Black Buck @ Bandipur

[Rajan Kanagasabai]

I could not believe my eyes when i saw a small Brace of Blackbucks near the Moyar Check dam to the East of Masinagudi town (Brace, according to wiki is the collective noun for bucks)

There were two females and a lone male part of this brace and will post the pictures of the others later. My friend who lives in Masinagudi has been telling me that he used to see them often a few years ago near the Mavanalaha region (where he lives), but then could not find them since then. Looks like they are back and my guess is they have moved in from Thengumarada.

Canon 5D MII, 100-400 EFL II IS, F4, 1/3200. ISO 800, Hand Held on a trek

regards
Rajan

[Roopak Gangadharan]

Nice close up. I had seen a brace (thanks for the term...) of 5 females and a male near singara 2 years back. Also heard that they were seen in this area for sometime after that.

TFS
Roopak

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Nice image. Charming eyes.

M.Krishnan in his Ecological Survey (1959-70) on larger Mammals in Peninsular India conducted under Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship has recorded as under:

"Blackbuck do not inhabit dense forests or hilly country. An isolated population existed, or still survives in small numbers, immediately outside the Masinagudi area of Mudumalai Sanctuary, on north-eastern slopes of the Nilgiris where they flatten out into plain country."

Great news. Blackbuck are still there after four decades, survived the onslaught on them by men.
Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Debasis Bose]

Lovely image and great news to learn isolated population of black buck still survives there

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice sighting. Liked the low angle. If this is not a crop, I would have liked just a bit more space at the top. Good to know this species have continued to survive there in-spite of the many adverse conditions. Look forward to more. Thanks for sharing.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Nice one. Looks like the blackbuck has been selectively sharpened. Do you have a wider version? Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Rajan Kanagasabai]

Sadly No. We were on a trek and the guide spotted these and we hid in a ditch. It was downwind and these guys came quite close for a full frame picture. No selective sharpening was done either.

regards
Rajan

[Sabyasachi Patra]

So why is there a halo all around the blackbuck?

[Rajan Kanagasabai]

No idea Sabyasachi, in fact, just lightroomed it for the watermark and to pull up the shadows . . .