It’s a dream come true when your little girl picks up something dear to you and makes it her own. She has been intrigued by what I’ve been doing over the years and she has been interested in knowing about birds and has been adept at picking up the names and behaviour of some of the species. So it was natural that she asked me if she could come with me to photograph birds. Boy! was I glad to say yes.
We visited Lalbagh and she was particular about what she wanted to see. Her list included her favorites - Black Kites, parrots and mynas. I topped that list with spotted owlets for her. She brought along my trusted Point & Shoot Canon SX 100 IS from ten years ago and had fun clicking away to her heart’s content. She got all she wanted and more, and we wound up within the hour when her little legs were about to give up on her after the hour-long trudge across Lalbagh and her hunger pangs set in. I had planned ahead to show only so much to ensure that we cover a small part of Lalbagh and not to tire her out on her first outing. We quickly head back home to make our usual Sunday breakfast and enjoy the rest of the day ticking off her weekend task list filled with games and activities (Yes, she makes them religiously every week).
After a couple of weeks, I asked her if she would like to go for another birding trip and she promptly agreed. This time I planned to take her to Hoskote as the Baya Weavers were out and about in full swing making the place their own and giving countless opportunities for birders to watch them and click to their heart’s content. I rented a Nikon D5200 for her this time and thought she could borrow my trusted 70-210 to pair it with. When I got the body, I realized that the 5200s cannot autofocus with the 70-210. I quickly improvised and handed her my D750 and I used the 5200 with the Tamron G2.
We started with the Weavers on entring the Hoskote driveway, and slowly strolled down to the lake where we were greeted by the Herons, Moorhens and Pelicans. We had great fun till the hour ran out again and with it her energy. Can’t blame her. Birding is taxing especially the waiting and the slow trudging can take a toll on anybody, especially a 9-year-old. All it took was a hearty breakfast back at the car to recharge her batteries.
Some pictures from our trip to Hoskote.
The third time, was another trip to Lalbagh and again, a wonderful outing for the two of us where she was delighted to spot and photograph a pair of Brahminy Kites at a close enough perch giving her all the opportunity to admire those magnificent birds and photograph them. Plus, there were tons of Cormorants, darters and even a pair of tortoises who came to welcome her to the beautiful world of wildlife photography.
“That’s all Follks !”