The great stone-curlew (also known as the great thick-knee) is a large wader, frequently seen along the shores of slow moving bodies of water. These birds are typically nocturnal, but can sometimes be seen during the day, moving slowly and deliberately. They can be quite skittish, often not allowing a close approach. In this case I was photographing from a small boat, so that likely helped me get close without spooking the bird.
A great stone-curlew stands alone on a rock in a shallow lake, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, India
When photographing this bird, I was able to circle the rock on which it was standing. This gave me typical front-lit lighting (with the sun directly behind me), as well as back-lighting (with the sun behind the subject).
A great stone-curlew stands alone on a rock in a shallow lake, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, India
As I was finishing up photographing this bird, I could tell it was quite comfortable with my presence. Soon it stopped pacing and sat down on the rock to rest in the sun.
Whenever I’m at the beach I take a close look at any shorebirds I see, scanning to see if there is an uncommon species in the bunch. On a recent trip to Mexico, I was rewarded with great views (and photographs) of a Royal Tern. This is not necessarily an uncommon species, but one that I don’t get to see often.
When I see a target bird among a larger group, I do my best to isolate it photographically so that it will stand out as a well defined main subject. In this case I wasn’t able to photograph it away from a multitude of sandpipers, but by using the largest aperture I had available, I was able to isolate the tern using depth of field. By focusing on its eye, I made sure it was the only bird it focus, drawing the viewers eye to it.
A royal tern flies low over a flock of shorebirds, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
It is also a good idea to be patient, as you never know when you’re going to see action. In this case, I spent some time focused on the tern and was rewarded when it suddenly took flight. I was ready to go, and got several sharp in-flight photos before it disappeared.
The next time you see a large group of shorebirds clustered together, spend a little time picking through the crowd. You might just be surprised what you find!
My recent trip to India was timed well with getting to see chicks feeding from their parent. By this time in their lives, the chicks were nearly as large as the adult, however they still relied on the parent to feed and shelter them.
A black-headed ibis feeds two large chicks, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, India
Although I had never seen a black-headed ibis before, I was familiar with the feeding behavior of this size of bird. Typically the adult will eat food away from the nest and then bring it back, regurgitating the food for consumption by the juvenile.
This photo shows just how far the chick will insert its beak into that of the parent. During this feeding, only one of the chicks got food, pushing its sibling away from the parent with its wing. This survival of the fittest instinct is common amongst siblings – sometimes they go so far as to push each other out of the nest so that they themselves have a better chance at survival.
A black-headed ibis stands on a large rock in a shallow lake, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, India
Although the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary was technically off season for the peak of bird activity, there were many ibis in and around the water. Most were nesting in trees and feeding their young, but several were out in the open, offering nice portrait opportunities.
A black-headed ibis stands on a large rock in a shallow lake, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, India
While not a beautiful bird by any means, it was great to get up close and personal with a new species. Appreciation of even the most common birds brings forward interesting and previously unseen details, allowing for much greater enjoyment of the natural world.
While almost every bird I saw in India was a new species for me, it always feels special to see a species you know is somewhat uncommon for the area. One such bird I saw at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary was the white-browed wagtail.
White-browed wagtails call often in the mornings and are active at this time like most other wagtails. The song is long and loud with many different notes. The usual call has a wheezy sound. They can fly fairly rapidly for long distances, and have been recorded as fast as 40 km/h. They usually perch on the ground or low rocks.
A white-browed wagtail stands on a rock backlit by beautiful greens and yellows of distant foliage, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, India
I was lucky to not only have great views of this species, but also beautiful light. Our small boat circled the bird and I caught several shots with a background of distant green foliage, lit by speckled sunlight.
