Common Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea)

When I started my photography with a Panasonic point and shoot camera, I was not very ambitious. The list of limitations were many, but then I was very happy to use the camera whenever I got an opportunity. I often visit Theosophical Society in Chennai and neighbouring Adayar Estuary to watch birds. In one such visit I saw this female Common Koel feeding on a ficus(?) fruit. The day was bright. I thought I would capture the moment when the fruit is still in the bird's beak. After many attempts I got this picture that stayed as one of my favourites for long time, even though it showed plenty of digital noise, chromatic aberration and unimpressive levels of contrast.



When I had my new Canon EOS 400D camera and a 300 mm lens, I saw this bird feeding on ficus fruit in Lalbagh, Bangalore. The light was harsh and I was shooting from almost exactly beneath the the bird.



I tried for different angles to get the light reveal the details on this male bird's dark plumage and brighten up its deep red eyes. This photo was the best I could get.



I was happy that I could watch the bird for prolonged time. A female bird arrived at a later stage to join the feast. The male and female birds are so different that, when I was a kid, I considered them as separate species!




Years later I got a chance to take a very good picture quite unexpectedly. This male bird revealed its presence when it aggressively defended this bunch of ripened areca nut (ornamental dwarf type) from a White-cheeked Barbet. These nuts have only a thin layer of edible (I never knew) skin around a hard shell. I was pleasantly surprised by seeing this Koel swallowing it whole.



The best part of observing and taking pictures of this beautiful bird was that I could do it all from my bed room.