Indian Courser - alert and watchful

[Subhash Shrivastava]

Nikon P510, 1/500, F5.9, 180 mm, ISO-110, hand held
Shot in in Manahalli grasslands, Bidar.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

How big is that grassland in Bidar? Good to know that you can find the Indian Courser and blackbucks there.

[Subhash Shrivastava]

Fragmented grasslands still survive at the fringe of forests usually towards the slopes of low hills, (most of the forests in Bidar distt are the planted forests where earlier grasslands were). I am visiting couple of forests / grasslands in Bidar distt. This grassland in Manahalli is on average 2 KM in width and 6 to 7 kms in length. I am able to see 1 or 2 black bucks in this grassland from a distance but no herd. I have not posted any photos of blackbucks from this grassland. For the first time I saw Indian Coursers there and plenty of them. A decade ago, Manahalli had huge blackbuck population and may be GIBs also

The grassland abutting the Airforce academy wall is also about the same size but it is ringed by houses, factories etc. Here the blackbucks from nearby forests (again palnted) have taken refuge and are in very good numbers, may be 100 to 200.

Also there are patches of forests (mostly planted) in and around Khanapur where the JLR’s blackbuck resort is situated. There is a small herd of Blackbuck in that forest that I always bump into while trekking, (my first photo of blackbuck was from there). Looks like this is more diverse in the sense I have seen jackals, fox, mongoose, Francolins, and once a big bird with Bustard like appearance, peacocks are numerous. JLR people informed that there is a pack of wolves also, though I did not have the luck to see them yet.

Since last year, Bidar has become my favorite sojourn place, more than NSTR. There are bigger forests and grasslands on the AP side of border but almost completely devoid of any wildlife. I can go on and on about what I have seen in AP what they are doing to forests & wildlife.

[Rajan Kanagasabai]

Good to know the existence of the coursers in abundance. A sign of good things to come.

The picture is a bit soft, maybe a round of sharpening or a higher SS would have helped. The composition, especially with space to the right is nice and the eye contact adds to the frame.

Thanks for sharing

Rajan

[Subhash Shrivastava]

Thanks for the feedback, Rajan. Just returned from a day long trip to Bidar distt. There were no coursers today, that day they were kind of carpeting a part of grassland. Also, very sad to discover a very noisy mining operation in the Manahalli grassland, looks like they are mining the red earth. Also, found today that Forest department demarcation pillars are leaving out the grasslands, not able to understand why our FDs think grasslands are not part of forests.
Today for the first time I saw multiple blackbuck herds in Manahalli grasslands. Good till it lasts.