It is indeed amazing what all Gurgaon can offer to those who look deeply. There are pockets in and around the city that have much to offer in terms of scenic beauty, nature and greenery. For birders and wildlife photographers, perhaps the best go-to places are the Basai Wetland and the Sultanpur bird sanctuary.
Gurgaon continues to be a paradox, an interesting mix of rural and modern cultures. It is also surprising how the modern city skyline is often interspersed with green belts, wetlands and scrublands which support rich flora and fauna. Heavy rains often inundate low-lying areas which in turn attract numerous birds and insects.
Some of the insects include the amazing Dragonflies and Damselflies, many often flitting around in large numbers. The photographs in this blogpost were taken at the Basai Wetland which is about four kilometres from the city.
The photograph above is one of the funniest I have taken so far. There used to be an advertisement of Happy Dent Chewing Gum that showed how chewing it made the teeth sparkling white, even those of a Buffalo. In the photograph, you can see one of the buffalos grinning and showing off its white teeth while the crow and the other buffalo look on. Perhaps one of the most amazing things about Gurgaon is that it can spring up lots of surprises.
If the White-throated Kingfishers are a draw, so too are the numerous Dragonflies that flit around. Some of the best shots are taken while they are flying, and trust me, are they difficult to photograph! Flying Dragonflies are difficult to focus on, especially with a zoom lens. You might as well forget autofocus!
Perhaps Purple Herons might be amongst the most graceful birds in flight. Their wingspan is quite large and quite a few of them can be found at the Basai Wetland. One can not have enough simply watching them fly!
One of the lucky shots that I have been able to take is that of a pair of painted Storks in which one of them seems to be laughing out loudly (although I guess it was only trying to settle its meal).
Spot-billed Ducks too can be a great draw at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon. Often looking at them in the distance, fluffing up their feathers and stretching their wings can be an amazing sight.
Damselflies are cute and they are a bit different from Dragonflies. Slimmer in thickness they have tapering bodies and bulging eyes. Some of them are so slim that you might miss them in the morning light.
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