/ Flora and Fauna

Bird photography is one of the most challenging and critical. The major issue is to get close of your subject. If your have patience and you are in luck you can take some great shots with Nikon Kit Lens and 200mm lens also. It is very hard to work with limited gears and lens to shoot birds as you have to go very close to get the desired pictures. Now a days most photographers use telephoto lens along with teleconverter to take birds photographs. Here most of my images  are taken with Nikon 18-55mm and 55-200mm lens.

Grey-headed Swamphen (Porphyrio poliocephalus)

ISO 100| f/6.3 | 1/800 sec. | Manual Mode|

Recently i get a chance to see and shoot this beautiful bird known as Grey-headed Swamphen basically i have not seen this bird in my are since when i started photography. When i was out for shoot one of my friend told me that if you want to see a bird in blue color than you have to come to me. At that moment i decided to visit where these birds dwell. And at last i get some beautiful snaps of these birds in different posture. These birds are chicken size birds with its huge feet, bright plumage and red bill and frontal shield is unmistakable in its native range. These birds basically found in fresh or brackish sheltered open waters, these birds are omnivorous but primarily vegetarian they eat leaves, roots, stems, flowers and seeds of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. These swamphen are seasonal breeders but the season varies across their large range. Correlating with peak rainfall in many places and summer in more temperate clime. They like to live in groups, these groups may consist of multiple females and males sharing a nest or a male female pair with helpers drawn from previous clutches. 

There are 13 or more subspecies of the purple swamphen which differ mainly in plumage color, European birds are overall purple blue, African and South Asian birds have a green back and Australian and Indonesian birds have black back and head.    

Indian Palm Squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)

ISO 100| f/6.3 | 1/13 sec. | Aperture Mode|

The Palm Squirrel is about the size of  Chipmunk, it has a bushy tail little bit shorter than its body, these squirrels are found in every place in India, in India these squirrels are considered sacred and are not to be harmed. They are even fed by many Hindu families, mainly because of their association with Lord Ram, these squirrels mainly eats nuts and fruits, they tend to be very protective of their food sources, they often guard and defend it from birds and other squirrels. This little animal is naturally extremely active, unlike some other species of squirrels the Indian Palm Squirrel dose not hibernate.

  

Munia (Lonchura castaneothorax)

ISO 100| f/5.6 | 1/800 sec. | Manual Mode|

This little bird is known as Munia and it feeds on grains and seeds, usually in open habitat, but they prefer to feed on reeds of grasses. There nest is a large domed grass structure into which 4 to 10 eggs are laid. They are mostly 10 to 12 cm in length. These birds are most popular in bird trade. With 200 or 300 mm lens it becomes very difficult to take a nice picture of this bird i have to work very hard while photographing this little bird. I have to wait nearly for 1 to 2 hours for this shot, but at last i was satisfied with what i have captured in my camera. These birds are found in plenty in my location.  

Openbill Stork (Anastomus oscitans)

ISO 800| f/6.3 | 1/160 sec. | Aperture Mode|

Openbill Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family, they found mainly in Indian sub continent and South East Asia. The Asian Openbill Stork is greyish or white with glossy black wings and tail that have a green or purple sheen. I get this image in river near my home there were nearly 3 to 5 of them and continuously eating fish from the water. That was the first time i saw these birds in my area as i mostly visit their but i did not any of them earlier. During the warm part of the day they soar on thermals and have a habit of descending rapidly into their feeding area. The breeding season of these birds is after the rain during July to September in Northern India and November to March in Southern India. They build a rough platform of sticks often on half submerged tree, where they lay 2 or 4 eggs. They mainly feed on small snakes, snails, frogs and large insects.

Snowy Egret(Egretta thula)

ISO 100| f/6.3 | 1/500 sec. | Manual Mode|

I was quite amazed when i saw this Egret as i have seen many egret in my are but they all are different from this one as it has black beak black legs with yellow feet, when i clicked his image i was thinking that definitely this bird is a migratory bird because Indian Herons are very different from this, after clicking the image i google about this bird and i come to know that this is a migratory bird and known as Snowy Egret. It is permanent residents in most of South America and Central America. Snowy Egret wade in shallow waters to spear fish and other small aquatic animals, the egret`s method of spearing its prey i called the "Death Blow" The thrust is delivered quickly and the prey is immediately tossed into its mouth and swallowed.   

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudiis)

ISO 100| f/8 | 1/500 sec. | Manual Mode|

The Pied Kingfisher is a water bird and is found widely distributed in Asia. Its black and white plumage, crest and the habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish make it distinctive. This is a medium size kingfisher about 25 cm along with a black and white mask. This kingfisher is very rare in our area as many people have not seen this type of bird before, i capture this image today in the morning of 10-10-2017, actually i have seen this bird many time but i did not get the chance to get his image, but finally after a long wait i get success. 

      

Shikra(Accipiter badius)
ISO 3200| f/5 | 1/60 sec. | Manual Mode|

The Sihkra is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae found widely distributed in Asia. The Shikra is very similar in appearance to other sparrow hawk species including the Chines goshawk. They have a sharp two note call and have the typical flap and glide flight. This bird is a small raptor it is nearly 26 to 30 cm long and like most other hawks this species has short rounded wings and a narrow and somewhat long tail. The lower belly is less barred and the thighs are whitish male have a red iris while female has less red (yellowish orange) iris and brownish upper parts apart from heavier barring on the under parts. The females are slightly large. The strips on the throat is dark but narrow. They feed on rodents, small birds, small reptiles, and insects.   

Rock Eagle Owl(Bubo bengalensis)
ISO 250|f/5.6|1/500 Sec.|Manual Mode|

The Indian Eagle Owl is a species of large horned owl restricted to the Indian Subcontinent, they have a deep resonant booming call that may be heard at dawn and dusk. This species is often considered a subspecies of Eurasian eagle-owl Bubo bubo and is very similar in appearance. The facial disk is unmarked and has a black border, they have wingspan of about 50 to 60 inches. These birds are mainly seen in Indian rural areas and south of the Himalayas. These birds spend the day under the shelter of a bush or rocky projection or in a large mango or thickly foliage tree near villages. This large owl with the distinctive face, large forward facing eyes, horns and deep resonant call is associated with a number of superstitions. Like many other large owls these are considered birds of ill omen. Their deep haunting calls if delivered from atop a house are considered to forebode the death of an occupant. A number of rituals involving the capture and killing of these birds have been recorded.       

Olive Backed Sunbird(Cinnyris jugularis ornata)
ISO 800|f/5.6|1/800 Sec.|Manual Mode|

The Olive-backed sunbird also know as the yellow bellied sunbird. The sunbird are a group of very small Old World pas serine birds, which feed largly on nectar although they will also take insects, specially when feeding young. Their flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering, but usually perch to feed most of the time. These birds are very common in India, one can see these birds frequently in Indian villages also. After building the nest the birds abandon for about a week before the female returns to lay one or two greenish-blue eggs. Then the eggs take a week to hatch.

 Indian Saaras (Grus antigone)
ISO 200|f/7.1|1/800 Sec.|Manual Mode|

This Red Head Sarus Crane give me a perfect shot from nikon 200mm lens as its very hard to get close to these birds as they are very sensitive and never allow anyone to get close, they keep a safe distance if you try to go close they fly away, so when i saw it i decided to take a shot with my Nikon D3300 in manual mode, i try to go as close as i can to take the shot and hiding behind the bushes i finally get this image as above.   

Long Tailed shrike (Lanius schach)

ISO 400|f/5.6|1/2000 Sec.|Manual Mode|

 It was very easy to take the shot of this long tailed shrike, on a simple perch. This bird looks quite cooperative as it give me good shots from different angles. 

Indian Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnesis)
ISO 800|f/7.1|1/200 Sec.|Manual Mode|

This kingfisher was sitting on a tree that was on the river bank, as i have to cross the river with bare foot the water was very cold and my legs were getting very numb i stand there for nearly 20 minutes with my camera hand held, i set my camera to manual mode and take some good shots of this bird, i take nearly 5 to 6 good shots of this bird.  

Pegion Pair

ISO 400|f/5.6|1/400 Sec.|Manual Mode|

This pair of pigeon lives just next to my home and i was not aware of these two playing there nearly every day, it was a sudden encounter, i rush to take my camera and keep my bean bag on the wall and take many good shots as they are keep giving me the different poses and gesture. Later i come to know that the are the pet of my neighbors and they recently brought them.  

Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis)
ISO 250|f/5.6|1/500 Sec.|Manual Mode|

Indian Cormorant here in Uttar Pradesh are very common bird and are found in swamps and water bodies, as i don`t have to work hard to get this picture, this shot was taken from 200mm Nikon lens with Nikon D3300 Body this tree log was in the middle of the swamp and this beautiful bird was sitting and cleaning his feathers in the crisp morning sunlight.

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)
ISO 360|f/5.6|1/500 Sec.|Manual Mode|

Common myna is one of the most easily available bird in India you can see this bird nearly every place, in town, villages and near sweet shops also. This shot was taken at my home wall, in morning it was sitting and i keep taking the pictures of this bird. The range of this bird is increasing at such a rapid rate that in 2000 IUCN declared it one of the worlds most invasive species. This myna is omnivorous. It feeds on insects, reptiles, small mammals, seed, grains, fruits & discarded waste from human habitation.

Indian Duck
ISO 200|f/5.6|1/640 Sec.|Manual Mode|

Indian Duck is one of the very common water bird, they can be tamed and live with humans this image was taken in river Behgul in my location ducks are mostly aquatic birds they can be found in both fresh and sea water. Ducks exploit a variety of food source such as grasses, aquatic plants, fish, insects, small amphibians & worms etc. In my town many people tame these ducks as they also guard homes from thieves and other intruders, I don`t know how but i have seen that many peoples in villages also told me that they are very useful for them.    

Finch
ISO 200|f/5.6|1/640 Sec.|Manual Mode|

 This little finch attracted me when i was wondering in my fields i saw this bird and start taking images one by one and this bird keep hopping in one branch to another its getting very difficult for me to capture the perfect image, but after may attempts i finally get this one.

House Crow (Corvu tristis)
ISO 200|f/5.6|1/640 Sec.|Manual Mode|

This is a simple house crow who was taking food from the river, these crow basically eat every thing including flesh also, this species has a widespread distribution in Asia, this species is associated with human settlement throughout its rage from small village to large cities.

Black Winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
ISO 560|f/5.6|1/250 Sec.|Manual Mode|

Black winged stilt is a migratory bird the breeding habitat of all these stilts is marshes, shallow lakes and ponds as this image is taken on the pond nearly 12 km away from my home, where you can see these bird in plenty, with many other variety of birds, these birds pick up their food from sand or water and they eat mainly insects and crustaceans. The nest site is a bare spot on the ground near water, these birds often nest in small groups sometimes with avocets.  

(White Throat Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)
    ISO 220|f/5.6|1/500 Sec.|Manual Mode|
   
It is also known as white breasted kingfisher it can be found near water bodies where it feeds on a wide range of prey that include small reptiles, crabs, small rodents and even birds. I get a chance to capture the image of this beautiful bird without much labor as one day i see it sitting in front of my home on the electric pole and i click this image.

Laughing Dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)
ISO 200|f/5.6|1/640 Sec.|Manual Mode|

Laughing dove is a small pigeon these two was sitting in front of my house on high tension electric wires and as usual i got my camera placed on my tripod and i take some shots of these duos these doves are also found in plenty in India and mostly in Indian villages as well. This bird is typically 25 cm in length it is pinkish brown on the underside with a lilac tinged head and neck the back is uniform and dull brown in the Indian population.

River Lapwing (Vanellus duvauceli)
ISO 200|f/5.6|1/640 Sec.|Manual Mode|

This shot of Lapwing was taken at the river near to my farmhouse, i was wondering on the river bank looking for the subject and i find the pair of lapwing was playing and eating insects, this shot was taken with my camera mounted on my tripod with my favorite 200mm Nikon lens this bird is nearly 29 to 32 cm long it has a black crest, crown and black belly patch. The back is brown and the rump is white and the tail is black. The river lapwing nest on shingle and sand bank from March to June.

Masked Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
ISO 800|f/5.6|1/250 Sec.|Manual Mode|

 This little Masked Wagtail was also one of my favorite bird and can easily found on river banks but it is very hard to shoot this little fast moving bird, you have to be very patience and lucky to capture the good image of this bird with 55-200mm lens, for this shot i place my camera on my tripod with remote shutter release where these birds were bathing in the shallow water of river bank. Its a blind shot, i was sitting nearly 10 to 12 feet away from my camera set on auto mode and i keep clicking the images one by one, and finally i get the images of this beautiful bird.

Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis)
ISO 1800|f/5.6|1/125 Sec.|Manual Mode|

This bird is basically a member of thrush family and they are well known for their song, this species is 19 centimeter long including the long tail, this species is vastly found in Indian subcontinent, this shot was taken in my backyard where pair of this bird is hopping here and there in search of food. The Magpie Robin is the National Bird of Bangladesh where it is common and known as doyel . It is mostly seen close to the ground hopping along branches or foraging in leaf-litter on the ground with cocked tail. Male sings loudly from the top of the tree or other high perches during the breading season.