Birder continues to create magic with photography skills

HYDERABAD

It is not for nothing that birder Syam Sundar Potturi gets his pictures nominated for awards at a national-level competition in Uttar Pradesh recently.

Even though many birders have shown predictable indifference to visiting the Ameenpur lake, once the favourite destination to capture in cameras some of the most beautiful birds, including flamingos, 54-year-old Syam continues to produce magic with his photography skills in a way serving a gentle reminder that it was not all over yet at the lake.

One of his latest frames, terns trying to snatch away fish catch from cormorants, has become one of the most popular snaps on social networking sites. Nature photography throws up so many unpredictable frames and that is what this gentleman thrives on, in his own words.

“Yes, I try to be different, though I may not always be successful. For instance, a couple of days ago, I got the frame of a kingfisher diving into the water to catch fish and the splash it made resembled a King’s crown. Somehow, I loved that more than trying to get the kingfisher with the catch,” he explained. “The two brood parasitism shots in two consecutive years at two different places, of Ashy Prinia feeding grey-bellied cuckoo at Nallagandla and yellow-eyed Babbler feeding Fork-tailed Drongo-cuckoo at Zaheerabad, somehow fascinated me,” he added.

The best part is that Syam loves to share the joy of watching nature and birds with other birders. Anyone keen to know about birding, he will be the first person to be pinged.

“It all started with flamingos at Ameenpur in March 2019. Later, birding helped me cope with the COVID shutdown,” he recalled.

The avid photographer has been to Bhigwan, said to be one of the best locales for birding, especially flamingos in the lake in the backdrop of the sunset. “It is disappointing the way Ameenpur is fast losing its craze among birders. Now, even bushes on the lake bed (near the cricket ground), where some of the most beautiful birds like Indian Pitta or Navrang, Bluethroat, Red Munias are sighted, are also being cleared. I wonder if Ameenpur lake becomes a pond in the middle of a concrete jungle sans birds soon,” he rued.