Spotted Owlet

[Dipankar Mazumdar]

Spotted Owlet , sunning on a muggy morning at Keoladeo ghana national Park, Bharatpur.
EOS 50D + 300 f4 + 1.4x II @ f5.6, ISO 200, 1/1600, look forward to C&C

The UNESCO world heritage site was in shambles with grim sights of bone dry lake bed invaded by cattle, abandoned Painted stork colonies and the noisy cacophony of Tubewells trying to add some water to the parched landscape but ending up as water holes for thirsty cattle.Though i planned to stay overnight, the ghastly sights made me drive back to delhi the same night.

[Bibhav Behera]

I like the composition. A bit more sharpness would be nice. The bird's stare is nice. The background is busy but doesnt distract as there are no stray highlights...
Overall this is nice. Thanks for sharing.

[Dipankar Mazumdar]

Dear Bibhav,
The image i had posted was 800 pix but larger than 200 hence probably the loss of sharpness, i have replaced it with a smaller image now.
cheers
dipankar

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice composition. I liked the eye contact and the open perch. The branches in the background give a different feel to the BG.

The update you have given about Bharatpur is shocking. I had heard that birds are less as there is no water. I can imagine how you might have felt after seeing the plight of the place when you had expected it to be swarming with birds. I hope the authorities awaken before it is too late. Thanks for sharing.

[Bibhav Behera]

Ahh... Lovely :)

[AB Apana]

Nice capture, is this the famous owl tree? I got three spotties there on my visit. Agree about the dismal state of the park.

Apana