5th June 2022, 13:58
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| Kabini - After a wait of 10 long years The Prologue I had visited Kabini for the first time way back in 2012. I had not taken up photography as a serious hobby during the time. The place with its green forests (and its dwellers), the serene backwaters etc left a very deep impression in my mind and then began my little photography journey which i started pursuing a bit more seriously. We were lucky to see a leopard towards the fag end of our evening safari followed by a pack of wild dogs in the morning safari. We also saw plenty of elephants, deer (both sambar and spotted) etc which whetted my wildlife viewing appetite. Post that first time, i could not make a trip to Kabini for one or the other reason (the exhorbitant pricing of JLR Kabini River lodge didnt help matter either). However the awesome pictures of the Black Panther which many our fellow TBHPians posted on multiple threads and the others on Facebook/Instagram etc made it difficult for me to hold myself any longer. And then around mid January, me and my photography buddy in Pune finalized a trip to Kabini. The Plan and Preparations The plan was to stay in JLR for 3N around the last week of Feb and do 6 safaris. To ensure we got all 6 jeep safaris, we booked the Maharaja package (which is the most expensive of all packages). I am personally not a big fan of doing safaris in canters as they are not very conducive for photography. Return flight tickets to Bangalore and the cab for pickup and drops arranged. While we were waiting desperately for the D-day to arrive, i kept glued myself to all the Kabini related threads/posts on TBHP and kept following Facebook/Insta for the latest on the sightings. While my idea of the trip was to photograph all the forest dwellers, i would be lying if i didnt mention the special interest in photographing Blacky. I have done multiple safaris in Central India and have been extremely lucky to see lots of tigers. I havent been as lucky with leopards though. Hence i was keen to see and photograph leopards (the regular ones and Blacky) during thiis trip. And what better place than Kabini to try my luck for Leopards (or so i thought). In terms of my photography gear for my trip, i was very keen to carry my trusted workhorse lens the Nikkor 600 FL (paired with Nikon D850) and wide angle lens, the camera charges at the forest were quite exhorbitant for such focal lengths. Hence i rented the Nikkor 200-500 5.6lens from the Toehold store in Kabini. The D-day arrives We took a late evening flight from Pune and arrived in Bangalore around midnight. We had booked a hotel close to the airport to catch a few hours of sleep. However the excitement of being in Kabini was too much for the body to handle and i ended up hardly getting any sleep. We started on our journey from the hotel around 6am. The journey to JLR was uneventful. We checked into our cottage, had early lunch and caught up with some much needed sleep to be ready for our first safari it 3.30pm 1st Safari (Evening) The post lunch nap provided us much needed rest and we were fresh and ready for our 1st safari. Hopped on to the jeep and completed the formalities at the entry gate. Even though it was February, it was quite hot inside the forest. However we were pleasantly greeted by lots of green foliage (possibly because of sporadic rains that happened a few weeks prior).  There were lots of dried leaves that had fallen off on the forest floor. Overall the forest looked beautiful   We then headed towards a large waterbody where we saw an Elephant and its calf happily foraging and having a bit of a mud bath  After observing them for a while, we moved on towards other areas of the park in search of the other forest dwellers. Our jeep driver was in constant touch with his colleagues to check if there were any big cat movements. For the next hour or so we kept moving around and there wasn't much happening except seeing the regular dwellers like Spotted deer, Langur monkeys etc. We did come across a herd of around 6 elephants which were trying to cross the road just ahead of us. Since the herd was quite close, i couldn't click any decent images as i was not carrying a wide angle lens. We were in the last 45 mins of the safari (exit time was 6.30pm). And while we crossing a small junction we heard an alarm call of a Langur. Our driver promptly stopped the vehicle and switched off the engine. The calls were getting louder with every passing minute and our guide suggested this could be a Tiger on the move. Based on the location he said this could be "Magge Female". And sure enough after around 10 mins, the queen emerged from the bushes. There were around 5 jeeps by now who were all waiting for the tiger to emerge. She was walked boldly in parallel to the safari track. I was hoping she might come on to the main track and walk head on. Unfortunately that was not to be. Magge female   The sighting lasted for around 10 mins and she then vanished into the bushes. I was super happy that my first safari in Kabini after nearly 10 years resulted in a big cat sighting. It was time to head back to the gates. Had early dinner and off went to bed in anticipation of what was in store for us on our 2nd safari the following morning 2nd Safari (Morning) After some much needed sleep, we got ready for the morning safari. Had a hot cuppa at Golghar and then met our guide. He gave us some updates on the sightings over the last few days. While there were regular sightings of tigers, the sightings of leopards were quite irregular and it was several days since Blacky was last sighted. This did dampen our spirits somewhat. I have been doing safaris fairly regularly (esp in Central India) over the last few years and have been able see and photograph lot of big cats. I realized that not just the big cats, but the other denizens of forest also offer some wonderful opportunity for photography. Hence i took this into my stride and looked forward to what was in store on the 2nd safari. After completing all the formalities at the gate, we entered the forest. While we were able to take a detour from the main road, we heard chital (spotted deer) alarm calls. Our driver immediately stopped the vehicle. The calls were pretty strong initially and our excitement levels started going up as well. However the calls subsided after around 15 mins and we then entered the main forest area. First up was this beautiful Malabar Giant Squirrel who was going about his morning routine. Malabar Giant Squirrel  I dont know what this fella was upto. However the expression was quite cute and i couldn't help capture this. Langur monkey  In the meanwhile our driver was constantly in touch with his other colleagues to check for big cat movements and his expressions made it easy to guess the updates. We kept moving around the forest to check for any movements but nothing much happened. The forest was looking beautiful in the morning.   We then headed towards the Kabini backwaters. Saw this Sambar deer in the distance heading back to the bushes after a quick sip.  We kept moving around the same routes for the next hour or so to check for any movements but the forest was unusually quiet. It was time for us to exit the forest and proceed towards the main gate. However just before the main entry gate, we saw a group of Bonnet Macaques. And we say this mother feeding her baby. I always wanted to capture this sort of an image but was never lucky until this moment.  I was super happy with this and we exited the forest. 3rd Safari (Evening) We were ready for our 3rd drive. We had a pleasant surprise as we were put in the same jeep as Giri Cavale the famous Wildlife photographer from Bangalore. I do follow him on Instagram/Facebook and enjoy his images. As usual we completed the formalities and entered the forest. We kept moving around and kept looking for any movements and alarm calls. However it was quite hot and we knew there wont be any movement of the cats as they prefer to rest in the shade or take a dip in the water. The next couple of hours went in moving around various parts of the forest but there was absolutely no movement or alarm calls whatsoever. We had around 45 mins to exit the gate. Suddenly we spotted 2 jeeps which were stationary. This raised our hopes. Our driver checked with the other 2 drivers and they informed us about chital alarm calls. After a few mins, we started hearing strong calls from the Langurs as well. And finally a big male tiger emerged from the bushes and settled down on the side of our jeep. The thick foliage didnt give us a clear shot and hence our driver moved the jeep a little ahead to get us the correct angle. Our guide informed us that this was the Russel line male Russel line Male  After resting for a few mins, he moved into the thick bushes and the show was over for us. We were obviously quite elated with the sighting though we couldn't make many good images. We were left with the last 20 mins on our drive, when our driver decided to take a slight detour and check on one of the waterholes where he said there is a good chance of spotting the resident female tiger. Bingo!!! There she was. Our guide informed us that she was called Tiger tank female. Since it was quite late in the evening and the light was very poor, i managed to click these images at ISO 5000. Tiger tank female    Thus ended a productive 3rd safari. With a smile on our face, we headed to the Golghar for piping hot tea. 4th Safari (Morning) After checking the usual tracks and other spots, we headed towards a large waterbody. As we were approaching a T junction where we were planned to take a right turn, we heard a Sambar alarm call. Usually Sambar alarm calls are considered to be confirmation of the presence of a predator. We waited for a few minutes, when one of the cubs of the Bislewadi female Tiger nervously approached the road to cross. Our guide informed us that this tiger is very shy and hence it was very important to maintain more than reasonable distance (by the usual standards to make the tigers comfortable to cross the road). This proved to be a correct call and us keeping more than safe distance made the cub cross the road. Bislewadi female's cub  The mother then followed the cub. Bislewadi female   Our guide said that the 2nd cub would also cross and that we should wait. However after waiting for around 15-20 mins, we realised the cub was possibly too shy. Hence we left the family to themselves and moved on. After driving for around 20 mins, we saw a pack of Dholes (wild dogs) heading straight towards us on the safari track. Dholes    They suddenly felt they have a chance to hunt down a Sambar deer which was foraging near the large water body. The wild dogs got into hunting mode and started a chase. Since the foliage was quite thick, we could not track the wild dogs and capture any images of the chase. However in the meantime, the Sambar deer realized the risk and quickly ran away towards the far end of the water body. The wild dogs gave up after sometime. Examining the surroundings for prey after unsuccessful chase of the Sambar deer.  Thus ended our 4th safari. I was super happy to get the Bislewadi female and the wild dogs and also to witness the chase (though it was unsuccessful). 5th Safari (Evening) Followed the same rituals and entered the forest. It was super hot and there were no sight of any animals for quite some time. After around an hour of driving we saw this group of elephants which had a young calf tucked in. This was the first time i was seeing such a small Elephant calf in the wild.   Suckling  We then proceeded towards the backwaters. There was another jeep which was waiting on the banks and the driver informed that there were alarm calls of Chital deer until a few mins ago. We decided to stay put for sometime. I saw this lone Cattle Egret which allowed me a chance to experiment a bit with exposure compensation.  After waiting for nearly 30 mins and since there were no calls, we decided to move on. Our driver suddenly gets a call from another driver about the sighting of a male tiger which he said is the Tiger Tank male. The next few mins was crazy driving as our driver wanted to ensure we reach the spot before the tiger decides to move inside. When we reached, we saw that the tiger was sleeping quite close to the main safari track. As more jeeps joined, the commotion levels increased and it started becoming noisy. This disturbed the tiger and he eventually woke up from his afternoon siesta. Tiger Tank Male  He had enough of the commotion and turned his back towards us and walked right inside the bushes. It was game over for us. We then moved back towards the Backwater area to check for any movements. On the way we say this very unique scene where a Crested Hawk Eagle (juvenile) was trying to feed on a dead Spotted deer fawn while the poor mother watched helplessly. I had never witnessed anything of this sort before.  We then moved ahead. While waiting near the backwaters for alarm calls, i noticed this Langur trying to lick something that appeared like a dead tree bark. Our guide mentioned that it was actually trying to get some calcium and other necessary minerals.  Last edited by ramnath_77 : 12th June 2022 at 17:36. |
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12th June 2022, 11:38
| #2 |
| BHPian Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Pune
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| Re: Kabini - After a wait of 10 long years We then saw this beautiful Langur mother feeding its baby  We then continued to wait to check if the alarm calls around the backwater area. Since nothing happened we moved on to other parts of the jungle. While our driver was continuously checking for updates from the other drivers but there was nothing positive coming through. We had just around 15 mins to exit the park when we suddenly heard Langur alarm calls. Our driver as expected stopped the vehicle and switched off the engine. The calls started getting louder as more langurs joined in calling the danger out. It was only a matter of time before the predator should come out. However as we were nearing our exit time, it was a touch and go sort of situation for us. However the big cat obliged and appeared out of the bushes. It was a handsome looking male which our guide confirmed as the Tiger Tank Male Tiger Tank Male  He was continuously looking for an easy catch for his evening meal.  He then headed inside the bushes and it was time for us to rush to the exit gate. Thus ended our 5th Safari. This left us with just the 1 safari the following morning before we pack our bags and head home. While i was extremely happy with all the safaris till now, the only thing playing on in my mind was that we could not get any leopards or Blacky himself. Had an early dinner and hit the bed with thoughts of how our luck will pan out in the last safari. The heart kept saying that we would get a Leopard sighting. Only time would tell 6th Safari (Morning) We got ready well before time and headed to the Golghar for our morning coffee. We met some of the other photographers and discussed sightings in general. Many of them who were regulars to Kabini told us that the Leopard sightings have reduced over the last few years as the Tiger population and movement has increased. I was happy (since the Tiger population had possibly increased) and sad (since the Leopard movement had reduced). With prayers in our mind we entered the forests for one last time during this trip. After moving around without any luck for the first 30 mins, we reached a water body where there were strong langur calls. There were around 4 jeeps which were already waiting. One of the jeeps had Mithun Hungund (the famous wildlife photographer who had photographed the famous couple - Blacky and his partner Cleopatra) who told us that there was possibly a Leopard in the thick bush inside though no one had actually seen the Leopard as yet. Excitement began to go up several notches as the calls grew louder. I personally started feeling that my prayers were about to be answered and that i would finally get a Leopard in Kabini. The calls went on for atleast 30 mins and then started to dwindle. This meant either the predator had stopped moving and slept off or it moved towards the opposite side and got farther away from us. It was agonising for us as it was a case of So Near Yet So Far. Anyhow we then moved to other areas and there was absolutely no movement or alarm calls at all. We then heard a langur call for a brief period. Our driver stopped the vehicle and stopped the engine. The waiting game began. Somehow our guide had a strong intuition that there was a predator inside the bushes and we should take our chance and play the waiting game for much longer. We all agreed as there was hardly any movement elsewhere. We had around 1.5 hours to go before exit time. An hour went by and nothing happened except for the occasional Langur call. While this was testing our patience, we also knew in the back of our mind that Langurs call only when they see a predator and hence even the occasional call kept us very much in the game. After waiting for nearly an hour, our guide decided to move the jeep ahead to check if there was any movement in the nearby fireline. As we drew closer to the fireline and Lo and behold there she was. A majestic looking female which our guide mentioned is called as the Backwater Female. She was busy scent marking her territory and was about to head back into the bushes. Our guide predicted her movement inside the bushes and where she was likely to exit and come back on to the safari track. He accordingly asked the driver to move the vehicle ahead. He made the driver stop at almost a kilometer ahead from where we first saw the tiger. This was a very bold gamble. However in around 10-15 mins, the tiger appeared exactly at the place where the guide had predicted it to come out. For me, the guide was nothing less than a genius. This meant, an opportunity to get the Tiger on the track and position our vehicle for headon shots. The fact that there were no other jeeps helped us. Below are the sequences of images of the Backwater female scent marking and moving on the safari track Backwater Female Sniffing the tree to check for scent of other tigers  Scent marking her territory  Flehman response  Headon (we realised that she had an injury on the upper back probably due to a fight with another tiger. hope she recovers soon as we were told she was nursing a couple of cubs).   Looking to move away from the safari track  The headon sequence lasted for around 20 mins before she decided to move away. It was absolute joy for us as she gave us ample opportunities to photograph including some of the behaviour shots (like the Flehman response)  It was time to exit the park. While we missed getting the Leopard or Blacky, we were very happy to have decent sightings of Tigers, Wild dogs and the Elephants. Had a sumptuous breakfast at Golghar. We freshened up, settled outstanding bills at the reception (including the camera charges that need to be paid to the forest dept). We bid goodbye to the staff including our guide and driver who were simply brilliant. The stay at JLR was brilliant with the polite staff who took care of our every need, food was good, drivers and guides were awesome. However i still feel the prices are exhorbitant when compared to what we pay to do safaris in Central India. The camera charges that the Govt of Karnataka requires us to pay is atrocious. Almost INR 2000 per safari entry for a lens which is longer than 500mm. Add GST to this (i wonder why should GST be levied as there is no service or sale involved in this transaction). To me this is nothing short of daylight robbery. Overall i was very happy with the trip as i managed to visit Kabini after ages and was able to capture some decent photographs. Hope you enjoyed viewing these images as much as i enjoyed clicking them. Cheers !!! Last edited by ramnath_77 : 12th June 2022 at 17:36. |
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13th June 2022, 07:04
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13th June 2022, 08:40
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13th June 2022, 12:35
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13th June 2022, 14:38
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13th June 2022, 16:11
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14th June 2022, 10:08
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17th June 2022, 03:02
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20th June 2022, 15:03
| #10 | ||||||
| BHPian Join Date: Oct 2020 Location: Pune
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| Re: Kabini - After a wait of 10 long years Quote:
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Your recent thread on Kabini is a real motivator to plan this. The images were simply breathtaking. | ||||||
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21st June 2022, 17:20
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| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Pune
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| Re: Kabini - After a wait of 10 long years Quote:
Some excellent pictures there, thanks for sharing  Great that your long wait got rewarded handsomely. I have been to couple of jungle tiger safaris myself (in M.P) but never had the good fortune of sighting the big felines . | |
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22nd June 2022, 10:52
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| Re: Kabini - After a wait of 10 long years Quote:
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