I got my eyes on you!

[Sagar Singh]

Made this image in Bandipur, Karnataka. This gorgeous bird gave me a stare for a split second and went back to its hunting mode, scanning for prey around.
Tiger Reserves are much more than what most people think...I just did one safari at Pench, MP (my first) and realized that biased by the instructions of the forest guards, I just kept looking for a tiger sighting through out the safari neglecting so many other beautiful animals and birds.
So this time at Bandipur (My life's second safari), i instructed the driver of the Jeep that lets not start a mad search for a tiger. If it had to appear, it would. Then the magic started. We witnessed so many birds and animals in their habitat, watching them while they caress themselves, feed, sleep, stare at you..It was a wonderful experience.

This is my first post in the group. Critics welcome!
Exif (sharing just fyi because wildlife conservation is much more imp than exif in my opinion:)) -
Crested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela)
June 2016 Bandipur
Canon 5D Mark III Sigma 150-600 f5.6/6.3 L

[Mrudul Godbole]

Welcome to IndiaWilds..!!

Lovely first post. I agree, people mostly want to sight tigers/leopards and forget to observe the other wildlife. Its very interesting to watch these raptors catch the prey or feeding on it. Nice head turn and eye contact. Thanks for sharing.

[Sandipan Ghosh]

Majestic Predator.......fantastic shot

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Expression nicely captured. Thanks for sharing. SaktiWild

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Majestic bird. Supposed to be as protected as a tiger, as they are in the same schedule in the Wildlife Protection Act. The crested serpent eagles have an important role to play in the ecosystem.

The exif details of images are asked so that others can visualise the situation. When we critically examine the images, we improve. If the quality of images improve then there is some hope that the common man and woman may fall in love and think of saving these magnificent species.

The image looks a bit soft. Without knowing the shutter speed and aperture it would be difficult for people to comment on that aspect.

Slight head turn would have been great. When the bird directly looks down the barrel of the lens, it looks great. So turning the head slightly to our left or the photographer moving slightly to his right would have done the trick.

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi