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A bird with long tail Yellow Billed Blue Magpie bird found in NE India and mostly in Himalayas. During my trek to manali chandrakhani pass our base camp dobhi is beautiful place and i found lots of birds around my base camp. Yellow Billed Blue Magpie Bird is easily identify because of its long tail. A beautiful bird with long tail looks blue in color and strips on tail. It founds mostly in himalayan range. It is resident bird of Himalayas. It belongs to crow and jay family.

Description of Yellow Billed Blue Magpie :

• It has Yello bill and small white crescent on nape.
• Duller blue Grey Mantle and wings.
• Juvenile similar to adult but has duller head and upperparts also more extensive white on nape and dull olive yellow bill.
• In western himalayas has white underparts and bluer mantle and wings than Eastern Himalayas which has greyer mantle and wings and primrose yellow wash to underparts.
• Call of Yellow billed blue magpie is A wheezy bu - zeep - peck - peck , pop - upclea , pu- pu -weer and a high clear - clear.
• Usually its in pairs or flock of up to ten.
• They build nest on fork of tree and made by roots and grass.
• The clutch consists 3 or 4 eggs.
• They eat small mammals, fruits, insects etc.
• Breeding zone in between 5000 ft to 9700 ft approx.
• Its length about 66 cm and tail length 45 cm approx.

Himalayan Mountain range is best place for birding and landscape photography. Different areas of NE himalayas and E Himalayas have different landscape views of Himalayas. Some good places to go by trek are Manali chandrakhani pass, Har ki Dun trek, Valley of Gods, Sattal, Valley of Flowers, Kaza, Spitti Valley , Singalila National Park etc... 

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D , Canon 100-400 mm lens

Demoiselle Crane is migratory bird in Gujarat. It is spices of Crane family. It is Winter visitor bird for India. In Gujarat it found in many places and sanctuaries. Demoiselle crane found in Gujarat in Thol Bird Sanctuary, Nalsarovar bird Sanctuary, Velavadar National Park and also outskirts of these sanctuaries. When we  are travelling to Nalsarovar sanctuary some local people tell us about Vadla village Wetland area and they told us about thousands of birds here. So we cancel nalsarovar and go their. And look what we found thousand of Demoiselle cranes are their. Very difficult to choose in your frame what to shoot. Also flying shots and group shots and solo shots of Demoiselle cranes we got. 

Description of Demoiselle Crane : 

• Demoiselle Crane birds similar to Sarus Crane only difference of color and its also a smallest crane too. 
• Demoiselle crane bird is about 100 cm long and its weight approx 3 kg. It is small from Sarus crane. 
• It has long black  on fore-neck and white strip on neck side. 
• It can live different environments. 
• They migrate from Siberia to china. 
• In India they spend winter for rest . 
• It migrate over Himalayas from India. Demoiselle crane can fly over Himalayas in high altitude about 25000 Feet. 
• They generally found in low water wetland area where they can fishing easily.
• Demoiselle crane's Gujarati name is Karkaro  and also have another name in Hindi is Koonj in North India.

Flying Demoiselle Crane looks awesome in frame. Also black and white photo of bird in flight looks beautiful. A group of Demoiselle Crane migrate and stay in Nalsarovar , Thol, LRK in Gujarat. Birds in flight in black and white looks like abstract image of birds. 

Crane is very shy bird and if you want to go close to them they run away faster than you. You must have patience to capture photos of Demoiselle Crane or Sarus Crane bird. 

Location :: Near Vadla village

Near Nalsarovar lake,Nearest place Ahmedabad.

For macro photography or abstract photography at your home you have to be creative. Me and my son done lots of things during lockdown and done lots of experiments too. Some experiments are for joy and some of science experiments. In science experiments you need to be careful in some experiments. I and my son use KMNO4 ( Potassium permanganate ) and H2O2 ( Hydrogen Peroxide ). This experiment is fun to see and do.

In a lock down I and my son and my wife had a great time together. Me and my son done lots of science experiments at home. We do slime, some water experiments,some fire experiments etc. Everyday we had done something new to challenge and experiments. My son is happy with experiments and i need some subjects for macro photography or abstract photography at home.

KMNO4 AND H2O2 HOME SCIENCE EXPERIMENT:: 

In lock down my son eagerly waiting for some experiments and I am waiting for photography. We do experiments together and after it i take a photos of it. So One day we do a good experiment of chemistry. In this experiment we take KMnO4 (potassium permanganate ) and H2O2 ( Hydrogen Peroxide ) and also some pure water. We mix KMnO4 with some water and dish soap . Looks that color of water going changed with Violet . Add just little of KMno4 like a half spoon in a glass of water. After it mixed with water add H2O2 in it. Remember one thing keep distance while adding H2O2 in mixture. when you add H2o2 you can see some Volcano type bubbles came out from glass. It was amazing too see. You can add some dish sope in water too to get more bubbles. So after this i am always ready to shoot. I like Macro photography so i do it when i see bubbles of violet color. I got some good images of bubbles. Black and white image make macro abstract subject. So guys you can also do it at your home for get some macro bubbles image . I will share with you some good macro photography ideas at home later on. 

The above black and white image looks like spider web. This type of image make good Abstract image . You can put it into Abstarct Photography category too. Macro photography you can do at your home too. There are lots of things in your home which you can use and photograph of it in macro category.

Gear Used : For this macro photography i used Canon 80D with 100 mm macro lens ,external light, KMnO4,H2O2,Water and Dish sope.

Plumbeous water Redstart is pesserine bird and also old in Flycatcher Family. Generally it founds in Asia and China. This spices also have two subspices Phoenicurus fuliginosus fuliginosus and Phoenicurus fuliginosus affinis. In India it found in verious places in Himalayan range. Generally it found near to river in search of food. It found on stones which are in river water. I found it during my trek to manali chandrakhani pass. Also during Har ki dun trek i found it.

Description and Habitat Plumbeous Water Redstart  :

• Male Plumbeous Water Redstart are slate blue in color and females are grey.
• Total length of Plumbeous water redstart is  14-15 cm approx.
• Weight of Plumbeous water redstart is around 20-23 gms
• Male Plumbeous Water Redstart color in slate blue and tail is rusty red. 
• Female Plumbeous Water Redstart are grey and white rump.
• Plumbeous water redstart found in India, China, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan etc. It covers all Asian country almost.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart feed small insects like mayflies.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart lives in between 2000 meter to 4000 meter height.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart is very protective in its habitat.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart flies above 20ft from river to catch flies.
• Plumbeous Water Redstart population remains stable within last 10 years.

Manali is very good place to visit during winter and also during summer. Both season weather is different. In winter you enjoy snowfall and in summer you can play with snow. I visited manali in good hotels during winter and also by trek in summer. Both time i enjoy lot. During manali trekking i found more than 30 spices of birds and also amazing himalayan landscapes. At that time i had not good enough camera but still i got good images of birds and landscapes. 

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400mm lens

I found two types of Bulbul Bird in trek of Manali. During my trek of manali i found more than 30 spices of different birds and among them i found two types of bulbul Black Bulbul And Himalayan Bulbul. Both bulbul are different from bulbul found near to my home red wented bulbul. Manali is heaven for birding and also for landscapes. Himalayas is my fevorite destination. 

Himalayan Bulbul :

• Himalayan bulbul is resident in north pakistan hills and Himalays.
• It has white cheeks, brownish grey upperparts, and yellow went.
• It has brown crest, brown nape, smaller white cheek patch with black crescent at rear.
• Call of Himalayan bulbul is we - did - de - dear - up , who - lik - lik - leer . 
• It feed small insects and invertebrates.
• Its size about 18 cm length and wing span around 25-30 cm. weight around 30 gm.
• It built nest in bushes and low branches.
• Female lays generally 3 eggs and they incubates in 12 days.
• Cheeks leave nest when they are 9-12 days old.

Black Bulbul :

• It is known as Himalayan Black Bulbul or Asian Black Bulbul.
• Slate grey to blackish bulbul with slight crest.
• It  has bright red bill, legs and feet, pale fringes to undertail coverts and shallow fork to tail.
• Juvenile lacks crest, has whitish throat, grey breast band, brownish cast to upperparts, bill and legs.
• Call of Black bulbul is repeated series of three or four rising and falling notes.
• Length of black bulbul is 25 cm .
• They have black streak behind the eye.
• Black bulbul is also known as Malagasy Bulbul.
• It found in Himalays and Southeast Asia.

Himachal Pradesh Birds :

Himalayas is the heaven for bird watching and birding. During trek you can found lots of spices of beautiful birds. Himachal Pradesh is very good for trekking too. Manali is best for trekking in Himachal Pradesh. Chandrakhani Pass is the last destination for manali trekking. During the trek you can found lots of spices of birds very closely. It is also good to see their behaviour and understanding their life. Visit in april to july so you can find lots of birds. Best season is April to July for trekking to Himalayas.

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens

Spiders are insects which you can found anywhere. They are beautiful subject to shoot in macro. In my farm i found Wolf Spider in large quantity. Wolf Spiders are member of family Lycosidae. They are very good hunters. Wolf spiders resembles nursery web spiders. They carry their eggs by attaching them to their spinnerets. They are very small in size and also camouflage in color. But generally they are easy to find because they regularly moving.

Facts To Know About Wolf Spider :

• Body size of Wolf Spider is about 10 to 35 mm . 
• Wolf spiders possess the third best eye sights among all spiders group.
• Wolf spider inject venom also. Their venomous bite symptoms are swelling, itching and mild pain.
• They have total 8 eyes. Among them 2 eyes are big and 4 eyes below 2 big eyes and 2 are in back.
• Their Eyesite are excellent.
• They hunt alone and live in solitude and do not spin webs.

Spider with his egg. When i clicked this photo i dont have any idea that the white thing is Its egg. One of my friend told me that is an egg of spider and he protect it. Camouflage and baby wolf spiders on his back. I think that spider is healthy but after zooming image i realize that there are baby spiders on his back. 

Gear Used : Canon 6D , Canon 100 mm macro lens

Photos taken at my farm during winter starting. Spiders are really good subject to take in your frame. I like also to shoot their web the amazing architecture of their home. But very small in size so difficult to catch and click them.

Goa is a state of India located in Western side and its beaches touch to Arabian Sea. In Goa 17th centuary's church you can visit. Goa is famous for beaches and its most popular and favorite beach destination in India for tourist for its pristine beaches.

Goa is one of outstanding place in India. Lots of beaches and historical places their. Visit to goa in summer may-June and also in December when festival occasion are best seasons. I visit in summer June 4th, a hot season in June but good. The beach u see above is Vagator-Chapora beach. On the second side there is a fort where the movie dil chahta hai shoots. I stay Alor grand hotel for 4 days a 1 km distance to beach. Tourism of Goa is best and well managed.

Goa Tour Package Price : 

Hotels In Goa :  

Goa is very cheap beach destination. If you are looking for 3 star hotels in Goa then average cost of hotels around 4000 INR and if you are looking for 4 star 5 star then cost will increase about 7000 to 15000 INR. We stay at Fortune Acron Regina Hotel at Goa in second visit and in first visit we stay at Alor Grand.

So cost for 4 night package of Goa is around 15000 -20000 INR for 3 star hotels. Flights rates depends on your origin destination. 

Things not to do in Goa :

• Don't take taxi , hire a bike. Bike rent per day approx. 800-1000 Rs. Petrol you can fill up and you can max burn petrol around 200-300 Rs per day. So it is very cheap and you can enjoy bike ride.
• Do not Carrying too much cash with you. Use cards and keep less money with you. 
• Going topless in Goa beaches is not allowed.
• There are too many chances to be looted in Goa. So be careful when someone buy you a drink, people who say you intimate scenes etc.
• Staring at people
• For photographers in Goa may be costly. You can not take a stranger photo without he/she permission. Its a legal offence.
• Drink and Drive.
• Littering 
• Gambling on a beach . There are some beaches where some peoples play a gambling with money. Don't play their. First you can win but at the end you loose your money. If you want to play gambling just go for casino no where else.

Goa Beaches to visit : Famous Beaches of Goa

Goa is divided in tow parts as North Goa and South Goa. 

North Goa Beaches :

• Candolim Beach  
• Miramar Beach
• Vagator Beach
• Chapora Beach
• Fort Aguada Beach

Well there are more beaches in North Goa but these beaches are best to visit. Also Visit Fort Agauda in North Goa. All these beaches are in a same line so it is easy to visit in one day. Also some old churches you can visit like Basilica of Bom Jesus, Se Cathedral etc. Also there is a bird sanctuary in North Goa named Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. When i visit Goa second time I stay at Fortune Acron Regina from ITC hotel. It is good resort from ITC well maintained and good deal with a group. You can do water activities here also. Some beaches are good at night with music and liquor. Baga beach is one of them where you can enjoy at night with music and liquor.

Best  Beaches of South Goa :

• Palolem Beach
• Agonda
• Bogmalo Beach
• Betul Beach
• Butterfly Beach

You can visit Dudhsagar waterfall at some distance from south goa. Also Vasco Da Gama Beach is beautiful. For Casino lover Delt In Royal casino is the best in Goa. 

In India Goa is beautiful place where you can stay 4-5 days and enjoy beaches. Goa package is very cheap if you select you hotels on average. If you select you hotels some hire budgets then also its cheap too. A good quality hotel where i stay Fortune Acron Regina per day room charges i pay 6500 Rs. Also they give evening 7 -8 pm happy hour where all drinks and liquor are free for hour. So get the best deals as you can and also you can go with goa tourism and check and compare good hotels and rates. Hire a bike for transport. Train service from all over India is available for Goa. Also flight service too.

Night Life in Goa : 

There are lots of clubs for night life in Goa. If you want to go for dance party and liquor party then clubs are best place. It may be costly but safe. Also in hotels and resort they provide weekend party and happy hour for 7 to 8 pm free liquor if your package includes it. Also you can enjoy casino at Delt in Royal for gambling and try your luck. Some people meet you at late night on beach and they ask you to provide girls but i suggest don't go and waste your money. They may be fraud too.

Churches in goa are very old and don't miss to see them if u are really interested. I take a boat cruise for 1 hour but don't waste your money in that. Also on each beach u find gambling so plz don't play that otherwise u loose your money. Weather of Goa is moderate cold and hot. Temperature is average around 25-30 degree. 

Language Speak in Goa is Konkani and Capital of Goa is Panaji.

The Time of the day between Daylight and Night or Darkness is Twilight. Simply means after sunset or before sunrise time you can see beautiful tri color sky with diffused and sometimes pinkish sky. At this moment The Sun is below the horizons but sunrays are disordered due to atmosphere of Earth and it make color of twilight.

Difference between Twilight And Dusk : 

Time between Sunset and Dusk is called Twilight. At twilight moment there is little bit light in the sky. When the Sun is at 18 degree below the horizon that point is called Dusk. There is no sunlight at Dusk point. 

Types of Twilight :

There are three types of Twilight

1.  Civil Twilight ( nearest to the Horizon ) 
2. Astronomical Twilight ( fareast from Horizon )
3. Nautical Twilight (  Fareast from Horizon )

About Thol Bird Sanctuary :

Thol Bird Sanctuary is located near Thol Village in Kadi in Mehsana District Gujarat. It was made in 1912 for irrigation tank. Later on the winter visitor birds and also lots of migratory birds came here it was declared as an Sanctuary in 1988. Thol Lake or Thol Bird Sanctuary is one of most favorite place for bird watchers. Here you can find lots of resident birds, Migratory Birds, Waders , Water birds, Serpents, Tortoies, Squirrels, Monitor Lizards etc. The different kinds of birds is the beauty of Thol Lake. 

Twilight Sky At Thol Lake :

I oftenly visit Thol Lake for birding. During winter season i went for flemingos and pelicans specially. Winter is best time for Thol Lake. When my cousine came from USA we visited Thol Sanctuary. Generally i went early morning at 7 AM but my cousine was very exited to visit thol so we came early 5 AM at Thol Lake. There was a darkness at Thol Lake and also The gate open at 6 AM. so we wait for open the gate. When the gate was open and we just enter the lake we saw Twilight sky . A tri color sky looks amazing. I had never seen that type of sky before. Different shade of sky before 10 minutes of sunrise. That was experienced that we are in heaven. My cousine was very happy to see Twilight sky. 

Gear Used : Canon 6 D camera, Canon 50 mm lens

How to Reach Thol Lake : Thol lake is near to Ahmedabad. Distance from Ahmedabad is around 25-30 km. So nearest Airport is Ahmedabad and Railway Station is Ahmedabad. You can go by road from Ahmedabad. 

The Indian White Eye bird actually name changed from Orientle White Eye. It is small passarine bird from white eye family. This bird can easily identify because of its white ring on eye. A small bird with white ring on eye looks beautiful. Its a resident breeder in India. I found it at Himachal Pradesh when i was on trek to Manali. Small bird found in small trees and woodland. 

Description About Indian White Eye :

• Size of bird is very small about 8-9 cm.
• Color is yellow on upper parts and yellow throat and vent and white ring on eye.
• Belly is white grey also yellow in some subspices.
• It feed nectar and small insects.
• Total 11 subspices recorded.
• Breeding season is February to september and April is peak.
• They build nest in very short time and lay pale blue eggs.

Birding At Manali : 

Manali is one of the best place for birding. Bird watchers oftenly came here and do lots of bird photography. There are lots of birds spices are found here. Better you go by trek so you can explore more birding area of manali. Chandrakhani Pass is very good place at height of 9000 ft above where you can found Himalayan Monal. Also lots of snow at this place so you can enjoy the nature beauty of the place. Amazing Landscapes you can take from here of Himalayan Mountain Range. 

Indian White eye is Least concern bird in the IUCN bird list. It found in many areas.

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm Lens

Photo Taken at Dobhi Base camp outskirts of YHAI.

Verditer Flycatcher is summer visitor to Himalayas and North East India. I found it at Manali when i was on trek to chandrakhani pass. Flycatchers are really beautiful birds to see and to catch. The color of Verditer flycatcher is really amazing blue. Its attract to your eyes. Himalayan range is full of birds. Specially birds are migrated and also winter visitors.

About Verditer Flycatcher :

• It is blue in color and dark patch between the eyes and above the bill base.
• Male is Entirely greenish blue, brighter forehead and throat and black lores.
• It is not confusable with any other flycatcher.
• Female is similar but duller and greyer and dusky lores.
• Pale blue flycatcher is confusable with female verditer flycatcher.
• Voice song comprises series of rapid, undulating, strident notes ascending the scale.
• It found in open forest, tall trees in open areas, groves and gardens.

Himachal Pradesh Birds / Manali Birds :

Manali is very good to bird watchers. Go by trek from Dobhi to Chandrakhani Pass. Trek organized by many but i suggest go with Youth Hostel YHAI. From Dobhi you can get good birds and by moving to chandrakhani pass about 10000 ft height you can get lots of birds. I found more than 35 spices of different birds during my trek. Trekking is good experience to get in touch with nature closely. You can get amazing landscapes here of Himalayas and Himalayan Range with beautiful sunrise and sunset.

Gear Used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens