I have been enchanted by nature, birds and wildlife for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Coorg, I can recall countless hours spent glued to Animal World Book or National Geographic channel or watching Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book on TV.
Those days I took any opportunity I had to study and learn about animals of all kinds. Nowadays I often find myself up at the crack of dawn or covered in mosquitoes all in pursuit of capturing just a glimpse of nature’s beauty.
Although I enjoy photographing all of Mother Nature’s fascinating creatures. I tend to focus on birds.
Why birds? I think it's because there are so many species of birds, they can be found almost anywhere, they are challenging to photograph and they are beautiful to watch.
I love birds! My love for Birds started as a child many years ago in a backyard in Coorg.
I currently use Canon 600D and 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS lens. I will continue to strive to improve my craft of bird photography, and capture some part of the beauty that surrounds us all.
Along the way I look forward to sharing my passion for nature photography, birds and the natural world with each and every one of you.
Common Tailorbird
Birds are generally shy and wary creatures, especially towards human. But I was able to get very close to this little bird when I unintentionally played a video clip of the same bird chirping.
These tiny birds are loud and strong singers. Very active and restless. Usually heard than seen.
Ashy Prinia or Ashy Wren Warbler
One of the commonest birds distributed across Indian subcontinent. It's a common bird in urban gardens and farmland in many parts of India and its small size, distinctive colors and upright tail make it easy to identify.
Purple-rumped sunbird (male)
Like other sunbirds, they are small in size. Males are brightly colored while females are olive above and yellow to buff below.
These hummingbird-sized birds are commonly observed feeding on bright-colored flowers, dew-bathing, or bathing by sliding in drops of rain collected on large leaves.
Oriental magpie-robin (male)
They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cage birds. The Oriental magpie-robin or Doel/Doyel is national bird of Bangladesh. The females of this race are the palest. The sad story is, they are near extinction in Singapore.
Red-whiskered bulbul
It is a member of the bulbul family. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within its range.They are non-migratory and are native to tropical Asia.
Red-whiskered Bulbul Juvenile
Juvenile is duller than adults. It lacks the red whiskers and has greyish-black crown. This one seemed bold enough not to be excited with an approaching human. Kept jumping from one branch to the other giving me looks.
White Cheeked Barbet
This is a common bird in Southern India.
Since their color is green, it is difficult to spot them between the green leaves.
Its flight is interesting. After a few flaps, it folds the wings and move swiftly like an arrow, again a few flaps to attain the lost momentum, again fold and so on (Sunbirds and other small birds also do this).
Ashy Prinia Juvenile
And here's a young one, looking so engagingly innocent. Babies are always so cute, beautiful, pure and adorable.
This image will be a nice reminder always that they were born and bought up in my backyard.
Scaly-breasted munia
The scaly-breasted munia or spotted munia, known in the pet trade as nutmeg mannikin or spice finch is a sparrow-sized finch native to tropical Asia. This munia eats mainly on grass seeds apart from berries and small insects.
I was watching this little beauty for a while and a little later, though, my attention was arrested by the call of Ashy Prinia again.
Sparrow
I don't remember the last time I noticed a sparrow near my window.
The tiger is going extinct in India.
So is the vulture.
The elephant.
And the Ganges river dolphin.
These are larger than life, magnificent creatures. Hearing their stories of extinction makes us sad.
But would your heart be as full to hear that the common house sparrow is also vanishing?
Yes, sparrows are slowly being wiped out as our malls and sleek apartment buildings come up in a 'Shining' India?
Sparrow population continues to decline in urban areas of India. Lack of research and understanding has aggravated the rate of their disappearance. These birds being an indicator of environmental health, needs to be saved before they become extinct.
Since sparrows are sensitive to changes in the environment, they serve as an important bio-indicator for a healthy urban ecosystem, indirectly indicating human health, and their decline today has started resulting in increasing diseases among the people.
I hope you enjoyed reading!
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