Keoladeo National Park is not visited by many people during the monsoon months. The purpose of my visit was to observe and photograph the rookery of herons and other birds such as spoonbills, storks, and cormorants. This is when herons and other birds breed on small islands in lakes or ponds within the national park. Other than this, there is a plethora of wildlife and wildlife activity around the park. For those who are really interested in wildlife photography, they should probably visit this place during the monsoon months. However, one must be aware that it would be extremely hot. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Wildlife
Wildlife Safari at Rajaji National Park May 2025
I had again visited the Mohand zone of Rajaji National Park just last month in May. I had opted to do 2 safaris on two separate days, one evening and one morning safari. During my first evening safari, I was able to observe three different leopards. On my 2nd morning safari, I did not get much good sightings of the leopard but overall I was satisfied with the quality of the safari as I was able to photograph a variety of wildlife. My best sighting on the first day was the one of the leopard drinking from a small pool of water. On the 2nd safari, my best sighting I felt was the one of the Egyptian Vultures perched high up on the tree top. My next tour to this place would either be in November or December where I intend to do 6 or 7 back to back safaris. If anyone is interested in joining then do contact me on abhishekd77@hotmail.com. Here I am sharing various photos of the birds and mammals I was able to photograph.
A Day Out at the Himalayan Zoological Park
I had also made a visit to the Himalayan Zoological Park which is located around 3km from Gangtok. This was setup in 1991 and is a great place to observe Himalayan wildlife. The park is surrounded by forests all around and gives one a sense of wilderness. I had spent almost a full day here with the aim to observe and photograph many of the wildlife residents of the park. From photographing the clouded leopard to observing Red Pandas, I am sharing my photos of what all I photographed. I had used the Canon EOS R6 and the Tamron EF 100-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens.
Wildlife Safari at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve
I first visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve this year in the last week of of June, and I had been planning to go here for quite a while now. The reserve came under Project Tiger in the year 1995. The main aim was not only to photograph tigers but also try to capture the other residents of the forest such as Gaur, wild boar etc. This park, which is located in the state of Maharashtra, is one of the best places in India to observe and photograph tigers.
Birding at Mangalajodi Wetlands
Mangalajodi is a great place for birding from the months of December to March mainly for migratory birds. I had visited this place during the month of February. It is less than two hours drive from Bhubaneshwar which is the capital city of Orissa. Mangalajodi is a village located at the Northern edge of Chilika Lake.
Wildlife Photography at Nandankanan Zoological Park
Nandankanan Zoological Park in my view is the best zoological park in India that I have visited so far. I had visited this place on 2 different days while in Bhubaneshwar and I feel it is a great place to capture great wildlife moments even though it is a zoological park. Even though it requires a lot of patience to capture that moment or being at the right place at the right time. This zoo houses a lot of mammals, but I was mainly focused on capturing Indian wildlife. I had used my Canon EOS R6 and Tamron EF 100-400mm f4.5-6.3 telephoto lens.
Leopard Safari at Mohand Range
The images showcased in this post are from my 2 safaris which I did this month. Mohand zone is part of Rajaji National Park and is the best location to spot leopards. I had previously visited this area back in June and you could read about here. I was able to get very close up shots of the leopard as it was comfortable in our presence.
Tiger Safari at Sundarbans
Sundarbans is a mangrove forest located a few hours from the city of Kolkata in West Bengal and is the largest mangrove forest in India. I had visited both Kolkata city and the Sundarbans forest in the month of July. I had taken an overnight train from Patna Junction to Kolkata Shalimar via Duronto Express. From the station, I got dropped off to my hotel which I had booked for half day for some rest as I was to meet the rest of the group later during the day. Once we all had assembled at the meeting point, we had to drive from Kolkata all the way to Godkhali Ferry Ghat which is the starting point for all boat tours and cruises into the Sundarbans. We had arrived by late evening with dinner being served on the boat. Our home for the next 4 nights was at Sundarban Banjara Village Homestay which is run by Satyaki Naha who was also our guide during our all day boat safaris.
Sunday Safari at Mohand Range
I had been planning to visit Rajaji National Park for quite a few months and was wanting to do 2 or 3 safaris before the park closes. I came to know that there was a small group of wildlife enthusiasts organizing a safari at Mohand range that comes under Rajaji National Park. This is the nearest gate from Dehradun. I went on both the morning and evening jeep safaris. The morning was very well worth it as it was my first time to was able to capture it on camera as it walked across the road. The evening one was just okay even though we spotted some leopards but were not able to get a good photograph of them as they were shy in our presence.
Bird and Nature Photography at Sandwell Valley Country Park
Sandwell Valley Country Park is resident to a number of both water birds as well as woodland birds and small mammals. This park which is located in West Bromwich, England has a lot of birding activity and has a lot of open space from walking trails, open meadows, water bodies and areas of woodland. Here are some of my favourite captures over the past 8 years. I had used a number of different camera setups from starting with the Canon EOS 600D in 2014 to now using the Canon EOS R6.