Indian Skimmers

[Abhijit Deshpande]

A Pair of Indian skimmers in flight over Chambal river in India. One of the last breeding places for these beautiful birdies.
Canon EOS 7D, Canon 500 mm f/4 @ f/4, 1/1600/ ISO 160, Matrix/ evaluative metering, manual WB. Processed in PS CC17, Curves, Saturation, Cropped 50%, Minimal sharpening. Handheld from a boat we were riding in. The background has mustard fields in bloom, the river bank & the river itself.
All critique & comments welcome. Hope you like this
Thanks
Abhijit

[Glenn Pure]

This is a lovely image, Abhijit and one I'd be very happy with if it was mine. The birds and wings are positioned really well so you've chosen your moment of capture really well. Tone and colour look great and I like the three-colour background. Composition is great from my perspective. No nits from me on this one.

[Arthur Morris]

Very sweet. Similar to yet so different from our Black Skimmer with their longer, skinnier bills. Bad luck that the birds were not positioned right in the center of the mud bank ...

with love, artie

[Abhijit Deshpande]

Thanks Artie!

[Abhijit Deshpande]

Thanks Glenn! The experience on the boat is something totally heavenly.

[Abhijit Deshpande]

Would like to add a few words - how something good comes out of evil.
This particular area was infested by the most dreaded dacoit gangs in India for nearly 80-100 years, given the unique geographical formations created by the river over the millennia. It has long tortuous ravines, making it a perfect hideaway for the gangs. These gangs were ferocious & held back at no atrocity known to mankind. Making them the de-facto lords & masters of the populace. The government machinery was also at their mercy & none dared to venture in this area till well into the 2000s. The fallout was this area through which the Chambal river flows has no industry of any kind. Turns out the water is totally unpolluted by the hand of man. This makes it the breeding ground for two wonderful species- The Indian Skimmer & the Gharial/ fresh water alligator. In short an amazing place for nature's untouched beauty to he enjoyed.