The Takeoff - Blue-tailed Bee-eater

An image of a blue-tailed bee-eater, just before it takes off.

A blue-tailed bee-eater prepares to take off, Bangalore, May 2013

Equipment used:
Nikon D3S
Nikkor 600mm F4 VR
Gitzo 1325 tripod
Gitzo GH5380SQR ball head

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All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

Where do i land? - Blue-tailed Bee-eaters

Another wonderful trip it was to the riverbed close to Mysore on our way to Bandipur.

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters

After waiting for quite a bit, these birds arrived one by one. I was thrilled when three were perched, never expecting a fourth one to appear. I really liked this moment where it almost looks like the fourth bird is pondering as to where to land.

Equipment used:
Nikon D3S
Nikkor 600mm F4 VR
Gitzo 1325 tripod
Gitzo GH5380SQR ball head

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All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters in action

Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus

So here are a few images of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters i made in the month of May. Hope you enjoy them.

All the images were shot on a Canon EOS 20D with a Canon EF 600mm F4 L IS USM lens using rear-focus AF.

A pair of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters on the ground.

A pair of Blue-tailed Bee-eaters with their catch!

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters are near passerine birds from the Bee-eater family. They breed in South-eastern Asia, and are seen during the season in most places in peninsular India.

It is a richly-colored slender bird that can reach lengths of 23-26cms. The body is mainly green with a blue tail, from which it gets its name.

Blue-tailed Bee-eaters feed on insects, especially bees, hornets and wasps. They also feed on dragonflies (as seen above) in equal numbers. Quite often they are seen beating the insects cought in their beaks against twigs or branches, this is done to break the insects exoskeleton.

They nest in colonys in sandy banks or open flat areas, with the birds laying five-seven eggs each. Both the parents take care of the eggs and chicks.

A note to photographers: Please avoid going too close to the nest as this prevent the parents from taking food to the chicks inside the nest.

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All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com

Kabini Calling!!

After traveling to most of the Tiger Reserves in Karnataka, there was still one left to be ticked off the list, Kabini.

The backwaters of Kabini, which adjoins the Nagarhole National Park is a heaven for any wildlife photographer. After coming across a lot of leopard photographs from the region, i knew this was where i would make my first ever leopard image. Kabini is also famous for its large congregation of elephants during summers.

A leopard resting on top of a tree in Kabini

The leopard grooms herself before setting off for the night

On the 10th of December along with Sagarika, Sandeep, Suman and Prasana, we left Bangalore at 7AM and headed for The Serai, in Kabini. We checked in at our resort just short of lunch and were introduced to the GM Mr. Ashwin Pinto, who gave us a brief introduction about the resort and also about Kabini. From the time we arrived, we were all exited about the jungle safari that was just an hour away and it is in that very Safari towards the end that we found her sitting on a tree. I was thrilled, my very first safari in Kabini and id got my leopard image. My trip was made.

The night was spent chatting with the others over dinner.

The next day we opted for the jungle safari again in the morning and the boat safari in the evening. The morning safari yielded some fantastic sightings in the form a Malabar Flying Squirrel in broad daylight. It is quite rare to see them during the day as they are mainly nocturnal. We also came across a huge tusker on the banks at Sunset Point.

A tusker enjoys a mud-bath on the banks of Kabini Backwaters

A tusker on the banks of Kabini Backwaters

The evening boat ride yielded some very good elephant herd sightings. Kabini Backwaters is also home to a large number of Ospreys.

An Osprey at Kabini Backwaters

Crested Serpent Eagle

The next day before it was time to leave, we went for a short nature walk along the banks of the Kabini Backwaters with the head naturalist Mr. Kuttappan who showed us quite a few birds. The highlight of which for me was the Blue-tailed Bee Eater.

Blue-tailed Bee Eater

Wild boar in the backwaters

A sambar deer grazing along the banks

I must take some time out to thank Mr. Ashwin Pinto, the GM at the The Serai, Kabini, who was kind enough to help us plan the trip.

Some more images from the trip:

That's me photographing elephants at Kabini during the boat safari

Tusker along the banks

Common Kingfisher

Sunset at Kabini

We stayed at The Serai. Do visit their website for more details: http://www.theserai.in/en/in-the-waterfront.html

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All Images are Copyrighted Angad Achappa and may not be used in any form, website or print/online media without written permission of the Photographer. For any inquiry for the photographs please contact: angadachappaphotography@hotmail.com