I first visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve this year in the last week of of June, and I had been planning to go here for quite a while now. The reserve came under Project Tiger in the year 1995. The main aim was not only to photograph tigers but also try to capture the other residents of the forest such as Gaur, wild boar etc. This park, which is located in the state of Maharashtra, is one of the best places in India to observe and photograph tigers.
Birding
Birding at Mangalajodi Wetlands
Mangalajodi is a great place for birding from the months of December to March mainly for migratory birds. I had visited this place during the month of February. It is less than two hours drive from Bhubaneshwar which is the capital city of Orissa. Mangalajodi is a village located at the Northern edge of Chilika Lake.
Wildlife Photography at Nandankanan Zoological Park
Nandankanan Zoological Park in my view is the best zoological park in India that I have visited so far. I had visited this place on 2 different days while in Bhubaneshwar and I feel it is a great place to capture great wildlife moments even though it is a zoological park. Even though it requires a lot of patience to capture that moment or being at the right place at the right time. This zoo houses a lot of mammals, but I was mainly focused on capturing Indian wildlife. I had used my Canon EOS R6 and Tamron EF 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 telephoto lens.
Sunday Safari at Mohand Range
I had been planning to visit Rajaji National Park for quite a few months and was wanting to do 2 or 3 safaris before the park closes. I came to know that there was a small group of wildlife enthusiasts organizing a safari at Mohand range that comes under Rajaji National Park. This is the nearest gate from Dehradun. I went on both the morning and evening jeep safaris. The morning was very well worth it as it was my first time to was able to capture it on camera as it walked across the road. The evening one was just okay even though we spotted some leopards but were not able to get a good photograph of them as they were shy in our presence.
Bird and Nature Photography at Sandwell Valley Country Park
Sandwell Valley Country Park is resident to a number of both water birds as well as woodland birds and small mammals. This park which is located in West Bromwich, England has a lot of birding activity and has a lot of open space from walking trails, open meadows, water bodies and areas of woodland. Here are some of my favourite captures over the past 8 years. I had used a number of different camera setups from starting with the Canon EOS 600D in 2014 to now using the Canon EOS R6.
Safari at Jim Corbett National Park in June
In June, I had visited Jim Corbett National Park. I had booked safaris for Bijrani, Jhirna, Garjia and Dhela zones as booking for these places were available a month in advance. I had stayed at Sparrow Nest Corbett Homestay for around 4 nights and done a total of 6 safaris. Everything was organized by Ramesh Suyal who is also the owner of the homestay. The trip from Dehradun to the homestay which is in Ramnagar took around 5 hours. I would recommend staying here for those who are planning to visit this national park as the meals are well cooked and feels like home.
A Few Days At Shuklaphanta National Park
To get to Shuklaphanta National Park, one has to take a short flight to the small town of Dhangadi which is located in the Western Nepal near the border of India. The park is located at a short distance from the airport. After arriving at Dhangadi, I took a cab to Shuklaphanta Jungle Cottage. This is a great place to stay right next to the main entrance of the park. Rooms are quite comfortable and food served here is well cooked and feels like home cooked food.
A Week at Chitwan National Park
After I had finished my Everest Base Camp Trek, I had decided on my next venture which was to visit Chitwan National Park. This was actually my third trip to this place and during this trip, I had spent a week here. The best way to get to Chitwan is a 3 to 4 hour drive to the village of Sauraha from Kathmandu. Here I had done a few jeep safaris plus some foot safaris as well. Foot safaris are more economical but there is always risk of wild animals and for this reason there are either one or two people while out on a foot safari.
Moorland Birds of Prey Workshop
I had attended a full day workshop organized by Danny Green last month in September which specialized in photographing various birds of prey such as Golden Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Barn Owl and Eagle Owl. The workshop took place in a moorland environment which is a perfect backdrop to photograph these birds of prey. The workshop was attended by 6 to 7 other photographers all with very expensive camera gear. Here are some of my images which I captured during the workshop.
Testing the animal eye AF on the Canon EOS R6
Since I purchased the Canon EOS R6, I had taken a few nature photos at Sandwell Park which just a walking distance from my home in West Bromwich. The main intention was to try out how accurate the animal eye auto-focus was and I was quite happy with the way the camera would focus on the eye of the animal or bird even when moving. Here are some samples of what I had captured over the past couple of days.