Chaotic Colony

Written By Ray Hennessy
 

Photographer: Aditya Sridhar

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As a birdwatcher, there are few spectacles as awe-inspiring as watching vast colonies of birds just buzzing with life. From a bird photographer's perspective, however, they can be a real challenge to navigate.

I captured this image of a colony of Painted Storks on the last morning of my trip to Bharatpur, India in late-2024. Over the course of my visit, I found myself repeatedly overlooking this scene in favour of other, more conventionally appealing compositions. There was always something that kept tugging at me every time I walked by this stretch, however, so I decided to take one last crack at it.

For pretty much the entirety of my trip, a carpet of green algae and other aquatic plants had obscured the reflections on the water's surface at this location. In what can only be attributed to sheer luck, steady winds and a gentle flow of water meant I had crystal clear reflections on this cool, misty morning. All I had to do was set my camera up and, with a remote trigger in my hand, wait for a fly-by from one of the thousands of Painted Storks at this rookery.

1/1000 • f/9 • ISO 3200 • Nikon Z8 • 55mm • Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G

 
Ray Hennessy

Starting in 2007 my fascination with nature photography began.  In the years since, wildlife photography with a focus on birds has gone from a very passionate hobby of mine to become my career. I spend much of my free time in natural areas searching for birds and any other wildlife that comes along. I concentrate on using creative natural lighting and interesting compositions to capture unique images of common and rare wildlife. My favorite style is a more scenic photo that includes some of the habitat wildlife lives in. I also enjoy passing along the knowledge and experience that I have gathered over the years to other photographers who are eager to learn.

www.rayhennessy.com
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