Hedgehog

Last year made a trip for passage migrant during September end at Kunj HomeStay with my best buddies.After great images of Painted Sandgrouse then took our dinner and talk regarding birding till 10.30pm and went for night birding specially for Nightjars.
After drive of 30min,my cheetah display low tire pressure and decreasing so afraid of tire puncture,sudden Vikramsinh Bapu told to drive carefully coz there might be on the road and i break my xuv500 as light fall slightly away from it and surprisingly it was a Hedgehog.we all took shots from distance and parked my car beside the road as saw many vehicles were passing.
Vikramsinh told that it has very poor eyesight and walk very slowly so many times they killed by vehicles so gently bapu pick it up in his hand and put at other-side of road.

Exifs :
Canon 5D Mark4
Manual Mode
f /5.6 || Shutter speed 1/100 || ISO 2000 || 400mm || White Balance : Auto
Kunj Birding Homestay,Kutch, Gujarat.

Step Falls (updated with Video)

Monsoon not only gives scenic greenery to mother earth but  also gives waterfalls and you have to explore them to mesmerize its experience.but be careful during going near or inside coz surface must be slippery and we don't know the flow when increased.

since 2yrs,i'm asking my birding buddies to frame all waterfalls of south Gujarat but we cudnt get time to explore them.so on 22/08/18 asked my best buddy Viren Desai to go outing in dang with family but he was busy till noon so we went after 3pm and frame 2 waterfalls.so here is Step Fall from North Dang.

Exifs :

Canon 7D Mark2

Manual Mode

f /22 || Shutter speed 1/30 || ISO 160 || 35mm || White Balance : Daylight

North Dang,Gujarat 

Video taken in Samsung S9

Indian Skimmer

Indian Skimmer is in my wishlist since 3years but cudn't get chance to frame it.As it is sighted in Gujarat during August to October at Nal Sarovar and Jamnagar.Jamnagar is 800km away from my city and Nal Sarovar is 400km away so whenever got news of confirm sighting of Indian Skimmer,i tried but didn't succeed.
Got call from Akbar(+91 99988 01633) on 15/08/18 that sir come Nal Sarovar for skimmers(10-15) were arrived so made a plan with my birding buddies to go on night of 16th and birding on 17th. all set.Dr.Pragnesh is coming from Silvasa with Saswat Mishra and they meet n pick Viren Desai n Hiren Joshi around at 7pm on national Highway then they came to my home by 7.45pm,parked Pragnesh's Ciaz and went to Nal Sarovar in my XUV500 due to heavy traffic near Kosamba on National Highway due to making of fly over.
everything on track as per plan and we took our dinner break at Bharuch around at 9.30pm and then on the way towards our destination.Think to reach by 1.30am but we reach at 2.15am and parked my cheetah then sleep in car.
5.45am got call frm Dr.Pankaj and told how about rain there,i was shocked and told why?!.Pankaj told that there is showering in Ahmadabad,i told told there is not a drop came till now and Pankaj also on the way towards Nal Sarovar.
Little bluish Tone came over sky and we can easily see the clouds and showering started at 7am.within 10-15min all Nal Sarovar guide gathered at ticket counter and many of them came towards us but all cross us except Akbar as they knew that we always go with Akbar.i told for tea and we went outside of office area and Akbar asked for tea.we were drinking Tea and Pankaj came there.
we have to wait for good light and stopping of showering but around at 8.30am,rain started and again after 30min its heavy rain.we took selfie and started gossip coz we have no other option.we all were looking weather forecast and waiting for stopping of rain.
Around 10.30am,we had decided to go back to our home and Pankaj went in his car then we also.after drive of 100-200mtr, we stopped and did photography of Painted Snipe,Yellow Bittern etc.Sudden got a Call frm Pankaj and he told that,rain is stopped at Sanand so how about there,i told,it still but lees than previous so Pankaj told to ask Akbar to arrange umbrella and try for skimmers as we were came from 400km so i replied for yes.when i was dialing a number of akbar,i saw him beside my car and told about umbrella and he replied yes for it.
So we were again on mission of skimmer.Akbar has only 2 umbrella so at 1st round Viren,Pragnesh and Saswat went then myself and Hiren went.i was so amazed to see skimmer 1st time.

Exifs :
Canon 7D Mark2
Manual Mode
f /8 || Shutter speed 1/1000 || ISO 1250 || 600mm || White Balance : 5200k
Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Ahmadabad,Gujarat

Greater Flamingos

Greater Flamingo is State bird of Gujarat and one of my favorite bird to frame in my camera.as i had posted long and detailed story,how many hurdles came and how i gone thru with photos of distance,jump,mud...lol

https://www.yugworld.net/2015/08/greater-flamingos_21.html#.W3J5I7h9iM8

Exifs :
Canon 600D
Aperture-Priority AE Mode
f /6.3 || Shutter speed 1/800 || ISO 320 || 600mm
Sultanpur Wetland, Navsari Outskirt, Gujarat

Common Quail Pair

Kutch have so many variety of habitats.Like Migratory Birds,winter birds,shore birds etc.i'm visiting Kutch since 2016 for twice a year or thrice a year with my birding buddies.
i was there in end of December'17 for Hypocolius and other species.in the morning we get ready around at 6am and went in grassland for our target species,reached before sunrise but saw foggy sunrise.after fading away of fog, we moved inside  and luckily got target species.
Then time to search for Common Quail and very carefully i was driving car in grassland to see movement of this rarity coz it usually hide in grass,luckily we spotted them. but this beauty are very active and hide easily by running inside the grass.i was very lucky to frame pair.

Male on the right; female on the left.(as per Obi)

Exifs :
Canon 7D Mark2
Manual Mode
f /8 || Shutter speed 1/1600 || ISO 800 || 428mm || White Balance : Daylight
Epicenter Homestay,Kutch, Gujarat.

The Lion King

8th May 2017 was the last day of our Sasan Trip and as always we were late in our morning Safari, So we paid big loss of 2 Adult male Lion just by 10min even we entered at 6.30am.whom i blame, coz we all are friend n go ahead.
we went inside after useless waiting of 20min and sudden fog came and covered most of area.again disappointment.still we moved inside n inside till 7.10am and find nothing due to heavy fog except Peacock. 
Sudden Fog fade out and like our bad luck also gone,we saw group of Lions.stopped there,enjoyed watching them and clicked so many shots.Tracker told to move and our Gypsy moved towards railway track.
After drive of 10+min we saw 2 lions walking  but one had sit there and one started walking so we follow the king and stopped at one point on road and waiting for it to cross the road.after 5-7min we saw and started clicking it.we were busy to clicking Lion and our guide told us to focus for 2nd one.it was very close and missed to frame full body, crossed the road and went inside the bushes.here is the unlucky frame.

Exifs :
Canon 7D Mark2
Manual Mode
f /8 || Shutter speed 1/500 || ISO 800 || 375mm || White Balance : Daylight
Gir Forest National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary,Junagadh, Gujarat

Rain Drops

i love to frame waterfall.During our family trip of Sri Lanka in May'18,seen many waterfall but mostly from running our bus and main problem was bus was AC and window was unable to slide so its a bad planning of trip.even though tried to frame scenery in my S9.
During traveling to Nuwara Eliya,we were passing thru mountains and also there was rain.road was not wider and rule of not stopping vehicles without genuine reason we didn't stopped,so asked our guide to slow down vehicle to enjoy beauty.
Mostly i had captured video during whole trip but at one place tried to take photo of water fall and due to rain drops on Glass of Window,mobile didn't focus waterfall but got extra ordinary frame.

Exifs :
Samsung S9
Auto Mode
f /1.5 || Shutter speed 1/26 || ISO 250 || 4.30mm ||
Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

Greater Flamingos

Watching Birds gives Pleasant feeling.some birds are so beautiful and Greater Flamingo are one of them.i went Kutch in the end of April'16 for breeding plumage with my birding buddies.it was 700+km journey and drive of 10+hrs but enjoyed lot.
i'm so much Thankful to our friend Dilipsinh Chudasama came at our hotel around 6.30am from Mundra,which is 30+km away from our hotel.Then we went for our destination and its 5+km away from hotel.
we reached at beach,still remember that sound of wind and chirping of lots birds.we had clicked many birds and we were busy.we approached towards birds over sand and sea water and got excellent result.sudden we saw 500+ Greater Flamingos and i was so amazed to saw them,all my friend clicking them and also clicked 20+ photos and sharing best of them.

Exifs :
Canon 7D Mark2
Aperture-Priority AE Mode
f /8 || Shutter speed 1/6400 || ISO 1600 || 600mm || White Balance : Daylight
Modhava Beach, Kutch,Gujarat.