My Journal

The striker, Nikon D300 was on my mind ever since it was released in the market. I was constantly looking forward to upgrade to this model, but several issues forced me to keep the D300 on hold and had to settle with its younger Brother the Nikon D200.

The Nikon D200 fitted with a power pack MB-D200 is a great cam and a good value for money.

I bought it this saturday and had been to Bandipura National Park on sunday to innagurate my new cam in the wild.

Here are the first few shots i took with my new cam :-)
Current Mood : Excited !

My cousin Shreenidhi shot this picture in Kanha National Park recently and asked me to comment on this. I was dumbstruck to utter any word. This is one the most difficult pictures to comment on, and rather one of the raw most acts of Nature, unfolded.
As the photographer says : " This is the most cruelest scenes ive witnessed in the wild so far. The deer was still alive while it was being eaten by a pack of Dholes ( Indian Wilddogs ). The Deer had tears in its eyes and looked at me helplessly, hoping for miracle. This was a judgement call for me. My brother whispered ' All i need now is a gun to shoot this 3 foot 2 inch thingy into peices '
Being a Naturalist, all i could do was to respect the law of nature, record this moment in my camera with a heavy heart and drive off. Just in a matter of 40 mins, Nothing except bones were left at the site. My mother had tears in her eyes and everybody were silent. Though we saw a Tiger later in the safari, none of us were excited to see it or to click any photographs. This was indeed one of the most difficult moments for me in the wild "

I posted this photograph in one of the leading Nature firms in this country and this was what many people had to say about this photograph.
http://www.indianaturewatch.net/displayimage.php?id=50035

The purpose of me posting this image on my blog is simple. Many of us think the way Shreenidhi's brother think. But a fact is, this is nothing but a law of nature.. The food chain. If not for this Chital ( spotted deer ) , many predators like the wild dogs, leopards and Tigers would've become extinct in the wild. Its a balance well crafted by Mother Nature. The image delivers a powerful message to understand this theory for any Nature/wildlife Lover.
Like many in the firm, I cant call this a 'wonderful image', but this will surely stay in my mind for a long long time.

I found these keypoints very interesting and thought of sharing with my fellow Bird Watchers
I hope you find it useful

* Don't look for birds in a forest. Just let your eyes wander to detect movement where nothing else is moving.
* Edges or ecotones, where one type of landscape merges into another, are usually sites of greater activity, especially at dawn and dusk, rather than inside the habitat.
* Birds need water and streams, ponds, fountains, especially with nearby protective cover are all excellent spots.
* Forest birds tend to move in mixed flocks. One of the best tactics to catch sight of these is to determine the flocks' direction, get ahead of them and wait for them to follow you. This way, you don't disturb them and you have maximum time to get the field marks.
* Most birds can distinguish colours very well and you scare them off (or at least alert them) It's a good idea not to wear blue or red! Dress in mute greens and browns.
* Noise is an absolute no. Don't chat on the trails and try and wear fabrics that don't make much of a sound. A noisy camera shutter is inexcusable.
* Enjoy all your birds - there aren't any 'better' or 'more exotic' species and if the birds are where you are, stay and watch for you may not see any more that day!
* Carry a notebook in which to record your observations. Important details that you might wish to keep a record of would include the date, time and place, species observed, sex of the bird, unusual behaviour, if any, type of habitat (thick or sparse forest, hilly terrain, dense undergrowth).
* Carry a good bird book with you, which would help you identify the birds you see. The more enthusiastic might even want to go equipped with a micro-cassette recorder or video recorder.
* Either way don't miss out on capturing the joy of the sights and smells in your memory.

Happy Bird Watching :)
Reference : Santuary Asia