bird photography – Page 2 – Lose Yourself Photography

Ganeshgudi | A birding haven

A long drive to Belgaum had its own advantages. With Ganeshgudi only an hour-and-a-half away, an impromptu visit to the Old Magazine House was devised and I got there on a Friday evening.

I had checked earlier with a dear friend, Angad Achappa, about the usual suspects that frequent the Old Magazine House, so I had a fairly good idea what to expect.

Here are a few images of birds that I saw during my one night stay there:

The flagship species at the Old Magazine House is the White-bellied Blue Flycatcher. One can see quite a few individuals (both male and female) frequenting the bird baths.

Flycatcher_WBB_DSC6836 — White-bellied Blue Flycatcher (male) | Old Magazine House, Ganeshgudi

Flycatcher_WBB_F_DSC6914 — White-bellied Blue Flycatcher (female) | Old Magazine House, Ganeshgudi

Another common species is the Orange-headed Thrush.

Thrush_OH_DSC6619 — Orange-headed Thrush | Old Magazine House, Ganeshgudi

An occasional visitor – Lesser Yellownape Woodpecker

Yellownape_WP_DSC6879 — Lesser Yellownape Woodpecker | Old Magazine House,

At about 6.30 am the next morning, there was excitement among the birding guide and a bunch of photographers. A Malabar Trogon had been spotted at close quarters! Following the bird, I walked along the road and made a few images. This by far has been the best sighting of the Malabar Trogon.

Trogon_DSC6758 — Malaber Trogon (male) | Old Magazine House, Ganeshgudi

Other species that I saw during the same visit are:

Hill Myna, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Oriental White-eye, Black-naped Monarch, Yellow-browed Bulbul, Puff-throated Babbler, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Little Spiderhunter, Malabar Pied Hornbill, White-rumped Shama, Emerald Dove, Flame-throated Bulbul.

Note: The Old Magazine House now has a new bungalow with 6 well appointed rooms. Few old old cottages they had earlier have been dismantled and maybe renovated in the future.

All images shot with Nikon 600 f4 VR + D7100.

Birding by the bridge

The stream which flows at the entrance of Forest Hills Farm and Guesthouse attracts a host of birds. Commonly sighted birds are Malabar Whistling Thrush, Brown-cheeked Fulvetta, Black Drongo, Red-vented and Red Whiskered Bulbul, etc.

One evening I was treated to wonderful sights of the White-rumped Shama and female Indian Paradise Flycatcher.

Shama_DSC4368 — White-rumped Shama (male)

A White-rumped Shama poses on a steel pipe. It was nice to see this otherwise shy bird sit comfortably in the open despite my presence.

Flycatcher_AP_F_DSC4670 — Indian Paradise Flycatcher (female)

The extremely restless Flycatcher flying from one perch to another, offered a few seconds to freeze some frames.