Visit to Nagarhole

Visiting a jungle is a very revealing experience. Having grown up in places surrounded by the thick Dandeli forests of North Karnataka, where I & my friends used to frequently gather some wild fruits, it was more of home coming when we visited the Nagarhole forests near HD Kote Taluk of Mysore district. Its a joy to see animals in their natural habitat. Having seen animals in their natural habitat, I really do not feel like visiting a zoo or a National Park. It was a first time for my son, but surprisingly, not only was he very well behaved, but also enjoyed the jungle safaris. Visit to a jungle like this is incomplete without sighting a major predator like Tiger or its lesser cousin, Leopard. Unfortunately, although we spent 2 full days in the jungle & had almost 4 safaris, we were not able to sight the predator. Quite a lot of other people were lucky enough to spot the Tiger, Leopard, and Dhole (wild dog). However, we were able to spot the Leopard pugmarks as a consolation, if it may be called such. Albeit I was not able to use my DSLR for the lack of a good zoom lens, I was able to take some good shots with a point & shoot, though. Here are some of them.

The first inhabitant we were able to spot was a beautiful peacock, the National bird. We felt it was a good omen, & that we may be lucky enough to spot some good predator.

Langur

Playful Langurs

Herd of cheetal

 

Herd of Asian elephant

 
This is the Giant Malabar Squirrel...something which can be spotted quite easily for the loud call it gives.
 

We spotted some of the preys all through our stay. Leopards prey upon monkeys, stray dogs, fowls, etc., unlike their bigger cousin Tiger, who preys upon gaurs, sambar, & cheetal.

Gaur (Indian Bison)

 Cheetal

 Sambar

 Herd of gaurs

 

While we may not have sighted a predator, but we did spot the pugmarks of a leopard which had just passed by early in the morning.

We also spotted a host of birds, names of which I am not very conversant with. However, I must admit 1 thing, that for good shots in the wild, a zoom lens is a must. I missed it very badly. Perhaps, with a zoom lens, I could've shot better. Nevertheless, the capabilities of a point and shoot should never be undermined. For, while in the wild, the point and shoot must be kept handy all the time.  

We also met an amphibian predator...The crocodile...