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Why is it so cool to pursue Bird watching and Bird photography as a hobby

“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” ~ William Shakespeare

If you indulge in outdoor activities and love to spend time with nature then , my friend, you can make it even more interesting by taking up bird watching and bird photography as a satisfying and also quite knowledgeable past time. Don't trust me? well, everyone trusts Google right? so go for it search it and let me tell you what you will find... yes, my dear friends a large part of the population today has taken up bird watching and bird photography as a hobby. Believe it or not.. spending time with birds, wilderness and nature as a whole is way better than sitting at home and doing nothing, that's what I think personally. In my opinion, today even the kids need to go out there and explore because of obvious reasons... woes of technology of course. Science and technology can provide material luxuries but what about the soul? the soul remains hungry.. what does it crave for? I cannot tell you but yes famous saints have suggested  union with nature can satiate that hunger which even power, wealth, fame and other worldly desires can't.

Why do we find solace in nature?

We humans are wired to be outdoor hunters. In ancient times, we depended on the forest for our food and other necessities. Later, when we became civilized, we started farming , various civilizations developed with the passage of time but what remained constant is our dependency on nature, even today we are dependent on nature in all possible ways, in fact even emotionally.. how? well, remember that time of the year when you had a bad fight with your wife or husband or girlfriend or boyfriend or mom or dad or whoever... have you not even for once found solace in the arms of nature? remember those starry nights that kept you sleepless at nights offered your senses an eternal feeling of peace and sanctity...or the sweet chirping of birds or the deep blue color of the ocean that gave you pleasure, the beauty of which captivated your mind and heart or remember how you were in love and you compared your special person with moon , with the bright sun or the most beautiful bird you had once seen... So see, how often we tend to go back to nature for inspiration, for peace and for everything else that we need, ever needed and will need in life. We are intertwined with nature.

Getting into technicalities..

With the advent of binoculars, bird watching gathered a popular interest. It is an economical practice where a pair of binoculars, a book, and a pencil were needed. It is with our latest gizmos that bird photography gradually climbed the popularity chart.

Now you can buy the latest cameras and hefty lenses and can further your interest.

For people who love to travel, now, traveling to the habitat of various bird species has also become easier but you need to have patience and perseverance and bid your time to capture that perfect shot. But whether it is the harsh cold desert landscape of Ladakh or thick forests of Western Ghats, the access has become comparatively easier.

But what fuels this passion?

 

Have you ever thought about why some people (ardent birders and nature lovers) wait in a wetland with mosquitoes swarming over their heads as their eyes scan the ever elusive forest around them?

Because nature offers some priceless moments to witness when they wait! There is a joy when they spot a rare species in the canopy of a tree  or the very sight of an incredible eagle soaring while still staring right at the lens.

Breathtaking and awe-inspiring! Isn’t it?

Still, if you are undecided about whether you should pursue bird watching and photography as a hobby, read on. We present to you the stories of three of our guests who have benefited , in many ways,  from picking and pursuing this hobby.

# 1 Overcome Psychological and Physical Challenge

Do you feel that you cannot prepare for a marathon because of your annoying back ache? Or you cannot put the chef hat because well, you burn stuff over the stove-top?

Then you should pick up some inspiration from Mr. Anupam Gupta. A cancer survivor and a nature lover to boot, he did not let his physical and psychological limitations stop him from doing what he loves the most, bird watching and making superb images.

Our first rendezvous with Mr. Gupta happened way back in 2014 when he took a 5 days Chopta Valley tour with us. His sheer interest to understand jungles of India and eagerness to learn wildlife through the guidance of experts brought him to GoingWild tours.

Although his jungle passion took a backseat for a little while after that owing to his failing health but he was not the one to back down. He came back with more gusto and enthusiasm than ever.

Mr. Gupta, an ex-IITian and a man of many trades, is one of those charismatic characters who bear the flag of determination to explore corners across the globe through his bird watching scopes and long telephoto lenses.

Through his birding hobby, he has become a better person. When the opportunity came, he again resumed his jungle-exploration. This time he chose to spent longer duration in the wilderness - 11 days for cross country Bhutan birding in the summer of 2017. Again, in the summer of 2018, he spent another 10 days in Darjeeling and Sikkim with GoingWild's consecutive birding tours in Pangolakha and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.

Since we have witnessed this transformation and battle of willpower with physical frailty, we can recommend without doubt that if you or somebody you know who is going through a bad phase owing to psychological or physical issues, they will overcome those encumbrances and would definitely find out a new meaning of LIFE through birding.

Nature heals!

#2 Stimulation at an early age

We came across this very rude yet true quote, ‘We talk so much about leaving a better planet to our kids that we forget about leaving better kids to this planet’.

Are we mindful enough to rear our children who will gaze at this nature with equal fascination? Are they truly ready to take the baton of nature conservation from us?

Well, Ms. Suchitra Amburipudi is absolutely up for it !

Contrary to the participation of seasoned and expert birders, we take pride in our project when we see young guns like Ms. Suchitra taking the lead. At a tender age of 16, instead of ‘Netflixing n chilling’ or jumping around frantically in the nearest shopping mall to get hold of a designer outfit, she has chosen nature to devote all her attention to.

For this past two years, she has been continuing wildlife tours with us. Learning from nature, understanding animal behavior, trying to remember different bird calls and taking photographs accordingly, she has created layers of depth in her birding and bird photography hobby.

Currently standing at 300+ different photographed bird species, her fascination to watch birds and observing them is spellbinding.

But what really fills our hearts with joy?

It is the fact that apart from creating a career in bird photography, Ms. Suchitra has decided to be a caregiver to nature and wildlife and take active participation in eco-conservation.

So if you want to bestow the best version of childhood and rear your little ones in the glory of our nature, then encourage them to pick up the hobby of bird watching and photography.

Make them the flag bearer of a better Earth, today!

#3 Fierce Bird Photographers in India

 

Photographing birds in their natural habitat is extremely tricky. It requires oodles of patience apart from sharp eye and acute sixth sense because creating a rare image brings with it unbeatable glory!

Take, for instance, our super bird photographer, Jainy Maria. She is the most brilliant bird photographer that India ever had.

Spending hours after hours in harsh challenging weather, searching for a species, walking miles after miles, carrying super telephoto lenses - describes how dedicated she is for making a clutter-free image of rarest of the rare bird species. It is not only the big lens she is carrying, but also the zeal and commitment to achieve - THE RARE BIRD.

Started in her early thirties, almost within 10 years she bagged most of the species photographed from Indian subcontinent with remarkable quality. She is the unbeaten queen of bird photography from India and currently associated with various natural history forums.

So if you want to create a career out of bird watching and photography, you absolutely can.

 

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