Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Winter in Kanha National Park

The landscape in Kanha in winter is glorious, as evident in this image of a Chital herd resting under shade..with the different hues of the meadow merging into the Sal forest..and the Bahmni Dadar plateau in the background. I love the scenery of this amazing Park, which keeps changing almost every week.


Barasingha or Swamp Deer is the flagship species of Kanha and in winter one can see them in their best condition.This magnificent Barasingha stag seen one December morning is in it's prime rutting condition and the misty background is almost surreal...

The Barasingha Stags gather dry grasses in their antlers in their attempt to assume a larger profile, which allows them to gain dominance over other stags and therefore increase thier chances to mate with receptive females.

The Stags give out their amazing bugling calls to advertise their readiness to mate. For me, this is one of the most beautiful wild sounds in India and it resonates through the meadows of Kanha in winter.


Leopards are such beautiful Cats..with such long tails!! This lovely male Leopard was sighted one November evening in the Gorrela camp area of Mukki zone..and i was so lucky to get this hurried shot of this very shy animal!


Dholes are another favourite predators of mine and i never miss an opportunity to observe their behaviour. One November morning, we saw a pack on a hunt in Aurai maidan and got this lovely shot of one dog leaping amidst tall grass to get a better view of the hunt in progress!


Tigers are always such a treat to watch! We chanced upon this beautiful Tigress on a cold December morning..she gave us an indredible demonstration of how she marks her territory by spraying, scrap marking etc. What a heart-stopping, close encounter it was!!


It's also rutting time for the lovely Sambar and i photographed this handsome Stag, in beautiful, gentle, early morning November light!


Landscapes always fascinate me..this image is from a beauitful October Sunset!










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