Heading from seascapes and rerouting to dense forest to enjoy some action was my next motive. Spotting a bird was easy, photographing it was one of the difficult yet thrilling tasks. However I convinced myself to enjoy every bit of what I witnessed on the way. Flying birds and objects always fascinated me. Infact, the ability to fly distinguishes birds from other mammals on earth. Three species used 3D space: birds, insects, and bats. We wonder why we’re still the dominant species given their speed and distance., The ability to move around without barricades is one of the biggest dream every voyager has.
Building the thrust and momentum using wings to get the wind around to move above and below the wings is what makes them flying. It is indeed true that every invention ever made is adapted and inspired from the nature. Planes employ engines to create thrust instead than flapping, which is the only variation in technique. These birds are fascinating because they can hover, fly backwards, upside down, and glide through strong winds, defeating nature’s forces. Imitating nature through science made us intrigued, and our current technology is inspired by nature.
The science and the art behind every minute being is miraculous if we have the patience and the eye to notice the detail that lies with in the nature. A bird flying an be percieved and framed in many ways in the end how you percieve is more important. If framed in an unconventional way even a raven flight will be royal.
Chasing Wings
The trip started with a hefty long ride towards Palakad. In the past Palakad left me with an Impression of craggy desert. When starting the trip I had deep apprehension in my mind. I was sure about one thing that even if I didn’t get a single frame I will make sure that I get the best experiance out of it.
Strangely, my companion was into sceneries and palakad was famed for paddy fields. His inquiry motivated me and filled open spaces in my head with wonderful vibes. The wild’s rawness and deep quiet captivated me.Movies like “In To The Wild” always inspired me to pack the bag whenever you get a chance. It took a moment to sink in to the reality that I was actually carrying a Bazooka Gun to capture bird. i finally reached Palakad after a long back bending trip on a “Passion Pro”.
I hired a room and settled down. Photographers shouldn’t waste time on projects, but I needed a good night’s sleep to clear my thoughts. I took the bazooka and headed to Neliyampathy despite my brain’s advice. Suicide point is in Neliyampathy, but I never thought to visit it. I was that much into Bird scouting that I totally forgot about the Landscape part. I am still thankful to Neliyampathy that it gave me the motivation for the rest of the trip.
Wings in the Mist
If Neliyampathy made us feel dissapointed, then the whole trip would have been a series of negative build ups. I fell in love with birds after Neliyampathy taught us how to photograph them and what not to do. I finished our first section of photography after the sun set through the mist of the mighty hills and switched lenses quickly to get a typical “sunsett through the hills” shot. We didn’t waste time on another conventional shot and rushed to the hotel room for well-deserved rest.I slept with utmost satisfaction of learning the art of tracking and framing these birds.
Despite the small and distant birds at Neliyampathy, my first experience inspired me to capture more photographs. Mornings aren’t my thing. For the same reason, I prefer evening over sunrise and sleep until eternity. This journey pushed me out of my comfort zone and inspired me to do things I never thought I could. As another day dawned, my boyfriend and I waited in a paddy field outside the hotel room for the drama. Even as Palakkad sleeps, I crossed villages to reach the right paddy field in pitch black. The chill penetrated our bones. We found Tea shop before we started. When we entered the field, we were sleepy. We noticed an unusual bird fly down to have breakfast, so we figured it was time to sit down and take some genuine photos.
While my pal focused on birds fleeing for their lives from my bazooka, I was far left in the paddy field. He got some flying images of terrified birds, and I want all the credit.
Unmapped Trails
We sincerely had a confusion on betting our money on a guide that we have no previous experience with. We took confusions and dilemmas as a resolute of progress. While shooting local birds, I spotted a bunch of little birds flying into a bamboo stick. I crept approached the stick to act. They left the bamboo as the moment neared, but I was optimistic enough to get the photo I envisioned.
The bird flew in like an angel pausing an end to or linear wait. After the section reviewing my photo knew the wait was worth. Nenmara was such a different experience for us. Every Photographen would have opted for a bird sanctuary but my conviction lead me to different place to experiment. A place no one would have taught spotting birds was my choice and at the end of theday I didnt had any regrets. My mind was floating around just like the birds after our first schedule in the morning. I was in a dilemma; I was confused about the destinations. I had somewhat an unrealistic deadline. So another expirement was beyond my level of ignorance. We didn’t waste much time on decision making.
Wings and Wanderlust
I packed my bag and left for Nenmara. It was the right time to say goodbye to a wonderful place that left us with the impression that even a simple paddy field could provide us with the right material to work. Again, the road movie started from Palakad but this time the trip started with scorching sun above the head. Me partner and I switched back and forth in the bile until we reached Kothamangalam. Drifting into the story! Forgot to mention where we were heading to. The place is truly a synonym for bird paradise.
This hotspot is famous even among the foriegn visitors. Thatekkad needs no formal introduction, the place has its own special birds over the migrat ing birds. This factor alone attracted me towards this birding destination. What inspired me for this travelogue was a simple desire to capture the flying bird but Thatekkad proved us that bird photography is way beyond our perception, Feeling them and growing an instinct Was the one thing that helped us identify the birds. First day on Thatekkad was an okay-ish kind of a day, I couldn’t identify even a single bird with the absence of guide.
First day on Thatekkad was an okay-ish kind of a day, I couldn’t identify even a single bird with the absence of a guide. I thought that we miscalculated the entire trip. The second day was the day we were most excited about. I read a whole lot of blogs, books on where to find birds, on Thinkikadi had the right mindset of getting made the forest without a guide. I spotted some birds at the beginning of the bird watch hotspot, but the lick and thrill I was expecting was actually half left on this day.
The birds gradually started flying towards the bees taunting its poses and we tried clicking at nea and tighter as possible but the birds were for out of our reach and they were hard enough to spot on picture. I was concentrating on specie tenta the birds are most likely visit .
Wings of Realization
I waited under the tree to catch some live actions and it finally happened a Black Drongo which resembles the most common and local bird “Raven” flew towards one of the dry branch that I was sitting under. The bird was such a scenic beauty. It flew off within a quarter hour and I got one of my favourite shots out of the trip. Although my subconscious mind was craving for more photos, my mind was whispering to me that “this is it” you got what you want, the “Bouyant Impulse”, The Flight. But Nature is full of surprises. 1 was not floated in the greed, but a humongous bird was slowly dangling its wings merely forging a feel of Jurassic, World.
My camera was fast enough to boot and focus the fluttering aristry. Till day I taught that I lean more towards the landscape/travel photography part but Today I learned I am much of an explorer, I want to see and explore whats beyond the cradle of conventional life. Starting from the scratch as we say or as civilised people say from the inception of the time these species was there mapping the dense greenary of earth.
Every bit of my journey made me realise how we are connected and how much we seek the freedom to explore and the ultimate fact that we are not confined to the four walls. Humans made things possible with science and technology only to constrict man behind walls. Birds on the other hand made use of their time to rise and fly towards what they believe in.
Copyrights: All the photos and text in this post are the copyright of Rahul Rao and Creative Hut Institute of Photography and film. Their reproduction, full or part, is forbidden without the explicit approval of the rightful owners.