My tryst with bird photography

I had this idea of starting my own blog from a long time. Even I actually started a blog twice and ended up deleting it without writing a single post. Finally after going through many blogs about how to write one I am writing my first post.

The basic purpose is to share the joy, information and experiences which I have come across, while pursuing my hobbies of photography and travelling. Of course I am not very experienced in photography, it just started some 2 years back.

A Painted stork in Pallikaranai

When one thinks of birding near Chennai, the usual places which come to their mind are Guindy national park, IIT campus, Theosophical society, Vedanthangal bird sanctuary and Adyar poonga. But there are few lesser known places in and around Chennai which are supporting a good population of resident and migratory birds. Following are some of the places which are in and around Chennai which are good for bird watching and photography

• Pallikaranai marshlands

• Siruthavur lake and nearby reserve forest

• Madurantakam lake

• Kelambakkam backwaters

• Muttukadu backwaters (behind Taj Vivanta)

• Nanamangalam reserve forest

• Pulicat lake

As a resident of Pallikaranai, it is my first preference for birding. Pallikaranai marshland is a large fresh water swamp. The main birding places are the swamps on either side of the Pallavaram – Thuraipakkam road and the cattle grazing fields in the interiors of Pallikaranai.

Purple Swamphen

Painted stork in its nest

The swamps on the Thuraipakkam roads attract thousands of migratory birds during the winter months. The vegetation surrounding these swamps is the breeding ground for a large population of painted storks, pelicans, moorhens, etc. These swamps are protected area and are under the forest department. The forest department in a move to protect this marshland from encroachment started a fencing project, however the fencing is incomplete. The best place for bird watching is the stretch located on either side of Pallavaram – Thuraipakkam road. But one must be careful as the swamp is not only home for birds it is also home for lot of poisonous snakes.

The other good place for watching smaller land dwelling birds is the cattle grazing fields in the interiors of Pallikaranai. These fields border the swamps and extend into the residential area. The field is covered with grass and some shrubs during the winter months. The shrubs are home to small birds like Sunbirds, Red vented bulbul, Pied Cuckoos etc.

Green Bee Eater in the grazing fields

Indian roller in the field

But, In the past few years Pallikaranai marshland is severely polluted due to the excessive dumping of solid waste. Also these marshlands are also getting continuously encroached. The number of migratory birds visiting here is decreasing year by year due to water pollution, stench produced by the dumping yard, and the smoke coming from the burning of solid waste in the yard.


In my next post I will be writing about my other favourite birding place Siruthavur Lake.