[ravib]

Fantastic Pictures ! Amazing experience you had in life time.....

-Ravi

[sarmarishi]

The entangled mass is a bunch of spiders which actually look like fur from a bears coat stuck to a tree when you come across the same. You only realise they are spiders when someone does something to agitate them. The guides usually use a leaf or hand to disturb them!

[abheekg]

Originally Posted by fazalaliadil

Dr. Sahab,
By far the best low angles, It is known as Stoop to conquer.
What a gait and stance this male has, rock solid!
Great shots, keep them coming and hope to be with you soon.
Regards,

Thank you sir.
It really was because of the perfect placement of the intuitive Bablu that I was able to get so low level shots of this majestic tiger. Having a good and sharp driver with idea of photography angles is must for wildlife photographers. I have had several experiences when I was able to get the best possible shot because of Bablu or Lallan in Pench.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

More wonderful photos. Congratulations on the big male tiger and the wonderful looking cat.

Your tangled mass is spiders?

Thank you sir.
It is indeed spiders.

Originally Posted by KRRaj

Wow, no words to describe those pictures Doc. Fabulous :

Thank you raj.

Originally Posted by ramkya1

Hai Doc,

Stunning pictures and awesome story. It's clear you're pretty passionate about what you do!!! Enjoyed the photos and the jungle cat ones are super special.

I tried 5 safaris in Bandhavgarh to get one sighting of B1, you seem to have a knack of shooting tigers, so many close encouners!!!

--Ramky
====

Let me let the secret out sir. I get so many tigers because I do so many drives. Period. You are welcome to join me over any weekend if you are free.

Originally Posted by Coooolcat21

Sir,
Mindblowing pictures!
I have been to pench for only one safari so far in the evening and got to see only a couple of spotted deer from a distance. U have really been lucky and i know that only patience pays off when on jungle safaris.
I ll be going to Kanha next month , will plan a day or two in pench on our way back. I ll also try taking pics the way you have requested. Any bit that would help us save the tiger is worth the effort.
The jungle cat is superb, I have seen them a few times in Kanha but could never manage a good picture as they dissappear in a flash.
Regards.

Thank you. Your photos rock big time too. I invite you to tour Pench for atleast 6 drives as we expect amazing Big cat with cubs moving around in March. Thanks for taking the cue and getting my message. Believe me your sightings and photographs will definitely help us. I have the location of atleast 1 very bold Jungle cat now in pench which I can show you if we do atleast 2 drives in its general area

Please call me before you plan your March trip to the reserves so that I can give you my inputs better. My number is 09960332228.

Originally Posted by ravib

Fantastic Pictures ! Amazing experience you had in life time.....

-Ravi

Thank you sir. This I believe is just the beginning and I am still new at this. With the grace of God I can go a long way and continue enthralling all of you with my stories and photographs for a long time.

Originally Posted by sarmarishi

The entangled mass is a bunch of spiders which actually look like fur from a bears coat stuck to a tree when you come across the same. You only realise they are spiders when someone does something to agitate them. The guides usually use a leaf or hand to disturb them!

Right on spot sir. Please tell the guides whom you know who disturb the spiders to refrain from the said practice.

-------------------------------------------------------
continuing my report of activities at the park.............

Big B gave pench a visit in december with the NDTV-Aircell team for the "Save Our Tiger Telethon" .

Big B said on his blog said in a message on his blog: "Tomorrow (Sunday) starts the Telethon for the Save the Tiger campaign. There is a desire and hope to collect as much money as one can for the benefit of those that manage and look after these regal animals and prevent them from being poached and destroyed."

He also writes "Tomorrow morning early is the departure for Pench National Forest reserve, to partake in the Telethon for the Save The Tiger campaign, an enterprise that is being conducted by NDTV and one that has been getting my patronage for some time now. There is a plan to ride elephant and look at the possibility of spotting tiger. But I think that would be too presumptuous"

you can read his thoughts here :

DAY 966 | bigb.bigadda.com

DAY 967 | bigb.bigadda.com

DAY 968 | bigb.bigadda.com

A report on NDTV Tiger land: Kanha-Pench landscape


A huge amount of money apparantly got generated out of this exercise but remains unaccountable. More on this issue later.

During the visit of Big b my post on my FB wall read "Pench resembles a fish market today with NDTV-Aircell shooting their "Save Tiger" campaign advert."

While Big B could not spot any tigers during his hectic schedule, we had a fantastic sighting of the Baghin Nala Tigress lurking in the grasses and crossing silently behind Bablu and Lallan's Gypsies as the two brothers again proved that nobody could be any better drivers than them at Pench !!

I again wrote on my FB wall after the sighting:

"Baghin Nala Tigress behind Lallan's Gypsy at 6.40am - within 10 mins of entering the park.

Another magical encounter with a Pench Tigress.

A Bigg..... aura is all encompassing overshadowing the real Tigers @ Turia."

Enjoy this visual low light feast. Photo courtesy Varun.

SPEED........ This is why i love low light ...


regards,
Dr. A Ghosh
09960332228

[Coooolcat21]

Sir,
Thank You so much, I shall get in touch when dates are finallised.
I v never had the opportunity to see cubs in all these years, i ll have to try my luck at Pench i suppose.
Regards

[sarmarishi]

Originally Posted by abheekg

Right on spot sir. Please tell the guides whom you know who disturb the spiders to refrain from the said practice.

Well I already gave them a piece of my mind but dont know how much they understood as they I was speaking in hindi and they didnt know much of it. This was when I went for the Tiger Census to the Nagarhole last year. The jungles teach you a lot, however small it may be and I love it.

In fact I was in Wyanad last month and trekking through thick elephant and bison country and saw a lot of animals (elephants, gaurs and sambhars as well as Tiger and Leopard scat and pug marks) but the most important and facinating thing I learnt was how to find the creepers which store water and how to get them out incase you are stranded in the jungle without water! These are little things that people need to appreciate about the flora and fauna around us.

Apart from that the variety of birds that I could capture was just beautiful!

[mallumowgli]

Awesome pictures Doctor. My fav pic is of the tiger in mid stance. I would like to use this as my desktop pic with your permission.

This is the first time I am seeing a photo of a Jungle cat by a non-wildlife-researcher.

[traveloholic]

Amazing Abheek. You give us a virtual trip of the sightings in the jungle with your TL's. I love your TL's & every TL of your's ensures that I replace my wallpaper on my laptop. Amazing pics and love them a lot.
Loved these pics a lot "Coming out on the road (img_2096coming-out-road.jpg) & Face (img_2082.jpg)"

[abheekg]

On 4th dec 2010, I had a super encounter with the venerable "collar wali" Tigress again

With Bablu again at the control of my gypsy, we managed to get into a fine position to shoot this super predator.

Here are a series of shots.

Supercharged.... Coller wali emerges out in the open


Enthralling visitors to Pench


Eye to eye with the super Predator


Spraying her territory


Aha..... let me go to the next tree


Leaving a mark


A relaxed walk through her kingdom


Collarwali Tigress - Habitat shot



watch out for some very interesting updates on this tigress soon from Pench.

regards,
Dr. A Ghosh
09960332228

[fazalaliadil]

Originally Posted by abheekg

On 4th dec 2010, I had a super encounter with the venerable "collar wali" Tigress again

She is beautiful, young, a natural and a very successful mother, super predator and a territorial lady. Thats Collar Wali.

[deky]

Beautifull photographs as usual. Always mesmerising to see the tiger. I have visited Ranthambore 3 times and Corbette 4 times but the elusive one has still been elusive. But no regrets.

Tell me, does the tiger mark territory (spray urine) on seeing humans too? Does it feel any threat by humans or is it a way of saying you are in my area so be ware? Or is this only for the other tigers?

regards?

[abheekg]

@decky: Tigers generally tend to ignore humans unless it is a confirmed maneater. Tigers spray mark their territories on a regular interval irrespective of human presence. If their are overlapping tiger territories then tiges move on a regular basis to renew their territorial presence and erase the sprays of other tigers .

If you are interested to know more of this in depth then you need to spend maximum time observing tiger movement in parks like pench and sariska.

Dr. A Ghosh

[Coooolcat21]

She looks amazing.
I was in Pench last week and was told that many got a glimpse of her along with her 5 cubs . But I never got lucky.
Hope to see more pictures of her and her cubs in your further updates.
Regards

[sabynag]

I am planning to visit Pench soon. Request the Pench-visitors to keep posting the sightings (not only tiger but all other wildlife too) in this season.
How far is satpura by road from pench ? From internet, I gather it is 6-7 hours. Is that correct ?
Is it possible to cover Satpura jungle safaris from a base at Panchmari ?

[fazalaliadil]

Originally Posted by Coooolcat21

She looks amazing.
I was in Pench last week and was told that many got a glimpse of her along with her 5 cubs . But I never got lucky.
Hope to see more pictures of her and her cubs in your further updates.
Regards

Coooolcat21,

We missed her by a whisker too.

The sambar alarm calls were continuous and just 30 feet away from us. CollarWali, she was there with her 5 cubs about 50 feet from us hidden in undergrowth, where the sambars were looking at and shouting their guts out. At the spot we were waiting in pin drop silence were a the mothers and cubs, 5 minute old pug marks.

Next day she brought her cubs to a kill by the roadside in the same area and was sighted by other visitors, the same morning we were leaving Pench.

How did your visit go? Waiting to see Pench through your eyes.
Regards,

A photograph of her from my last to Pench, exactly a year before this trip.

[abheekg]

@coolcat: what dates were you in Pench ? I was there almost on every single day except tuesday (22feb). I am sure we must have crossed paths during the drives. Its bad we didn't meet.

Do tell us about your experience here on this thread and post some of your pics.

Among other things guess what Bablu, my driver photographed at pench this sunday when I was off to Tadoba testing out my new Gypsy?

@Fazal saab: The wait is over. Its time for you to plan another visit here.

Dr. A Ghosh