Category: Birds 'n Animals
I had been hearing about Maidanahalli for a while now and was dying to go there. So, I grabbed my first chance, even though I was all alone and had to drive up and down all by myself!
Maidanahalli is about 140kms from Bangalore via Nelamangala -> Dobbaaspet -> Koratgere -> Madhugiri and Puravara village. The place is famous for its Blackbuck sanctuary, which is one of its kind in India.
Blackbucks (Antilope Cervicapra) are beautiful animals and is an endangered species. I was not very lucky and did not spot many of them. They are very shy animals and will run away at the first sign of trouble! So, even with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens, I could not get very close. The above picture is taken in Av mode, f/6.3, ISO-400 and 1/2000s exposure.
With time, I managed to get a little more closer :) This particular is also at Av mode, ISO-400, f/6.3 and 1/2000s.
This is indeed the closest I got. I was almost at the same height as the Blackbuck and it gave me this hazy frame, due to all the dry vegetation between myself and the stag. The settings are same as the previous two shots but the camera returned 1/1600s this time.
One main reason why I didnt spot many Blackbucks is the high human presence as well as the herds of sheep and cattle inside the sanctuary. It seems that there is no restriction of any kind to cattle grazing and no wonder I saw more human beings inside the sanctuary than the Blackbucks. From what I heard, this place had hundreds of Blackbucks and they are still somewhere around ... hiding. If the encroachment continues at the current rate, these animals may just become history!
