During our stay at Udaipur, I thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast time, during which we could spot a few birds. If, on day 1, the distinguished guest was a White Wagtail, on day 2, it was Red-wattled Lapwing.

I first spotted these birds at Nagarhole two years back (see 'Red-wattled Lapwing from Nagarhole') and this time, I could identify the bird instantly. The pictures are taken using the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto, handheld in Manual mode.

Lighting was pretty good and I managed an f/8 aperture for both the pictures, which is pretty much the best aperture for this lens. The first picture came at ISO-400 and 1/800s, while the second one came at ISO-200 and 1/500s. Both pictures were cropped (3888 => 1500px) using GIMP.

Also, wishing everybody a nice and propserous Vishu.

Saw this little white birdie at Udaipur - during our Agra - Jaipur - Udaipur - Mt Abu - Delhi trip.

Its a tiny bird, about 6 inches long and busily moving around. The tail is typical of wagtails and I could easy identify it as a Wagtail. The pics are taken using the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens. Even with the 400mm, I had to move closer to get a clean shot of this little birdie. I used Av mode, with a ISO-100 and and f/8 aperture.

The light was good and the camera chose a 1/1000s shutter speed for both these shots. I also did a little cropping (3888 => 1500) using GIMP.

The bird is surely a White Wagtail, but I am not sure which sub-species. My guess is that it is a White faced pied Wagtail or Amur Wagtail - scientific name Motacilla Alba Leucopsis. Can anybody confirm or identify it as another subspecies?

Spotted this bird outside our hotel during our stay in Jaipur:

The bird seems to be picking up props for a home! After some google / wiki browsing, we (thanks to Sudhir for the help) could identify the birds as a Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia Decaocto). Apparently, this bird was only found in Asia a few decades back, but now, it has colonised almost all of Europe. The male and female are supposedly identical and difficult to distinguish. So, I cannot say, if this is a he or a she. The pic is taken using Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L, handheld, Manual mode, f/8, 1/500s, ISO-800.

Indian Roller is usually confused by some people with the Kingfisher, because of the common color. I have posted Indian Roller and Kingfisher pics earlier (see 'Indian Roller aka Blue Jay' and 'Kingfishers @ Eranhikkal'), but there are birds which always get attention.

A day before our return from Valparai, we were told about the possibility of spotting Niligiri Tahrs at the ghats, if we started early enough. This was one animal I have missed in my previous treks to Mukurthi and Meesapulimala, so I badly wanted an early start.

Though, we started early, soon I got carried away in the beauty of the misty tea estates and ended up taking too many breaks. By the time we reached the ghats it was already about 9 and the sun was already up. I almost gave up on spotting Niligiri Tahr ... but this time I got lucky!

People coming up reported that there is a herd of Nilgiri Tahrs gracing near the next hair pin bend. I parked the vehicle at a safe place and took out the camera and walked down to spot this handsome fella sitting in the road side!

The pic is taken with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens, handheld in Av mode, f/6.3, ISO-800 for a 1/500s exposure.

Possibly the most common bird in Valparai is the Red-Whiskered Bulbul - we saw more of those than crows and mynahs, the usual suspects.

I was able to get very close to the birds here, on our first morning at Valparai and could get a few shots with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens. There was enough light also and I had no trouble using f/6.3, ISO-200, handheld in Av mode for a 1/800s exposure.

I was in Kannur last week for Rajesh's wedding (see 'Birthday Bash') and headed to Parassinikkadavu snake park as soon as we reached Kannur. It was almost 5.30 by then and the shadows were lengthening. Snakes and animals kept in the cages were almost impossible to shoot at that light and I quickly headed to the center of the park, which has a well where a lot of snakes (mainly rat snakes) are kept:

Even though the top portion of the well was open, the light inside was very low. Also, I needed atleast a medium telephoto to take a close shot - so I settled for the Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L (macro) lens. Even at ISO-800 I was getting a very high exposure time and had to go for an under-exposed shot. I used manual mode, f/3.5, 1/50s and ISO-800. With the camera supported by the wall around the well, I was able to take this shot.

There was another corner of the well, where the sunlight was falling through a gap. And this fellow was right there, away from the crowd, enjoying the last few minutes of sunshine. I used the same 180mm lens and clicked - this time the light was a lot better. In Av mode, f/3.5, ISO-800, with a -1 exposure compensation, the camera reported a 1/500s exposure.

Rooster's crowing at the break of dawn is a romantic idea that was used by many poets. The experts say that they crow as much during any other time of the day!

We were on our way to Siddarabetta, just past Dobbaspet, when we saw the sun rising to our right side. I kept driving for some more time looking for something to frame the sun with and spottedthis handsome bird perched at the top of a haystack. The pic is taken with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L tele photo lens, handheld, in Av mode, f/6.3, ISO-100 for a 1/1000s exposure.

The easiest way to see wild-life without a zoo-like cage around them, around Bangalore, is in Bannerghatta. Though, it is nothing like spotting them in the wild, the animals are left here to roam around in a small compound with some vegetation. And yes ... hopefully they are fed well and looks healthy.

Look at his menacing eyes! No wonder, he is called the king of beasts!

The pic comes from the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens, handheld in Av mode, f/6.3, ISO-400 and 1/500s exposure.

On a visit to Chennai, when I was told by Sridhar and Mili that the best place to spot blackbucks was the IIT campus, I did not believe it! I have only myself to blame to reach there late on a cloudy day. What awaited me there was someting amazing ... herds of blackbucks and spotted deers, a mongoose and many birds, a sparring pair of stags, an albino male blackbuck and the opportunity to get so close to them without scaring them.

When I went to Maidanahalli a few months before (see 'Blackbucks @ Maidanahalli'), the blackbucks there were a scared bunch and ran away at the first sign of a human being approaching them. I guess, the measures adopted by the IIT authorities to protect the blackbucks have been very effective and also made them fearless and hardly bothered about the crowd. I waited for hours to get one of these guys to look at me with a raised head ... and they were least bothered and went on grazing!

The light was really bad and though I had a tripod, most of the shots were blurry due to their fast movement ... as they were shot at 1/8s ... etc.

The shot is with the Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L telephoto lens, mounted on a Manfrotto 728B digi tripod. I used Av mode for this shot, with a -2 exposure compensation, f/5.6, ISO-800 for a 1/4s exposure.

I am defenitely visiting the IIT campus, earlier in the day, when I visit Chennai next time!