A Date With The Flamingos

Our trip to the Rann Of Kutch in December 2011 was really nice except for one thing, I didn't any opportunity to photograph the Greater Flamingos. Since then, I was always thinking of visiting the Anamalaichery Bird Sanctuary which is the closest place from Bangalore to watch these beautiful birds. Finally, last week, a random discussion yielded a weekend plan to visit Chennai to explore the bird sanctuary and also visit a friend who's recently moved to the city. We also had the Guindy National Park on our list of places to visit, but the sultry weather made us decide otherwise.

Anamalaichery is actually a small village at the shore of a big lagoon also known as the Pulicat Lake which is about 60kms from the main city. It's not really a very well organized tourist spot but more like a local fishing joint and you can hire the local fisherman boats for a 2-3 hour ride through the shallow waters. The water body itself is quite huge and extends in to Andhra Pradesh upto Sriharikota which is a well-known satellite launch site.

The lake is an ideal habitat for a lot of waders and you can easily spot a variety of Egrets, Herons, Sandpipers, Terns, Pelicans, Storks, Kingfishers and of course, the Flamingos. Though October is a little early for the migratory birds to arrive in large numbers, we did get to see most of the expected species. The Greater Flamingos were mostly Juvenile and/or sub-adults which may be a good sign showing that there is indeed some breeding that happened last season.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4L IS and Canon Extender 1.4x
Shot at 840mm, 1/1250s, F5.6 and ISO 250


The boats, though convenient are a bit noisy and it would have been good to have some quieter engines in them. Also, the other thing to know is that since the water level is hardly about knee deep in most places, the boats can't make it through to all the places. Hence, you may see a lot of birds at a particular spot, but getting there isn't going to be always possible. Walking in the water is an option if you don't mind getting your clothes dirty, but it's a bit tricky with the clay like soil sinking you knee deep at places. You may also be at risk of being bitten by the crabs that are found in plenty here, so it's better to be careful.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4L IS and Canon Extender 1.4x
Shot at 840mm, 1/2000s, F5.6 and ISO 250


The boats are quite wide and you could sit down on the floor to get some nice eye level shots of the birds if you do manage to get close enough. Since it's not a very touristy place, the boatmen aren't really well-versed with Hindi or English and communication is a big barrier unless you have someone who knows Tamil. We had to use a lot of gestures to get our guy to understand what we wanted him to do.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4L IS and Canon Extender 1.4x
Shot at 840mm, 1/2000s, F5.6 and ISO 250


If you're there to click pictures, you'll need to make sure to have a strategic approach to your angle of shooting to get the sun behind you. The ideal way would be to go seawards and then turn back towards the land if you're shooting in the morning hours. The choice of backgrounds is limited since it's mostly water everywhere but you could get lucky sometimes!

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4L IS and Canon Extender 1.4x
Shot at 840mm, 1/1600s, F5.6 and ISO 250


Given that the birds can fly and you can't, it's always good to be patient and wait for them to feel comfortable with your presence and then move in slowly. Waiting at a spot helps in observing the behavior and also capturing some of the moments in a pre-visualized manner.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4L IS and Canon Extender 1.4x
Shot at 840mm, 1/2500s, F5.6 and ISO 250


Hope you guys enjoyed the short trip to Anamalaichery as much as we did!

The Woodpeckers of Bandipur

This season it did seem like the woodpeckers had taken to Bandipur in huge numbers. Everyday, we could spot a number of them flying around on trees by the safari tracks. And the fact that we spotted four different species (viz Black Rumped Flameback, Streak Throated, White Bellied and Rufous) in this trip is worth mentioning.

This black-rumped flameback woodpecker was happily feasting at a termite mound when we noticed it. This was one of the very cooperative subjects I've had in this trip and it posed nicely as it flew to the tree nearby.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/400s, F4 and ISO 800



While we were waiting on something else, this Streak Throated Woodpecker flew in suddenly and all we had were a few seconds before it flew off again. This is easily one of my best images of this beautiful bird, so I wouldn't complain of the short visit.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/1600s, F4 and ISO 800



And last but not the least, we had a White Bellied Woodpecker foraging on the tracks ahead of us. This isn't the best of my shots, but I'm going to put it up here to complete the list of sightings. Sadly, we couldn't get any pictures of the Rufous Woodpecker.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/500s, F4 and ISO 800

The Brainfever Bird

Everytime we're out in the jungle, we can hear the brainfever bird calling from within one of the trees but you can hardly spot them. Many a times, we've seen the hawk cuckoo in flight but it's never been that I've had it perched out in the open without any distractions. Even though one could see them in the cities too, getting a bird in it's original habitat is always a bonus.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/640s, F4 and ISO 800

The Serpent Slayer

During the morning safari on the last day of our trip, we had a wonderful time with this Serpent Eagle perched on a tree stump. As we watched, it suddenly gave a big yawn which was coordinated with a head movement from side to side. The burst mode helped in capturing the action at it's peak with the tongue fully stretched out.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/800s, F4 and ISO 800

Grey Jungle Fowl

The Grey Jungle Fowls are a pretty common sight in the Nilgiri forests, however, getting them in good light and pose has always been a challenge. These wild chickens are pretty fast and will usually run into the bushes at the slightest sound or movement around them. Even when you do get them in the open, the angle of shooting is limited and getting a good background isn't always possible.

During the recent Bandipur trip, we had a few bold moments by some very unsuspecting characters. Firstly, we had quite a few mongoose sightings where the usually shy creatures were infact displaying a totally daredevil behavior. The jungle fowls too were very forthcoming and in one instance, while we were waiting on something else, we had a pair of Grey Jungle Fowls having a quick meal at a termite mound. The diffused light due to the cloudy weather presented a good opportunity to capture details of this male's plumage.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/640s, F4 and ISO 800

Changeable Hawk Eagle - A Hi-Key Portrait

While cloudy days present a challenge with the light, they also provide for opportunities to capture some brilliant details in an otherwise contrasty subject. The Changeable Hawk Eagle's brown plumage has shades of white on the under belly and it can get quite challenging to get the exposure right if there is bright light. On the other hand, a cloudy day really helps in keeping the highlights from blowing out and at the same time, can be used for some brilliant hi-key portraits like this one.

These raptors would usually perch high up on a bare tree which gives them a good vantage point and clear visibility too. Photographing them against the sky is a challenge if the sun is shining bright, but a cloudy sky can make a huge difference.

Make sure that you intentionally dial up the exposure on such hi-key images since otherwise the camera would want to bring down the whites into grays and the resulting image would have some loss on the shadow details due to underexposure.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/1000s, F4 and ISO 800

Two Little Terns

An early morning trip to Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary enroute Bandipur yielded great results. There were two River Tern fledglings that were pretty friendly to let us watch them at close quarters. At one point in time the boat was so close to the rock that I had to ask the boatman to move further back since I wasn't able to get them in the frame individually. The light was great and the green waters of the Cauvery made for a good background.

At about a month old, they were able to make short flights but were still dependent on the parents for food. We did get to experience the feeding session however their placement on the rock didn't favor good photography. I wanted to have a picture of both of them together and after a lot of moving around the boat, I was finally able to get them fitted into a single picture. Had to stop down quite a bit to get the DOF right since they were almost never in the same plane of focus.

Tech Specs:

Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 600mm, 1/320s, F14 and ISO 200

Northern Pintail - A Long Distance Traveler

The Pintails are pretty looking ducks that migrate to the southern continents at the onset of winter. They are usually found in the open wetlands and Bharatpur makes an excellent venue for their stay. They were mostly seen closer to the shoreline only in the mornings post which they were very elusive.

The details on the male bird are very exquisite and though the bird isn't very colorful, it's still looks very stunning.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/1250s, F6.3 and ISO 1600.

The Purple Heron

This Purple Heron suddenly landed on a raised mound in the water while I was shooting a Glossy Ibis. The colors on the bird looked awesome with the soft evening light falling from behind. After a couple of as-is shots from where I was, I moved a bit to position myself for a better background. The bird nicely obliged with a nice head turn making this a very special image.

The larger version on my flickr stream looks nicer since it brings out the details on the feathers. It can be found here.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/400s, F5.6 and ISO 800

Bar Headed Geese - The high fliers

While at the park, on several ocassions i tried to see if I could get a clear view of the bar headed geese, but they were always positioned quite inside from the shoreline. These are really beautiful birds and are known for their high altitude flying capabilities, in fact there are reports which suggest that these are the highest flying birds in the world. During the migration, they cross the Himalayas and sometimes are found flying over heights of more than 15000 ft.

So on Day 3, I did get a bit lucky when a small group of birds landed approx 50m from the shoreline. The only hiccup was that there was no clear view due to the taller grass near the shore. I waited patiently for more than half hour for them to start moving closer towards me and was happy that I could at least get a few decent record shots of these beautiful birds. I would have loved to get a landing shot but given the conditions it was pretty much impossible to get it.

I'd love to get them in Ladakh the next time I'm there. Tso Moriri is a well known breeding ground for these birds and the magnificient lake would be the perfect background to capture these beautiful birds.

Here's one of the decent shots I managed to get from that day:

Tech Specs

Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 L IS
Shot at 840mm, 1/400s, F8 and ISO 200

The Pelicans of Kokkare Bellur

This weekend was a solo trip to Kabini, and on the way was a detour to a small village known as Kokkare Bellur. This is a 13km deviation from Maddur and the roads were great until the last 5kms. As you start closing in to your destination, you could see quite a few Pelicans hovering up in the sky.

I was expecting an organized conservation effort like Ranganathittu, but it was amazing to see that the village is no less than a sanctuary in itself. When I reached the place, I asked one of elderly person on which way to the bird sanctuary and he pointed me to two different directions and mumbled off something in Kannada. I couldn't understand what he said, but I could make out that he was trying to tell me that the birds are everywhere, you can just walk around the village.

Apparently the villagers are very appreciative of the fact that the large winter migrants such as the Painted Storks and Spot-Billed Pelicans nest in large colonies on trees in their village. The forest department has some kind of arrangement to compensate the villagers for every tree where the birds are nesting. This is since the land below the tree and any produce from that tree has to be foregone.

I didn't see too many Painted Storks at this time, but there were quite a few Pelicans on trees by the road side. So I decided to walk around there and watch the birds do their daily chores.

Here's a close up shot of a large Pelican on the tree:

Tech Specs:

Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm F4 with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/5000s, F8, ISO 800

A weekend with Pozu - Bandipur & Kabini Explored!

Last weekend was going to be without Gozu (wifey) since she was off to ISB at Hyderabad for a training until Tuesday. The idea of sitting alone at home with Pozu (our 22 month daughter) and going through the usual routine was so damn boring, so we decided to have some fun! I've been out with Pozu without her mommy before but that time I did have Elly with me for help. This time I was going to single-handedly manage Pozu and hope to make some good photographs too, it doesn't get any better than this!

Gozu left on Saturday morning and we were left on our own. The rest of the day was spent with the gang who wanted to try out fishing with their newly bought equipment. We had a late start for the fishing idea, but we did get a couple of hours to practise how to setup the fishing rod, no real fishing though!

Pozu and Rhea had a good time together and they sat by the lake shore as if they were out on a holiday.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 70-200mm F4 L IS
Shot at 93mm, 1/640s, F4 at ISO 400


The next day's plan was kept as tentative until the last minute though I kept checking availability at Bandipur till Saturday night. Being a Sunday, there wasn't a risk to get one room on arrival at the Jungle Lodges at Bandipur but I thought I will make a call and reserve it in the morning to be sure. The idea was to stay for one day and then if luck doesn't favor us at all, may be extend it for another day.

6AM on Sunday, we were on our way to the jungle, Pozu slept mostly through the way and we reached Bandipur at 11.30AM or so. The evening safari was pretty uneventful except for the time when we were anxiously waiting for the tiger to cross paths. One of the jeeps had seen the male tiger sitting on the road but he quickly disappeared into the bushes and we were hoping he'd show up on the other side. We did see all the usual suspects like the Gaurs, Elephants, Monkeys, Peacocks etc but no big cat. I was hoping that the next morning wouldn't be as quiet, but it was!

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm
Shot at 600mm, 1/1000s, F4 at ISO 800


After the morning safari, I was in no mood to go back and started thinking on whether to extend my stay at Bandipur or give it a shot at Kabini. A quick call, puts the decision to rest and I was on my way to Kabini. The evening safari was similar to the previous 2 rides and the camera had seen no big action. The jungle was quite nice with the fresh green cover and the light was brilliant. Alas, the Makhna near the backwaters was the only big find for the day apart from the Changeable Hawk Eagle!

Tech Specs:
Canon 7D + Canon 70-200mm F4 L IS
Shot at 81mm, 1/50s, F4 at ISO 400


Next day, baby was up at 6AM for the morning safari and we were lucky to spot a pack of wild dogs right as we entered through the Kalpare road. The dogs were visibly hungry and were on the lookout for a breakfast meal. They let us enjoy their company for a while and then started moving onwards. This was a good photo-op and I was happy with the overall sighting.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm
Shot at 600mm, 1/160s, F4 at ISO 800


Next up, we found a Juvenile Serpent Eagle on a tree near the track who obliged with some good pose even though the lighting wasn't as expected.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm
Shot at 600mm, 1/250s, F4 at ISO 800


Soon, the safari ended and we were headed back home after breakfast. But I'm a happy man, not only I managed to get some good pictures, but Pozu had a good time too. She found new friends at both resorts and had a gala time at lunch and dinner events. All in all, this was a time well spent and even though I had to catch up on all the pending work from Monday, there are no regrets!

Here's a link to more pictures from this trip: Bandipur & Kabini with Pozu

Stork Billed Kingfisher!

This is one of the larger species of the Kingfisher family. At nearly one foot in length, these are almost double the size of the Common Blue Kingfishers. Like all kingfishers, even these are very patient in nature and can be found perched quietly near a water hole in anticipation of food.

This one was right by the water hole at the entrance to the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. As I was exiting the park on our trip to Valparai, I quickly stopped the car and got this shot. There wasn't any time to get the tripod setup so took the risk of shooting handheld with the monster kit, but I'm happy that the results are quite good. I would have preferred a nature perch instead of a wire, but you can't make choices for the bird.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot handheld at 840mm, 1/400s, f5.6 and ISO 400

Egyptian Vulture - The Pharoah's Chicken!

A first for me, ofcourse!

I've seen these birds earlier as well but never awed at them. Its just since I'm hooked onto wildlife as a part of my life that I've started admiring everything else besides humans around me.

I'd seen them flying at Hesaraghatta last time, so this time I wanted to get a few shots of these beautiful and endangered species. Though, I'd admit that the adults look much more graceful than the juveniles but I really dont mind getting good shots of either of them.

The Egyptian vultures are the smaller of the species and scavenge on anything from faeces to carcases. This is what keeps them around the cities as well unlike the others that are mostly found in jungles.

This juvenile bird was feasting on some cow dung near a water hole. There was a big excavation near the water pool and the car wouldn't have made it there. I already had a failed attempt of closing in on these creatures on foot so decided to stay inside and watch it. While I was using the beanbag on the passenger window sil as rest for the lens, this shot was all I could manage to get of the bird while it took off.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/4000s, f5.6, and ISO 800

Pariah - The messiah who made my day!

After a failed attempt on Saturday when I roamed around Kanakpura road and Valley School for some birding, it was a second try again on Sunday. I had to give it a pass in the morning since Gozu wanted to go out and that meant the baby traveled with me. Pozu isnt a problem to go out with, but mornings get busy with her breakfast and other things and her schedule gets a bit upset when she's out on field.

So off I went in the afternoon once Gozu was back, and today's destination was Hesaraghatta Lake. I've been to this place before and had seen the egyptian vulture flying around, so wanted to explore again. The last time I ended up going upto Yeshwantpur and then coming back towards Jalahalli and then take the road through Dodda Byalakere. This time I turned off at BEL circle and directly took the inside road through Byalakere and Silvepura to reach Hesaraghatta.

As I crossed the airforce area and took the left towards Byalakere, I digressed onto the road to the Peacock reserve in Byalakere. I just love Google Maps for the ease of finding your way through such places and the map was fairly accurate until a point where the map showed a road but I could see none. Anyways, I reached the Peacock reserve only to find it looking like an abandoned piece of land with the gate locked and nobody around to ask. Next I thought I'd roam around a bit towards the Avalahalli State Forest and see if there's anything worth seeing there. The road from the Byalakere Peacock reserve to Avalahalli Forest has a particular stink from the waste management project that is in that area. I could see a mountain of garbage from the road and a lot of garbage collection trucks on the road too.

As I reached the Avalahalli Forest, the road on the map through the forest was missing and I had to turn back and proceed towards Aivarakhandapura Lake and then connect back to the Hesaraghatta road. Though the Aivarakhandapura lake looks quite big on the map, it is nothing but an open grassland with a lot of cattle grazing around (very similar to hesaraghatta). Finally, I reached the destination after all these detours, but the good thing to notice was that apart from a few bad patches, the roads were pretty decent otherwise.

At the lake, I drove in and spotted a group of Egyptian vultures sitting on a mound. There were two adults and two juvenile vultures in the group. I parked the car by the track and setup the tripod etc and started closing in slowly. Apparently, they didnt like any movement towards them and flew off quickly. Lesson learnt, be as inconspicuous as possible which obviously can't the case with me carrying the 10kilo rig. The best option is to stay in the car and close in slowly to get a clear shot, surprisingly the birds dont mind the big black car.

I drove around on the tracks through the lake bed for a while, tracking a lot of pipits, bushchats in search of food and then there were common mynas and jungle crows for company. The vultures had lodged themselves on a tree by the far side of the lake and took turns to hover around for a bit and then return back. At one such time, I did manage to get a glimpse of a juvenile Egyptian vulture near a water body. But this wasnt the ideal setting and all I could manage is an okay okay in-flight shot. (more on that in a later post!)

Later, a black kite flew past the car and made itself comfortable on the little mound nearby. I quickly drove up by the track where I could get a clear view of the bird. The lighting was perfect and the bird was very cooperative. It yielded me the best shot I could ask for. I'm sure there will be more shots I'd get of these birds, but this one will always stay special for me.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/800s, f8 and ISO 800. Handheld from the car!

The Great Thick Knee

In continuation to the Ranganathittu series, I thought of sharing another of the beautiful species that are commonly found on the rocks through the river. The Great Stone Curlew aka. Great Thick Knee are usually resident birds at the sanctuary. I've generally seen them in pairs and it looks like this one was guarding an egg.

Tech Specs:
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/4000s, f5.6 and ISO 1600

Roll Baby Roll

Another one of my favorite shots from the trip to Ranganathittu. This one was a very cooperative Kingfisher perched on a twig by the shore of one of the many islands. In a flick of a second, it rolled it's head on both sides and all the water sprinkled out.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/2500s, f5.6, ISO 1600

Tridev - The Three Headed Stork!

During my last visit to Kabini earlier in August, I stopped at Ranganathittu for a quick tour of the sanctuary. Knowing that this isnt the season time at Ranganathittu, the expectations weren't very high but I was pleasantly surprised with the Juvenile Painted Storks and the Black Headed Ibises nesting around the islands.

Karnataka Tourism has increased rates for safaris at all their parks and it was no different at Ranganathittu as well. What used to be a 500 per hour boat ride is now 1000 bucks for 30 mins. That's a 4-fold increase in rates which means more money flowing into the forest dept kitty! Anyways, I'm okay to pay the premium as long as they take some steps in maintaining and conserving these places and not just siphoning it into unnamed accounts.

There was a group of Painted Storks on a rock and as the boat passed around the place, a sudden convergence of bodies happened. I started clicking as the boat moved to get a shot that looks like a three headed stork. The result was quite rewarding and a good addition to my avian collection.

Tech Specs
Canon 1D Mark IV + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/4000s, f8 and ISO 1600

Anguished but not defeated!

On an old tree by the safari track in Pench, we heard a lot of activity going on with the parakeets making some noise. A closer look and it was evident that there was something fishy as the parakeets were flying around the tree bark and calling to each other repeatedly. Just then, we spot a monitor lizard on the same tree near a hole in the bark. It was now obvious that the parakeets were trying to ward off the lizard to protect their nests.

The monitor was big and the parakeets helpless, but they were still ready to put up a fight. One of them kept going towards the hole to check out what's going on inside and may be distract the reptile out of there. I fear the worst may have happened to their nest since the lizard climbed into the hole and wasnt really in a mood to give in to their protest. But such is life, someone's offspring is somebody else's snack, it's the law of the jungle!

This is presumably a pair of parakeets trying to communicate between themselves about the situation. We waited for a good 15-20 mins at the scene and there were no signs of retreat from either sides.

The Little Raptor!

The Shikra is so far the smallest bird of prey I've encountered when compared to the eagles and hawks which is the same family it belongs to. But they are nevertheless, equally graceful in their perch.

This one had perched on a branch right by the side of the road and the dull light was making it difficult to get good shutter speed. This was shot with a 1.4x TC on the 600mm at 1/30s shutter and I never expected the result to be this good looking. The blown out areas around the bird are because of the sky visible through the leaves in the background, but there was no way to avoid that.

Tech Specs:
Canon 7D + Canon 600mm with 1.4x TC
Shot at 840mm, 1/30s, f5.6, ISO 400