India part two.

Many trips have a star performer and sometimes its easy to forget the supporting cast, particularly if the star performer has had a bit of an artistic tantrum! It is now that the supporting cast should rise to the occasion but more often than not we ignore them as we become preoccupied with the absence of the Prima Donna.

The recent trip to India was excellent and the Prima Donna did put in a good shift. However, I am always amazed, particularly when I view other blogs from Indian trips at how few show the supporting cast, its as if they were ignored, or the attention was focussed too closely on the star.

Green Pigeon

Perhaps this is symptomatic with the way so many TV programmes and modern wildlife photographers view their subjects, its the star at all cost, no one is bothered about the bit players, they are so marginal to the trip that they simply don't bother with them. It somehow reminds me of the modern cult of celebrity, its surely unhealthy in our world, and should be just as much in the natural one as well.

Golden Jackal

Another tell of this modern trend is demonstrated by my facebook page. If I post a big hitter like tigers or even weasels I get views in their thousands. If however, I put up a series of fungi or moth images, or even birds like cranes the views go down to below 500. I do wonder just what this tells us about our current view of the natural world.

Samba deer

So saying all this, here's a selection of images from the recent trip to India which I hope demonstrates the superb and beautiful range of wildlife that shares the tigers forest world.     

Changeable hawk-eagle

Gaur

Indian long-billed vulture

Golden Jackal

Langur

Leopard

Lesser adjutant stork

Lesser golden-backed woodpecker

Nilgai

Oriental honey buzzard

Red-headed vulture

Red-vented bulbul

Samba deer

White-throated kingfisher

Wild boar