Singalila National Park is located in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. It is at an altitude of almost 7000 ft. above sea level. I visit Singalila park on 6-12 Nov 2012 participating in Nature wanderers. It was a wonderful time to spend with the wild life photography experts Shivang Mehta(Delhi), Tejas soni(Gujarat) and Shantanu prasad(Kolkata). I joined first time in wild life photography tour and had a great experience. Geographic location of singalila national park is located in Singalila ridge. There are two rivers flowing through park. River Rammam and River Shirikhola. Sandakphu and Phalut are highest peak of west Bengal.
Trek To Sandakphu : Singalila National Park is a bird sanctuary cum wildlife sanctuary. A track route from Manebhanjan - Guiribus - Sandakphu covers Singalila park. Guiribus is a base of very rar Red Panda but we are not very lucky to catch them. Weather is awesome to guiribus.5 am sunrise u can see and at 3 pm u can see the clouds take charge as seen above picture. After 3-4 pm u cant get sunlight. Also a big problems at these places of lights. They have only solar lights. A trek to sandakphu is starts from manebhanjan. You can go by trek (by walk) or you can take a ride of Land Rover from 1960s. Rate for Land Rover is around 5000 INR for round trip from Manebhanjan to Sandakphu and extra 1000 INR for night halt per night. These price rates are in year 2012-2015 so now a days price are different.
About Sandakphu and Singalila National Park : Sandakphu is almost 11700 ft height. Such a great place it is as per location and weather. We stay at border of Nepal-India. At sandakphu you can see beautiful Himalayan Mountains Mt Kanchenjunga, Mt Everest, Kumbhkarna Mountain etc. At this height you may also find snow in winter season. Morning sunrise and evening sunset scenery are really beautiful with Himalayan range. Amazing view of Mt. Kanchenjunga the highest peak of west Bengal. You can get beautiful pictures of morning golden light on Mt. Kanchenjunga and other Himalayan mountains. Also the night scene is amazing. You can see amazing night sky which full of stars and milky way. You can see milky way easily from sandakphu. You can do stargazing from Sandakphu. I had done my first star trail at sandakphu.
Amazing landscape of Himalayan mountain range with clouds. The layers of mountain range with snow on last looking awesome. Singalila national park is really good for birding, trekking and Landscape photography. Here you can take good Landscape photos of himalayan range. Also Sandakphu is good place for birds too, Here you can also take good macro shots of morning frost in winter.
The land rover car of 60's ride to sandakphu from manebhanjan. It was joy ride in land rover.
Best Season To visit Sandakphu : Amazing weather in November. Extreme cold season. You stay beyond the clouds looks like you are in heaven. Every morning some snow frost on leaf of bush. Don't go their during rainy seasons. In rainy seasons leeches are come out and they are very dangerous for us. So not in a rainy season whenever u go their just prepare urself for every challenges. For birding you can go in Febuary to June.
Wildlife At Singalila National Park : Also sandakphu trek is beautiful for birding. Bird watchers may come in blooming season for birding. Singalila national park is beautiful place for bird watchers and wildlife photographers. Lots of birds like Himalayan vulture, scarlet minivet, khalij Pheasant, Blood pheasant, Parrotbills, Tits, Warblers, Finch, Fulvetta, owls etc and also mammals like Red Panda, Leopard cat, wild boar, Yellow throated marten, barking deer, Himalayan black bear, leopard, pangolin etc.
Above image i don't know what actually it was but i guess that it was Buddhist small God and one type of praying to Lord Buddha. It was made by white sand and made like lord Buddha's Idol.
Morning frost in above image show the beauty of Singalila National Park. Also birds makes more beautiful to Singalila National park. Some birds i capture here like Dove, Jungle Owl, warblers, Tits etc.
How to reach Sandakphu : By train you can go from Kolkata overnight train to New jalpaiguri and from their you can go by car around 4-5 hours to Manebhanjan. Or you can take a flight to Bagdogra Airport and from their go by car to Manebhanjan. After Manebhanjan its up to you to go by trek or go by Range Rover Car. Car rentle is around 5000 - 6000 INR per round trip and may night charges extra 1000 INR and park fees camera fees and others are extra.
At the end the full Panorama view of Sandakphu . Panorama of Singalila National Park. Panorama Mt. Kanchenjunga.
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Mt Kanchenjunga or Mt Kangchenjunga both spellings right and whatever you say located in west Bengal India. When i was on my Singalila National park trek i visit it. It was really gesture to see Mt Kanchenjunga from own eyes. A beautiful Mountain surrounded by snow and little bit clouds looks like you are in Heaven. The view i capture makes me very happy to see first time snow mountain in my life. When i was at my last location of my trek at Sandakphu we go for birding and v had a clear mountain view of Kanchenjunga. Kanchenjunga is also spelled Kangchenjunga. Height of Mt. Kanchenjunga/Kangchenjunga is 8586 m . The view of Mt Kanchenjunga from India is amazing as you can see in photos. This Mountain range in wide angle as shown above image looks like Sleeping Budda so this mountain range also known as Sleeping Buddha Mountain Range too.
The name Kanchenjunga is derived from sanskrit kanchana ganga . Kanchana means gold and ganga is the river which flows in the region. The river shines like gold and hence the name Kanchana Ganga was given to this mountain.
Things to know About Mt. Kanchenjunga/ Mt. Kangchenjunga :
- Kanchenjunga Mountain is about 28,169 ft height and located along the Nepal-India border in the Himalayas.
- It is the third highest mountain in the world.
- It contains 5 peaks and four of them above 27,700 ft of heights.
- Kanchenjunga is also name of surrounding section of Himalayas and means THE FIVE TREASURES OF SNOWS .
- Joe Brown and George Band was the first climber of Kanchenjunga mountain on 25 may 1955.
- Kanchenjunga mountain boundry shared by Nepal, India, China and Bhutan.
- Total 5 peaks of Kanchenjunga are Kanchenjunga Main ( 28169 ft ), Kanchenjunga West ( 27904 ft ), Kanchenjunga Central ( 27828 ft ), Kanchenjunga South ( 27867 ft ), Kangbachen ( 25928 ft ).
- Kanchenjunga Main is the highest elevation of Brahmaputra River.
- There are four climbing route for Kanchenjunga among them 3 are from Nepal and one from Sikkim India.
- It is also known as Sleeping Buddha Mountain range.
When i was on a tour to Singalila National Park we have a terrific view of Kanchenjunga mountains and also other Himalayan mountains. The best view of Kanchenjunga i saw from Sandakphu located at India-Nepal border. I also saw Mt. Everest from here. Everest is on a long distance but if weather is clear you can see it very clearly.
In above picture the mountain shows in left side ( Triangle 3 peaks ) of Mt Kanchenjunga is Kumbhakarna Mountain.
Sandakphu trek is one of the beautiful trek among India and also of Himalayas. During summer lots of trekkers go for these trek and also Phalut trek. At Sandakphu you can stay a night and just see at night the sky is full of stars. I was never seen such stars in my life. A milky way you can see and it was amazing experience of star gazing at Sandakphu. Also after dark a sunrise is beautiful as enough. At 4 or 4:30 am sunrise time and we were ready to see first light of sun rays on Himalayan mountains. The color of rays are red orange color looks beautiful on snow mountain of Kanchenjunga. Thats the beauty of Himalayas.
For climbing Mt. Kanchenjunga you can go from Nepal only because Indian Government has been closed Northeastern Sikkim route of Kanchenjunga since 2000. To See Mt. Kanchenjunga from India Sandakphu is the best place. You can go to Sandakphu via Trek or via Range Rover car hire at manebhanjan village. Nearest airport is Bagdogra or you can go to Kolkata and go for overnight train from Kolkata.
Gear used : Canon 1000 D body, Canon 18-55 mm lens, Canon 55-250 mm lens.
Read moreIt is the largest species of Flamingo bird family and also a most widespread species of flamingo family.It is found in India ,south east , middle east and Africa. It is migratory bird. They also breed in India. In Gujarat they breed in Rann Of Kutch , Little Rann of Kutch also found in Thol Bird Sanctuary. I often visit Thol sanctuary so got good shots of them. Best time for shoot them is may-Jun at Thol bird sanctuary bcz of water level is too low . It is been recorded that some flamingo birds are resident in Gujarat at many places like LRK, Khijadia sanctuary, Nalsarovar and Thol Sanctuary. They also breed here and stay for all seasons. So you can find greater flamingo birds in all seasons in Gujarat at many places.
Flamingo bird facts and description :
- Greater flamingo bird is the largest living spices of flamingo.
- Greater flamingo has no subspices.
- Flamingo color most of pinkish white in plumage. Wings are red and feathers are black in end.
- Greater Flamingo bird call is like honking.
- The average lifespan of flamingo bird is 30-40 years.
- Main Difference between Greater flamingo and lesser flamingo is height . Lesser flamingo is shorter than greater flamingo. Also Greater flamingo has pale pink bill and black tip. In other case lesser flamingo has dark crimson bill. Lesser flamingo is also more red in color than greater flamingos.
Greater Flamingo birds In Thol Lake : Thol sanctuary is often i visit. Flamingo birds are stay here all seasons. I got good numbers of Greater flamingo and lesser flamingo bird images in a group when i visit Thol. This is my best time with flamingos. Also i got some beautiful pictures of flamingo birds with group and also in duo with some masti. Flamingos looks very good in frame bcz of their color. Thol lake is good place for birders because more than 150 birds spices found here. Also some mammals like Blue bull and black buck also found here. Lots of water birds and tree birds found here. Also sanctuary is not so big so you can find all birds in around 6 sqkm area. Best time to visit thol lake is November to March. All migratory birds are visit in winter so that is best time. Early morning is best for birders.
Timing And Fees of Thol Sanctuary :
Thol Sanctuary open at 6 AM in morning and close at around 5 PM
Fees of Thol Sanctuary is 50 INR per person and camera fees are 200 INR. Car fees are 500 INR.
Weekend fees may change that actually i don't know about it.
Two flamingos with little egret in between of them with down head all. The images of flamingo bird making a good frame. Because of its color flamingo birds images are very attractive and also their grouping make a perfect frame of flamingo bird picture.
A morning pared time for flamingo birds. A beautiful Greater flamingo birds are in a raw make image nice and show their unity.
Perfact wingspan of Flamingo bird looks great. Pink Wings make image more attractive.
Solo Greater flamingo bird
Some masti time for two flamingo birds .
Above image shows the discipline of Flamingo Bird and looks like a morning pared they are doing .
https://youtu.be/9dVBrR9NSOo
A group of Flamingo Birds at Thol Lake make your frame awesome.
Location : Thol Lake, Gujarat
Thol lake is just 25 km approx. from Ahmedabad. You can visit one day for Thol lake is enough. Also you can find another migratory birds like pelicans , bar headed goose, river tern and many more resident spices.
Ahmedabad to Thol lake distance about 25km
Thol bird sanctuary is located in Kadi Taluka in Mehsana District near sanand Gujarat. It is an artificial lake located near village Thol. In 1912 thol lake was built and it was declared as a Sanctuary in 1988. The main use of lake is use of water for irrigation. The Thol Bird Sanctuary or a Thol lake wildlife Sanctuary India is a habitat of more than 150 spices of birds. Also it is famous for migratory birds Flamingos and Sarus Crane which breeds here.
About Thol Lake / Thol Bird Sanctuary
Thol lake is located near Thol village and its area around 38000 acres. Lake faces all season winter , summer and monsoon. During winter temperature goes to 8 degree and in summer temperature goes to 43 degree. Thol lake is under control of Forest and Irrigation department of Gujarat. Thol lake water storage capacity is around 84 million cubic meters. Thol wildlife sanctuary is declared as Eco Sensitive Zone .
Flora and Fauna Thol Sanctuary :
Thol lake has many vegetation plants like Zizyphus, Acacia nilotica, Ficus, Capparis, Azadirachta indica etc. There are also some mix flora of Marshy and Aquatic plants reported in Thol Lake.
Thol lake is protected area and it is very good habitat for water birds. In thol bird sanctuary there are more than 150 spices of birds found . Among these more than 60 % of birds are water birds. Flamingo bird is most prominent bird of Thol Lake. Also Sarus Crane nest in large number here.
Famous Migratory Birds of Thol Lake
• Flamingos
• Sarus Crane
• Great White Pelican
• Mallards
• Bar Headed Geese , Grey Headed Geese
• Waterfowl
There are also some spices reported here like Dalmatian Pelican, Indian Skimmer, Greater Spotted Eagle, Indian Vulture and white rumped Vulture etc. In Mammals Bluebull, Blackbuck and Golden jackal reported here.
Thol Lake Timing and Fees :
Thol lake open everyday at 6 AM in morning and close at 5.30 PM in evening. Entry fees for Thol Lake or Thol sanctuary is 50 INR for per person. Also Camera fees extra at 200 INR and if you go via car then car fees also 500 INR. Foreigner fees are 10 $ per person.
Best Time to Visit Thol Sanctuary / Thol Lake :
Best time early morning for Thol Lake. In winter if you go before sunrise you can see Twilight sky amazing with lake shore and birds sound .During all season Thol lake has its own beauty. Every season you can visit at Thol Lake. But mostly during winter from November to March season is best for Thol Sanctuary visit. Because during winter lots of Migratory birds came here and stay for long time so for birding winter season is best at Thol Lake. Also during summer some of birds stays here like flamingos and pelicans, geese etc. So you can also see them in summer too. Also during summer water level of lake is low so may be the birds you can get in deep or sometimes closer. During monsoon most people don’t visit but if you like macro photography then you must visit Thol lake in monsoon. You can get some excellent macro subjects like waterdrops , Spiders, Insects etc.
What to do and What not to do in Thol Lake / Keep in mind while visiting sanctuary in India :
• Keep silence in sanctuary
• Maintain discipline
• Keep sanctuary clean
• Do not throw plastic waste anywhere in sanctuary
• Protect wildlife
• Observe birds, mammals etc and protect them and identify them
• Follow rules of wildlife protection act -1972
• Don’t disturb birds and animals
• Don’t enter in sanctuary with liquor and inflammable objects
• Don’t make loud noice.
• Enter in sanctuary with permit only and keep receipt till you leave sanctuary
• Don’t feed birds and animals
Where to Stay near Thol Lake :
Well near to Thol Lake there are not good places to stay at night but you can go near to destinations like Kadi, Kalol or Gandhinagar , Ahmedabad where you can get good places to stay at night. Nearest I suggest Kalol around 15-18 km or you can go Ahmedabad around 25 km.
Places to Visit near Thol Lake :
If you are staying at Ahmedabad then go for Ahmedabad Darshan , Pol area of Ahmedabad and Adalaj Ni Vav ( Heritage places ) etc. Also go for fast food test at night at Manek Chauk and SindhuBhavan road there are lots of option for food lovers like Urban Chauk, Freezbee etc.
If you stay at Gandhinagar then visit Mahatma Mandir at Gandhinagar, Sarita udyan , Akshardham Temple etc.
I would suggest Modhera Sun Temple if you had some more time which is around 100km from Ahmedabad. For bird lovers and bird photographer I would suggest visit Little ran of Kutch (LRK) during Winter season, Pariej Lake, Indroda park Gandhinagar, Jessore Sanctuary Banaskantha etc.
How to Reach Thol Sanctuary :
Nearest airport is Ahmedabad and from Ahmedabad thol lake distance is around 30-40 km
Also for Railway station is Ahmedabad because you can get all frequency and destinations from Ahmedabad railway station.
Common Kingfisher is also known as Eurasian Kingfisher or River Kingfisher. It is sparrow size bird with blue color on top of the body. It is widely distributed in North Africa and Eurasia. When rivers freezes in winter they migrate from their. In India common kingfisher also a widely distributed in all over region. They generally found near to the water areas like canals, rivers, river birdges, ponds etc. I took a shot of common kingfisher or Eurasian Kingfisher at Thol bird sanctuary located in Gujarat near Sanand.
Description and facts about Common Kingfisher :
- It is about 16cm long and 25cm with wingspan.
- Its weight around 35-44 gm.
- It has short tail as all kingfisher tail is short.
- It has green blue upperparts and it has green blue neck stripe.
- Juvenile is similar to adult but dull underparts.
- Main flight feathers moult between july to november and it will takes 90-100 days to grow.
- Kingfisher flight too fast on low water.
- It is widely distributed in Europe, Asia and North Africa ( winter visitor ).
- Common kingfisher eats 60% of its body every day.
- Common Kingfisher lays 2-10 eggs which are white glossy in color.
Common Kingfisher in Gujarat :
Common Kingfisher or Small Blue Kingfisher found in Gujarat at many places like Thol Bird Sanctuary, Nalsarovar Bird sanctuary, Velavdar Sanctuary and many other outskirts of Wetlands too. They are very small and cute in look. There are lots of kingfisher bird spices found in Gujarat also.
There are lots of Spider spices in the world. Spiders are good subject to shoot as a macro photo. Actually spiders are everywhere along to home and gardens. Jumping spider are group of spider constitute the family salticidae. This family contained over 600 described genera and over 6000 spices. Jumping spiders are easily identify from other spiders from their eyes and shape. The jumping spiders have faces that are roughly rectangular surface. The eyes are forward looking on flat face. The body length of jumping spider are around 1 to 25 mm. They generally found in forest , desert, scrub lands,temperate forest too. Toxicity of jumping spider is very less for humans. so jumping spider bite is not poisonous. Spiders are not insects because they belongs to family Salticidae and classified as Arachnids.
I found jumping spider during my trip to LRK ( Little Rann Of Kutch ). also its a live photography competition Name WILD CLICKS powered by canon in December 2019. Spiders in macro photography looks beautiful . For Macro Photography you need good light and good camera gears.
Some Facts about Jumping spider :
- The life of jumping spider is around 6 month to 2-3 years.
- Jumping spider are shy but you can easily catch them.
- They have 8 eyes.
- Once you will be familiar with spider then it enjoy your company.
- As per research of Miami university spiders like music.
- Generally they build their web in corners and dense trees , small plants etc.
- All spiders are predators.
- Jumping spider can change sudden blood flow in their body.
- Jumping spider do not use web for hunting.
- Jumping spider can dance also.
- Jumping spider can jump 10-50 times of their body.
- Jumping spider have 8 legs as all spider have 8 legs.
About Little Rann of Kutch :
LRK or little rann of kutch is a Wild ass sanctuary of Gujarat. Sanctuary for Indian Wild Ass but its also very well known for raptors and migratory birds. During winter some migratory birds like flamingos, pelican, bar headed goose, raptors, falcons, eagles, owls are regular visitors. So the sanctuary is more important for wildlife in Gujarat where you can find all birds, mammals and also 360 view of rann of kutch. Also some wetland areas near rann are beautiful for sunset and sunrise. You can also get some good macro photos of insects of rann for making good theme of COLORS OF RANN. I tried to shoot this spider with background of sun but its too hard for me . because it cant steady on one place for a second but got good pictures.
Gear used : Canon 80 D , Canon 6 D ,Canon 100mm Macro , Flash not fired
Location : Little Rann Of Kutch, Dasada
What is HORIZONS ? :: The horizon is the apparent line that separates Earth from sky. The true horizons can observed when it lines on the sea surface. Also many locations this line is made by Lands, Trees, Buildings, Mountains etc.The Horizon line divides all visible directions into two categories : those that intersect the Earth surface and those that don't. The horizon line is horizontal like to feel like end of earth no end of Earth surface . The Images of Horizons or skyline taken at Little Rann of Kutch . I tried to shoot many locations but sometimes not gonna happen that. Little Rann of Kutch is good place for Horizon photography bcz flat surface and 360 degree view. Above photo we passed thorough rann and i saw car trek on ground and line goes end of surface looks beautiful.
Horizon Height and distance calculation :
Well if you want to see horizon then you have to observe from 5-7 feet above sea level. Also you need clear land about 3-5 km distance then you can see clear Horizon line. In cities there are lots of disturbance like buildings, trees, towers etc so you can not see the clear horizons. For horizon line to see you need clear land area or water area. Best area for Horizon line is in between sea. In ocean there is clear Horizon line you can see easily. Also sunrise and sunset time horizons are amazing to see because of Twilight sky colors. Well all of these photos are not taken from 7 feet height and distance may not 3-5 km but its still you can see Horizons clearly. Photos taken from ground level but the rann area is clear so you can see horizons line from ground level.
For calculation of Horizon distance equation is :: Square root ( Height / 0.5736 ) and the result you get distance of Horizons.
Best Place To See Horizon lines :
The best place to see horizons are beaches. Because you can see clear line between Sky and Earth. Well where i live in Gujarat i have also one place name Little Rann of Kutch where i can see clear Horizon line as you can see in photos of Horizons. Little rann of Kutch is best place for me because its very near to me like about 2 hours car drive. Here there are huge number of raptors you can see in winter seasons. Lots of Migratory birds came here and the most important about Little Rann ot Kutch is Indian Wild Ass. Indian wild ass found only in Gujarat in this region only.
All Images taken at Little Rann of Kutch, Guajrat. Little rann of kutch known as LRK also famous for raptors and Indian Wild Ass. Lots of migratory birds coming here in winter. So never miss a change to visit LRK in Gujarat. LRK also very nice place for Star Gazing and Star Trail Photography, Time laps Photography.
Camera used : Canon 6 D, Canon 100-400 mm lens, Canon 50mm lens, canon 18-55 mm lens