UDUPI: I have to get this picture,” he would tell himself. And would wait patiently till he got that perfect shot of a bird. When many boys and girls of his age would indulge in soft pursuits, this young boy would look for bird sanctuaries in the district. Meet Tejas K Rao, a Class 10 student, from Santhekatte area in Udupi. “To become an enthusiastic birder, one need not travel far away with field glasses and a guidebook in hand. All that is needed is patience and enthusiasm to identify birds,” he says.
Armed with a 700 D canon camera and 150-600 mm Tamron lens gifted by his parents -- father Ravindra K and mother Shailaja Rao who work in the field of software -- this bird enthusiast started bird photography when he was in Class 7. He has successfully photographed as many as 272 birds of different species in the last three years or so. If the bird watchers of Udupi district have so far reported 384 species of birds to have been sighted and photographed, Tejas achieving this number shows his passion.
Tejas used to accompany the team members of Manipal Birders’ and Conservation Trust to watch birds, but he got interested in bird photography three years back when he was gifted the 700 D canon camera. ‘‘I used to carry a pair of binoculars and watch the birds. But others in our group had cameras, so I used to ask them for their camera to photograph the birds. For a bird photographer, patience is a must,” he says.
Tejas had nurtured this very quality since he was very small. But bird photography taught him more on what it actually meant to remain patient. ‘‘Initially I used to be disappointed with many good captures being missed on account of disturbance to birds on the perch. Then I realized moving slowly without making any noise was the first step I had to follow.
Then once I reached a place from where I could photograph the bird from a distance, the next step would be to settle there for a minute or two, just observing the bird and its activities. If the bird made a lot of moves, or even was staring at me, it meant that it was fearful. So it was not the ideal time to take out the camera. If the bird was busy hunting its prey even when I was closeby, then I could shoot the pictures as it meant it was not disturbed by my presence. Otherwise waiting till the bird was comfortable was the only option,” Tejas says.
For Tejas, a good photo means that it is shot in proper lighting and shade. “In every photograph of mine, you observe a white dot which is called ‘catch light’. If that white dot in the eye is present in the photograph, then you can conclude that the picture is perfect,” he says. He continues, “In bird photography, capturing the eye of the bird is very important. Usually I do not prefer photographing the birds when they are in their nests as we may end up disturbing them.
Bird photography is ideal when we do it in their natural habitats and during their natural activities.” Blue-eared kingfisher, Siberian Stonechat, Tri-coloured Munia, Lesser adjutant stork, Taiga flycatcher, Indian Pitta are among the birds he has photographed. Tejas, a student of Little Rock Indian School, Brahmavara, says he wants to pursue science course in PU and be a computer science engineer. ‘‘I will continue bird watching and photographing them,’’ he says.
Tejaswi Acharya, trustee of Manipal Birders’ and Conservation Trust, says, “We need youngsters like Tejas to take an interest in the birds around us and also take up conservation. Otherwise the future generations will only see these birds and animals in photographs.”
272 photograps of birds clicked in the last three years or so
Shoots with a 700 D canon camera and 150-600 mm Tamron lens
Tejas used to accompany the team members of Manipal Birders’ and Conservation Trust to watch birds