Other animals of the Indian jungle with the Canon EF 200-400 F4 is lens

King of the Indian jungles “Tiger” eluded me. We had a few narrow misses. Saw plenty of sign, heard alarm calls but no no sighting. However one morning we had a fleeting sighting of the even more elusive Leopard. Driving along a jungle track we heard alarm calls and in the distance we saw a male leopard walking along the same track with his back to us. This is where the built in 1.4x converter came into play. But photographing a big cats tail end is not much fun. I was hoping he would turn sideways or look backwards.  A group of Chital [spotted deer] crossed the track ahead of him and grabbed his attention. Immediately he turned right and in a few steps vanished into the thick undergrowth by the side of the track. He was evidently in hunting mode as we could tell from his empty belly so as soon as he saw the deer he slunk into dense cover to stalk them. With everyone in the vehicle clamouring to get shots it was hard to see him. I managed a couple of shots as he vanished into the undergrowth.

Lack of sighting of the big cats does not bother me too much. If you keep your eyes peeled there are so many photo opportunities in the jungle. You just have to realise and seize the opportunity. It is a bit hard if you are sharing the vehicle with other people who are just not interested in the lesser fauna of the Jungle.  The leopard was sighted in Kabini. Freshwater crocodiles are found by the water and monkeys are everywhere. Birds abound in the trees.  You are never short of subjects to photograph in the Indian jungle.