PHOTOGRAPHY | BIRDING

In Pursuit of Red Avadavats

My adventures in finding and photographing Red Avadavats in Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary

Red Avadavats fascinated me. Their beautiful images seen in the annals of social media mesmerized me. I was desperate to have my moment of triumph by having a nice image of this red beautiful bird in my photo repository and more importantly to see them with my own eyes.

For the uninitiated, Red Avadavats are small birds also referred to as Strawberry finches, belonging to the Munia family which is a genus Estrildidae Finch family of birds.

My first tryst with Munias happened inadvertently on a dry summer afternoon when a Scaly Breasted Munias perched on my balcony balancing on a cleaning mop. Shining dark brown color and scaly breasts gave these birds a beautiful sheen.

At that time I was not aware of the existence of such a bird called Munias and had dismissed the Munia as a Common House Sparrow. Later after analysing the photo with Google Lens, I got corrected that it was not a sparrow but a Scaly-breasted munia.

Later on, I had a daily rendezvous with the Scaly Breasted Munias for close to one month, when they chose to roost on my bedroom balcony. It was fascinating to watch them build their nest and settle in it. Those days we woke up to the beautiful chirps from the winged guests in our home.

Still, I nurtured a hope to find the Red Avadavat out there in nature. So I started going through the Bird checklists in e-bird to find the nearest place I could find them. It helped me to zero in on Manjeera Wildlife Sanctuary to go and hunt for the Red Avadavats.

Weekend 1

My first expedition was a dampener as far as finding Red Avadavats was concerned, but Manjeera turned out to be a paradise for birding. On my first trip towards the fag end of the birding walk, I could spot a Tricolored Munia perched at a distance, which my 500mm lens could get a shot. I was relieved at least to know that I was in Munia land.

But the wish to see the Red Avadavats lingered heavy in my mind. I resolved to myself, that I would come to this place every weekend till I found the Red Avadavats.

Weekend 2

I was off early in the morning back to Manjeera. As soon as I embarked out of the car a pack of Tricoloured Munias greeted me in the fields foraging early in the morning.

My second birding trip to Manjeera was turning out to be a bounty for finding Tricolored Munias, I had a plethora of shots taken of these beautiful Munias in different poses, in-flight, and foraging.

Luck didn’t favor me to find the Red Avadavats today too. But I was happy to see so many Tricolored Munias and other birders had spotted Red Avadavats, just that I was not in the right place at the right time.

“Anything that is worth pursuing is going to require us to suffer, just a little bit” — Chris Burckard

I was not despondent as I kissed goodbye to that weekend trip, determined to come back the ensuing weekends to hunt for the Red Avadavats that were eluding my eyes.

Weekend 3

I was back again the next Saturday, in pursuit of my goal. Lady luck, smiled today! For the first time in my life, I could see a Red Avadavat. It was hiding amidst grasses and finding its food. The vibrant red bird was shining as a beacon amidst the green grass.

The birder in me was ecstatic! The photographer in me was a tad unhappy! Wish I had a better perch to capture that bird at eye level, I ruminated. But good things first, I have identified a potential spot where Red Avadavats frequented and observed the idiosyncrasies of these birds. They were flocking together in groups of 5 or more. They were extremely chirpy and gregarious. They were found in grasslands most times staying low on the ground foraging. Getting a nice perch was a game of patience and persistence.

I decided to play the game of persistence, till nature would bless me with some good shots for peruse. I will visit the spot again I promised myself and bid adieu for another weekend birding expedition.

“Timing is everything, but it all comes down to what your motivation is”– Erin Babnik

Weekend 4

This weekend I went prepared to play the waiting game at a pre-determined spot and wait to get some classy shots of Red Avadavats.

Holding my camera still, barely making any body movements, I sat on the edge of a patch of grass under the shade of a tree. I was determined not to make even a tiny twitch of my fingers. From my birding trips, I had observed that birds fly away immediately if they see human presence, so I clandestinely waited for the Red Avadavats to arrive.

Well! it was my day today, nature rewarded my patience and persistence today with Red Avadavat families flocking and perching at a comfortable distance where my 400mm lens could get a good focus.

First came a male Avadavat with its striking Red body. There are white spots on the red body and the wings. The females had lesser white spots and a duller color. Still, the female Avadavats too were beautiful. I was confused about which was more beautiful, both looked awesome in my eyes.

After a few minutes, a whole flock bestowed on a perch near me. Six of them stood in a line. Wow! What a sight to behold. I don’t feel my photo is doing justice to the beauty that my eyes were seeing.

After four weekends my pursuit of Red Avadavats has yielded results. I was enthralled, but the photographer in me still wants to go and capture more of these red beauties.

“Nature never goes out of style”– Unknown

Well, Red Avadavats are never going to be out of style in my album.

Thanks to Anne Bonfert for the wildlife theme for this month

I enjoyed reading wilderness and wildlife in American west by Randy Runtsch

Michele Maize trip planning around wildlife resonated quite well with me. That is how I plan all my trips