Sunday, November 7, 2010

Pond heron - Super model of Hebbal lake

Off late I have been making frequent trips to Hebbal lake. There is a decent variety of bird life there which provides a good opportunity to practice some birding shots. One bird that is found in abundance at Hebbal lake is the Pond Heron. Its full name is Indian Pond Heron and is also known as Paddybird (Ardeola grayii).

This small bird can been seen mostly through out the bank of the lake. It can be easily missed as it camouflages well within the grass and the weeds that grow near the edge of the lake. If approached carefully and silently one can get close decent enough to get some really good shots. 

In over 3-4 trips to Hebbal I managed to stalk this bird from very close distance and was able to get decent shots. I am still looking for a shot with a fish or some kind of insect in its beak and I am sure that I will get it one day. One thing that bird photography has taught me is to be patient. No shot is easy and more offten then not I miss the shots. But keeping patience and waiting and waiting for long period defiantly helped in taking these shots and now I am really enjoying it. Here are the shots of the super model that I got from last 3-4 trips to Hebbal lake. All the shots are taken with Nikon D40 and Nikon 70-300mm VR lens.

In flight with something in its beak. (300mm, f/5.6, 1/1600, ISO 400)
About to land (300mm, f/8, 1/1000, ISO 400)
Screaming!!! (300mm, f/6.3, 1/500, ISO 200)
Looking for easy pickings (300mm, f/6.3, 1/500, ISO 200)
Caught on flight again (300mm, f/6.3, 1/500, ISO 200)
Once more (300mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO 200)
300mm f/6.3, 1/320, ISO 200

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