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This exhibition provides interesting insights into bird behaviour.

Photo: N. Shiva Kumar

BEAKS AND FEATHERS The red billed blue magpie from Himachal Pradesh

The exhibition details how many of these birds are on the brink of extinction. Threatened by shrinking habitat, environmental degradation and by poachers, many birds lead a perilous existence. Artistic side apart, these photos endow birds with personality. Each one is shown as unique in its behaviour, personality and traits. The exhibition impresses the eye and interests the curious.

The skimmer bird, for example, is a threatened species, with only a thousand-odd birds remaining. This bird, says the photographer and conservationist, is found only on the Chambal river. “We consider the Chambal impure. People don’t even bathe in it. Because of this, it is one of the few clean rivers in the country,” explains Kumar. This bird is unique because it catches fish by skimming the water. The Siberian crane is even worse off than the skimmer. It is an endangered species. Their annual visits from Siberia to India have stopped. Kumar says a few of these cranes were last seen in Bharatpur in 2002. They are said to be victims of the Afghan wars, also their traditional habitats have been pressurised by growing human populations. As the number of these elegant visitors has severely fallen since the nineties, the chance sighting in 2002 was nothing short of a miracle. Captured at five in the morning, Kumar finished three rolls on the birds. Kumar reveals that the long travel tires these migrants. They fly low. And are easy targets for poachers who bring them down with a sling. Through his avid and unobtrusive bird watching, Kumar brings interesting bird rituals to the fore. Even the common Brahminy myna or starling is rendered uncommon, as it acquires a startling blue band during courtship. The male baya weaver bird and even the familiar egret acquire a yellow plumage during mating. Birds go through an elaborate and involved courtship period. The weaver bird makes water, wind and fall proof nests to impress the female. Kumar shoots these nests at the NTPC crossroads in Noida.

A rare sighting of the Siberian cranes, taken in 2002, in Bharatpur

This exhibition provides interesting insights into bird behaviour. An open bill stork in Raganthitto, Karnataka is seen sunbathing. With wings outstretched the stork preens towards the sunlight, as if taking a bow. The coppersmith barbet is shown with feed in its beak on a landing point. No feeding bird flies straight to the nest. Instead it alights first at a landing point to fool predators.

Shot over fifteen years and across the length of the country, the exhibition is proof of Kumar’s passion and study. He has also written extensively on bird conservation for wildlife magazines like Sanctuary and other mainstream Indian publications.

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