I have been trying to get a good photograph of common kingfisher for many years now. They are relatively friendly birds and do not have the tendency to fly away and find a perch hundred kilometers away from the nearest photographer. But despite the name, they are not exactly very common. And when sighted, they are usually found sitting in a location not easily accessible. They like to sit on low-hanging branches right above the water or on small plants that spring up in the middle of shallow waters.
I managed to find a friendly fellow willing to pose for me when I was in Bharatpur last month. This one was sitting on a branch next to a culvert, hardly a meter’s distance from the edge of the road. It was his favourite perch – he used to sit there every single day and meditate on the fish that swam in the waters below. Since he was always there and was right next to the road frequented by tourists coming to the park, he had become a mini-celebrity. Celebrities tend to get used to the camera, and he was no exception. He let me come as close as the minimum focusing distance of my lens and allowed me to fill his big, beautiful and colourful image in the frame. It is a pity he was sitting in poor light under the shadow of thick branches right above him, while the waters behind him reflected the white skies. But I shall not complain much. Here he is –
I normally do not shoot butterflies, but tend to have a go at them once in a while. While in Bharatpur, I saw ‘Common Gulls’ in such large numbers that I could not do without photographing them. And one day when I was walking along a paths next to the marshes in search of the Sarus Cranes, I saw this congregation of ‘Plain Tigers’ sitting on a small plant. This place was on a track frequented by cycle-rickshaws. The butterflies would fly away each time a rickshaw passed by, but would soon return to hangout at the same place. My friend and I must have spent about fifteen minutes or more lying down on the ground trying to get a good image. None of the images I captured that day satisfied me and did not justify the beautiful gathering that we saw. On the other hand, lying down on the ground and obstructing the path of the rickshaws, we attracted the attention of all tourists passing by, as much as these butterflies attracted us!
Common Gull Butterfly
Plain tiger butterfly
No other birds drew my attention in Bharatpur like parakeets. They were everywhere in the park, gathered in small groups and chattering constantly. They were shrill and loud, keeping me aware of their presence all the time. Yet, their green camouflage hid them so well that it was hard to spot them even when half-a-dozen of them were sitting on a branch right over my head. During the three days I spent in the park, I saw parakeets trying to threaten an enemy hiding in a tree hole, having a brawl between themselves, squeaking loudly for no apparent reason, taking flight in a small groups and having a conversation mid-flight, idling on tree branches and sitting perfectly still and almost invisible in their camouflage, trying to expand a small hole in a tree into a more comfortable roost and having a delicious breakfast. Some pictures.
