Total Lunar Eclipse 10-12-2011

Tonight's Total Lunar eclipse: This was one of longest lunar eclipse which started early in evening at 6.38 PM and lasted till 9.48 Pm . I wanted to capture the whole event from start to end but due to a call in evening missed the initial parts. Though sky was clear for most part , during total eclipse phase clouds disturbed for some time. This was what I could get!

I have taken these photos with ISO 100-400 and slow shutter speeds. In these settings with slow shutter speed even shutter release button can cause camera shake and to avoid these I used wireless remote for shutter release. Another problem I encountered was after moon goes up higher in sky it is difficult to focus camera mounted on tripod . I resorted to hand held shooting with fast shutter speed and this turns images almost like black and white as seen in last two pictures. I learnt many useful things here and would like to improve upon in future photos .

Santebenuur Honda ( Puskarini)

Sante-Bennur, a small town situated in Channagiri Taluk in Davangere District, is a place of historical importance. It was called Sante-Bennur on account of the large weekly fair (sante) held there, and to distinguish it from Male Bennur, Rani Bennur and others of the name. It was founded, probably in the 16th Century, by a chief of the Basavapatna family, on the spot where a hare had been observed to turn upon the hounds, which indicated heroic soil.The settlement of traders and merchants was encouraged, and a large market sprung up.Hanumappa Nayak, one of the chiefs, erected a palace at Sante-Bennur and had skilfully constructed Pushkarni (reservoir) made in front of the ancient temple of Ranganatha, faced round with flights of steps and with ornamental pavilions at the angles and in the center.
The Pushkarni is the biggest in Karnataka and is renowned for its architectural beauty. With a length and breadth of 300 feet, it is 80 feet deep. In all eight directions there are small mantaps (Towers) of which only six are in their original shape. In the middle of this magnificent reservoir, there is a bigger tower called Vasantha Mantapa which is about 50 feet in height.It is said that Hanumappa Nayaka, built this Pushkarni and the temple of Lord Ranganatha along side it in the year 1658 AD. Ranadullah Khan, a sergeant of the Bijapur Sultan defeated Hanumappa Nayaka in a battle, destroyed the temple and constructed a mosque of large dimensions there. Hanumappa Nayaka who had been forced to retire to Tarikere and Kaldurga, was greatly incensed at this, and watching his opportunity planned a night attack, in which he put to death the Muhammadan governor, and desecrated the mosque and rebuilt the temple that existed there.
After his death, the town came under the rule of Tarikere and Chitradurga Palegars. The Bidnur Kings later rebuilt the fort around the town and restored the Pushkarni and the adjacent Temple to its original grandeur.It later fell into the hands of Haidar Ali.The mosque, never used since its desecration, and the Pushkarni, with its ruinous but graceful pavilions are the only points of interest now left.
( This information and text from wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santhebennur )
Santebennur is in Davanagere district and about 45kms from Davanagere on Channagiri-Davanagere road.From Shimoga it is about 65 Kms. Shimoga to Channagiri 43 Kms and 20kms off NH towards Davanagere.

Kabini Photo Tour

Last week end I had ben to a photo tour at Kabini River Lodge ,Kabini about 80kms from mysore. Jungle lodges and resorts has its flagship resort which is the oldest property of JLR and famous for its wild life reserve .Kabini wild life reserve is now a part of Rajiv Gandhi National Park spreading over 650 sq.Kms covering parts of Mysore and Kodagu districts of karnataka. The famous nagara Hole national park is now a part of Rajiv Gandhi National Park. I joined the tour as a participant of Photo tour organized by Toe Hold Photography tours and Travel company. They conduct exclusive tours for those with photography interests and support with experienced and renowned photographers in the field. We were 15 in number from Karnataka, Andhra ,Kerala , delhi  and Haryana with 3 group leaders from ToeHold ,Giri Cavale,Philip Ross and Sachin Rai as mentors. The program me included 4 safaris ( 3 jeep and one boat). For most of us it was a unique experience with tips on wildlife photography by masters in the field and they did their best to teach us same. We had reasonably good sighting of wild life like Wid Dogs,Sambar Deer,Tuskers in parade , Leopard , Mangoose, Spotted Deer, birds like Changeable Hawk eagle,Crested serpent eagle, Osprey, Brown Fish Owl, Painted stork, darter, peacocks etc. The big cat Tiger eluded us but for me sighting the Leopard in wild for the first time was thrilling experience.

     Kabini ,once a hunting ground for the Royal family of Mysore and later for the British rulers was turned into a wildlife reserve in 1955 and as a national park in 1988.This forest is adjacent to Bandipur Tiger reserve forest and separated from it by the backwaters of Kabini river. Madhumalai forest, Wayanad forest are adjacent reserve forests and together they form part of Nilgiris bio diverse sphere of South India. The forest is rich in flora and fauna and variety of animals like Tiger,Leopard, Wild Dog, Elephants, Deers, Indian Gaur, Barking Deer, Mangoose, Crocodiles and birds are seen in this area. It is the largest habitat for Asian Elephants . About 65 tigers are estimated to be in this forest and though not counted an approximate 120 leopards are habitats in this forest. Once widely known for the mass elephant-trapping operations called 'Khedda', Kabini stands as the one of the brightest beacons for wildlife preservation in India today.More Than 100 varieties of bird are seen here
 Kabini is around 90 minutes drive from Mysore and the best place to stay is Jungle Lodges and Resorts.



 
A tusker on the bank of Kabini back waters

A Leopard in Kabini.

An Indian WildDog

Changeable Hawk Eagle

Spotted Deer

A sambhar Deer and a spotted Deer

For few more pictures of Kabini click on the picture below

Kabini

Gudavi Bird Sanctuary

White Ibis at Gudavi Bird Sanctary

Gudavi ,a small village about 14 kms from Soraba Town and 90kms from Shimoga City is a nondescript village like any other place but for the regular visitors to a small lake and adjoining trees surrounding the lake in the months of June till November every year. These winged visitors which number anywhere between 10-15000 start visiting the 70 hectares area in this village which is considered as an important bird sanctuary in Karnataka. Though the  number of bird species which visit here is small the big population of these birds make this sanctuary special.It might not be in comarision s with Ranganathittu but still considered as one of the best 5 bird sanctuaries of Karnataka. Gudavi is located 14 kms from Soraba Sorab can be reached from Shimoga by Shimoga--Shikaripur -Sorab route or via Shimoga--Sagar--Sorab route. If we take Sorab Banavasi Road and drive 10 kms and then 4kms  off the state highway we reach the forest department gate of Gudavi sanctuary.( Latitude 14º 26' N,Longitude 75º 46'E, Alt 551m). The place as such is beautiful with plenty of greenery surrounding, trees and a nice walking track for bird watching. There are about 5 bird watching towers and a platform into the lake. Entire area of the sanctuary is about 75 hectares .The birds start visiting by June end and start building their nests and August ,September is breeding season and by November end fly away with young ones. Though officially more than100 species of birds have been recorded here the large majority is by White Ibis which number upwards of 10,000. Egrets are next with thousands of them visiting every year. You can also spot with ease pond herons, grey herons ,snake birds, kingfishers, . Though this year many open billed storks have arrived I was not lucky to spot them . Asian spoon bills are also regular visitors here though this year they haven't arrived yet.
There are not many facilities except for a small canteen . But it is much better now with many benches, watch towers, toilet,walking track etc. and better road connectivity.Best time to visit is between September till early November. Sanctuary is open from 6AM to 6PM but ideal time is between 4PM to 6PM as birds return to their nests by this time.

Egret in flight

Grey heron

A part of walking track and bridge

Masai Mara Reserve

Last week I was on a tour of Kenya in Masai mara national reserve ,a wonderful place for wild life safari in the world. I had prepared for this tour in April and got preliminary work like yellow fever vaccination ,visa etc. But due to some problem in the home front I had to cancel it later. But as things turned out I again changed mind and just 5 days prior to departure decided to go with the tour. I visited only Masai Mara reserve in kenya,though there are many other game reserves in kenya worth visiting like Lake Nakuru ,Ambresoli reserve etc. Masai Mara is situated about 220 kms south west of Kenyan capital Nairobi . Located just one degree south of equator at an altitude of just over 5000ft Masai mara offers a pleasant climate ,with cool breeze, warm sun and occasional showers all in a day!
Masai Mara derives its name from Masai tribe who are original tribal inhabitants of the region and the Mara river which flows through it dividing the reserve between Kenya and Tanzania. Though historically and geographically it is the same reserve now the southern part is in Tanzania (Serengeti National park ) and the kenyan part is Masai Mara. This is the savanna you will see in all National geography channel or animal planet ,Discovery etc.and is popular for the thick wild population it has . The great migration of animals from Tanzania to Kenya from july /August  is migration into Masai Mara from serengeti .
Masai Mara is home to thousands and thousands of animals and during the period of great migration the numbers just change to millions . It is house for "Africa's Big Five"namely elephants, wild buffalos, Rhinos,Leopard and Lions along with count less wild beasts, Antelopes, Bucks, Gazelles, Impalas, Giraffes,Zebras, baboons, hyena,jackals etc. The birds in masai mara are more than 450 species with large variety of predators like eagles, harrier, Vutures etc. Ostrich, Lilac Breasted Rollers, etc are seen in plenty .

The biggest surprise in masai mara is the unique relation animals and man have ! Nowhere else in the world probably we get to see the wild life in such numbers and the close distance at which they can be observed and yet they remain  harmless to human visitors is a wonder which cannot be put in words but has to be seen to believe! The very thought of a cheetah walking gracefully just a couple of feet from us and yet aloof of our presence , the mighty Lion sitting just a foot from safari jeep is something probably unique to african safari!

ALion family with their catch!

It's a day out for a herd of african elephants!

Whoever comes in safari van is not his concern when he is taking rest ! A cheetah resting unmindful of his visitors in safari jeeps!

Giraffes in Masai mara

 Gazelles and Antelopes fill the landscape !

A male ostrich

For a full album of masai Mara please click here
Also you can click on the picture below to view the webalbum

Masai mara pics

Lightning

Lightning is an interesting event which happens during rains of pre monsoon showers or by the end of monsoon. It is difficult to capture the event on camera as it is very short and fast event ( Lightning event! to be precise). Though I have tried to capture them many times it doesnt happen because it should be dark , there should be no rains. we need a safe shelter from where we can take picture with visibility of good area of open sky free from any distarcting elements and above all camera and lens need protection from water ,dust and wind.With some camera settings it is not difficult though! Here are some points:
1. Camera to be set in manual mode and aperure of 6-9 and shutter speed kept at bulb so that we can really wait for lightning and release shutter after the event.
2. ISO can be kept at 200 -400 or otherwise picture becomes bright with long exposure.
3. It is better to shoot in RAW and further adjustment can be done post exposure
4.Tripod is a must and if we have a wireless remote release it is much better .
5. Keep the lens in manual focus and set focus for infinity.
6. last but not the least wait patiently and keep on taking pics .
Ihave taken these pictures from t the terrace of my house  or if there is rain try from the balcony sit out place. So far I didnt get an oppurtunity to go outdoors in field or open space but  it can make wonderful pictures outdoors. The settings I use or as explained above and used white balance of fluorescent as it will make sky dark blue.The focal length was kept minimum so that larger area of sky can be covered and can catch any event in the exposed area.I usually  focus the camera in the direction of maximal lightning. It usually happens in some definite and particular area repeatedly.I just release the shutter using remote release and wait for lightning.If there is one I release the shutter release after the event and if there is none after 20-30 seconds. I set the long exposure noise reduction on from the camera menu. This will take sometime to process after shooting is over and in between if there is one lightning we are sure to miss it. But I feel it necessary as it will decrease grains.
To shoot one event if are lucky 8-10 exposures may be needed or it can be easily hundred takes for one successful capture. It definitely depends on the frequency of lightning. Big streaks or long vertical streaks really require lot of luck and tons of patience . When I get one surely will post here.

 The light streak seen near the roof is LCD screen light from my son's camera ,as it was a long exposure shot it has captured light trail when he moved camera in that direction.