My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
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...
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...
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:))
ReplyDeletewow!!! 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!
Deletegood 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Santosh!!! will write this down and try it out with the birds I see at home...
Deletebeautiful pic
ReplyDeleteThanks Samaresh!
DeleteHey, 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!
DeleteGreat captures.
ReplyDeleteThanks Indrani!
DeleteExcellent pics!
ReplyDelete