Another superb couple of days at Kanha, with 2 sightings of Jungle Cat (I prefer the much more expressive Hindi of ‘Jungli Billi’) and 3 Tigers, a six second encounter with a pregnant tigress this morning and longer views of two large cubs last night. This really is the best time to be here for Tiger sightings despite or rather because of the heat.Old ‘Blaster ‘Forsyth 1838-1871) as I’m going to call him for obvious reasons, has this to say on the subject

the hot season, the height of which is in April or May is the most favourable time for hunting the tiger.

He goes on to add a eulogy to the whole thing that save a change in the verb any tiger photographer or tiger watcher would recognise:

there is a stirring of the blood in attacking an animal
before whom every other beast of the forest quails, and unarmed
man is helpless as the mouse under the paw of a cat
a creature at the same time matchless in beauty of form and
colour, and in terrible power of offensive armature which
draws men to its continued pursuit after that of every other
animal has ceased to afford sufficient excitement to undergo
the toil of hunting in a tropical country.

I’m still thinking about that and whether the wildlife photographer is a worse dressed Big Game Hunter!

Oh and this poor birdwatcher who will never earn his twitcher badge has made it to 90 species here. I’m most pleased with the Indian Roller photos that I’ve been after. It’s a very common bird but has beautiful wings that flash when it flies. I’ve found it hard to photograph in anything other than sitting pose, like this one here.

I prefer this one which is the same bird but displaying.