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Odisha Part 4: Chilika – Experiencing the lake, in and out of season

My first visit to the Chilika Lake in Jan 2017 was for content for a resort. It was peak season, and I would have loved to stay near the lake, but the brief was to stay at Puri and cover areas that could be visited from Puri. And so, I did the usual touristy thing, taking a boat for half the day. Which is why, on my next visit to Odisha, if there was one thing I was clear about, it was that I wanted to stay near the lake, at least for a day, if not more. However, unlike my first visit, the second was in end of May, and the season was long ended. There would be no birds, I was warned by anyone and everyone I spoke to, including the people at the stays I was considering. But those who know me, know how stubborn I can be, and so I persisted. I eventually decided to stay at two of the Odisha eco-tourism resorts, at Mangalajodi and Rajhans, keen on experiencing the lake, even minus the birds. I had expected it to be hot, but as it turned out, the rains turned out to be even bigger spoilspo...
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Hoopoe

The Hoopoe is said to be quite a common bird, usually found in fields. However, to those of us who get to see it rarely, it is as good as any of the exotic birds!! We first saw hoopoes on our trip to Binsar, but this time, at Jaipur, we got to see them in large numbers. I saw plenty of them, but photographing them turned out to be a challenge!! They moved so quickly, that most of my images came out blurred. Here is the one decent image I managed to click.....





And here is one I clicked while visiting a temple near Jaipur. The sun was shining brightly in my eyes, and I wasn't even sure I would get a decent shot, but I clicked anyway, and here is the result...



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Comments

  1. AartiMay 25, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    This was the 1st bird i spotted when i began bird watching and then in Hampi i spotted not one, but 5 of them one after the other... joy knew no bounds:))

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    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMay 25, 2012 at 11:25 AM

      wow!!! we didnt see a single Hoopoe at Hampi! but then we didnt see as many birds as u did there ;( but they looks so beautiful!

      Delete
  2. Santosh BsMay 25, 2012 at 6:08 PM

    good images, for moving birds switch to Tv mode on your camera and increase the shutter speed to say 1/500 or 1/1000 or higher and then you freeze the birds in motion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMay 25, 2012 at 7:18 PM

      Thanks so much, Santosh!!! will write this down and try it out with the birds I see at home...

      Delete
  3. Samaresh BiswalMay 25, 2012 at 10:22 PM

    beautiful pic

    ReplyDelete
  4. HaddockMay 26, 2012 at 5:41 AM

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMay 26, 2012 at 10:10 AM

      Hey, Haddock, sorry your comment just disappeared..no idea what went wrong. one moment i was approving it and the next moment it vanished... but i did read it and thanks so much!!!! would love to see the pics u take with the technique santosh mentioned!

      Delete
  5. IndraniMay 26, 2012 at 8:13 AM

    Great captures.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AshJune 1, 2012 at 4:06 PM

    Excellent pics!

    ReplyDelete

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