Solitary Sunset

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India

My trip to Bharatpur was an unplanned one. Good friends for company, loads of enthusiasm and a keen eye for photography was what got me there. Now known as the Keoladeo National Park (formerly & popularly Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary) this paradise for bird watchers is about three hours from the capital (Delhi) by train. Going by train is the best option, because there are not many private bus services available as we were to later find out.

Coming from Assam, I never considered birds that important when it comes to wildlife but a visit to Bharatpur surely changed my views. We had gone in the beginning of May and since it was not the season we couldn't spot many birds. But even then we had a pretty good time spotting Saurus Cranes, Brahmini Ducks, Hornbills and the common Parrots and Peacocks to name a few.

I got some good shots of varieties of the Avian species of which the one above is my favorite. Taken just before sunset, the little bird was in no hurry at all and posed for a long time for us.

The park boasts of over 230 species of birds (visiting & permanent) and also the highest density of birds in a sanctuary. The best time to visit is from August to November for resident birds and November to March for migratory birds. There are plenty of hotels just outside the gate of the park which are reasonably priced but prices do shoot up during the season.