This one, again, is not a shot that a good wildlife photographer would choose. It’s a record of an event happening “behind the bushes” in quite a literal sense…the mating display of the Indian peacock.

But to me, it is a photograph that precisely demonstrates how capriciously Nature shares her delights with us when we are in the forest.

We were driving past in our jeep when the tourist in our jeep yelled at Bomma, the driver, to stop. Behind a bush, only half seen, was this wonderful dance performance going on. The target audience…a peahen…was around, too, but completely out of sight behind the bushes, with just some movement indicating her presence.

But half-seen flash or not…the beauty of the dance was unforgettable.

In just a few seconds, the feathers were folded, the birds were gone…as if they never existed. But for those few seconds…we were privileged and awestruck.