Mayureshwar Wildlife Sanctuary- August 2008

Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Pune was conducting a day long workshop on various environmental issues faced by the local communities over there, introducing them to the concept of sustainable development and helping in resoliving the man-wildlife conflict at the border villages around the Sanctuary..We arranged the workshop at a village school, very near to the Sanctuary limits and just near this Water Tank..

As usual students arranged the whole event, girls working the most..I am more or less useless when it comes to these things, hence spent time and puting myself to some use..yes, PHOTOGRAPHY!

I had taken the following gear-
1. Pentax K10D.
2. Pentax FA50/1.4- For low light and portrait photography..
3. 18-55/3.5-5.6- kit lens which came along with the K10D..
4. Super Macro Takumar 50/4- For macro stuff. No I hadn't bought it, just 'testing' it on field..
5. Pentax SMC 300/4- For birds/mamals..
6. Vivitar 2X TC
7. Juhi's Tripod (Yuntgen or something)- I didn't even opened it..
I had stuffed the gear along with clothes etc in my main bagpack (owned by Darshan)..I still don't have a dedicated bag for photgraphy equipment..

Forest officer Mr. Nale was a very dynamic person. He encouraged me a lot and told us of his many wild experiences..It was sad that other students were least interested..Here was a man of much higher calibre telling us something which is so rare these days- first hand experiences- and they wre busy playing Antakshari..

Next day at dawn Nale Sir took me in his car and we went for a quick trail..Mayureshwar Wildlife SAnctuary is well known for its Chinkara population..These Antelopes are well dispersed in the Sanctuary and off it too..Nale Sir knew of a loner male who, after being dismissed from his herd by a younger and stronger male, liked to stay around a particular intersection of roads..I was able to get a decent image of him, even though I nearly missed the shot thanks to the cumbersome manual focus of the 300/4..We saw few herds, I saw a jackel running away from us..The Chinkaras weren't bothered much by cars than they were by pedestrians

 During off times, I used to hook on the Macro lens..There were always some or the other bug around..

Overall, it was a great learning experience.. learnt lot of lessons..

Tortoise beetle