Indian Pitta

[sree.kumar.h]

The Indian Pitta winters in South India. A very shy bird; mostly seen on the floor of forests or under dense undergrowth, foraging on insects in leaf litter.

When I approached on foot it quickly disappeared into the undergrowth. I waited for it to return lying flat on the ground and eventually it did. I like this image as I was able to capture it along with its habitat.

Due to the dense canopy the light was low and hence preferred the Manual mode. Hand-held while on stomach using Sigma 150-500m f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM lens and the EOS-400D. ISO 400. @500mm. Manual: 1/20sec at f/8.0.

Comments, Criticism all welcome.
Sree

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Beautiful bird, I like the eye contact and angle and would sharpen the bird a bit more. I might also crop a bit off the top. I find the green spot and blades of grass in front of the legs a bit distracting.

[Arthur Morris]

This is an incredibly well done image of what is surely almost an impossible species to photograph. Kudos to you for your efforts and the result. I love the COMP and your choice of perspective. Next time you have to wait on the ground consider using your tripod and splaying the legs.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Well done mate on this species. Hard alright! :) I wish for only a better HA and slightly bigger in the frame. you did the best you could. I tried photographing one in Sydney a few months back. Very difficult, especially without a super telephoto. Though not long after that I had one in care (I do wildlife rehab) and released a week later. So stunning up close! :) Here is a picture (http://amatteroflight.com/gallery2/d/393-3/Noisy+Pitta_7028.jpg) of my Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor)

[Ed Cordes]

What a great effort to get this wonderful image. I agree about the crop from the top. I also wonder if eliminating the OOF bluish blotch on the right would be less distracting? That said a great image as is.

[Sid Garige]

Fantastic image. Very well composed and executed.

[Harshad Barve]

they are real skullers
very well done here and agreed on great suggations
TFS

[Fernando Cerra]

I have heard that Pittas are extremely difficult to photograph, congratulations for a very good image of this elusive bird.

[Kiran Poonacha]

Cool one sree.. loved the set up and the low angle, .... congrats..

[Connie Mier]

This is a great shot, very well done. I might be inclined to crop off some of the top.

[sree.kumar.h]

Thank you, I am happy that you all liked this image.

I fully agree with you all on the difficulty to capture this bird. My desire to see the Indian Pitta took me places but in vain. So far I only just managed a 1/100 or a 1/1000sec glimpse of them. On this day, I considered myself blessed since I got to see them to my heart’s content. I enjoyed watching it foraging on insects in leaf litter while I was flat on the ground away from it.

This image was taken fringes of Bangalore. It’s still not clear if they winter here in these parts. They are considered as passage migrants on their way to Sri Lanka.

Ákos, appreciate your rehab work.

Thanks for the tip Artie.

Cheers
Sree