hunt

Red necked falcon (Falco chicquera) is a relatively small but a powerful bird of prey in the falcon family. This bird quite stands out with its chestnut, red coloured crown and nape. The moustachial stripe and the bright yellow ring around its eye are very distinct too. There are known to be two disconnected populations of Red necked falcons, one in India and the other in Africa. The Indian subspecies (Falco chicquera chicquera) is found across the plains of the Indian Subcontinent....

Nights in a rainforest are far from being a silent affair. The whole forest seems to come alive as the darkness sets in. While the day time performers of a musical symphony are the cicadas, the nights belong to the crickets. And if it is monsoon season, the multitude of frogs chime in with their vocal contributions. The rhythmic music of crickets accompanied by the high pitched tones of the frogs, the spooky calls of a nightjar or an owl, the gurgling sounds of the many streams breaking through their rocky paths, the soft, chill breeze blowing through the leaves and branches of tall trees, among many others, are what characterise a rainforest night....

Spiders (Order: Araneae, Class: Arachnida) are probably one of the more evolved group of arthropods. They have developed a highly diverse set of skills and strategies for hunting. Some stalk and run down their prey, while some wait in place for their prey to wander by, using stealth and camouflage. Many others use silk and sticky webs in very innovative ways to trap their meal. A few of the highly specialised spiders belonging to the genus Portia are known to display intelligence in their ability to choose different tactics for hunting and also in developing new ones....

There is a general expression which says, “Kabini never disappoints". Don’t know how many will agree with that, though :-) May be true to a certain extent, if one goes there with, not just the two biggies, a Tiger or a Leopard, in mind ;-) Kabini, definitely has a lot of surprises in store for a nature lover. Our afternoon safari had begun and we entered the forests of Kabini. A few minutes into it, we started hearing strong alarm calls....

In nature, the predator-prey dynamics is always wonderful to witness, be it a tiger bringing down a sambar or a gaur, a pack of wild dogs chasing down their prey, on a smaller scale, a jumping spider stealthily stalking its prey, or a snake, snapping up its prey with its lightning fast strike. All these are true adrenaline pumping moments. Moments which get etched in the viewer’s mind and stay on for a long time to come....