[Stryker]

"Shall we go in December, say first weekend?" I get a message from Rajeev one day in mid November. "Why are you asking? Book!" is my answer. We haven't been to Kabini since our previous trip in June (Kabini - The post lockdown pilgrimage), so we are overdue by several months already. After posting so many reports from Kabini, I've said enough about the Jungle Lodges Resort and the excellent facilities there, so let's jump right to the photos.

The ever co-operative Serpent Eagle on the lookout for something to eat.




On the Elephant Proof Trench (EPT for short) fencing, there are always peacocks. This time I find several of them perched in one spot. How many do you see? These have shed their signature tail feathers after the monsoon and will grow new ones in time for the next season. They were playing "Ten peacocks on the fence and one flew away. How many were left? Nine peacocks on the fence and one flew away. How many were left?" until there was only one left and he refused to fly away.




We find a lovely Malabar Pied Hornbill, actually one of a flock of them flying around. Usually they are just silhouettes high up on a tree, so I'm happy to get one like this.




Our driver's trusty Nokia rings. These are about the only handsets that can get a signal in there. Someone is telling him about a tiger on the 5 KM road, which is the old highway between Karnataka and Kerala and now ruled by wildlife. It is quite a distance away from where we are at the moment and the driver asks me whether we want to take a chance and go there. Nothing much happening where we are, so we decide to go. He drives the wheels off that Mahindra 4x4 safari vehicle and we reach the spot. And the girl is sleeping! We could have driven here leisurely and she would still be here.




We wait for about 15 minutes taking the occasional picture, by which time the word has spread and many more vehicles have joined the gang. A lot of whispering and some joker in a newly arrived Canter bus is speaking in a loud voice. He is shushed without mercy, but that has caused the lady to wake up.




"Alright, who is that idiot?" she seems to be asking. Sorry for that princess, but you know how these jokers are.




Oh well, you can't escape the paparazzi. Such is the life of a superstar. "Yawn! Time to go back to sleep, if I can."




And I get the scary looking image showing off her impressive dental work (which needs some toothpaste if you ask me. Those Colgate and CloseUp ad makers will have nightmares about her teeth!) But she is just yawning.




"Hmm maybe if I turn this way, it will be more comfortable?" She gets up and turns around, which sets off another round of loud, excited voices. People never learn. I can never understand why they can't keep quiet.




"OK guys, let me sleep in peace now. Enjoy this sleepy look for now"




"Still here? Go away!" It really looks like this is exactly what she is saying.




And we go away, leaving her to sleep in peace. We know she won't wake up soon as she looks quite well settled. Several other vehicles are still there of course, trying to disturb her as much as possible.

While we are waiting to see if she wants to get up again, another van driver gets a call about a leopard being spotted back near where we originally were before rushing here. Our driver again asks if we want to return there or wait for this girl to get up. I immediately vote for returning, getting a tiger and a leopard in the same safari is not very common.

So another bone jarring, spine rattling drive later, we spot what is possibly Kabini's most dominant leopard. A citizen called Scarface, who looks like he is settled for the evening. And he is turned the wrong way!




Just to give you an idea of where he is w.r.t the ground. This one is taken at 200 mm, the lowest my lens will go.




I ask our driver to shift positions slightly, moving a bit forward to see if we can get a better view. Not much, only about ten meters or so. But it makes a huge difference to the sighting. And at that exact time, a ray of bright sunshine from the setting Sun hits Scarface directly, lighting him up exquisitely for me.




He is not asleep as we thought, merely resting. He is deeply interested in something in the distance, most probably a female leopard which we are not able to see form here. But he does look back to see whether we are paying attention. Of course we are. Where else would our attention be?




Time for a stretch. Look at those paws!




Something on the other side now catches his attention. Probably the arrival of some more vehicles who have got the news of the sighting.




I don't what gets into his head, but he has decided to pose for me. Maybe he knows I'm an old friend. I'm grateful I have a chance to see and photograph this wonderful creature.




He settles down and then another ray of sunlight hits him perfectly again, just as he is looking at me. Thank you God!




"OK this is getting boring. I'm resting now." He puts his head on his foreleg and looks drowsy. He also looks like he has had a decent meal.




"Oh you guys never get enough of me! The previous posture was more comfortable I think" He turns back to where he was earlier.




"Will you let me sleep now?" Lazy fellow!




There is most definitely a female leopard somewhere he can see and we can't. Nothing else will explain this alertness.




We leave him then. It is almost time to leave the forest anyway. Apparently, he got down from the tree soon after we left according to those who were still there, so we didn't miss much. It was a magical 30 minutes spent with Scarface, who has remained dominant even after so many years. May he remain so for many more years.


We spot a Barking Deer or the Indian Muntjac, an extremely rare sighting. They are so shy, they vanish almost immediately. I could get only this one photo of him before he disappeared.




A Malabar Giant Squirrel is darting down a tree for a change. They are usually high up and difficult to photograph.




Another trip to the wildlife wonderland called Kabini has come to an end. Hopefully it won't be another six months before I return to this paradise. I keep using the words "Magic" and "Magical" to describe this place, but believe me there is no other word that can describe it better.

My equipment this time too has been my Nikon D500 and the Nikkor 200-500 lens. I think the combo will last for quite a few more years and many more safaris.

As ever, I hope you people enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy taking them. Until next time then, bye and drive safe.

[BlackPearl]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to Travelogues. Thanks for sharing Stryker!

Absolutely stunning pictures! Loved the pictures of Scarface.

Originally Posted by Stryker

He drives the wheels off that Mahindra 4x4 safari vehicle and we reach the spot.

Do you have any picture of the vehicle?

[Samba]

Stunning pictures! You were indeed lucky to spot a tiger & a leopard in a single safari.
I had this luck once in Tadoba. We spotted a leopard in early morning and later during the safari we spotted a couple of tigers. These are lifetime experiences.

Off-late the number of unruly tourists have increased in these jungle safaris. Last month in MP, even we came across many tourists who were always busy talking loudly among themselves and spoiling the silence of the jungle.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Absolutely stunning pictures! Loved the pictures of Scarface.

Thanks, BlackPearl

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

Do you have any picture of the vehicle?

Here is one. Not my picture, this is by Jayanth Sharma, the founder of Toehold. Source. By an odd coincidence, this was the exact same vehicle we were traveling in this time around!

Originally Posted by Samba

Off-late the number of unruly tourists have increased in these jungle safaris. Last month in MP, even we came across many tourists who were always busy talking loudly among themselves and spoiling the silence of the jungle.

Thanks, Samba. Yes, this trend of unruly tourists increasing of late has been my experience too. I think the non enthusiasts are doing the safaris way more now than even two years ago, which kind of explains their uncaring attitude. They are there more for a break or to say "been there done that" to their family, rather than out of any genuine interest in wild life. Especially this year, when we have all been cooped up for several months with no option.

[ruzbehxyz]

Excellent pictures!

Kabini is a wonderful place indeed. The pictures of the leopard on the tree are my best. The Malabar giant squirrel is a rare site and you have managed to photograph it.

Keep positing.

[EightSix]

Those were some spectacular sights you saw there! I doubted if one saw wildlife in December (after our Gir trip in the winter break), but now I think otherwise and Scarface (and his friends) seem to be calling me and other BHPians to visit this magical paradise as soon as possible!

As much as I love your style of writing, your photography is par-excellence! What’s even better is the description you give to animal movements and actions. Surely makes an enjoyable read!

Originally Posted by Stryker

Thanks, Samba. Yes, this trend of unruly tourists increasing of late has been my experience too. I think the non enthusiasts are doing the safaris way more now than even two years ago, which kind of explains their uncaring attitude. They are there more for a break or to say "been there done that" to their family, rather than out of any genuine interest in wild life.

Especially this year, when we have all been cooped up for several months with no option.

True that! I had this experience too, but not just in wildlife sanctuaries, but also in Museums, forts, monuments, beaches and most tourist places in India. They have no genuine interest in anything which makes me wonder why they even visit such places. And you are right about the second part too: very soon there would be more such tourists who would travel just for the sake of stepping out of their houses.

[ABHI_1512]

You have made Kabini as your next door pad where one spends time every now and then. Your lockdown scribble to Kabini still fresh in the mind, this one made me chuckle just by the vivid descriptions of the big cats

Kabini will become the next hotspot anyways ever since the Black Panther story came out and your frequent escapades will only add to the fervour. Keep enjoying the place and thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures with us.

Regards.

[Hatari]

Stunning pictures! Lucky to have seen Tiger an Leopard..

[DriveTrain]

Absolutely jaw dropping photographs and if I might add - they are even more stunning when coupled with your captions and narration

Is there any specific reason why the top of the safari vehicles are covered ?

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by ruzbehxyz

Excellent pictures!

Thanks ruzbehxyz

Originally Posted by EightSix

As much as I love your style of writing, your photography is par-excellence! What’s even better is the description you give to animal movements and actions. Surely makes an enjoyable read!

Thanks EightSix. Good to know you like my writing style too!

Originally Posted by Hatari

Stunning pictures!

Thanks Hatari

Originally Posted by DriveTrain

Is there any specific reason why the top of the safari vehicles are covered ?

Thanks DriveTrain. The vehicles are generally covered on top because of intermittent rain in the region. Even during the summer when the chance of rain is very little, the tops are kept covered. I have actually not seen a safari vehicle here in Kabini with its top open, unless it is one of the custom vehicles the documentary shooting teams like BBC or NatGeo use.

[justwheels]

Originally Posted by Stryker

......

"Why are you asking? Book!" is my answer. We haven't been to Kabini since our previous trip in June (Kabini - The post lockdown pilgrimage), so we are overdue by several months already......

It is these spontaneous trips that are always cherished the longest. And when you spot such splendid wild animals in their natural habitat in the ever beautiful Kabini, it is a trip to remember for long.

Amazing pictures and you have captured the natural emotions of these animals beautifully. Kudos. Best use of the telephoto here. I own a fuji and am waiting to get my 100 to 400mm telephoto so that I can try to capture the way you do (will take a long time for me to get to your briliance).

Luckily, I did 2 tiger safaris this Nov and Dec and have been lucky to spot the big cats in both. First one was at Bandhavgarh in MP where spotted 1 male and 1 female tiger. The male spotting was unique as the tiger charged towards us and galloped almost 20 30 meters before dissappearing in the jungle. The female was spotted drinking water and lazily lying around.

Next was Bandipur in the first week of December where we spotted a mother and a cub leopard perched on the tree.

Your narrative brought back not so distant memories of those trips. I must say, your enthusiasm to visit such places almost every quarter of the year is amazing. What's your experience with spotting animals, morning or evening, what's better?

And least I can say about the indifferent attitude of we humans in a jungle habitat. People should go to the zoo instead and not for a safari if the interest is only take selfies and not enjoy and understand the natural habitat.

[FloatingCanvas]

Fabulous pictures and entertaining narrative to improve the experience!

Thank you for sharing such beautiful sights that are so rare to find. Very good composition of the images too.

Your visit certainly must have blessed by the powers that be above.. Great sightings, great lighting and such cooperative celebrities to top it all off!

[fhdowntheline]

Beautiful pics. Yeah I am always in two minds these days. I wanted to do as many safaris as possible across the country (done Kabini, Mudumalai, Pench and Corbett amongst the major reserves) , but part of me thinks that we are disturbing the peace of these creatures. I sometimes feel people must move away from forests as much as possible, allowing nature to reclaim the treasures. I dont mind denser urban habitats, but I'd rather have large stretches of deep forest untouched by humans.

[libranof1987]

Wow, terrific pictures! It's as if these animals and you have some understanding on when you'd be visiting. What a delight to watch!

[ramnath_77]

Originally Posted by Stryker

He settles down and then another ray of sunlight hits him perfectly again, just as he is looking at me. Thank you God!


As ever, I hope you people enjoy these photos as much as I enjoy taking them. Until next time then, bye and drive safe.

Fantastic images of scarface with the golden light on his face. Combination of D500 and Nikkor 200-500 is one of the best for wildlife within the Nikon family without a doubt.
Have enjoyed all your images from your previous threads as well.