Karnataka is blessed with some of the most magnificent tropical forests of the Indian sub-continent. The state is endowed with varieties of forest vegetation with an enormous diversity of species. The floral diversity is so wide and varied that in some districts, all types of forest from wet evergreen to dry thorn forests are encountered within a distance of less than 100 km. About 60 of Karnataka’s forests are situated in the Western Ghats, one of the mega biodiversity hotspots of the world. The remaining forests situated in the Eastern Plains - although these have limited coverage - exhibit high degree of plant diversity including varieties of medicinal plants. Nagarahole and Bandipur Tiger Reserves are the best forests I got to visit. Sharing some images I got to capture during the safari.
My first tiger sighting came after 10 years of wait which happened during my 17th safari in the forest, and it was the most memorable moment of all times. I was so impressed by those stripes that I took very few pictures as I got engaged in looking it live. Tigers are rare, elusive animals, which is why the thrill of spotting one in its natural habitat is unmatched. Nature lovers from all over the world throng India’s many reserves each year to spot this majestic cat that can intimidate even the strongest with its piercing gaze. Although the biggest feline on planet, Tigers were classified as critically endangered not so long ago. Photographing these wild, needs a lot of patience and persistence. It’s a blessing to spot a Tiger. The wildlife present in these Tiger Reserve includes Tiger, Panther, Wild Dog, Elephant, Bison, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Common Langur, Bonnet Macaque, Varieties of reptiles and Birds, etc.
Tiger in it's lush green habitat. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens. The journey of a tiger is actually a tricky one. Right from birth, cubs are brought into the world as frail and blind balls of fluff. Even though cubs can open their eyes within 10 days, they remain helpless and often fall easy prey to other animals like leopards or even male tigers. The onus, therefore, is on the mother to be a guardian for her litter for the next few weeks. There are also risks when the mother goes out to hunt; the cubs then become easy picking for even smaller predators like leopards and dholes.
She rules the forest of Kabini. Spotted her in the shade, with a luck to have sunlight just enough to get the right exposure of this majestic beauty with stripes. Captured at Kabini forest, Karnataka. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens. It takes a few weeks for the little ones to emerge out of their sanctuary. The mother initially does not let them out of her sight but soon takes them hunting with her. Hunting is the most crucial skill a cub must learn from its mother. Even here, a clumsy beginner’s mistake on the cub’s part means no food for the whole family! Female tigers, in fact, require over 70sqkm of hunting grounds/territory for both her and their litter.
Tiger emerging from the thick bushes of Kabini. Amazing beauty with stripes. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Chilling out in the muddy puddle. We waited for more than an hour to see it move. But it was just so relaxed that it decided to stay there for long. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A slight glimpse of its walk. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
This is when your heart starts beating fast. Waiting for the tiger to come put of the bushes. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Who's that?? Is that a Tiger?? Yeah.. This bird was actually looking at a Tiger. And that was the best Tiger sighting I witnessed at Kabini. The white-bellied woodpecker or great black woodpecker. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A full frame Habitat Picture of the Leopard resting at its favourite place (@600mm no crop). What a beautiful place to rest around!! This picture was taken during my trip to Bandipur. Luckily, I had my 150-600mm lens setup on my camera. Captured this image, while I was sitting in the driver seat. Stopped the car, took out the seat belt and positioned myself with difficulty in the seat to take a few photographs. I was so tired driving all the way from Bangalore to Bandipur since it was a drive after a long time, and felt lucky to capture this. This was too far, thanks to the 600mm lens. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
The beautiful National Bird.. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
One of my most favorite picture of Peacock I got to capture during my trip to Bandipur. Jungles in monsoon are awesome. It treats us with some best pictures. I liked this frame as the color of the Pink flowers and Greenpeace, give a magical touch and contrast to the frame with the colorful Peacock. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A drenched peafowl.. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Mom's Love... Since the day an elephant calf is born, it relies heavily on its mother. The calves get their nutrients from their mother’s milk for the first few years. They get weaned off between five to 10 years. Typically, this is the time when they can survive on solid vegetation like grasses.
Elephants have around 150,000 muscle units in their trunk. Their trunks are perhaps the most sensitive organ found in any mammal - Asian elephants have been seen to pick up a peanut, shell it, blow the shell out and eat the nut. They use their trunks to suck up water to drink – it can contain up to 8 litres of water. They also use their trunks as a snorkel when swimming. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Playing in the greens amidst the flowers. It's never too late to enjoy a happy childhood. From my recent trip to Bandipur. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A family… Amazingly, elephant calves are able to stand within 20 minutes of being born and can walk within 1 hour. After two days, they can keep up with the herd. This incredible survival technique means that herds of elephants can keep migrating to find food and water to thrive. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Always accompanied by the parent. Elephants communicate in a variety of ways - including sounds like trumpet calls (some sounds are too low for people to hear), body language, touch and scent. They can also communicate through seismic signals - sounds that create vibrations in the ground - which they may detect through their bones. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
An elephant’s skin is 2.5cm thick in most places. The folds and wrinkles in their skin can retain up to 10 times more water than flat skin does, which helps to cool them down. They keep their skin clean and protect themselves from sunburn by taking regular dust and mud baths. Elephants need up to 150kg of food per day – that's around 375 tins of baked beans although half of this may leave the body undigested. They eat so much that they can spend up to three-quarters of their day eating. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
An Elephant enjoying the mud bath. This layer of mud or sand not only protects elephants from the heat but also relieves them from insect bites. After bathing in a river, elephants often indulge in a mud bath to form the protective layer on their skin. It also prevents sunburn.
Elephant tusks are actually enlarged incisor teeth which first appear when elephants are around 2 years old. Tusks continue growing throughout their lives. Tusks are used to help with feeding - prising bark off trees or digging up roots - or as a defence when fighting. But these beautiful tusks often cause elephants danger. They're made from ivory; a much-desired object.
Tusker entering the scene and making the landscape more beautiful with deer and lovely green trees. Visit to the forest is a must during lovely Monsoons. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
When God visits his home!! Om Shri Ganeshaya Namaha.. Captured at the Bandipur, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Beautiful Monsoon.. Loved the greens and tiny pink flowers with the beautiful spotted deer.. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
The Sambar - male (Rusa unicolor) is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China, and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat. Adult males and pregnant or lactating females possess an unusual hairless, blood-red spot located about halfway down the underside of their throats (clearly visible in the picture). This sometimes oozes a white liquid, and is apparently glandular in nature. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Monsoon Magic. The beautiful flowers and lush green plantation is an add-on to this picture. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A tiny one and its innocence... Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A landscape with the beautiful habitat from the jungle.. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
The National Bird!! Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
The National Bird!! Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Getting drenched in rain! Magical monsoon. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A Dhole from the forests of Kabini. Dhole is closer in stature to a German Shepherd dog, it more accurately resembles a fox in appearance. These wild dogs once ranged over all of Asia, North America, and Europe, but 12,000 to 18,000 years ago they were reduced to their current habitat which is concentrated in parts of Asia.
An adult Dhole can eat one kilogram of meat in just few seconds, and it can later regurgitate it to feed other members of its pack.
A pack of Dholes roaming around in the forests of Kabini. Dhole packs have killed tigers and leopards, and they have even been known to attack Asiatic black bears. Dholes are animals that can run at speeds up to 45mph.
A Sambar Deer. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Turtles from Kabini..
A habitat of turtles in the jungle.
A Deer’s habitat.
The Indian Gaur or the Indian Bison. Captured at the Kabini Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Strip Necked Mongoose during it's breakfast time searching for beetles in Elephants dropping. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Crested Serpent Eagle. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
The Sambar - male (Rusa unicolor) is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China, and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat. Adult males and pregnant or lactating females possess an unusual hairless, blood-red spot located about halfway down the underside of their throats (clearly visible in the picture). This sometimes oozes a white liquid, and is apparently glandular in nature.
The Indian Gaur or the Indian Bison. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
The Magical Monsoons... Found this little Swallow-tailed Bee-eater resting on an Antiler of a Spotted Deer fully drenched in rain. The rain, pink flowers, the Antiler add more colors to this image. Saw a bee-eater on an Antiler for the first time. Generally I would find bee-eaters on branches of trees or other plants. This was special and could be found in forests only!! Captured during my recent visit to Bandipur. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
White-naped Woodpecker (Female). They are large woodpeckers that average 29 cm in length (including the tail). Mature males can easily be identified by their Red crowns, which is Yellow in females. They have straight pointed bills and a stiff tail that provides support against tree trunks as they move up and down. The upper parts, including the wings, are golden yellow; except for the black rump and tail; white hindneck that extends down the back, and black shoulder patches that also continue onto the back to form V-shape that is bordered with white. The head is whitish with a dark moustache stripe and black eye patches that extend down the sides of the neck. The under plumage is white with dark chevron markings. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
White-naped Woodpecker (Male). They are large woodpeckers that average 29 cm in length (including the tail). Mature males can easily be identified by their Red crowns, which is Yellow in females. They have straight pointed bills and a stiff tail that provides support against tree trunks as they move up and down. The upper parts, including the wings, are golden yellow; except for the black rump and tail; white hindneck that extends down the back, and black shoulder patches that also continue onto the back to form V-shape that is bordered with white. The head is whitish with a dark moustache stripe and black eye patches that extend down the sides of the neck. The under plumage is white with dark chevron markings. Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
White-naped Woodpecker (Male). Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
Beauty!! Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
A Gaur hiding in the bushes!! Captured at the Bandipur Forest, Karnataka with Nikon D850 + Tamron 150-600mm G2 Lens.
