Feathered Bipeds & Me.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Small Pratincoles at TG Halli (17/April/05)
Imagine you sweat it out chasing some birds, which are not
at all confiding, and then give up, only to be gifted later with
the best ever photo-op session by a few inquisitive ones,
who come towards you instead of you having to stalk them
for snaps!
Well, that is exactly what happened last sunday (17th April
2005) at TG Halli, my first birdwatching outing in the last 2
months (work had been keeping me busy).
While Praveen was observing call/flight behavior of the syke's
larks, I was busy trying to get snaps of small pratincoles. The
first few shots were more-or-less record shots, with the birds
just a wee bit bigger than the focus rectangles in the view finder.
The summer heat got the better of me & i decided to sit down
and have some rest. Within minutes i could see a couple of small
pratincoles catch something from the water, the slowly fly
towards me, and sit on the ground behind me, with the sun
behind them.Not a good photo angle, but what-the-heck...i took
a few snaps at pretty better proximity.
Soon they were lenient enough to come sit in front of me, in full
sunlight, and walk even closer. Watching them so close thru the
view finder was so captivating. Their cuteness was multiplied
manifold. More than half a roll of full-frame shots was more
than i would have wished for!
Once i finished one roll on these birds, i thought i have had enough
dose of small pratincoles & i decided to check on other species.
I got a gut feeling that the pratincoles are all set to start nesting
at TG Halli, since i could see one of them consistently sit in a small
depression on the banks of the reservoir. As i walked back, i looked
at the depression, through my binocs, and found nothing there. Just
an empty depression in the ground,
With a couple of shots of a yellow-wattled lapwing which was
foraging near a herd of grazing cattle, i called it a day.
at all confiding, and then give up, only to be gifted later with
the best ever photo-op session by a few inquisitive ones,
who come towards you instead of you having to stalk them
for snaps!
Well, that is exactly what happened last sunday (17th April
2005) at TG Halli, my first birdwatching outing in the last 2
months (work had been keeping me busy).
While Praveen was observing call/flight behavior of the syke's
larks, I was busy trying to get snaps of small pratincoles. The
first few shots were more-or-less record shots, with the birds
just a wee bit bigger than the focus rectangles in the view finder.
The summer heat got the better of me & i decided to sit down
and have some rest. Within minutes i could see a couple of small
pratincoles catch something from the water, the slowly fly
towards me, and sit on the ground behind me, with the sun
behind them.Not a good photo angle, but what-the-heck...i took
a few snaps at pretty better proximity.
Soon they were lenient enough to come sit in front of me, in full
sunlight, and walk even closer. Watching them so close thru the
view finder was so captivating. Their cuteness was multiplied
manifold. More than half a roll of full-frame shots was more
than i would have wished for!
Once i finished one roll on these birds, i thought i have had enough
dose of small pratincoles & i decided to check on other species.
I got a gut feeling that the pratincoles are all set to start nesting
at TG Halli, since i could see one of them consistently sit in a small
depression on the banks of the reservoir. As i walked back, i looked
at the depression, through my binocs, and found nothing there. Just
an empty depression in the ground,
With a couple of shots of a yellow-wattled lapwing which was
foraging near a herd of grazing cattle, i called it a day.
