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, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee Wildlife, Bird Photography Siddhartha Mukherjee

Mountain Bamboo Partridge

The Mountain Bamboo Partridge is an intricately patterned partridge of various scrubby habitats; not restricted to bamboo thickets. Their body is brown with black spots and gray streaks all over while the face is paler with a thick black line through the eye. They are usually seen singly or in pairs often foraging under cover but will venture out into the open at dawn. They are less tied to extensively thick cover than many small partridges.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #doiangkhang, #thailand, #mountainbamboopartridge, #partridge

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

White-bellied Sea Eagle

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is an enormous gray and white raptor that soars with wings held in strong V-shape. In flight the black and white underwing pattern & short tail are clearly visible. The juvenile is much browner and can be confused with the Wedge-tailed Eagle apart from the mostly pale and fairly short tail. They are predominantly found along coastlines, as well as estuaries and inland waterways.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #whitebelliedseaeagle, #raptor, #seaeagle, #langkawi, #Malaysia, #eagle

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

Red-backed Sea Eagle/ Brahminy Kite

The Brahminy Kites (Haliastur indus), formerly known as the Red-backed Sea Eagle in Australia, are medium-sized raptors that are easily recognized by their white head and chest. They are also known as Red-backed Kites, White-and-red Eagle Kites or White-headed Kites. These birds of prey are widespread throughout tropical Asia.

In Indonesia, they are known as elang bondol and is the official mascot of the capital and largest city of Indonesia - Jakarta. In Hinduism, the bird is considered as the contemporary representation of Garuda, the sacred bird of Lord Vishnu - the preserver in the holy Hindu Trinity. According to a fable from central Bougainville Island, a mother left her baby under a banana tree while gardening, and the baby floated into the sky crying and transformed into Kaa'nang, the Brahminy kite, its necklace becoming the bird's feathers.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #brahminykite, #kite, #redbackedseaeagle, #garuda, #langkawi, #eagle

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

Spot-breasted Parrotbill

The Spot-breasted Parrotbill (Paradoxornis guttaticollis) is a species of bird in the Paradoxornithidae family. It is a bulbous-headed brown bird with a comically large pale yellow bill which is oddly twisted, making it seem as if the bird is smiling.

The bird as you can see is brownish overall, with a rich chestnut cap and paler underparts. Its face is liberally splattered with black splotches, the largest patch on the ear where it forms a thick crescent.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #Bird, #Birdinginthewild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #your_best_birds, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #photo_pond, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #yesbbcearth, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #spotbreastedparrotbill, #parrotbill

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

Two Tigers

Pench National Park, nestled in the heart of India in the lower southern reaches of the Satpura hills, sprawls a massive 758 sq. kms across the states of Madhya Pradesh & Maharashtra. Named after the pristine River Pench it was immortalised by Rudyard Kipling in his Jungle Book. Every year millions make their way here to spot Akela, Baloo, Bagheera and Shere Khan.

Our story revolves around two young male tigers who have made their home in the small hills and well-stocked teak mixed forest of Rukhad. Let’s track and watch the two tigers - from first light to last light - living, patrolling and marking the same territory.

Tigers, like many large mammals, are believed to have a mental map of their territories and they are also extremely territorial so to have two young males patrolling and marking the same territory is not observed very often. The presence of two males in their prime invariably leads to drama and multiple fights till one emerges supreme.

#wildartworks, #wildlifephotography, #penchnationalpark, #pench, #rukhad, #masoonalagate, #canon, #rukhadgate, #kurai, #seoni, #tiger, #jungle, #wild, #forest, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #indian_wildlifes, #indianwildlifeofficial, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #madhyapradesh, #trackingwildlife, #tracking, #kingfishermale, #kuraigadmale, #kuraigarhmale, #safari, #nightsafari, #monsoon, #filmingintherain, #pantheratigris, #scentmarking, #bengaltiger, #royalbengaltiger

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

Giant Nuthatch

The critically endangered giant nuthatch is the largest species in the genus at 19.5 cms, and is largely grey in colour except for a faintly rufous underpart in the female, whose eyestripe is also duller than the male. The bill is much bulkier than other Sitta. They are found in the mountains of southwestern China and northern Thailand, and may be extinct in Myanmar.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #PromediagearTR424L, #Bird, #Birdsinwild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #exclusivewildlife, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #wildlifeseekers, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #giantnuthatch, #nuthatch

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

Chestnut-vented Nuthatch

The chestnut-vented nuthatch is a species of the nuthatch family found in south-eastern Asia from Tibet to southern Indochina. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

A typical nuthatch usually seen clambering around on trees, it is gray above & white below, with a wedge-shaped head & a thin black line extending from the bill base to the shoulder. Its deep rust red on the flanks & red-edged scaling under the tail serve to distinguish this otherwise plain species from similar nuthatches. Active and social and often following mixed flocks it inhabits both broadleaf and coniferous forests in foothill and submontane areas. Listen for its song, a loud ringing series of trills. Calls include nasal caws, a bright-sounding “pewpewpew,” and high-pitched chittering.

Read More: https://wildart.works/behindthelens/chestnut-vented-nuthatch

#wildartworks, #Canon, #PromediagearTR424L, #Bird, #Birdsinwild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #exclusivewildlife, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #wildlifeseekers, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #Thailand, #DoiLuang, #DoiSanJu, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #chestnutvented, #nuthatch

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

Eurasian/ Wood Nuthatch

The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the east have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.

The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.

The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.

Fragmentation of woodland can lead to local losses of breeding birds, but the species' range is still expanding. It has a large population and huge breeding area, and is therefore classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as being of least concern.

#wildartworks, #Canon, #PromediagearTR424L, #Bird, #Birdsinwild, #BirdWatching, #Wildlife, #WildBirds, #naturephotography, #exclusivewildlife, #planetbirds, #earthcapture, #wildlifeseekers, #earthpix, #naturyst, #conservationphotography, #Hokkaido, #wildlifeonearth, #bbcearth, #natgeowild, #natgeoindia, @awpc.hk, @globalcapture, #eurasiannuthatch, #nuthatch

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