Kabini Trip Report: May 29-30-31, 2009: Part II

My apologies for the fragmented trip report.

The next morning the bunch of us were up bright and early and were the first lot heading to the jungle. The first sighting was of a herd of gaur at a waterhole. There was a big bull present, but I went for tight portraits which you see below.

Later we heard of wild dogs that had made a chital kill near the backwaters. We drove there immediately but they had already polished off the kill. Here are the pictures of the pack which included juveniles.

And now some images of langur, wild boar and a tusker before the excitement of the evening.










Notice the wound on the trunk.



Here is a video of the tusker and the small herd.

Tusker and herd, Kabini, Indian Wildlife TV from indianwildlifetv on Vimeo.

In the afternoon it started bucketing down and we merely had to enjoy the forest in the rain. I managed the shot of the myna bathing you see below at Tiger Tank.

Here is a video of the forest in the rain.

Monsoon at Tiger Tank, Kabini, Indian Wildlife TV from indianwildlifetv on Vimeo.

And then it happened! At sixish we were parked near Tiger Tank and ‘Aaunghhh,’ we heard the roar of a tiger! We tensed and pulled out the cameras and he roared again closer to the tank. We also heard a sambar bell. We waited and he roared twice more, but alas he was moving away from us. But we continued to wait and we then heard him again ‘aaunghhhhhhhhh!’ He then stepped out onto the Power Line road roaring! He was on a patrol, calling out a challenge to any upstart male tigers who happened to trespass into his territory. He then flopped down in the middle of the road and shook his massive head shaking the water from it. He then got up, continued roaring and moved down the road.

Here is best of the pics, please understand that the shutter speed was 1/10 of a second at ISO 1600.

The last part of this report tomorrow.