Chital - Favorite Prey Species

Chital or Spotted Deer is the most abundant deer species found in India. It is common to see herds of 30-50 these doe-eyed beauties with a few stags (identified by their majestic horns) in the forests here. During early mornings and late evenings, we have seen larger herds as well. Chitals are the prey of choice for Tigers, Leopards and Wild dogs (Dholes) and their population density is critical to the survival of these predators. Always on alert, Chitals are easily spooked, by even the slightest of movement around them. Many a times, it is their alarm calls, which indicate to us that a predator is around.

We just noticed that since the time we started this blog a year back, we have never done a post on this beautiful deer. The closest we came to a post is when a pack of Dholes, Wild Dogs, feasted on a Chital Stag. We have tried to put together a collection of images showcasing their typical behavior. Most images are using the D80 and 18-200mm lens, the closeup shots are using the D300 and 300mm with 2x TC.

Birding in India - Little Green Bee Eater

The Green Bee Eater, also called as the Little Green Bee Eater is a skillful predator known for its aerial sorties. This petite green colour bird is no bigger than a sparrow. It's green colour has shades of reddish brown on the head and neck, which is ornamented with a prominent black ‘necklace’. We were awe-struck by the the Bee Eater's hunting technique. It launches after its prey snapping it in a mid-air sortie and then circles back to its perch where the victim, normally a Bee, is thrashed against the perch to remove the sting and gobbled up.

Here's a collection of images of this tiny wonder. All images were shot with the D80 , 300mm mounted with the 2x TC.