Indian Rollers are widely found across tropical asia , Iraq and Indian subcontinent. These birds are usually seen perched on prominent bare trees. They descend to the ground to capture their prey which may include insects, arachnids. The aerobatic display of this birds with twists and turns give this species the name Roller.
Common Stonechat (Saxicola) is a species of ‘Old World Flycatcher’ found mainly in wetlands. The males have a black head, a white half-collar, a black back, a white rump, and a black tail Females have brown on the head.
Black Kites are opportunistic hunters and are more likely to scavenge. They spend a lot of time soaring and gliding in thermals in search of food. Their angled wing and distinctive forked tail make them easy to identify.
Common Kestrel is a bird of prey species belonging to the kestrel group of the falcon family Falconidae. It is also known as the European Kestrel and Eurasian Kestrel.
The Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus) is a migratory bird of prey of the harrier family. Their diet consists mainly of small ground-living animals in areas of low or sparse vegetation. An important part is taken by small rodents, small birds and large insects. As this bird has a wide distribution, it will take whatever prey is available in the area where it nests.
Ceylon Frogmouth or Sri-lankan Frogmouths are found in the western ghats of South India and Sri Lanka. They are nocturnal birds and are found in forest habitats. Frogmouths generally roost on the branches in the forest, their habitat is dense tropical forest, these birds resemble dried leaves making them extremely difficult to locate.
This picture was shot at Tattekad (Kotthamangalam forest area), 80 kms from Cochin, India. I found it extremely challenging to photograph these birds mainly because of the low light condition and the birds look like dried leaves! A tripod or a monopod comes handy to photograph frogmouths or one should have a wide open aperture (low aperture lens). This was shot handheld at 1/25 shutter speed and f5.6 with a 1600 ISO.
Lesser flamingoes are the smallest species of flamingo family, these are tall and largish birds by most standards.These flamingoes were spotted at a lake in the outskirts of Hyderabad . Though I have been birding from last few years I had never gotten an opportunity to photograph these beautiful birds .
This picture was shot early morning when we were setting up our camera equipment , I was lucky to have held my camera when a flock of flamingoes flew right in front of the rising sun giving a silhouette effect .
Shot at Nagarhole National Park. Notice the Deers in the background.
The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is an antelope species native to the Indian Subcontinent that has been classified as endangered by IUCN.
Noisy Pilgrims 