Wildlife Photography at Chandu Budhera can Spring Surprises

Today, when I visited the Chandu Budhera Wetland, I did not expect much. The sky was overcast; the paths were slippery, and the fields were green. I guess the best thing about photographing wildlife is stepping into a green world, breathing fresh air, and maybe even spotting something interesting. Ok, so I was using a 70-300 mm zoom lens because I planned to photograph resident and migratory birds, but instead I ended up photographing a hovering Dragonfly! An unlikely proposition for a setup meant more for photographing birds. The results, however, were amazing, as you can see from the examples attached below.

However, I did spot a few birds too. The ubiquitous spot-billed ducks were at play in their favourite pond, the weaver birds were busy building their nests, and the Lesser Whistling ducks were hidden behind some bushes.

Of course, in the days to come, this wetland too will disappear like the Basai Wetland, swallowed whole by residential buildings, roads and flyovers, all in the name of development. Gurgaon is losing all its important Biodiversity hotspots. Of the Basai Wetland, all that remains are memories, photographs and written accounts.