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| Lesser Yellownape (Female) Picus chlorolophus |
Lesser Yellownape (Female): Picus chlorolophus
Sattal, Uttarakhand, India.
3rd April, 2015
The busy months of late last year and beginning of this one culminated in a long weekend of four holidays. One pounced on them to revive the hobby of birding which was languishing since October last year. I broke off into the Himalayas in the wee hours of the 2nd to escape an increasingly muggy Delhi. That should have clued me in - that rain was in store. It was like a Test match in Sri Lanka where endless days of a Test are washed out with little or no play. But we had patches of clarity during which we were able to spot some birds. I even ventured out into the mountain rain on a couple of occasions, much fed up at being cooped indoors and propelled by the momentum of enthusiasm that sped me from Delhi into high Uttarakhand.
I have never seen a Lesser Yellownape before. This is my first sighting. In fact, most of the bird species I recorded on this trip were new sightings for me. If days hadn't been washed off by rain, who knows how many more species I would have spotted and with far greater clarity that one did in wet, dark forests under gloomy skies. Not to talk about the fog/clouds rushing in faster than express train speeds. This region clearly deserves longer and repeated visits to enjoy bird watching.
This Lesser Yellownape (female) was also as wet as we were. We found shelter under the eaves of a cabin in disrepair while this woodpecker was working the tree bang in front of us. Should have been easy click with better light. The camera-lens system, however, refused to focus quickly enough in the darkness, or remain focussed. But I wasn't going to give up on this chance, even if my efforts resulted in one record shot, such as this. To capture a proper portrait, a visit in May would be in order.
Photographed at Sattal Uttarakhand, India on 5.4.2015
Sattal, Uttarakhand, India.
3rd April, 2015
The busy months of late last year and beginning of this one culminated in a long weekend of four holidays. One pounced on them to revive the hobby of birding which was languishing since October last year. I broke off into the Himalayas in the wee hours of the 2nd to escape an increasingly muggy Delhi. That should have clued me in - that rain was in store. It was like a Test match in Sri Lanka where endless days of a Test are washed out with little or no play. But we had patches of clarity during which we were able to spot some birds. I even ventured out into the mountain rain on a couple of occasions, much fed up at being cooped indoors and propelled by the momentum of enthusiasm that sped me from Delhi into high Uttarakhand.
I have never seen a Lesser Yellownape before. This is my first sighting. In fact, most of the bird species I recorded on this trip were new sightings for me. If days hadn't been washed off by rain, who knows how many more species I would have spotted and with far greater clarity that one did in wet, dark forests under gloomy skies. Not to talk about the fog/clouds rushing in faster than express train speeds. This region clearly deserves longer and repeated visits to enjoy bird watching.
This Lesser Yellownape (female) was also as wet as we were. We found shelter under the eaves of a cabin in disrepair while this woodpecker was working the tree bang in front of us. Should have been easy click with better light. The camera-lens system, however, refused to focus quickly enough in the darkness, or remain focussed. But I wasn't going to give up on this chance, even if my efforts resulted in one record shot, such as this. To capture a proper portrait, a visit in May would be in order.
Photographed at Sattal Uttarakhand, India on 5.4.2015
Camera used: Nikon D5100 DSLR with Tamron 150-600mm Lens
Location:
Sattal, Uttarakhand, India
Labels:
Birds,
Fauna,
Female,
Lesser Yellownape,
Picus chlorolophus,
Sattal,
Uttarakhand,
Woodpecker
Labels:
Birds,
Fauna,
Female,
Lesser Yellownape,
Picus chlorolophus,
Sattal,
Uttarakhand,
Woodpecker
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