Every Wildlife Photographer is a wanderer by choice! An Explorer drove by enthusiasm. I am one such soulful voyager who is passionately in love with wildlife! I have explored several great places and have strived to capture the intense moments. Out of those places, The Himalayas will always stay close to my heart. I have visited several birding hotspots in the mountains and have spent so much time roaming around that the hills have become my second home.
Waking up in the morning to the enchanting call of the Hill Partridge is pure bliss! A Hill Patridge is often heard but seldom seen! It is a shy bird by nature. I have numerous blurry record images of this lovely bird, but my heart always dreamed of capturing a clear & mesmerizing picture of this elusive beauty. Every dream is powerful. I firmly believed that soon this dream would turn into reality!
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The Global Pandemic brutally shattered most of our travel plans; Post lockdown, our souls desired an adventure. We badly wanted to stretch our legs! So we intended to do some birding in Mahananda Wildlife sanctuary and Darjeeling hills.
Our drive from Kolkata to Siliguri was a memorable one. Like a bird that flew out of a cage, we enjoyed the freedom & fresh air! Our Extraordinary Journey started with an exciting welcome note! We came to know that Hill Partridge was frequenting a place in the outskirts of Darjeeling, and if we were lucky, we would get some crisp shots.
After a peaceful night’s sleep, we decided to head straight to the location. A ride in the meandering roads in the Himalayas is always a feast to the souls of the wanderers. The scenic beauty heals your spirit and immerses you in the essence of exotic greenery and nature. The orchestra of joyfully chirping birds will take you to heaven!
As we traveled further, we chanced upon a stretch of bamboo habitat and stopped by. There we were astounded to hear a call of a Golden-breasted Fulvetta! “Wow ! this is another coveted species for me to take a snap!” my mind bounced in delight! We also heard a call of a Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler. We decided to wait, and yes! It paid rich dividends as we got some charming images of the Fulvetta. But unluckily, we were not able to sight the Babbler and we reluctantly traveled further.
As we came near the spot where the Partridge was usually sighted, I started to feel my heart playing ball drums in excitement. We positioned ourselves in a suitable place and waited patiently. Few locals confirmed that a beautiful bird did come to that place often, and the details matched with the Hill Partridge. We stayed rooted to the ground twiddling our thumbs and prayed.
After a torturous wait for two hours, a colorful blob swiftly appeared near the place we were focussing. We were witnessing a moment of a miracle! The bird came in slowly and majestically. It was one of the loveliest birds I had ever seen! It elegantly walked up the mound and stood there in front of me!! My heart skipped a beat! I was mesmerized by its absolute elegance and the plethora of hues. I came back to reality and realised that my long-awaited dream was about to materialize! Then I started to capture that flawless angel. It was a foggy day and my camera lens combo was going nuts trying to work with a high and crazy ISO! Thank God! I had my new Canon R5 with a 600 mm lens with me. I focussed on my bird and activated the amazing eye-tracking autofocus, and went on a shooting spree!!!!
Hill Partridge is an absolutely voracious eater! It kept its head bowed down and went on foraging. Once in a while it courteously lifted its head and offered a few glances. That was my chance to make some nice images. It remained there for one or two minutes and vanished magically! It was a moment that I will treasure my whole life! With all my heart, I praised God for making me venture into wildlife photography!
Almost as an afterthought, I went through my shots and realized that the pictures I clicked were not enough to hone my appetite! So I decided to stick through and chance my luck!
Hill Partridge [Arborophila torqueola millardi ] is a shy bird. It is widely spread, from The
W Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh in India to W Nepal. This adorable species prefers to escape by running! But when flushed, it flies strongly between trees. It is a compulsive forager and keeps foraging within the leaf litter for its food.
The call of the bird is enchanting! Mostly they are vocal in the early morning and evening. Their main call is loud and far-carrying, over one KM distance. A lovely, smoothly rising and mournful whoopy sound is repeated every three seconds and lasts for around two seconds. Duet calls are also audible, where the female leads by giving a kwikwikwikwikwik call, to which the male quickly answers with a series of ascending, mellow double whistles that end in crescendo and last for three to six seconds. Contact calls consist of single, whistled notes, given rapidly and often very quiet. Once heard, it is very likely that you will never forget the call of the Hill Partridge!!
It is a brightly colored game bird with an intricate head pattern and a body shaped like a football. Brick-red on the crown serves to distinguish the male from the similar Rufous-throated Partridge. The male Hill Partridge lacks an orange on the throat, while the female lacks the white chest band and brick-red crown and has less orange on the throat than Rufous-throated. Female birds most often have been dealt a wrong hand by the almighty, albeit with a sense of higher purpose!! But the female Partridge is not drab as some of its cousins and sports a gamut of colors herself.
It is common and classified as least threatened by IUCN in the subcontinent. But the species numbers are probably declining due to habitat loss and degradation. Hill Partridge does not appear to be a target for hunters, at least in the W Himalayas.
With enormous will & endurance, I remained there for several hours. The clock was ticking, but the bird didn’t show up. The fog, wind, rain, and lighting were intimidating me and testing my persistence! I stood there firmly with a burning desire to fulfill my vision. Luckily the beauty blessed me with two more visits. I utilized every second productively. Moments, rather than possessions, are the true treasures of our life. But I consider these moments more precious than a treasure! I would love to thank my naturalist Rantu Saha for guiding me with his immense knowledge of Himalayan birds!
A wildlife photographer is a connoisseur who collects the most intense & fascinating stories from the wild! Every story told will change the way people see this world!!
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