Posts in Category: Bharatpur

Wildlife of Keoladeo National Park: Golden Jackal

Finishing up, I think, the wildlife posts from Keoladeo National Park, in Bharatpur India, this is a Indian Golden Jackal, a handsome wild canine common throughout Asia and into Europe. It is most closely reflected to the wolf and coyote, and, in fact will cross breed with Asian Wolves and domestic dogs. It is about the same size as the North American Coyote, and favors river bottoms and agricultural areas, as opposed to foothills and mountains. Sony Rx10iv at 238mm equivalent. (It was right beside the road.) Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

India! Mottled Owl

Mottled Owl: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — One last Mottled Owl before we leave Keoladeo. We saw at least a dozen in our 3 days there. They apparently have no fear of humans. Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

India! Black-crowned Night Heron

Black-crowned Night Heron: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — I posted a photo of a Striated Heron, misidentified as a Black-crowned recently and had to correct it…but these are definitely Black-crowned Night Herons. 🙂 From our last morning in Keoladeo. Again, as I said in the last post, they have one of the largest ranges across 5 continents of any bird in the world. Sony Rx10iv at 586mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

India! Black-necked Stork

Black-necked Stork: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — I think this stork might be just coming into adult plumage. We saw it several times in our three days at Keoladeo. Such a magnificent bird! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 200 and 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th and 1/800th. +1.3 EV

India! Ashy Drongo

Ashy Drongo: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — On our last morning in Keoladeo, we took a longish hike back trough the heavy thickets between the road and the marsh in hopes of a roosting owl. No owl, or at least not the one we were looking for, but we did encounter a number of other interesting birds, including this Ashy Drongo, our first and only one for the trip. Though some of us tried to turn it into the more common and more likely White-bellied Drongo in hindsight…I am pretty sure, from both the photo and the habitat, that it is an Ashy. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +1EV.

India! Indian Thick-knee

Indian Thick-knee: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — I posted a photo of one of these Indian Thick-knees while I was still in India in March. We spent, realively speaking, more time looking for this specific bird than for any other on our trip, as we hiked back into the brushy area to the side of the road between the first and second entrance gates many times before we found them. If they are hunkered down, like the bird on the right, it is very easy not to see them. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 160 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

India! Brahminy Starling

Brahminy Starling: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — I always say, of all the Starlings in the world that might have been introduced into North America, our common Starling is least attractive. Starlings would get more respect if they looked like this Brahminy Starling, especially when having a bad feather day as this one was. Pesky wind and bit of breeding territory excitement. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +1.3 EV.

India! Grey Heron

Grey Heron: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — I have to admit that I do not get too excited about Grey Herons when I am traveling. They are so much like our Great-blue Herons, which are pretty much every where in the US…and the Grey is pretty much every where, well, ever where else. It ranges from Great Britain across Europe, most of Asia, and Africa south of the Sahara. In Australia they have the White-faced Heron, also a very similar bird. So, while I photograph every one I see…I don’t get overly excited. 🙂 Not that it is not a great bird. It is. The grayish herons are one of the birds I like to show to other’s, especially children, as it never fails to impress. And it has a great a range of feather textures as any bird alive…and they are very visible because the bird is so big. These birds were out on one of the side roads at the end of the access road in Keoladeo. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 640 and 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

India! Flying Foxes

Indian Flying Fox (Fruit Bats): Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — Not birds for today, but still flying creatures. These large fruit bats were roosting in a tree by the canteen at the end of the Keoladeo access road, right over the road. These are really big bats, among the largest bats in the world…weighing up to 3.5 pounds, with a body 8-9 inches long and a wingspan that can reach to 5 feet. Big bats! They do carry several diseases we can catch, and they feed on ripe fruit so fruit farmers tend to dislike them…but they may well offset any fruit destroyed by doing service as pollinators. That is still a hard sell if your income depends on your orchard. There must have been 20 in this roost. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. +1EV.

India! Painted Stork

Painted Stork: Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, March 2023 — We saw hundreds of Painted Storks at Keoladeo, and all but three of them were immatures. I asked our guide why, and he said the adults were all out in farm fields feeding during the day. We found these adults late in the day, as the sun was preparing to set. Perhaps they knocked off early for the day. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. 526mm equivalent @ ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th, +.7 EV. 600mm equivalent @ ISO 640 @ f4 @ 1/500th.