Behind the Lens

a blog every Friday on a specific species of animal or bird and stories of photos

Search for a specific species, genre or even a location or use the directory for a complete list of species I have photographed and written about till date.

Listen to my TEDx talk.

Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Wildlife Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Eurasian Hoopoe

An unmistakable cinnamon coloured bird with a zebra-striped wings, a Chinese fan of a crest (usually held closed, but often raised just after landing), and a rapier of a bill. The hoopoe favours semi-open habitats such as heathland, farmland, orchards, grassy lawns, where it feeds on the ground, probing with its long bill for insects.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #kabini, #jungle, #Wild, #nagarholetigerreserve, #nilgiribiosphere, #nagarhole, #kabinibackwaters, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #nammakarnataka, #tipeshwar, #Tadoba, #tadobaandharitigerreserve, #yawatmal, #penchnationalpark, #pench, #telanganabirds, #Manjeera, #AmeenpurLake, #ananthagiriforest, #NarsapurForest, #bhigwanbirdsanctuary

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

Sambhar

The Sambhar (Rusa unicolor) are a large deer species native to the Indian subcontinent, South China & SE Asia listed as a Vulnerable Species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Sambar have many subspecies which vary in size and appearance, and it is known as the largest Oriental deer with some adult males reaching 550kg in weight. Their populations have declined substantially due to severe hunting, local insurgency, and industrial exploitation of habitat.

Sambar have a thick coat of long, coarse hair which forms a dense mane around the neck, especially in males. The males can be distinguished by their antlers, as well as being slightly larger and darker than females and young. The name is also spelled Sambur, Sambhar or Sambhur.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #kabini, #Wildlife, #nagarholetigerreserve, #nilgiribiosphere, #nagarhole, #kabinibackwaters, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #tipeshwar, #pench, #deer, #Rusaunicolor, #Tadoba, #tadobaandharitigerreserve, #penchnationalpark, #pench, #sambar, #sambhar, #sambur, #sambhur,

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

Oriental Honey Buzzard

This is a large resident raptor of lowland & montane broad leaf and mixed forests, well-known for their tendency to congregate in large flocks of up to thousands during migration. They have an unusually small and slender head, a long striped tail, broad wings, and well-striped underwings which make them easily recognisable and they also show considerable plumage variation throughout their range. True to their name, this species is a raider of wasp and bee nests, although it prefers their larvae over their honey.

#wildartworks, #jungle, #raptor, #wildlife, #wildlifephotography, #tipeshwar, #tipeshwarwildlifesanctuary, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #orientalhoneybuzzard, #buzzard, #crestedhoneybuzzard, #tropicalraptor, #tadoba, #pench, #rannofkutch, #littlerannofkutch, #kutch, #endemic,

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

White-eyed Buzzard

The White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa) is a slim brown buzzard with a distinct white iris. Adults have a white throat with a prominent dark stripe, yellow base of the bill, & a rufous tail. The dark tips to wing feathers are clearly visible in flight and there is often a white patch on its nape. The usual habitat is dry, open country or forest, where it mainly feeds on insects, rodents, & small mammals. This species is most often seen soaring alone in thermals or perched still. Groups of two or three may sometimes be seen.

#wildartworks, #jungle, #raptor, #wildlife, #wildlifephotography, #tipeshwar, #tipeshwarwildlifesanctuary, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #whiteeyedbuzzard, #buzzard, #tropicalraptor, #tadoba, #endemic

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

Nilgai

The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) (/ˈnilˌɡaɪ/, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest antelope of Asia, and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus Boselaphus.

It is a sturdy thin-legged antelope, characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. Females and juveniles are orange to tawny while adult males have a bluish-grey coat and possess horns. Read on.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #canon, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @globalcapture, #maharashtra, #tipeshwar, #SunnaGate, #Nilgai, #bluecow, #antelope, #largestantelope, #Boselaphus, #bluebuck,

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

Indian Roller

The Indian Roller is a brightly coloured bird with various shades of blue on the wings, tails, & belly that are more prominent in flight. There are longitudinal white streaks on the throat and breast. They are generally silent, but vocal in the breeding season with harsh calls. Preferring open areas, including agricultural landscapes, they sit on exposed perches including electric wires, occasionally pumping their tail slowly.

#wildartworks, #kabini, #jungle, #wildlifephotography, #nilgiribiosphere, #nagarholetigerreserve, #kabinibackwaters, #tipeshwar, #tipeshwarwildlifesanctuary, #tadoba, #pench, #littlerannofkutch, #kutch, #tadobaandharitigerreserve, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #bluejay, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #statebird, #IndianRoller, #Roller,

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

Chital

The Chital or Cheetal (Axis axis), also known as spotted deer, chital deer, & axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. First described & given a binomial name in 1777 it is a moderate-sized deer, with only the males exhibiting antlers. The upper parts are golden to rufous, completely covered in white spots while the abdomen, rump, throat, insides of legs, ears, and tail are all white. The lyre-shaped antlers, three-pronged, are nearly 1 m long.

#wildartworks #wildlifephotography #kabini #jungle #wild #forest #wildlife #nagarholetigerreserve #nilgiribiosphere #nagarhole #kabinibackwaters #conservationphotography #indian_wildlifes #indianwildlifeofficial #wildlifeonearth #bbcearth #natgeowild #natgeoindia #nammakarnataka #tipeshwar #chital #deer #axisdeer #spotteddeer #Tadoba #tadobaandharitigerreserve #yawatmal, #penchnationalpark, #pench, #ungulate,

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

Changeable Hawk-Eagle/ Crested Hawk-Eagle

A medium-sized eagle with massive rounded wings. It appears very small-headed in flight. Their name is misleading, as there are only really two color morphs, pale and black. The pale-morph adult is dark brown above with a white breast overlaid with dark streaks. While the dark morph is dark all over with paler outer wing feathers, and can be mistaken for dark Honey-Buzzards. They inhabit forests, forest edges, and expansive parks and plantations.

#wildartworks, #kabini, #tadoba, #TadobaTigerReserve, #jungle, #raptors, #wild, #forest, #wildlife, #wildlifephotography, #nilgiribiosphere, #nagarholetigerreserve, #kabinibackwaters, #tipeshwar, #tipeshwarwildlifesanctuary, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, #changeablehawkeagle, #crestedhawkeagle, #eagle, #hawk, #tropicalraptor,

Read More