Sarus Cranes Tigers and Crocodiles are among my favourite Wildlife Subjects to photograph.

Alert Cranes

Each time I spot Sarus Cranes, I can't help but admire them, not just for the fact that they are amongst the world's largest flying birds, but also because they are majestic, graceful, and closely knit. Sarus Crane pairs are perfectly coordinated and in sync. They fly together, feed together and rear offspring together. Sarus Cranes are metaphors of integrity, trust and respect for one another.

A Symphony of Cranes

I was able to spot this particular pair of cranes at the Chandu Budhera wetland yesterday and of the two pairs of cranes usually spotted, this one is without an offspring. I guess this pair cranes is yet to give birth to its offspring and I have been observing this pair for quite some time now, perhaps more than a a year. Sarus cranes are territorial in nature and they generally do not trespass into another's territory, though they do communicate with other pairs in that rather loud trumpetlike sound, which is also an alarm call that can be heard from a long distance. The best places to photograph Sarus Cranes in Gurgaon include, The Sultanpur National Park and the Chandu Budhera wetland area.

After, perhaps Sarus Cranes, it is Tigers that are among the most sought after wildlife subjects to photograph. Unfortunately, tigers are less easily spotted and you need to travel quite a distance, specifically a National Park. Some of the closest National Parks to Delhi NCR include Jim Corbett Park, Sariska National Park and the Ranthambore National Park. You are more likely to spot a Tiger at the Ranthambore National Park than the Jim Corbett National Park, or even the Sariska National Park. Out of the three visits to the Jim Corbett National Park, I was able a tiger on the third visit, that too besides the road in a depression while returning from Ramnagar to the Corbett Treat resort. That sighting, was however too brief and we were not able to photograph the tiger! A number of safaris in the Jim Corbett National Park did not reveal any tiger.

In the footsteps of his mother

In the above photograph you have Shubh, T2505 crossing from the ruins of a building towards the mainland. If you look closely, you can also spot a crocodile in the water moving towards the ruins. It was surprising how quickly the tiger covered the distance. Shubh was spotted in the morning of the 7th of June, 2026. Shubh is a four year old tiger, an offspring of Ridhi the Tigress and he is turning out to be a handsome young tiger.

Startled Birds

Even as Shubh advanced, there was a thrashing commotion as the birds attempted to get out of his way. Shubh, however, seemed unperturbed as he proceeded towards mainland.

Got You!

The Ranthambore National Park, however is more likely to present a better opportunity for spotting a tiger. This is because of, not only a higher number of tigers present in the park, but also the terrain, the rocky outcrop and the sparse forest growth. Out of four visits to the Ranthambore National Park we were rewarded by sightings on three occasions. The prime zones for spotting tigers are zones one to five. The buffer zones are more likely to be a disappointment!

Don't be Fooled, Those are not Logs!

The Ranthambore National Park also has a large number of Crocodiles. They come in various sizes. One can either find them chilling out with their huge jaws gaping open, (to ventilate their blood) or floating slyly with only their heads out of the water, (an imitation of floating logs for the unsuspecting victim).