Birding at Annamalaicheri - Watching The Flamingos

It was almost the end of February and soon the birding season was going to get over. So we chanced upon the first opportunity to make a quick visit to Annamalaicheri near Chennai. The Pulicat lake or lagoon is one of its kind and hosts a large variety of migrants birds and waders, the flamingos in particular are an attraction here. We had made a similar visit in 2012 but had limited luck with the flamingos since there were only a few that were settled far away in an inaccessible spot. So this was again going to be a matter of chance, but that's what birding and wildlife watching is about, you gotta be at the right place and wait for the right time.



This time we were lucky to have a much closer view of the flamingos, but still it wasn't as good as what you'd experience in the Rann of Kutch. The morning light was quite good though and we were able to get a few decent images of the juvenile birds who were now almost 4-5 feet tall and seemed ready for their first migration.



Apart from the flamingos, we saw a huge flock of Northern Pintail ducks near the shoreline but they took off as we approached them. It was a nice sight to see hundreds of birds fill the blue sky.



Getting the flamingos in flight with the 600mm mounted on a tripod in a boat wasn't the easiest thing to do, but I did manage to get a couple of decent shots. One of those shots has been procesed to look like an oil painting and I liked this version better than the original. The texture on the otherwise dull blue sky makes a huge difference I feel.

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