January 2011 – Page 2 – Musings of a Wandering Mind

January 19, 2011 —Categories: darter, Uncategorized

Announcing: Wild West – Bird Photography Tour of Kutch

After our hugely successful tour of Daroji Bear Sanctuary and Hampi, Darter is excited to announce its second tour, this time to the Western-most wilderness of India – Kutch. Little Rann of Kutch and Greater Rann of Kutch play host to some of the most beautiful and sought-after birds in the country. Darter, created by me and Shreeram ,specializes in photography tours across the country with a wide focus area such as wildlife, nature and landscape, culture, heritage sites and street life.

Wild West – Bird Photography Tour of Kutch by Darter February 5th to 9th and February 9th to 13th

Images of Kutch

From the pink hues of the Greater and Lesser Flamingos to the mighty eagles to the huge flocks of Common and Damoiselle Cranes to the ever-active warblers, the Rann of Kutch offers ample bird photography opportunities across various habitats. Many species of birds migrating from Europe and Central Asia make this beautiful place their home during the winter months. In addition, rare birds like Great Indian Bustards, Sociable Lapwings, Greater Hoopoe-lark, Macqueen’s Bustards, Marshall’s Ioras, Stoliczka’s Bushchats, White-naped Tits and Grey Hypocolius that are seen here are rich additions to any bird photographer’s portfolio. Not to forget Short-eared Owls and Pallid Scops-owls. Of course, the birds of the night, the Syke’s Nightjars, are not left far behind.

The Little Rann of Kutch also has another beautiful animal to offer – the Asiatic Wild Ass – found nowhere else in the entire world. Blackbucks, Nilgai, Desert and Indian Foxes and Jackals are other common mammals in these areas. On a lucky day, one might also see an Indian Wolf or, who knows, a Caracal too!

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you are a birder and not a photographer. This extensive trip, covering most of the areas in both LRK and GRK, will keep you enthralled from start to finish.

Tour Itinerary

The Wild West Tour of Kutch will cover both Little Rann of Kutch and Greater Rann of Kutch from February 5 to February 13, 2011. Optionally, participants can join in for either the Little Rann of Kutch (Tour 1) or Greater Rann of Kutch (Tour 2). The detailed itinerary is as follows:

Tour 1 – Little Rann of Kutch
* Day 1 (Feb 5): Arrive in Little Rann of Kutch. After lunch, we head out to the Little Rann for bird photography.
* Day 2 to 4 (Feb 6 – 8): Bird photography in different areas of Little Rann. We’ll cover the grasslands, scrub, agricultural fields, water bodies and the open Rann looking for species of birds that occur in different habitats. We’ll also try to photograph the rarities of this region, including Asiatic Wild Ass, Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Sociable Lapwings, Macqueen’s Bustard, Cream-colored Coursers and Pallid Scops-Owl, in addition to Dalmatian Pelicans, Great White Pelicans, Common Cranes, Damoiselle Cranes, Short-eared Owls and Harriers. On a night safari, we’ll experience the stillness of the Rann and photograph the Syke’s Nightjar.
* Day 5 (Feb 9): Tour 1 ends. Participants head back home after breakfast. Participants of the complete Wild West tour head to Greater Rann of Kutch after breakfast.

Tour 2 – Greater Rann of Kutch
* Day 5 (Feb 9 – Day 1 for those coming only on this tour): tour 2 starts. Participants arrive at Bhuj and are driven to Greater Rann of Kutch. After lunch, we head out to the Greater Rann of Kutch.
* Day 6 – 8 (Feb 10 – 12): Bird photography in different areas of Greater Rann. We’ll cover grasslands, scrub, water bodies and the open Rann looking for species of birds that occur in different habitats. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Greater Rann of Kutch. Key targets here would be the Great Indian Bustard, Stoliczka’s Bushchat, Sociable Lapwing, Crab Plover, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Marshall’s Iora and White-naped Tit.
* Day 9 (Feb 13): Tour ends after morning session. Participants head back home after breakfast.

Accommodation
Accommodation would be at Desert Coursers Resort in Little Rann of Kutch and CEDO in Greater Rann of Kutch.

Cost
Tour 1 (Little Rann of Kutch from Feb 5 to Feb 9) – Rs. 16,500.
Tour 2 (Greater Rann of Kutch from Feb 9 to Feb 13) – Rs. 20,000.
For the full Wild West tour (Little and Greater Runn of Kutch together) – Rs. 36,500.

**EARLY BIRD OFFER**

Book on or before January 24, 2011 (Monday) to join the Wild West tour at a discounted cost of Rs. 34, 500 only. For tour 1, the discounted cost would be Rs. 15,500. For tour 2, the discounted cost would be Rs. 19,000.

Book early before the airfares go up and also avail the early bird offer

The cost includes:
– Accommodation on twin sharing basis and 3 meals per day at LRK and/or GRK
– Field trips
– Forest department permits and camera fees
– Photography sessions
– Transport from LRK to GRK (if you join for the Grand Tour)

The cost does not include:
– Transport from your hometown to LRK/GRK
– Additional soft drinks/mineral water ordered
– Additional snacks or eatables ordered
– Medical costs
– Tips and anything that is not part of the includes list above

Book this tour
Contact us to book the tour. An initial booking amount of Rs. 5000 would have to be deposited to confirm your booking. Book on or before 24th January to get early bird discounts. An early booking would also ensure better flight rates.
Email: shreeram@visualquotient.net
Ph: 97400 83260 (Shreeram)

Cancellation policy
If you choose to cancel your booking, the following refund policy would apply.
– Booking advance will not be refunded.
– Cancellation before Feb 2 will receive a 75% refund of the remaining amount.
– Cancellation after Feb 2 will not receive any refunds.

ACCOMPANYING GUIDE AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERT: SHREERAM M V
Shreeram is a passionate naturalist and a professional wildlife photographer. He has photographed wildlife across multiple habitats across India – from the rain forests to the high-altitude deserts to grasslands to coasts. He comes with vast expertise in bird photography, having photographed hundreds of species from places as far as mountains of Ladakh to the beautiful forests of the North-east to the vast wildernesses of Kutch to the seashores of South India. See some of his works at http://www.visualquotient.net/

January 11, 2011 —Categories: travel photography

Travel Photography: Photographing Waterfalls

This article appeared in January issue of Terrascape, a travel magazine for which I am an editorial consultant and also write a column on photography. Read all the earlier earlier travel photography articles on India Travel Blog.

What would you like to see in this column?

I have been posting photography tips on India Travel Blog for a while now and there are about 25 of them here so far. See all of them here. The tips cover a lot of topics on compositions and photographing specific subjects like the waterfalls here. I would love to know what other topics on photography would you like to see covered in the upcoming travel photography articles. Please leave your comments here about the areas where you would like to see some photography tips. Thank you.

Waterfalls are among some of the most charming creations of nature. The force of water falling from a height, the mist generated from the fall and a frothy pond at the bottom form a photogenic spectacle that are worth your and your camera’s attention. If you keep in mind a few technical details, it is also easy to make good-looking images of waterfalls. Let’s see how we do that.

Contorl your shutter speed. The first tip, which is also the most important thing to remember in photographing waterfalls, is technical in nature. If your camera’s shutter opens and closes very quickly, say in just 1/100 seconds, every droplet of falling water appears standing in its place and the impact of the fall is not apparent. A sense of falling movement begins to appear only at speeds below 1/30 seconds, where you may perceive a slight moment in the recorded frame. As your shutter speed gets slower, the appearance of motion becomes more apparent. By taking a picture with shutter speed set between half second to two seconds, the waterfall can be made to appear like a continuous string of water (instead of droplets hanging in the air), giving it a magical appearance. Take the picture with shutter speed set between these values. If you expose longer than two seconds, you may end up getting one thick white bar in the place of the waterfall and its charm is lost.

Many advanced point and shoot cameras and all SLR cameras allow you to set the shutter speed. Consult your camera manual to find out how to make these settings. Also, when you are photographing at such slow shutter speeds, it is difficult to keep your hands perfectly steady. Use a tripod to prevent camera shake.

dhuandhar falls

Capture the ambience. Don’t fill your frame with waterfall unless it has some attractive elements like cascades or other interesting patterns. Capture the surroundings of the fall as well. Waterfalls usually are located in green surroundings and the stream tends to have beautiful rounded rocks jutting out from the water. They all come together to enhance the appeal of the fall.

jog falls

Point of view. More often than not we see a waterfall standing directly in front of it at a comfortable distance from the fall. If the terrain permits, walk around the fall and look for unusual angles. Few waterfalls get photographed from the top of the fall, but it makes a very interesting point of view. Also see if there is space to a side of the fall or almost immediately below the waterfall for taking pictures. Such angles give new perspectives of the fall that you would never have thought about.

January 8, 2011 —Categories: photos, rajasthan, wildlife

Nilgai at Bharatpur

I got down from the train at Agra Fort on a cold November morning and took a bus towards Bharatpur. Somewhere just after crossing Agra and driving past the villages and fields, I suddenly saw three mammals sprinting away and crossing the road quickly ahead of the bus. I could not see them clearly and thought it may be cows, but they were too fast for cows and had a more slender and agile body. Was it some kind of a deer that roamed free in unprotected areas like villages and farmlands? It seemed unlikely. How often in India do you see wild animals living far away from the forests and getting integrated with human habitat? I kept wondering what they are for a long time until I wandered into Keoladeo National Park.

Those were Blue Bulls or Nilgai. There were plenty of them in the small protected region of the park and perhaps a few roamed freely in the region around it. I do not know if these animals had learned to live with humans or were forced into it due to loss of habitat, but it was surprising to find them so far away – about 40km from Bharatpur. I doubt if there was any other forest land in the vicinity that would have given them shelter.

Though Nilgais are in large numbers in Bharatpur, they wander far and wide into the marshes and are not always seen close to the park roads. I did not see even one of them on my first day in the park and saw them from a distance on the second. However, on my last morning in the sanctuary, this fine fellow came closer to the shore and allowed me to take a few pictures.

nilgai