The Cherry Picker

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) from Masinagudi, Nilgiris.

Two of these were feeding on the berries of a bush colloquially known as "cherry" (the appearance and taste do bear a resemblance to the actual cherry). The squirrels were unperturbed by my approach and stayed there for over 30 minutes, allowing me to make satisfactory compositions with the 100mm. Shooting through the vegetation, while challenging, allowed me to try my hand at some unusual compositions. This image (and the few more to follow) may appeal to some but may seem too cluttered to others.
I am more accustomed to chasing the giant squirrels in Matheran (R. i. elphinstonei), which are incredibly shy, so this sighting was almost dream-like!

Canon 500D, Canon 100mm Macro USM
SS 1/80
Av 5.6
ISO 200
EC -0.3
Moderate crop


Thanks, C&C welcome.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Nice composition and eye contact. The colour contrast looks beautiful.
The green berry in its mouth, to my mind, is symbolic. I have observed the five-striped palm squirrels in my small garden accord preference, while eating, to matured (but not fully ripe and juicy) guavas, mangoes, pumpkins.......May be the habit of keeping the face clean!
Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice you could photograph it from so close. The eye is sharp. Good details. Look forward to more unusual compositions . Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Did you shoot this in the evening? Good that you got the shot of it feeding rather than just resting on a branch. I am told that in Mudumalai there was one hand reared and released individual which comes close to people. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Sabyasachi- This was shot late in the morning. I have pulled back the harsh highlights on the leaves that were there in the original image. The light was not ideal, and few of the images from this encounter turned out to be good. A reminder that there is a lot to be learned!