Photographing Ducks in the Wild the right way

Well, I guess my go-to place for bird photography is not exactly in the wild, rather it is a hidden spot, more or less on the outskirts of Gurugram (Gurgaon) close to the Gurgaon-Jajjhar highway and next to the Water-treatment plant. Unfortunately, wild ducks are very nervous and they don't allow you to get close to them. Using a zoom lens having a minimum focal length of 500 to 600 mm might help, but then the trade-off includes its unwieldy character, requiring oftentimes a tripod. I don't personally like to carry a tripod and I use a Canon 70-300 mm IS USM lens which is compact and can be pointed swiftly at any swift moving bird. The Canon 70-300 mm lens is has a fast focus as it easily locks to the image without too much fuss! Having a fast enough shutter speed between 1250 of a second to 2000 of a second can help although lighting is a highly dynamic factor which can require frequent changes in the f-stop numbers and the shutter speed. I, however, prefer to set the ISO setting on automatic within the range of 100 to 800.

The photograph taken above is a photograph of a distant pair of Northern Pintails flying in tandem. The angle of the photograph has created a rather unique crossing of wings forming a rather interesting overlapping of wings thus creating an interesting geometric shape. My interest in bird photography forces me to look for interesting patterns and shapes made by Ducks flying in unison. The photographs I have posted below are those of Spot-billed Ducks that are native to the country but they migrate to warmer regions during the winter season for breeding and bringing up their fledgelings.

The photographs I am sharing are, unfortunately, compressed so that they don't take up too much space on the blog. However, if you really want to take a good look at them I would suggest that you click on them and zoom in so that they appear a bit larger than they are in the blog.

The patterns made by Ducks flying in unison can often follow a pecking order with the leader forming the point of the formation. Often it can be noticed that the leader forms the arrow-head of the formation. It is such exciting patterns that one would look for while photographing wild ducks and the Basai Wetland offers many such opportunities.

While paddling around on the water ducks often do stuff in pairs or sometimes even in troikas. However, one might also spot solitary ducks paddling around like the one whose photograph I have posted below. 

A mass exodus of ducks can be an amazing sight when you spot it. The sound of hundreds of wings beating together can be an experience of its kind!

Amazing Images of Courting Grey Herons at the Basai Wetland

Yesterday, when I visited the Basai Wetland for my weekly tryst with nature, I was absolutely stunned by the display of excellent aerobatic skills by a pair of courting Grey Herons. 'STUNNED', is how I would like to describe their display of courtship flight! 

This pair of Grey Heron went chasing each other, often wingtip to wingtip, literally skimming the surface of the water so much so that you could see the furrow created by their wingtips! Well, I did not expect this as I had planned to go further to a spot where I would be photographing ducks.

Of course, another pleasant surprise was to spot some Pied Avocet birds, but then, I was divided between the Pied Avocet and the flying Grey Heron. This would be the first time that I was seeing a pair of these rather graceful birds sailing on so gracefully. I could have stayed rooted to the spot if they had finally not decided to fly away into the horizon.

This blogpost is dedicated only to the wonderful Grey Heron I spotted at the Basai Wetland, and I hope that in the days to come, we will be seeing more of them and their offspring!

The best shots of the Grey Heron were those that I took of each one of them individually, and I am sure you will agree that they are simply out of this world!

So even as the female was trying to play hard to get, the male kept pursuing her even as she led him on 'Grey Heron's chase' all over the place. The sudden landings with wings flared, the deployed 'slats, lowered flaps, and the nose up attitude' seemed reminiscent of aerobatic aircraft (But then, of course, we learned the art of flying from them!).

Although the Grey Heron birds happen to be a mostly solitary bird hunting for fish, often motionless and still, they are happy to have the company of a mate during the mating season. These graceful birds are quite big standing one metre tall with wings extending even more! They have long legs black in colour that appear as if they are black twigs to fool fish into a sense of complacency waiting to be gobbled by the bird waiting above. Grey Heron are waders that feed on the surface of the water striking into the depths as soon as they spot a fish.

Well, I guess that's it for today, hope to come up with some more photographs of the amazing wildlife that can be spotted at the Basai Wetland in Gurugram.

The Pied Avocet-A Winter Visitor at the Basai Wetland

The Pied Avocet is a migratory bird that visits the Basai Wetland during the winter months. It is a white wader with bluish-black long legs. What marks it apart from other birds like the Black-winged Stilt is its slender but long upturned beak. While feeding it pokes its beak into the water swinging its beak to and fro in order to catch its meal which includes fish and crustaceans. 

But then that was just about its appearance! What is fascinating about this bird is that it travels so far. Mostly a resident of the Rann of Kutch and Balochistan, it migrates to northeastern India during the winter season. According to an entry in Wikipedia, 'The pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) is a large black and white wader in the avocet and stilt family, Recurvirostridae. They breed in temperate Europe and across the Palearctic to Central Asia then on to the Russian Far East. It is a migratory species and most winter in Africa or southern Asia.'-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pied_avocet

The Basai Wetland in Gurugram (Gurgaon), Haryana, India is an important biodiversity hotspot that supports a large number of migratory birds including the Common Starling and Bar-headed Geese flying in from all over the world! Today, when I visited the Basai Wetland, I was able to spot quite a few of the Pied Avocet birds feeding in the shallows. Unfortunately, I was not able to get close enough to get very clear photographs of them. 

Research data suggests that the Pied Avocet population might be in a state of moderate decline in India. No wonder this is because of the constant fight for space between man and birds, and also because of the disappearance of important Biodiversity hotspots, thanks to the need for more space to build residential complexes. Incidentally, The Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) is applicable to the Pied Avocet birds in India.

According to an article appearing in the Guardian in April in the year 2012, "They came back from the brink of extinction in Britain in the mid-19th century and colonised the beaches of East Anglia that were closed during the war."-https://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2012/apr/15/4

Another article appearing in the New Indian Express states, "Places like Kelambakkam backwaters or Pallikaranai marshlands have stopped attracting a number of varieties they used to. According to seasoned bird-watchers, ducks like garganey and common teal, another type of wader called the pied avocet are among the ones that have gone missing."-

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2020/jan/28/number-of-bird-species-on-decline-say-watchers-2095431.html

Ashy Prinia, Sandpiper, Citrine Wagtail, Painted Stork, Spot-billed Ducks and Black-winged Stilts Spotted at the Basai Wetland

It is incredible to see so many bird species at the Basai Wetland in Gurgaon. The wetland is a haven to a large number of migrant and residential birds. Spread over a wide area, (now broken up into patches) the Basai Wetland is also a vital rainwater catchment area in Gurugram. It is an ancient geographical feature of the town that is of great ecological value. Though ignored by the authorities of the state, the Basai wetland continues to be flooded for long periods of time after the monsoon season, often defying the efforts of builders and developers to drain out the water that keeps finding its way into the area.

Bounded by the Dwarka Expressway on one side, and an important railway line on the other, the Basai wetland is slowly but steadily getting surrounded by residential buildings and complexes. In times when real-estate demands have increased by leaps and bounds, it is inevitable that the last remaining Biodiversity hotspots will soon disappear. The Aravali mountains ranges, wetlands, and green areas in this swiftly growing town are steadily getting taken over by highrise buildings to cater to the ever-growing population of workers, professionals and residents.

It is in this context that I decided to pick up one of the Biodiversity hotspots of the town in order to catalogue and record some of the bird species that are sustained by it. Over the years I have noticed the disappearance of some of the native species of birds that used to reside in the area. One of the bird species that has been marked by its absence is the Sarus Crane. The Sarus Crane could be found in the area adjacent to the water treatment plant next to the Construction Waste Recycling plant. Unfortunately, walls have been created on this area and people have started filling in the area with mud, in anticipation of times when the area will become a prime location for the construction of residential flats.

While some of the hardier species of birds such as the Black-winged Stilts, Painted Storks, Purple Swamphen and White-breasted Kingfisher continue to survive on the wetland, some of the more widely travelled species like the Bar-headed Geese, as also the Sarus Cranes have been missing from the wetland, most probably because of the disturbance caused by human activity in the area. Till it is completely swallowed by development projects, the wetland, or whatever remains of it will continue to be home to ducks during the winter season and also the Citrine Wagtail.

In the company of Ducks and Herons at a Forgotten Wetland

A Knob-billed duck flies across

I have always been fascinated with flying birds, and few can be more graceful than ducks and herons, some of the larger kinds of birds often seen in wetlands, rivers and lakes. India is blessed with quite a few wetlands that are home to a large number of resident as well as migratory birds. The Basai wetland in the city of Gurugram in Haryana is one of the best examples. Just a few kilometres from Bus stand abutting the Dwarka Expressway, the Basai Wetland, located on the Gurugram-Jajjhar highway is the favourite resting place for all kinds of migratory birds.

A Purple Heron passes by

The challenges of photographing flying birds means that you need to be prepared at all times. I carry a tripod with a quick-release head, a couple of zoom lenses and a couple of camera bodies. More often than not, the lighting conditions are often very bad, what with smog and fog blanketing the whole area. In such a case you might get a slim window of clear weather. For me, the best time to photograph flying birds is the early morning from 7:30 a.m. to about 10:00 a.m.

An Ibis sails across

Paradoxically enough, Gurugram is an example of nature and man fighting for space. It is, for this, reason I posted a photograph of an Ibis flying across the wetland with a residential building complex in the background. The effect, though is pleasing, what with the depth of field and blurring of the background coming up nicely!

A Spot-billed duck flies towards me

Most of the photographs were taken of the larger birds flying across the facades of buildings adding to a sense of how closely nature is fighting for space with human beings.

But then, the grace of flight and its fluidity of motion has been an inspiration for artists and engineers throughout the ages. Nothing can beat the beauty of a Heron lumbering across the horizon, or even a Duck taking evasive action. These sights are treasures to preserve and protect for our future generations so that they too can appreciate what Nature has given to us.

A Purple Heron spied through the branches

I used to think Knob-billed Ducks were really ugly with the so-called, 'knob' looking so out of place on their beaks, but then when I saw one flying across in the morning sun, I was struck by the beautiful colours of its feathers.

A Knob-billed Duck in all its colours

Ablutions of a Black Drongo

Just recently when I visited the Basai Wetland in Gurugram (Gurgaon) I was able to spot a Black Drongo going through its morning ablutions. I have rarely seen, throughout my trysts with nature, a Black Drongo skinny-dipping in the water. It was my belief that Black Drongos were 'dry land-based' birds that did not dive into the water for a bath. 

Well, this one, for once seemed to be very particular about cleaning itself very thoroughly. While perched on the branch of a Keekar tree, it gave itself a vigorous shake causing all its feathers to fan out and then its attention was devoted to the cleaning of its 'armpits' left and right.

But then, the best part was to see the bird dart towards the surface of the water and then dip into it! I at first thought it was merely skimming the surface for insects, however to my surprise, it plunged into the water and surfaced like a rocket. Of course, I was fast enough to capture the amazing moment. Lo and behold, there before me was one of the freshest and cleanest Black Drongos, sparkling in the sunlight!

Thus did I come to know that Black Drongos love to clean themselves for the day, and they love dipping into the water, probably to shake away loose dirt and other parasites that might be hiding under their feathers. It is indeed amazing to see these rather beautiful birds taking a dip in the water.