; others, accustomed to their smartphone lens' reach wondered how close the cats were to us (since the pictures make them appear real close).

My immediate family members too had similar concerns and 'wonderings' - if that's even a word. The next few days were spent sharing other stories related to the safari, debunking some myths and giving them an approximate picture of what a safari involves.

Then, my wife had a wonderful idea; "Why not take our parents and family to a Safari at Kabini?", she said. It was indeed a wonderful idea, but my only concern was my 4yo kid who seems to sit in once place for something less than a fraction of a second. Having him sit through one full safari would be a challenge indeed and making him sit quietly in the company of serious wildlife photographers and enthusiasts was my biggest worry. Nevertheless, we decided we'd go for it since the experience was worth every second (and rupee) we would spend at Kabini. So that was it - a one day trip to JLR Kabini with 2 Safaris as a part of the package was booked during one of the long weekends in the middle of Summer.

Soon, I was travelling to Kabini again - third time within a year, to be precise. But this time it was with the full family, including the newly wed couple! On reaching Kabini, I gave them a mini tour of the JLR property (I was becoming an expert at it ) and we headed to lunch quickly. After polishing off the plates, and having ensured that my fussy kid had something to eat, we were ready for the Afternoon Safari.

Ready for the safari at 3:15pm, we had good strong coffee and got into our vehicles. Thankfully, we had one full jeep to ourselves as we ended up occupying all seats that were available. And more thankfully, we were not made to sit in a canter or a mini bus which would have hampered my photography pursuits.

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 15:26.
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Old 28th May 2018, 16:10   #8
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Safari #1:

"Zone B" read the card attached to our vehicle and this meant that we would head out into the backwaters. We soon made our way out of JLR and onto the forest check-post gates. Our driver/naturalist explained the basics of the safari to the family members. For me, it felt like listening to and watching the pre-flight safety instructions/demo that happens before the take-off. I may have see the same thing a hundred times, but I still pay attention to it - just because I should!

While the safari jeep made its way towards the forest, a thousand thoughts were running through my head. Firstly, I didn't want it to rain! The sky looked overcast and a few clouds threatened to empty their contents in some time. Secondly, I had also heard that the sightings in the past week had been slim - mainly due to the mid April showers (Summer rains) that had happened. This brought back memories of my first trip to Kabini which was a big damper! Thirdly, and personally, the one that mattered the most was that the black panther hadn't been sighted for a few weeks - except for the fact that the folks in the morning safari had a glimpse of the guy near the location called 'tiger tank'. Would we get lucky? Would this visit seal the deal for me???

Tiger? - Check!
Leopard? - Check!
Black Panther? - ???

Anyways, since we were assigned Zone B, I highly doubted that we could get to see the black panther at all, since he was "last seen" in Zone A.

Moving on, we quickly turned left from the main road and headed towards the backwaters. Since this was not a safari that was purely targeting the big cats, our driver stopped at every chance he could - to show the others an animal, bird or some other resident of the forest.

We first spotted an Oriental Magpie sitting pretty on a tree stub. We headed deeper into the forest where we were greeted with the sight of around 100+ spotted deer. Since it was so common, I decided not to click pictures of the deer, unless there was a good composition, lighting or unique aspect to the picture. Later, we spotted very shy peacocks - plenty of them actually! They kept running away as the jeep approached them, much to the dismay of my family folks, who were armed and ready with smartphone cameras. Moving on, we spotted a Langur family and one particular Langur was hanging on in a very peculiar manner - it almost looked like it was a daily commuter on Namma Metro.

Oriental Magpie
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Namma Metro Rider!
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After capturing this unique pose, we went on to see more spotted deer. One particular sight here was interesting - we saw an albino deer in the herd. I was able to catch a glimpse of him (or her?) before he ran away.

Albino Spotted Deer
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Soon, we were heading to the clearing where we could see the backwaters of Kabini. Once we arrived at the clearing, I immediately recognized the place as the one where we had the sighting of the tiger last time.

A lone Roller posing for the camera
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We spotted the Tiger in the same spot - just 1-2 months back!
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However, what stumped me was how different the place looked! We had heard that there was plenty of rainfall the previous week and sightings weren't all that great. Delightfully though, the rains had changed the outlook of the entire scenery. The place looked absolutely gorgeous and was covered in green. The forest was green, the floor was green, and even the bushes and the Lantana was green!

Meanwhile, what greeted us here was nothing short of mind-blowing. We were audience to a dozen or more elephant herds! Where ever we looked, we saw elephants! Big ones, young ones, teenagers, mothers, old ones with massive tusks - we saw them all! In one glance, one could easily count 20-40 elephants.

Look at the size of the Tusks!
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Playful bunch
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The driver decided to give us a better view of the amazing spectacle and drove the jeep deeper in the forest and he came out to another clearing which gave us an even better, wider view of the backwater grasslands! Here, we could not only see elephants but hundreds and hundreds of spotted deer! There were easily 1000+ deer & elephants in this place alone!

Count all the animals in this shot!
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While we were here and I was clicking pictures, I noticed that I was getting the harsh light of the evening sun through my lens and this was causing lens flare. I decided to put the lens hood on and began shooting pics of a baby elephant (2 weeks old apparently) being perfectly protected by the members of its herd.

Spot the young one!
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Kicking up some dust!
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The little guy's just 2 weeks old!
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The Others - Painted Stork in the distance
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Landscape photography on a Telephoto Lens?!
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Playing in the water!
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While busy clicking pics of the elephants, I didnt realize that the hood of the camera lens had somehow come loose. To my utter dismay, the hood came off completely and fell off the jeep! It rolled over and got stuck in a patch of grass! DANG! This was a rented lens and there's no way I could get out of the jeep and get the hood back ! "Good bye hood", I thought! I then requested the driver of our jeep to get it for me. He said he will reverse the jeep into position where he can just bend down from his seat and pick it up - I didn't realize that getting out of the vehicle is totally prohibited - even if you are a member of the JLR Safari Staff!

While this was happening, another guy from the jeep next to ours coolly got down from the jeep, walked to where the hood was, picked it up and gave it to me like it was no big deal. I was like and "Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!" at the same time, and more importantly, the driver of the other jeep was superbly pissed off! The poor guy who had just given me my hood back got an earful from his driver!!!

Feeling sad for the other guy, I didn't know what (else) to do!? I was felling quite guilty about this, but that feeling was short-lived. Suddenly, there was an alarm call! Instantly, the hundreds of spotted deer stopped what they were doing and all were looking in the direction of the call. The people in the other jeep too were curious and sat up with their cameras pointed in that direction. Five minutes later, we're all nervously waiting for something to happen, or a tiger to appear in the distance, but nothing happened.

Waiting for something to happen!
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As the daylight was fading we decided to wait for a few more minutes before heading back. Our driver called other jeep drivers and checked if there was any sighting, but the response from the other end was negative. Soon, it was getting dark and we had to leave. We started driving back towards the forest gate and arrived at the paved road. Sad that we didn't find any big cats, I was randomly chimping at the pics I had shot when the driver slowed down the vehicle for one last chance of a sighting. There was a watering hole approx quarter of a km in the forest that was visible from the highway. Our driver just wanted to check if there were any animals there and slowed down as he (or most other drivers) would normally do.

To our surprise there was a Tiger at the watering hole, sitting at the edge of the water!!! At first, it was not visible to me as a tree was blocking the line of sight. I requested the driver to move a little so that I could get a clear sight. He did - and as soon as I picked up my camera, the tiger got up and quickly moved away into the deeper bush! It was barely visible in the dark and it looked like the tiger's coat was caked with mud / clay from the watering hole - making it so much more harder to see him (or her) clearly in the fading light. Three others in our jeep caught a glimpse of the Tiger too, and it was such a "so near yet so far" sort of a feeling! In Kannada, we have a saying which goes like "kaiiyige bandiddu tuttu baayige barlilla", which roughly translates to "the morsel of food that came to the hand, didn't come to the mouth". Such was our predicament to this otherwise eventless safari!

Excited and disappointed at the same time, we got back to JLR to be greeted by some hot bajjis and coffee! It was soon dinner time and having done with one safari, we had one more to go - one more chance at spotting the black panther!

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 16:42.
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Old 28th May 2018, 16:55   #9
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Safari #2

This was it! The one last chance to capture the black leopard! Would I get lucky? This safari was more important because the family members had great expectations - and they were a little disappointed in not having seen the tiger fully / clearly last evening. A good sighting here would make all of us happy and satisfied that the trip so far was not in vain.

It was 6:15 am and after the usual cup of strong coffee, we head out. I was really really REALLY happy to find out that we had been assigned "Zone A" for the morning. Quickly, we all hopped onto the jeep and off we went to the forest gates!

Thankfully, the summer morning was crisp and bright, very much unlike the foggy disappointment I had the last time. Soon, we made our way to the "power line" area and started doing the rounds from the power line to the tiger tank. There was no news about any sightings the previous evening in Zone A, so the driver was trying to guess possibilities of sightings.

We were looking around and had our ears wide open to sounds of alarm calls, etc. As we went further, I was able to capture some decent pictures of a few Indian Rollers, a Crested Myna and the customary shot of a Serpent Eagle - this time on the ground, looking for a fresh early morning breakfast. We were also lucky to capture better pictures of the Flame Backed Woodpecker as well as the Common Hoopoe.

Indian Roller - Take off!
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Crested Myna
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More Indian Rollers!
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"Looking for something?" - Serpent Eagle
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Common Hoopoe
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Clearer Pics of the Flame Backed Woodpecker
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As we got busy shooting subjects on high branches, we lost track of time and before we realized it was already past the half way duration of the safari! We decided to circle back near Tiger Tank and caught a Wild Boar in the process.

Wild Boar!
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The sun was shining bright and clear and it made the forest look very magical! It was green everywhere and all I needed now was a leopard / tiger (or even the elusive black panther) to pose against this wonderful backdrop.

Magical forests!
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As there was nothing happening near Tiger Tank, and after checking with the other jeep drivers and getting a negative, we headed towards the IB/Guesthouse area within the forest. This region happens to be the adda of the famous "Temple Male" or "Torn Ear". Bouncing along, we passed the Forest department's IB/GH and crossed the stone "temple" without having any luck. Just ahead of us, we saw a peacock in the distance - this time the peacock had it's wings spread out and was dancing in the morning sun.

What a sight!
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Cautiously, we inched closer to the peacock and took pictures of him dancing. Sadly, the lighting was not great and since he was in the shadows, the full beauty was not captured. After clicking pics of the peacock, we moved onwards, getting more and more desperate as each second passed.

One more pic
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We spotted a big bunch of Langurs ahead of us and one guy was particularly curious about my camera and decided to pose for me in many possible ways. I obliged by taking quite a few pictures of this curious guy!

Curious Guy!
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Still watching us!
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While this was happening, we saw a safari jeep ahead of us move at over 100kmph! Seeing the other vehicle fly past us, our driver followed suit and started flooring it. Meanwhile, he's frantically trying to call the other drivers to know if there has been a sighting anywhere. Unable to reach the other drivers over phone, he continued to follow the other jeep, failing to catch up with it, which is now, probably traveling at the speed of light!!! Thankfully, we spot the other jeep and continue to follow it - until it stops, some 1 km west of the power line junction. We see other jeeps frantically coming through and each of them stops around 500 ft from the other on the safari path.

I was super excited as I knew this only meant one thing - something's been spotted! Brilliant! I picked up my camera and was ready for the action. We're hearing frantic alarm calls all around us - a 360 degree alarm call! A first one for me, I was not sure what to expect and asked the driver, to which he responds that something's right here - just around the place where we have stopped and that I should be ready.

Fast forward 20 minutes and we're still hearing frantic alarm calls - but nothing's been sighted. By now, all other safari vehicles have gathered to the spot around us and are eagerly waiting for a glimpse of the big cats. Even after a long wait at this spot, nothing happens but still, we continue to hear alarm calls. With each alarm call, my heart rate increases by 20+ beats and settled down again when nothing happens!


I'm getting quite bored now as we've spent nearly 45 minutes at this spot and this game of hide and seek continues! Three or four other jeeps have already left after waiting and ours and another couple of jeeps are the only ones here. Now, I'm also tired of holding the hefty lens and decide to simply look around in it - through my camera. I see something interesting on a tree near our jeep. There is a tiny thing on the bark of the tree that turns yellow, and disappears again. I track it down carefully and see that it is some sort of a lizard which had a weird (and yucky) yellow leaf like thing hanging from it's neck. Not knowing what it is, and not wanting to disturb the driver's lookout for the big cat, I click a couple of pictures of the lizard.

Find me if you can!
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Can you see me now?
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Can someone identify this thing?
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Then, all of a sudden, the driver whispers "Leopard Leopard - allide nodi" pointing his fingers to some bushes really far away. I quickly point my camera at the direction and BAM! I spot this Leopard curiously staring at me - quite literally right into the camera lens! The beast is quite far away, almost 250-350m away!

I see you!
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Watcha lookin' at?
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I quickly made merry of the situation and clicked some pictures. The driver identifies this as a young female and didn't know whether she had a locally used nickname. As I was clicking pictures, she darts across the safari path and into the bushes on the opposite side!

I better run!
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Catch me if you can!
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Darting across to the other side!
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The sighting barely lasted for a couple of minutes and once I was done clicking the pics, I was curious to know whether my family members got a glimpse of the leopard. All of them affirmed in positive and I was super happy to know that they did indeed catch a sight of a leopard/tiger. My wife who was saying "may be this is all a scam?" until now was much more cheerful and was happy that she got to see "something run across" which looked like a leopard!


Delighted that we all had a glimpse of the big cat, we realized that it was time to exit the forest. The driver obliged and started moving towards the exit. On the way, we happened to catch another elephant at a watering hole right at the entrance/exit and a Giant Malabar Squirrel on the other side.

Bonus Rounds
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Shy guy!
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Happy with my "captures", I settled down into my seat, knowing that the Black Panther has continued to elude me - and that one more visit is in order! I believe that TBHPian Stryker is also keenly looking for the Black Panther (fondly called "blackie") and who knows - he may get lucky before I do!

Anyways, getting back to topic, we arrived at JLR and had our breakfast. I then decided to walk up to the backwaters where I saw a few birds perched on a tree. Capturing them in my camera, I got back to the rooms where we all got fresh and checked out.

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Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 16:58.
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Old 28th May 2018, 17:32   #10
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

While checking out, I had mixed emotions - those of contentment as well as a sense of adventure, not knowing when my next visit to this place will be - and if I'm going to spot the black panther at that time! This is what is so wonderful about this place! It has a magical feeling to it and one knows that even though one may not be lucky enough to spot some wild cats, there is something about it that draws you back to it again and again!

Something Magical!
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Looking at this picture brings back so many emotions: Excitement, Disappointment, Frustration, Joy, Agony, and last but not the least, a feeling that I'm going to come here again some day - and re-live all these emotions in a span of 3 hours and enjoy every single bit of it! And as I conclude this rather lengthy 3 part travelogue of mine, my mind is already straying off to another possible chance of visiting this magical place called Kabini!


Signing off... Until next time
Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses-dsc_8273.jpg

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 17:03.
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Old 28th May 2018, 17:40   #11
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

The other things:
  1. Camera: Nikon D7100; Lens: 200-500 f/5.6 - This has (somewhat) become my pet lens! A better combination would be the Nikon D500 with it's amazingly fast focusing system, superb low light sensitivity and an unparalleled infinite buffer on faster XQD cards.
  2. Images have been captured in RAW and processed using Lightroom and Define.
  3. Reservations to JLR must be done in advance - specially during the summer months/ holidays. One cannot choose the "Zones" they are assigned to the Safaris - this is done randomly keeping in mind the allotment of all the guests at JLR. Boat Safaris can also be opted for, instead of Land Safaris. Those with a love for bird spotting and bird photography have better prospects with the Boat Safari.
  4. Best times for big cat sightings are in Summer months, but they have happened all year round. Early summer makes the experience less tiring as the scorching heat has not yet started and exam season means lesser crowd. Your mileage my vary!
  5. A trip to Kabini takes around 5 hours from BLR with a leisurely break added in the middle. Options include Shivalli Hotel on the way, just after Channapattana and any nice decent hotel in Mysore for a coffee break.
  6. Road conditions to Kabini are pretty much great all the way through (except for the irritation of driving on BLR-MYS road). It becomes a single (undivided) road once you leave Mysore and is thickly populated by rural traffic and randomly driven 2 wheelers. Careful in this stretch! It becomes less and less populated once you leave Hand Post Crossing
  7. By the way - my kid was a champ throughout the safari - he enjoyed every bit of it like we all did!
  8. Special mention to Stryker for sharing his experiences and learnings - be it forest sightings, camera settings or something related to cars!

Last edited by vsathyap : 29th May 2018 at 17:11.
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Old 30th May 2018, 08:35   #12
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 30th May 2018, 10:35   #13
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

As I scrolled through your post I kept thinking that your post has probably the best pictures from any Kabini post and then I kept going down and the pictures just kept getting better.

It is truly a pleasure to see such beautiful pictures. What amazing shots and I personally love some of the pictures with the twist.
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Old 30th May 2018, 11:32   #14
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Amazing pictures and fantastic write up.
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Old 30th May 2018, 13:35   #15
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Re: Kabini: A Trilogy of Hits and Misses

Fantastic pics there Vishwas ! Although it has been just about a month since coming back from jungle safaris, your pics urge me to take some leaves and head to the forests again

I have some questions for you:
1. How is a safari arranged on your own different than the one arranged by Toehold ? What difference does it create in terms of safari experience and wildlife photography ?
2. I have a small bean bag to hold the lens steady on the jeep / gypsy while on a safari. What do you use?


Regarding the experience with chatty ladies, I had a similar experience at Bandipur with crying babies during our trip in December. However, I would not blame the baby so much as the ladies. On the other hand, our good luck was that my point was taken seriously by JLR folks and the parents were asked not to bring along the infant on the safari. On a different occassion, saw a couple doing a pre-wedding photo shoot in Nagzira recently. The girl infact clicked a selfie with a Sambhar carcass !

Last edited by Maddy3008 : 30th May 2018 at 13:36. Reason: One question already answered !
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