A TRYST WITH OWLS

As usual i went to Nanmanglam this morning for birding and photography. This shoot is very special for two reasons. one, this is my first shoot with my mentor, Mr.shekar dattatri. i don think he needs any introduction. The second is i could spend two full hours observing owls and photographing it after a long time. Many people have asked about details on Nanmanglam. so i am trying my hands on writing this time :)

GREAT HORNED OWL

ONE OF THE ABANDONED QUARRIES IN NANMANGALM

A few kms drive in the out skirts of chennai will take u to Nanmangalam.Its a small scrub jungle with four abandoned quarries which is now home to the great horned owls( Bubo bubo). Nanmangalam is a good place for birding and photographing owls and other birds in close quarters.Its a very good place to see plenty of invertebrates. For a photographer and a birder this is a good place. Some of the birds found here are Great horned owl, Pied crested cuckoo, Little grebe, Oriental honey buzzard, Black kite, Shikra, Yellow throated sparrow, Crimson throated barbet, Loten's sunbird, Purple rumped sun bird. the secretive ruddy crake was sighted in Nanmanglam after 20 years. Its an amazing place for butterflies too. Mammals that are sighted here are the jackal, fox, civet etc.

GREAT HORNED OWL

Do u think a place like this in Chennai will be left alone buy all illegal activities? the answer is obviously a big NO. The 150 hecatre scrub jungle has lot of pressures. The abandoned quarries are the washing areas for laundry guys. People in the nearby areas come here for lot of anti social activities. They nasty the place like anything. Tree cutting is rampant.It is used as a play ground in weekends with owls and birds as unnoticed spectators. The list of problems goes on and none seems to take any remedial measures for this place.
we reached the place early this morning. it was cloudy with overcast skies but later it was bright for few hours. As it there was less light bird activity was very less. but when we reached the first quarry we saw two great horned owls perching majestically for hours. I managaed to get some pictures fast thinking the owl will fly after seeing us but both the owls wer perched in the same place for nearly two hours,allowing me to fiddle with exposure and light. I was expecting one of them to fly but it just didnt happen today. clouds gathered and it was time to move. on our way back shekar showed me a beautiful flower, Gloriousa superba and told that its a fast disappearing species in the wild as people uproot it and export it as it has medicinal value. i managed to get some good shots.


GLORIOUSA SUPERBA

LITTLE GREBE-MALE

HORNED OWL IN ITS HABITAT

Its was time to move as clouds gathered think and started raining. I packed up my equipment and left the place. The slight drizzle would have created an amazing set up to shoot owls which would have been wet and puffy but the light was just not in favour of me. I hope i come back again next weekend to go some efficient work.
Birders in chennai, don think there is not much places around chennai for birding.plenty of places are there which needs attention too. Hope i will go to such places around chennai and write in the near future.

cheers,

ram