Male 'blue bull' in forest. They are very strange looking animals.
07:55 T-24 starts to step out of his bath. Should I have removed the Indian Pond Heron?
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Here's one of the famous documentary star Machli, aka 'The Lady of the Lake' and the 'Crocodile Killer is the most photographed wild tiger in the world. At 16 years old, she's Ranthambore's oldest tiger, but with just half a canine left, she may not survive much longer in the wild.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
One of a group feeding on pondweed. Love the ears!
Rajbagh Lake, Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
3/3 Thankfully, she decided that an old, bespectacled, overweight Welshman wasn't to her taste. So she's off down the shop for some spotted deer or wild boar - a far tastier supper!
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
T24, mature male, leaves his early morning bath. Peahens in the background, plus an Indian Pond Heron taking flight above the tiger's tail. Open jeep/gypsy - ca. 30m, 300mm lens.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Mature male, T24, walking towards me.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
T24 takes an early morning stroll after his bath.
Open jeep/gypsy - 15m, 300mm lens.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
2/3 Just look into my eyes - hypnotic!
One of Machli's daughters - Sundari (T-17), looking directly at me through my lens.
News - she was spotted with 3 new cubs on Friday morning, 29th June, 2012.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Tiger, a male named T24, walking towards me. He's still wet after enjoying his early morning bath.
Open jeep/gypsy - 30m, 300mm lens.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
4/5 Machli walking past. Machli, aka 'The Lady of the Lake' and the 'Crocodile Killer is the most photographed wild tiger in the world and star of a number of documentaries. At 16 years old, she's Ranthambore's oldest tiger, but with just half a canine left, she may not survive much longer in the wild.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
2/5 Much to my delight, she then started walking down the hillside towards me.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
I started watching T-24 taking his morning bath at 07:30, but the view was obstructed by tree branches, so the shots weren't very good. With the help of my guide, Mahaveer, I managed get a better view by balancing on top the Gypsy/jeep roll bar and propping myself a against a tree trunk. At 07:53 I managed to get my first decent shot of the magnificent T-24, looking up at me from his morning bath. An Indian Pond Heron looks on.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
3/5 Machli crossing a rock outcrop as she continued to decend the hill.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
07:53 T-24 looks at me from his morning bath. He has a Little Cormorant and Indian Pond Heron for company.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Male seen in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
1/5 Earlier, I had seen Machli keeping cool in the shade of a small cave. Later. she walked through trees and undergrowth to the top of a ridge. Then she decided to come out of the bushes.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
07:54 T-24 decides he's had enough bath-time, so he wades slowly towards the edge.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Its was rather disconcerting to see one of Machli's daughters - T17, looking directly at me through my camera viewfinder! Ranthambore National Park.
AKA chital or cheetal, India's commonest deer. Group drinking from a small pool that was the last left of a lake awaiting a monsoon refill. Also in the picture: Red-wattled Lapwing and Indian Peafowl.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
07:55 A very soggy moggy, T-24, about to step out of his bath. A couple of Indian Pond Heron act as bath attendants.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
A male and two females beside a small stream.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
AKA Great Stone-curlew, at the edge of a lake in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India.
Marsh Sandpipers have been one of my favourite waders since first seeing one at Salinas de Levantes saltpans in Majorca, sometime in the late 1970's. I've usually viewed at some distance, but was lucky to get closer to this one feeding in a small pool near Village Khilchipur, Ranthambhore, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India.
Male of a pair feeding in the dry scrub-grassland outside The Pugmark Resort, Village Khilchipur, Ranthambhore, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India.
