RED-NECKED FALCON

The red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera) is a bird of prey in the falcon family. I had an opportunity to view this bird near Chennai. We travelled all the way to Chengalpattu to view and click this bird.

Mahabalipuram - Pallava Architecture

Mahabalipuram was a 7th century port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas around 60 km south from the city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu. It is believed to have been named after the Pallava king Mamalla. It has various historic monuments built largely between the 7th and the 9th century, and has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are three main attractions in Mahabalipuram. One is the shore temple, another is the pancharatha (pancha pandava) temples and third is Arjuna's penance.

The Shore Temple

Shore temple is a complex of three temples, one large and two small, located right on the shores of the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal in Mahabalipuram. The main temple is a five-storeyed structure dedicated to Lord Shiva and is sculpted out of granite. The key attraction of the Shore Temple are the five chariots or the Pancha Pandava Rathas, four of which are named after the Padavas and the fifth one is known as the Draupadi Ratha. Each of these Rathas is huge and distinct from the others, speaking of the aesthetic excellence of the artisans of that time. 

Sunrise and sunset add to the scenic charm of the Shore temple. So it is best to visit the temple at dawn. 

A monolith sculpture of a partly carved and partly sculpted lion with a hole in its torso is erected within the compound wall of the temple complex. A female guardian with a bow is also carved on the right leg of the lion. 

Miniature shrine in shore temple

The entire compound wall surrounding the temples is sculpted with large sculptures of Nandi..

Arjuna's Penance is a story from the Mahabharata of how Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers, performed severe austerities in order to obtain Shiva's weapon.

standing one-legged, arms above his head.In the center of the relief, purifying river Ganges flows down the mountain, surrounded by ascetics, celestials, elephants, and other animals on the banks.

Krishna Mandapam

Varaha Cave Temple

Five Rathas (chariot)

The structures are named after the Pancha Pandavas, they are named Arjuna, Bhima, Yudhishthira ("Dharmaraja"), Nakula and Sahadeva – and Draupadi.

A complete view of Pancha Ratahas in Mahabalipuram

Elephant and Nakula Ratha

Bhima Ratha

Arjuna Ratha, Draupadi Ratha and Bull

Dharmaraja Ratha

After the Tsunami of December 2004, a collapsed temple as well as several other structures and primordial rock sculptures used in the same era to decorate walls and religious shrines were exposed. It revived theories that Mahabalipuram formed part of the Seven Pagodas the first Europeans wrote about. whole Mahabalipuram itself is a mystery with constant new discoveries.....its believed that more relic to be found under the sea..we ended the trip with nice seafood in Restaurant Moonrakers at Othavadai Street.

Kelambakkam backwaters, Chennai

Kelambakkam backwaters is a brackish water lagoon adjacent to the Bay of Bengal in the East Coast Road.

The Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

I had an opportunity to shoot these beautiful pied kingfisher in Kelambakkam backwaters, Chennai. I had to getup at 5am to drive all the way to Kelambakkam. The Pied Kingfisher  has black and white plumage, crest and the habit of hovering over clear lakes and rivers before diving for fish makes it distinctive. They are usually found in pairs or small family parties. When perched, they often bob their head and flick up their tail.  It usually hunts by hovering over the water to detect prey and diving vertically down bill-first to capture fish.

Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia.They forage in flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. They immerse their half open beaks in water and sweep them from side to side and snap up their prey of small fish that are sensed by touch. As they wade along they also stir the water with their feet to flush hiding fish. 

The Spot-billed Pelican or Grey Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

I visited Vedanthangal bird sanctuary on 28th December 2011 a day before cyclone Thane brushed Chennai. Vedanthangal bird sanctuary located approximately 80 km from Chennai. In a big tank/pond with trees up to 30'000 birds nest here. The two square kilometer of open water are surrounded by paddyfields. Vedanthangal sanctuary serves as a nesting home for many species of water birds. Egrets, Grey Heron, Open-billed Stork, Darter, Spoonbill, White Ibis, Night Herons, Grey Pelican, Pintail ducks and Cormorants are some of the breeding birds that visit the sanctuary. Breeding season starts in October and ends in March. Best time is December and January.

A small entrance fee has to be paid (Rs.5, Rs. 25 for camera and Rs150 for video camera) to enter the sanctuary. Good place to shoot birds and you can rent binoculars in the shops near the entrance. Its a beauty to watch these birds fly around .........


Some of the birds identified by me are:

Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) 
 Painted Storks are large and colourful birds found in South India.

  

 

 

  

Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax)
 Black-crowned night herons are very aggressive and steal eggs and young of other heron colonies. 

Asian Openbill Stork (Anastomus oscitans)

Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)

Grey Herons have long necks and powerful bills for a long and strong reach. They usually wait on the mud or at the water's edge to snatch passing aquatic prey. 

 

 

Spot-billed Pelican or Grey Pelican (Pelecanus philippensis)

Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii)

Eurasian Spoonbill or Common Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)

Black-headed Ibis or Oriental White Ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus)

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis)

 

 Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger)

  

Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) Indian treepie