Lotus is a beautiful flower which is also have different names like Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus or Simply Lotus. Scientific name of Lotus is Nelumbo Nucifera. It is distinct from water lily. Lotus is a aquatic plant. Lotus plant grow in flood plains and slow moving rivers. Lotus drops thousand of seeds in bottom of the water or pond. Some sprout and wildlife eat some of seeds and rest seeds remains dormant for sometimes until pond dries out. During flood these seeds broken and rehydrate and begin to new lotus colony. Lotus is a National Symbol of India and known as National Flower of India.
Botanical Features :
- Lotus leaves are large, round and green. They looks like waxy coating.
- Lotus has large and showy flowers. Flowers blooms in the morning and close at night. Lotus flower color range is from Pink to White.
- Lotus flower grow in muddy water or flood areas. Lotus flower roots entrenched in the mud.
Some Interesting Facts about Indian Lotus flower :
- Lotus seed remains viable for many years. The oldest lotus germination from seeds around 1300 years old from Northeastern China. So Chinese regard plant as symbol of Longevity.
- Lotus flower has wide native distribution from central to northern India. Also it is found in Northern Indo China and East Asia.
- Lotus is a National Flower of India and Vietnam.
- Lotus flower is known for its self cleaning properties. As it grow in muddy water its petals remains clean due to waxy surface.
- All parts of lotus plants are edible and also used in Asian cuisine.
- Lotus flower is known as Kamal or Padma in India.
- Lotus is called sacred flower because it represent the Sun and also a fertility symbol.
- There are four types of Lotus (1) Boontharik (2) Sattabongkot (3) Sattabutre (4) Pathum
- Lotus flower has good lifecycle than any other plant. It submerges at night in the pond and re blooms on next morning. so Lotus flower is very special flower then other flowers.
Cultural and Spiritual Significance :
- Lotus flower is sacred in Hinduism. It is specially associates to Goddess Laxmi and Lord Vishnu . Goddess Laxmi is goddess of wealth and prosperity and Lord Vishnu is preserver God.
- Lotus symbolized beauty, wealth, purity and knowledge.
- In Diwali day of Dhanteras we do a puja of Goddess Laxmi. Goddess Laxmi sit on the Lotus flower and we dedicate a fresh lotus flower to Goddess Laxmi during a puja.
Health Benefit of Lotus flower :
- Lotus flower helps to reduce blood sugar and high cholesterol level.
- It helps to prevent diarrhea.
- It helps to add nutrients to the body.
- It helps to reduce inflammation.
- It helps to regulate menstrual cycle.
- It helps to prevent growth of Cancer.
So Lotus is very useful and popular flower in India and also in China. In India Lotus flower used by Hindu Gods so it is very important flower for Hindus. Also it helps in medical science too and have many useful act in some diseases. Most interesting thing about lotus flower is it grow up in the morning and submerge at night at same place in water. Also some Lotus plant can live 50 to 100 years.
Camera Used : Canon 80 D, Canon 100 mm Macro lens
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Caterpillar are insects and they are larval stage of Moths and Butterflies. Caterpillar mostly eat leafs and plants. There are different types of caterpillar in the world. All caterpillar looks different and different in color too. But all caterpillar are larval stage of insects like butterfy and moths. Mostly caterpillar are seen in monsoon season. After the first rain of monsoon the butterflies season is rising and lots of different butterflies you can see. Also in my garden at home and at my farm i found lots of butterflies and moths. When i was travelling in night for Sharad purnima full moon photography i went to narmada dam near prantij village. I found catterpillar group eating a leaf on big tree. I also found moths, Mantis Insect, Different spices of Spiders and the Moon Double Exposure photo i clicked.
About Caterpillar :
- Caterpillar have soft body. They can grow between moults.
- Size of Caterpillar may different depends on spices but it can be around 1 mm to 14 cm.
- Caterpillar have large number of legs.
- Sawfly larvae have 2 simple eyes and caterpillar have 12 eyes each side head has 6 eyes.
- Caterpillar are rich protein so many animal feed caterpillar.
- Some caterpillar are camouflage in color so cannot find easily.
- Caterpillar are in feeding behaviour so they can easily hidden from predators.
- Some caterpillar have bristles for their protection.
- Most caterpillar are harmless but some can harm like alergic reaction. But most caterpillar are safe even you can touch it.
- Caterpillar lifespan up to 15-29 days.
- Caterpillar eyes known as Stemmata.
- Out of Insects - Caterpillar is one big company of Caterpillar Machines, engines, components etc...
Above image of caterpillar moth on leaf make black and white after post processing and looks like black and white abstract image.
Caterpillar most cause damage to leaves in farms. Some crops and some tree leaves can be damaged by caterpillar group and may some loss for farmers. So farmers spray some insects pesticides for caterpillar and other insects for preventing their crops in farms.
Generally i saw caterpillar in a single or double but this time i see a huge number of caterpillar moth on leaf. I catch with my camera with macro lense and get good result of Caterpillar moth group on leaf. I also found some different caterpillar at my farm also. This time i got only single caterpillar and double caterpillar. At my trek to Ranituk i also found some group of caterpillar in my trek route. Caterpillar are most annoyed for me. Sometimes i shoot insects with macro lens so i am afraid of getting so closer to them. But my passion helps me to get closer to them and catch photos of them. Generally caterpillar are warms and it turns into insects like butterfly or moths.
Camera Used : Canon 6D, Canon 80D , Canon 100 mm macro lens
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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
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Flowers are most common and easy available subject for photography. Flowers are everywhere near around us. So for basic photography learning you can do flower photography at home. Flower photography you can do with multiple lenses and also from mobile, digital cameras and DSLR or mirrorless cameras. Flower photos are used for morning thoughts too. For morning thought flower images are best options. Here i upload some of my good flowers images with my watermark. All can download free flower photos and use it with my watermark. If you want large size file then write a mail to me.
What you need for Flower photography :
For flower photography i generally use my DSLR camera 6 D and 80 D model with different lenses like canon 50 mm , canon 18-55 mm , canon 100 mm macro and also some flowers taken by 100-400 mm canon lens. I choose lenses according to subject, location, and background . For flower photography background is more important for composition. For macro photo of flower you can use flash so background made black. Using flash for macro photography makes you higher Aperture numbers for more details of flower. Using low aperture makes your background blurred and make your image more attractive. For composition with flower you can choose background and foreground in contrast or some bokeh image in background.
Above image of black and white flower reflection captured at home with canon 80 D and canon 100 mm macro lens. Reflection of flower create on my table of glass.
Free Flowers Images to Download :
All images of flower in this post you can download and use with my watermark is free. If you want large size image without watermark you can connect to me or mail me.
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Housefly is a small insect which is found anywhere around us. It is most common fly spices. Binomial Name of Housefly is Musca domestica. Housefly is very well known for carry pathogens which can cause serious diseases in Animals and Humans. There are also different flies like fruit fly , Drain fly , Lesser Housefly, Blow fly, Common Green bottle fly etc. It is an insect and it has an important role for ecology for breaking down organic matter. They can carry lots of organisms on hair, mouth and feces. Also they carry parasites with them and cause diseases like Typhoid, Cholera ,Diarrhea etc.
About Housefly : It is the most common fly spices found in the houses. They have red eyes and black in color. They have small hairs on their body and single pair of wings. Females are little larger than Male. Adult housefly length about 6 to 7 mm and 12-15mm with wingspan. They have 3 simple eyes and pair of antennae.
Some Facts about Housefly or Flies :
- Flies multiply quickly
- Flies can spread diseases.
- Flies test with their feet.
- Housefly don't chew
- Flies pollinate plants.
Things to know about Housefly :
- Female housefly mates only once and it store sperms to use it later on.
- It lays eggs on waste food or carrion and lays eggs in 100 of batches.
- After eggs they soon hatch into larvae which is known as maggot.
- After 3 larvael stage they turn into pupae about 8 mm. and then become housefly.
- Housefly generally lives 2 to 4 weeks.
- They feed different liquid, semi liquid substence. They can feed some solid meterials which can soften by housefly saliva.
- Houseflies process visual information 7 times faster than humans.
Life cycle of Housefly :
Female lays Eggs ----- after 1 day 1st instar larva ----- after 1 day 2nd instar larva ----- after 1 day 3rd instar larva ----- after 2 or 3 days Pupae/ pupa ----- after 3.5 to 4.5 days it turn into adult housefly
Housefly is very difficult to catch in your frame. Its flying speed is amazing so you can not catch them easily. You need to stable where housefly repeatatly came and sit. Wait for your shot on tripod or on handheld. Its all about timing. I generally use handheld shots. Also i use flash rarely when light is too low.
How to get rid of Housefly ?
The best spray for get rid of housefly is natural oil sprays like citronella oil, neem oil, peppermint oil, lemongrass oil etc. Get mixing these oils with alcohol or water and spray it in your house .
Gear Used : Canon 80 D , Canon 6 D , Canon 100 mm macro lens.
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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.
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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.
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Ants are generally found everywhere.They are also in home garden area and also inside home. Two types of ants found near you are small ants and Giant Ants. They also have different colors in small and giants like black and red color ants. Big black ants are also called Black Carpenter Ant. Giant black ants found mostly in forest environment.Carpenter ant have known for extensive tunnel construction. They pass their food from lead to end. Carpenter Ants are good example of Unity and strength. They eat small Insects and predators.
In my farm and in my home garden lots of small ants and Carpenter Ants are seen. They are really good subject to shoot. If you go for some Unity theme photography then ants are good subject. A huge number of carpenter black ants found at one small place. These both pictures taken at my home. Giant black ants or Carpenter Ant on flower plant and i never miss chance to shoot them. I like to shoot Miniature photography. But have too much patience to shoot them. Also you have to be careful that they dont bite you. Well Small ants and Giant black carpenter ants bite is not poisonous to human but giant black ant bite is painful like a small needle inject.
Things Know about Carpenter Ants :
- Carpenter ants are not generally harmful to humans but they can damage your home wood items.
- Mostly ants are attract by sweet items in your home.
- So place your sweet items like sugar, honey, Syrups , jelly etc at covered place or at height so ants cannot reach easily their.
- The Queen of carpenter ant is about 13 to 17 mm length.
- After mating with male the queen looks for new nesting site.
- The queen runs colony and if you kill queen of ants then the colony will not survive.
Above two images of Carpenter ants in black and white looks beautiful. These two photographs i put into Abstract Category. Well i love black and white imges but if you have subject in black color then i suggest to shoot in black and white that make your frame outstanding. I am testing my canon 100 mm macro lens for these images so may be clearity is low but i got good results afterall.
How to get rid of Ants ? : It is difficult to find ant nest. Follow ants and find the nest. You can protect your house by ants with good cleaning surface and use of termite protection liquid. Just block their paths with white cements or inject some acid or vinegar or liquid medical treatment for ants . Best way is Anti Termite Liquid but it smells lot for few days.
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Camouflage Insect - Mantis : Praying Mantis are very difficult to find because its color is green which is nature friendly color so even it stands on a tree you can have to see very sharply to find it. Mantis are insects of Mantodea order . It has more than 2500 spices in 30 families. The largest family is Mantidae. They generally found in forest area also in green tree leaves too. Mantis found worldwide.
About Praying Mantis Insect :
- They have triangular face or head.
- They have bulging eyes on neck.
- They have not wings to fly.
- Their forelegs are very useful for catching and gripping during hunt.
- Total 4 legs and 2 arms of Mantis.
- Color of Mantis is total green which helps to hide from predators and prey.
- Mantis are ambush predators or They are sit and wait predator.
- They mostly live for a year and lives in cooler environments.
- Adult Mantis lay eggs and die in autumn season.
- The closest relatives of Mantis are Cockroaches and Termites.
Mantis are silent killer. They wait for their prey and feed live prey within thier area. With the help of green color they can hide themselvs from others. Larger Mantis eat their own spices too. They feed lizards, frogs, fish and small birds. When Mantis are very hungry they migrate from their place to another.
I found Mantis at my farm first time. I planted mango trees in my farm and i see mantis first time on mango tree leaf. I surprised on creature of God. I also found it at another places too like Jessore sanctuary and Narmada River Dam outskirts. I frankly say that i don't like any insects not because of i am scared of it but not like . But when i got chance to get photograph then i don't miss it with a macro lens. I clicked Mantis photo when i was new with my canon 100mm macro lens so don't know proper use of macro lens and aslo dont use flash during macro photos.
Camera used : Canon 6 D , Canon 100 mm Macro lens.
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This time i tried something new on macro lens. Find some things at my home and get beautiful abstract images. I don't know about abstract photography much but it is really interesting subject. At home u can go with variant subjects on macro and Abstract Photography. At home there are lots of items you can use as an Abstract. There are three different items i use in this post so you can try these at your home as Abstract photo ideas.
Straw Abstract Photo :
When i bought a bundle of straw i got an idea to capture a photo of bunch of straw. I came home and take my camera and photograph straw. I took a bundle of straw and fix them with a rubber band. Then i put that on a glass table and from below glass i give some light to the straw. You can also give light from front side too. The benifit of light from behind is that the color of straws are amazing. I tried different angles and some varient of straws to take good images as belows.
Black and White image of straw abstract looks amazing too. Sometimes black and white image looks great than colored image.
Abstract of Feather :
This below image is of bird feather with waterdrops looks great. Take a feather of any bird and spray some water on it. Take a macro shot with full light and also flash light that make result better. I done it black and white because its look better in black and white. Feather of any bird is a very beautiful and amazing to take a picture with a water drops. Feather looks like a line or pattern thats why it use as an abstract image.
Soap Bubbles Abstract Image :
Below image is of Bubbles hexagon . The image i tried first time so can't go properly but next time result will be improved surely. For this take a glass bowl small size put some water in it. After that add some dish soap and mix it. Take a straw and blow some air from straw in soapy mixture. This create bubbles over glass bowl. Take a shot of bubbles as shown in above image. This is my first time so result is not good as i don't get better background.
So try these tips at your home and take a good pictures. If you want any help please feel free to wright in comment. There are also good items you can shoot at home. I found it and post it later on. Till then if you get something new to shoot an abstract photo plz let me know in comment. I will definately try to capture good images.
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Abstract in photography is a good subject to shoot. What abstract means - The definition of abstract photography :: Abstract in photography means the subject existing in thought or in as an idea but it does not exist in physical form. Means Abstract Photography is an idea that you create from the subject. During lock down period i have lots of spare time to shoot every kind of theme photography at my home. Creative abstract photography ideas you can get from your home. Abstract photography in black and white looks beautiful in any subject. I use macro lens for this so i can call it Abstract Macro Photography.
TECHNIQUES AND EXAMPLES OF ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY :
Now a days you have to be creative in photography. Everyday a new challenge to face. New subjects and new theme. I found lot of thing at my home that we can shoot for theme photography or abstract in photography. When my son had no school and he put his pencil box inside a drawer i guess an idea for pencil abstract photography. Then i take a rubber band and gather all pencil and bunch it all. and look what i get . A beautiful image and creature and a good sample of design made by pencil bunch. Then i shoot it process it in Black And White Abstract photo and color too. I take color pencil too for colorful abstract images.
My pencils are not same color and design so little bit mismatch of colors. So i do it black and white to destroy variant color. Color pencil with good colorful abstract art image.
How to create Pen abstract image :
You can try any subject to get abstract photography. You can create same abstract images with color Pen too. Here i give some sample images of Pen abstract photography ideas at home. Bunch of pen cover is also good to shoot as an abstract image. Also point ball pen pointer with your macro or some prime lens make image very attractive. For abstract images you can move your camera while your shutter release in slow make a motion image of any subject is really awesome. Below i provide some sample images of motion abstract of pen make image very attractive. For this you need tripod otherwise image will not get clear well i take it handheld but still if i use tripod then result will be better i think. Using some external lights to your subject is good for abstract images. I use macro lens so i fire flash and external light too for higher aperture value.
Create Motion Blur Abstract photo :
For motion blur just stady your subject use external lights and go for high aperture and low shutter speed. While you click your shutter like about 1 second to 5 second move your camera in any direction until your shutter close. See the result. You can work this trik to any subject like trees too. So you can easy take an Abstract Photo at your home items. Lots of Home items are being used for Abstract photography so try it. I will Put some more Home Abstract Ideas for Abstract photography at home.
Gear Used : Canon 80 D, Canon 100 mm macro lens, External LED light, Flash light of camera, No tripod used in all photos.
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About abstract photography : Abstract photography is like an non objective photography. Sometimes it is experimental sometimes its conceptual so abstract photography means depicting a visual image that does not belongs to a subject or object of the world. Abstract photography is all about your creativity. You can make and convert any object or subject as an abstract image. Abstract images are more attractive in water images. Water drops , running water, Water oil combination etc. are the best option for abstract photography. Also there are lots of objects in your kitchen which you can use as abstract photography ideas at home.
How to shoot abstract Photography with oil and water : Well in abstract images I shoot water drops, Running water and also pen pencils abstract images before and I also write a post on it so check it on my blog site.
- I take a plain glass which has no design no color only plain glass I take.
- Put some water in a glass and take some oil drops on water. You can take any oil like hair oil or cooking oil for this experiment.
- Oil is floating on a water you can see bcz its natural science. Oil drops are in different round shapes. More oil you drop more round bubble floater on water you get.
- First take some pictures from top of glass with white background.
- For background put white paper below glass. Result is good but you need to use tripod and flash light for better result.
- After that black and white image put some color paper and take some different color shots.
- One more thing you can do take your mobile with multi color wallpaper on it and put it below glass which I do. This is amazing because you can get different layers of color in one image with different oil bubble colors.
Now you can move oil bubbles with some stick and make a good angle of bubbles and take a shot. You can combine with color and bubble size too as I give you some sample images of color oil and water abstract. Take different colors and black and white pictures of these creative abstract photography at home and enjoy your photography. Abstract images are more attractive in black and white too so don't forget to take photo in black and white. You can also post process color abstract images into black and white in a software too.
Gears used for oil water abstract photography : Here I use Canon 80 D with 100mm macro lens. I don't use tripod in this photos but still get good images. You can use 50mm prime lens in this is also good lens for these abstract photography. Also i use a plain transparent glass, water, coconut oil and mobile with colorful photo for background.
At the end try to get more and more sharp images until you don't get much sharper image. Because abstract photography is looking attractive when your images are sharp. So use tripod at least and flash light for better results.
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Accentor is a small bird of prunellidae family. In India it is generally found in East Sikkim area. It built its nest low in a bush. When i was on a trip to Singalila National Park. I found at sandakphu area. Sandakphu is high altitude place in Singalila National Park located in West Bengal. From here you can see Mt. Kanchenjunga very clear which is highest peak of West Bengal. Lots of Birds here. To visit Singalila Park November to February you can found lots of snow and good landscapes too with snow on Mt Kanchenjunga. Also if you are going for birding you can visit March to May/June Month is the best . It is very cold weather during winter November to February at Singalila National park.
About Alpine Accentor Bird :
- Alpine Accentor bird is robin size bird. Length of bird is around 15 -17 cm.
- Bird just like similar to house sparrow in color with brown back streaked.
- Adult Alpine Accentor have red brown spotting on underparts
- Also adult have grey head too.
- In Asia Accentor found at 2000 m above height. Specially at Himalayas.
- It build nest in bush.
- It laying 3-4 plain (not spotted) eggs of sky blue color.
Singalila National Park :
Singalila national park is located in West Bengal. There are lots of birds in this sanctuary. Also its good for trekking at Sandakphu. From here you can see Mt. Kanchenjunga easily and very closely. Also a beautiful Himalayan Mountain range with snow. Amazing weather very cold in winter and moderate in summer. Summer season is the best for birding at sandakphu.
Alpine Accentor bird Binominal Name is Prunella Collaris . Total 9 subspices are recognised of Alpine Accentor bird.
Gear used : Canon 1000 D, Canon 55-250 mm Lens.
Road To Heaven is named to the road from Khavda to Dholavira in Kutch Gujarat. The road is so wonderful and scenery so it known as Road to Heaven . Khavda to Dholavira distance is around 58km but from Khavda there is a single line narrow road passes through small villages around 15-20 km approx. The main road starts after it and it is around 30-35 km approx. strait to Dholavira. Road is under constriction but almost 70-80% work done. The road heading to the city of Harappan Civilization Dholavira which is one of the largest site of Harappan Civilization and Indus valley Civilization.
Kutch is a largest district of Gujarat and also of India. Main City or Headquarter of Kutch District is Bhuj. Kutch is famous for White Desert or White Rann. In Every winter season from December to February celebrate “ Rann Utsav “ to attract foreigners and also locals. Tent City made in white desert to stay and also cultural programs arranged in it. The main Rann Utsav held in Dhordo of Kutch.
After visit White desert people also visit Dholavira which is nearest destination from Dhordo and also Kalo Dungar in between. From Dhordo you will have to go Khavda first and then from Khavda to Dholavira which is connected through “ Road To Heaven “. Dholavira is located at Khadir Bet. Khadir bet is separated because after monsoon the water filled outer side of bet. So the Road To Heaven is the way to connect Khadir bet to main city Bhuj.
About Road To Heaven Dholavira / Road to Heaven in Kutch :
- · It connected from Khavda to Dholavira.
- · Road to heaven distance around 30-35 km.
- · After monsoon the rain water on the both side of the road. You can see beautiful Greater Flamingo birds in between. Water level is low but muddy.
- · After winter in January –February the water on both side of the road is evaporated and turn into salt. Not all water but some areas during the road.
- · Water on the both side of the road or Salt/ white layer on both side of the road make the beauty of the road and that’s why it name as “ Road To Heaven “
- · When you are on the road there is hardly some traffic you face the open road with both side water or salt at morning or evening make the scenery like a Heaven.
I must suggest to visit Road To Heaven in Kutch while you visit Kutch. Also Visit Dholavira which is one of the largest Harappan Civilization site.
Places to visit near Road To Heaven :
Dholavira, Kalo Dungar, Dhordo, White Desert
Places to Visit near Bhuj : White Desert , Kadiya dhro, Chhatardi, Mandvi beach, Vijay vilas palace, Bhujyo Dungar, Smriti Van, Vande matram memorial
Camera Used : Canon 80D, Canon 6D, DJI Mavic Air2
It 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.
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.