Behind the lens

a blog every Friday on a specific species of animal or bird and jungle lore

Listen to my TEDx talk.

Kuregad - A Tale of Water

Hidden in the deep recesses of the Kawal Tiger Reserve are a number of Gond villages having a close relationship with nature and its management. Closely linked with each individual of the Gond clan is a lineage of Pardhans, bards and chroniclers, who play a vital role in the worship of the clan deity and many other ritual activities. Today is about one such village which depended on their solitary well for water but when the water started to make them sick, they left to settle at a different location. Life in the forest isn’t always a bed of roses.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Kawal, #KawalTigerReserve, #hyticos, #wildtelangana, #telanganawildlife, #gondvillage, #waterscarcity, #lifeintheforest, #gondlife, #telanganagonds, #adilabad, #kumurambheemasifabad, #gundala, #kuregad,

Read More

Indian Bark Mantis

The Indian Bark Mantis (Humbertiella ceylonica), is a species of praying mantis found throughout India. It is well-known for its excellent camouflage, resembling tree bark, hence the name. As its name suggests it generally lives on the bark of trees and its color and texture closely match the bark of trees, allowing it to blend seamlessly into its environment. Like other mantises, they are ambush predators, patiently waiting for prey to come within reach before striking primarily feeding on insects and other arthropod.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Wildlife, #naturephotography, #earthcapture, #conservationphotography, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #animalsofinstagram, #prayingmantis, #mantids, #insects, #preyingmantids, #indianbarkmantis, #barkmantis, #Mantodea, #Gonypetidae, #anthropods, #bugs, #Kawal, #KawalTigerReserve, #hyticos, #wildtelangana, #telanganawildlife, #telanganaanthropods, #Insectsoftelangana,

Read More
Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Stork-billed Kingfisher

A massive tree kingfisher widely but sparsely distributed in the tropical Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It sports a large scarlet bill, olive-brown head with dark green-blue upperparts & buff underparts. Its regular contact call is a loud laughing “ka-ka-ka” repeated 6-10 times. It prefers large streams, rivers, and the edges of large water bodies with vegetated banks.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #PromediagearTR424L, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #animalsofinstagram, @globalcapture, #singapore, #storkbilledkingfisher, #kingfisher, #treekingfisher, #sungeibulohwetlands,

Read More
Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Yellow-eyed Babbler

A passerine bird native to South & SE Asia inhabiting shrubland, grassland and wetland habitats. An odd-looking babbler which looks and behaves like a prinia on steroids. Brown above and white below with rufous wingtips with a unique red eyering. Scrambles about in reed beds, scrub, field edges, and grassy meadows in small flocks and pairs. Scales stems like a parrotbill and hangs acrobatically like a tit or leaf warbler. Strident, melodic song has a somewhat hoarse, nasal quality. Calls include repeated descending whistles, energetic chattering, and dry chittering.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #india, #telanganabirds, #ananthagiri, #ananthagiriforestrange, #vikarabad, #YellowEyedBabbler, #Babbler, @wildtelangana, #Damagundam, #chincholi,

Read More
Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Scaly-breasted Munia/ Spotted Munia

An attractive small songbird of grasslands, gardens, fields & agricultural areas. It is native to India and SE Asia, with introduced populations scattered elsewhere around the world. Typical adults are a dark chestnut-brown above, white below, with a fine dark scaly pattern on the belly. Typically found in small flocks, sometimes mixed with other species of munia.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #india, #telanganabirds, #nallamallaforest, #ananthagiri, #ananthagiriforestrange, #bishanangmokio, #manjeera, #zaheerabad, #chincholiwildlifereserve, #damagundam, #scalybreastedmunia, #munia, #spottedmunia, #Lonchurapunctulata, #nutmegmannikin, #spicefinch

Read More
Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Indian Nightjar

The Indian nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus) is a cryptically -coloured small nightbird which is a resident breeder in open lands across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Note the white “moustache” streak, golden-brown collar, and pointed buff-and-black feathers above the wing. The male shows bright white patches near the wingtips and on the tail-tips in flight. They are found in a range of wooded habitats, from hilly dry forest to garden edges.

Like most nightjars it is crepuscular and is best detected from its characteristic calls at dawn and dusk that have been likened to a stone skipping on a frozen lake - a series of clicks that become shorter and more rapid. There is considerable plumage variation across its range and can be hard to differentiate from other nightjars in the region especially in the field.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #india, #telanganabirds, #ananthagiri, #ananthagiriforestrange, #vikarabad, #IndianNightjar, #nightjar, @wildtelangana, #Damagundam, #chincholi,

Read More
Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Blue Rock Thrush

The Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) is a species of chat. This thrush-like Old World flycatcher breeds in southern Europe, northwest Africa, and from Central Asia to northern China and Malaysia. The blue rock thrush is the official national bird of Malta (the word for it in Maltese being Merill).

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @globalcapture, #india, #umamaheshwaramtemple, #achampet, #rockthrush, #bluerockthrush, #chat, #telanganabirds, #oldworldflycatcher, #nallamallaforest, #ananthagiri, #thrush

Read More
Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Rufous Treepie

A long- and stiff-tailed bird of the crow family - Corvidae - with primarily rusty-brown upperparts and dull orangish underparts. The head, mantle, and neck region are a dull, sooty black. The long graduated tail is pale gray with a wide black terminal band. Note the conspicuous silvery-gray, white, and black patterns on the wings. This treepie is found in a wide range of habitats from woodlands to scrubby patches, singly or in pairs feeding in the treetops.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #india, #umamaheshwaramtemple, #achampet, #telanganabirds, #nallamallaforest, #ananthagiri, #AnanthagiriForestRange, #vikarabad, #rufoustreepie, #treepie,

Read More