An Amur Falcon in flight over a lake bed
The last picture of 2022 - finally, a good shot of "THE" Amur Falcon - this has been a dream for years now.
This is one of the longest migrating raptors in the planet. The annual migration covers around 22,000 Km - 30,000 km / 14-18,000 miles starting from Siberia / Northern Mongolia to India and onward to South Africa. From the coasts of India, they fly over the sea to Africa covering around 3-4000 kms nonstop without touching the ground for 5-6 days.
The birds were hunted in very large numbers in North Eastern India by the tribes, but now its a major conservation story and the same tribes now act as guides for bird lovers and watchers. The annual Amur Falcon festival happens every year around end Oct and one can watch 1000's of these birds - I hope to make it in 2023.
The story is worth reading for those interested!
www.birdguides.com/news/satellite-tagged-amur-falcons-fly...
www.allaboutbirds.org/news/a-galaxy-of-falcons-witnessing...
The birds are making a stopover briefly at a hill station near Mumbai for a couple of weeks and 100's of bird lovers like me make a visit to watch them and get some pictures. I was there on Thursday and had a tremendous day in the field!
* * * * * Wish Everyone A Happy New Year ! * * * * *
Many thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.
An Amur Falcon in flight over a lake bed
The last picture of 2022 - finally, a good shot of "THE" Amur Falcon - this has been a dream for years now.
This is one of the longest migrating raptors in the planet. The annual migration covers around 22,000 Km - 30,000 km / 14-18,000 miles starting from Siberia / Northern Mongolia to India and onward to South Africa. From the coasts of India, they fly over the sea to Africa covering around 3-4000 kms nonstop without touching the ground for 5-6 days.
The birds were hunted in very large numbers in North Eastern India by the tribes, but now its a major conservation story and the same tribes now act as guides for bird lovers and watchers. The annual Amur Falcon festival happens every year around end Oct and one can watch 1000's of these birds - I hope to make it in 2023.
The story is worth reading for those interested!
www.birdguides.com/news/satellite-tagged-amur-falcons-fly...
www.allaboutbirds.org/news/a-galaxy-of-falcons-witnessing...
The birds are making a stopover briefly at a hill station near Mumbai for a couple of weeks and 100's of bird lovers like me make a visit to watch them and get some pictures. I was there on Thursday and had a tremendous day in the field!
* * * * * Wish Everyone A Happy New Year ! * * * * *
Many thanks in advance for your views and feedback. Much appreciated.