White-fronted Kingfisher: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Though we had already seen the White-fronted Kingfisher at Saltanpur, these were my first really good shots, and between them they show off the bird to good advantage. The White-fronted is the most common Kingfisher, at least in Rajasthan, at least on our journeys. We saw them everywhere, and in some unlikely places as well. It is big. It is bold. It is highly visible. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1600 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1.3EV.

Purple Heron: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — The Purple Heron has a wide range across Europe, Africa, and Asia. There might be up to 4 subspecies. The same subspecies is found in India as the one in sub-saharan Africa, but it is different than the one found in Europe…so I have seen at least two. This one was fairly close to the road at Keoladeo, but screened by foreground vines. I had to do some post-processing to dig the bird out of the shadows. Still, a satisfying shot. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Coopersmith Barbet: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — After our first Coopersmith, we, of course, saw several more in Keoladeo National Park….and most of the time you could hear them calling, even if you did not see them. This one was doing its tree top thing…but was still within reach of my Sony. In my opinion the Coopersmith is one of the more attractive barbets, and that is saying quite a bit. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/1000th and 1/800th. Plus 1.3EV.

Rufous Treepie: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — There are quite a few Treepies in India, but only one is widespread and common…the Rufous Treepie. Treepies are members of the same family as crows, but are considerably more colorful, and arguably more musical. Their long bicolored tails give them the look, at a glance, of having a bob at the end of the tail. We saw them wherever we went in Rajasthan. Sony Rx10iv at 560mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100, 125, and 400 @ f4 @ 1/800th and 1/500th. Plus 1.3EV.

Asian Pied and Brahminy Starlings: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, India, March 2023 — There are at least 6 Mynas and Starlings you can see in Rajasthan. This Asian Pied Starling appears to have a deformed lower mandible. Brahminy Starlings were more common in Keoladeo. Both are sometimes called Mynas. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. Pied: ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .7EV. Brahminy: ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Coppersmith Barbet: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — The Coopersmith Barbet was certainly one of the Indian Birds on my list to see and photograph. This small, colorful, Barbet is relatively common, but worth looking at whenever you see one. This one was in low vegetation because it had a nest hole in a nearby snag. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1.7EV.

Indian Grey Hornbill: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, india, March 2023 — While India is home to 10 species of Hornbills, most of them much more colorful, the only common and widespread one is the Grey…and certainly the only one in Rajasthan is the Grey. We saw them quite often on our travels…generally high in a tree. They certainly live up to their name…they are Indian, they are hornbills (though some other hornbills have more elaborate horns), and they are grey…grey, grey, grey…with just a hint of brown in the wings in certain light. On a grey morning in Keoladeo, they are certainly very grey. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 and 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Close up and right profile plus 1.7EV.

Greater Coucal: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Birding Keoladeo National Park is a unique experience. Pedal Rickshaws pick you up from your hotel (if your hotel is close enough to the park entrance, and most are) and you spend the day in and out of the rickshaw as you penetrate deep into the park along the dyke roads. You might get out and hike back on roads and trails where the rickshaws can’t go, but they are always there waiting to take you the next location when you get back to the “main” road. The drivers do this every day, year round, and enough of their customers are birders so that they know the English names of all the birds (though they may speak very little English beyond that), and have developed sharp eyes for spotting, and good instincts for positioning the rickshaw for the best views, often without even getting out. Luxurious birding indeed…if only the rickshaw was not always trying to shake your bones apart. 🙂 Still we covered much more of the park than we ever could have on foot…and motorized traffic is forbidden in much of the park. This is one of the first birds we encountered, just inside the main park gates, still in the dry area of the park. The Greater Coucal is, of course, reminiscent of the Coucals of Africa, but it is “greater” in every way. It is huge! And it is loud. Its calls carry across the dry scrubland like a horn. And it is relatively common so we did see several of them in our three days at Bharatpur (and elsewhere in our journeys). A shot to set the scene taken with the Sony A5100 and the ultra wide combo lens…and then the Coucal with the Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.