Sumit Shaw Photography

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Sumit Shaw Photography

"🌿 Passionate about the beauty of nature and the enchanting world of birds and wildlife.

Welcome to my page! 🦜 Explore with me, as i journey through the fascinating realms of avian wonders and the mesmerising tapestry of wildlife.

04/10/2026

🧡 Understorey warmth in the misty Nilgiris.

A winter vignette from January 2025 at Sim's Park, Coonoor. While the male sports a stark jet-black hood, the female Black-and-orange Flycatcher (Ficedula nigrorufa) charms with soft olive tones and deep rufous plumage. Spotting this high-elevation Western Ghats endemic foraging low in the damp ferns is always a treat for the lens.

📍 Sim's Park, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, India

🛡️ IUCN Status: Least Concern (LC) — Western Ghats Endemic

📸 © Sumit Shaw

22/09/2026

The Forest Phantom: Green Cochoa

From the 2024 archives comes one of the most legendary and sought-after prizes of the Eastern Himalayan foothills: the elusive Green Cochoa (Cochoa viridis). Tracking this canopy ghost through the dense, misty evergreen forests of Latpanchar alongside local birding expert guide Parag Gurung was an unforgettable masterclass in patience and fieldcraft.

About the Bird

A member of the thrush family (Turdidae), the Green Cochoa is renowned for its quiet, stealthy nature and magnificent coloration. Draped in rich moss-green plumage, it features a brilliant, shimmering cobalt-blue crown, pale blue-and-black wing panels, and a distinctive dark eye-stripe. Despite its vibrant hues, it blends seamlessly into the mossy, epiphytic mid-canopy, sitting dead-still for long stretches while hunting for berries, insects, and mollusks—making it one of the hardest birds to detect in the wild.

Location & Date
* Latpanchar (Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary), West Bengal — January 2024
* Guide Credit: Parag Gurung
* Habitat: Intact subtropical broadleaf evergreen forests, dense ravines, and moss-draped middle canopies (typically between 800m and 1,800m).�

Conservation Status
* Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: Highly specialized and patchily distributed across its range, it is an indicator of pristine, undisturbed primary forest. Preserving contiguous sub-montane forest tracts across North Bengal is vital to ensuring the survival of this secretive canopy dweller.�

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16/09/2026

Tadoba - Veera Tigress from Bellara Buffer Zone

08/09/2026

The Crimson Strawberry: Male Red Avadavat

Few small passerines can rival the sheer, glowing brilliance of a male Red Avadavat (Amandava amandava) in full breeding plumage. Resembling a fiery ruby set against the tall greens, finding this dazzling finch in the open grasslands and reed margins of the Nilgiris is a treat for the eyes.

About the Bird
Also popularly known as the Strawberry Finch, the breeding male is unmistakable: draped in rich, glowing scarlet-red plumage generously speckled with crisp, starry white dots along the flanks and wings. A contrasting jet-black tail and deep red bill complete his striking courtship attire. Highly social outside the nesting season, these tiny birds move in tight, chattering flocks through tall grasslands, reeds, and sugarcane thickets, foraging on grass seeds and small insects.

Location & Habitat
* Jan 2026 , Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu
* Habitat: Moist grasslands, reed beds, cultivated fringes, and scrubby wetland edges across the hill plateau.

Conservation Status
* Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: Widespread and adaptable across suitable grassy habitats, though local populations are susceptible to pesticide use in agricultural buffers and the loss of damp grassland and reed-bed ecosystems.

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06/09/2026

The Shola Sapphire: Nilgiri Flycatcher

Getting up close with a Nilgiri Flycatcher (Eumyias albicaudatus) reveals the subtle artistry of high-altitude evolution. Framed tightly in the soft, misty morning light of Coonoor, every delicate feather and indigo highlight of this Western Ghats endemic comes alive.

About the Bird
A close-up view brings out its defining features: a rich indigo-blue body, bright turquoise-blue forehead, and prominent black lores flanking deep, inquisitive eyes. At the base of its tail lie the signature white patches that give it its specific name, albicaudatus. Typically perching upright on exposed branches along forest fringes and tea estate edges, it darts out with remarkable agility to sn**ch insects in mid-air before returning gracefully to its perch.

Location & Date
* Coonoor, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu — January 2026
* Habitat: High-elevation shola forest edges, montane evergreen patches, and shaded tea estate ravines (typically above 1,200 meters).�
Conservation Status
* Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: With its range restricted entirely to the higher hill ranges of the Western Ghats, preserving contiguous shola-grassland mosaics and shaded canopy corridors in towns like Coonoor is essential to maintaining healthy populations.�
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04/09/2026

🐾 The Phantom of the Teak Woods: Indian Leopard

Few encounters rival lock-in eye contact with an Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) in the legendary forests of Kabini. Slouching low on a thick bough or padding silently across the forest floor, this master of stealth is the undisputed soul of Nagarhole’s teak-and-rosewood canopy.

About the Predator
The Indian Leopard is one of the five extant big cats in India, renowned for its supreme adaptability, raw climbing power, and near-flawless camouflage. Its rosette-covered coat blends seamlessly into dappled forest light, making it practically invisible until it moves. Capable of hoisting prey heavier than itself up into high branches to keep it safe from tigers and wild dogs, the leopard commands absolute silence across the jungle when on the prowl.

Location & Habitat
* Kabini (Nagarhole National Park), Karnataka
* Habitat: Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests, riverine fringes along the Kabini backwaters, and dense bamboo brakes.

Conservation Status
* Status: Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1) | Schedule I (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972).
* Context: While Kabini maintains one of the highest densities of leopards in the country, the species faces ongoing threats from habitat fragmentation, road collisions, and human-wildlife conflict outside protected reserves. Protected corridors across the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve remain vital for their survival.

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18/08/2026

The Himalayan Sapphire: Male Grandala

Few birds on the planet rival the breathtaking plumage of a male Grandala (Grandala coelicolor). Resembling an electric-blue gem against the rugged, icy slopes of Sela Pass, this high-altitude marvel is one of the most celebrated sightings in the Eastern Himalayas.

About the Bird
The male Grandala is an absolute showstopper, draped in an intense, almost fluorescent deep cobalt-blue plumage that contrasts sharply with his jet-black wings, bill, and tail. In May, these birds frequent the alpine zones just above the tree line, often moving in small groups or dazzling flocks that twist and turn across the rocky ravines like a shimmering blue wave. They forage agilely among rocky boulders and dwarf shrubs for insects, larvae, and alpine berries.

Location & Date
* Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh — May 2025
* Habitat: High-elevation alpine meadows, rocky scree slopes, and boulder fields (typically between 3,900m and 5,500m during breeding season).�

Conservation Status
* Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: Well-adapted to extreme Himalayan altitudes with stable populations, though they depend heavily on pristine, undisturbed alpine tundra and dwarf scrub ecosystems.�

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17/08/2026

The Mountain Master: Snow Pigeon

A true denizen of high-altitude mountain realms, the Snow Pigeon (Columba leuconota) is built for life above the clouds. Encountering a flock soaring effortlessly against the mist and jagged alpine precipices near Sela Pass is a classic Himalayan spectacle.

About the Bird

Strikingly patterned, the Snow Pigeon features a slate-black head contrasting with a clean white neck collar and underparts, a brownish-grey back with a pure white lower-back patch, and pale grey wings marked with brown crossbars. When seen in flight, its black tail reveals a bold, curving white band in the middle. Highly gregarious and fast fliers, these pigeons roost on high cliff crevices and descend to alpine meadows and rocky screes to forage for seeds, shoots, and grains.

Location & Date
* Near Sela Pass, Arunachal Pradesh — May 2025
* Habitat: High-altitude alpine scree, rocky cliffs, and montane pastures (typically found between 3,000m and 5,000m).�

Conservation Status
* Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: Widespread across the high Himalayas with stable populations, though they remain vulnerable to local habitat disturbances and extreme climate shifts in fragile alpine zones. �

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15/08/2026

The Secret of the Streams: Blue-eared Kingfisher

A dazzling jewel of dense jungle waterways, the Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting) is one of the most elusive and striking kingfishers of the Western Ghats. Catching a glimpse of this shy, deep-blue beauty along the shaded streams of Thattekad is a true birding triumph.

About the Bird
Though easily confused with the Common Kingfisher at a distance, the Blue-eared Kingfisher is distinct with its richer, royal cobalt-blue upperparts, deep rufous-orange underparts, and—most notably—all-blue ear-coverts (which are bright orange in the Common Kingfisher). Highly secretive and solitary, it prefers the quiet sanctuary of dark, forest-shaded streams, darting like an azure arrow just inches above the water to sn**ch small fish and aquatic insects.

Location & Date
* Thattekad Bird Sanctuary (Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary), Kerala — December 2025
* Habitat: Shaded forest streams, freshwater torrents, and dense evergreen lowland forests.�

Conservation Status
* Status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: While globally widespread across South and Southeast Asia, it is locally uncommon and strictly reliant on clean, undisturbed forest streams with dense canopy cover, making intact sanctuaries like Thattekad essential for its survival.�

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14/08/2026

The Shola Songster: Nilgiri Laughingthrush

A true high-altitude endemic of the Western Ghats, the Nilgiri Laughingthrush (Montecincla cachinnans) is one of the most vocal and charismatic residents of the southern sky islands. Hearing its explosive, laughing choruses echoing through the misty shola grasslands of the Nilgiris is a quintessential mountain birding experience.

About the Bird
Distinguished by its rich rufous-chestnut breast, olive-brown upperparts, and jet-black chin, its most defining feature is a bold, piercing white supercilium (eyebrow) contrasted against a dark eye-stripe. Highly social and restless, they move through the mid-to-lower undergrowth in energetic pairs or small noisy parties, foraging on wild berries, insects, and the nectar of high-elevation flowering shrubs.

Location & Date
* Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu — January 2026
* Habitat: High-elevation shola forest patches, montane scrub, and forest fringes, typically above 1,200 meters. �
Conservation Status
* Status: Endangered (IUCN 3.1).
* Context: With an extremely restricted geographic range, its long-term survival is tightly linked to the protection of the fragile high-altitude shola-grassland mosaic from fragmentation, invasive exotic plants, and land-use changes. �
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